Ruined and Restored - Week 2

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Jesus Ruined My Sacrifice

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NAS)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Mercy Seat - sat on top of the ark of the Covenant (10 Commandment tablets, Aaron’s staff that budded and a gold jar of Manna )

Temple Veil - 4 inches thick, 60 feet long, 30 feet wide, weight - 4 tons (took 300 men to hold it)

Jesus’ death on the cross ruined…

The tainted sacrifice I bring.

Hebrews 10:11-12
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

1 John 2:1-2
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

The temporary reminder of my sin.

John 15:26
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

The terrible wrath that was meant for me.

Isaiah 53:3-6
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 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.

Question:
Are you still trying to bring your own sacrifice instead of resting in Christ’s?

In other words, there will never come a time when Jesus' work of intercession will end. This means that all believers in Christ will never again come under the wrath of God, once they are IN Christ (Romans 8:1).

"Propitiation means the turning away of wrath by an offering. In relation to soteriology, propitiation means placating or satisfying the wrath of God by the atoning sacrifice of Christ."

In Rom. 3:25 and Heb. 9:5 the Greek word hilasterion (KJV, "mercy-seat") is used. It is the word employed by the Septuagint (LXX). translators in Ex. 25:17 and elsewhere as the equivalent for the Hebrew kapporeth, which means "covering," and is used of the lid of the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:21; 30:6). Hilasterion came to denote not only the mercy-seat or lid of the ark, but also propitiation or reconciliation by blood. On the great day of atonement the high priest carried the blood of the sacrifice he offered for all the people within the veil and sprinkled with it the "mercy-seat," and so made propitiation.

Christ is called the "propitiation for our sins." Here a different Greek word is used, hilasmos. Christ is "the propitiation," because by his becoming our substitute and assuming our obligations he expiation our guilt, covering it by the vicarious punishment which he endured. (Compare Heb. 2:17, where the expression "make reconciliation" of the KJV is more correctly in the ASV "make propitiation").

Propitiation literally means to make favorable and specifically includes the idea of dealing with God’s wrath against sinners. Expiation literally means to make pious and implies either the removal or cleansing of sin.

The idea of propitiation includes that of expiation as its means; but the word "expiation" has no reference to quenching God’s righteous anger. The difference is that the object of expiation is sin, not God. One propitiates a person, and one expiates a problem. Christ's death was therefore both an expiation and a propitiation. By expiating (removing the problem of) sin God was made propitious (favorable) to us.

Matthew 27 - when Jesus died, after his last breath, the bible says the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. Then the life’s blood of the spotless lamb, the perfect sacrifice was taken once and for all into the holy of holies and God’s wrath toward our sin was appeased. Propitiation to the fullest.

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ADVENT(ure) - Worship Fully

Sermon Notes from Sunday December 2, 2012
Message by Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church, Shepherdstown, WV

Advent

===============
Advent (adventus) means arrival.


Mary and the Angel
===============
Luke 1:26-33 (NIV84)
---------------
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”


Mary Worshipped
===============
Luke 1:46-55 (NIV84)
---------------
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me–
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”



Celebrate
===============
The story of advent is worth celebrating.



Who is Jesus?
===============
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV84)
---------------
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.



Worshiping fully
===============
You can’t spend less, give more or love all until you are authentically worshiping fully.



Shachah
===============
To bow down and give reverence to one of nobility or authority.



A common struggle
===============
A common struggle, even at Christmas, is we worship things other than God.



Peter
===============
Acts 10:25-26 (NIV84)
---------------
As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”



John
===============
Revelation 19:9-10 (NIV84)
---------------
Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”



Ephesians
===============
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV84)
---------------
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Notes provided by Cliff Boyles

Jesus is Coming to Town

Palm Sunday 2011
Message by Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church Shepherdstown, WV


Bible Reference 1
===============
Luke 19:28-30 (NIV84)
---------------
After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.


Insight
===============
This wasn’t a coincidence that Jesus became tired or lazy at the exact moment he was going to be entering Jerusalem so he rode on a donkey colt. The king was coming into town and preparations were being made.


Bible Reference 2
===============
Zechariah 9:9 (NIV84)
---------------
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.


Insight
===============
It was a sign of a king coming in triumph after a victory.


Biblical Research
===============
Alfred Edersheim, a Christian Jew himself, studied ancient Rabbinical writings, and said that Zechariah 9:9 was often interpreted as being about a Messiah. He wrote that so firm was the belief in this prophesy, that, according to the Talmud, 'if anyone saw a donkey in his dreams, he will see salvation'."


Note 1
===============
when Jesus decided to ride a donkey colt into Jerusalem, he knew exactly what he was doing and what it said about who he was: King of Salvation.


Bible Reference 3
===============
Luke 19:31-35 (NIV84)
---------------
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”
Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.


Note 2
===============
God asks us to take risks in his Kingdom work and may include anything we own.


Question 1
===============
What are the things God needs for us to be willing to ask of others?


Question 2
===============
What are the things we should be willing to give or loan to help Jesus be seen as our king to the world around us?


Bible Reference 4
===============
Luke 19:36 (NIV84)
---------------
As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.


Bible Reference 5
===============
Mark 11:8 (NIV84)
---------------
Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.


Bible Reference 6
===============
Luke 19:37-40 (NIV84)
---------------
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”


Note 3
===============
As the King of Salvation goes with us into the towns, work places and homes we live, are we excited for what he can bring?


This is why we celebrate Palm Sunday.
===============

• Jesus knew what he was doing riding the donkey in as king.
• He knew what he was doing teaching the things he taught about His Heavenly Father and the Kingdom of God.
• He knew what he was doing when he predicted his death and didn’t back out when the trial, torture and the cross became reality. And he knew what he was doing when he rose again 3 days later from the dead.