Tag Archives: the blood of Christ

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Discerning His Body

Passionchrist_whipped

I Corinthians 11:27-32 (NIV), “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.”

We already discussed discerning the blood of Christ and how important that is in our walk with God. Equally important, but not as widely accepted is understanding the broken body of Christ.

At the last supper, Jesus is talking to His disciples and He hands them the cup of wine. Their Lord tells them that it is His blood and to drink every drop. Then He hands them some flatbread and rips off a chunk, passing it around and says that it is His body. What is Jesus telling these men? Has He changed the wine and bread into flesh and blood as He changed the water into wine at the wedding feast? No. He is using an object lesson, one of many. The wine is representing the blood that He will soon be pouring out on Calvary. The bread represents His body, soon to be ripped to shreds by a cat o’ nine tails, and pierced by thorns, spear, and spikes. When they see the blood flowing from that cross, and see His once whole skin, marred and broken, He wants them to remember His words that He shared with them that night. He wants them to remember that He did it for them.

It is easy for most of us Christians to accept that Jesus died in our place, if we hadn’t we wouldn’t call ourselves followers of Jesus. We have accepted that God loved us so much that He sent His only son and that Jesus loved us so much that He willingly laid down His life so that we can live free from sin and shame. However, for a lot of Christians it is hard to accept that there is more to Salvation than just a get out of Hell free card. Salvation isn’t “fire insurance”.

More was done on that cross than most of us realize. Salvation is a package that has many gifts inside. We have been washed clean and forgiven for all of our sins. We have received a new heart and a new spirit. Our family is now a heavenly one, and our Father is God. There are too many promises and scriptures, for one small devotion, to name them all. In a nutshell salvation means we are saved, delivered, and healed. Look the word up. It includes an abundant life.

I Peter 2:25 (Weymouth Translation), “The burden of our sins He Himself carried in His own body to the Cross and bore it there, so that we, having died so far as our sins are concerned, may live righteous lives. By His wounds yours have been healed.”

Specifically we see in I Peter that His wounds, those stripes left by the Roman whip, the nails, the thorns, that spear thrust all were for a purpose that transcends a torturous death. He submitted to those wounds so that we could be healed. I know, it doesn’t make sense with our natural mind, but not much in the Kingdom of Heaven does, but it is Truth. God said it and He never lies. Reading I Corinthians 11 in the light of I Peter 2 reveals much about discerning the blood of Christ.

Read this again, “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” Why are we sick and why do so many of us die before our time? Because we don’t understand that our healing has already been purchased. We aren’t waiting to be healed, begging to be healed, just suffering through until God decides to do something. No, He already did! We believe it, tell the Devil, command our bodies to line up with it, and stand in faith; we walk out the promise of God. It is easier said than done. I know. Over fourteen years I suffered with anxiety and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Praise God, I don’t anymore. In fact I hardly ever even think about it or remember those hard times anymore. We have to get this into our hearts. How can we take ground when we are spending all our time trying to defend our own little area? God’s people need to walk in their authority. Us. Me. You.

It takes practice. It takes courage, but don’t fret, the Joy of the Lord is your strength. When we start to get this and we see results, talk about faith rising up in you. And suddenly you have another testimony, another opportunity to share how good God is. At the risk of sounding redundant, read your Bible. Do a search healing, health, and the Body of Christ. We are His body. How can the body of Jesus be sick? How can His body be weak?

God does not send sickness; He doesn’t cause birth defects, mental defects, or mental illness. All disease (the state of being not at ease) is from the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. God gives us life and life more abundantly. Stand on that. Rebuke the Devil soundly and remind Him that you have been blood bought.

He took those stripes, He poured out His blood, and He did it all willingly. Don’t ever let it be for nothing. Take hold of that love and hang on with all you’ve got. Live from Heaven!

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Communion

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When I was younger and I read in my bible how the people turned away from God, how Elijah ran scared from Jezebel, or how the disciples messed up, I would think to myself “if I had been there I wouldn’t have done that.” I also used to day dream about how wonderful it would have been if Adam and Eve hadn’t sinned. I thought that somehow my relationship with God would have been so much better. I was jealous of them for getting to walk in the cool of the evening with Him. That had I been there, my choice would have been different than the one they made. That’s easy to say living on this side of the cross. We see the consequences of their actions all laid out for us in Scripture. Now that I am a little older, I am pretty confident that had I been there, at that time, I too would have fallen for the serpent’s lies. While thinking about all of this one day, the Lord spoke these words into my heart, “He who has been forgiven much, loved much.” So I looked that verse up and found it in Luke 7:41-48 (ESV),

(Jesus said,) “A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do ou see this woman? I entered your house: you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave m no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven- for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

This woman, of less than a perfect reputation, had come into the home of Simon the Pharisee where Jesus was eating. They all knew who she was, or what she was. Yet, she went anyway, uninvited. Why would she put herself in this embarrassing, humbling position? Because she loved Him much! He had forgiven her so much and she was extremely grateful. After reading this scripture I realized that I couldn’t have loved God any more than I do now, even if I had lived in the Paradise of Eden, because like that woman, I have been forgiven much.

That marvelous love, the love that caused the Father to give His only son, the love that drove that Son to the cross and held Him when no earthly nails could have, that is the love that drew me to Him. I love Him because of His merciful forgiveness, for what He has done on the cross, for how much my life has changed, and for the simple fact that despite my shortcoming, my failings, and yes, my sin, He still loves me.

Next time you join together in communion, as you remember His broken body and His shed blood, remember His love. Remember for just a minute who you were, and who you are now. He did that!

Father, I thank You that I was born in this time and in this place. I didn’t miss out on anything by not being born into paradise. Jesus, thank You for Your great love, the love that poured out as freely as Your blood, the blood that washed away all of my sin. I am grateful and because I am grateful, I love you and I choose to accept all that You purchased for me by Your shed blood and Your broken body.