THERE IS A FOUNTAIN...OUR LIFE-BLOOD FOR TRANSFORMATION...

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

So, how appealing does a "fountain filled with blood" sound to you? Not!?!? .

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says,

• "A fountain is the source from which something proceeds or is supplied."
• "Blood is the fluid that circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins of a vertebrate animal carrying nourishment and oxygen to and bringing away waste products from all parts of the body."

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The Bible says,

• "On that day a fountain will be opened to the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity." Zechariah 13:1
• "The life of a creature is in the blood... it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." Leviticus 17:11

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Did you know that hundreds of years after that was written in Leviticus that people still believed that to heal an infection, the blood should be drained from a person. That's how George Washington died! Even our current definitions of blood don't just say "life is in the blood". Medical science will talk about nutrients and oxygen but not LIFE!

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There was a man who was a contemporary of George Washington who may or may not have understood the physical meaning of Leviticus 17:11, but he certainly understood the spiritual: the blood of Christ is essential for ETERNAL LIFE!
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Our theme song this week and videos on Sunday and Monday contain part of the words written by William Cowper in 1772. I have them here and request that you focus on "verse 4".

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THERE IS A FOUNTAIN

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There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,

And sinners plunged beneath that flood

Lose all their guilty stains.

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The dying thief rejoiced to see

That fountain in His day;

And there have I, though vile as he,

Washed all my sins away.

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Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood

Shall never lose its pow’r,

Till all the ransomed church of God

Are safe, to sin no more.

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E’er since by faith I saw the stream

Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

And shall be till I die.

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When this poor, lisping, stamm’ring tongue

Lies silent in the grave,

Then in a nobler, sweeter song,

I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save.

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I'm going somewhere with "verse 4" by connecting it with our scripture "verses 4-5" for the week. Compare the two... look for connections... Do you see a heart transplant or at least a blood transfusion here?

• SONG LYRICS: "E'er since by faith I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme and shall be til I die."

• SCRIPTURE: "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved."
  

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This past weekend, Steve and I spoke at a seminar in Huntsville, Alabama. It was to encourage Holiness and Purity while addressing "The Silent Killer: Pornography". There is something very dirty and nasty when talking about all the junk that comes out of this sin! It's devastating to marriages, children, friends, and of course, the person who buys into the deception of pornography. Yet, more than anything, people steeped in these kinds of sin need mercy... grace... connection... and redeeming love...

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As Jesus hung on the cross, He was surrounded by...

• selfishness, yet He modeled selflessness.
• immorality, yet He pursued purity of thought.
• slanderers, yet He encouraged.
• anger, yet He chose to forgive.
• hate, yet He chose redeeming love.

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E’er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.