cross of Jesus

675. The Lamb of God Who Takes Away the Sins of the World

October 28, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Continuing on our journey on the subject of forgiveness of sins from God, some questions we discuss this week… when does forgiveness occur? Is it something God extends to each individual on a one by one basis, or is it a gift that has been offered and made available to everyone in the world? We know Jesus was identified as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. As it relates to the finished work of Christ and the power of His blood that was shed once for all, were sins taken away at that time over 2,000 years ago? Or is a new act of forgiveness from God still required? In other words, is it possible God has closed the book on forgiveness after the cross of Christ, and all that is left now is for people to receive it by believing the work of Christ was and is sufficient? If sin is no longer an issue of separation between God and people, is unbelief the only thing that will keep people from experiencing the life of God through salvation and righteousness? These are some of the questions we are asking in our discussion as we consider the magnitude of the cross.

674. Forgiveness Complete, Offerings Stopped

October 21, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Good news: The blood of Jesus Christ did not cover your sins (don’t panic). Why is this good news? Because something better happened. Instead of covering them, His blood took them completely away. They were removed once and for all by one sacrifice. Contrast this with the many sacrifices of the blood of animals with ceremonies offered under the first covenant. Those sacrifices were offered daily and provided an atonement (covering), but they could never take sins away. Forgiveness was temporary for the Jewish people under the Law. In the kingdom where we grace radicals abide, we talk much about forgiveness of sins that have occurred whether they be past, present or future. As we challenge our traditional mindsets on this subject, the question we begin to ask is… when did this occur and is it synonymous with salvation where we find life in Christ? To be continued…

673. “Do I Still Need God to Forgive Me Each Day?”

October 14, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The subject of forgiveness has been a common guest on our program over the years. Even believers in Jesus Christ will often struggle with whether they are truly forgiven or wonder where they stand with God. In their minds they may ponder whether they are they forgiven only up until this moment - until another sinful thought or action occurs. Have they confessed everything? Of course they haven’t confessed all of their sins - and we should ask if that activity even brings a renewed forgiveness from God.

When contrasting the Old Covenant to the New, we find quite a contrast as the book of Hebrews explains the true power of the blood of Jesus that was shed just one time. The Jewish people were unable to rest in God’s forgiveness. Why? Because they had to keep seeking a renewed forgiveness on a daily basis. It’s likely we haven’t fully understood what occurred on that cross when Jesus died and uttered the words, “It is finished.” The good news is far better than we think, and it’s why we live in something called a better covenant, established upon better promises.

574. Why God Has Stopped Forgiving

November 20, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Jesus died once and He isn’t shedding any more blood. This shows the finality of his work at the cross. He was the perfect lamb of God that would bring an end to the previous covenant of law and repeated sacrifices that provided only a temporary forgiveness and could not remove sin. There is no longer the need to seek God’s forgiveness because He gave His all through Christ. Believe it! It was more than enough.

533. Carry Your Own Cross?

January 31, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

When we assume Jesus was always speaking to us personally, we may get the covenants confused and miss the point of the message being spoken to those who were under the law at that time. A true disciple becomes like their teacher, which would mean leaving all of their family and giving up all their possessions. It would also mean they would literally be required to carry their own cross as He would do. When Jesus said to count the cost, He was showing them they could not pay the price that would be necessary to complete the task at hand. Only Jesus could carry the one cross that would pay the price in full with His blood.