What changed at the cross?

If nothing changed, than we are right back where we started, dead in our trespasses and sin.

I am amazed to see how many Christians sing “nothing but the blood of Jesus” and then tell you that forgiveness is conditional. What? Just last Sunday the congregation sat down after that hymn and the preacher offered a message in a series on the Lord’s Prayer. He proceeded to tell them that if you haven’t forgiven someone, it is a barrier to your prayer. Barrier? Cut off, blocked? He also stated that he USED to think forgiveness was unconditional. He then quoted the verses following the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew where Jesus says “if you don’t forgive, your Heavenly Father won’t forgive you” (Matthew 6:15). He also used the scripture when Jesus told a parable of the man that was forgiven by the master, but then failed to forgive. The master heard of it and threw the man in jail until he repaid every debt. (Matthew 18:34-35 ). Does the Master throwing you in jail or in some translations, to your tormentors until YOU have paid the debt sound like the grace of God AFTER THE CROSS? I think not.

We are told to rightly divide scripture (2 Timothy 2:15). That means to divide Gods Word in context. What is it that God is doing at the TIME…. He was, and is doing it. Jesus was born under the law (Galatians 4:4). What was God doing in Matthew 5 and 6? Throughout Matthew 5 Jesus is describing who will enter into heaven; the meek, those who are peacemakers, the persecuted. He continues to tell them that they are the light of the world, the salt of the earth,(Jews) those who are under the Law of Moses, those who promised at Sinai to keep the law. He tells them the law is good and it is God’s standard for holiness. He even goes beyond the teaching of Moses and tells them if you so much as look upon a women with lust, you have committed adultery and if you are angry with your brother, you have murdered, pluck out your eye, cut off your hand, be better then the Pharisees, BE PERFECT. He continues by telling them in what we have divided as verse 6, how to give alms and how to pray: DO NOT USE VAIN REPETITION TO BE HEARD OF MEN, enter into your closet, pray this way, Father, forgive me as I have forgiven others……… if you don’t My Father will not forgive you. It was under the law before the cross. Jesus said “when you take your offering to the alter? When’s the last time you took an offering to the alter?Thats under the law! Jesus was teaching Jews under the law that they could not be good enough to be reconciled to God. They needed a Savior! Do you feel free Christian, after reading these words from Jesus?

Matthew 5 and 6 are still in the Law. In fact all of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the fulfilling of prophecy under the law. Jesus came only to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24). The Jews rejected the bread of life and not only dropped crumbs from the table but threw the bread of life on the floor. Jesus came to His own and His own received Him not (John 1:11). The mystery concealed during time past was now revealed to the world and was now for all people, not just the house of Israel. (Ephesians 1:9-10, 1 Corinthians 2:7) all people will be blessed through the house of Israel.
Revealed:
THE FULFILLING OF PROPHECY SINCE GENESIS 3:15
THE NEW COVENANT. THE CROSS. THE DIVIDING LINE OF HISTORY.
THE BLOOD OF JESUS USHERED IN THE AGE OF GRACE.
WE DID NOT HAVE THIS PRIOR TO THE SHED BLOOD OF CHRIST.
THE LAW DIDN’T GO AWAY, CHRIST FULFILLED IT.

ONLY BLOOD BRINGS REMISSION OF SINS(Hebrews 9:22)

THE NEW COVENANT, COVENANT OF BLOOD WAS REVEALED AT THE CROSS!

*With the blood of a PERFECT SACRIFICE, the system of cleansing from sin was changed. All, by faith, now can be forgiven of ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS!!!!!!!
(1 John 1:9)

You see, these teachings were not for gentiles( not of the house of Israel). You and me (unless you are a Jew. Jesus did not…. teach “US” (Christians) to pray, there was no “us”(Christians) before the cross.
PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED Jesus then were called followers of “the way”
Don’t get me wrong, non -Jews were responding to the message of Christ and weren’t rejected, a glimpse of what was coming.

I grew up in a church and still hear it today: let us now pray the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. It’s just not true. It was the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples to pray. It should be called the disciple’s prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is in John 17.

The great divide is the Cross! Everything changed for the human. The human was under law in the Old Testament before the cross, and only for Jews, you were never included in it before the cross. /////and after the the cross, all are included under grace. We are now in the age of grace. The law of God was to show us our sin (Romans 3:20).
While we were yet sinners, Christ died….. so that you could live. (Romans 5:8). Christ paid the debt of sin for you with his life blood, poured out for you, He fulfilled the law. The law is perfect and still good today, we just aren’t bound by it. We…..never were unless you were a Jew. He was crucified, dead, buried, and on the third day arose so that He could give you life. Undeserved life. That is grace.

Do you want to live under Matthew 5 and 6 or attempt to keep any of the law? Do you want to live by everything Jesus taught at what we have labeled “The sermon on the mount”? James tells us that if we keep it all but just miss one, we are GUILTY OF BREAKING IT ALL (James 2:10)

What changed?

Christ took away the sin of the world (John 1:29) (1 John 2:2)
By His one sacrifice, we are forgiven forever by faith in His finished work. (Hebrews 9:12, 10:14, Ephesians 2:8-9)

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE… FOR….. ALL!!!!!!! (Hebrews 10:10)

We who by faith believe this are dead to sin. We have been crucified with Christ and risen with Him to new life (Romans 6:8, Galatians 2:20). God Promised to take the sin out of the way. To remember it no more (Hebrews 8:12).
If God doesn’t remember them, why do we want to remind him?

What changed?

You are a new creature, born of God, you are a child of the living God whereas you were dead in trespasses and sin, you are made alive with Christ and seated WITH HIM IN HEAVENLY PLACES (Ephesians 2:6)

You are now included in “the chosen people”. There is now no distinction of Jew, Greek, Gentile, man, women, race or origin (Galatians 3:28 ) There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

What’s changed? Everything! You are free, you have a new identity, you are safe and secure, never to be lost because it is not about what you have done or will do, it’s about what Christ has done for you.

Do you want to continue to perform and try now to keep this salvation now that Christ by His Grace has secured it for you?
Do you want to try to live Matthew 5 and 6 or any other teaching of the Law?

This was never for you. But God so loved the world that HE GAVE HIS only begotten Son, that whosoever believes shall have eternal life.

What changed? Christ is the end of religion, and the beginning of Grace.

Sin is not dead, it’s alive and well, what’s changed? You are dead to it.
Christ took it to hell and dropped it off where it belongs( a lesson for later)

You are forgiven all of your sin. All means all in Greek, Hebrew and English. When? At Calvary, at the cross of Christ, 2000 years ago.
How many of your sins were in the future when Christ died for you? All of them?

Whosoever is reading this, Jesus has offered to give you His righteousness, but the condition is that you give Him your sin.

When you keep short accounts of your sin, and ask God to forgive you everyday, you are saying that you aren’t really sure if the blood of Christ, His once for all sacrifice worked. He said “it is finished “ you say….yeah but I’m just not sure. I better cover all my bases and try to keep all that God has said to do. This is futile friends and leads to death. You can’t keep them, never could and the wages of sin is death.

What’s changed? We now have a remedy for death.

My Christian friends seem to always have anxiety and confusion with bible reading. They always say, I don’t understand it, until………they get to the book of Romans. They then say, this teaching of Paul makes sense to me. Do you know why? Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles. Romans to Philemon is for you after the cross. The Old Testament was the schoolmaster to lead us to Grace Galatians 3:24 KJV: Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Everything in the scriptures were and are for a reason and a time. You can’t take what was meant for the Jews 2000 years ago and apply it to born again Christians after the cross.
YOU HAVE EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING IN CHRIST!!!!! You don’t bring anything to an alter, or keep the sabbath, or eat certain things, Christ has kept all of this for you. The work and will of the Father after the cross is that you believe……….
(John 6:29)(John 6:40).

My friends, since the cross you are a forgiven people. Rest in Christ’s finished work. He said, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30)
If you don’t feel free from religion, you have not been set free. Christ said “when I set you free, you are free indeed” (John 8:36)

What’s Changed?

Believers WERE crucified(Galatians 2:20), dead(Colossians 2:20),
Buried(Romans 6:4),MADE ALIVE (Ephesians 2:1-5), Raised (Ephesians 2:6), seated (Ephesians 2:6)and glorified WITH Christ(Romans 8:17)

That’s where we live now. There is no barricade.