Spirit, Water, Blood

Blood and water are elements of the Almighty. And, as The Desire of Ages states, these are evidences of a broken heart:

But it was not the spear thrust, it was not the pain of the cross, that caused the death of Jesus. That cry, uttered "with a loud voice" (Matt. 27:50; Luke 23:46), at the moment of death, the stream of blood and water that flowed from His side, declared that He died of a broken heart. His heart was broken by mental anguish. He was slain by the sin of the world. The Desire of Ages, p. 772

In addition to blood and water, The Spirit is a third evidence of the Almighty:

Luke 23:46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last.

Before the water flowed from His side, before Christ's blood came spilling forth, He yielded His Spirit. Blood and water are the signs of a surrendered Spirit. Flowing freely, they bore witness with Christ's Spirit of a life given in sacrifice to the glory of His Father:

7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 1 John 5:7-12.

Hallelujah, we may have life through the Son. We become beneficiaries of the Almighty through the Spirit, the water, and the blood. When we accept Christ our Lord and Savior, His Father gives us the Spirit, thereby making His children:

God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:6-7.

And with the Spirit comes the cleansing water of baptism, the rite of the towel, and the fellowship of the cup; the cup of Christ's blood. With the Spirit comes the life of the Spirit: A life free from condemnation, a life free from the law of sin and death (see Romans 8:1-4).

Yes, in giving up His Spirit Christ gave up His life. And in giving up His life, He gave me life. Yes, Jesus gave His Spirit to His Father that in turn He might give it to all who would believe in Him. That which He surrendered to His Father was given back to Him that He might give it to His followers.

Application: I need the power of Christ's Spirit, I need the washing of His word, I need new life through His blood. Bottom line: I need Jesus, all of Him; Spirit, Water, Blood. Christ the one born of a virgin. Jesus, He who passed through the waters of baptism to fulfill all righteousness. The Lamb of God who was slain for my sins, who poured out His blood in my behalf: this is the one I need.

My mind is to small to comprehend His grace... my pride feels to big to surrender. Like Peter I find myself saying: "You will never wash my feet!" But if I am not washed by Him, I will not be saved by Him. If I'm not served by Him, it is impossible to serve Him. My heart is humbled. It is broken. Broken by Him who died of a broken heart; a heart broken by my sin.

Prayer: O Blessed Broken One... Broken for me. You yielded Your Spirit, You poured out your life: water and blood. I thank You. I praise You. You alone Jesus are worthy of all glory, honor, power, and praise. You alone are my Savior. You alone are God. I can't find words to give You the honor You deserve. But tears well up in my eyes and love wells up in my heart. O let me not forget the sacrifice You've made. Let me not forget the Spirit, the water, and the blood. For by these you came and went.

By the Spirit You were conceived, and You entered life through the same watery, bloody birth as I. And in yielding up Your Spirit, Your water, and Your blood, You left this life; resting in the grave on the seventh-day Sabbath. Yes, resting that I might rise, sleeping in death that I might awake to eternal life. O thank You Jesus! Thank You for Your Spirit, the water, and the blood. Fill me, wash me, cleanse me. I give you my spirit, my watery eyes, and my very life blood. Take all of me... my spirit, my water, my blood...

A Child Again...

God could have destroyed Satan and his sympathizers as easily as one can cast a pebble to the earth; but He did not do this. Rebellion was not to be overcome by force. Compelling power is found only under Satan's government. The Lord's principles are not of this order. His authority rests upon goodness, mercy, and love; and the presentation of these principles is the means to be used. God's government is moral, and truth and love are to be the prevailing power. The Desire of Ages, p. 759.  

Observation:  Love is the most difficult truth to apply.  Living by patience and letting love seize the day is a slow process.  We must be willing to wait; willing to stop and pray; willing to think and willing to listen.  Love builds trust, and building trust takes time.  Coercion and force are quick but also quenching... The quench the flames of trust.  They destroy the heart of faith...

Application:  What do I want to build in my home?  Trust or fear?  Loyalty or Love?  To build trust I must take the time to love, and listen, and learn.  I must treasure my children... I must seek to enter their world and see through their eyes.  As a parent I must have an incarnational heart.  I must celebrate the simple and rejoice in the known... I must come to know in new ways... I must come to know through the heart of a child.  

Often I have thought: "I wish I could be a child again."  Through my kids I can!

Prayer:  Lord I lift to you this prayer from Glenn Kaiser; asking that You would let your word come to pass in my life.  Let me be as a child.  Teach me to love my kids and learn from them.  Show me truth through their eyes.  Restore to me the trust of my youth; the joy of Thy Salvation!

Like A Little Child

Copyright 1993 Glenn Kaiser Band

Lord Jesus, take me by the hand

Make me like a little child again

Lord Jesus, help me understand

What it means to have You as a friend

Just like a windin' stream

My life goes flowin' by

But when I look up in the sky

I know You're near me

I used to feel so old

But now I've found that pot of gold

Before-giveness

Men may exercise power over His human body. They may pierce the holy temples with the crown of thorns. They may strip from Him His raiment, and quarrel over its division. But they cannot rob Him of His power to forgive sins. In dying He bears testimony to His own divinity and to the glory of the Father. His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear, neither His arm shortened that it cannot save. It is His royal right to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by Him. The Desire of Ages, p. 751.

"The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin;" Exodus 34:6-7.

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. Psalm 86:5.

Look up forgive at Dictionary.com

O.E. forgiefan "give, grant, allow," also "to give up" and "to give in marriage;" from for- "completely" + giefan "give" (see give). The modern sense of "to give up desire or power to punish" is from use of the compound as a Gmc. loan-translation of L. perdonare (cf. Du. vergeven, Ger. vergeben; see pardon).

Observation: To forgive means to give up my right for revenge. This gives new meaning to the passage:

Rom. 12:19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.

Not only does vengeance belong to God in the sense that He will avenge us of our enemies, but in the sense that He has taken the vengeance that we deserved. He gave up His right for revenge through the cross. He said: "I will bear Your abuse, I will take Your punishment, I will forgive!"

The group Switchfoot captured this idea in their song Revenge:

I'm the failure

I'm everyone's fool

And I'm losing my cool at the end

I'm the loser

My numbers come up

I've been hung up with thoughts of Revenge

Revenge

Revenge

Oh!!!!

I've been watching you with my terminal view

As you struggle to rise to your end

I laughed hard at the insults we throw

As the weight of the world found revenge

Revenge

Revenge

Oh!

Have hatred and Gravity won?

Oh!

Oh!

The world hung upsidedown

I drew first blood [2x]

With my hateful recrown

I drew first blood [2x]

Revenge

I watched heaven dying today

and I'm gonna die here tonight

I'm the villian and I deserve to be dead

I've been hung up for recking my life

Revenge [2x]

Oh!

So I stopped for a moment

to look at the sun

dying today

That's when the irony hit me

That this was revenge

That love had decended and stolen our pain

Away.

We consumed heaven's Son

And I drew first blood [2x]

And my hate was undone

And I drew first blood [2x]

Revenge

Here's a story

How thief had been robbed

How murder had stolen my rage

Think of me Lord

I'm a few breaths away

As my lungs finally rip from the cage

Revenge.

OH!!!!!!!!

God's forgiveness is not only giving up His right for revenge, but also giving in advance. I like to call it before-giveness. At the cross provision was made. And now He is simply waiting for us to accept His provision. This is what pass over was about... giving in advance. Blessing before the actual blessing. Delivering before the actual deliverance. Yes Israel was delivered from Egypt, but ultimately they would be delivered from sin. Before the lamb of the cross was the lamb of the alter. And before the Christ of the cloud is the Christ of the cross.

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:8-10.

This is forgiveness... It is there before I ask but it isn't mine until I ask. Forgiveness is a package waiting to be picked up at the post office. It is a letter waiting to be opened. It is a email waiting for a response. It is there for us; there for the taking. What will we do with the before-giveness of Christ? You see: "God "chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us." Ephesians 1:4-8.

Yes we were forgiven before we ever sinned. By this I mean the provision was in place. Jesus is the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world (see Revelation 13:8). Before I breathed my first breath, He had considered death. Before life was mine, death was on His mind; a divine plan before the fall of man. For He was not willing to give life, if He did not have a plan to forgive. It was a complete giving on God's part. It was a design for creation and redemption. The two are a part of the whole. For God does not create without a plan to recreate. He doesn't give without a plan to forgive.

Prayer: Lord Jesus I accept your before-giveness. I thank You purchasing my life... both at birth and at conversion. Because of the cross I'm twice yours. Once because You made me and twice because You saved me. Both times are the purchase of the cross. For You wouldn't give me life if you could not forgive my life. Thank You for dying for me. Thank You for living for me. Thank You for promising to come for me. I await your return. And in the mean time, I will embrace Your forgiveness. I accept the provision of the cross. Thank You for saving me!

Judas Don't You Come to Close

The history of Judas presents the sad ending of a life that might have been honored of God. Had Judas died before his last journey to Jerusalem he would have been regarded as a man worthy of a place among the twelve, and one who would be greatly missed. The abhorrence which has followed him through the centuries would not have existed but for the attributes revealed at the close of his history. But it was for a purpose that his character was laid open to the world. It was to be a warning to all who, like him, should betray sacred trusts. 

A little before the Passover, Judas had renewed his contract with the priests to deliver Jesus into their hands. Then it was arranged that the Saviour should be taken at one of His resorts for meditation and prayer. Since the feast at the house of Simon, Judas had had opportunity to reflect upon the deed which he had covenanted to perform, but his purpose was unchanged. For thirty pieces of silver--the price of a slave--he sold the Lord of glory to ignominy and death.

Judas had naturally a strong love for money; but he had not always been corrupt enough to do such a deed as this. He had fostered the evil spirit of avarice until it had become the ruling motive of his life. The love of mammon overbalanced his love for Christ. Through becoming the slave of one vice he gave himself to Satan, to be driven to any lengths in sin...

Judas did not, however, believe that Christ would permit Himself to be arrested. In betraying Him, it was his purpose to teach Him a lesson. He intended to play a part that would make the Saviour careful thenceforth to treat him with due respect. But Judas knew not that he was giving Christ up to death. How often, as the Saviour taught in parables, the scribes and Pharisees had been carried away with His striking illustrations! How often they had pronounced judgment against themselves! Often when the truth was brought home to their hearts, they had been filled with rage, and had taken up stones to cast at Him; but again and again He had made His escape. Since He had escaped so many snares, thought Judas, He certainly would not now allow Himself to be taken.

Judas decided to put the matter to the test. If Jesus really was the Messiah, the people, for whom He had done so much, would rally about Him, and would proclaim Him king. This would forever settle many minds that were now in uncertainty. Judas would have the credit of having placed the king on David's throne. And this act would secure to him the first position, next to Christ, in the new kingdom.  The Desire of Ages, p. 716, 720-721.  

Observation:  How sick is the mind of evil.  The Scripture gives a somber warning to all who would yield to it:  

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;

Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes

And clever in their own sight! 

22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine

And valiant men in mixing strong drink, 

23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe,

And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right! 

24    Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble

And dry grass collapses into the flame,

So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust;

For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts

And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 

25 On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people,

And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down.

Isaiah 5:20-25

Judas was a man who yielded to the mind of evil.  He allowed its thoughts and jealousies to take root in his heart and they bore the fruit of rebellion and betrayal.  Judas' life is a microcosm of the great controversy; an example of all who choose the way of criticism, judgmentalism, and slander.  His life teaches us that private betrayal happens long before a public betrayal.  We betray ourselves and our conscience long before we betray our family, friends, or colleagues.  Every betrayer betrays self before  betraying another.  How sad.  How tragic.  How true.  This is the path of betrayal; it's end is the abyss.

There is another sad and tragic reality of those who entertain thoughts of evil, and it is this: Their ultimate goal become self-preservation.  But this goal is blinding.  What they fail to realize is that self-preservation always leads to self-destruction.  As Jesus said:  

Matt. 16:25 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 

This became Judas's reality.  When he discovered that his plans for self-preservation and self-exaltation where not going to pan out, He thought their was no other alternative than self-destruction.  He saw no other way but suicide.  Surrender was no longer an option.  Pride would not allow it.  He would rather die than deny himself.  He would rather hang than admit his wrong:

Judas now cast himself at the feet of Jesus, acknowledging Him to be the Son of God, and entreating Him to deliver Himself. The Saviour did not reproach His betrayer. He knew that Judas did not repent; his confession was forced from his guilty soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a looking for of judgment, but he felt no deep, heartbreaking grief that he had betrayed the spotless Son of God, and denied the Holy One of Israel. Yet Jesus spoke no word of condemnation. He looked pityingly upon Judas, and said, For this hour came I into the world.

A murmur of surprise ran through the assembly. With amazement they beheld the forbearance of Christ toward His betrayer. Again there swept over them the conviction that this Man was more than mortal. But if He was the Son of God, they questioned, why did He not free Himself from His bonds and triumph over His accusers?

Judas saw that his entreaties were in vain, and he rushed from the hall exclaiming, It is too late! It is too late! He felt that he could not live to see Jesus crucified, and in despair went out and hanged himself. DA 722

Application:  I thinking of Judas I can't help but think of myself.  I see too much of the betrayer in me.  Through my judgmentalism, through my words of criticism, through my pride.  And my heart cries out... "Lord have mercy on me a sinner!  Save me from myself before I consume myself; before I self-destruct."

The words of Michael Card strike so close to home:  

Traitor's Look

Michael Card

How did it feel to take the place

Of honor at the meal

To take the sup from His own hand

A prophesy to seal

Was it because He washed your feet

That you sold Him as a slave

The Son of Man, the Lamb of God

Who'd only come to save

The silver that they paid to you

From out their precious till

Was meant to buy a spotless lamb

A sacrifice to kill

How heavy was the money bag

That couldn't set you free

It became a heavy millstone

As you fell into the sea

Now Judas don't you come to close

I fear that I might see

That traitor's look upon your face

Might look too much like me

Cause just like you I've sold the Lord

And often for much less

And like a wretched traitor

I betrayed Him with a kiss

Prayer:  O Lord Jesus forgive me for those who I have spoken sweetly to and then stabbed behind their backs.  For in betraying them I have betrayed You my Lord.  O Jesus I would yield my life to You this morning.  Take me Jesus, shake me, remake me.  Let this heart be Yours before it swells and bursts with pride.  Take it before it takes me.  Kill me Jesus before I kill myself.  Let me be crucified with You that I might be raised with You.  

You alone have the power to teach me a life of selflessness.  You alone can turn pride to humility and arrogance to self-distrust.  You alone can melt a heart of stone and soften a calloused conscience.  O Jesus, break me like You broke Peter... Turn my betrayal to a blessing and my unbelief to faith.  

Come dear Jesus.  I confess I am a sinner and You are my Savior.  By faith I receive You now... help Thou my unbelief. 

Embrace the Cross

The grain of wheat that preserves its own life can produce no fruit. It abides alone. Christ could, if He chose, save Himself from death. But should He do this, He must abide alone. He could bring no sons and daughters to God. Only by yielding up His life could He impart life to humanity. Only by falling into the ground to die could He become the seed of that vast harvest,--the great multitude that out of every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, are redeemed to God.

With this truth Christ connects the lesson of self-sacrifice that all should learn: "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." All who would bring forth fruit as workers together with Christ must first fall into the ground and die. The life must be cast

into the furrow of the world's need. Self-love, self-interest, must perish. And the law of self-sacrifice is the law of self-preservation. The husbandman preserves his grain by casting it away. So in human life. To give is to live. The life that will be preserved is the life that is freely given in service to God and man. Those who for Christ's sake sacrifice their life in this world will keep it unto life eternal.

The life spent on self is like the grain that is eaten. It disappears, but there is no increase. A man may gather all he can for self; he may live and think and plan for self; but his life passes away, and he has nothing. The law of self-serving is the law of self-destruction. The Desire of Ages, p. 623-624.

Observation: Powerful words... The law of self-serving is the law of self-desctruction. And the flip side would be that the law of self-sacrifice is the law of self-preservation. Die and you will live. Seek to save your life and you will die. Why? Because our life is dependent upon Jesus. He is the source. As as the source of life He laid down His life. He showed us the heart of our Father. He showed us that we serve a God ready and willing to give His very life for us. There is no good thing that He withholds from His children. At the cross the lie was forever broken that God is withholding something from us. For in Christ He gave all... There was nothing left to give.

Application: These words came to my mind this morning as I was reading from The Desire of Ages. I hear Jesus saying them to my heart; inviting me to come and die:

Embrace the Cross

Steve Green

I am crucified with Christ

Therefore I no longer live

Jesus Christ now lives in me

(Repeat twice)

Embrace the cross

Where Jesus suffered

Though it will cost

All you claim as yours

Your sacrifice will seem small

Beside the treasure

Eternity can't measure

What Jesus holds in store

Embrace the love

The cross requires

Cling to the one

Whose heart knew every pain

Receive from Jesus

Fountains of compassion

Only He can fashion

Your heart to move as His

Oh, wondrous cross our desires rest in you

Lord Jesus make us bolder

To face with courage the shame and disgrace

You bore upon Your shoulder

Embrace the life

That comes from dying

Come trace the steps

The Savior walked for you

An empty tomb

Concludes Golgotha's sorrow

Endure then till tomorrow

Your cross of suffering

Embrace the cross

Embrace the cross

The cross of Jesus

Prayer: Lord Jesus it is hard for me to comprehend the amount that You suffered for me. At times I feel in denial that anything I have done would have caused your death. But Lord I realize this is truth. I realize that I have life because You have given Your life. I realize that Your life requires my life. Lord Jesus may I die with You today. Jesus may my life be hid in Yours. May my hopes and dreams be buried in You. Jesus You know how I have longed for recognition. You know that I have envisioned leading a stadium of people in worship. But Jesus, may You are calling me to lead a hut of people in worship. Maybe You are just calling me to lead my family. Maybe You are just calling me. If it is only my worship that You receive it is enough Jesus. You are worthy of me alone. You don't need me to do great things. You just want me to offer myself. That is what You want. You're not looking for someone else Jesus. You are looking for me. And You expect the same. That I would look for no one but You. That I would desire no approval but Yours. That I would seek no success but You. Jesus You are my success. You are my victory and my crown.