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Grace takes you to the place where God wants you to be, to see a peace that is wholeness in your life. May it become your life’s experience, even as you study and meditate upon the word of God that points the path towards it declaring, He who would love life and to see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil, to do what is good; let him seek peace and pursue it. [1 Peter 3:10,11]
Pursuing peace :
It is not about crossing seven seas to find it, but becoming aware of the truth that the God of peace is with you, the God who is not the God of disorder, but of peace. And, an application of this truth in the realm of giving is described in the book of proverbs, setting forth the principle of bringing unto God the first fruits of all that comes to you from Him, to honor Him, that you may see abundance in life. [Proverbs 3:9,10] And, it is elaborated by Lord Jesus, as He teaches you to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, so that all other good things may be added unto you. [Matthew 5:33] God needs to come first in every area of your life. There is no division of the secular and sacred with Him ! And, it becomes possible, by faith, as you put your trust and dependence upon God, instead of trying to accomplish it in your own strength.
By faith, Abel brought forth an offering that was pleasing to God, is how scripture interprets God’s acceptance of his offering. [Hebrews 11:4] It is validated by the truth of God’s word that declares that without faith, it is impossible to please to God. And, giving to God with a right attitude comes about, when it is a response to God’s grace and revelation truth. Abraham, commended in the scriptures as being the father of faith, in his encounter with Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God, exemplifies it, to set a valuable example of how it all comes about in a person’s life. There were two aspects to the blessing that came through Melchizedek , what he spoke, and what he gave. He blessed Abraham, declaring God to be the Possessor of heaven and earth, the giver of all that is good, and the Protector, defeating the enemies who rose up against him. [Genesis 14:19]
It is the unshakable and unchanging truth that still stands true, equally valid and applicable in your life and mine, even today. The very fact that you and I are alive this day is all by His grace, that is new every morning, and His compassion that never fail. He also gave to Abraham, something that signified the provision of God. Then Melchizedek, the King of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of the Most High God. [Genesis 14:18] It was bread and wine. And, being the first mention of it in combination, it was a typology of something greater yet to come. It pointed to the Cross, where the sinless Lamb of God became sin, that you may be made righteous by faith, to become the righteousness of God in Christ. And, the extraordinary significance of who Melchizedek was, and what he gave, are not things that need to be speculated upon, for the Holy Spirit Himself reveals it in the book of Hebrews.
Melchizedek – a type of Christ :
The writer to the Hebrews, has this to say about Melchizedek, Without father, without mother, without any genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but being made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. [Hebrews 7:3] He is likened to the Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ, and what could be of greater value ?! Therefore, what he gave to Abraham also, the bread and the wine, assumes great value and significance, pointing to the truth, that now in the new covenant, even as he is described to be the King of righteousness, in the verse prior to it, it is Christ, who is the King of Righteousness. And, it is His imparted righteousness you receive, by grace and through faith, in order to be made righteous, and in right standing before God, the Father.
Melchizedek, who is likened to the Son of God, is also described to be the King of Salem, or in other words, the King of Peace. [Hebrews 7:2] And, what comparison could be more apt, to point to Christ, for He is the Prince of Peace ! The office, or position of Melchizedek, was also that of a priest; he was the priest of the God Most High. And, in the Old Testament the responsibility of a priest was twofold; he stood before God, offering sacrifices and interceding on behalf of man; and he stood before the people on behalf of God, to pronounce His blessing upon them, and speak His word. And now, in the New Covenant, Christ Himself is the Great High Priest. He Himself is the one Mediator between God and man, seated at the right hand of God, interceding even now, on your behalf. Could anything ever be greater or more powerful than that ?!
Bread and the wine – the significance :
The law of first mention, when applied to the blessing of God through the bread and the wine, given to Abraham by Melchizedek, points towards the magnificent and majestic Cross of Calvary, where the Savior laid down His life, even when you and I were dead in our transgressions and sins. And, it is now through the Eucharist, or the celebration of the Lord’s supper, where by partaking of the bread and the wine, that we remember His death on the Cross, His Body which was broken for us, and His Blood which was shed for us, in order to proclaim and appropriate the truth that He has carried away the sins of the whole world, crying out victoriously, ‘It is finished’. And, even in your home, when you sit around the table as a family, as children of God, every meal can be a sacrament, when it is partaken in a holy awareness of the truth of God’s word that proclaims, ‘I will bless your food and water, and remove every sickness and disease from among you’.
The curse dealt with :
Blessing signifies abundance, even as David referring to his life declares, ‘My cup overflows’. It is an overflow that will not only satisfy you, but also flow into the lives of others, as you become a channel of blessing in a world that desperately needs a healing touch. But, it comes about only as the negative impact of the curse that finds a place in a world that is fallen, is dealt with. The effect of the curse, can find your life becoming like a broken cistern that is unable to retain water. It is an inability in you that leads to futility, frustration and fruitlessness, which is not God’s will for your life. But, when did it all begin to go wrong ? And, why is the finished work of Christ on the Cross so very important ? The truth underlying it all, needs to be understood with clarity, so that you may apply it, and walk in it, for in a cursed world you are called to be a blessing !
The entrance of sin & the origin of the curse :
Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’, Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. [Genesis 3:17,18] Sin entered because of man’s disobedience of God’s command. And, it was in essence a trusting in himself, in other things, or in other people, instead of in God. Unbelief lies at the root of all sin; for, it is what leads a person to try to meet his need by his own self effort; but when you put your trust in God you will find that it is out of His glorious riches that He meets your every need.
The first two chapters of the book of Genesis describe the glorious abundance and goodness of God’s creation of the world. But, it was when man sinned that the land was cursed, to stand in the way of the blessed life that he was enjoying until then. All of life became from then on became a painful toil for man, as thorns and thistles sprung forth. And, what you would commonly observe about thorns and thistles, is that they sprout and grow automatically, needing no special care or attention. What it signifies in a cursed world is that you need not go searching for problems, for they will come searching to trouble you ! Concerning the corrupting effect of sin too, you will find that the sin principle is at work within every person, even from the time of his birth, resulting in a continual conflict and struggle, when it comes to doing the good and perfect will of God. A small child may look beautifully angelic, but it knows how to misbehave instinctively ! Marriage relationship, in a world tainted by sin, only reveals a person’s problems, and does not solve them !
Adam was created in the image of God; but, because he succumbed to temptation and sinned, man fell from his glorious image, and subsequently Cain and Abel were born in the image of the fallen man. And there is always something deeply wrong that is embedded in the heart of every man, which does not allow him to experience his godly destiny. The whole world lies under the sway of the evil one, writes the apostle, [1 John 5:19] as he refers to a world system that is driven by lust and operated by fear, leading to all that is wrong and vile, and away from the plan of God. But, it is in such a cursed world, that you can, and are called to live a life that will see you blessed to be a blessing to others. It is where the importance and significance of the bread and the wine lies, showing the place of blessing.
CROSS – the place of blessing :
It is all because, and only because of what happened on the Cross, the divine exchange that took place on that momentous day, that you and I are blessed today, by grace and through faith. The prophet Isaiah’s words, describe it all in no uncertain terms, Surely He has borne all our grief, and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. [Isaiah 53:3,4] The blessing, that finds you experiencing a healing and well being, a wholeness in you, works within you in three aspects , 1. in your being, 2. in your doing, and 3. in your having. And, it is in that divine order, for blessing begins with an inner transformation.
Blessed – 1. In your being :
The gospels describe the physical side of the Lord’s suffering on the Cross; all very true and unimaginably painful to behold, even as you study and meditate upon it. But, what happened on the Cross was more than the external and the physical. The spiritual implications of it are revealed in the epistles, to show what needed to be dealt with in the core inner being of a person, something that was desperately wrong and twisted within him, as a result of being born with a sinful nature.
If you really want to understand God, you need to understand the Cross, is how a servant of God has expressed it. For, grief, pain and sorrow are all the external symptoms, of the sin factor in you and I. Iniquity is the sinful nature within, and transgression is the act of unbelief that flows out of it. You are born a sinner, and therefore you sin ! But, it was that very core of your problem, something that was wrong in your inner being, that God dealt with on the Cross, not sparing even His own Beloved Son, but giving Him as a sacrifice for your sins and mine, the sins of the whole world !
And, on the Cross, He who knew no sin became sin, so that you and I can become the righteousness of God in Him, even as you put your faith in Him, to become a new creation. He has carried away your iniquities, your inability to do what is right, and now you have the power to say ‘no’, to sin and temptation. For, when you become a Christian, you have the same brain, but a new mind set. You have the same body, but it is now the temple of the Holy Spirit. Your pain and sorrow is something you do not have to carry any more, for He has carried them away ! And, the One who has carried them away, is the Lord who invites you, ‘Come to Me … and I will give you rest’. It is the answer even today, if you are weary and heavily burdened, cumbered with a load of care and pain. Cast all your care on Him, for He cares for you, are the words of the psalmist. [Psalms 55:22] And, on the Cross He has carried them away; you do not have to carry them anymore !
Physical infirmities healed :
The very same prophetic words of Isaiah are declared in the gospel of Mathew, when the Lord healed all who came to them of their external and physical infirmities and pain. [Matthew 8:16,17] It is what you can proclaim too, when your physical body is attacked by sickness or pain. And a doctor is not God; but God can use a doctor to minister healing to a broken body. The prophet Isaiah brought the word of healing from the Lord Almighty, answering King Hezekiah’s desperate plea, and to apply a poultice of figs that he may recover was also the word of instruction from the Lord. He blesses your food and water, and heals you. Healing is ultimately the blessing of God.
There is also the need to not get too self critical in analyzing the root of every sickness that comes to you, to conclude wrongly that it is always due to some sinful act that you have committed. For, you sometimes, can catch a cold; because you were sitting next to a person who was having a cold ! Sin, the biggest care of all, has been carried away by the Suffering Servant, the Lord Jesus, who is the Savior of the world. And therefore, you can cast all your care on Him. It is the trust that needs to be in you, as you come to Him in faith, and He will bring joy in your heart, one that replaces your sorrow and pain.
Suffering for your faith ?
The first epistle of Peter was written to people who were suffering on account of their faith in Christ everywhere then, and is equally applicable now when you are persecuted for your faith, and because of doing what is right. It is the one suffering that is validated and allowed in God’s word. But know then, that you are following the footsteps of the Lord ! And there is glory in the end ! Who when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered He did not threaten in return, but committed Himself to the One who judges righteously, Who Himself bore our sins on the tree, that we having died to sins might live for righteousness ,by whose stripes you were healed. [1 Peter 2:23,24]
Maybe even today, you are suffering innocently, for doing what was right; but, there is healing available for you, in your emotions, in all the areas that you have been so badly affected, for no fault of yours. The Savior has experienced it all on the Cross, every mental agony, and emotional pain, that you may be going through; and He has carried it all away, to cry victoriously ‘It is finished’! And, it is by the knowledge of this revelation truth in you, that you appropriate it all in your life. Even as you partake of the Bread and the Wine, you experience healing in the knowledge of the truth, that you have a Great High Priest, who has suffered every pain, and can sympathize with your weaknesses; and even more importantly, He is the compassionate High Priest, who has done something about it; He has carried it all away on the Cross, and by His stripes you have been healed.
Thus healing is a blessing of God that you receive and appropriate by faith, and through the Spirit, in the knowledge and understanding of the truth within you. For, the bread and wine that Melchizedek brought out was not just about the spoils of war. It was in a deeper level about the transformation that happened in Abraham’s mind, one that made him give an offering unto the Lord. Before the external victory appears, there needs to be an internal victory in you. It is what Christ has won, defeating the enemies within you. And, it is why in the new covenant, God promises to write His word in your heart, imprint it in your mind, give you a new heart. The chastisement for your well being fell on Him, and by His stripes, you have been made whole, healed on the outside and the inside of you.
Blessed – 2. In your doing :
Not just in your being, where Christ became sin, so that you can become righteous in Him, the Bread and Wine, that symbolizes the Cross, is where you are healed in your doing, as you find redemption in it from the curse of the law.Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, ‘cursed is the everyone who is hung on a tree’, That the blessing of Abraham may come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we may receive the promised Holy Spirit by faith. [Galatians 3:13,14]
The law is good; but the blessing that comes through it is conditional. For, you are blessed when you keep it all, and ultimately all fall short of it, at some point, or in some way, only to come under a curse. Deuteronomy chapter 28, details it all, the blessings that come with obeying the law, and the curses that can come with disobedience, and it is the latter category that you and I will find ourselves in, in our natural, human strength. But, on the Cross, Christ paid the penalty, for all our wrongs, all the places where we fell short. The chastisement or punishment fell on Him. It is the blessing of salvation. And, the promise of the Spirit is that you and I may not come under the bondage of sin once more. A person, who has borrowed money, when his debt is cleared miraculously, needs the empowerment not to borrow money once again.
The curse broken, you are now free, and in the Spirit, you have the power to do what is right, and you are rewarded for it. It is the blessing of God ! The curse is the inability to do what is right, but the blessing of God is the power to do the will of God. And, knowing that you cannot do what is right, though you try to, is a good place to start; for trusting in God, you can move to a position of declaring ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’! You can also now stop doing what you should not be doing, as you trust in the sufficiency of His grace, to find His strength being made perfect in your weakness. Grace forgives and also empowers you, when you trust in Christ and the finished work of the Cross.
When you partake of the Bread and the Wine, it is what you affirm, a proclamation of your trust. In communion, a common union it is what you accept and ratify, that you belong to the Lord, and that all that He is now belongs to you. He becomes your strength and power. It is why Paul declares, ‘I no longer liver, but Christ lives in me’. And the victory chant that the apostle John hears is, ‘they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony’. Victory over the evil one is yours, as you remember and proclaim the Cross, to appropriate and apply in your life, what the bread and the wine signifies. Reducing the blessing of God, to mere financial terms, is an understanding that is not complete. The truth is so much greater for you are not limited anymore in Him.
Blessed – 3. In your having :
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet He became poor, so that you through His poverty may become rich. [2 Corinthians 8:9] It is how God brings a healing that is wholeness within you. Through the Cross, your inability to do what is right, which is in essence inability in doing the will of God, the lack which hindered you from doing His will, the empowerment that you did not have, have all been taken away. And, it is the riches of Christ that you now receive, in the knowledge of His grace.
On the Cross, He became limited, and gave you His unlimitedness, and it is nothing but grace, pure and simple. And, it is all connected to the purposes of God, that you may have an abundance for every good work, that goes on to accomplish His will for your life. He has dealt with your being, in your doing, and has given you an abundance, that all combines together to be the blessing of healing and wholeness in you. On the Cross, all that you will ever need in your life has already been accomplished. You therefore have the power, provision and character to do the will of God. There was a glorious exchange that took place on the Cross, where he took what was yours, and gave you what was His. All that you need to do is to receive it all with a grateful heart, in order to do what He has called you to do.
The Bread and the Wine – the Cup of BLESSING :
It is how the word of God, in the new covenant describes the table of the Lord, the bread and the wine , The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not the communion of the Blood of Christ ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the Body of Christ ? [1 Corinthians 10:16] Blessing is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ ! Therefore, if you have tried in your own strength and failed, do not give up. Be encouraged to focus on Christ and what He has accomplished on the Cross, to trust and succeed. On the Cross He has carried away your pain and sorrow, all that was wrong in you, to give all His goodness and righteousness.You are a blessed child of God, for you now have the power, provision and a new heart to do His will, It is the true blessing.
It all happened on the Cross, where every curse was dealt with, in order to see blessings overflow in your life. And what can you say in return, but to echo the words of the psalmist, saying, ‘I will lift up my cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord’. And, as you surrender yourself at God’s throne of grace saying, ‘Be it unto me Lord, according to your word’. Give thanks unto Him, for everything that needs to be done, has already been done on the victorious Cross, The change in your being, the empowerment in your doing, and the abundant provision for doing His will, The true blessing declared upon you.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
