The Communion Inclusion

 

"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" 1Cor: 10:16

There is one great sacrament which is shared by all Churches within the body of Christ, that of the Communion, Eucharist the Lord's Supper. This Holy Sacrament, as simple as it is, is a most profound observance within the body of Christ regardless of our denominational affiliation.

Introduced by Jesus

 This Sacrament has the unique distinction of having been introduced by our Lord Jesus Christ himself, as he took the elements contained within the Old Covenant Passover and transformed them into the Communion. 

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

"Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Matt: 26:27-29

The Communion Inclusion 

 The Communion of Jesus with its elevated meaning speaks to us regarding God's divine intention not just for the people of Israel but for all people. The New Covenant which Jesus brought and inaugurated is not just the commemoration of the freeing of the Children of Israel out of bondage of Egypt which the Passover Table had in view, Ex:12: The Communion was made to go far beyond the scope of Israel, though it proceeds out of Israel to in include peoples of all nations. 

The very Creator God who called Abraham and made a Covenant of Promises to him and with him had in purpose which is the inclusion of all nations into fellowship with himself through the fulfillment of those promises contained within the Covenant which was made with Abraham. Gen:15 

St. Paul in his Galatians Epistle identifies the fulfillment the these promises as being Jesus himself. 

"The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ." Gal: 3:16

At The Table

Why does St. Paul address this fulfillment of the Covenant Promises to the Galatians? St. Paul begins to expound on this subject due to an incident which had occurred in the Galatian Church when St. Peter traveled there to minister among them for a time. 

"For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group."Gal:2:12

St. Peter withdrew from these Gentile Christians at the arrival of the "men from James" who, we are told elsewhere were from Jerusalem, for St. Peter knew that "to eat with the Gentiles" was disproved of in the tenants of the Law, or Torah.

The Law, or Torah, separated the people of Israel from the Gentiles. The Jews drew their identity and boasted of their identity in the Law or Torah in spite of the revelation through the Scriptures themselves that Gentiles would be included into fellowship with Israel's God through the very Messiah whom they longed for.  

"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious."Isa:11:10

St. Paul, quoting the Prophet Isaiah, about this very truth of a Messiah for the Gentiles, through which, they too are included apart from the Law or Torah. 

"And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope." Rm: 15:12

 This inclusion was to end the separation of Israel and the Gentiles which the Law enforced. God had even from the calling of Abraham, who himself was a Gentile, called out of a Gentile nation and received all the Promises of God by faith, a part of the Law or Torah. Gen:12 

St. Paul tells us that it is by faith, not by any works of the Law or Torah that we are brought into the family of Abraham out of all nations and included in the promises through Jesus not by Law.

"Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed, “meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise." Gal: 3:15-18

 "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all" Rm: 4:16

Justified at the Table

This tells us that we are all now a part of the inclusion represented by the Communion sacrament, and are welcome to the table of fellowship. That we are all welcome at the table of the Lord.

What St. Peter had been doing, under the pressure of the "men from James”, in withdrawing away from the Gentile Christians was to say that these Gentiles were not "justified”, that is, in this context declared members of the family and somehow not quite included in to fellowship.

In this context St. Paul’s confrontation with St. Peter was telling St. Peter that these Gentiles were "justified" ,that is , they have received the same status as members of the family, they are "justified" and are included.

St. Paul is not talking about the "moral or ethical" qualities, but rather, they are more than just positionally "justified” through faith of Jesus and his faithfulness. By St. Peter withdrawing away from theses Gentiles Christians he was reconstructing the dived which the Law or Torah had put between the Gentiles and the Jews. 

All Thru Jesus

What St. Paul, in his confrontation with his fellow Apostle, was declaring is that the Gentiles have the right to be at the table and be included in the Communion, that is the fellowship of the Church and family of God all through Jesus not by the Law, the Torah.

Addressing this inclusion St. Paul tells us, that those who have come to believe in Jesus are all included in the "Communion of the Saints" , meaning that, all, regardless of what nation they come from who accept Jesus as the Messiah they can now experience the inclusion that Jesus has accomplished for us all, if we will be freely receive it. It is all based upon Jesus not Law or Torah. 

Jesus died to remove that separation by the Law, the Torah, so all people could be included. St. Paul explains this removal of the Law, the Torah, so all can be one and included in this Communion. 

"Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."Eph:2:14-22

St. Paul was telling St. Peter that if you withdraw not accepting the Gentile you are putting up the barrier of the Law, Torah once again. Declaring the Gentiles are not  included in the unique Communion in Christ, and unwelcome, for if it was through Law, Torah, then none could be included "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." 

Come to The table 

St. Paul tells us that all who have come to accept the inclusion through Jesus are all apart and welcome to come to the table of the Lord and included, as one, in the Communion which Jesus alone has made possible.

"Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf."1Cor:10:14-17

The simple sacrament of the Communion portrays to us and speaks of the inclusion which any and all can experience all through Jesus apart from the Law or Torah. In this Communion we find that we are all wanted and included as one with our Lord and one another.

Benediction: May we each and all give glory to God that he has made us all , thru His Holy Son Jesus, members of the family and included in his Communion, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.

 

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor 

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee, Michigan 

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html

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                    "If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not About Anything"

Prayer for Revival

 

So much is transpiring in the world around us, some good and some not so good. We see strife, the erosion of personal freedoms, lawlessness, globalism, violence, corruption at the very highest level of government, threat of war and many other problems.

  Many persons within Christian circles are proclaiming that we are witnessing the fulfilment of prophecies found within the Holy Scriptures, and in the broadest sense  I do believe that this is true.

Some believers are predicting a time of unprecedent events which are going to take place which will alter the course of the world and will lead up to the visible personal bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Yes, Jesus will Return at the culmination of human history, whenever that will be) Even non-Christians seem to sense that we are entering a unique period of history.

Even some, within “new age” circles (of which I am not an expert  ) are describing that which is taking place as the “Ascension”, that is, the raising of humanities “collective conciseness” or “vibration” to what some are describing as the “fifth dimension” and what is transpiring in the world are the birth pains of that “Ascension”; to this higher dimension of conciseness.

My Opinion

  It is my opinion and assertion (and some persons may think me just to be unrealistic or foolish) that everything which is taking place within our nation and the world is rather leading to something which has not been seen upon the Earth for centuries. In my opinion and I could be wrong, but I believe that we are about to enter a time not of destruction, but rather of great revival and a mass truing to Jesus.

Now, it is true that at some point, we will witness what St. Paul wrote that there will be a “great falling away” 2Thess:2:2-9 , however,  I do believe that prior to that "falling away" we will see revival,  maybe as a last great witness.

 It is my assertion that God is going to send a time great revival within the collective body of Christ, that is the Church. That this time of coming revival will look nothing like anything which any who now live has ever seen before, and that all that we are seeing taking place around us is an attempt by the unseen powers who currently rule this world to prevent this great revival  from occurring,  but they will fail, it is like someone attempting to hold back the ocean with a broom.

In my opinion, that during this coming revival many people will come to see all that the Holy God; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit has done for humanity and all that he has made us to be and that he has, and is revealing himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Great Revival

This revelation of God will go far beyond just an “theological academic knowledge” nor will it be just an “hyper-emotional experience” but it will be intensely personal.

It is my view that many will come to see that Jesus has joined himself to us through the incarnation in a much more profound way, that it is greater than anything which they have ever imagined, and will see the scope of the salvation work of Jesus that it is greater than what any have imagined or had envisioned.

I believe that Churches which may be now struggling will grow almost over overnight and that many will thrive once again reinvigorated by the Holy Spirit. That new Churches will grow in unusual places.

I see a time of great empowered evangelism and missionary work being undertaken across the Earth. I believe that during this revival the Gospel will be preached with power and will reach across the face of the Earth and will transform lives, many will be set free from sin, fear and death. They will come to see themselves as loved, wanted and included in God’s divine love through Jesus.  

That many will come to believe in Jesus and will be transformed through the work of the Holy Sprit allowing them to be who they were always meant to be in Christ.

I believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will manifest in a way that has not been seen since the Apostolic Period of the Church. It is my view that we will see the healing of lives in a way so great that there can be no other answer than the working of God. I believe that authentic miracles will take place, not the staged side-show type which so often are seen; but by the working of the Holy Spirit authentic miracles.

That is what I see as I look out on the uncertain days which we are now living. I am praying for that time of great revival and I ask each who read this do the same.  

Benediction: May we each and all be revived through the working of the Holy Spirt all for the glory of God, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.

 

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor 

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee, Michigan 

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html

You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book 

https://www.facebook.com/Topinabeecommunitychurch

                    "If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not About Anything"

The Power of the Blood

 

the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep” Heb: 13:20

Blood plays a prominent role in the Holy Scriptures. Blood flows through the pages of the Holy writ. We see it flowing and coursing through the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. It is nearly impossible to separate the blood from the word and in many ways we simply should not even try to do so.

 We see blood at the time of the visitation of divine plagues upon the nation of Egypt and the very things which the Egyptians worshiped. It was the blood of the lamb on the door post of the Israeli homes that preserved the lives of the first born of the nation. The Blood stayed the hand of the Death Angel toward the people of Israel. Ex: 13

 The Blood was sprinkled on Israel which enacted a National Covenant Relationship with God. Ex: 24:6-8

 The Blood was used and had the power to ceremonially consecrate the Priesthood. Ex: 29

 The Blood was used in the sacramental tenants of the Covenant and had the power to “ceremonially” cover the sins of the people. We can see this all through the Book of Leviticus which details the Priestly service of the tribe Levi.  

After the construction of the Temple at Jerusalem by King Solomon, the Blood played a vital role in Israel’s relationship with God with the Daily sacrifices at the Temple of God.

The Role of Blood

 What about for Christians down through ages and the New Covenant inaugurated and given to us by, and through, our Lord Jesus? The People Israel had only the Blood of Bull’s and Goats, but for we Christians, and in truth, all humanity, if they will but freely receive it, it is the Blood of Jesus which has a vital part of our relationship with God.

 We can read in the Holy Word of God regarding the blood that “the life is in the blood”; the value of the blood is found in the value of the life it sustained.

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life” Lev: 17:11

 The blood of Jesus sustained the life of God, the eternal Son of God incarnate in the flesh, therefore, it is of more value than the life of all humanity combined.

 When our Lord Jesus, on the night of his betrayal and arrest, took and transposed the symbolic elements of the Old Covenant Passover which recalled the “passing over” of the Children of Israel by the Destroyer, into the New Covenant’s central sacrament of the Lord’s Supper or the Communion. Jesus took the bread and wine and elevates their symbolic meaning from the Paschal lamb of the Exodus and assigns the symbolic meaning to himself as the sinless “Lamb of God”, who, as John the Baptist declared “takes away the sin of the world”.

 We are told to ceremonially, or symbolically, to “drink all” of the Blood of his sacrifice, his life is still in the Blood.

 Israel could not even symbolically drink the blood of animals, because there was no permanent life there in, but the Blood of Christ has the power to bring Eternal life and transform our lives.

 The giving of the life of our Lord Jesus, that is, the sheading of his blood ‘brings us into a Covenant Relationship with God. In the ancient world Covenants were entered into through the sheading of blood. The blood of Jesus also brings all believers into the sanctified Royal Priesthood of God under Jesus our great High Priest.

 What self-inherent property does the blood possess which gives it the power that Scripture attributes to it. What empowers it? Simply, the blood’s power and saving properties arise out of the life of God, the Eternal Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, in the “flesh”; the humanity of Christ.

 St. John, writing with great insight into the person of Jesus, tells us about the Word becoming flesh through the incarnation, in his Gospel.

 “The Word became flesh” John: 1:14

 Jesus lived as one of us, he lived through all the common experiences that we each and all have so that he might die for all of us. Jesus sacrificed his life that means his whole being was given completely and perfectly over to the service of his Father. 

 The sacrifice of Jesus however, was not just one day there upon Celery but rather Jesus offered up his whole life his whole life, all his life all his life. Jesus offered his whole life as a total sacrifice to God both in life and in death.

 “His whole life, All His life” this is what our Lord has done even now in eternity continues to do for us.

 St. Paul tell us that Jesus gave himself, that is, he conformed himself to fulfilling the will of God and bring to humanity the salvation which God, the Holy Trinity purposed in the eternity past.

 “and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Eph: 5:2

 All His life…All His life” Jesus gave himself for us completely without reservation, nothing was held back all so that we might know our God.

 Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law of God, as well as it’s demand for "payment". Jesus bore our sins in payment for the unplayable debt which would have been held against all humanity there by redeeming us, this is what St. Paul described again.

 “having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” Col: 2:14

 Jesus paid with his blood what we could never had paid with our own. The blood of Jesus ever points us to the divine nature of our Lord and the power which he has in accomplishing our salvation completely apart from any action of our’s and or in spite of us. 

 We have, as we are told in the witness of Scripture, been redeemed through the blood, and this redemption not only speaks of the future but also brings its  redemptive power into our past and through the mystery of God’s power even redeems our past for his divine purpose for our lives. 

 The Accomplishments of the Blood 

 The Blood of Jesus carries so much power that it can reach in to the past and provide forgiveness even to those who lived before it was shed, based on their belief that it would be shed at some point in the future.

 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”1Pet:1:18-19

 So powerful is the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus that it had power even before it became an established realty in the stream of human history that it had power to reaches into the ages which precede it and bring redemption into the lives of the Patriarchs servants of our Lord who lived before the incarnation of Jesus.

We see the Patriarch Job professing that he knew that his sins were dealt with and that they had no eternal hold upon him.  

 “Surely then you will count my steps

but not keep track of my sin.

My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;

you will cover over my sin.” Job: 14:17-18

 The blood of Jesus even has the power to even open the grave starting even with his own grave which is the great precursor of eternal life for all humanity who will be freely receive it.

 “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep” Heb: 13:20

 This could not be so if Jesus was only a man. This recognition that death could not keep it’s grip upon him and that the grave could not hold him, is only further witness of his divinity and the revelation of his godhead.

 The blood of Jesus in concert with his resurrection now has the power to impart life unto any who will revive it for without the resurrection the blood would have no meaning.

 “Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me” John:6:53-56

 It is as though, that through the “drinking his blood” that his life is being taken into our own imparting to us the life eternal that Jesus came to bring us.

 Each, and all who will but receive it, can experiences the atonement wrought for us even a great atonement toward our God and even among humanity for we cannot truly be atoned with one another if we are not experiencing the atonement with our very Creator. 

 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1John:4:10

 The blood of Jesus reflects the complete realty of forgiveness which our Lord offers for us to experience. This forgiveness is not a partial forgiveness which only deals with our past, but rather it is a complete forgiveness of all sin, past, present and future. In truth, it is not just forgiveness of our sinful acts or words or thoughts but it is a complete forgiveness of who and what we are.

 We are forgiven of our inability to keep the very essence and intent of the Holy Law of God. 

 This perfect and complete forgiveness need no other additions to it, which is it is fully ours through God’s merciful grace of which nothing needs to be added.

  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” Rom: 3:23-26

 This is true due to the sacred truth of Jesus’ divine identity as the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity who in the incarnation has taken unto himself our complete humanity and brought us complete salvation, as the ancient Theologian of Athanasius of Alexandria along with others said, speaking of the incarnation of the Son of God, “that which is not assumed is not redeemed”.

Jesus has washed away all human sin with absolutely now limitations imposed upon us and we can experience this truth if we only will but believe.

“And you, who had died by your sins and by the uncircumcision in your flesh, he has given you life with him and has forgiven us all our sins.” Col: 2:13

 Through the blood of our Lord, we are, as it were, washed clean of all our sins and the defilement which they brought upon us. St. John, in his first general epistle writing to counter the gnostic theology which had found lodgment in the minds of some early Christians wrote of the cleansing of the blood of Jesus in dealing with sins

  “and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans us from all sin”.1John:1:7c

 The power of the blood of our Lord is able to wash even those who were before, coming to believe, what this means is, that we, before our acceptance of the truth about Jesus, were living in who we thought we were in Adam and we lived in that way.

 Now in Jesus, we are able to enter into the fullness of that new self in Jesus, which is, the new life which Jesus has made possible for us all. The blood washes way our old self and brings us into that sanctified life which Jesus’ blood provides for us. 

 “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” John: 17:19

 This sanctification, forgiveness, atonement and more, is only ours because of who Jesus is and what he has done. What the blood shed on the cross really does is to bring into our understanding what God has decreed in eternity past and makes all that God has for us real and "tangible" to us in a away which nothing else could.

 "The Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world." Rev: 13:8b

 "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people." Rev: 14:6

 The anonymous author of Hebrews Epistle tells us of the sanctifying properties of the blood of Jesus to the Jewish Christian community. This would have been a segment of the Primitive Apostolic Church which had been raised all or most of their lives living under the Old Covenant. 

 “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” . Heb: 10:10

 This sanctification is, in our experiences, is progressive. It is experienced in one sense upon belief in Jesus, then over time we grow into it. This sanctification is not limited to the areas of life which we might think of religious, that is, attending Church, worship, prayer, and Bible study, no, this sanctification shows us that our whole life is to be given over to the province of God in all that we do. This means that there is no real boundary between the sacred and secular in the way in which we normally would think, all things in life given over to and for the uses of God.

 St. Paul writes to the young pastor St. Timothy of this sanctification in his pastoral epistle about the life of a Christian is to be used by God in all things at all times.

 “Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” 2Tim:2:21

 We are called to be as our Lord was, and is, completely given over to the will of his Father, his self was and is completely submerged to accomplishing the divine purpose of the Great God. Jesus did this his whole life, his whole life, all his life, all his life.

The blood of our Lord is effectual in binding together the members of his body, which is the Church. His blood is the life blood of our own bodies courses through our vines bring everything need for our living each and every day.

 Jesus’ blood unites us all as one in him regardless of our background or nations from which we come. We are one in Jesus. We are his holy brethren. 

 “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;

in the assembly I will sing your praises.” Heb: 2:11 

 The very simple, yet profound sacrament of the Eucharist, the Communion or Lord’s Supper declares this very truth on our unity in Jesus.

 “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.” 1Cor:10:16-17

Our Lord prayed in his High Priestly prayer for all believers throughout the ages that we all can be one, his blood is effectual to that very end.

 “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John: 17:21b-23

 The blood of Jesus has brought us each and all victory, this victory is his very own which he so graciously and lovingly shares with us. This victory could never have been secured through our own efforts or by some pious virtue found within us, now it our's because of him and his victory over all which would keep us from having a relationship with the great God. 

 Jesus speaking to his Disciples two thousand years ago and to all believers throughout the ages that we should not be in fear for he is victorious. 

 “do not be afraid for I have defeated the world” John: 16:33

 This victory, is even extended to the unseen world which spawns the world system in which we currently live, as well as all that it gives birth to, suffering of every sort and even death. 

 This victory which our Lord gives us brings us victory over the power of the “god of this world” Satan.

 “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb” Rev: 12:11a

 Blood of Jesus even brings us shared victory over even death, for as the grip of death and the grave could not hold our Lord, nor will it hold us in it’s dark and cold grasp.

“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 

  “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?” 

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”1Cor: 15:54-57

The power found in the blood of Jesus cannot be overstated. The very power of the blood is derived for the divine person Jesus, the very eternal Son of God sustained in his incarnate life by his own blood.

So great is the power of Jesus’ blood that even the angelic host and all humanity, who will but believe, will sing praises throughout eternity in an eternal hymn of all that is accomplished on our behalf through his blood.

   “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased for God

people from every tribe and language and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Rev: 5:9-14

 We should, each and all give honor and glory and worship to God and Jesus Christ and for the blood of his Holy Son who has redeemed us through his blood and has given us Eternal Life through his blood.

 Benediction: May we each and all ever join in the chorus of praise to and for our Lord Jesus and his blood which has been effectual for us all, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.

 

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor 

Topinabee Community Church

Topinabee, Michigan 

If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.

https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html

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                    "If It Is Not About Jesus, It Is Not About Anything"