Measure Upon Measure – Separation – The Restoration Of God - Part 4 Series

MEASURE UPON MEASURE – SEPARATION – THE RESTORATION OF GOD - Part 4

It is hard to split this Second Consequence of man’s sin to make two messages. It is too big for one talk but does not split into two properly. That has made the first Part bigger and the second Part smaller. Please understand the two Parts are really one.

The second consequence is SEPARATION. We saw how that resulted in Adam and Eve being alienated from God with mankind becoming cut off from the open communion with their God. However Jesus identified with that separation, made it His own, became separated from the Father in being forsaken on the cross. It is all to deep for us to understand. Now we are going to look at what God restored and how He brought His children into greater blessings than Adam ever had.

WHAT THE LORD RESTORED (That which He did not take away)

(a). THE FIRST GRACIOUS ASPECT OF RESTORATION - UNION

We have just seen the Saviour’s Road for the second consequence of sin in the Fall and how He identified with the resultant separation. Now we will consider what He restored and there are two aspects to highlight. The first of these is “UNION”. Our sins separated us from God but with the sin problem having been thoroughly dealt with, and the separation removed, there is now a wonderful union we have with our God, realised when we are converted. He has broken down the middle wall of partition between us and has made us the living sons of the living God. We are united to God by the blood of Christ through the accomplishment of Calvary.

He was separated from the Father that we might never be separated ever again, so that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The love of God has brought us into that union. Separation is estrangement, and it was never God’s intention in the creation of human beings that they would ever live in estrangement, but the deceitfulness of sin changed all that. Separation is the path of misery but union is the path of joy. What greater connection can any puny human being have that to be in union with the blessed Lord who died for us?

How blessed is the Saviour’s achievement for us. Once we were rebels from God’s kingdom, but in Christ, we are united with Jesus Christ in heavenly joy and fellowship. Do you praise God for that? Sometimes I wonder if Christians are too ungrateful, and church rituals and procedures and formats become the most important aspects in Christian gatherings. It is wrong when they do because it is like putting Christ outside the door as the Laodiceans did. Dwell on what He achieved for you.

{{Romans 8:35-39 “WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, SHALL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”}}

How wonderful! He has bonded us in an inseparable union which can not be broken, and how our faltering faith needs such assurance from the word. It is possible for a hen to lose a chicken on occasions but he has united us into one body through the baptism of the Spirit and no one can remove us from the Father’s hand. Not one chick can ever be unaccounted for. Aren’t these superb blessings, multiplied one on the other? What excellent things He has done for us, and to think that it was necessary for Him to be separated in order that we may never be separated. What a great debt we owe Him. We have been bought at huge cost and that suggests the paradox of the gospel - salvation was purchased with the greatest possible price, yet it is entirely free to all who believe.

All the members of the Body are present in {{Revelation 5:9-10 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”}}. All are united in unified praise and worship to the Lamb who was slain.