February 2016 – Scarlet Thread Ministries

Hebrews 9:7

Once a year, on the day of atonement, the high priest would enter the holy of holies to appear in the Presence of the Lord on behalf of the nation of Israel. First he would enter for his own cleansing, then for the cleansing of the nation.

But, not without blood.

He dare not enter the presence of God without blood — first for atonement for his own sins, then a repeat trip with the blood of atonement for the sins of the nation.

Under the old covenant, the day of Atonement was the only time of access to God’s direct presence, and the lesson was clear. Entry to His presence could only happen through a blood sacrifice, and only by entering with confidence in that blood. There was no confidence to enter without the blood. Without the blood, entry to God’s presence would bring judgment and death.

Jesus, Himself, of course, became the fulfillment of that day of atonement. He our High Priest entered into the true tabernacle in heaven, not with the blood of bulls or goats, but with His own blood. He cleansed the heavens and offered the atonement for all sin for all time for all men.

And now we, the priesthood of believers, have the privilege of entering the Presence of God. But not without blood!

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Only by the blood of the Lamb do we enter. Only by the blood of the Lamb is there atonement. Only by the blood do we enjoy now a holy place opened up for daily fellowship with God at His throne of grace.

Therefore, let’s draw near — with the boldness, the confidence, the audacious shameless courage arising from the finished work of Christ of which His blood speaks. This is God’s way for us. It is His idea, and His invitation, even His challenge to us — to come directly to Him without fear and without self confidence, but with a settled assurance and high expectation arising from God’s direct promises, His covenant Words. We will receive. We will be accepted. We will enjoy God.

But…not without the blood.

With love,

Pastor John Matthews

John 19:30
After Jesus cried out these words on the cross, He breathed His last and died. No words in the Bible are more important than these.
Not understanding all that was completed in the death and resurrection of Christ causes much confusion and weakness among Christians. Boldness of faith and power in prayer arises from the completed work of Christ.
“Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:28-30
I often ask people if they know what Jesus meant when He said “It is finished”. I assume that you would agree that He knew what He meant. But…. do you know what He meant?
Knowing what Jesus finished is the foundation for our faith, and not knowing what He finished is the cause of spiritual defeat and vulnerability to religious deception. Without knowing and accepting what Jesus has c completed, we keep trying in vain to complete it ourselves. The gospel then becomes like the story of the man who hung a carrot from a string on the end of a stick in front of his mule. It resulted in the mule keeping going — and going, and going, and going – trying to get the carrot but never being able to reach it.
Without knowing what Jesus finished, the gospel will be for you a carrot on the end of the string. You want it badly, and keep going and going and going, to try to get it, but you never reach your destination. You never get to eat the carrot.
The “carrot” of God’s provision is not on a string outside of your reach. It is all provided and present and within your reach through the work that Jesus did on the the cross, and the shedding of His blood. If you are “in Christ” through your faith in His blood, then what is declared by God to be yours – IS YOURS.
Due to Christ’s completed work of redemption, and the accomplished atonement in His sacrifice, the promises of the Bible are largely stated in a certain way. That is, they are stated with a certain grammatical structure – especially in the use of verbs.
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“I have been crucified with Christ…” Gal. 2:20
“God raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ…” Eph. 2:6
Notice the verbs. They are all in the past tense. They all state that something has already happened. They don’t say it is yet to come. They say it is done. They say “It is finished”.
Even prophetic promises in the Old Testament frequently use past tense verbs: “He Himself bore our infirmities and carried our diseases….” Isaiah 53:4 Though it would be 700 years before Jesus bore these things, the promise in Isaiah is written as a completed work. Your forgiveness, your healing, and much more, is finished and belong to you because you belong to Christ, because your are in Christ, and because Christ is in you.
Go into the Word and discover the treasures of what is “finished”. These treasures are yours already. These treasures are the foundation for settled faith and bold prayer.
With love,
Pastor John Matthews

Month: February 2016

Not Without Blood!

It is Finished!