Why The Blood

Good Morning Family. Hope all is well this morning. We have such a great Savior. So very great! The River family had a wonderful time together last night as we started a new four week series on the Blood of Jesus. I have really been enjoying our “Summer Nites” Bible studies. We come together in “breaking bread, fellowship, teaching and prayer.” Last night we all shared a wonderful Italian meal together, we had a great study on “Why The Blood”, we had a time of prayer and two awesome videos – “Beautiful The Blood” by Steve Fee and “Nothing But The Blood” by Rick Pino. Just tremendous! Oh how amazing that the King of Glory rescued us from so many and powerful enemies – Satan, sin and self…all defeated by His Cross! If you would like view these videos we have links to them below.

Here are lyrics to Beautiful the Blood:

I never knew death could be so sweet
I never knew surrender could feel so free
I never seen such meekness in majesty
That the blood of Jesus was bled for me

And now I sing freedom for all my days
It's only by the power of the cross I'm raised
The King of Glory rescued me

How beautiful the blood flow
How merciful the love show
The King of glory poured out
Victorious are we now

Never knew through these nails would love unfold
And never knew these wounds would heal my soul
I've never seen such beauty and sorrow meet
The blood of Jesus was bled for me

And now I sing freedom for all my days
It's only by the power of the cross I'm raised
The King of Glory rescued me
[Repeat Chorus]

Now I'll sing freedom for all my days
It's only by the power of the cross I'm raised
The King of Glory rescued me
[Repeat Chorus]

How beautiful you are
How merciful you are
How glorious you are
Christ the Savior

How beautiful you are
How merciful you are
How glorious you are
Christ the Savior

Have a great, great day!

Pastor Matt

“For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” 1 Peter 1:18-19

At The King’s Table

As I enter my 38th year of following our Lord Jesus, I can honestly say that I am more in awe of the grace of God today than ever before. How can we ever begin to comprehend the depths of His great love for us. God’s favor given to a world of sinners will never fully be grasped. I truly stand amazed at the overwhelming fullness of this grace that has taken us out of the Kingdom of Darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love! His amazing grace has taken horribly lost sinners and by the New Birth made them saints of the Most High! Sinners lost and headed for hell are now sons of God, destined for Heaven!

The story of Mephbosheth in 2 Samuel 9 portrays one of the greatest examples of God’s incredible grace to lost mankind. In this story David is seeking to fulfill covenant obligations that he had made with Jonathon many years earlier. They had promised each other to always show “haced” - steadfast, loyal and covenant love to each other’s families. Jonathon, along with Saul, David’s arch-enemy have been killed in battle. David is now king over all of Israel and remembers his covenant promise to provide “haced” to his friend Jonathon’s family. He makes a diligent search for any survivors of Saul’s family (done for Jonathon’s sake) and finds one - Mephbosheth, who as a child, suffered a horrible fall that left him crippled in both feet. David finds Mephbosheth in the house of Makir in the region of Lo-Debar. In Hebrew the word Makir means “to sell as if into slavery.” It can be said that the house of Makir symbolically is like a house of bondage. Lo-Debar means “dry and barren” or “pasture-less.” What an overwhelming clear picture of what it really is to be a sinner. Every one of us were completely crippled through the fall of our fore-father Adam. Not only are we spiritually crippled, but are also separated from God’s presence, where we battle deprivation and death on a daily basis.

But oh, the amazing grace of God! Even as David found Mephbosheth and invited him to come and eat continually at “the King’s Table, as one of the King’s sons,” so God, for Christ’s sake, has found a world of full of sinners and brought “many from the east and from the west to sit down” at the Table of the King to feast on the banquet table of “so great a salvation!” As a christian we have certain wonderful rights and blessings that now belong to us; the key being will we continue to abide always at “the Kings Table.”

This so beautifully illustrates God the Father’s great desire to show mercy to fallen man (Mephbosheth) God the Son’s covenant they cut together through the Blood of our Savior.

“Great grace upon you all…” Acts 4:33

Awake To The Glory - Shaking Off Spiritual Sleep!

‘But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. (5) For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. (6) So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. (7) For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. (8)But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” 1Th 5:4-8

If there were ever a time for Christ’s Body to come forth out of sleep and lethargy and the shadows compromise it is now! The world, with its multitudes in the valley of decision, waiting for the verdict of their doom, are in such need of a Savior. And what an awesome Savior the world has; but the Savior, if He is to really save this world, needs of a Body to save through! Christ must have a Body if He is to save!

But so many in Church are asleep to the greatest hour in human history! They are not apprehending the hour in which they live! They can not see clearly, like those who struggle to see through a thick fog! These vision-clouded saints are tempted to say that their life really doesn’t matter, either in the Church or without in the world. They could not be further from the truth. What each Christian does with their life matters greatly, for God has given to each believer both the authority and power to change eternity!

So here we are in the most important time in human history many in the Church are spiritual asleep! They are heavy with sleep, like Peter, James and John on the mountain with Jesus. It was their destiny to see the transformation of Christ and the glory of God manifesting so powerfully in and through Christ! But Luke 9:29 tells us that they were heavy with sleep. Jesus’s three closest disciples were sleeping through their destiny to see the manifestation of the glory of God in and through Jesus.

Can you believe Peter, James and John were sleeping through their destiny! It was their destiny to see the glory of God; and even more, to also be transformed by that same glory! But they were heavy with sleep! This is where so many in the Church are today heavy with sleep! Encumbered and entangled with the world to where they are weighed down with sleep and the burdens of life! But this does not have to be our lifetime experience! If we will cry out to Jesus Christ to awake us, then the Holy Spirit will flood our being with His life and light! Luke 9:32 goes on to say “but when they became fully awake they saw his glory!” How awesome it is to see God’s glory! But we, like Peter, James and John must be FULLY AWAKE! Not a little awake, not a little in love with the King, not a little committed to the church! But fully wake! We are not as those who sleep in the night, but we are of the day! We are the Awake Ones, the Sober Ones; we are the Ones Fully Dressed In Christ’s Armor!

Today, let us procrastinate no longer, but arise from our spiritual slumber and sluggishness of faith and any tiredness of mind and body and let us press on to know the Lord in His glory and power and might! Like Paul shake off the bite of the viper and you will suffer no harm! Awake to Righteousness, to purpose and destiny! Awake with passion for your King! Awake unto the power of the Holy Ghost and the glory of God that raised Christ from the dead! Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. (2) Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. Isa 52:1-2