Setting Captive Free offers several courses to take. One of the best ones (I think) is “The Cross.” They take you through a 60 course of looking at the Cross of Jesus Christ. Each day is packed full of biblical truths about the single greatest event that has ever taken place in the history of man. Some would say that 60 days is to much, to long, and that it would get old. Well I will tell you that 60 isn’t enough. With all that being said, I would like to share with you something that really got my attention. We all know (or should have an understanding) that Jesus is the payment of our sins. For most of you who will read this you also know that in the Old Testament they had to pay for their sins. They would do this several different ways, but always there was blood that had to be shed. I want to take a quick little snap shot from the course to examine a biblical truth of how the atonement for sins of old correlates to what Jesus did on the cross.
Exo 25:21-22 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. (22) And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
Notice from the above passage that two specific things happened at the mercy seat. From Exodus 25:22 we see that God would “meet with” the high priest there, and that God would “speak with” him there. Please keep these truths in mind as we read additional verses on the mercy seat.
The Cross of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the “Mercy Seat” of the Old Testament. God looks down upon the death of His Son, who shed His blood for our forgiveness, and He has mercy on His people. Just as God met with the people and spoke to them from above the mercy seat, so He meets with us at the cross, and speaks to us at the cross.
The words He speaks at the cross are words of mercy. If we linger at the cross, and examine it with eyes of faith, here are the words we will hear:
· Forgiveness: Act 10:43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."
· Acceptance: Eph 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
· Redemption: Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
· Reconciliation: Rom 5:11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
· Peace with God: Col 1:20 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.Rom 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
· Eternal life: Joh 3:16 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.
To stop and think about the cross (process, from beginning to end) is something that I have not done in a long time. Please take a few moments (longer would be preferred) and meditate on what Jesus did for you at the Cross………… I would also urge you to meditate on this throughout the week, as this is the most important part of what we believe as Christians… just take a look at what Paul had to say about this matter.
Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
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