Jesus Christ's Once and For all SACRIFICE

Bible Study at the Christ Covenant Church International ( CCI) was a PRAISE FEST on last night. I just want to get that out right now. I am so happy that I now long to be at bible study. I hate to miss. I have a desire to go because I feel that I am being taught and having serious discussion. I love it. I encourage all Christians to find a good bible study group and jump in head first and grow !

Pastor Darryl Garrett and his lovely first lady, Rhonda Garrett are the shepherd and shepherdess of this flock. On last night he taught us from the Book Of Romans 5 it was about the basis or foundation of our salvation. When you sit back and really slow down and think about it what Jesus did was what no man on this earth would do for us . An innocent man suffered unjust treatment for the unjust that it was really meant for ! The torment was for us but God sent Jesus to step in front of it . OH WHAT A LOVE ! WHAT A LOVE OF GOD FOR HIS CHILDREN ! WHAT A LOVE FOR GOD BY HIS SON !

Jesus wanted to please God. He wanted to be obedient in his spirit even though his flesh was begging for him to walk away from this thing . It was not ready to take the punishment for sinful man BUT GOD...Jesus ask God to remove it from him but if it were his Will that it not be removed, give him what he needed spiritually to take the suffering that was about to come. The Spirit of Obedience was so great in him it overcame the flesh. God's wrath was upon us but Jesus laid down his life to bring us peace with God. He calmed the raging sea that was so justly about to over take us ! How can you not Thank him ? How can you not want to show your gratefulness for the ultimate act ?

Hebrews 10 explains more clearly the reason why Jesus had to come. There was no other way. The children of Israel sacrificed and sacrificed , but every time they sacrificed it brought that memory of that sin back again. It could not ever be removed out of sight or forgotten . The blood sacrifice of animals was not strong enough to cover it once and for all and cleanse us. The blood of animals was spilled in sacrifice time after time after time because it could not remove our sin once and for all ! When God got tired of us I personally think he was so frustrated with us he wanted to bring his Wrath down but yet, he loved us and wanted some way to get us back to him.

The blood of his son, SIN FREE was the only way this could be done. He brought salvation in a form we could relate to. He gave his son Jesus a body. He allowed him to come the way of human man so he could relate to our struggle here on earth. Hebrews 10:5 says, 'Wherefore he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.' Verse 9 says, ' Then said he, Lo, I come to do they will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Jesus offered his body once and we were set free to be redeemed back unto God if that is where we wanted to be.

Unlike an earthly priest for the people, Jesus sacrificed his blood and his body once on the cross and that paid the price. It never has to be done again. Our sins are covered under the blood and forgiven if we ask him ! They are never to be remembered by our Savior. Blood has life within it. It is the ultimate life source so there was nothing else that could be shed but our lives and that life source is the blood. Jesus shed out life to cover the sins of this world and turn around and use the same blood shed to GIVE IT BACK as eternal life. SHOUT RIGHT NOW !!!!

For me, the easiest way to understand the love of God for us is to think about the relationship he is using right now as an example of our relationship with him. It is none other than the relationship of parents and their children. When our children are birthed from our wombs and come forth into this world there is an automatic love for them. The body of a woman has carried this life in side of her and nurtured it and allowed it to form within her. It comes forth from her and it is a part of her. We feel that this child belongs to us. This child is ours. We immediately love this child.

As the child/children grow in this world we try and provide all they need ,protection, love, food, shelter and compassion. We teach them right from wrong in hopes that all things will go well for them in their lives. When they mess up we are full of emotions such as, disappointment, disbelief,hurt, anger, shame...but most of all we still LOVE. There is nothing they can do that will take away that love ! We reach out for them when they are in trouble or headed for trouble to try and stop them from making the mistakes but sometimes we have to just stand helplessly and watch them do it anyway and that really hurts.

Yet, we love them still .There is nothing that a child can do to take away that natural love and affection between a parent and a child. The child may not even understand at the time why they can not do something or why they have to do something but we know and we try and be a help to them. We wonder how we can make their lives the best they can be. Well the love of God for us is the same way. He is our FATHER. We are his CHILDREN born from the breath within him which was and is the Holy Spirit. When we go out and act like he has not taught in his Word how to show we know better he is hurt and disappointed I am sure BUT JESUS ! When we act like he is not our Father he is not pleased..YET..he loves us. We are still his and no matter what we do he loves us.

We may not want to love our Heavenly Father or acknowledge him in our lives but he is our FATHER and he is our CREATOR and there is no lie or sinful act done by us that can change that truth. He wants us all to come back home and be with him so he can love on us and we can love on him. He was desperate I think , for a way to save us and get us back home where we could be safe in his arms under his protection. The answer he knew was probably a hard one but a parent will do even the hard things for their children so he sent his SON who was with him when he was creating our forms from the dust. No other sacrifice was pure enough.

Like any parent, HE DID WHAT HE HAD TO DO FOR HIS CHILDREN! OOH THE LOVE OF A PARENT FOR A CHILD ! GOD I THANK YOU FOR SENDING YOUR SON TO SHED HIS INNOCENT BLOOD FOR US. YOU LOVED US WHEN WE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH SENSE TO LOVE OURSELVES AND CARE ABOUT OUR ETERNAL SOULS.

THE RESURRECTION IS MORE POWERFUL THAN EASTER

Tommorrow morning many Christians will gather themselves together . Some of them call themselves christians but have not entered into God's house to assemble themselves together since the last Resurrection Sunday. Many of them will spend money they should be putting in the tithe basket on a new suit, new shoes, hair, nails and chocolate. Chocolate bunnies, eggs and baskets full of goodies for their kids.

We as Christians must be careful not to give glory to the Easter traditions. God is a jealous God and will not share his glory. We will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on tommorrow and nothing is share in that celebration. We must not give our children large baskets and new clothes as though it is required during this time of the year. We must remember that the best thing we can give them is Jesus. The knowledge of Jesus is the perfect gift. Before we take them shopping and before we buy them a bunny rabbitt or take pictures with the Easter Bunny, we need to sit them down and talk to them about the sacrifice Jesus made for us and the miracle of his rising from the dead and ascending into heaven to be sitted at the right hand of God almighty.

We should train them up so they have reverence and gratefulness in their hearts this season and all year. For them it is not Easter, it is RESURRECTION SUNDAY. Put the Word before them before you put a basket , new clothes or a bunny before them. Teach them it is about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and about him only. Take time out to read with them about the journey of Jesus. Talk to them about how important his sacrifice really was and still is. Explain to them what he gave up to come to earth as a man and give up his place in heaven to come to this earth and save us from our own selves. We were doomed and could not be made clean until the blood of Jesus.

Teach the children that during this season we celebrate the shedding of the blood of a lamb with no blemish, no mark just perfection. He put himself on the altar of sacrifice for us and allowed man to shed his blood so that we would not be lost. He took up a cross deservingly meant for us and he carried it so that we might have an advocate before God for us. A reedemer out of the mouth of hell if we have chosen Jesus instead of the enemy. Even out of the mouths of our ba bies should come praises for Jesus Christ and what he sacrificed. Easter is a term to me, that is used to distract some of us from the true meaning of this season.

When this season comes we should first and foremost have thoughts of thanksgiving not of what we are going to buy. We should be praying with our families and discussing the goodness of God and the obedience of Jesus. We should bow in awe at his spirit of obedience to do God's Will no matter what the cost to him personally for a brief moment for what God gave him in return for his obedience his beyond measure. This is a time to show our children that obedience is better than sacrifice. Now is the time we remind them that sometimes we must go thru because it is God's Will but if they will go through with him and the way he tells them according to his Word he is GUARANTEED to bring them out and reward them .

What is the origin of Easter ? The origin of Easter involves the birth of Semiramis' illegitimate son, Tammuz. Somehow, Semiramis convinced the people that Tammuz was actually Nimrod reborn. Since people had been looking for the promised savior since the beginning of mankind (see Genesis 3:15), they were persuaded by Semiramis to believe that Tammuz was that savior, even that he had been supernaturally conceived. Before long, in addition to worshipping Tammuz (or Nimrod reborn), the people also worshipped Semiramis herself as the goddess of fertility. In other cultures, she has been called Ishtar, Ashtur and yes, Easter.
Contemporary traditions such as the Easter Bunny and the Easter egg can also be traced back to the practices established by Semiramis. Because of their prolific nature, rabbits have long been associated with fertility and its goddess, Ishtar. Ancient Babylonians believed in a fable about an egg that fell into the Euphrates River from heaven and from which Queen Astarte (another name for Ishtar or Semiramis) was "hatched." However, Easter did not always symbolize Christ's resurrection from the dead and the meaning of Easter was quite different than what Christians celebrate today. The feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. Celebrated in the early spring, it honored the pagan Saxon goddess Eastre. When the early missionaries converted the Saxons to Christianity, the holiday, since it fell around the same time as the traditional memorial of Christ's resurrection from the dead, was merged with the pagan celebration, and became know as Easter. The meaning of Easter was also changed to reflect its new Christian orientation.

My personal preference is to use the term'Resurrection Sunday' instead of 'Easter' because of the pagan origins. As we tend to do in the world, we get things mixed up and try and fix them so that they 'feel' right to us or others do not recognize the foundation from which it comes. Easter is not a term originating to acknowledge the victory of Jesus Christ over death and the grave, it was originated to give honor to a non living god . Born from the ignorance and evilness of a people. As we grow spiritually and learn of our God we begin to see things differently and think differently.

Some may argue and say the basket and bunny is for the kids. It is a time for them to have fun and enjoy the compliments of others about their dress, their suit, their hat etc..but kids do not need that to have a good time on Resurrection Sunday. They just need the training up of the way that they should go and when this season comes around they will still be happy and joyful and smiling because they know the importance of the VICTORY that Jesus has over death and the grave. We will have taught them about what he did and why we celebrate and the will rejoice with us , for out of the mouth of babes should come PERFECTED PRAISE.

Make it more about God and not about a bunny and a basket. They are idols. They can not speak, they can not move, they can not hear your prayers why give them any recognition. Keep your children and yourselves focused on the real reason for the season...the VICTORY OF JESUS OVER THE GRAVE ! HE HAS RISEN WITH ALL POWER IN HIS HANDS JUST AS HE SAID HE WOULD. He is ALIVE. He is our REDEEMER and he is our ADVOCATE.

CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT JESUS LOVES YOU. God gave his only begotten son that we might live. AMEN.