Resurrection Injection

What is the cure for everything that ails us

find out at … http://www.stevenfurtick.com/uncategorized/resurrection-injection-and-such/

Paid in Full

One afternoon I was in my kitchen trying to make a quick deposit of some dirty dishes into the sink, when I heard some one in my family, who will remain nameless, and my mother having an impassioned discussion/ argument. During the course of this discussion that some one made a comment where they used the Lord ‘s name in vain, because this sin has the prominence of being named as one of the ten commandments , I told this person not to do this, and this person’s response was to curse at me. Rather than respond to the person in way which no doubt would have been less than glorifying to God, I just left the scene and went back to the my room.

Something you should understand about me is that, I have a great reverence for the power of words (that is one reason why I write), so I really hate it when people swear and even worst when they use the Lord’s name in vain. The way I explain it, it is likes I am allergic to cursing, so thinking about what this person said made me almost ill. But it was not long after I was in my room reeling over these offenses that God spoke this to me, “There is no use in you feeling bad about this because I have already paid for this sin, I have already taken care of it”. This statement by God brought instant relief, because here I was feeling like it was my duty to be upset at this person, and here God was saying, “it is already take care of”.

Some time later I was in the car riding to a church event with my mother and my sisters when we noticed the traffic had some what slowed down, we looked over to our right and noticed that their was a whole line of people waiting in the rain, which by then had mixed with the twilight, it was obvious something had happen.  As we drove by the scene my mom explained to us that this was the wake for the Revelus family. Those of us who live in Massachusetts by now know the story of this tragedy, where the oldest son takes the life of his two younger sisters in a very gruesome way, stabbing one to death, and then decapitating another (news clip); but the night that we were driving by the wake, I, who tend to live in a news fog, had not yet know about the tragedy. It wasn’t even until the next day when I had gotten back home from the funeral for this same family, and scene a report on the story that I got the full scope of what happened(news report) . (The reason why I got to attend the Revelus funeral, despite only hearing about the tragedy the day before, was because it was held at my Church Jubilee where I happened to be the morning of the funeral for prayer. I have ceased to believe in coincidences, I knew God wanted me to be at this event, to hear what He would say in the midst of this tragedy.)

But that night as we were driving by the wake the Spirit of the Lord, spoke to me the words He had before “I have taken care of this”. Coming out of Easter it is amazing to think about the incredible burden of sin that was laid upon Jesus at Calvary.  Take every sin, from the swears of this family member, to the killings of Kerby Revelus, multiple that by the number of humans that have and will ever live and the length of time and you get an idea of the load of sin that Jesus bore at Calvary.  This thought is hard to grasp with your mind but one that I hope you try to grasp with your heart, and one I hope it will inspire a greater love and devotion for Jesus Christ.

Not only should reflecting on Jesus’ sacrifice give us a love for Him, but it should also give us a hate for sin. Each sin we commit has its place in that enormous load of sin that was laid upon Jesus, and just knowing what is included in that list, from the genocide of the Holocaust, to the recent killings by Kerby Revelus, should make us want to have little to do with sin (although we must admit, that this is hard, and apart from Jesus impossible).

 Understanding the immensity of Jesus’ sacrifice should also make us think twice before we condemn anyone else for their sin. Although as I have stated we must recognize the evil of sin, we must also recognize that the way God chose to deal with sin, was not to condemn us, who were all guilty of it, but to offer us forgiveness, and the hope of redemption.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (I encourage you to read the whole John 3:16-18 passage to get a full view of what salvation is)

For those of us who are followers of Christ we have great reason to rejoice not only in the fact that our sins are forgiven, but also in the fact that all of sins evil effects, sickness, death, fear, guilt, shame have been dealt with as well. As His word says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)”. This passage shows us that God doesn’t just want to relieve us from the burdens of our sin but of many of the cares and worries that accompany this life.

For those who are not saved contemplating the immensity of Jesus’ sacrifice should make you want to run to the safety of the salvation Jesus provides. Nothing you can do will ever match what God did on Calvary, as Isaiah 64:6 says ”all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”. And just think about it, why would God suffer in such an unimaginable way, if He was going to turn around and allow other means for people to be saved.  No Jesus’ death is the one and only payment for sin, and apart from Him we have no hope.

It is important to understand that although Jesus’ death already paid for you sins in full, that payment is not automatically imputed to you, rather you must accept it on your on behalf, and you do this by asking Jesus to come into your life. If you want to understand more about this go to the “I Believe” page.

I hope that this article has opened your eyes a little wider to the grace of our Lord, and I pray if you don’t know the Lord you will get to know Him today, I assure you that He wants to get to know you, otherwise He would not have sacrificed in such an amazing way.

Thank you for reading, please leave your questions or comments, if you have any.