Of all the real-estate in the world, God chose to take up residence in you!
He is actually quite comfortable there. Did you know that?
When the men at Corinth, (that were still called saints), were still going to temple prostitutes after they accepted Christ, Paul had a few words with them. Not harsh, angry, judgmental words. But very insightful words:
“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 harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Cor. 6:15-17)
Christ did not abandon his home within them, even when they went to prostitutes. It was the opposite. Christ in you, belongs there and you belong to him. Let your awareness of him keep you from sin, not your awareness of sin keep you from God.
We have looked at words like union, reconciliation, and righteousness, but today I want you to get the perspective that comes from REDEMPTION. There is a message that redemption sends our hearts: You are worth the blood of Jesus!
Do you know what the word redemption means? It is "to pay a price and buy out of slavery or debt in order to set free and restore to God’s original created value and purpose."
What is your Value?
How much is a birth worth? A Palm Cockatoo can go for about $16,000.
Jesus said you are “More valuable than the birds of the air…”
How much are we worth according to sheep value? Sheep sell for about $100 each.
Jesus said, “is not a person more valuable than a sheep?”
How much are we worth according to the accumulated wealth of the world? 14 trillion just for GNP in America in one year.
Jesus said, “what is it if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul?” Apparently he thinks your soul is worth more than that!
In Matthew 13:44 Jesus paints a word picture to describe how much he thinks you are worth in the kingdom of God:
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
God’s kingdom is like this: A man (Jesus) found a treasure (the image of God hidden in you) hidden in the field (covered with dirt in the world), and for the joy of YOU, he gives everything to possess you as his own!
“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” 1 Pet 1:18-19, NLT
Redemption is a public display of your created value. If I buy a sweet tea at McDonald's and pay $1 for it, it is because I believe it is worth $1 to give in exchange. God thinks the value of you, his creation, is worth WAY MORE... you are worth the sacrifice of Jesus! His precious life-blood in exchange for you!
Remember the Christmas song, “Oh Holy Night”? One line says, “long lay the world in sin and error pining, till he appeared and THE SOUL FELT ITS WORTH.” Have you felt your worth to God? You have the right to! That is the power of REDEMPTION!
The reason many of us struggle in our relationship with God is because we don't understand what happened in the death, burial, resurrection, ascension and glorification of Christ! In order to help people understand, I taught a class called Unshakable which contains over 9 hours of deeply insightful teaching on the foundations of the gospel. For a limited time I am offering this for only $49. I loaded you up with great bonuses too. And there is no risk to you because you can contact us within 30 days and receive a refund. What are you waiting for?
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Image Credit: http://animalia-life.com/birds/palm-cockatoo.html, http://www.metalsucks.net/2015/07/25/saturday-to-shift-shapes-and-sheep-alike/ ; https://snoopman.wordpress.com/category/war-terrorism-propaganda/