Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Kingdom Agents Part 4

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on March 10th 2024  by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

Nehemiah

Nehemiah was a captive, who was taken to Persia. There he rose to become the cupbearer. It tells us that he was a man of integrity. Even though he was a thousand miles away from Jerusalem, he was concerned. He asks his brother for a report and he weeps. His heart went out to the people of God and the city of God. 3 months later at an opportune time, he requested the king to let him be released to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He got permission, papers and provisions from the king. He went out and surveyed the walls of the city and saw the destruction. He then envisioned the people to rebuild the walls. 

The people then put their hands to the task and did the work of rebuilding. It wasn’t a skilled job, but everyone except the nobles of Tekoa did the work. No matter what we are in the world, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Then there was opposition from people who were trying to distract them from doing the work of God. 

”And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall. Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate. And after them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall,“ - Nehemiah‬ ‭12‬:‭27‬-‭33‬, ‭38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The temple was dedicated with great joy! 

”And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.“ - Nehemiah‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭3‬, ‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There was worship, confession of sin and the preaching and teaching of the word, keeping of the law. But in chapter 13 we see things change. We see people backsliding. 

”On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.“ - Nehemiah‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬, ‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Some corruption started taking place. This happened when Nehemiah was not there. 


  1. The people of God pledged to follow God's word but they backslid. They allowed the enemies of God to come up and set up a room in the house of God. 

  2. To be set apart: 1 Corinthians 6:14 ”Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!“ god's standard is to be a people set apart. If you’re thinking of marriage, this is important to note. The word of God says we are not to be unequally yoked. 

  3. To keep the sabbath 

  4. Not supporting God's work 

Lessons to learn : 

  1. Ordinary people can be used by God to do extraordinary things. With God all things are possible. Moses was 80 years old when he started the exodus. Jesus used ordinary fishermen to build his church. Mary was a young teen girl and God used her to be the mother of Jesus. The problems are so big that we feel overwhelmed. God places a burden in your heart for something. You don’t have to do everything, but each of us must do something! 

  2. We need to be prayerful people: William Wilberforce worked to abolish slavery in England. These things happen through persistence and prayer. 

  3. Each of us has a role in God's kingdom: there is no caste system in Christ, we are all one in Christ. Nehemiah 3:20 ”After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.” They worked zealously and with all their heart. We all are busy but we have to work for God. Befriending people out there so that we share the love of Jesus with them. Within the church let’s open our homes and hearts. 

  4. Move out of your comfort zone: Nehemiah was living in luxury. But he moved out of his comfort zone, to a ruined city. We default to what is easy. But God wants us to stretch. How can we stretch? In a gym, unless you stretch, you don’t grow. It’s the same with our hearts. 

  5. Never underestimate the consequences of sin: as the church we are called to live holy lives. We are living in a time of abundance of access to the word of God. But if we don’t use it, we will run out of steam. It’s like oxygen. It is abundant, but we need to inhale it.

Thank god for NDehemiah. One day we will meet him in heaven 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Kingdom Agents Part 3

 


This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on March 3rd 2024  by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

KINGDOM AGENTS PART 3 – NEHEMIAH

Colin D

Change is inevitable. Nations have changed in their power and influence. Portugal was a powerful nation in 16C AD. Two thousand years ago the Romans ruled and before them the Greeks, before them the Persians, and before them the Babylonians. Kingdoms will come and go but God’s purposes will prevail and continue to be fulfilled. Rom9:17

Let us look at Nehemiah – He lived 450 years before Jesus.

What can we learn about transforming cities and nations through this book?

1Cor 10:11 “These things were written as warnings and examples for us.

NEH 1:1: Our story begins in November in Susa – modern-day Iran (Persia). They conquered Nebuchadnezzar. How did Nehemiah land 900 miles away from Israel?

150 years before Nehemiah the Jews (Jer 25) continue their rebellion. Jeremiah prophecies that they would go into captivity for 70 years. They were taken captive to Babylon. Seventy years later the Persians rose and conquered Babylon.

Return of the exile Phase 1 – Ezra. He helped build the temple, but the walls were not yet built.

Neh1 Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the King. He had an important role. To be a cupbearer you also had to be cultured, conversant in law, have a good personality etc.

Neh2:1 The King is Artaxerxes. Nehemiah and Ezra were contemporaries. Ezra was older. Nehemiah came 20 years later. Artaxerxes was the stepson of Queen Esther.

Nehemiah is still in exile, but this was his heart posture.

1.  He was concerned about what was happening in Israel.

2.  He wept and mourned.

3.  He fasted and prayed for days.

4.  Nehemiah had a great relationship with the King and was the closest to the King next to his wife.

 

Prayer is mentioned fourteen times because Nehemiah was a man of prayer.

Neh. 9:5-37 is the longest prayer recorded in the bible.

Am I concerned about God’s people i.e. both the small c church and the big C church?

Ch2:4 Nissan – it is the month of April. A few months later. Nehemiah’s sadness shows on his face and the king notices it.

Nehemiah speaks to the Kings and asks to go to Israel.

This reminds us of Jesus. He was concerned for us who were lost and in exile to Satan’s kingdom. He left His comfort of heaven and came to save us.

 

Nehemiah asks on behalf of his people at 2:11. He comes to Jerusalem in v 13 inspects the ruins and sees the mess.

2:17 He saw a problem and did not grumble about it. So, they start building a wall.

Ch3:1 So the people got involved. The high priest, priest, goldsmiths, perfume maker, temple guard, Levites and merchants – all together built the wall. They got their hands dirty – they did not stand at the ceremony.

3:5 One group did not help i.e. the nobles of Tekoa.

4:6 They worked with all their heart. Whatever we do for God is a great honor.

When you are building for God, you will face opposition.

4:13 So this is what Nehemiah did. He put families in charge of guarding the walls where they lived. They built with a shovel in one hand and a sword in one.

6:15 The wall was built in 52 days.

They also helped the poor.

Ch8 – they heard the word.

Ch9, They repented and fasted and rejoiced.

 

What can we learn from this?

History keeps repeating itself. But Jesus is building His church and transforming cities.

Rulers will come and go but the church will last forever.

What can we do? – Be a people for prayer

They all served together.

We need to guard unity. God can do great things through unity. So, make an effort to be there.

As we play our part, we can build great things for God.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Enlarge - Part 1

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church Camp on February 17th 2024  by Nigel Pereira. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

ENLARGE – PART 1

It was 1982 when I was at a house group. I wasn’t saved but was just being exposed to the Gospel. I was very intrigued by who Jesus was and the people of God. God was doing something inside me, and I enjoyed the house groups. So, I kept attending it. I was seeking God but I was very comfortable till one day a leader took me out and asked me what I thought about Jesus. He asked me if I wanted to give my life to Jesus. Outside I said “Yes”, but inside, I said, “I’m not coming back here again.” I ran away for 6 months. I bought a Bible and started digging into it during those 6 months. As I read, the Word started speaking to me. It felt as if Jesus was leaping out of the pages and talking to me. I would weep everyday as I read through the Bible. After 6 months, I knew I had to go back to the church. As I came back for the Sunday meeting. I saw that same leader who met me and asked what happened to me. Later I realized that all of them were praying for me during those 6 months. God works through prayers. On 6th June 1983, I gave my life to Christ. Since then I’ve been with the same church in New Frontiers. I knew if I ever walked away from you, the problem is me but not someone else. So I want to say when Jesus comes through, we are captivated by him and nothing can stop us from walking with Him.

As we sang this song which says, “He’s calling sons and daughters back to Him”, I was stirred and I believe, Jesus is going to restore His church in an amazing way. I’m looking at 2024 as a year where in the church of Jesus is going to be stirred by who we are and what we can do, who He sees us as.

During these 2 days, let us get a glimpse of who He is and who we are. As Hazel brought that word on guilt, let us get rid off the shame and guilt. We are free. Jesus loves us. He understands our failures, temptations and when we fall. Even when Peter denied Jesus, He didn’t come back and say that Peter would not be an apostle anymore. Instead, He said, “Go tell Peter and my brothers…” That’s how He sees the church.

Psalm 84:10 - Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;

One moment with God is enough for us. In these 2 days, come to God.

Isaiah 54:1-5 - “Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back; lengthen your cords,  strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants will dispossess nations
    and settle in their desolate cities.

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
    Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
     You will forget the shame of your youth
    and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
  the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth.

I want us to capture this spirit of Isaiah speaking to Israel in captivity for 70 years. Verse 7 says, God abandoned for a brief moment. That’s what they felt.

1.        Sing, barren woman

Isaiah says, “Sing, O barren woman”. He also says, “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.”

King Solomon time was glorious as people across the world would come down to that kingdom. But now, Israelites were uprooted from the God given land and put on a foreign land as captives. What would be their mindset? – defeated, enslaved, dominated, hopelessness and questions about God’s promises. Into this, the prophet is saying, “Sing”. It sounds strange as what’s there to sing about? God wants us to have a sense and understanding of who we are and who he is. It looked like God was punishing them in Babylon. He tells them to sing as their maker is their husband. Even though he was punishing them, He loves them. He cannot separate himself from them. He says “more are your children” – churches across the globe. Pune church must understand that they are a part of God’s church.

Isaiah 54:6 - The Lord will call you back

God can never let go of us. He’s bringing back everyone. We must sing at all times. Even when we don’t understand things or when things don’t go according to the plan, we must sing.

He wants us to see that something is written over us. As His people. We have a purpose. A barren woman is someone who can’t have fruitfulness. God says, “More are the children of a desolate woman that the one who’s fruitful”. He also says, “Spread out to right and left”

We must sing because there’s fruitfulness written over us. We are a fruitful people. Our DNA is fruitfulness. He says, “You will forget the shame of your youth”. What was their youth? 400 years of slavery was their youth. When they were formed, they were in slavery. God says they would forget that shame and widowhood. Shame is the slavery they were in and widowhood is the captivity in Babylon.

Can we forget what we had gone through personally and as a church? This is the truth. We are going to smile and laugh because we’re going to be fruitful.

Are you in a hardship? Start singing. Do you have a problem with your children? Start singing. Because it is not going to be there permanently.

As a church you may go through a time of desolation. But something is coming. His fruitfulness. Because the church will always recover lost ground and gain even more.

God has got a church, not just leaders. Let us catch this sense of churches being caught in this understanding of fruitfulness. In Regions Beyond, there was a prophetic word about low hanging fruit. If we can prophetically for each one of us, our prayer life will change. There’s no struggle. We will receive the fruit without struggling for it.

2.     Enlarge the place of your tent:

Let us look at the background. Israel was in captivity and God wants them to enlarge. As a church, we may in a place where nothing seems to behappened. But we must enlarge – start dreaming, start thinking, start praying, get something into your spirit.

God’s plan for us is to be fruitful. Every church should be thinking about this. We come to church not just to survive and to have friends who would comfort us. God wants to change you, transform you and use you to transform your city, village and a nation.

Praise God, it is not because of what we are. It is because of what He is. We all know what we are when we are all alone. We know what we do in the quiet place. And because of that we know that God shouldn’t be using us. But that’s okay. God wants to use you anyway.

Matthew 28:19-20 -  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

He’s not asking us to stay and sort out things. No, he’s not saying stay and resolve issues with your wife or husband. He’s saying, “Go”. When we go, things get sorted out. That’s one of the principles I follow. Even if people have issues, I pick people and tell them to go. But I tell them to change in those particular areas.

Jesus’ command for the church is to be fruitfulness by going, not to one place but to all nations.

The command for fruitfulness is “Go”. The promise is that God will be with you.

How do we enlarge when there are bottlenecks and no resources? God’s promise is that He will be with you as we step out.

Go! God provides. God shows. That’s faith.

Matthew 16:18 - And I tell you that you are Peter,[b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it.

God says I’m with you and when you go, I will break open the gates of hell. I will give you new ground and you will possess it.

Jesus had already set an example. He didn’t stick to one place. He went to different places. He was sowing something and moving on. We got to be on the go. Wherever he went, he healed the sick and forgave sinners. He was touching one person at a time and that one person brings the whole village.

Acts 2:46-47 - Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The early church was not static. Their homes were centres for mission and everyday, people were saved and added to the church.

Acts 12:24 - But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

The early church caught something – Enlarge.

Look at 2024 afresh and ask God, “How can I enlarge personally, as a family and as a church?”

God is going to use some of you as leaders and others as faithful men and women as the strong core of the church who would stay with the church – a core of 30 to 40 people who would stay but not go to other places for better opportunities.

Vision cant be just about numbers but quality is necessary too. It is about values.

3.     Stretch your tent curtains wide

When you see a tent being stretched, you see that every part of that tent is being stretched wide. When Israel was captured, the tent was a stone construction. Tent was only in the wilderness. Tents are stretchable. Solomon’s temple was fixed. Isaiah was referring to the tent because it meant growth and expand. Stretch is not just for the leaders but for every part of the church – every person who is a part of the church.

Acts 2:42-47 - 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

It's not just about what they did, it’s about their hearts from where they could do all these things. We find this in verse 42 – devoted themselves.

If were going to enlarge, there’s a quality that we need. That is “Devotion”. The stretchingSe job, family, etc. It is not about getting saved and going to heaven. The stretching has to be with a zeal. The early church was full of zeal and passion which was committed. The commitment was to apostles teaching, breaking bread, eating together, sharing etc. The early church had people who are devoted. We need people who are here to be together. Jesus called His disciples to be with Him and then He sent them out.

As a leader I’m not looking for people with talents. I’m looing for people whose hearts are here with the church and with me.

If you love Jesus, you will be like His disciples who stuck with Him. When we are stuck with the church, there is a devotion.

The early church met in homes which means everyone’s church was open. Everyone was serving. They waited on tables. They were ready to fully serve.

It is not just about being a part of good church, having a good worship and what the church offers you. God is looking for your devotion.

Let us look at Jonathan and his armour bearer. Everyone was discouraged. Even King Saul was discouraged and sitting under the pomegranate tree. Others were hiding in the caves. There were only 2 weapons, one was with Saul and the other was with Jonathan. Philistines were all over the place. At that time, unless God said, “Go” nobody would go. Jonathan says, “Perhaps, God is with me”. He’s got that fruit hanging over him. He got that. The armour bearer, at the risk of his life says, “Im heart and soul with you. Do what’s in your heart.”

Now, we understand the word, devotion.

We saying, “God, I’m for you.”, is church membership.

How many of you want to see a big vision for Pune? God is saying, “Can I get your devotion?”

Get into who you really are. You are going to see things which you’ve never seen before.

God wants a phenomenal and radical people whom he’s pulling out of culture and catching us up into city mission, global mission, worldwide mission.

When Jesus said “It is finished” on the cross, it was not about the Israelites. It was about everyone, the new Israel.

The apostles were given the task to unlock the church, showing who you really are. You are no longer slaves. We are no longer slaves. We are heirs of God, co-heirs of Christ. We have inherited promise of fruitfulness.

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

We always take it personally for our own self. But no, it is for the church, a whole new church. The apostles teaching has captivated the people into this glorious vision.

Very often the world looks at church as soft and timid. We are not a timid people. We are the tough and robust people of God. The Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it.

Can we be a people of God who are devoted?


Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Perfect Love - Perfect Sacrifice

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on February 25th 2024  by James Moses. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

Perfect Love - Perfect Sacrifice

When the sixth hour (noon) came, darkness covered the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.). 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which is translated, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 Some of the bystanders heard Him and said, “Look! He is calling for [j]Elijah!” 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah is coming to take Him down.” 37 But Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed out His last [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan]. 38 And the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from [k]top to bottom. 39 When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” – Mark 15:33-39

The whole instance and time during which Jesus was on the Cross brings our attention to what exactly Jesus went through on the Cross.

It is very important to keep our minds on the cross. We can never move away from what happened on the Cross. Something amazing and highly impactful happened on the Cross. It was something that changed the history.

Why did Jesus go on that Cross?

God created man in His image to enjoy fellowship with him. Adam could enjoy God’s presence. But Adam and Eve sinned and got separated from God. Their sin led to destruction and destruction led to separation. Thus, the ground was cursed and man had to work hard to sustain. Humans started to live in sin and bondage.

Because God is righteous, every sin must be punished.

since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, - Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23

Whether we like it or not, we deserve death.

Let us look at God’s characteristics –

1.      Immense Love

2.      Holy

God’s desire is that none of us would go to hell. But He’s holy too. He will not tolerate sin. He’s a God of justice. He cannot go against His character.

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. – John 3:16

God brought both love and justice together and fulfilled it on the cross.

We were supposed to receive punishment for all our sins. But Jesus chose to cover us. He took all our sin and punishment on his own self.

Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” – Matthew 26:38

4 things happened on the cross:

1.     Physical intense pain

Crucifixion is the most terrible punishment anyone ever could receive. It is given to the vicious criminals. It is a slow death with increased pain and bones are out of joint.

I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me. – Psalm 22:14

Jesus was in intense pain on that cross for 6 hours, only because He loves you and me. We are so precious to Him that He took our place, went through our pain, and died our death.

2.     Pain of bearing sin

He bore the guilt for the sins He never committed. We can’t even bear it if someone lies to us. But Jesus bore the sins of the whole world because of His love for His Father and us.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds, we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53:5-6

 

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! – John 1:29

3.     Abandonment

Jesus was left alone. It was not just the physical pain and the pain of bearing others’ sin, but he faced everything and went through all of it all by himself, all alone.

His deepest joy in life was His Father. As long as He was on the Earth, He was in a constant relationship with the Father, listening to him and doing His will.

This relationship was broken on that cross.

Mark  15:34 - And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[a]  

4.     Bearing the wrath of God

The fury of God fell on Jesus. The wrath of God, the righteous anger of God which was there from the beginning , fell on Jesus.

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. – Romans 3:25-26

Jesus was made an atonement for the sins of all the people.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:30

Jesus had completed the will of His Father.

What should be our response to Jesus for what he went through and for what He has done?

1.     Thankfulness – We must be thankful to Jesus for what He has done. Because of His sacrifice, we can freely enter His presence and worship Him

Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases, - Psalm 103:105

2.     Do not take His sacrifice for granted.

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. – Colossians 2:13-15

3.     Live not as slaves to sin but to righteousness.

You are no more under the bondage of sin.

Even when you sin, come to Jesus quickly.

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin – Romans 6:6

 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. – Romans 6:18

4.     Share the gospel news with everyone.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:14

We must partner with God and sow seeds everywhere. We must be intentional in sharing the Good News with our friends and neighbours.

Reflect and see if there is any area in your life where you’re struggling. By faith receive freedom. No sin has any power to keep you away from the love of God.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.