Enemies No Longer
As we continue in the series Following Jesus, today we will explore what it means to be reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus. Before we begin, let’s open our time together with a prayer.
Heavenly Father, I love You so much. I am so grateful for the love and grace You extend to me each day. I desire a closer walk with You. Please guide me, and lead me as I strive to walk in step with You. Amen.
Romans 5:6-11 (NLT)
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Consider this hypothetical scenario: You come upon a person you know and love who is in danger and in jeopardy of losing his or her life. You know that you might lose your life if you attempt to save this person. Would you try?
What if the person in danger was known to be a cruel person, or someone who had hurt you or a loved one in the past? How would you feel about saving that person, if it meant putting your own life in jeopardy?
Jesus died on the cross to cover our sins and to provide us a pathway to salvation, even though at that very time, the same people He was willing to die for were against Him and His teachings. The power of the Cross was immense, in that through Jesus’ death, God allowed us the opportunity to reconcile with Him, and become disciples instead of lost souls.
In the scenario we talked about earlier, you knew that helping the person, whether it was someone you loved or someone who was cruel and hateful, would put your life in jeopardy. That is hard enough to consider. But would you still try to save the other person if you knew that you must die in order to do so? How our God must love us!
Spend some time today thinking about how much God loves us and how His perfect Son championed for us, knowing the result would end in a painful death. As you process today’s message, don’t dwell on the hypothetical. Instead, focus on how God’s love is like no other, and spend some time in prayer, thanking Him for this gift. Here are a couple prompts to help you get started.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you always appreciate the incredible gift God’s Son granted us through His amazing sacrifice.
Thank our Lord and Savior for saving and reconciling with us, even though we did nothing to deserve it.
I pray you embrace the gift of salvation granted to us through the blood of Jesus.
Heavenly Father, I love You so much. I am so grateful for the love and grace You extend to me each day. I desire a closer walk with You. Please guide me, and lead me as I strive to walk in step with You. Amen.
Romans 5:6-11 (NLT)
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Consider this hypothetical scenario: You come upon a person you know and love who is in danger and in jeopardy of losing his or her life. You know that you might lose your life if you attempt to save this person. Would you try?
What if the person in danger was known to be a cruel person, or someone who had hurt you or a loved one in the past? How would you feel about saving that person, if it meant putting your own life in jeopardy?
Jesus died on the cross to cover our sins and to provide us a pathway to salvation, even though at that very time, the same people He was willing to die for were against Him and His teachings. The power of the Cross was immense, in that through Jesus’ death, God allowed us the opportunity to reconcile with Him, and become disciples instead of lost souls.
In the scenario we talked about earlier, you knew that helping the person, whether it was someone you loved or someone who was cruel and hateful, would put your life in jeopardy. That is hard enough to consider. But would you still try to save the other person if you knew that you must die in order to do so? How our God must love us!
Spend some time today thinking about how much God loves us and how His perfect Son championed for us, knowing the result would end in a painful death. As you process today’s message, don’t dwell on the hypothetical. Instead, focus on how God’s love is like no other, and spend some time in prayer, thanking Him for this gift. Here are a couple prompts to help you get started.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you always appreciate the incredible gift God’s Son granted us through His amazing sacrifice.
Thank our Lord and Savior for saving and reconciling with us, even though we did nothing to deserve it.
I pray you embrace the gift of salvation granted to us through the blood of Jesus.
Recent
Archive
2026
January
Don’t Stop Short of JesusThe Cross Is God’s Invitation to YouRemembering the OwnerThe OwnerThe Illusion of Self-Made SuccessActs 26:12–23 | Paul’s Encounter with JesusActs 26: 1–11 | Agrippa Grants PermissionInvited From The OutsideSurrender Creates PeaceWhen Blessing Becomes ForgetfulnessWhat A Pastor Means When They Say... | The Branch Living as Stewards, Not OwnersCreated for RelationshipThe Heart Behind the GiftSurrender GainsThe StewardFaithful StewardsOne Percent BetterEverything Belongs to GodThe Evaluation Is ComingActs 26:24-32 | Agrippa Parries Paul's ChallengeRedefining Success | The Branch The EvaluationHow You View God Determines EverythingThe Economy of Kingdom InvestmentChoose Your Category WiselyAnchored in Steadfast LoveActs 27:1-3 | Paul Sails for RomeDiscerning Between Good And Evil | The BranchLoved Enough to Be DisciplinedThe Steadfast Love of GodReturning to God’s WayCrying Out from the DepthsLiving with Wise Awareness
February
2025
January
A New Heart and SpiritSowing in Tears, Reaping in JoyFrom the Pit to a New SongNo Other God's Before MeSeek First the KingdomStoring Treasures in HeavenServing One MasterTrusting God with EverythingThe Power of InfluenceRelationships That InfluenceFinding Godly FriendsIron Sharpens IronSpeaking Truth In LovePrioritizing God's PresenceChoosing the Better PortionLiving With Eternal PerspectiveCreating Margin For God's PurposesBearing Fruit Through AbidingReleasing the Past, Embracing God's FutureTransformed By God's LoveOur Past And A Hope For A FutureEmbracing Our New Identity In ChristRunning The Race Of Perseverance
February
Generosity Begins With PriorityThe Heart of GivingTithing as an Act of FaithThe Blessing of GenerosityTrusting God's FaithfulnessSeeing Yourself Through Jesus' EyesThe Power of Jesus' CallFrom Broken to BlessedEmpowered for PurposeHope for the FutureGod Knows Your NeedBringing Your Needs to JesusFaith in the Face of ImpossibilityJesus' Power Over Death and DiseaseTestimony of God's FaithfulnessCreated For A PurposeCompassion In ActionOvercoming Fear To Share HopeMeeting Needs To Show LoveAnswering the Call
March
HosannaWhat a MiracleI Speak Jesus InhabitJesus Over EverythingThe Risky Call of DiscipleshipGod's Presence in Our VulnerabilityThe Sword of TruthThe Power of Small Acts of KindnessEnduring Faith in the Face of AdversityGod's Perfect TimingAnswering the CallEmpowered for ServiceEmbracing God's Greater PurposeFaithfulness in TrialsAnswering God's CallOvercoming Doubt and FearPerseverance in ObedienceGod's Faithfulness in Our JourneyMountaintop Experiences and Everyday Faith The Danger of Covetousness
No Comments