Kris Ann

This is where most people are most of the time. We experience our wordly home with a physical and emotional presence. It is very hard to imagine anything more without some help. Sadly, I would call this behavior normal. Yes. The holy spirit must intervene. To cause my spirit to soften and be remolded. To ready my self-concept to accept truth, renewal, and change.

The Lamb is worshipped alongside God, who sits on the throne. The Lamb refers to Jesus, the Son of God, who died that we might be free from sin. Our lives depend on Him, who has the power to set us free. As we praise Jesus, we also praise the Father who the has exalted Him. And as we praise the Father, we also praise Jesus who has brought us to the Father.

Today's world is full of sin and corruption. Today's christians are called to be deciples of Jesus, to spread His word, and with Christ, bring lost sheep home to Him. But we are far from having full reign. The promised world will no longer be under the rule of corrupt governments and fear. The world that God promises to His Children is a world, here on Earth, where everyone follows His ways. We will be priests in that we will all know God, we will all be righteous, and we will all be in direct commune with Him. Today, Jesus reigns in my life, and in the lives of my christian friends and family. But still, it is not enough. Today, we are the children of God, but sin continues to be in our way of perfection. We must rely on Jesus and His perfect love, His perfect rightiousness, His mighty power. Later, after Jesus completes His task, we, the children of God will reign on Earth.

...because you were slain and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation 5:9 The scroll has 7 seals. The 7 symbolizes completeness or perfection. The one who opens the scroll must be whole, complete, and perfect. He must have the power of perfection and wholeness to execute what is written. Just as He has already fulfilled other prophesies, He must be able to filfill what is written on the scroll. Jesus is the only one able to open this scroll. He has the power and perfection that is required. He sacrificed himself to save us all. Thus He is worthy to take the scroll and open it's seals.

[*] The Lamb is Jesus [*] Standing after slain is Jesus risen again [*] Horns signify power [*] Eyes signify knowledge [*] The number 7 relates to completeness and perfection The Lamb is Jesus as the sacrificial lamb who has taken the sins of the world. Though He died to save us from sin, He is yet alive and pure. His is the most powerful. His is the most knowledgable and wise. His power and knowledge is complete and perfect. He is omnipotent and omniscient.

"the lion of the tribe of Judah"The tribe of Judah were leaders. The Jews believed that the Messiah would come from this tribe. Jesus is both our leader and Messiah. He is victorious over our sins. "the Root of David" Jesus is a decendant of David. He is the one branch of the family of David that "bears fruit". He brings us to Him so that we too might grow to bear fruit. Jesus fulfilled these two prophesies. Just as He will fulfill the prophesy of Revelation.

Before I partake of the Lord's Supper, I must consciously and actively forgive others. As I partake of the Lord's Supper, I must consciously and actively ask for forgiveness so that I might learn. As I forgive, seek forgiveness and learn and grow, I become closer to the person God made me to be. It is the person that I wish to be when I am welcomed to the feast at the table in God's kingdom. I am reminded that although we need to be open and accepting to learn the lessons and teachings of God, it is faith and acceptance of Christ as our saviour that will be our invitation to the final Supper. And when we partake of this final Supper with Jesus at our side, we will be complete as one body in Christ. As a member of this body, we will be able to serve God completely.

When I think of all the pain and suffering that Jesus went through, I am shocked with sorrow. I love Christ. It is not right that He should have to do this. I love God. Couldn't there have been another way?Yet I am also filled with great Joy. Jesus cares for everyone. He loves us so much that He is willing to do anything to set us free from sin. He loves us so much that He takes the punishment for us. Like a big brother taking blame to protect a little sister...

The Lord's Supper is in recognition and acceptance of Christ being our Saviour. As we eat the bread and drink the wine, we are to remember that Christ died on the cross in order to save us from sin. As we accept Christ, we are forgiven. Since Christ has paid the ultimate price so that we may be forgiven, it would be contradictory to partake of this forgiveness without forgiving others. In fact, when we do not forgive others, we suffer from pain and anger. Yet Christ died to take pain and sufferings from us. How can He save us from pain and suffering if we are not willing to let it go?

Eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood of Jesus has always meant for me: remembrance of His sacrifice to save me, and growth as I learn to become more like Him. Just as we eat food to sustain ourselves, we must also allow ourselves to change toward Jesus' ways in order to sustain a life free from sin. The eating and drinking of the flesh and blood seems gorish to anyone. But it was even more radical for the Jews. They where prohibited by belief/custom from drinking blood. Yet now there is this Jew who claims to be the Son of God, telling them to drink his blood. For us today, the eating and drinking of the flesh and blood should still be a radical event. As we learn Jesus' ways, we need to be ready and accepting of radical changes within our lives. This is the only way we can really become more like Him. It is the only way we can sustain a life free from sin.

The Jewish Passover celebrated their freedom from slavery. The meal consisted of things that symbolized what it was that they where saved from, and how they where saved. As they ate the meal, they used hyms, readings, etc to further remind them the meaning behind the meal itself.Today, use the Lord's Supper to remind us of what Jesus did for us. We use it to celebrate our freedom from the slavery of sin. As we partake of the bread and the wine, we think of Jesus body and blood given for us. We also pray and sing hyms as we do this. As I think of the differences, I am only led to one point. The Jews where celebrating their freedom as a single group or nation of people. We now celebrate as members of many nations. And we new celebrate a freedom far greating than the freedom from physical slavery.

Those who had followed God's direction were 'passed over'. The blood on their door was a sign to themselves that God would spare them the punishment that others would suffer.The blood of Christ on the cross is also a sign to us that we are to be spared the punishment of our sins.

Being set free from our sin, being forgiven gives us the opportunity to live a new life. We no longer have to be burdened with the pain and suffering we cause ourselves and others.However, in order to remain free, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us. Just as we could not escape from the bondage of sin on our own, we cannot know how to change our ways without a teacher. As we ask the Holy Spirit to lead us, we must listen for direction, and we must be intent on pleasing God who was so gracious and merciful to set us free.

I am the slave. All of mankind are slaves. I am enslaved by 'an empty way of life'. We are in need of satisfaction, so too quickly we take the fast and easy road. But this does not satisfy us, so we repeat the fast and easy road - like a drug, it never satisfies us completely. Jesus the Christ offers ransom to set me and us all free from slavery. Who recieves the ransom? Great question. I'm not sure where to go with this. I would say that no one recieves it. The analogy was used to help us understand what God has done for us. An analogy means that slavery is not exactly or completely descriptive of what God did for us. It is simply used to describe what He has done in a way that we are able to understand. An analogy falls short of the reality of what actually happened.

I am very grateful that Jesus saved me from the slavery of my sins. I praise God for loving me so much that He caused His own son to suffer in my place. Since He loves me so much, my only appropriate reaction is to listen and hear His teachings; to follow His ways; and in doing so, to live for Him. To live for Him is to live a life full of great blessing. To live for Him is to live a life full of love, joy, and peace. To live for Him is to live a full life. Since He loves me so much, I belong to Him like a daughter belongs to her parents; I belong to Him like a wife belongs to her husband. I serve Him with love and care, not as I served a sinful world grudgingly and with a tired heart. Although sin may sometimes seem like the easy way out of a given problem, I am motivated and expected to seek God's way. I am not free to sin, but I am finally LIVING. This means that even when life seems so hard, depressing, painful... I will look to God for answers. When my sins and the sins of the world disrupt my walk with Jesus, I have only to ask for help. Because He loves me so much, I was able to overcome suicide, death, rape, ridicule, abuse, shame, hate, feelings of worthlessness, and my teenage years. I Live because He LIVES!!!

Slaves were very common in Jesus time. There were many ways in which one could be forced into slavery. The only way out was for someone to make purchase of a slave for the purpose of setting them free. I expect that this redemption price or ranson was most often provided by family members. Since slavery was so prevalent in the days of the New Testament, Jesus, Peter, and Paul used the analogy of setting slaves free to explain how/why we need to be set free from sin by God. It was something they could relate to and understand. [*]Just as they became slaves, serving the needs of others, through societal expectations that they could not overcome- We all become slaves, serving the needs of society which often expects us to sin in order to remain socially acceptable. [*]Just as so many of them became slaves, seemingly through no fault of their own- It is all too easy to sin, often with excuses of good intentions and protective nature. [*]But just as a family member would be willing to pay ransom for someone who was sold into slavery simply for being in dept or being a victim of war- GOD is willing to pay the ransom for our sins. Not only that, but He is willing to pay the ransom for sins of everyone. For in God's eyes, all sin is the same. All sin causes us to be separate from Him. Whether it be that we owe an unpaid dept to our neighbor, or that we committed murder without reason. The Christain life is something that requires constant focus and prayer. It is too easy to wander from the path of God. But when we do, God is there to help us get back; to relieve us of the pain that we have brought upon ourselves, to bring us the love and joy and peace that He wants us to have. Father God, just as you freed the slaves, please bring peace among the nations of today.

Matthew 12:18-21 "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope." This passage tells us that God choose to give His Son to us. (Here is my servarnt whom I have chosen) It tells us that Jesus willingly took on our punishment. (He will not quarrel or cry out) And that the task was a universal one. (the nations) Sins are forgiven such that all become just. (justice to victory) And the reason I really like this passage... (In his name the nations will put their hope.) There is Hope for All. Even in our seemingly hopeless world. Even when we think we have come to the end of our rope, Jesus is there to get us through. Even when nations of people are full of anger, hate, and spite. There is still Hope.

I am a sinner. I have knowingly sinned. I have sinned out of naivety. I continue to sin, without knowing what I have done. Because of my sin, I cause myself and others great sorrow and pain. Because of my sin, I deserve the punishment of sorrow, pain, and death. But because I am weak, I cannot overcome my sinful past, I cannot overcome my sorrow and pain, and most of all, I cannot overcome death. Without a saviour, I would suffer for eternity. With incredible compassion and love, Jesus agreed to suffer my punishment for me. As He suffered my punishment, He showed me his suffering and death on the cross. As mankind, we watched Him shed his blood, we watched Him die. And He not only suffered for me, He was punished with a million and more deaths to save all of mankind. Only Jesus could overcome such pain and punishment. And as He died, Jesus asked God to forgive me! He suffered for my sins to free my soul. _____Thank you Jesus!! Thank you for the gift of life. _____

[*]Our sins- that which causes ourselves and others great sorrow and pain- are lifted from us so that we may once again be with God and follow His righteous plan. [*]When these sins are lifted from us, it is Christ that now carries the great sorrow and pain. He is burdened with our sin and guilt. In following God's command to do this, He serves us a great blessing. A blessing of life and hope. [*]Instead of having to suffer a real death for our own sins, Christ takes the burden of those sins from us. With out Christ, we might die for our very first sin, with no hope for tomorrow. With Christ, there is hope. We are given a chance to learn from our mistakes. We are given life to live and learn. We are given life to become the best we can be, to follow in His footsteps, to return to God's plan for us and all mankind. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21) "For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (1 Peter 2:24-25)

The following four quotes from the New Testament convince me that Jesus knew it was he that would fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah. He was told by God! He spoke of sacrificing himself for our sins. He said that he would fulfill the prophecy. The prophet John, among others, pointed him out as being the Messiah.

God removes sins from us ALL. Those who have not known Him; Those who have not heard Him or understood Him; Those who have grown up around His teaching, yet have not followed; Those who have followed Him and then faltered; Those who have despised and rejected Him Jesus was sacrificed for "the sins of the Nations". Since this includes every Nation on earth, He died for the entire world. I like to think this also extends to count for our ancestors, for us, and for our children's children. For the past and for the future. For sins that I have commited, and for sins that I hope not to commit in the future. "for the sins of the Nations" - could this also mean sins that are not the result of a single person? Sins that are comitted as a result of the masses following a societal conscience or culture. Sins that are so much a part of our way of life that we no longer recognize them as sins, but as survival. How is Jesus sacrifice wasted on some people? As with any gift, we have to accept it before we can use it. We have to accept Jesus as our saviour in order to be saved, in order to be cleansed of our sins. Yet many people do not recognize the fact that they have sinned. Given their pride, they may feel they are already good enough. Or they may feel that the sin in question ought not be a sin because of selfish needs. Jesus' sacrifice is wasted if the sins of these people are not brought to justice. Many others simply have not heard of Jesus and what he did for us. It is hard to accept a gift if you are not around to recieve it. Jesus' sacrifice is wasted on those who do not even know about his gift.

Everytime we sin, we are giving up a most precious, priceless gift. We are giving up our own freedom and happiness. Animal sacrifice caused a tangable lose of monetary value. We humans often need to learn things using concrete examples before we can understand the more abstract reality. Once we begin to understand the symbolism of animal sacrifice, we can start to comprehend the significance of sin, repentence, and forgiveness. Sin is very personal. And it cannot be stopped unless we take it very personally and seriously. Thus, the killing of the lamb is done by the sinner. This is not something that we physically care to do. Nor is it something that we want to repeat. And God does not want us to make the same mistake over again. God does not want us to commit this sin again. Sin does not only cause the sinner pain and suffering, but it affects many others. Even those whom we may have intended to protect. The sinner is not the only one who gets thier hands bloody. In the case of animal sacrifice, the priest must smear blood on the alter. Sin causes us to be untouchable in the eyes of God. We need to become clean again before we can be with God again. Thus we need a mediator, someone clean, to assist in our cleansing. The priest assists the sinner with the animal sacrifice. To summarize what we are intended to learn: Sin causes us to lose big time; Sin is personal and serious and may not be repeated; Sin affects many; We need a mediator to become cleansed.

God truely is Merciful! Even the most perfect animal for sacrifice is not enough to really cleanse us of our sins. Yet He allowed this sacrificial process of cleansing so that we would learn... learn what it means to sin; so that we would have a small sense of what it takes to be clean in Gods eyes; and so that we may be with Him and He with us. All week I have been thinking about what it meant to sacrifice a lamb for purification from sin. I feel like I have more to say, but I can't quite get my feelings into words. Thank you all for your insight and wisdom.

Basic elements for purification sacrifice (sin offering): Confess your sin and Bring a perfect animal Lay your hands on the animals head and Slit it's throat Priest collects blood and displays it on the alter Remove the fat of the animal so that the priest may burn it on the alter Give remaining meat to the priest for a meal How do we gain purification from sin today? Confess your sin and accept Jesus as the most perfect lamb who died for us all. It is no longer neccesary to sacrifice animals. Although God accepted the sacrifice of animals in the past, it was not enough. And He wanted to save us all! I also appriciate what Dave said in his posting: And thank you Irene for the following comment: