Jesus had just asked the disciples who they thought He was, and Peter had answered…”You are the Messiah, the Son of God!” So now Jesus was proceeding with the next aspect of His journey towards the cross. He started to make very plain to them the horrific experiences He would have to undergo at the hands of the Jewish Leaders…but on the third day He would be resurrected from the dead. I can only imagine that His disciples had a very difficult time wrapping their minds around the things He was telling them…not wanting to believe Him, but also remembering Isaiah’s prophecy…”He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
Month: March 2013
Hebrews 10: 9-10 ” …Here I am, I have come to do Your will. He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Unlike the other priests, Jesus didn’t have to keep offering sacrifices day after day for the people. He sacrificed for their sins, once for all when He offered Himself. He willingly gave Himself up as the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, and by doing so destroyed the power of Death and the grave. As it says in I Peter 2:24 ” He bore our sins in His body on the tree so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.” Jesus came to do His Father’s Will…once, for all.
Matthew 26:31 ” Then Jesus told them, ‘This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ “
For three years Jesus had lived, laughed, worked, and traveled with His disciples, but now they couldn’t believe their ears when He told them they were all going to abandon Him. The scripture Jesus is quoting comes from Zechariah 13:7 ” Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me! declares the Lord Almighty. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.” He was using Old Testament prophecy to foretell what was about to happen…even if all the disciples insisted otherwise. As they sat around the table, none of them could imagine what He was telling them would come true in a few short hours…none of them could envision deserting Jesus…but they all did.
Jeremiah 31:34 ” No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord.”
This scripture shows perfectly the vast difference between the Old and New Covenant. No longer would we have to be instructed about the Lord, from someone who was also instructed about Him…now, we could experience Him personally, with no middleman. No longer would we only be able to read about His love and mercy…now, we could encounter it ourselves intimately from our loving Heavenly Father. No longer would we just gaze at a painting of God longingly, wishing to know Him better….now, with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us, we have that unshakeable confidence of knowing Him profoundly. The New covenant… a covenant of peace, and personal relationship with the Prince of Peace.
Lamentations 3: 22-23 ” Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
God’s loving kindness towards us continues to work on our behalf until His plan for our life is complete. I heard it once compared to waking up each morning with a new package of Oreos on your nightstand. Delicious cookies for you to enjoy all day, but also having confidence that there would be a new package waiting for you the next morning. Our Lord’s compassion and mercy is like that…offered to us anew and afresh everyday. Never to run out, never to run dry, always steadfast, always faithful… Great is Your unwavering, unfailing love for us Lord.
Isaiah 52:7 ” How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, your God reigns.”
The watchmen on the city wall kept their eyes fixed on the horizon for the lone messenger running from battle bringing good news. In your young walk with the Lord did you have a similar person who proclaimed good news to you? They mentored you as you grew in the Lord… instructing, exhorting, encouraging, but always sharing the Good News. Now it’s your turn to be that messenger in someone elses life. Before you say,” I can’t do that”… What has the Lord done for you in your own life?… That’s Good News! What are stories of how the Lord saved you, delivered you, and brought you peace?… That’s Good News! Can you proclaim that your God reigns in the world and in your life?… That’s Good News! See, I knew you were a Messenger of God!
Hebrews 12:1 ” Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everthing that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Many races are sprints…many more are marathons. God gives each one of us unique races to run, but it’s our decision how we run them. Sometimes we see the goal clearly and sprint to the finish…other times we allow fear and indecision to drag us down, making the race a very long, exhausting, marathon. I will give you an excellent example…for probably 15 years the Lord had been speaking to me about sharing His Word with others. For a long time, I was frozen in place by fear, unable to even begin my race. Six months ago today, the Lord kicked me off the starting block, and today, by His grace alone, this Blog is being read in 25 countries around the world. My regret is that I didn’t put aside my fears, and run my race sooner. Has the Lord marked out a race for you that you haven’t started yet? I encourage you today to get rid of all that stops you from running your race, and receiving your prise.
Isaiah 64: 6 ” All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind, our sins sweep us away.”
Everyone of us are ceremonially unclean before the Lord…like a Leper, we should all be calling out- “Unclean! Unclean!”… Every moral, honorable, or pious thing that we’ve ever done, and that we’re so very proud of, is like a foul obscenity in God’s eyes. Our right standing with Him has nothing at all to do with us, or our works. Those good works will get us no where. Sadly, All those misdeeds- those sins, and their consequences- the results of sin, will slowly wither us up, from the inside out, until we are finally carried off by the tempest of sin…far from God.
Philippians 2: 1-2 ” If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and purpose.”
The Apostle Paul was asking the people to examine their own lives and personal relationship with the Lord… and then to turn that outwards towards others. He was exhorting the Church in Philippi to be joined together as one community of life and love, having the same mindset as they moved forward. Paul was using the example of Christ’s unconditional love, mercy, and compassion towards them as a catalyst to spur them on to imitate Christ within and outside the church walls. Even today, we could benefit from Paul’s appeal…all being like-minded in love and purpose as the Church moves forward into the future.
Psalm 9: 9-10 ” The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
God is that shelter from danger…He is that fortress where we can flee to be safe from attack. If we have a relationship with the Lord, our trust and confidence will be in Him and Him alone…knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will never abandon us in the middle of the turmoil. Trust Him to be that citadel of strength and power when worries and distress come into your life…seek Him always as your safe haven.
Safetypinlove 