Tag: Sanctification

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Understanding Redemption: The Costly Blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(18) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Explanation

Talk about seeing transformation happen! Jesus prophesied in a sense what he was going to do with Simon Peter in changing his name. In John 1 there is a declaration of Jesus Christ as the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Andrew witnesses this truth to Peter who hears it (Simon) and meets Jesus.

One of the amazing things to study in the New Testament is the life of Peter with Jesus in the Gospels, God using Peter in the book of Acts, and the thoughts of Peter in 1 and 2 Peter. In 1 Peter, he writes to a dispersion of believers in Asia Minor who were their because of persecution that they were facing persecution. They had been and were being transformed as well.

In this text Peter reminds them of what they already knew. They were not redeemed, a word that means bought back, with perishable things. Their sin debt wasn’t paid by things that are subject to decay. It was paid already, but not with gold or silver. It wasn’t paid by the “vain conversation”, the empty lifestyle and pagan religion that they were taught outside of Christ. The religion of their familes didn’t give them forgiveness of their sin.

So, what price was paid for their redemption? The blood of Jesus Christ was the currency of their ransom and redemption. It is called “precious blood”. It is costly, valuable, honored blood. Peter states that this blood is “as of a lamb without blemish and without spot”. He’s making the same comparison that Andrew heard, and by which he was likely introduced to Jesus Christ in the first place. Jesus is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. 

[11] For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. (Leviticus 17:11)

He was like the lambs of the sacrificial system who were required to be without spot or blemish. They had to be perfect. This redemption has already been paid for by Christ. Christ was without sin. His blood was precious because it was the blood of the only begotten Son of God. It was precious because He was without sin. His sacrifice was the sacrifice of a Savior who had merited righteousness.

Application

Simon Peter was transformed by Jesus. He went from an uneducated, salty fisherman, to an imperfect but wise leader who was used among other apostles to help establish the early church and get the Gospel to us. His challenge to those he wrote and to us is to believe in this lamb that was prophesied, who came, and died for our sins. He wants us to live a life that endures persecution, and pursues righteousness in light of the cost of our redemption and salvation- the precious blood of Christ. He encourages us to leave the vain, empty, false beliefs of who we were before we were saved. We live a life that honors Christ because the substitutionary and atoning work has already been done on the cross so that we can live.

Response

  1. Have you heard and believed (Simon)?
  2. Are you being transformed and used by God to reach others (Peter)?

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Luke- Week 4- Day 1

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.  (26)  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Luke 2:25-26

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;  (37)  And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 

Luke 2:36-37 

Explanation:

In the Old Testament you find God revealing Himself to mankind specifically through this nation of Israel.  God wasn’t always revealing himself to everyone, but He was consistently revealing Himself and His will to this nation.  God had spoken abundantly and consistently for some time. 

When you come to the close of the Old Testament there is a pause in God’s revelation.  Some call this the intertestamental period, while you may have heard it commonly called “the 400 silent years”.  There had been no new revelation from God for 400 years.  The people of Israel had the Word of God in the law and the prophets.  They knew about a coming messiah.  They knew about a coming kingdom.  They knew about a future resurrection.  What they did not know was God’s timing.  They were experiencing a season of God’s silence.

As we can see with the mention of Caesar Augustus in Luke 2:1-2, Israel was under foreign occupation.  Rome was in charge.  Although the temple was still operational, the Jews had to live with the oppressive hand of the gentile emperors in their affairs.  When would God take care of this problem?  Had God abandoned His people?  These are the kinds of questions that they many could have been asking.

It was into this silence that God spoke through the angel appearances to Zecharias, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds.  God was working, and now He was revealing. 

In this passage we are going to be introduced to two people who substantiated the identity of Jesus as the Messiah, and confirmed the true purpose of His incarnation. These people serve as great examples of what it is like to live a life that honors God in anticipation of what He is going to do.  We should live with anticipation by imitating five aspects of the lives of Simeon and Anna.

1.  We should imitate their Walk.  v.25, 36-37

In verse 25, A man named Simeon is described a s a man of Jerusalem.  This man is found nowhere else in scripture, which means that this account of his interaction with Mary and Joseph was the major way that God would use Him.  Notice that he is described as “just and devout”. 

The word for just describes his standing before God.  He was justified by God.  Here in this scripture, Luke, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is declaring this man righteous before God.

The word devout describes his reputation among men.  He was someone who took his worship and his service to God very seriously.  His reputation was as one that had served the Lord for a lifetime, and that had a close walk with the Lord.  We know that He was a man that knew the old testament by what we will see as we continue in this passage.  He was obedient to the revelation that he had.

The same was true with Anna.  This woman was quite old.  It is said of her that for years she had “departed not from the temple” and “served God with fastings and prayers night and day”. Like Simeon, this is the only place where she is mentioned.  Her life and walk with the Lord were going to be used to validate her testimony as she testified to the person of Christ in this moment. 

In a very real way, their walk with the Lord was their ministry.  They showed that they anticipated what God was going to do by living for Him daily through the course of their whole lives.

Application:  

Simeon and Anna were responding to the revelation they had in obedience as they were looking for the coming Messiah the first time.  We have Christ in our history and look forward to his soon return.  As we do, this ought to lead us to being just and devout.  Saved and sanctified.  God calls us not to just talk the talk, but to walk the walk.  Paul said it this way in his epistles:

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,  (2)  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;  (3)  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  (2)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2 

Response:

How’s your walk?  Can people tell by the way that you live that you are looking forward to meeting God?  Do you live like someone who is going to give an account to God?

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Romans- Week 12- Day 5- Romans 13:12-14

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(12)  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  (13)  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  (14)  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Romans 13:12-14

Explanation:

The night is far spent.   The time where we will realize our redemption is drawing near.  We don’t know exactly when it will happen, but the truth is that for all of us it is immenent.  This is the “day” that the Holy Spirit is referring to in this passage. 

Morning is coming.  Let’s get ready to act like it’s about to be day.  He gets really practical when he talks about two description of “walking honestly, as in the day”.

Live according to that “day” culture not this one.  There is a “day” culture that is coming. Every action of man will be revealed.  Have you ever heard of someone doing something wrong “in the broad daylight”?  We say that because most of the time people try to do things they want to get away with at night time rather than the day time.  We are called to “walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkeness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.”

Rioting and drunkeness speak of a party lifestyle and all of the sexual and unclean evil that goes with it.  Often the partying leads to the strife and envying.

Live like Christ.  We are called to live like Jesus.  Don’t make provision for the flesh.  Make it hard to do the wrong thing. 

Application:

It’s so important to live rightly because of the day we live in.  Believers are called to share Christ with those around us.  Those without Christ must respond to Christ in repentance and salvation.  We don’t know how much time we have.  Therefore let us live with urgency and accountability, imitating Christ as our example and the source of our spiritual power.

Response:

How do you need to respond?  Is there a work of darkness that you need to drop?  Is there a person you need to share Christ with?

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Romans- Week 11- Day 1- Romans 12:1

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1 

Explanation:

In today’s entry I want to rephrase or paraphrase each part of this verse to help bring some clarity.

“I beseech you”- I, Paul, plead with you.  I beg you.  I am putting the full weight of my influence into this next statement.

“…therefore, brethren”- Based on what I have said in these first 11 chapters, and because you gentile believers are my brothers and sisters in Christ…

“…by the mercies of God”– because of all that God has done for you in sending His Son to die, be buried, and rise again so that anyone who can call on Him will be saved whether they are jew or greek, wise or unwise, or any other human distinction…

“…that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God”- …I’m asking based on my influence, our family connection in Christ, and because of all that God has done so that you can be saved, that you offer your very bodies as a sacrifice to God.  You should live in accordance with what God has done for you.  You should live lives of holiness, separating yourself from sin.  You should live so that you can offer to God bodies and lives that avoid sin and live in the way that He desires for you to live.

“…which is your reasonable service”–  It is reasonable and right for you to live this way because of all that God has done for you and all that He will do for you.  The least you could do is live for Him because He sent His Son to die for you.

Application:

Because of all that God has done for you, what He wants to do in you, and what He desires for your future, choose to offer your body to Him as an offering and sacrifice to God.  It’s the right response in light of all that He has done.

Response:

What sin do you need to give up as a reasonable response to what Christ has done for you?  What repentance needs to happen in your life today?