"I've Got the Receipts"
Pastor Albert Almore
You wake up to it. I wake up to it.
You got to bed with it. I go to bed with it. The voice of condemnation. The voice of guilt. The voice of lies. The voice of shame. Simply put…the voice of the enemy.
The voice that screams out to you, you're not worthy. Regrets tell you, you can't be used by God. Your past begins to tell you, you can't be forgiven. Morning looks into the mirror are often accompanied with a gentle whisper saying, you know that you're not enough, and you'll never be enough right. Not you. Nope, not you. The promises of God may or not be true, but one thing is for sure, they're DEFINITELY not for you, is what the enemy tells us.
Though effective, this tactic isn't new. We see this same tactic at work in Zechariah 3:1 where it reads,
"Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. THE ACCUSER, Satan, was there at the angel's right hand, MAKING ACCUSATIONS against Jeshua."
Zechariah 3:1
Then the angel showed me Jeshua. Then the Angel showed me AB. Then the angel showed me Logan. Then the Angel showed me Jim. Then the Angel showed me Kendel, and Holden, and the list goes on, standing before the Angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there making accusations against them.
What was he saying? I already told you. He was saying you're not worthy. You can't be forgiven. You can't be used by God. Did you not hear what I told you before. You're. Not. Enough.
I wonder what accusations has the accuser been making against you lately. Once again, though effective, this tactic isn't new. This dates all the way back to Revelation 12:7 where it says,
"Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back."
Revelation 12:7
"But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven."
Revelation 12:8
"The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."
Revelation 12:9
"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For THE ACCUSER OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHO ACCUSES THEM BEFORE OUR GOD DAY AND NIGHT, has been hurled down."
Revelation 12:10
THE ACCUSER OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHO ACCUSES THEM BEFORE OUR GOD DAY AND NIGHT, DAY AND NIGHT. This is what I mean when I say you wake up to it. This is what I mean when I say you go to bed to it. You wake up to accusations, you go to bed with accusations. What's the remedy? What's the solution? Thankfully for us, Revelation 12:11 gives it to us. It says,
"THEY TRIUMPHED OVER HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB and by the word of their testimony…
Revelation 12:11
THEY TRIUMPHED OVER HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND SO WILL YOU! THEY TRIUMPHED OVER HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND SO WILL I. THEY TRIUMPHED OVER HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND SO WILL WE!
It's because of THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB that you're able to echo the Lords words in Zechariah 3:2 where it reads,
"And the Lord said to Satan, "I, the Lord, REJECT YOUR ACCUSATIONS, Satan...
Zechariah 3:2
because of THE BLOOD I reject your accusations about me not being forgiven! because of THE BLOOD I reject your accusations about me not being enough! because of THE BLOOD I reject your accusations that God can't use me, and here's why. Zechariah 3:2 in full says,
"And the Lord said to Satan, "I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been SNATCHED FROM THE FIRE.""
Zechariah 3:2
I praise God everyday that I've been snatched out of the fire! I have a right to be used by God because I've been snatched out of the fire! When I was snatched out of the fire, guilt didn't come with me! When I was snatched out of the fire, shame didn't come with me! When I was snatched out of the fire, condemnation didn't come with me!
When was I snatched out of the fire?!?
I was snatched out of the fire AT THE CROSS! Colossians 2:13 tells us,
"YOU WERE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOUR SINS and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. THEN GOD MADE YOU ALIVE WITH CHRIST, FOR HE FORGAVE ALL OUR SINS."
Colossians 2:13
How did he do this? Verse 14 says,
"HE CANCELED THE RECORD OF THE CHARGES AGAINST US ( Before there was a cancel culture, Jesus canceled the ACCUSATIONS) and TOOK IT AWAY BY NAILING IT TO THE CROSS. Colossians 2:14
"In this way, HE DISARMED THE SPIRITUAL RULERS and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them ON THE CROSS."
Colossians 2:15
Peter describes Good Friday like this in 1 Peter 3:18,
"Christ suffered for our sins ONCE FOR ALL time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but HE WAS RAISED TO LIFE in the Spirit."
1 Peter 3:18
After He was raised to life, John 20:20 says,
"When he had said this, HE SHOWED THEM HIS HANDS AND HIS SIDE. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord."
John 20:20
This was Jesus's way of saying, "Look at my scars. Look at the wholes in my hands. Look at the hole in my foot. Look at the whole in my side. I GOT THE RECEIPTS! I got the receipts that it is finished! I got the receipts that you've been redeemed! I got the receipts that you've been reconciled. I got the receipts that you've been forgiven. I got the receipts that your mine! I got the receipts that I was who I said I Am. Therefore, I got the receipts that you are who I say you are.
I GOT THE RECEIPTS!
Receipts tell what was purchased. Receipts tell how much it cost. Receipts are proof that, that individual has a right to it!
In God's economy, BLOOD is the only form of payment for forgiveness.
This is why 1 Peter 1:18-19 says,
"For you know that GOD PAID A RANSOM TO SAVE YOU from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God."
1 Peter 1:18-19
Receipts are proof that a transaction has taken place. Isaiah describes the transaction in detail. Isaiah 50:6 says,
"I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting."
Isaiah 50:6
"But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured HE SEEMED HARDLY HUMAN, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man."
Isaiah 52:14
Good Friday was so bad that Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 53:1,
"WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR MESSAGE? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?"
Isaiah 53:1
"My servant grew up in the Lord's presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, NOTHING TO ATTRACT US TO HIM."
Isaiah 53:2
"He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. WE TURNED OUR BACKS ON HIM AND LOOKED THE OTHER WAY. He was despised, AND WE DID NOT CARE."
Isaiah 53:3
"Yet it was OUR WEAKNESSES HE CARRIED; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!"
Isaiah 53:4
"But HE WAS WOUNDED for our transgressions, HE WAS BRUISED for our iniquities; THE CHASTISEMENT for our peace was upon Him, And BY HIS STRIPES we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5
He was wounded. He was bruised. He was chastised. He was whipped, almost to the point of death. John 19:1-3 says,
"Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a LEAD-TIPPED WHIP. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. "Hail! King of the Jews!" THEY MOCKED, AS THEY SLAPPED HIM ACROSS THE FACE."
John 19:1-3
But even at this, Isaiah 53:7 says,
"He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet HE NEVER SAID A WORD. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, HE DID NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH."
Isaiah 53:7
"Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But HE WAS STRUCK DOWN for the rebellion of my people."
Isaiah 53:8
For every slap that He took, that was a receipt. For every lashing that he took on His back, that was a receipt. For every nail that they put in His wrist, that was a receipt. For the nail that went into His foot, that was a receipt. When they pierced his side, that was a receipt. Jesus rose with all power in His hands, showed the disciples His scars, and said, "I GOT THE RECEIPTS, AND NOW SO DO YOU. From this day forward, don't forget your receipts! Every time you walk out the house, hold onto your receipts. As you look into the mirror, look with your receipts.
HE WAS STRUCK DOWN for the rebellion of my people
God went THROUGH His Son to get to us. We now go THROUGH His Son to get to God.
Through Christ, I'm forgiven.
Through Christ, I'm redeemed.
Through Christ, I'm reconciled.
Through Christ, I'm righteous.
Through Christ, I'm worthy.
Through Christ, I'm called.
Through Christ, I'm more than enough.
Through Christ, I'm well able.
Because of the price that He paid on Good Friday—I GOT THE RECEIPTS!
"And the Lord said to Satan, "I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.""
Zechariah 3:2
"Jeshua's clothing was FILTHY as he stood there before the angel."
Zechariah 3:3
"So the angel said to the others standing there, "TAKE OFF HIS FILTHY CLOTHES" And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I HAVE TAKEN AWAY YOUR SINS, and now I AM GIVING YOU THESE FINE NEW CLOTHES.""
Zechariah 3:4
This is exactly what Jesus did for us on Good Friday. This is exactly what Jesus did for us AT THE CROSS. He took away our sin. He took away our old filthy clothes, our old filthy rags. He clothed us in righteous, and paid for the bill. Yet you allow the enemy to tell you that you're not worthy. Yet you allow the enemy to tell you that you're not forgiven. Yet you allow the enemy to tell you that you're not enough.
HAVE YOU LOST SIGHT OF YOUR RECEIPTS?
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