Christ-Our Redeeming Sacrifice

Propitiation 



What does this big, long $20.00 word mean??? 



Well, the simplest definition that I could find on the internet for propitiation is an action meant to regain someone's favor or make up for something you did wrong.



When I was mulling this word over in my mind, The Lord said, ”REDEEMING SACRIFICE!”



Christ IS Our Propitiation; HE IS Our Redeeming Sacrifice!!!



You see, Christ died to pay for our sins!!!  His death on the cross was the REDEEMING SACRIFICE that God required to pay for our sins!!!


Romans 3:22-26 (CEV)

²² God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ.

²³ All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

²⁴ But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.

^25-26 God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life’s blood, so that by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.

I wonder how many of us would agree to die for a complete stranger? 



Would you die for someone that you had never met? 



That is what Christ did!!!  He died for us before we were even born; before HE knew us!!!  He died to pay for the sins of the world!!!  He died so we wouldn’t have to die for our sins; so that we wouldn’t have to pay for all the things that we have done wrong!!


1 John 2:2 (CEV) Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.

In this same verse, The King James Version, and even in the New King James, use the word, propitiation.


1 John 2:2 (NKJV) And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.




Do you know that the ONLY WAY that Jesus could save us was to come to earth as a man???  Jesus had to become a flesh and blood man, so that HE could come to earth to live and then die for our sins!!!



Hebrews 2:14-18 (CEV)

¹⁴ We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death.

¹⁵ But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying.

¹⁶ Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham’s descendants.

¹⁷ He had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins.

¹⁸ And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.

I wonder how many folks really understand what Jesus did for us? 



Can you see Jesus, sitting next to The Father in Heaven?  Can you see HIM saying, “Father send ME!!!  I will go!!!  I will die to pay for their sins!!!” 



John 1:14 (KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

HE didn’t have to leave HIS THRONE in Heaven!!!  HE didn’t have to leave HIS place with God and give up HIS DIGNITY, but HE DID!!!  That is how much HE LOVES US!!!



Isaiah 53:3-6 (NLT)

³ He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

⁴ Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!

⁵ But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.

⁶ All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

Do you really have any idea how much God loves you???



GOD LOVED YOU SO MUCH THAT HE SENT HIS SON-HIS ONE AND  ONLY SON-TO DIE IN YOUR PLACE;TO BE THE SACRIFICE FOR YOUR SINS!!!




Now that’s LOVE!!! 



1 John 4:10 (NCV) This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins.

WHAT IS TRUE???

Have you ever had to ask God to show you the truth???

Well, I had to do that tonight as I prayed.

You see, I hear this man preach that, and a different man preach this!  And another one preaches something else!!! 

So, to say the least, to hear different preachers preaching and teaching different things-things that are contrary to one another-sometimes makes me wonder who is right!!!  It seems confusing to me!!!



What is clear to me is this!!!



GOD does NOT bring confusion and HE is NOT in confusion!!!  Confusion comes from the devil!!! 



GOD always reminds me of this!!!


1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV) For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

You see, confusion brings fear!!!  Even as I prayed tonight and asked God to reveal the truth to me, I said to HIM that I didn’t want to be wrong or teach the wrong thing to folks.  I feared that I had been taught wrong.


2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

One of the reasons that I was talking to God about all this was because I studied under a man of God who believed in studying and preaching the WORD of GOD!!!  And some of what I had heard lately did NOT line up with what this Man of God had taught me!!!



So, as I lay in my bed, I asked God to show me, what was indeed true!!! 




As a preacher of the gospel, I have to know what is right and more importantly, I have to preach and teach what is right and just and true!!!




Well, I got my answer!!!  Here is what GOD told me!!!



STICK WITH THE WORD!!!  THE WORD OF GOD IS WHAT IS TRUE!!!


GOD SAID IT AND THAT SETTLES IT!!! 




I will stick with THE WORD!!!  I will teach THE WORD!!!



If it isn’t in THE WORD, then it IS NOT TRUE!!! 



Preachers, I say this to you!!!  You must preach THE WORD!!!  If what you are preaching cannot be found in THE WORD, then don’t preach it!!!

It is very simple!!!!



What you preach must line-up with THE WORD!!!!


John 8:31-32 (KJV)

³¹ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Jesus is THE TRUTH!!! 


John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.



JESUS IS THE TRUTH!!!  JESUS IS THE WORD!!!  HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!!!


John 1:1 (KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 8:12 (KJV) Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

When the devil tries to get us off track or confuse us-when he tries to make us fear-we need to remember what David said!!!

Psalm 27:1 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?

Do Your Children Know Jesus?

I ask this question because I see what I call a faithless, disrespectful generation of children being brought up!!!


Most are cruel; mean and seemingly heartless!!! They attack those that are less fortunate and they seem to have no compassion!!!

In an age where we see more and more violence; such as school shootings and rapes, and murders even in movie theaters and shopping malls, it would seem that we should focus on saving our children!!!


BUT HOW DO WE DO THAT???


I have a simple answer for us ALL!!!   We go back to Bible principles!!! We go back to the good solid foundation that our nation was built on!!!  And that foundation is Christ Jesus; our Lord and savior!!!  That foundation is GOD!!!


Why does it seem so strange to us that someone would suggest that in order to go forward, we must go back?


AFTER ALL, OUR CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE!!!


So, why does it seem so strange that I should say that we need for our kids to know GOD? Is it because so many of us have been taught to rely on our own minds and on our own strength? 


Is it because we think that if we do it Jesus’ way, we will have to give up something?

And what is there to give up???


Violence?  Hatred?  Disrespect?  Willfulness?  Disobedience?


Aren’t these the very things that are killing our children, as well as our society right now??? Aren’t these the very things that are endangering our future???


Maybe we will have to give up our anger, our humiliation and our heartbreak???  Our depression and oppression?  Our anxiety and fear?


Maybe we could again learn to become a caring and loving people; a people-a nation-that truly depends on Jesus!!!


People used to understand the concept of taking their cares to the Lord and leaving them there!!!  They used to understand the concept of trusting in Jesus; and in God the Father!!! 


And these very concepts; these very principles are what helped us become a great nation!!!  God blesses those who depend and trust in HIM!!!  God made our nation great!!!  


SO, MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING TO GO BACK TO!!!  MAYBE THERE IS STILL HOPE FOR AMERICA!!!


I truly believe that there is still hope for our children!!!  I believe that we need to learn from the Bible to trust the Lord to take care of our children!!!

We need to learn to raise them up right!!!  In the fear and the admonition of the Lord!!!

Ephesians 6:1-4 (KJV)

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.


What is the nurture and admonition of the Lord???

The www.thefreedictionary.com/ says that nurture means: 
1. To nourish; feed. 2. To educate; train.

The www.thefreedictionary.com/ says that admonition means: 
1. Mild, kind, yet earnest reproof. 2. Cautionary advice or warning.



You know, that doesn’t sound bad at all!!! 


We teach our kids to have a healthy respect for GOD, and in turn for others!!!  We nourish them and educate them in the ways of the Lord!!!! 



We give them cautionary advice and we warn them when we see them headed for trouble!!!  And when we see that they are headed down the wrong path, we show them the way that they should go with mild and kind, yet earnest reproof (correction.) 


So, someone tell me!!!  What wrong with that???

What’s wrong with praying for our kids and loving them and wanting them to be the best they can be???  What’s wrong with teaching them to trust in GOD and to know that HE WILL PROVIDE FOR THEM!!!! 



NOTHING!!!!  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT ALL!!!



I want my kids to know that they can depend on Jesus!!!  I want my kids to know that they can trust in GOD!!! 


If you read your Bible, you will see that folks knew to trust in the Lord and bring their kids to Jesus!!!


As we read through the Bible, we can see that more than one parent came to Jesus seeking HIS help!!! Folks knew that if their kids were sick or possessed, yes, I said possessed, they could bring them to Jesus and HE would heal them!!!  Jesus never turned anyone down!!!  He never refused to help or heal anyone!!!



Luke 8:40-56 (NCV)

⁴⁰ When Jesus got back to Galilee, a crowd welcomed him, because everyone was waiting for him.

⁴¹ A man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, came to Jesus and fell at his feet, begging him to come to his house.

⁴² Jairus’ only daughter, about twelve years old, was dying.
While Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house, the people were crowding all around him.

⁴³ A woman was in the crowd who had been bleeding for twelve years, but no one was able to heal her.

⁴⁴ She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat, and instantly her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵ Then Jesus said, “Who touched me?”
When all the people said they had not touched him, Peter said, “Master, the people are all around you and are pushing against you.”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, because I felt power go out from me.”

⁴⁷ When the woman saw she could not hide, she came forward, shaking, and fell down before Jesus. While all the people listened, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.

⁴⁸ Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰ When Jesus heard this, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be well.”

⁵¹ When Jesus went to the house, he let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him.

⁵² All the people were crying and feeling sad because the girl was dead, but Jesus said, “Stop crying. She is not dead, only asleep.”

⁵³ The people laughed at Jesus because they knew the girl was dead.

⁵⁴ But Jesus took hold of her hand and called to her, “My child, stand up!”

⁵⁵ Her spirit came back into her, and she stood up at once. Then Jesus ordered that she be given something to eat.

⁵⁶ The girl’s parents were amazed, but Jesus told them not to tell anyone what had happened.

You know nowadays, folks have kids that act like the devil and they are trying to find every excuse in the book to say something is wrong with their kids, but you better NOT even suggest that their kids have a devil!!


It is time out for all of that mess!!!  Let’s just tell the truth!!!  There are too many parents shoveling dope down their kids’ throats in order to sedate them into submission!!!  OUR KIDS NEED HELP and whether they have a devil or one is just sitting on their shoulder whispering in their ear, they need GOD!!!   We need to take them to GOD!!!


There isn’t anyone that Jesus couldn’t or wouldn’t help!!!  HE helped ALL those that came to HIM!!!  Some of those very people, even children, were indeed possessed by the devil!!!  That is exactly what was wrong with one man’s child.  This father sought Jesus because he loved his son enough to want to get help for him. 


Mark 9:17-29 (NKJV)

¹⁷ Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.

¹⁸ And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

¹⁹ He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”

²⁰ Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

²¹ So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood.

²² And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

²³ Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”

²⁶ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.”

²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.


²⁸ And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

²⁹ So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

In another book of the Bible, the writer says that this father said his child was crazy!!!  Whether crazy or sick or possessed, that child still needed the help of Jesus!!!  And Jesus set him free!!! 


Matthew 17:14-21 (KJV)

14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

So, whether crazy or possessed, sick or dying, Jesus can help!!!  There is nothing too hard for My Lord to help you with!!! 



NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE IF YOU ONLY BELIEVE!!!




Even when it comes to your child or your children!!!  God has saved and healed and brought so many out of their sin!!!  HE CAN SAVE YOUR CHILD OR YOUR CHILDREN!!!  HE CAN BRING THEM OUT OF WHATEVER THEY ARE CAUGHT UP IN!!! 



“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  Mk 9:23  This is what Jesus said to the child's father.



Today, we have a choice to make!!!


Let’s weigh our options!!!  Take a look around you at what is going on today!!!  Do you like what you see???


Do you like where it would seem that we are headed???  Do you like the way kids today act???  Do you like the outcome???  Do you like what seems to be in our future???



WELL, I DON’T!!!  I DON’T LIKE WHAT I SEE OR WHERE THIS OLE' WORLD SEEMS TO BE HEADED!!!

SO, I CHOOSE JESUS!!! 



I will trust in HIM for myself and I will teach my kids to trust in HIM!!!  I will teach them to be loving, caring individuals-people that love God and respect and fear HIM!!!


And I will see them have a great future!!! 

What will you choose for your kids???