Is there a relationship in your life that has been severed? You used to be so close but something came between you and now you no longer speak? A boundary was broken whether in word or deed, that could not be repaired. It could be a family member, a loved one, a friend.
I am sure there was great pain when the break came in your relationship no matter what the reason. You regretted the cause and cried over the loss of someone you care about so dearly. And along with that person, there is also a separation with those near that person.
God experienced such a break.
He had gently, carefully and with His hands formed man and woman. He created a beautiful place to share with them. Yet they crossed the one boundary set before them. In Genesis 2:16-17 God tells Adam,
“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.â€
We learn in the next chapter that one day they did eat of that tree. And because of this they were banned from the garden, but more importantly, they had caused a great rift between them and God. The relationship they had before was now destroyed.
God wants that relationship back. But it can’t be like before. Once the barrier was built a way needed to be made to break it down.
Have you tried to devise ways to break the barriers built by rejections in your life? If you did break them, did it come at a price? Even if you moved forward in the relationship without mentioning the “situation†you still always feel the pulling of that weight. You cannot “unbreak†a vase once it is shattered. So it goes with relationships as well.
“You iniquities have separated you from your God†Isaiah 59:2
There was only one way to repair the relationship between God and man: a sacrifice. He made the first sacrifice when He found Adam and Eve hiding in fear because they were naked. He made them clothes of animal skin. He sacrificed an animal so they could be dressed.
God prepared, from the beginning, the sacrifice that would be required to restore that relationship: Jesus Christ.
He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. Isaiah 59:16
How would we know when this salvation came? The Old Testament is filled with hundreds of descriptions of this Savior. Many prophecies are detailed by God so there would be no question of His coming.
Professor Peter Stoner served as Chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College until 1953 and Chairman of the Science Division of Westmont College from 1953 to 1957. He is best known for his teaching in evidences of Bible prophecies. He calculated the probability of one man fulfilling only a handful of the prophecies made in the Old Testament was 10 to the 17th power. The probability of fulfilling only 48 of these prophecies are 10 to the 157th power.
Jesus fulfilled every single prophecy. Why such explicit detail in the foretelling of this Savior? So the true salvation would be clearly visible to all who look for Him.
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. Acts 17:27
We are separated from God by our sin, but we have a way back to him. That way is Jesus Christ.
Just like your relationship with your family, your best friend, your spouse, your bible study group, a relationship must be nurtured. You must spend time, talk with each other, open up, love and trust. You must participate for a relationship to be complete. So goes your relationship with Christ.
What does a relationship with Christ look like?
How do you know if you have that relationship?
What do you do to maintain that relationship?
What will you do to draw closer to him?