Epaggelia

The Blood of Jesus is unique, it was physically different and also divinely appointed to be an acceptable sacrifice. From the Garden of Gethsemene to the Grave of Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus deliberately paid a full price for our sins with his blood.  It was unique physically in the sense that Jesus had no physical father. The virgin birth necessitates a genetical miracle in the womb of Mary. Every babies blood supply and type is different from the mother, if it isn’t, then the baby would not develop and neither would the baby be male. But Jesus was circumcised on his eigth day, and his blood was holy.  His blood paid a full price on the cross, and it is not to be under valued, the effect of the cross is powerful. The apostle Paul wanted it’s effect to stay full, he warned, “…preach the gospel, not with clever words so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of it’s effect. (1st Cor. 1:17-18). The effect of Christ’s blood-stained cross results in bringing peace between us and God, His price paid, covers the damage incurred against our fellowship with God. Our sin makes us enemies against God, His price makes us friends again, that is spiritual eternal peace to be enjoyed here and now and into eternity. The only way to get true peace with God is as Paul declared, “by making peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:20).

The blood of Jesus is the reality of a shadow cast over centuries by the Mercy-seat on the Ark of the Testimony in the Temple’s Holy of Holies. The High Priest once a year would sprinkle the blood of a bull and goat upon it seven times. (Leviticus 16:11-29). What reality cast this shadow on the past historically? The blood of Christ. It is significant that there are seven places the gospels mention, where the blood of Christ was exposed.

1. The Garden of Gethsemane on Mt. Olive, Luke 22:44
2. The High Priest’s Courtyard, Luke 22:54-64, Mt. 26:57-68, John 18:22 & Isa. 50:2-9
3. Pilate’s Judgment Hall & Stone Pavement, John 18:28, 19:13.
4. The Praetorium & Herod’s Quarters in Jerusalem, Mark 16:15, John 19:1-5, Mt. 27:26-29, Luke 23:7-11
5. On the Road through the city and out the gates. John 19:1-5, Mt. 27:26-29
6. Golgotha (Calvary), Mt. 27:31-34
7. Gravesite of Joseph’s Tomb, John 19:38-42

In each place mentioned, the blood was seen and eventually recorded for us to remember. Remember what? That Jesus was the reality of the Mercy-Seat of God. Paul makes this clear in Romans 3:25, by using a particular word in the Greek which is synonymous with the Hebrew word for Mercy-Seat, it is “Propitiation”. The annual observance of this act of sprinkling blood seven times upon the Temple’s Mercy Seat was called the “Day of Atonement”, (Lev. 23:27).  Since Jesus covered himself in the blood, and died in giving his blood, he now offers us all a blood bought covenant to be born into. God is moved by mercy toward sinners that unite with Jesus in His victorious death and join His covenant in His blood. Never forget what was kept under the Mercy-Seat. The budding rod of Aaron which reminded everyone of God’s power to bring life from death. The gold jar of manna, reminding us of God’s love in providing for our daily needs, and of course the stone tablets of commandments, reminding us of God’s will and justice enforced by our lifestyle being in accordance with His word. All of this was covered by God’s mercy-seat, and it was covered annually with blood. Is your spirit sealed and touched by God’s sign of this new covenant in the blood? If not, then we by faith must enter into it by baptism, Romans 6:1-7, & Colossians 2:10-12. The necessity of remembering the new covenant in His blood is seen in the memorial of the Lord’s Supper every Lord’s Day (Sunday) by His people in a covenant relationship with him.

When we approach the subject of God’s promises, we should start at the beginning. Firstly, Peter tells us that God foreordained Christ as providing a Covenant in His blood, and He did this before the foundation of the world (1st Peter 1:19-20).  Isaiah knew of this ancient Covenant and claimed it applied to all humanity (Isaiah 42:5-6). Even Hosea mentions God’s covenant with Adam (Hosea 6:7). In the garden of Eden, God prophesied that a descendent of Eve would victoriously crush the head of the serpent’s descendant (Gen. 3:16). What does Peter, Isaiah, Hosea and Adam have in common? God’s covenanted promise to provide a Christ who would rescue us from sin, death & the devil. This is good news! We praise God because He has always wanted to save us and bless us, even though we continually play into the hands of Satan and sin against Him. This covenant and promise to save us is first and more important than any other covenant God has ever made. All the other covenants hang on this one primary promise, to save us.

Let’s view them.                                                                              

Noah: God covenanted a promise to Noah regarding humanities maintenance with seasons, never to destroy it again with water. This is still in effect with His promising sign of a rainbow. This will only end at the appointed Day, when God will send Jesus and destroy the earth by fire (Genesis 6:18 & 8:15-9:17). Peter understood how this covenant was still effective and how it will come to an end (2nd Peter 3:4-13).                                             

Abraham: God covenanted a promise to Abraham with the solitary agreement of acceptance by Abraham, being circumcision.  It was kind of like getting into a movie, with a ticket that didn’t cost you any money, you just had to obtain the ticket and present it at the door. Remember, you couldn’t see the show without having the ticket!  Read all of Genesis 15 through 17, it was God who passed through the blood of animals. It was God who would do the blessing, God would provide Abraham’s descendant through a barren wife, and God would provide His descendants with an inherited land through a miraculous journey of freed slaves out of Egypt. This was based solely on God’s gracious power to perform the fulfilment of these promises, on ONE condition, that Abraham and his descendants would accept the ‘ticket’, circumcision. Circumcision was the sign. Inside this covenant is the promise of BLESSING the whole world through Abraham’s seed (descendant), which turned out to be Jesus Christ, (Gen. 12:3 & 17:3-14 & Galatians 3:15-18, 3:27-29). Originally Abraham thought his descendant to be Ishamael, then Isaac, but finally he realized it was Jesus Christ, See John 8:56.                                                                           

The Christian: Both Peter & Paul teach on the subject of circumcision as having been replaced in significance with baptism. Read Colossians 2:10-12 & 1st Peter 3:18-21. The new covenant which ensures God’s promise of salvation with a Christian is prophesied by Jeremiah 31:31-34. The human heart is to have God’s law written upon it, and that is what God’s Spirit of Christ does today, 2nd Corinthians 3:3. Remember it was Peter who proclaimed to circumcised Jews admitting their guilt of sin,  that if they were not repentant and baptised, then God’s wrath was upon them, Acts 2:37-41. The beauty of this covenant is that it’s power to provide the blessing of forgiveness and eternal life, lay in the blood of Christ, which we get applied to our heart by faith in the watery grave of baptism,  by the Holy Spirit of Christ, Roman 6:1-7 & 1st John 1:7, Hebrews 10:15-22. Do we have the seal of God’s Spirit in our spirit? Read Romans 8:9. In the new covenant, the sign is the blood and it is sealed with His Spirit on our heart, Eph. 1:13. For these three testify, the Spirit, the water & the blood, 1st John 5:7-8.

Everyone appreciates and values ‘originals’. Originals teach us where we came from, and warn us of mistakes we shouldn’t repeat. Originals stand for success.  Original cars, computers, artists and even original molds, which make great casts for several copies to come.  We have in Acts the original church in God’s design. This is good news because since it is God’s original, it doesn’t change or deteriorate. The church is not only described with various pictures like Bride, Body, Light, Flock, Vine, Temple, Nation and Family we viewed in the last lesson. But the Church has also been titled with only one owner, shown as the following:

Church of God Acts 20:28,
Churches of Christ, Romans 16:16.
Church of the Firstborn, Hebrews 12:23,
Church of the Living God, 1st Timothy 3:15.

With all of these names in the title for ONE owner, it is comforting to know that the Owner and Head of the Church tell us of it’s original name. THE WAY.

John the Immersionist proclaimed preparation for the Way of the Lord, Mark 1:3, and Jesus spoke of the Kingdom as near, he also spoke of the Way as being straight and narrow, with only a few finding it (Mat. 7:14).  Later on towards the end of his ministry, Jesus claimed that He Himself is THE WAY, (Jn. 14:6). As the church was born and started to become established, the Hebrew writer by inspiration of God described the House of God as The Way, (Heb. 10:19-21).

Chronologically, the first time people of the world are on record as calling the church a name, it was in a derogatory sense, speaking in Acts 9:1-2, “The Way”, was the term they used to target disciples of the Lord Jesus.  Then in Acts 11:26, the Disciples are called Christians. This sequence of descriptions, proves to us who owns and controls the Church. Jesus Christ, The Way. There are seven more examples of Christians being described by Luke as belonging to the Way, Acts 16:17, 18:25, 26, 19:9, 23, 24:14 & 22. Even in the mind of Paul (Romans 14:16-20) and Peter (2nd Peter 2:1-2) was the idea of the Church being called the “Way”. To the first Christians, there was only ONE way to please God, love God and grow closer to God.  In every instance we talk of a “way”, we are always in need of a map or directions. This is good news, and the Way of Truth & Life with God can be seen clearly as:

Hearing about Jesus, Romans 10:13-15.
Believing in Jesus as God’s Son, John 3:16.
Confessing Jesus as Lord, Mat. 10:32, Romans 10:9 & Acts 8:37.
Changing/Repenting for Jesus, Luke 9:23 & Acts 3:19.
Immersed with Jesus, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:37-38, Romans 6:1-8.
Following Jesus Forever, 2nd Tim. 2:10, James 5:11 & Rev. 2:10.

It is good news to be given such a clear and certain, original Way to grow closer to God and be accepted by Him now and for eternity.

Key Texts: Matthew 4:23, 9:35 & 24:14

Jesus treated the Kingdom’s nearness as the reason people needed to change their lifestyles and attitudes,  Mt. 4:17- 5:12, it was good news because His Kingdom had God’s power ruling over the minds & hearts of His disciples, making them more than happy! This good news message is repeated in Mt. 9:35.  The good news of the Kingdom mentioned in Mt. 24:14 relates to how good it was for His followers to have the warning to flee in the oncoming persecution upon Jerusalem by the Romans. Their physical escape and their spiritual deliverance is certainly good news. Following Jesus had it’s price to pay, but it also had much bigger benefits. His royal authority exercised in our heart helps to change our lifestyle and results in our salvation. Being in His Kingdom gives us the advantage of being, “forewarned is forearmed”! In “Him” we are more than conquerors, Rom. 8:37.

As His Kingdom grew in nearness and was established in the hearts of people during Pentecost, it became synonymous with the ‘church’.  Colossians 1:13-14, 18, Ephesians 1:22-23 & 4:4 &  1Corinthians 1:10-13.  Once your in the kingdom/church, we have access to His power, but unless we pick up our cross DAILY, deny ourself and try to follow Him, (Luke 9:23) we do not enjoy His power and use it to bear fruit.  Do we continue to let His authority and power be exercised in our heart through prayerful reading of His good news!

Here are some descriptions of the Church in God’s word. This list will help us identify our goals in the churches of Christ. 

• The Body of Christ, Colossians 2:19 & 1Corinthians 12:27. The goal of working as His spiritual body in a physical world. Being Benevolent and Truthful. This is also seen in the description of the church as the…

• The Building or Temple of God, Ephesians 2:21, & 1Peter 2:5 & 1Corinthians 3:10.  
• The Spiritual Israel, Philippians 3:3, Galatians 4:24-26, & Hebrews 12:23.

• The Spiritual Light of the World, Php. 2:15, 1Thes. 5:5, John 9:5, Matthew 5:14.

• The Bride of Christ, John 3:29 & Revelation 21:1. The goal of loving Christ  in worship, not just on Sundays! Being full of praise, Php. 4:4.This is also seen in the description of the church as the…

• The Family of God, Romans 8:15 & 2Corinthians 6:18 & Galatians 3:19-27.

• The Flock of The Good Shepherd, Luke 12:32, Acts 20:29, John 10:1-10, Isaiah 40:11 & Zechariah 9:16.   The goal of Growing Faith, Grace, Knowledge & The Fruit of the Spirit.  Flocks need feeding and branches need pruning!   This is also seen in the description of individual Christians as the…

• Branches of The True Vine, John 15:2

 It is good news to have a God-given identity, purpose and goal which has rewards now and also is rewarded in eternity, Hebrews 11:6              

Key Text: Ephesians 1:13 

One of the most difficult things for all of us humans to admit, is that we need help and direction. Our self (human spirit) is innately selfish and self-destructive, and without help, we lose strength to do what is right, and ultimately our own spiritual health & life. All humans, no matter how intellectually advanced, have a tendency to be our own worst enemy, and this is made worse by the existence and work of the Devil. This help we need, God calls salvation and it is good news, Romans 1:1.

Deliverance from our spiritual peril and weaknesses, is very real. Biblically the word is used in a graphic physical way and of course in a spiritual sense.  An example of how the word “salvation” is used in both a physical and spiritual sense, is Acts 27:31-44. It is good news that God would want to rescue us from our own foolish rebellion against Him.

Romans 5:8. Preservation is another word used to describe what God is doing for us, see 2Timothy 4:18.

What has God the Father done to deliver or save us? The obvious answer is John 3:16. But before the cross, He promised to make Gentiles holy. Read Isaiah 66:18-21 and Obadiah 15-17,  compare them with Romans 15:14-16. Holiness is what God gives us in our hearts, this holiness replaces and cures the sin-sickness of our heart, helping us fulfil the requirement for entrance into Heaven, Hebrews 12:14.  The Spirit of Holiness fills the desire of every human heart to know God and worship Him. In 1656, mathematician & philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote of “a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person”, which can’t be filled with more ‘things’, but only by God. When will humanity ever accept and apply this truth? We must put more effort in using our spiritual gifts instead of our physical gifts, 2Timothy 1:13-14.  In giving us His Holy Spirit, he has sealed our salvation for eternity. See 1John 2:20 & Ephesians 1:13. But if we do not grow the fruit of the Spirit, will we be cut off, like a useless branch? Jn. 15:6

Perhaps the most important question regarding how good God is, in saving us, is this:

Would God ever quit saving us? Can we lose our deliverance? Since our deliverance is secured by the gift of the Spirit, would His Spirit ever leave us before our entrance into Heaven? This certainly happened to King Saul. Consider the following series of events:

Foolish Burnt Offering at Michmash – 1Sam. 13:11-14

Weak-willed Sacrifice at Gilgal – 1Sam 15:17-26, 16:14

Consulting a witch at Endor – 1Chron. 10:13-14

If such loss can happen to an anointed King, why not us? God was very good to Saul, but more than 3 times Saul neglected God’s goodness and ended up losing His Spirit. God patiently tried to get Saul’s genuine repentance, but eventually, Saul kept turning away. We can drift away from God’s grace and lose the rescue attempt God has ensued upon us. Galatians 1:6, “turning away” is a direction in our life, we do not ever want to take.

Ananias & Sapphira (Ac. 5:1-10), Hymanaeus & Alexander (1Tim. 1:19-20) & Demas (2Tim. 4:10) and Diotrephes (3Jn. 9-10) are all personal examples of how Christians can turn away from God’s good & gracious Spirit and forsake the rescue operation of God. Proving we must each prayerfully keep feeding on His word and grow His fruit.

Key Text: 2Thessalonians 1:8. 

Many people mistakenly think that making Jesus Lord of their life, is a great sacrifice and takes away from our enjoyment of this world. But the opposite is actually true. The Lordship of Christ over our lifestyle is the greatest blessing we can recieve in this world. It is good news to know that the God of Love rules and dictates our priorities and actions. Life in this world is hard for everyone in one way or another, the rain falls on the good and the evil, it’s not how the rain affects us that counts, but rather, what you do with it. When we do what Jesus would do with the rain of life, it’s a real blessing, because His Lordship (power) is applied in helpful healing (Christ). Read Rom. 15:19-32. It is good news to know what Jesus would have us do. If we can learn from this, we can truly know how GOOD it is to have Jesus Lord over our lifestyle. To call someone “Lord” doesn’t mean much today, as Festus called Agrippa “lord”, shows how the word is used flippantly in politics, Acts 25:26. But how is the word Lord used in your everyday speech?           

Jesus is Lord over terrestrial forces, he proved this first in the making of wine from water, Jn. 2:1-12. And in instantly creating loaves & fishes for over 9,000 people in different occasions, Jn. 6:1-4, Mk.8:1-10, and also for instantly withering the fig tree, he proved his sovereign judgment in nature, Mt.21:18-22. And over celestial forces, proving this when he walked on water, Mk. 6:45-52, Jn.6:15-21. And over our climate, he proved it when he stilled the storm & sea, Mk. 4:35-41, Mt. 8:23-25.  And over animals, showing instant control in riding the young colt of a donkey, never trained nor ridden on before, during the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Lk 19:28-40. And of the sabbath, fulfilling the old law of Moses with it’s prophecies and making null & void all of it’s commandments against us on the cross, Lk 6:1-5, Col. 2:14.  And over the demons, proving this when demons cried out for mercy in His presence, and He showed them none, Luke 8:26-39, 11:24. Jesus is also Lord over the human body, the most complicated and amazing of His creations, He proves this in the many marvellous healings of human weaknesses and deformities in His miracles, Mat. 4:24 & Jn. 21:25.

            Is Jesus truly Lord over you?  Here are 4 people who recognized Him as their Lord, how did it change their life?  Elizabeth expressed her faith in the Lordship of Jesus, when she greeted Mary as the mother of her Lord, Lk 1:43. Because of her faith, she raised John the Immersionist, giving the world a fulfilment to prophecy and one of the best examples of godly zeal. Mary of Magdalene wept for the body of her Lord, thinking it was stolen, Jn. 20:11-13. Because of her love for her Lord, she was strengthened by the Lord himself and given the privilege of  being the first witness of his resurrection.   Remember 2Tim. 4:8. Paul the Apostle knew that to call Jesus his Lord meant sacrifice, Php. 3:8.  Thomas the Apostle knew Jesus as The Lord and expressed his personal and public dedication to Him as offering his own life, Jn. 11:15-16, but The Lord Jesus was not truly his own Lord, until he saw Jesus resurrected, THEN, Thomas said, “My Lord, My God”, Jn. 20:28.  Secular history records Thomas as a lifelong faithful apostle and left this earth as a martyr for his Lord.  We do not have our hand in the hand of Christ physically here on earth now, but we do have the mind of Christ in His word, 1Cor. 2:16, and the Spirit of Christ in our heart, Rom. 8:9.  If you are looking when both His word and his Spirit is displayed, you can see His Lordship, Eph. 1:18.

The Magi followed the Star of Jesus. The Shepherds followed the Angel’s words. But God had John the immersionist (the cousin of Jesus) prepare the way for Israel to listen and obey Jesus. Preparation in becoming a disciple is essential, if we want our obedience to be genuine and consistent.  

In John’s Gospel 1:35-51 he names Andrew, Simon (Cephas/Peter), Philip and Nathanael.  Jesus has already been baptized, (Mt 3:1‑17), and has been through a 40 day fast, has been strengthened by angels (Jn 1:19‑28),  and now John sees Jesus at Bethany (Bethabara) other side of the Jordan river (Jn 1:29‑34).  While John  is preaching, he has Andrew, & the unnamed disciple pointed toward Jesus, later on near  the Sea of Galilee, we see them being called again (Mt. 3:18-22).  He makes more disciples later on & makes a commission later on.   For now, he starts with five, we suppose that the unnamed disciple is John the writer of the Gospel, elsewhere referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved, 13:22-25. 

How can we be like them?

1. Admit your ignorance & curiosity: Luke 11:1 about prayer. Mark 4:10-11 about parables. Matthew 13:4-7 about the future. Mark 9:28 about our failures.

2. Share your experience of Him, whatever it may be: John 1:40-41. Who told James thebrother of John of Zebedee? Matthew was called directly by Jesus, but who told his brother James the son of Alphaeus?

3. Remember Jesus wants to know what your after and will show you the truth,John 1:38. 

4. When we are derided, the best response is to invite investigation, John 1:46.

5. Call no man your Teacher (Rabbi), but only the Spirit & Word, Jn. 1:49 (Mat 28:8).

6. Deny yourself, Take up Your cross & Follow daily, Luke 9:23.7. Realize that following & knowing who Jesus is, and believing in Him are two entirely different things. Compare, John 1:35-42 & 2:11. 

These are just some of the names His disciples called Him…

THE LAMB OF GOD, v29,36.  Sacrificed for sins.  Ex 12:1‑13, Isa 53:7, Ax  8:32, IPt 3:17‑19. 

THE MESSIAH or CHRIST, (The annointed), implying royalty!  Mat. 11:1-3, Lk 2:8-11, 26.  Acts 9:22. 

THE SON OF GOD, v34, 49.  Promised fulfilled.  Psa 89:24‑28, Jn 6:68‑69, 20:27‑31. 

THE KING OF ISRAEL, v49.  Leader of sinners.  Jn 12:12‑15, Zeph 3:13‑17. 

THE SON OF MAN, v51.  Dan. 7:13-14, Ac 7:56, Rev. 1:13.  (His favourite name for himself, used over 80 times) 

LORD & GOD, John 20:28-29. 

Conclusion: Jesus wants His real disciples to know what he accepts and expects them to be.  He carried no menial titles and gave nothing less than the best, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, Heb. 13:8. 

 Part TWO of Following Jesus…

WHY ? 

Because of our transgressions and His wounds.  We get peace from His chastisement.

Isa 53:4 & Ephesians 2:14.

PEACE (friendship)

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Because of our iniquities and His bruising. We get healing from His stripes.

Isa 53:5 & 1Peter 2:24.

HEALING (spiritual & emotional)

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Because of our ignorance and His self sacrifice. We get forgiveness from His burden.

Isa 53:6 & 1Peter 3:18.

FORGIVENESS (total)

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Because of our oppression and His affliction. We get redemption from His blood.

Isa. 53:7 & 1Peter 1:18-19.

REDEMPTION (valuable worth)

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Because of our injustice and His arrest. We get freedom from sin from His execution.

Isa. 53:8 & Acts 8:33-39.

FREEDOM (real strength to overcome sin)

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There are several gifts Christ offers us, for which we should practice discipleship, the…

…SPIRIT OF CHRIST, Acts 2:38-39 & 5:32.

…MIND OF CHRIST, 1Corinthians 2:16 & Philippians 2:5.

…INTERCESSION OF CHRIST, 1Timothy 2:5 & Hebrews 8:1-2.

…REIGN OF CHRIST, Colossians 1:13 & Revelation 19:16.

…RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, John 5:25-29 & 11:25-26.

…GRACE & KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST, 2Peter 3:18 & Gal. 5:22-23.

…PROTECTION OF CHRIST, Philippians 4:6-7 & Ephesians 1:12-13.

Your discipleship can be measured by your love for these gifts. Luke 7:46-50.