Drink from It

Matt 26

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

 We’ve all seen the famous painting which has been copied many times over, of Jesus with his followers, around a large table, just before Jesus is taken and crucified between two thieves.

He drank with his followers and required that they all drink it too – the blood of the covenant – which sealed our forgiveness of sins.

This was a solemn occasion between Jesus and his followers, a solemn one indeed.  And yet it was a most joyous occasion, because Jesus was about to lay his life down for all mankind – the ultimate sacrifice.

No more would the blood of bulls and goats be required or taken to the altar.

The blood of Jesus.

When is the last time you gave thanks for it?

And when is the last time you realized its significance in your life and in the life of your family and your descendants?

There is life in the blood.

The blood of Jesus.

The Life

Lev 17:11

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’

Even before Jesus came, the plan was in place for the perfect sacrifice to be slain, his blood to be shed, and restoration to a holy God to take place between man and God.

The blood is significant.  In fact, it’s essential, if we want to be forgiven of wrongdoing and washed clean.

It was significant and essential to the people in the Old Testament, as they followed God’s laws, preparing the way for the sacrificial Lamb of God who was to be slain in the future.

Life is in the blood.

The soul cleansing blood.

Of the Lamb.

And there is nothing else that washes us clean, because He is holy.

The Sign

Exodus 12:13

The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Wow, what a switch.

The water that was turned into blood literally killed everything in it, and deemed the water unfit to drink or to offer life.

However, now we see God’s instructions to apply blood to the doorposts of the Children of Israel’s houses and this would enable them to live, when the angel of death came to the camp.

What a contrast!

They were to teach their children of this act they did, in obedience to God.

We too have been given the gift of an escape from death IF the blood of Jesus covers our sins. And that blood has to be received, through repentance.

And we too are to share this with our children – the importance of the blood of Jesus that was shed for our sins – because he was the perfect son of God.

God so loved the world that he gave Jesus.

Have you applied the blood?

It’s not gory, it’s not messy, and it’s not gross.

It’s a beautiful thing, because there’s life in the blood.

To Drink or Not to Drink

Exodus 7

So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood.

The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt.

This is one of the plagues that came to the Egyptians, those taskmasters who had so inflicted pain on the Children of Israel.  The Nile River, the source of their everything, was now their demise.  The water which they needed to live was now turned to blood, which they had to drink or die. 

One commentary I read said to note this interesting parallel.  This first miracle performed by Moses was one of destruction, because of sin, and God can not tolerate sin.

In the New Testament, the first miracle Jesus performed was turning water into wine, a life-giving miracle that blessed an entire wedding party with plenty to drink – a miracle indeed.

One was a righteous judgment from a holy God.

One was an amazing miracle from a gracious Savior.

It’s our choice which one we will drink…

Zealous Repentance

Rev 3:19

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

We all know that good parents instruct and discipline their children, because they love them. They teach them to look before they cross a street, to eat their veggies, to say “thank you” and so many other things that will offer them a good life, if they obey.

We also all know that our kids will mess up and disobey, do stupid things, and forget to what’s right, and sometimes blatantly disobey.

But what a great thing it is to have a child return to our arms in tears, to say he’s sorry, to say she feels awful…and then to restore that child fellowship with us as they turn and learn from their mistakes.

God loves us much more than we can ever love our own kids.  Therefore, he disciplines us and leads us to repentance with his kindness.

In fact, he wants us to be zealous about repenting.

Not sure, I’ve ever felt that emotion when repenting, but here it is in this verse.

We can get on our knees, pursue holiness, and ask God to reveal any hidden sins in our hearts and then repent like the wind – and go after those things that displease him – attitudes that grieve his heart and others – and fall into his loving arms forever…

Remember...

Rev 3:3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

We are near the end of the verses on repentance, and these last couple of days they’re from the book of Revelation, a book that tells about what it will be like when Christ comes again.  Most of us don’t think about his return all that much, because we’re entrenched in living our days down here.  But he is coming…and here’s a warning.

We must remember the word, His word, and keep it next to our hearts, and repent when we have sinned.  It’s not a taboo word, a word that brings shame.  It’s anything but that.

The Bible often talks of Jesus’ return being compared to a thief coming in the middle of the night, and it will happen just like that – we won’t know it – but then there it is!

But instead of a thief coming to rob us, it’s our Savior coming to take us – to the eternal presence with Him – where no sorrow or grief or pain exists.

Therefore, heed his words to repent – that act of contrition and sorrow – that’s one of the best action verbs we put into place in our lives.

Repentance.  What a privilege.

Not Slow at All

II Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Here’s a picture of the Father we have. A true one, that we all need to see and know when we’ve done someone wrong or sinned, and we know it.  When we feel that guilt, shame, and embarrassment over messing up, we need to know this about God.

He’s not slow – but he’s patient – and his heart is that none should miss out on living in his presence.

We cannot experience his presence unless we repent of sin, because he is holy.

Repentance with godly sorrow is the most rewarding kind of sorrow we can have in this life, because it leads to life.

And that’s the truth.