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Thursday, April 17, 2014
“Because He Died…”
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Episode Transcript:
It’s Thursday, April 17, 2014, I’m Robert Hatfield and this program delivers daily thoughts for new Christians. This is THE NEW YOU!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
It is one of the most familiar verses in all of the Bible, yet its message is one of the most profound. God loved, He gave, we believe, we live. This, my friends, is the epitome of both grace and mercy.
Today and tomorrow, I want us to look at this great manifestation of God’s love from two perspectives. Today, I want us to look at the result of Christ’s death on the cross. Tomorrow, I want us to examine the result of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Today, “Because He died… .” Tomorrow, “Because He lives… .”
Because Jesus Died…
1. I have REDEMPTION
Redemption is “the action of regaining or gaining possession of something [or, in this case, someone] in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.” Redemption is a result of a ransom price being paid. The Bible says that “without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). So, Colossians 1:14 says that in Jesus “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Truly, His wounds have paid my ransom! Because He died, my debt of sin is paid!
2. I have RECONCILIATION
To reconcile is to restore to friendship or harmony. Sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:1-2), and puts us at enmity with God (James 4:4). Yet, through the cross of Christ, I can have a relationship with God because I can be forgiven of my sins! Listen to Colossians 1:19-20:
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
Because He died, my relationship with God is restored! (2 Cor. 5)
3. I have PROPITIATION
Webster defines propitiation as “to make (someone) pleased or less angry by giving or saying something desired.” Jesus’ propitiatory sacrifice satisfied the wrath of God toward me. Romans 3:25-26 put it this way:
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
There’s a lot of meat in those two verses. They’re worthy of your careful consideration in the privacy of your personal Bible study. The point is this: Because He died, my place was filled! Jesus’ death satisfied the wrath of God that I deserve.
4. I have JUSTIFICATION
We are justified in Christ Jesus! That is, it is “just-if-I’d” never sinned! It means that Jesus has made us just, that is, upright, good. This is certainly a result of the grace of God, coupled with my acceptance of God’s gift of grace through my obedience to His will. Romans 3:23-24 puts this beautifully:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
Because He died, I am forgiven of my trespasses! I can be rendered right in the sight of God, and I can remain so as I continue to walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7).
5. I have SALVATION
Salvation is “preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.” That pretty much sums up where we were before Christ: harmed, ruined, and lost. Just read Ephesians 2 and you’ll see that contrast. But here’s the beautiful part: Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). He died that we might live!
Peter puts it this way over in 1 Peter 2:24:
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
Those are powerful words. The stripes are the wounds that Jesus bore. Wounds from the scourging which preceded the crucifixion, and, of course, wounds from the crucifixion itself. Those wounds – that death – that Only Begotten Son – that grace – saved us. “We, having died to sins, might live for righteousness.” Because He died, I can live!
Let’s wrap it up: What I’ve just told you represent what life is all about. Life is about going to heaven. That’s true success. If you miss heaven, you’ve missed it all. Don’t miss heaven. There’s no excuse for it.
Memory Verse: Let’s remind ourselves once again of God’s grace by looking at this week’s memory verse.
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Sometime today: Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 and contemplate the benefits we enjoy because Jesus rose from the grave.
OUTRO:
Thanks for joining today me on The New You. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts can be found online at thelightnetwork.tv.
I’d always love to hear your questions, comments or suggestions for this podcast! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-265-4448.
I’ll meet you tomorrow for another edition of The New You.
Today, thank God for John 3:16 and for the truth that it discloses. God loved. God gave. We believe. We live.
