I). FIRST, IT PROVES HE LOVES US…
Our salvation can only be attributed to two things; and both those things involve love:
First, the love of God the Father, that is so great for us that He gave His only begotten Son for us!
o 2 Chronicles 2:11, “Jehovah loves His people…”
o Jeremiah 31:1, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
o John 16:27, “For the Father himself loves you.”
o Ephesians 5:1, “imitate God, since you are the children He loves.”
o 1 John 3:1, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God.”
o John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…”
And second, the love of Jesus, that is so great for us that He gave His life for us!
o Revelation 1:5, “To Him [Jesus] who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood.”
II). SECOND, IT ALLOWS HIM TO WASH US…
Again, that was the purpose of His coming…to free us from sin!
o I Corinthians 6:9-11
o Hebrews 10:22, “Let us approach [God] with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
What does that washing do? It redeems the soul, forgives the sins, and purifies us from all unrighteousness!
o NOTICE THIS: We are loved first, and washed second!
o Love was the cause of the washing, and not washing the cause of love.
o In other words, we were filthy & unclean in our sins, and we could not clean ourselves in anything way on our own; but God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to come and shed His blood for us ~ that blood washes us and cleanses us from all sin.
o We are loved first, and washed second!
III). THIRD, IT MAKES US A NEW CREATION…
2 Corinthians 2:17, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see everything has become new.”
So what kind of new creation are we?
A). First, He makes us a kingdom.
· I realize that some translations say, “Kings”, but the word in the Greek is “basileus” and means a “sovereign kingdom.”
· Look back at Exodus 19:6 where God tells Moses on Mt. Sinai, “You shall be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
· In the Bible, God’s kingdom is defined as, “the domain over which the spiritual sovereignty of God and Christ extends, whether in heaven or on earth.”
· As the Church we are a part of that Kingdom ~ Christ is the foundation ~ the chief cornerstone.
· In other words, Jesus is the Sovereign ~ HE is the King of Kings and Lord of lords And His resurrection has made us a part of His kingdom.
B). Second, He makes us priests.
· What was the main job of a priest? (any ideas?)
· Let’s go back to the book of Exodus:
o Exodus 28:1, “Then bring near to you your brother Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the Israelites, to serve Me as priests.”
o 28:3, “and they shall make the garments of Aaron to sanctify him for his serving as priest to Me.”
o 28:4, “And they shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron and for his sons, even for him to serve as priest to Me.”
o So what’s the job of the priest??? TO SERVE GOD!
o So the $64,000 question is ~ why do you think that God has made us priests through the resurrection of Christ?
· And that goes all the way the Bible to the book of Revelation!
o Look at Revelation 5:1-10
What has the resurrection of Christ done for us?
If you’re not a believer, it has provided the free gift of His mercy & grace in order to become one!
If you are a believer, it has proved His love to you; washed you to make you clean; and made you a kingdom of priests ~ serving God.
NOTE: In the Old Testament, the priests, before putting on the holy garments and ministering to the Lord, washed themselves: so we, as believers ~ as priests unto God, must first be washed in Christ’s blood from every sin before we can ever hope to serve God.
