Life Class Day 12

Once there was a tree [...] & she loved a little boy. When the boy was really young, he would play king of the forest with the tree & make a crown out of her leaves. When the boy was a little older, he started to visit the tree less & less. His heart began to pursue other things - money & material possessions. So the tree gave him apples to sell, & the tree was happy. When he had grow older still, the boy wanted to build a house, so the tree gave him her branches, & the tree was happy. When the boy was fully grown, he became disillusioned with life & felt frustrated; he wanted to go somewhere far away, & so the tree offered her trunk to the boy so that he could build a boat to sail away; & that is what he did.

After a long time had passed, the boy returned, now an old man. The tree had already given the boy all her apples, her branches & even her trunk. But now the boy simply wanted a place to sit & rest, & so the tree offered him all she had left: her stump. & the tree was happy.

-The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein

The Lord gave His all for us so that we could freely come to Him.

He shed His blood in 7 different ways, each with a specific purpose:

1. Blood flowed with His sweat.

Jesus was in such great distress that His sweat became like large drops of blood that fell to the ground.

*Luke 22:42

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

That was the night when Jesus experienced betrayal & suffered sorrow in His own flesh.

He made the decision to pay the price that would heal our wounds & allow Him to carry all betrayal, anguish, pain & despair upon Himself.

Therefore the pain we feel as a result of betrayal has been taken away by His blood & we can now live with confidence in His peace.

2. Blood was shed because of the crown of thorns

A crown made of thorns was forced onto Jesus' head.

*Matthew 27:9-30

& then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

The thorns easily pierced His brow, causing incessant bleeding as the soldiers struck Him repeatedly with a staff.

That blood redeems us from the curse that was upon the earth because of Adam's sin & allows us to live in blessing & prosperity.

*Genesis 3:17

To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

3. Blood flowed from His beard.

*Isaiah 50:6

I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.

When they pulled out His beard, His face became completely disfigured & He lost all human beauty.

*Isaiah 53:2

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

His face was made unrecognizable so that we might recover our identity.

4. Blood was shed from His back.

Before being crucified, Jesus was whipped 39 times with a Roman whip. Each strand was weighted with metal & sharp bones, which tore His skin apart until the inner parts of His body could be seen.

* Isaiah 53:4-5

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Because of the wounds He bore on His back, Jesus is now able to give us healing from every sickness & freedom from all iniquities.

No matter the scale or seriousness of these things, we can be set free & live in complete health because of His sacrifice.

5. Blood was shed from His hands.

Stripping Jesus completely of all His clothes, they nailed Him to the cross. They ran sharp nails through each of His hands.

During His years in the ministry the Lord had performed innumerable miracles with His hands, He had worked tirelessly to demonstrate the kingdom of heaven on earth, & He had released the power of God upon humanity.

Our heavenly Father longs to do the same through the hands of each one of His children.

That was why He allowed the merciful & diligent hands of Jesus to be pierced - so that His blood could redeem our hands from every evil acts & activate both our hands & our lives in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, through which the glory of God is demonstrated on the earth.

6. Blood was shed from His feet.

The 3rd nail, which pierced Jesus' feet - represents victory over oppression.

This nail is longer than the other 2 & was used to pierce both His feet, right under the anklebone.

Jesus found breathing in these conditions incredibly painful. His chest was severely compressed, meaning that He had to support the entire weight of His body on this nail, increasing the agonizing pain running through His legs.

Why did Jesus have to suffer all this for us? So that all our steps could be redeemed & become fruitful in Him, so that all who had lost their way could find it again & so that the course of our lives could be kept in holiness, full of purpose as we walk in God's guidance.

7. Blood was shed from His heart.

After Jesus breathed His last, a soldier pierced His side with a spear.

There was a sudden flow of blood & water.

Experts say that when water & blood are combined in that way inside the body, it is because the person's heart has exploded.

The anguish that Jesus suffered on the cross of Calvary was so great that His heart could not bear it.

You may think, "My heart is wounded & is pieces; my wounds run so deep." But today, Jesus is telling you, "Son, daughter, My heart exploded so that yours could be healed & so that your emotions could be restored. Return to Me & I will return to you. If you come to Me, your life will be completely different as of today."

The best decision we can make in response to all this is entrusting our hearts to Jesus, bringing all that we are to the cross & leaving our old nature there.

All of our past is left at the foot of the cross & we receive a new nature - the character of Christ in us. When we come to the cross, we discover that the arms of our loving Jesus are always wide open, ready to receive us.

The Blood Jesus shed..., I am...

through His sweat, redeemed me from betrayal.

through His crown of thorns, redeemed me from poverty.

through the whip on His back, redeemed me from sickness.

through His beard, redeemed me from low self-esteem.

through the nails on His hands, redeemed me from every evil act.

through the nails on His feet, redeemed me from oppression.

through His pierced heart, redeemed me from wounds of emotion.

REMEMBER:

EVERY DROP OF BLOOD THAT JESUS SHED HAD A SPECIFIC PURPOSE: THE FULLNESS OF MY REDEMPTION.

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Life Class Day 11

In ancient times, slave markets were normal occurrences in public squares. The slaves were easily identifiable because a spear was hung above their heads, indicating that anyone who was able to pay could purchase them. The slaves had no right to express their opinions; it was as if they had no will of their own. On one occasion, a tradesman went to the slave market & purchased a very beautiful woman. She was terrified because she did not know what the future would now hold for her - she was well aware that she could be assigned the most grueling of tasks & forced to do whatever he might require of her. When she came face to face with her new owner, she spat at him in exasperation. The man did not react aggressively as she had expected. Instead, he took a handkerchief & cleaned his face. He then took the document that entitled him to the full legal right of her life & handed it to her, saying, "You are the owner of your own destiny." He turned away & began to leave. The woman, taken aback by what had just happened, ran after him & humbly asked that she might stay with him & serve him.

Jesus did something similar for us.

We too once in the slave market, with the spear of sin hanging above our heads.

Jesus passed by one day & saw us in the public square; His heart was so moved that He decided to pay the price for our redemption - the price of His blood.

Jesus' death on the cross & His resurrection on the 3rd day are the 2 most significant events that have ever taken place in the spiritual realm, causing repercussions on every level: natural, social, political, etc.

If we are truly experience all the blessings of His sacrifice, it is essential that we are humble enough to recognize that all we have & all that we acquire comes from Him.

*Matthew 13:45-46

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

We learned that the Lord sees His children as the pearl of great price.

Yet for us, the pearl is the cross of Calvary.

*Isaiah 53:5

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Only in Jesus can we find freedom from every cause.

*Galatians 3:13

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole."

Today, there are several ways you can respond at the cross. Decide to:

1. Give your weaknesses to Jesus so that He can carry them. Accept all His strength in you. Write down the weaknesses you want Him to take from your life today.

-I want to take all my weaknesses in my life.

2. Surrender your sins through repentance, which is the entrance door to blessing. Accept His salvation.

3. Surrender every sickness. Receive His health.

If you are battling with a physical infirmity, ask your pastor to pray for you.

*James 5:14-15

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

As you do this, you are placing your complete trust in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

*Philippians 4:13

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Declare:

1. By the blood of Jesus, I have been redeemed from the power of the enemy.

2. By the blood of Jesus, all my sins have been forgiven.

REMEMBER:

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.

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Life Class Day 10

*Isaiah 53:11

After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied ; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Something similar happens when we recognize the power there is in the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross.

The cross of Calvary was a divine exchange, pre-established by God Himself.

*John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

As soon as God created man & breathed the breath of life into Him, the enemy (thief) made it his mission to steal our happiness.

When he deceived mankind, both spiritual & physical death entered paradise & seemingly secured the destruction of all of Adam's descendants.

However, God the Father already had a rescue plan in place: Jesus would come to the world to reverse the curse through His death.

*Hebrews 2:14-15

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Judgment had been pronounced upon the entire human race because of sin.

*Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A death sentence hung above each of our heads, but God intervened by sending His own Son to take our place.

His death on the cross canceled our debt so that we could receive life.

*Hebrews 2:9

But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Jesus hung on the cross for hours.

Every breath was agonizing as He supported His weight on the nail piercing His heels; the pain caused by the pressure on His tendons was almost unbearable.

He also developed a fever because of the infection caused by His innumerable open wounds.

His life was slowly ebbing away.

Drop by drop, His blood fell to the ground.

There He remained until He knew that He had completed the mission the Father had entrusted to Him.

Being able to picture this in our minds will be a great help to us when we need it most, because we will be able to see how the Lord has absorbed all our sin & removed every curse upon us, destroying than once & for all.

When we receive this revelation, the miracle of exchange takes place.

All the evil that was once in us is absorbed by the power of the cross of Jesus.

God takes our rebellious & sinful nature & places it upon the body of His Son.

Remember that Jesus never wandered from the will of the Father; He led a perfect life.

All the blessings that belong to Him because of His perfect life will come to be ours when we give our lives to Him completely.

*John 17:10

All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.

We cannot receive the new that God has for us if we do not first let go of the old things we have bought with us.

In His infinite mercy, God united His divine wisdom with His eternal grace & the result was the redemption of mankind.

Jesus decided to carry all the evil that was in us & endure the pain & humiliation of the cross for 1 simple reason: He could see the result of the anguish of His soul.

He knew that His suffering would set us free from sin & all its consequences.

He chose the cross because of His love for us & His heart to see us set free from every chains that bond us.

JESUS took my...

punishment, pain, sin, death, curse, poverty, shame, despised & rejected, slaves to sin

In exchange, He gave me...

forgiveness, healing, righteousness, eternal life, blessing, rich, glory, praise & grace, free

*Isaiah 53:3-5

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

*2 Corinthians 5:21

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

*Galatians 3:13-14

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

*2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

*Hebrews 2:10

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.

*1 Peter 2:6

For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

*Ephesians 1:6

To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

*Romans 6:6-7

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

*2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

REMEMBER:

ALL THE EVIL THAT WAS IN US HAS BEEN ABSORBED BY THE POWER OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST & WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED ALL THE GOOD THAT HE IS INSTEAD.

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Life Class Day 9

God had to contend with the rebellion of His own people.

*Isaiah 1:5-6

Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with olive oil.

I believe there is no scene more undignified than that of the Author of Life, suffering for crimes committed by others.

*Isaiah 52: 14. Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—

*Isaiah 53:3,5

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

*Isaiah 1:2

Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the Lord has spoken: "I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.

Just like a compassionate father, God looked for a way to save us.

He found that the only way to redeem mankind was through His Son, Jesus Christ.

God has made a decision: either destroy all of humanity in eternal condemnation, or punish the human race through the person of His only Son.

We know that Jesus agreed to take our place & go through the torture of the crucifixion because of His love for us.

After the terrible earthquake that hit Japan in 2011, a team of rescuers found the body of a woman buried in the rubble. Although everything seemed to indicate that the woman was already dead, one of the team members decided to investigate. Under the corpse, they found a 3-month old baby who was safe & sound. Wrapped in her blanket, they found the woman's cell phone with a saved text message she had written. The message said, "If you survive, remember that I love you." The woman gave her life & her body because of her love for her baby; she died in the hope that she might give her child the chance to live.

Jesus knew, however, that He would win the redemption of all humanity through His death, because that was the mission the Father had entrusted to Him.

The Father was already aware of all the pain His beloved Son would have to endure.

But He knew that the wounds from Jesus' beaten body would become our medicine & the greatest expression of His love for us.

His love is unconditional; it has no limits & it does not depend upon circumstances.

4 different meanings of love:

1. Storge/natural affection - mother for their child.

2. Eros/Sexual love - between husbands & wives.

-egoistic. "My 1st & last consideration is myself."

3. Philia/fraternal love - between friends

-mutual. "I will give as long as I receive."

4. Agape/unconditional love - directly linked to God.

-altruistic. "I will give, requiring nothing in return."

-to love the the undeserving, despite disappointment & rejection.

*1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

*Romans 5:6-8

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus' death on the cross is the perfect demonstration of agape love - unconditional love that asks nothing in return.

Agape love led Jesus to humble Himself in the most shameful way.

The desire of God's heart is that, as believers, we would know this love that only He can give - that agape love that can only be found in Him & can never be replaced by anyone or anything.

Example of Agape Love: When we risk our lives saving other people's lives; like the story of Neerja Bhanot.

It is because Jesus loves us unconditionally that He sacrifices His own life by hanging on the cross, just for us to go back to His Father, & be forgiven.

REMEMBER:

JESUS' SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS IS THE GREATEST DEMONSTRATION OF GOD'S PERFECT LOVE.

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Life Class Day 8

*Matthew 13:45-46

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

He could clearly see that the value of the pearl was so great that it was worth everything He owned.

The merchant is Jesus & the pearl He purchased represents us: He gave everything He had to pay the price for our salvation.

Derek Prince once spent over a year in a military hospital bed in Egypt with what doctors said was an incurable skin disease. The hopelessness of the situation led him into a dark valley of despair for some time. One day, he had an unexpected visit from 2 Christian ladies who had made a rather difficult journey, simply so that they could pray for him. As they prayed, the power of God descended. One of the women shared a prophetic word from God, which went on to become foundational in Prince's ministry: "Consider the work of Calvary: a perfect work, perfect in every respect, perfect in every aspect." Although his skin condition did not improve during their time of prayer, Derek Prince realized that God had shown him the source from which he could receive complete & absolute provision: the cross of Calvary.

Jesus spent most of His time in the ministry with His 12 disciples.

*John 12:32,34

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." The crowd spoke up, "We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this 'Son of Man'?"

They still did not understand that Jesus had to endure the crucifixion so that the doors of hope could be opened for all people throughout all of history, irrespective of their race, religious background, culture or socio-economic position.

Once He had been lifted up, the cross would draw all the people to Christ. Even the 12 disciples had to experience this revelation for themselves.

*John 17:3

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

God, give me the revelation of the cross!

Jesus is the only person who knew He had been born to die. He understood that His purpose was to die on the cross of Calvary - there was no other way - only through death & sacrifice of Jesus Christ could humanity be redeemed.

*John 2:19

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

They did not understand; they thought He was talking about a building, but He was actually speaking about His own sacrifice.

He knew that when He died on the cross, He would eal of redemption of all humanity.

*Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The cross should not simply be an occasional experience for us - it should be a daily encounter that leads us to apprehend all that God has won for us through His sacrifice.

Why did Jesus come into the world?

*1 Timothy 1:15

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

Who did Jesus call & who received Him?

*Matthew 9:13

"But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

*Luke 15:2

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Did Jesus ever sin?

*Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

*1 Peter 2:22

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

What did Jesus carry for us on the cross?

*1 Peter 2:24

"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."

Why did Jesus die on the cross?

*1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

Declare in faith: The cross opened the door of hope in my life. I know that I can do all things through Christ because He strengthens me.

REMEMBER:

I NEED TO HAVE A PERSONAL REVELATION OF THE PERFECT WORK OF THE CROSS EVERYDAY.

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#week2
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