4/8/12 Easter Sunday Pastor Michael sermon The Last Time- The Benefits of the

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 4/8/12  Easter Sunday Pastor Michael sermon  The Last Time- The Benefits of the Cross  John 19:30

When one thinks of the phrase it is finished”, one thinks that its done for the last time. Doing something for the last time can be difficult and emotional. The last day of school, the last day you live with your parents, the last time you had to give up something you like. Dieters give up sweets and have their last slice of pie. Those relationships we had to end because they were not good for us. The last conversation with them when we say goodbye.

John tells us of the last moments of Jesus’ life down here on the cross. Jesus says it is finished with his last breath, for the last time. Jesus died on the cross for us so we can have benefits.

Our Benefits   

1) Forgiveness of sin:

We who believe in Jesus have forgiveness of sin. Jesus had to die so we can live because Jesus is the covering for our sins. Now we are not enemies of God but friends of God because our sins are gone. God’s justice has sinners die because the wages of sin is death. God created the sacrifice system so man could communicate and have a relationship with him. The sacrificed animal’s blood was used to cover their sins. The High priest went into the inner court of the holy of holy places to meet God after the people did their sacrifices. High priests were the go-between guy between God and man.

Now with Jesus Christ dying on the cross, we can take our confessions of sin to God directly. We don’t need a man as a go-between. We can go to God ourselves. When God sees us now, he sees us through the blood of Jesus and he won’t condemn us. There is Power in the Blood of Jesus!! Jesus says it is finished and this means every time God looks at us, he looks through the blood at us. God will work out our sin issue! God worked out our depression issue and worked  out our shame issues! God will work it out! Our relationship with God is under the blood of Jesus! Its under the blood!

All of us have “history” with sin. Once saved, we became an “ex” :  ex-alcoholic, ex-drug dealer, ex-whore monger, ex-confused. When Jesus got a hold of our lives, we became ex’s !! That is our past! We are cleansed, not stuck in  our past. Jesus has cleansed us all the way!! All our stuff is under the blood! We need not forget from whence we came. God delivered us from all our stuff!  Its all gone!.
This is why some people struggle with us because they want to keep us back in the past. They remember us “when”. We tell them that was “back in the day”! We met Jesus and its all gone!! All we need is a relationship with Jesus and we don’t need to give sacrifices anymore. There used to be many types of animal sacrifices but Jesus said it is finished!  Sacrifices done away with!

2)  Freedom to Soar:

We are new creatures. We got a different DNA. Our previous DNA was born into sin. But Jesus on the cross gave us a different blood DNA. Before the cross, we had bad blood, a blood disease. God sent Jesus to the cross to give us a blood transfusion. Today our DNA is not the same anymore. We had a spiritual blood transfusion. New blood--the sky is the limit! We have the blood of a King. We need to act like our Daddy is a King because we have the bloodline of a King! We had a transfusion!  We now belong to the King of Kings!

3)  We Get a Secured Position in Heaven:

There is a place in Heaven waiting for us. Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us in his father’s house. For the believers, we never die. Our bodies die only. Our soul is present with the Lord! We belong because we are with Jesus! We are getting in because we know Jesus!!

AMEN