FreeTruth

In the space-time continuum that is human history, today we come to the fulfillment of the prophecies that had been foretold: our Savior's birth. In Luke 2:8-14 we read of the angels' appearance to the lowly shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem, to announce the Savior's birth.

Isn't it typical of God to reveal Himself to those whom the world would likely view as "insignificant"? And this revelation to the shepherds was not trivial either. Luke states that the "glory of the Lord" was around them, and that's why they were terrified. That "glory" was typically in the form of a cloud, a burning fire, or a bright light, the latter which would have been especially terrifying in the night. More than that, after the initial announcement of our Savior's birth by an "angel of the Lord," a host (probably thousands) of angels appeared to the shepherds to bring glory to God and to proclaim peace to those with which God is pleased.

The purveyors of modern culture would have no idea as to why the Savior's birth and its announcement would be to such a numerically limited and lowly audience (shepherds). I mean, listen to Judas diatribe against Jesus from "Jesus Christ Superstar": "If you'd come today you could have reached a whole nation. Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication." The announcement of such an important event as the birth of our Savior to shepherds, and the shepherds' subsequent announcement to all, is akin to having a homeless man in the streets of Port-au-Prince calling the Associated Press to let them know that there was a major earthquake in Haiti. It just doesn't make sense. Of course, to those who have been quickened by His Spirit, however, it reveals God's great mystery (Col. 2:2 ESV). "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise..." (I Cor. 1:27-29 ESV).

The "unremarkable" situation of our Savior’s birth stands as a distinct event in the course of God's plan for our redemption: through all of the prophecies of Old Testament prophets in the past, to the future (and what will be the subject of these posts in the weeks to come) in His perfect life, substitutionary atonement, resurrection, and glorification. The announcement of our Savior's birth is contrary to what we as humans in our sinfulness would consider as relevant to history (or even our own lives). In reality, it is even greater evidence that God will glorify His name in the manner which He determines. And, that's not usually the way that we would imagine that it should be accomplished: "… a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory" (I Cor. 2:7 ESV).

In this Lenten season, as believers in God's great mystery, we can take great comfort in the assurance that God works all things according to the "counsel of his will" (Eph 1:11 ESV), not the least of which was the birth of our Savior.

by Rich Cromwell

Labels: Christmas, Guest Post, Incarnation, Lent, Savior

In Micah 5:2-5 we read another remarkable prophecy about the coming Messiah. Here is what we see:

1. Micah 5a: "And he shall be their peace..." Who shall be their peace?
The one:

-Who shall come forth from Bethlehem Ephrathah.
-Who is to be ruler in Israel.
-Whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
-Whose brothers shall return to the people of Israel.
-Who shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD.
-Who shall be great to the ends of the earth.

2. "And he shall be their peace..." Who is "their" referring to? In the context of Micah's prophesy we have:

-Israel
-Gentiles
-The elect remnant (Jew & Gentile)

3. "And he shall be their peace..." What is this "peace"?
In the context (Micah's whole prophecy) peace would refer to rest and protection from their enemies. It would also refer to peace (reconciliation) with God.

-Micah 4 - "There you shall be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies...and many nations shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD"

The context of "peace" above, is mainly an earthly peace, with the nations flowing into the mountain of the Lord united (Jew & Gentile) in peace. But we also read, "we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever", which would suggest something more – eternal peace to be enjoyed by the remnant/elect of God, both now and forever.

Jesus is "the fountainhead of peace between God and man, between Israel and Israel's justly offended God, and, as the consequence, the fountain of 'peace on earth,' where heretofore all is strife" (Jamison). Jesus is "the cause and author of peace...between God and men...by the blood of his cross..." (John Gill).

As we approach Easter (Good Friday & Resurrection Sunday), feast on Ephesians 2:11-22

"...remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from...Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you...have been brought near by the blood of Christ. FOR HE HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE, who has made us both one...that he might create in himself one new man...,so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross.... And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near."

This Easter season do not focus on peace. Instead set your full attention on the One who is your peace. Some of you may have seen the bumper sticker with this simple phrase:

Know Jesus, Know Peace
No Jesus, No Peace.

This is just another way of saying, "He Himself is our peace."

by Ernie Kerwin

Labels: Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, Guest Post, Lent, peace

Isaiah 53:12 begins with that ever important word: "therefore". This follows the statement in verse 11 that the servant will make many to be accounted righteous and shall bear their iniquities. And then verse 12 says, "Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong."

This speaks of the Servant's exaltation. He receives the spoil of the victory. He receives His due reward. And as the rest of the verse emphasizes again, it is "because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."

The "therefore" at the beginning of verse 12 makes the same connection between Jesus' humiliation and exaltation as the "therefore" in Philippians 2:9. "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name..." Jesus' humiliation on our behalf is rewarded with great exaltation.

Another indication of the Servant's success is in the middle of verse 10, just after the statement that "he shall see his offspring." It goes on to say, "He shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." This is a reference to Jesus' resurrection, because even though He was crushed and put to grief, He prolongs His days.

His mission did not end in death. His Father crushed Him, but then His Father brought Him back to life and prolongs His days. He lives, and He reigns forever more!

Christ's resurrection is so essential to the Gospel, because had He not conquered the grave, His sacrificial death would have been a total failure; He would have saved no one.

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (v. 17). It was not enough that Jesus died. He had to die and then conquer death. He had to triumph over the grave. Our salvation depends upon it. Romans 4:25 says He "was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."

That verse shows us the inseparable connection between Jesus' death and His resurrection. He was raised for our justification, meaning His resurrection proved that the substitutionary death was effective. The resurrection proves that Jesus' death conquered death, and therefore purchased our justification.

This is the reason why the observance of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday is such a significant time for Christians. These are the two enormous events that have revolutionized our lives and they should be the focus of our lives every day of the year.

Jesus died on a cross for our sins, and He came back to life on the third day to demonstrate His triumph over sin and death. Jesus accomplished His agonizing mission, and then He looks out over the fruit of His labors, and He is satisfied.

by Sesky Paul

Labels: Death of Christ, exaltation of Christ, Lent, resurrection of Christ. Guest Post

"Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities."

How could God the Father have killed His own Son, let alone delight to do so? What compelling purpose would warrant this action of a seemingly utter betrayal? When Jesus was baptized, didn't the Father say, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17)? What compelled the Father to do this? And what compelled the Son to submit to this?

The purpose that the Father and the Son agreed to was the redemption of sinners in such a way that would magnify God's justice, righteousness and glory. This is powerfully expressed in Romans 3:23-26:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

This passage explains why God the Father crushed His Son, and why He delighted to crush His Son, and why the Son agreed to be crushed. Hebrews 12:2 says, "for the joy that was set before him endured the cross."

The cross was something that the Father and the Son agreed to, for the purpose of displaying God's justice and displaying God's marvelous grace. This was done "so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Romans 5:1 tells us how that we become "justified" before the Lord by faith in Christ and His work on Calvary in our place for salvation, "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

The love between the Father and the Son is immeasurable. It is infinite. The Father delights in His Son, who is "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature" (Hebrews 1:3). The Father looks upon His Son and sees the radiance of His own glory, and He delights in Him.

God the Father is satisfied in the work of His Son, and the Son Himself is satisfied. The justice and wrath of God against sin and sinners was fully satisfied by the suffering of Jesus upon the cross of Calvary, and thus Isaiah tells us that the Lord would "see it and be satisfied."

by Sesky Paul

Labels: Atonement, Cross Centered Living, Death of Christ, Guest Post, Justification, Lent

In Isaiah's 700B.C. prophecy about the suffering Servant of Yahweh--the Son of God become Lamb of God--he includes details of the passion of Christ that are striking for their accuracy, but even more so for their poignancy.

As for the accuracy of these predictions notice that the Suffering Messiah would:

1. Submit to death without argument or personal defense (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 26:59-63; Mark 14:55-61).
2. Actually die (Isaiah 53:8). This prediction of a dying Messiah made no sense to anyone looking for a mighty Deliverer, but in the wisdom of God's plan for human redemption, the Savior would have to die so that He could save.
3. Be buried in a rich man's grave (Isaiah 53:9; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50-53).

As for the poignancy of these predictions, notice that the suffering Messiah:

1. Chose death for us over defense of self. Such was His love, and resolve to die for us that He didn't even try to put up a defense.
2. Was cut off from the land of the living not having any "generation" or children (Isaiah 53:8). He did not marry or have children because He was not here for such a purpose or pleasure. He came to produce offspring of a different sort (Isaiah 53:10; Hebrews 2:10-15). He came to save a people that would be children of faith and children of God.
3. Didn't even have his own tomb. (In the end this didn't matter much of course; since a Fort Knox vault-like tomb couldn't have held Him. But still: a borrowed tomb?!)

Such is the love of the Messiah for us. As you and I reflect on the dying love of Christ, may we feel the wonder of a Savior who gave up his rights, His life, His personal pleasure, His dignity, His all, for us.

Labels: Death of Christ, Gospel, Lent

It's a familiar story, told in this instance by singer-songwriter Michael Card in his book, A Violent Grace.

A friend of mine and his buddy were sitting together in a foxhole during the Korean War. Their patrol had been assigned to sweep for concealed mines. As they sat together, sharing a candy bar, an enemy hand grenade flew through the air and landed between them. Without hesitation, my friend's partner threw aside the last piece of candy bar and flung himself on the grenade. His courage saved my friend's life.

Card adds this thought: "Jesus fell on the grenade, as it were, for me." And not just for Michael Card, but for me, and for you.

"The atonement is the work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation" (Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine). Simply put, Jesus Christ took our place.

Perhaps nowhere is this truth seen more clearly than in Isaiah 53:4-6. Take a minute to read the passage, preferably aloud. Notice the number of times in these three verses that Jesus absorbs the punishment we deserved.

"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; ...he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.... (A)nd the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Now read it again, this time putting your name in wherever there is a pronoun, "our" or "we" or "us." The truth is literally hammered home time after time: it was we who deserved to suffer and die, but Christ took our place.

This is so much more than simply saying, Jesus died for our sins. As true as that is, it fails to capture the depth and extent of the atonement's effect. Jesus Christ felt the weight of "our griefs and... our sorrows."

Why do we grieve, and why are we sorrowful? Because of sin. Because we mess up our lives by our own sin, and we suffer when sinned against. Jesus knows this, and carries that burden for us. In the process, "he was wounded" and "he was crushed."

Recall the account of his humiliation and torture and agonizing death. This was the eternal Son of God undergoing everything that I deserved and nothing that he deserved. The grenade he fell on had my name on it, and would have separated me from God forever, but Jesus willingly took that on himself.

"Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Thanks to the atonement, peace is now available--peace with God, which is our greatest need, and peace with those around us. What a gift! What grace and mercy! We have peace. We have healing. (See Matthew 8:17 for the New Testament commentary on verse 4.)

And what is our "contribution"? Isaiah answers that question in verse 6: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way." Every one--without exception. It is our sin that made the atonement necessary. Praise God for the merit of Christ, who alone could have earned our salvation!

by Tim Bowditch

Labels: Atonement, Cross Centered Living, Death of Christ, Gospel, Guest Post, Lent

"He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief..."

I recall sitting on my college bunk one evening in complete darkness, listening to this text as arranged by Handel in his musical masterpiece, Messiah. I was deeply moved that evening and I think the experience led me to a new awareness of our Lord's sufferings. There is something about the image of Christ as "a man of sorrows" that has always drawn me. It's how I most often look at him.

To truly understand this world is to be in significant measure, "a man of sorrows." Of course, no one understood life, reality, and eternity the way Jesus did. He knew the joys of heaven and the bliss of unhindered fellowship with the Father. He knew what a world without sin would look like, and just how much had been lost in the Garden. And he left heaven, to remedy the mess.

Our text for today tells us this sorrowful man was also despised and rejected by men. What an irony! Jesus was rejected by those for whom love had driven him to be "acquainted with grief." Loving the sinner is a sorrowful proposition! Were it not for his great love, he would not be that "man of sorrows." Sorrow is a function of love. Ask the parent of a wayward child--the greater the love, the greater the sorrow.

But recall, Our Lord was also "anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows." Another irony—the saddest man on earth is also the most joyful! Love and joy led Jesus to submit to the sufferings of the cross. "Who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross..."

Brothers and sisters, what a Savior!

Today, as we meditate on these words of scripture, we must understand that it was love for us that made Jesus the "man of sorrows." It was love for us that caused him to become that marred and disfigured man on the road to Calvary. Hear the words of the hymn writer, Philip Bliss:

Man of Sorrows, what a name
For the Son of God who came,
Ruined sinners to reclaim;
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Labels: Cross Centered Living, Death of Christ, Gospel, Guest Post, The Work of Christ