GET TOGETHER- The Blood That Redeems.

Col 1:13,14 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Last night as we were worshipping the Lord in song outside the fence at the Hamilton A@ I Correctional Facility the Holy Spirit changed what I was originally going to preach from. I heard Him whisper the above passage into my spirit. A prison can be a very dark place. I know that from hearing men share what it is like in there for close to thirty years. On the other I know that outside the walls of a prison there can be some very dark places as well. There are some people living outside a physical prison who are actually living in a spiritual prison all around us. We can look around and know that there is much darkness in our culture and in the world today.
Sometimes the devil would like to get us to believe that the darkness is going to overcome the light. But there is good news! For the born-again believer in Jesus Christ, we can walk confidently knowing that we have been delivered from the power of darkness. We certainly know that the darkness will try to intimidate us and discourage us. But through the Blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit we can walk in that deliverance from the power of darkness.
We can do this because God has done something for us that we could not do for ourselves. The Greek term for this is methistemi, meth-is’-tay-mee. It means a change of situation ,or place. God has changed those in Christ from a position of being condemned to hell and under the power of Satan to forgiven children of God who are no longer serving Satan, but serving the living God! I like the way this passage in Acts describes what takes place here:
Ac 26:18 ‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'(NKJV)
We now are redeemed from the power that hell has had over our lives and forgiven for the sinful things that we have done. Our sin debt has been fully paid. I can still remember the day that I knew that I had been born again and my sins had been forgiven. Thank God for the Blood of Jesus Christ!
Last night there were some men inside that prison hanging on every word that our various speakers shared with them. Although they are still in a physical prison their spirits have been set free. On the other hand, I wonder how many people pass by that prison each day that although they are not in a physical prison with concertina wire around it and other tough things that go with prison life are actually living in a spiritual prison.
How about you? Have you been set free from the spiritual prison that living in sin keeps you locked up in? If you have what is your response to the Lord? Is it one of joyful servanthood? Or is it one of ingratitude and religious wandering? If you have been set free ask God to continually give you a fresh anointing and a fresh desire to be in His presence and to live for Him twenty-four hours a day seven days a week three hundred sixty-five days a year. You will never regret it. If you haven’t been set free let today be the day that you repent from your sin and begin a new life in Jesus Christ. His Blood is sufficient to save you from the vilest sins and make you a new creation in Christ Jesus.
Never forget that mine and your salvation came at a very high price. But Praise God that if we repent of our sins and put our faith in the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, we can freely receive the forgiveness of our sins. We can be light in a world that wants to make us think that the darkness is winning. Jesus said it this way “Mt 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Through the Blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit we can be that light that the world needs to see and know where that it comes from so badly.

Let Us Pray

Lord Jesus, we thank You that through your precious Blood that we have been granted new life. We pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit that You will enable us to share this Good News with others! May we tell the person that is living in darkness about Your precious life-giving Blood. May we desire more of the Holy Spirit’s power so that we can be that light in a world that needs You so badly.

In Jesus Name
Amen!