Jesus and the lamb by Katherine Brown
Man judges on outward appearances but God judges our hearts. We can do everything we can to appear good but who can claim to have a pure heart? In the sermon on the Mount Jesus made it clear that if a married man so much as looks at another woman with lust God judges him as committing adultery and if anyone even gets angry with his neighbour they shall be in danger of the judgement of murder. God’s law is pure and holy. No man can keep it by his own efforts. God knows this and it was after giving His law that He also decreed the sacrifices to be made so that the Israelites would not be cursed by the judgement of the law.
The law does not have the power to stop us from sinning. Rather it exposes what is sinful. Once a law is introduced the human mind becomes aware of the sin and the desire to sin is awakened. When someone says “Don’t think about cheese!” What do you think of? Cheese!
“….it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.” Romans 7:7-12
Joseph Prince writes, in Unmerited Favour:
“CS Lewis wrote a briliant book entitled The Screwtape Letters. It tells the story of a senior demon teaching a junior demon how to exploit a man’s weaknesses and frailties. Along the same lines, I would imaginethat Romans 7:9 is probably the most studied and memorised verse in hell. All junior demons would be taught this verse and the lecture would be titled, “How to bring about a revival of sin”! According to Paul, when you introduce a law, there will be a REVIVAL OF SIN! And that’s not all. Apart from reviving sin, the law also kills and brings death!….That is why the enemy always pours accusations on you using the voice of a legalist. He uses the law and the commandments to show up your failures, to put a spotlight on how your behaviour has disqualified you from fellowship with God, and to constantly point out how you are undeserving of His acceptance, love and blessings! The enemy uses the law to heap condemnation upon you and give you a sense of guilt and distance from God. He knows that the more condemnation and guilt you experience, the more likely you are to feel alienated from God and to continue in that sin…….while the law is holy, just and good, it has no power to make you holy, just and good. The law is like a mirror. All that a mirror can do is tell you the truth and point out your deficiencies. If you look in the mirror and the person looking back at you is ugly, dirty or imperfect, is it the mirror’s fault? Of course not. The mirror is just doing its job. Likewise, that’s what the law does. It shows you God’s perfect holiness, justice and goodness, but at the same time, it also exposes your imperfections and your inability to meet God’s standards.”
This is why Christ, the Son of God, came to earth to die on the cross for you.
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross….. You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world.” Colossians 2:13-15, 20
Jesus paid the full price for all your sins.
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6
It is done. You have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and set free from the grasp of sin.
“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:19-21
When you commit your life to following Christ, your old sinful self is nailed on the cross with Him and you are resurrected with Christ in your new nature. You become alive and made righteous by the blood of the lamb!
Meanwhile Jesus intercedes for us constantly, every second, every day of our lives, at His Father’s side in Heaven.
“Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:34-39
As we focus on who God is, His abundant, overwhelming, victorious, exuberant love and life, and as we allow Him to live through us, guess what! We, too, become more and more like Him.
“Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
And remember, whatever you are facing, whatever situation you are dealing with, nothing is impossible for God.
“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27
If you want evidence – read about the miracles in the Bible that God performed through Christ while He lived on this earth and search the internet for all the miracles that God still performs through His followers today.
