Law & Order - 3/30/06

There is a spiritual law at work in our lives that I don't quite understand. For reasons I cannot fathom, blood is spiritual currency; it can be traded for redemption. That’s why the Jewish people sacrificed animals, because our sin brings about death and blood can erase sin. But, only sinless blood. That makes every one of us broke.

There is one however who is not broke. Just one. The book of Revelation, the book that describes the end of all things, shows a moment in time where Heaven looks throughout all of history for one person worthy enough to open the scroll that brings about God’s final plan. Here, worthy meant "without any sin." No one was found, not one person ever. John, the author of the book, began to weep. An angel then told him, “Do not cry! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, David’s descendant, has won the victory so that He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals” Revelation 5:5.

Jesus is the powerful Lion of Judah he spoke of, the one who is not spiritually bankrupt. The victory spoken of here is obeying his Father and allowing himself to be killed. His blood was sinless, the only blood powerful enough. His was the only spiritual bank account big enough to cancel OUR debt – and He did it out of love for us. He resisted the urge to have legions of angels strike down his oppressors and instead let them shed his sinless blood on behalf of our sinful selves.

I opened my Bible tonight and began reading an excerpt in the margins from Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado. It described the moment when the Father in Heaven cast my sin, our sin, onto Jesus and then allowed Him to be slain in our place.

“Hour of death, moment of sacrifice, it is your moment. Rehearsed a million times on false altars with false lambs; the moment of truth has come… The living must die so that the dying can live. The time has come to kill the lamb…”

The instant man first sinned, this was the only option remaining to bridge the divide sin caused between rebellious man and a perfect, holy God. And He followed through with it because He loves us each so much.

Immediately after reading that, I flipped over a chunk of pages. I know God was speaking to me directly through the words on the page (like I asked Him to before starting my devotion) because my eyes were already focused on the line that read, “I have loved you.” Yup. I know this to be true, and believed He was telling me this now through His word, but the English teacher in me became confused by the tense. What do you mean, “have loved?” That’s past tense. You don’t love me still?
Then I read the next line of the verse, “The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends.” ... I have loved you...

BAM! Yes, he has loved me because He died for me – past tense, thank you very much. And, whoah! He called me – us – His friends! John 15:12-17, “This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you. The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I heard from my father. You did not choose me; I chose you. And I give you this work: to go and produce fruit, fruit that will last. Then the father will give you anything you ask for in my name. This is my command: Love each other.”

We’ve been promoted here. From servant, to friend. We have been told His plan – by doing so He offered to us His friendship. We prove ours to Him by doing what He commands. We’re not slaves, we don’t have to. But if we obey His teachings, we’re friends with the most high God and if we work for Him we can have anything we ask for in Jesus’ name.

I think of my friends, and how I want them to get along with each other because I love them all. You probably feel the same way. Same with Jesus. We’re His friends and He wants us to love each other. Loving others is His command, which in some circumstances may in itself be work. But this is the work that bears fruit – fruit that lasts. Loving others enough to bring them into God’s presence so they may be touched by His love is hard work, and can be done in countless ways. But that work bears the fruit that will last forever.

Loving each other will restore order. Again, I don’t fully understand spiritual law, but I know blood has power in it and the most powerful blood has been shed for me and anyone else who will receive that gift. That’s the law that will bring about ultimate order through His loving sacrifice. Revelation 5:11-12, “Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels around the throne, and the four living creatures, and the elders. There were thousands and thousands of angels, saying in a loud voice: ‘The Lamb who was killed is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and strength, honor, glory, and praise!”

That’s my friend...

Is he yours?