Author: looking2jesus13

It is Finished

Bible Reading: John 19

John 19:30, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

“It is finished!”  Through the annals of history, have three more precious words ever been uttered?  A man’s dying words are said to have a powerful import.  Have there ever been more significant “dying words?”  In three words Jesus founded a message of hope, in the forgiveness of sins, which has resounded through the centuries.  

Charles Spurgeon once wrote concerning this matter: “The Son of God has been made man.  He had lived a life of perfect virtue and total self-denial.  He has been all that lifelong despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.  His enemies have been legion; His friends have been few, and those few faithless.  He is at last arrested while in the act of prayer; He is arraigned before both the spiritual and temporal courts.  He is robed in mockery, and then unrobed in shame.  He is set upon His throne in scorn, and then tied to the pillar in cruelty.  He is declared innocent, and yet He is delivered up by the judge who ought to have preserved Him from His persecutors.  He is dragged through the streets of Jerusalem which had killed the prophets and would now crimson itself with the blood of the prophets’ Master.  He is brought to the cross; He is nailed fast to the cruel wood.  The sun burns Him.  His cruel wounds increase the fever.  God forsakes Him.  ‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’ contains the concentrated anguish of the world.  While He hangs there in mortal conflict with sin and Satan, His heart is broken, His limbs are dislocated.  Heaven fails Him, for the sun is veiled in darkness.  Earth forsake Him, for “his disciples forsook Him and fled.”  He looks everywhere, and there is none to help; He casts His eye around, and there is no man that can share His toil.  He treads the winepress alone; and of the people there is none with Him.  On, on, He goes, steadily determined to drink the last dreg of the cup which must not pass from Him if His Father’s will be done.  At last He cries— “It is finished,” and He gives up the ghost.  Hear it, Christians, hear this shout of triumph as it rings today with all the freshness and force which it had centuries ago!  Hear it from the Sacred Word, and from the Savior’s lips, and may the Spirit of God open your ears that you may hear as the learned and understand what you hear!”  (Charles Spurgeon, “Christ’s Words from the Cross”).

What did Jesus mean by what He said?  What was “finished?” The Old Testament includes many types, promises, and prophecies which looked forward to Christ’s arrival, His ministry and His death for our sins.  He finished that prophetic work (Luke 24:44).  The Old Testament sacrifices anticipated the more perfect “once for all” sacrifice of Christ on the cross (Hebrews 10:1-10; 1 Peter 3:18).  He made that better sacrifice.  In His death He finished the great work He was given to do by the Father (John 17:4).  He had come to do war with the devil, at the cross He triumphed (Hebrews 2:14).

According to Matthew’s gospel upon His saying, “It is finished,” “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51).  God dramatically demonstrated the practical benefit derived from that which Christ spoke of.  The curtain of the temple was symbolic of the restricted access to God, but “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18;Cf. Hebrews 10:19-22).  Jesus finished His work so sin-rebels could be transformed into glad-hearted worshippers.  An enduring message of hope is bound up in these three precious words!  It is finished!

Lord Jesus, how we thank You for Your finished work on Calvary!  Though my sins had left a crimson stain, You washed me white as snow.  Though my burden was as a mountain of guilt, You worked to cancel out the debt I owed.  Your triumph has worked to set me free so that I might know You and love You and worship You.  May I be ever mindful that I’ve been set free to serve You, because You paid it all!

I hear the Savior say,

“Thy strength indeed is small,

Child of weakness, watch and pray,

Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

Delivered Up for Me

Bible Reading: John 18

“(He) loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).  So wrote the Apostle Paul regarding Jesus.  He spoke in personal terms regarding His Savior.  He understood that Jesus purposed in love to deliberately offer Himself up for his sins.  His testimony regarding Jesus is shared by every believer in Christ.  You and I can rejoice in the same truth, “Jesus loved me and gave himself for me!”

Jesus was well aware of “all that would happen to him” (John 18:5).  He warned His disciples of His pending suffering and death on many occasions (Mark 8:31).  He predicted Judas’ betrayal before it happened (John 13:11, 19).  He had spoken of the “cup” He would drink (Mark 10:38).  It was a cup the Father had given to him.  Earlier Jesus had labored, sorrowful of soul, in prayer concerning it.   “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).

The events recorded in John chapter 18 were not matters of mere happenstance.  They were not accidental occurrences which worked to bring about an unforeseen calamity, or supposed premature end to a “good man’s” life.  The death of the divine Son of God was according to the predetermined plan of God (Acts 2:23).  God purposed all along to send His only begotten Son to suffer and die for our sins (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).  In His cross–and in all the events which led up to His sacrifice–Jesus fully and willingly submitted Himself to the Father’s will (John 17:4).

A company of Judas-led men came “with lanterns and torches and weapons” to arrest Him (John 18:3).  It was no small group and included “a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees” (John 18:3).  They came with torches to search for him, yet He did not hide.  They came with weapons to overcome any resistance, but He did not resist.  The mere affirmation of His identity, “I am He,” caused them all to draw back and fall to the ground (John 18:6).  Nevertheless Jesus voluntarily gave Himself up and was bound by them.  Had He chosen to resist, all the armies of the world would not have been able to arrest and bind Him.  But He had already bound Himself to the will of the Father and that bond would ultimately work to bind Him to the cross.

Despite having been forewarned, Peter did not fully understand the events which were transpiring.  His response?  “He drew (his sword) and struck the priest’s servant and cut off his right ear” (John 18:10).  What was his plan?  Defeat the enemies of Christ “one ear at a time?”  Matthew’s gospel includes the rest of Jesus’ response to Peter’s ill-advised effort: “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place.  For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?  But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so’” (Matthew 26:52-54)?

Jesus could have called “twelve legions of angels” to rescue Him, but He did not.  Instead He chose to subject Himself to the Father’s will.  In so doing He fulfilled numerous, specific, and centuries-old prophecies.  The words “fulfill” and “fulfilled” are used repeatedly in the passion account to describe His obedient response.  He loved me and gave Himself for me!  Every step towards that cruel cross was fueled by His unwavering desire to fulfill the Father’s will in rescuing lost sinners like us!  

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me and giving Yourself up for me!  We are awestruck as we read of how Your loving devotion to the Father led you along on the way to the cross!  Nothing could work to deter You from finishing that which You had purposed to do!  And we are the glad-hearted recipients of Your loving sacrifice!  May our hearts ever rejoice in it! 

Jesus, keep me near the cross,

There a precious fountain,

Free to all, a healing stream,

Flows from Calv’ry’s mountain.

In the cross, in the cross

Be my glory ever,

Till my raptur’d soul shall find

Rest beyond the river.

The Suffering Servant

Bible Reading: Isaiah 53

What an amazing passage of Scripture!   Did you know the book of Isaiah was written in about 680 BC, about 700 years before Christ?  That means that all of the things spoken of in this chapter, by God through the prophet Isaiah, were spoken centuries before they actually took place.  In this chapter we find details related to the life, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus which were ultimately fulfilled to the letter.  New Testament writers referred to this very chapter many times, either quoting from it directly or alluding to truths found there.  Do you understand what this means?  In the exactness of the seven-centuries-later fulfillment of its prophecies, this revealing chapter stands as dramatic evidence of the divine authorship of the Scriptures (Cf. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)!

Much is spoken of in this chapter, but we are going to focus upon one central truth. John MacArthur made this point: “The truth of this ancient prophecy and its fulfillment in Jesus Christ answers the most crucial, essential, critical question that can ever be asked by any human being. I’m going to pile up the adjectives on you. This passage answers the most significant question any person can ask, the primary question, the principle question, the most vital question, the most weighty question, the most serious question, the most monumental question, the paramount question…How can a sinner be made right with God so as to escape hell and enter heaven?”

So what is the answer?  The words “iniquities” and “transgressions” are used repeatedly (Isaiah 53:5, 6, 8, 11, 12).  The word iniquity signifies a punishable offense against God’s law.  The word transgression has to do with deviation from the path of godly living.  Both terms speak to the reality that we fail to measure up to God’s righteous standard.  The fact we all have these iniquities and transgression is clarified in verse 8, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way.”  That verse sounds much like Romans 3:23 which declares “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  These texts universally indict us all of being guilty of sin and because of that, deserving of God’s judgment (Cf. Romans 6:23).

Seven hundred years before Christ died on that cross, the prophet spoke to His atoning sacrifice.  Note how God dealt, through Jesus, with our iniquities and transgressions.  “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.”  “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  “(He was) stricken for the transgression of my people.”  “He shall bear their iniquities.”  “(He was) numbered with the transgressors.”  “He bore the sins of many.” The Bible uses the term atonement to speak of the way God’s wrath is appeased by means of a holy sacrifice to cover sin.  We deserved God’s judgment, but in bearing our sins, Jesus satisfied the demands of God’s holiness so we can be forgiven.  Salvation is by grace through faith, as we read in Romans 3:24-25, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”  It is as the hymn says: “Guilty, vile, and helpless we; spotless Lamb of God was He; Full atonement, can it be?  Hallelujah, What a Savior!”

Lord Jesus, how we praise and thank You for Your atoning sacrifice!  We were the ones bearing the guilt of our iniquities with no means of our own to assuage our debt. How incredible that You would enter into our sin-plagued world and bear our sins, suffering the punishment we deserved!  Grant us grace that we will remain ever mindful of the great sacrifice You’ve made, that we might walk in a manner worthy of You.

What thou, my Lord, hast suffered

was all for sinners’ gain.

Mine, mine was the transgression,

but thine the deadly pain.

Lo, here I fall, my Savior!

’Tis I deserve thy place.

Look on me with thy favor,

and grant to me thy grace.

The Miracle Worker

Bible Reading: Matthew 11:1-6; John 20:30-31; Acts 2:22-24

My friend had experienced a heart attack.  His wife found him unconscious and began CPR, but he had been some time without oxygen.  He was life flighted to Portland.  He ultimately ended up at Doernbecher Children’s hospital, where they had an ECMO machine which could keep him alive.  The family was well-known and much loved and folks from around the Northwest were praying.  For some days they monitored his vital signs, hoping for some improvement.  Finally, the doctors decided there was nothing more they could do–they planned to remove him from the machine the next day.  I was with his wife when their four children came into his hospital room one-by-one to say goodbye to their unconscious father.  But God had other plans.  Miraculously, his vital signs began to show improvement that night and he survived.  He’s alive to this day!

Do you believe in miracles?  Can God do such things?  When Jesus walked the earth He did lots of miracles.  From prison John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3).  Jesus answered, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:4-6). The things prophesied in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah were all fulfilled through the ministry of Jesus.

These miracles of Jesus were of immediate benefit to those on the receiving end, but their purpose lay far deeper. The glory of Jesus was revealed through the miracles He performed. As a result, some were led to believe in Jesus. John’s gospel includes a purpose statement which speaks to this specific intent: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in the book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). Jesus’ miracles attested to His true identity and worked to elicit faith in Him.

What began in his earthly ministry, Jesus continues to this day. There are times He chooses to intervene in a situation in a miraculous way. But sometimes, as in the case of my wife’s cancer there’s been no instantaneous healing. Yet His provision of grace is a miracle too. He is worthy of our trust in all things (Cf. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9). We tend to forget, or under appreciate, the miracle which is our salvation. I once wrote of this, “The life and ministry of the believer in Christ lies in the realm of the miraculous. It is impossible for us to accomplish what God calls us to do, in the power of the flesh. It is a foolhardy enterprise to suppose we can do anything of spiritual value through human wisdom, or self-effort. It is by the Spirit, people are miraculously born again and become new creatures in Christ. By the indwelling Spirit these new creatures in Christ are miraculously transformed into Christlikeness. By the working of His miraculous power their lowly bodies will one day be conformed to his glorious body. These are miracles. And Jesus is doing such things every day. By His grace. By the Spirit. To His honor and glory!”

Lord Jesus, we stand amazed when we read of the miracles You did when You walked this earth, revealing Your glory and true identity.  How thankful we are for the truth that nothing is impossible for You!  Forgive us.  We sometimes doubt, or take Your miracle-working abilities for granted.  Indeed, it was a miracle of Your grace when You caused us to be born again, making us new creatures in Christ.  Help us to trust You to do those amazing things which we could never do on our own!

My Father is Omnipotent and that you can’t deny

A God of might and miracles is written in the sky

It took a miracle to put the stars in place

It took a miracle to hang the world in space

But when He saved my soul

Cleansed and made me whole

It took a miracle of Love And Grace

Text and Music: John W. Peterson; c1948 John W. Peterson Music Company

Here’s a link to a great video testimony by Joni Eareckson Tada, related to this, which you might find helpful: A Deeper Healing

“I AM” He Said

Bible Reading: John 6:35; 8:12, 8:56-59; 9:5; 10:7; 10:11-14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1

John’s gospel account includes seven “I AM” statements in which Jesus affirmed both His deity and His sufficiency.  These seven statements all relate to God’s self-identification to Moses in which God declared “I AM who I AM” (Exodus 3:14), a statement regarding His self-existence and eternality.  In John 8:58 Jesus said to the Jews, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”  Their response was to pick “up stones to throw at Him” (John 8:59).  Why?  Because they understood Jesus to be equating Himself with God (Cf. John 10:31-33).

In these seven “I Am” statements, Jesus, the eternal, self-existent, Divine Son of God, boldly affirmed His ability to meet all our needs. Each statement focuses on a different aspect of His provision.

A treasure trove of blessings are bound up in the person of Jesus!  To borrow the words of the hymn, “O soul are you weary and troubled, no light in the darkness you see?  There’s light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free.”  Are you distressed and afraid in the pervasive darkness which rules this world?  The light of  the world can shine into your darkness and lead you to safety.  Have you struggled to find purpose and meaning in life?  Jesus, the Bread of Life, can satisfy the deepest longings of your heart.  Have you grown weary of walking down dead end paths which lead only to trouble and heartache?  Jesus, the Way and the Truth and the Life, will bring You into a right relationship with God.  Are you fearful of what’s going to happen to you after you die? Jesus, the resurrection and the life, has conquered sin and death and He’ll do the same for you if you trust in Him.  Do you need someone to lead you and watch over you, as you journey in this trouble-filled world?  Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will watch over your soul!  Do you want your life to truly matter, bearing fruit of eternal significance? He will accomplish this in and through you  as you abide in Him.  Look to Him, weary traveler!  He lovingly calls for you to come!

Lord Jesus, there is none like You! As the self-existent, creator of all things, You alone are able to meet all our needs and satisfy our deepest longings! May our hearts gladly welcome You in Your all sufficient presence and love, in the reality of each of these wonderful truths.

Jesus, I am resting, resting

in the joy of what thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

of thy loving heart.

Thou hast bid me gaze upon thee,

as thy beauty fills my soul,

for by thy transforming power,

thou hast made me whole.

Christ’s Perfect Love

Bible Reading: John 13:1-20

They were twelve ordinary men–amongst them were fishermen, a tax-gatherer, and a political zealot. Jesus had prayed all night, some three and a half years previous, before choosing these men (Luke 6:12-16). They were just like us–far from perfect. Though they had the best of teachers–who spoke as no man had ever spoke–Jesus’ disciples were not great students. This is evidenced in their inability to understand when He spoke of His pending suffering and death. He taught and exemplified love and humility and servanthood and sacrifice, but they remained prideful and on more than one occasion argued amongst themselves as to which of them was the greatest. Any one of His miracles should have garnered in them an unwavering faith, yet there remained in them a stubborn tendency to doubt. They were so audaciously out of step with Him, in spirit and purpose, they once asked if they should call down fire from heaven on a village which had refused Him welcome! They were just like us–frail humans, subject to doubt, prone to pride, selfishness and foolhardy choices, desperately in need of someone to love them and who would never give up on them.

“He knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).  Foot washing was a common practice in those days.  The pathways were dirty.  People wore sandals.  Upon entry into a home, the lowest ranking servant would wash the feet of the guests. The day Jesus and his disciples arrived in the upper room, there was no servant to wash their feet.  Any of the disciples could have taken on the task, or they could have washed each other’s feet, but they took no initiative.  So Jesus, the Master, set aside His outer garments, tied a simple towel around His waist and set about as a servant to wash their feet.  His main concern?  To demonstrate His personal love to the twelve that they might rest secure in it.  So He washed their feet.  One of them would soon betray Him.  The others would all abandon Him.  But “he loved them to the end.”  The word translated “end” means literally, He loved them to perfection.  He never failed in His love for them.  Later, in His prayer to the Father, He would say, “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12).

Charles Spurgeon commented on this, “From Gethsemane to Golgotha, along the blood sprinkled road, you see proof that having loved his own he loved them to the end. Not all the pains of death could shake his firm affection to his own. They may bind his hands, but his heart is not restrained from love; they may scourge him, but they cannot drive out of him his affection to his beloved; they may slanderously revile him, but they cannot compel him to say a word against his people; they may nail him to the accursed tree, and they may bid him come down from the cross, and they will believe on him, but they cannot tempt him to forsake his work of love; he must press forward for his people’s sake until he can say, “It is finished.”…Standing, as it were, at the world’s end, at the grave’s mouth, and at hell’s door, the cross of Jesus reveals love to the utmost end, and is a grand display of the immutability and invincibility of the love of the heart of Jesus.”

Take courage, fellow Christian!  He chose these people and “loved them to the end.” So it is with you!  He will never leave you, or forsake you!  Nothing can separate you from His love!  How incredibly blessed we are to have such a loving Lord and Savior! And by the way, about those out of step disciples…not only did Jesus love them to the end, He later worked to transform them and Spirit-empower them to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6)!

Lord Jesus, how we praise You because Your love knows no limits and can never fail!  We stand amazed by the example of how You forged ahead to the cross despite opposition, betrayal, and abandonment.  May the Spirit open our eyes to the majesty of this miraculous love of Yours, which surpasses knowledge.  Let us rest assured in your love for us.  Let us grow up in it.  Let us walk in it!

Oh love that will not let me go

I rest my weary soul in thee

I give thee back the life I owe

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be

The Good Shepherd

Bible Reading: John 10:1-18

Years ago, while driving back to the campground near Roseburg, I came across a distressing scene.  In a pasture adjacent to the road a sheep had gotten its head stuck in the fence.  I had no idea how long it had been there, but it was bleating away, having no idea how to get out of its predicament.  Fortunately, we managed to find the owner who then rescued the poor creature.

The Bible repeatedly compares us humans to sheep.  And there’s a reason for that.  We, like sheep, tend towards making stupid choices which lead us in to trouble.  Jesus once looked upon the crowds and “had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).  Things haven’t changed much, have they?

King David had been a Shepherd.  He praised God as his Shepherd, recognizing his need to be fed, watered, and protected, and kept safe from wandering (Psalm 23). Spiritually speaking, and whether we realize it or not, we all have need of shepherding.  The problem is there are those who would pretend to be shepherds, but are instead “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”  Having no concern for the sheep, these “would-be” shepherds come only to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).  The religious leaders of Jesus’ day fit into this category, as did the false prophets and teachers of Ezekiel’s day (Ezekiel 34).

By way of contrast, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd cares for His sheep. He enters by the door and “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (10:3). Their ears are tuned to his voice and they follow him as he goes before them (10:4). He knows his sheep and his sheep know him (10:14). His love for his sheep is so strong he “lays down his life” for them (10:11, 15, 17, 18; 1 Peter 1:19). As the Good Shepherd, he came that we “may have life and have it abundantly (10:10). King David praised the Shepherd Lord, saying, “my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5). So Jesus has come so we might have the abundant life which is bound up in knowing Him; experiencing the love, joy, peace and purpose He alone can provide.

In these distressing times how good it is to know we have a Good Shepherd who loves us. In fact, he cares so much he was willing to die to save us from our sins. Peter wrote of this: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25). The word “overseer” in verse 24 has special relevance. It refers to someone who watches over, superintends, or exercises vigilant care. Jesus is your Good Shepherd. Through His saving work, He has availed to you the eternal and abundant life bound up in knowing Him (Cf. John 17:3). As Your Good Shepherd He is even now watching over your soul–everywhere and always. No one, or nothing can snatch you out of His loving hands (John 10:28)! A Good Shepherd indeed!!!

Lord Jesus, we praise You as the Good Shepherd who was willing to lay down Your life for us.  No detail in our lives is outside Your concern, as You provide for us and protect us and lead us along.  Thank You for watching over our souls and for the security of knowing nothing can work to snatch us out of Your loving hands.  Grant us grace that we, Your sheep, might listen and follow well.

Savior, like a shepherd lead us,

Much we need Thy tender care;

In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,

For our use Thy folds prepare:

Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,

Thou hast bought us, Thine we are!

The Temptation of Christ

Bible Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

Have you ever been tempted? Silly question right? Who hasn’t been? Have you ever sinned? Another silly question. Both Scripture and my own experience testify to my many sin failures. Is it not amazing thing that Jesus walked through His life and ministry in this sin-filled world without ever having sinned! As we shall see, there’s much regarding this wonderful truth for which we should be incredibly thankful!

The first event recorded by Matthew after Jesus’ baptism is His temptation. Jesus was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After He had fasted forty days and forty nights, Jesus became hungry. In the face of that weakness the tempter came…” (Matthew 4:1-3). Three times our Lord was tempted. Three times He responded by quoting Scripture. Through it all He did not sin.

Jesus never sinned.  Not then, not ever.  He “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  He never thought a sinful thought, never did a sinful deed, never said a sinful word (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15).  He perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will in every respect.  Never before, or since has there been anyone like Him.  The Devil tempted Adam and Eve and they sinned.  Sin entered into man’s existence and every other soul born since has sinned (Romans 3:23).  Yet Jesus never sinned.   O Blessed truth!

In his allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan likened our world to a “Vanity Fair ” where travelers are enticed by countless temptations.  He wrote of the temptation of Jesus: “The Prince of Princes Himself went through this town to His own country and that upon a fair day too; yea, and as I think it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited Him to buy of his vanities; yea, would have made Him lord of the fair, would He but have done him reverence as He went through the town. Yea, because He was such a person of honor, Beelzebub had Him from street to street, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that He might, if possible, allure that Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his vanities; but He had no mind to the merchandise, and therefore left the town without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities.”

Jesus knew no sin—He never sinned.  Because of this He was singularly qualified to be offered up as a substitutionary sacrifice for us, as a “lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Peter 1:19).  On the basis of His death and resurrection He provides salvation from sin in every respect–freedom from its penalty, power, and—in heaven—its presence.

“He was tempted in all things as we are” (Hebrews 4:15-16).  Yet He never sinned.  Because of this He is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses” and “come to our aid” (Hebrews 2:18).  Jesus was tempted with the temptations which are “common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13)–“the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16; Cf. Genesis 3:6).  But He, the Word, responded with the word (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).  In this respect Jesus has provided a great example.  It is as the Word, the sword of the Spirit, is treasured in our hearts that we have victory over sin (Psalm 119:11; Ephesians 6:17; 1 John 2:14; Cf. Colossians 3:16).

How precious to know in this world where sin is an ever present reality–there is One who never sinned and indeed won the victory over our greatest foe (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).  “Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

Lord Jesus, how we praise You in Your utter triumph over the forces of evil!  There’s been no one like You, either before, or since.  That you walked on this earth in sinless perfection is a precious and amazing truth!   Thank you for Your triumph at the cross, whereby You have won our salvation and victory over sin. Thank you for Your wonderful example to us in how we should respond to temptation, for it is in Your Word alone we can stand firm. Give us the strength to walk in righteousness, even as You have walked before us.

I am weak but Thou art strong

Jesus keep me from all wrong

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

The Creator of All

Bible Reading: John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 1:1-3

All three of today’s passages plainly set forth the truth that Jesus Christ is the creator of all things.  When we read in Genesis 1:1 “God created the heavens and the earth,” we tend to think of Creation as the work of the Father.  In reality the Scriptures speak to the involvement of all three persons of the Triune God.

Colossians 1:15-17 explains how “all” things were created by Christ. The word “all” is used four times in the passage, emphasizing the truth that everything which exists can trace its existence back to him. John 1:3 likewise states the matter plainly, both in the positive–”All things were made through him”; and in the negative–”without him was not anything made that was made.”

Look at Colossians 1:16. Notice what it says of Christ’s role in creation: “For by him all things were created…all things were created through him and for him.” All things were created BY him, THROUGH him, and FOR him. A good analogy of this would be the construction of a new home. I once oversaw the building of a house on a piece of property we owned, where we built our dream home amidst the trees right next to a pond. In our minds we had conceived a plan for the kind of home we wanted to build. The house was constructed BY us. There’s much labor involved in the construction of a house. We utilized many contractors. But the house was built THROUGH US via the efforts of all those who worked under my direction. The house was being built for a specific purpose, FOR us, and when it was done we moved in and enjoyed that beautiful home for many years. That house was built by us, through us, and for us. With respect to all of creation, it was created BY Christ according to his wisdom, THROUGH Christ, according to his power, and FOR Christ according to his preeminent right to occupy and rule over it.

It is as the Dutch theologian, Abraham Kuyper, has said: “When Jesus looks at his universe from his exalted throne at the right hand of the Father, and he sees the great galaxies whirling in space, the planets and the people upon this planet, and all the minute details of life here including the details of our individual lives, there is nothing that he sees anywhere of which he cannot say, “Mine!”

Colossians 1:15-18 is all about the supremacy of Christ.  He is the creator of all things.  As the head of the church and as the firstborn of the dead, He is the One who is before all things and the One who holds all things together.  The great British preacher, Charles Simeon cited Colossians 1:18, “that in everything he might have the preeminence,” and then added “And he must have it; and he will have it; and he shall have it!”  There will come a day in which every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ to be Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).  Herein lies both meaning and purpose in life, to know, love, and worship the One who not only created all things, but Who came in humility to die on a cross to rescue those whom he created!  Do you know him?  Does he have first place in your life (Cf. Romans 10:9)?

Lord, we praise You as our creator and the rightful ruler over all Your creation. Forgive us our negligence in being ever mindful of Your preeminence. As we consider these lofty matters, we are reminded of how much of our lives are devoted to things which will not stand the test of time. There will come a day in which all will be brought into subjection to You, may my heart gladly respond even now to that rich reality, for You are well-deserving of my soul, my life, and my all. Amen!

Awestruck by Jesus

Bible Reading: John 1:1-18

“We beheld His glory” (John 1:14, NKJV).  So wrote the elderly Apostle John a full half century removed from the experience he wrote about.  Much has transpired for John since those days when he and his fellow Apostles walked with Jesus.  His friends?  They’re all gone now, each having suffered a martyr’s death.  Over the course of decades of ministry, none of them could ever stop speaking about the miraculous events they had seen and heard.  From Pentecost forward, they were Spirit-led to go out to share the good news of the gospel.  Their love for Jesus compelled them to go.  And that’s the cause for which they were martyred.  They had beheld His glory–they’d been Awestruck by Jesus–and that changed everything for them!

What did they see?  We should note the term “beheld” means more than just “see.”  It speaks of a careful and deliberate vision which interprets its object.  Over the course of Jesus’ earthly ministry, His disciples were watching closely and forming an opinion about Jesus, based on what they saw.  Which brings us to the other word used here “glory,” which speaks to “the honor resulting from a good opinion.” They walked with Jesus and what they saw in Him was awe-inspiring!  

What did they see?  They saw Jesus do things no mere man could ever do.  His glory was shown through the miracles He performed.  In turning the water into wine in Cana, Jesus “manifested His glory,  And His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11).  The raising of Lazarus was the same, “so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4).  These miracles testified to the truth, Jesus was “the Only Son from the Father” (John 1:14; 20:30-31).  Jesus was no mere man, He was God incarnate.

What else did they see?  They saw Him full of “grace and truth.”  The contrast is made between Moses and Jesus (verse 17).  The Law, an expression of God’s truth, was given through Moses.  Though the Law was good, it had no power to save because men could not keep it.  “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).  As Divine attributes, grace and truth almost seem at odds with each other.  Truth can be demanding and foreboding.  Grace is giving and forgiving.  We are exhorted to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) because there’s a tendency to favor one to the detriment of the other.  Yet in Jesus both were expressed in perfect harmony, and from him “we have all received “grace upon grace” (John 1:16).  Jesus was beautiful to them in His person!

The disciples were awestruck by Jesus and their experience was transformative!  If you are a believer in Christ, you’ve had your own eye-opening experience with Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:6)!  But that was just the beginning.  The Spirit is even now working to unveil the fulness of Christ’s glory to you (2 Corinthians 3:18)!   “Lord, cause me to become awestruck by You!”  

Lord, the more time we take to behold You, the more amazed we become. Open the eyes of heart so we will see You in the beauty of Your person and perfection of Your Ways.  This world is filled with sights and sounds which attract and distract us.  Let us become awestruck by Your beauty, so nothing can divert our focus.  As we endeavor to fix our eyes on You in the here and now, keep us ever mindful of that coming day in which we will marvel at You in Your presence.  

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, 

In the light of his glory and grace