The old paling fence is a familiar sight to most Australians and a time-honored symbol of the division of territory. Many a ripping yarn has been spoken over them as well as disputes too numerous to mention. These include, who owns the fruit of the vine, which ignores its planted origin and wanders wherever it pleases. And Then there's the breathtaking moment when the ball is kicked or thrown too far and ventures into the uncharted “ other side” resulting in a cap in hand mission into alien terrain for retrieval announced or unannounced. Remember those times as a child when you were in the neighbor's yard looking back at your house and thinking how weird it all looked from such an unfamiliar angle?

As we walk this earth there always looms the fence between God and us. For most of us that fence has many palings that we can name. Past hurts, failures, fears, sickness, unbelief, anger, mistrust of God, to name a few…..

God has only one name written on the fence. SIN. Living a life without relationship with Him in independence places us in a territory other than His.

Crossing over this fence into the realm and territory of forgiveness and eternal life is hard to grasp. The bible says without the work of Christ Jesus, the fence of sin will always divide us from a relationship with God the Father.

SIN is an inpenetratable barrier. God says there is only one way through and that is by the sacrifice of His son Jesus who was “with out sin but became sin for us”

2 Corinthians 5:21 (See the Good Friday photos and graphics.)

By doing this Jesus has made a way through this barrier; a gate. It is He himself that is the gate and there is no other means by which we can scale such a final division.

In John 10:9 Jesus said I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved.

Do you really understand the work of Jesus for you? If you died tonight would you be totally certain that you are safely in His territory because He has carried you there?

Or are you not so sure? Still secretly feeling that some how you have to earn your passage? Or do you suffer from “fencitis”? Sins that you can't forgive yourself for or will allow God to forgive you for? Its time for a new understanding.

It is finished. The work is complete. The door is open. Your task is to walk through it.

Like Lazarus it is time not only to come out of the tomb but also to take off the grave clothes of sin that are no longer needed.

This Easter as you sat in church what grave clothes were you clinging onto?

Are you brave enough to take them off believing that underneath is not rotting flesh but a new creation bought by the Blood of Jesus.

If you can't do this then you do not truly understand the finality of His redemption for you. Ask him to give you this.