HE WAS TORN FOR YOU!

Tuesday 15 April

When the sun was setting, a deep sleep overcame Abram, and a horror (a terror, a shuddering fear) of great darkness assailed and oppressed him. Genesis 15:12 AMPC

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram… Genesis 15:17-18a (NIV)

This is the amazing story of how God ‘cut’ a covenant with Abraham. The pieces of the animals being cut symbolised what would happen to either one of the covenant makers if they were to break the covenant. This was a blood covenant that both parties were to enter into by passing through the pieces to signify by the ritual that they were in agreement of the deal they had ‘cut’.

In this case something happened that prevented Abraham from actively participating in the covenant. God put Abram (later to be Abraham) into a deep sleep. Now pause there for a second. In order for the covenant to be authentic, there had to be an agreement between two parties.

God made a promise to Abraham but fulfilled it all by Himself.!Truth be told, it was God and God. He was that smoking fire pot with a blazing torch. Ultimately Yahweh swore by Yahweh because He couldn’t find anyone greater Then God in the form of a fire passed through the pieces. This was a covenant of grace through faith that Abraham deviated from but could never break. This was the grace of God in action.

God cut the deal with Himself and purposely took Abraham out of the picture? Why? Two reasons: so Abraham couldn’t mess it up. Secondly, He was taking full responsibility that if either party were to violate the covenant, God Himself will be torn to pieces like those animals were cut to take the penalty for Abraham’s sin. Does this sound like a familiar event to you like say, the crucifixion?

Man broke the terms of the covenant that God carried out by Himself and as a result man needed to be punished for it. The problem came in that Abraham was not technically involved in the cutting of the covenant so if a man was to be punished it would have to be a man provided by God. Jesus Christ was that man.

Genesis 1:26 tells us that God already made that man in His image and after His likeness and when Jesus was sent from the Father as the Word who became flesh, the firstborn of all creation, Jesus Christ was made manifest.

Isaiah 53:5 tells us of Jesus Christ, but he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement (punishment) for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

There was a thick curtain that could not be cut which separated the holy place from the holy of holies. When Jesus died on the cross, that curtain was torn from top to bottom as a sign. A sign of what?

Hebrews 10:19-20 says, ‘Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,

by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,

So the curtain in the temple signified Jesus’ body that was torn on the cross to give us free access to the Father.

Romans 5:2 speaking of Jesus says,‘through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.’

In John 14:6 Jesus says ‘I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father except through me. He opened a new and living way by becoming that new and living way for all mankind.

The good news is no matter who you are or what you’ve done, Jesus’ blood which is the New Testament or covenant says all you have to do is receive His unfathomable grace in salvation and the original covenant of grace by faith that God made with Abraham, yet enacted Himself’ will come into full effect. Salvation by grace through faith. Not of works. Not performed by us but by Him. This is called grace.

Once you have received salvation it is forever. Furthermore, because He did it you can never undo it. No wonder it’s called amazing!

APPLICATION

Have the daily consciousness of the salvation by grace through faith that is yours in Christ and rest in the assurance that no matter what happens, nobody can ever take it away from you.