FreeTruth

Today marks the conclusion of our 2010 Lent series, Path to Glory. We hope you've enjoyed the experience as we have reflected on our Lord's journey through humiliation into glory. Before we conclude with one final reading, I want to mention a couple of things:
1. Thanks to all who've contributed to this series. It wouldn't have happened without you!
2. Tomorrow, I plan to start a several part series tentatively entitled: Christian Grace in Political-Cultural Crisis. Based on Psalm 37 this series will present a better response to our current poltical-moral-social crises than that which I perceive in many believers today. I hope it helps.
3. But before that, one last Lent post, this one from Ernie Kerwin, calling us to know and love the risen and ascended Lord. Enjoy.


After His resurrection, Jesus had some priority reminders for his disciples. Shortly he would be ascending to his Father, so he wanted to make the best use of his time with them.

The women at the tomb were given a reminder, from angels, of something Jesus had said to them,

"'He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.' And they remembered his words."

The two on the road to Emmaus were reminded, by Jesus, from the words of the prophets,

"'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."

Then he paid a surprise visit to His disciples. He reminded them,

"'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.' Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" (Luke 23:44, 45).

Later on in the chapter He reminds them of the promise of the Father, power from on high. My focus, for this time, specifically is Luke 24:44, 45.

Here are a few questions for you, how well do you know Jesus? Would you like to know him better? Are you wondering how you can know him better?

Paraphrasing Jesus' words the answer would be "everything you want to know about me you will find in the Scriptures". Jesus once said, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me."

So, how can we get to know him better? READ THE SCRIPTURES! Intimacy with someone you love can only truly happen as you get to know that someone on an ever deepening level. How deep do you want your love to be?

Are you having trouble understanding what you are reading? You're in good company, the disciples were obviously having trouble but Jesus "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." He will do the same for you just ask "that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9b).

One last item, the things written about him "must be fulfilled". This is important because in the priority reminders of Chapter 24 it is the Gospel, which is of first importance that is proclaimed.

As you read your Bible look for Jesus. Look for the Gospel. The Gospel is not just confined to the New Testament. Dive in deep, drink deep; eat the rich Word of God.

by Ernie Kerwin

Labels: Guest Post, Lent, Spiritual disciplines

Trust but verify.

There's something of a natural born skeptic in each of us. We hate to be taken, to be gullible, or naive. We distrust.

Those few men and women who gathered after Christ's death to mourn and wait, as he had instructed, had seen a litany of miracles performed by their Master. They'd even seen the dead brought to life. But certainly the miracles of a dead miracle worker die with him. Death is the end when it's the Wonder Maker who dies.

In a time of worry and pain, surely these men and women were aware that they could be deceived. There were men ready to confuse, take advantage, and silence them. Sure, Jesus had appeared to some of them and at least for that moment they had been convinced. But each minute he was not with them must have brought renewed doubts.

Jesus knew that they were human. And he knew that dead people, generally speaking, don't reappear. If they do, it's not likely that it will be an all-together positive experience for those who witness it.

So, to calm their worries, he let them verify.

Their Master had been a man. He was still a man. Their Master's flesh had been torn. His still bore the scars. Their Master's bones had been disjointed, but not broken. He was standing on strong legs. Their Master's hands and feet had been pierced. He showed them his feet and hands. Their Master had said "I thirst." He asked for food and ate in front of them.

Jesus, the God-man was a man, and he still is. His humanity continues even as he has been glorified.

How kind of him to calm the fears of his followers. How kind of him to prove to them and to us that he is real.

As a man for thirty-three years, he learned by battling against them, what our weaknesses are. And so, he kindly met those men and women and us in that weakness and made us strong.

He called them to trust and yet he let them verify.

How good.

by Tim W. Shorey

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

Today's meditation focuses on the last of Jesus' seven sayings on the cross, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit". Like the first six sayings, this one too fulfilled the Scriptures, being a direct quote from Psalm 31:5.

This verse begins by telling us that Jesus spoke these words "calling out with a loud voice". This was no private moment between Father and Son. This was meant for all to hear. A.W. Pink comments that it was loud so "that all might hear, and that his enemies who judged him destitute and forsaken of God might know it was not so any longer".

This saying represents a transition, a contrast if you may. The Son is back in communion with the Father again after a time of being forsaken. He is no longer in the hands of men, a description of his present state used by the gospel writers. He had voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of sinners so they might crucify him to fulfill the Scriptures. He is in their hands no longer! He now delivers his spirit back into the hands of his loving Father.

This verse also speaks volumes concerning the uniqueness of Christ's death. He had boldly proclaimed that no one takes his life from him, but that he lays it down of his own accord. The Greek words used to describe what Christ did in this verse back up his assertion.

The gospel writers use words that can be translated "he dismissed his spirit", "he delivered up his spirit", and "he breathed out his spirit". All of these put Christ totally in control. At his seemingly weakest earthly moment, Jesus is still in control of his fate.

He died like the Prince of Life, choosing to dismiss his spirit like I dismiss my math class when our class period is over. He delivered his spirit to the Father after using it to complete the work the Father had given him to do. It truly was finished, his atoning work, so now he breathes out his spirit in one last sovereign act as the man Christ Jesus.

So ends our Lord's unique earthly life, one in which he lived sinless at every moment so that we might clothe ourselves in his righteousness. So ends our Lord's unique death experience, an experience which guarantees that when we come to the end of our lives, we too may commend our spirits to our Father, the loving Father of our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ.

by Scott Stengele

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

Of the seven sayings of our Lord on the cross, "It is finished" is perhaps one of the pithiest sayings of all time.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ has been viewed by all sorts, from a number of different perspectives. There were the anti-Semites who liked to blame his death on the Jews. In the early years of the 20th century, we had the liberal Protestants, who liked to see it as a noble but unfortunate event, for in their mind, this was the end of a great man called Jesus of Nazareth.

We have the modern day Arians, who deny the Deity of Christ, and view the cross as an example of personal sacrifice and nothing more (Jehovah's Witnesses). Then there were the Pharisees of the 1st century who viewed his death and said in their hearts,"good riddance".

Every Good Friday, we are reminded of this event. We do well to consider what our Lord had in mind when he uttered these words. The Scriptures clearly state that the wages of sin is death, the soul that sins shall surely die. Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Anyone who has read his Bible would know that this (death on a tree) was the death of a sinner.

Jesus spoke these words after 3 hours of darkness and just prior to his "committing his spirit into his Father's hands". What really went on for those 3 hours in the dark? What was finished? Who was Jesus speaking to? What did he mean by this?

As the sin bearer of the people whom the Father had given to him, He took their judgment upon himself. Here is exactly what was finished: a life of perfect obedience to the Law of God and the will of his Father, the redemption or purchase of his people, the propitiation or turning away of God's wrath toward his people, the reconciliation of a broken relationship between God and his people, the guarantee of a complete salvation of his people, from regeneration to glory and everything in between.

The words "it is finished" were not the words of an unfortunate victim. These were not the words of some poor man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is not the language of an exhausted, defeated man who made an attempt to be a good example to his followers.

This was a cry of victory. These are the words of triumph, the expression of one who has victoriously completed his reason for coming to earth.

Moreover, these were not the words of a frustrated man to his onlookers. These words of victory were addressed to his Father. These are the words of a man in complete control of his life, and in complete control of his death. "No man takes my life, I lay it down of my own accord."

These words were not an exclamation of self pity, but were God centered. He came to do the Father's will, and it is now finished. But, it is not finished for everyone, only for those who receive Him by faith. As one human to another, I ask you: is it finished for you? Have you rested by faith on what Christ has accomplished for sinners?

by John Roberts

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

God, forsaken by God. How can this be?

It is popular today to wink at sin, to look the other way. After all, we're only human. God will judge us on a "curve", like in school when everyone does poorly on a test. No matter how bad the outcome, surely I'm better than the next guy.

After all, no one wants to hear about an intolerant God. The soul that sins, it shall surely die? You must be kidding. How can you sell that religion on Madison Avenue? These are modern times, we need a modern god. We need to invent a more palatable god, one who is easy going. After all, Jesus loves everyone doesn't he? He won’t send anyone to hell.

But we need to look at God's holy reaction to sin in our substitute. There was no winking, no looking away. He poured out every last drop of wrath that our sin deserved. He forsook his own Son whom he loved. For sinners to ever have hope of peace with God, a price had to be paid. God had to forsake His son. In light of this, what will he do with them who are not found in Christ on the last day?

Hear the words of Thomas Kelly from over 200 years ago:

"Stricken, smitten, and afflicted, See him dying on the tree!
'Tis the Christ by man rejected; Yes, my soul, 'tis he, 'tis he.
'Tis the long-expected Prophet, David's Son, yet David's Lord;
By his Son God now has spoken: 'Tis the true and faithful Word.

"Tell me, ye who hear him groaning, was there ever grief like his?
Friends through fear his cause disowning, foes insulting his distress;
Many hands were raised to wound him, none would interpose to save;
But the deepest stroke that pierced him was the stroke that Justice gave.

"Ye who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great
Here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the Sacrifice appointed, see who bears the awful load;
'Tis the Word, the Lord's Anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.

"Here we have a firm foundation, here the refuge of the lost;
Christ's the Rock of our salvation, His the name of which we boast.
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded who on him their hope have built."

by John Roberts

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

Of the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross, many have viewed this as the least of them. When one takes a closer look, just the opposite is true.

The crucifixion of our Lord, was not the agony and death of a mere man, it was a supernatural event. Our Saviors "thirst" was much more than physical. Three things point to this.

Firstly: this is the only utterance on the cross that references Christ's physical suffering or discomfort. The physical suffering was not the major way in which he suffered. We tend to focus on the physical.

Suffering the divine wrath of God was the real issue. As men, we can never really comprehend this concept of the wrath of God, let alone it's outpouring on God's son, our Lord. This shows us something of the dignity and composure of our Lord, even on the cross. His only personal reference was, "I thirst".

Secondly: this was more than a natural thirst. You remember that there were 3 hours of daylight suffering followed by 3 hours of darkness. Many looked on at his physical sufferings and were moved by them. It's during the 3 hours of darkness that our Lord absorbs the full wrath of God for our sins.

Now he is not suffering at the hand of men, but at the hand of his Father. God rightly hid this from the face of men. They would not have been able to bear it. Here, in the darkness, was this amazing display, not apprehendable to man. Here in the darkness was God's righteousness, his hatred of sin, his holiness, poured out in wrath upon our substitute. Here was laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

How did all this make him thirsty? Matthew 27:48 reveals that after 3 hours of darkness, He cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." It was at this time, after he had suffered the wrath of God, Matthew notes that someone put vinegar on a sponge and put it on a reed to give it to Christ to drink.

It was after suffering the wrath of the Father, the withdrawing of his "presence", that he says, "I thirst". John leaves this detail out of his account. His thirst was the agony of soul in the midst of God’s wrath. He may have had a physical thirst, but this was his real thirst: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God". "As the hart pants for the water brook, so my soul pants after You… my heart and my flesh cry out for you." His thirst was his suffering the withdrawal of his Father's felt presence.

Lastly, it was the fulfillment of prophecy. Here, in the midst of abandonment and unimaginable wrath, our Lord is careful to obey the will of His Father. This shows us that he was not simply asking for a drink, but in doing so, was zealous to do the Father's good pleasure. It was in order that the scripture might be fulfilled. He was completely conscious and rational and was still thinking about his Father's will.

Here was no victim; he died a conqueror, a finisher, a completer. Your salvation and mine is a perfect work in Christ Jesus. Do you thirst? Come to Him and receive him, He will receive you, if you truly thirst.

by John Roberts

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." As I reflected on this statement of Christ, I would like to share with you three truths concerning it: the 'promise', the 'proclamation' and the 'price' of Paradise!

First of all there is the promise itself. What makes the promise of Paradise so amazing? Well a number of things. To begin with, Paradise (fellowship with God as was experienced in the Garden of Eden) was lost through sin. As we conclude Genesis chapter 3, the immediate dilemma and question we are left asking is this, "Will sinful man ever get back to Paradise?" What we discover very quickly in the biblical storyline is that if sinners are ever to get back to Paradise then it is going to take a most miraculous work of God to do it!

So consider what a staggering promise this is! Intimate, unbroken and perfect communion with God is finally going to be realized! The great U-Turn in redemptive history is taking place! Christ is promising and accomplishing the way back to Eden!

Secondly, I want us to observe the particular state Jesus was in when He proclaimed this promise. Did you notice that Jesus is in the midst of the most intense suffering and agony anyone could endure, and yet, He is still ministering to others! An arrogant and belligerent thief who was once mocking Him (Matt. 27:44) is now seeking mercy from Him! So what did He do? Did He scorn or despise the request? Was Jesus so consumed with His own trials that He chose to disengage from caring? NO! He proclaimed Paradise…while in pain!

What an example we have before us! I know that I want to be ministered to when I am in pain. I tend to shut down from serving others in my sufferings. But Christ pours Himself out all the more through His sufferings! Although Christ was pinned to the tree and for all intents and purposes 'paralyzed', His heart and passion to keep giving was not paralyzed!

Finally, and most importantly, let's consider the price He paid to obtain Paradise. Jesus paved the pathway to Paradise through physical and soul shattering pain! Make no mistake about it. The only road that leads sinners to Paradise is the Via Dolorosa of the One who knows no sin! The Christ was thoroughly and completely crushed. He was vexed and consumed in every way by divine wrath! Paradise with God was purchased through Christ's misery under the righteous indignation of God! The price paid to get back into Paradise is incalculable and unfathomable to the human mind.

As we celebrate this Easter season let us remember that amidst all our trials, sins and pains there is a place called Paradise awaiting us! Jesus Christ (our sin bearing substitute) promised it, proclaimed it and purchased it with His own blood!

by Steve Cassarino

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

I have long found this saying of Christ from the cross both tender and profound in its intent. Two great realities are captured in our Lord's words to his mom and to John.

First, His words exemplify tender love. Here is a son in the midst of woes and sorrows beyond expression. He is surely at a moment in which it might be understandable for him to be a bit self-focused and self-attentive. But he is not. In this moment of profound pain and suffering, Jesus is still concerned about others; in this case his mom.

She was about to be both a grieving widow (Joseph appears to have died much earlier) and a bereaved mom. Who would take care of her? Who would be her caring son (remember, to this point Jesus' brothers did not believe, leaving Mary desperately alone and in need of immediate care). Who better to care for her than John, the Lord's best friend? So Jesus provides a model here of tender care and devoted sonship.

Second, His words ensure our salvation. This one may surprise you. How do Jesus' words ensure our salvation? In this way. By making sure to care and provide for His mom at his death, Jesus was keeping the fifth commandment--to honor father and mother. This was not just a tender act of love, it was an obedient act to God.

And that matters. It matters because the sacrifice for our sins had to be perfectly obedient to God in every way. He could not leave any command imperfectly obeyed for he had to be a Lamb without moral spot or blemish. Had Jesus failed to provide for his mother and honor her even in his death, he would have failed to be perfectlty conformed to the Law of God, and therefore would have been disqualified to be a perfect sacrifice for our sins!

Yes--our salvation depended on these words and the perfect love and honor for parents that they express. Are you not glad he did this? If he hadn't, his death would have been in vain, and we'd be without a Savior still.

Thank you Jesus for loving and honoring your parents right up to the end. Because you did, I have both an example to follow and a Savior to trust. Amen.

Labels: Gospel, Guest Post, Lent, The Work of Christ

Picture the scene on Golgotha (The Skull) that day. Placed on a cross between two thieves, Jesus hung there, his body broken and bleeding. Blood flowed from his head, his side, his hands, and his feet. Roman soldiers beat him and mocked him and in his thirst when he asked for a drink, they gave him sour vinegar and then cast lots for his clothing.

Now amid this atmosphere of contempt and distrust, Jesus offered a prayer. While hanging between heaven and earth and between two thieves, Jesus called on his Father. While on the cross in excruciating pain, nails in his hands, crown of thorns on his head, the sun beating on his bruised face, exposed to the world, a spectacle stripped of all dignity, bloodied sweat mixed with saliva flowing down his hair and face, lacerations on his back, there, the rejected One (Jesus) called for God's forgiveness... not for himself, but for those who placed him there. What?

From the cross, Jesus asked for grace for those who crucified him, for those who spit on Him, beat Him with sticks, crowned him with thorns that pierced his brow. Jesus prayed for those who betrayed, denied, and deserted Him.

He pleaded for God to forgive those who taunted Him with insults, who loved their tradition and legalism more than they loved God, whose righteous indignation and religious zeal were more important than a relationship with the divine.

Jesus requested mercy for those who had waved palm branches and shouted "Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," on the previous Sunday as he entered the capital city of Jerusalem but then on Friday, they were shouting: "Crucify him! Crucify Him!"

"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," is also a statement on our behalf. We muddle through our days sometimes not knowing the hurt we bring to the Kingdom of God by our actions and speech. Our egocentric attitudes look for ways to please ourselves rather than reaching out to others. Our inward focus forgets that people are watching us, hoping that as Christians we will show them a different way. How often, even today, does Jesus say about us, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do?"

In like manner we are to forgive others, whether we deem them worthy or not, even when they are unaware of what they are doing. Our response should exhibit the love of God as demonstrated on the cross. Even when the unthinkable has happened, we are to forgive. That is the action of Jesus while hanging on the cross. His taunters and detractors certainly did not deserve forgiveness, and neither do we.

My sins and your sins were nailed to the cross on that dark day when Jesus was crucified. And because we have believed in him we are a forgiven and redeemed people!

by Sesky Paul

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

"Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him."

Injustice!

Corrupt officials, false accusations, torture, illegal sentencing...Jesus' trial had it all.

One reads the account of the mockings, the tortuous beatings, and the brutal treatment of the sinless Son of God and a sense of outrage surfaces.

It's easy to feel superior to the 'ancient' Romans. You know, those primitive, less-advanced, uncivilized people of the ancient world...

But upon studying Roman law, you find that there was nothing uncivilized or uncouth about these people; rather, they were very advanced with an extremely sophisticated legal system (by the way, did you know that Scottish law is based on Roman law and is still upheld to the present day?)

So what happened to justice? Why was Jesus, after being declared innocent by Pontius Pilate, handed over to the entire Praetorium guard to be beaten almost to death and cruelly mocked and belittled, ultimately to be crucified?

Christians look to Scripture passages such as Isaiah 53, Galatians 3, and Acts 13(among many others) to understand why Jesus came to die. We understand the big picture, but sometimes it is difficult to understand why real historical figures did what they did--what was going through their minds?

Pilate watched out for his own interest. The Praetorium guard committed exceedingly wicked deeds without fear of judgment. And the crowd rejected God in the name of God (the ultimate irony!). Is this not exemplary of every society since the beginning? When confronted with God, human nature (since the Fall) rebels.

It avails us nothing to be affected by the ill-treatment of Christ or to condemn the people involved if we see not ourselves fashioning that thorny crown and laying the fiercest blows upon the Savior's cheek!

What our Savior endured for sinners!!!!!!!!!!

May we never ever cease to be humbled and amazed at the boundless love of Christ.

by Robin Lawrence

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

I greatly admire Michael Card as a writer, teacher, and musician. Therefore it's probably not unusual that my mind should immediately be driven to the lyrics in his song, "Why", in considering the manner in which our Lord was betrayed:

"Why did it have to be a friend who chose to betray the Lord?
and why did he use a kiss to show them, that's not what a kiss is for?
Only a friend can betray a friend, a stranger has nothing to gain.
and only a friend comes close enough to ever cause so much pain."

Luke 22:47 & 48 records that Judas led the arresting party to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and then, in a previously devised plan, gave him a kiss. Oh how bitter that kiss must have been when Jesus received it. It was a custom for one to greet a teacher with a kiss, but this was very different. Here was one of the twelve, who had seen the Lord through the years of His ministry, and had shared in the revelation of His Deity as well as the mundane and ordinary activities of His life, turning Him over to the mob.

We've all been "betrayed" by someone close to us at some point in our lives. We all know the gut-wrenching feeling that our stomachs experience at the moment that we realize the betrayal. It is just so hard to believe that someone we care for so much has treated us worse than a stranger. Even though Jesus, knowing all things, had already confronted Judas about his imminent mutiny at the last supper, that didn't cushion the pain. Obviously, it was part of the prophesied drama that would lead to the Cross and to our redemption, but it was the act that effectively sealed the fate of Judas.

We read in Matthew 27:3-5 that after Judas saw that Jesus was condemned to die, he tried to return his reward, the silver coins. We're led to understand that the Greek used in that passage reveals that Judas had "feelings of regret and remorse" (ESV Study Bible notes), but not the change of heart that comes with repentance. Judas couldn't change their minds. He would have had to deal with the guilt the rest of his years, so he took his own life. Another friend, Peter, also betrayed Him, but the difference between Judas and Peter is that Peter was truly repentant, and was restored.

It is a sobering thing to consider what Judas did. It should cause us to pause and consider, could we ever have committed that act? Thanks to God that it is not just our repentance but even first the desire to repent that is put in our hearts by God Himself: "he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him" (Eph 1:4). But for the grace of God, in our hearts we could be just like Judas...

by Rich Cromwell

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

Jesus spent his entire ministry prophesying of his death and resurrection. At times He passed out of men's hands because his time had not yet come; but when the time was right, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. The night that the Passover began, when the lamb was to be slaughtered, Jesus foretold his death in the upper room. He bade Judas to complete his schemes.

Hours later he went to the garden, as was his habit, where any friends or traitors might know to find him. He knew what was in the hearts of all men, and he knew what had to be accomplished to fulfill the Scriptures.

Then he prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me."

He must die or be proven a liar. He must rise from the dead or the Father's eternal decrees would fail. Yet he asked the Father for another way, and as John Calvin said, "The vehemence of desire took away from him the immediate recollection of the decree, so that he did not at that moment reflect, that it was on this condition that he was sent to be the Redeemer of mankind." Vehemence of desire? He prostrated himself on the ground that he had made, sweated blood, and an angel came to strengthen him.

After Good Friday comes triumphant Resurrection Sunday. But righteous, innocent Jesus, in the garden, dreaded the cup that was his, and justly so. He suffered beatings and mocking, execution on a filthy Roman cross, and endured the full brunt of the Father's just wrath. He died. He would have to be inhuman not to fear, and he was fully human.

"Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done."

How can the two parts of the prayer be reconciled? Can a request deviate from God's will and remain pure? How can Christ request that the eternal decree be revoked and yet not venture into sin? Again, Calvin says,

"There is a certain kind of indirect disagreement with the good pleasure of God, which is not faulty and is not reckoned as sin; if, for example, a person desires to see the Church in a calm and flourishing condition, if he wishes that the children of God were delivered from afflictions. We see how those prayers are holy, which appear to be contrary to the will of God; for God does not desire us to be always exact or scrupulous in inquiring what he has appointed, but allows us to ask what is desirable to the capacity of our senses...

"And though the Spirit of God governs us, so that we wish nothing but what is agreeable to reason, still we owe to God such obedience as to endure patiently that our wishes should not be granted."*

Christ submitted himself to his Father's will, learning and practicing the obedience for which the Father would exalt him. He restrained his feelings and gave himself into his Father's hands. He fulfilled his Father's will and conquered death to be our Savior.

by Jenn Lawrence

*John Calvin, Calvin's Commentaries Volume XVII (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009), 231-33.

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

Have you ever had someone wash your feet? I'm not sure you can fully enter into the emotion of the scene in John 13:1-15 if you have not. Recently we were discussing this scene at our care group. One of our young women commented on what it would have been like to be sitting above our Lord as he humbled himself in the position of a slave or servant to wash our dirty feet while looking up into our eyes. Could we bear such a moment?

Eight years ago as we prepared to take our youth group to Brazil I had to sit above one of the young men who had diligently served me in this project for two years. He asked to wash my feet and the emotion I felt towards him at that moment made me understand why Peter would blurt out, "Lord, you shall never wash my feet." It was deeply humbling. As tears flooded my eyes, it was actually painful having someone I cared so much about take a position of humility below me and look into my eyes.

Jesus then wraps his garment around him and sits back at the table. Were the disciples dumbfounded, in shock, having watched Jesus lovingly touch each disciple? Were they were confused? Did their hearts burn with love?

He says to them, "If I then, your Lord, and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." This act of great humility Jesus meant as a teaching tool, to be followed by his atoning sacrifice on the cross.

We are to take up our cross and follow him daily. But what about washing one another's feet or, perhaps more applicable, serving one another with the humility of Philippians 2, putting ourselves beneath the concerns of another brother or sister in Christ?

I think this example is one we all embrace in our "one anothering," yet do we remember that Judas was also one whom Jesus knelt before, perhaps looked into his face and washed his dirty feet knowing full well his dirty heart. That reality causes my heart to cry out along with John, "Behold, what kind of love is this?"

It is a self denying love, a hard love to live up to, a love that we desperately need to have infused into our hearts from our Father. It is the love that resided in Jesus as he set His face toward Jerusalem. This Lenten season, ponder this love, setting our affections upon the Lover, by grace getting beneath our brothers and sisters, taking advantage of opportunities to serve. Perhaps in the process we will be blessed to see them with the eyes of Jesus and cultivate a deeper love for one another.

Holding a feeble hand of a weak brother, encouraging the faint heart of a sister, admonishing a rebel soul back towards repentance to their loving Savior, will all result in new affections in our hearts towards one another and a greater appreciation for our Teacher who led us by His humble example as seen in John 13:1-15.

by Pat Bowditch

Labels: God's Love, Guest Post, Humility, Lent, Servanthood, The Love of Christ

It is nearly always good to eat with close friends. There is just something about enjoying a meal together that strengthens bonds and lightens hearts. It is apparent from this passage that Jesus shared that view: "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you". But there is something deeper here as well. Jesus is showing his disciples that he loves them and his love is deeper, more radical and more intense than ever demonstrated by any human in the history of the world before or since.

First, Jesus lets his disciples know the time is now very short. After this meal, he won't eat or drink again until he returns from the cross. There is an element of prophecy here, but I think more significantly Jesus is making clear that he is not a victim of circumstance. He knows what is about to happen and is not seeking to change it. He wants his disciples to know that this is not just another Passover, but represents the last time they will enjoy one together. It's as if he is saying, "Hey guys, pay attention this is important!"

Second, Jesus is demonstrating that regardless of his circumstance he will obey God his Father. He took the cup and gave thanks. He also broke the bread and gave thanks. I sincerely doubt that this was a quick formulaic prayer by Jesus to his Father. Nothing Jesus does is formulaic; that would be outside his character. His actions are always careful, intentional and with feeling. It is interesting that the Gospel writer was careful to make note of both prayers in the text. I think it may be because the author wanted to make clear that even though Jesus was under tremendous stress, he still remembered that the simple pleasure of this meal was a tremendous gift from God and love for his Father demands that he thank him for it. Jesus always had his priorities straight.

Third, Jesus shows his disciples what love really means. "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Jesus is predicting his death on the cross and is at the same time creating a ceremony to memorialize it. His body is about to be broken, not because he was a victim of the Roman Empire that was seeking to prevent a Jewish uprising, or a victim of Jewish leaders seeking to prevent a rabble rouser from diminishing their authority, but because Jesus loved us. He gave us his body and poured out his blood of his own volition so that we by his death may have life. It was entirely because of Love that he died on the cross.

This is why the celebration of the Lord's Supper should be so significant to us. It is a ceremony remembering that Jesus was a lover of our souls, and when you are loved by Jesus, you can be sure that that Love will stop at nothing. It is an all out, radical, revolutionary, extreme love that will sacrifice for you in obedience to the Father. What a Savior!

by Adam Metcalf

Labels: Communion, Guest Post, Lent

I confess that it is my tendency to be low key in my expressions of love for the people that I care about. It has been known to get me into trouble at times.

When it is not made unmistakable, love can be easily missed or overlooked.

In Matthew 26:1-13 we find a woman about whom we've heard nothing before now. From nowhere, it seems, she enters the scene with a certain prescience about what the next few days would hold for Jesus. We don't have her back-story, but what is apparent is that she had seen enough of Jesus to be fundamentally impacted by him. We know, by her actions, that her affection for her Savior had boiled over.

You don't just grab an expensive jar of perfume on your way out the door to dinner with church members and leaders thinking, "Eh, I might have need of this while I'm there. I'd better bring it along." Then while at dinner with those friends and leaders, you don't suddenly think, "Oh, I should break this jar and spend it all in an act of love."

No, she planned this event. Overcome with the joy of her Lord, she spent time considering how best she could show it. In her care and concern, in her love, she made a statement about the worth of Jesus that was unavoidable.

In the same way, God didn't suddenly think "Ah, maybe I'll send my Son down there. It might help." Nor, when Jesus was grown did he spontaneously think "Maybe if I just died, it would solve this problem." No, Father, Son, and Spirit planned before time began how to demonstrate love for us and "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Our Father planned how to show his love for us. He planned how to rescue us. He did not make it low key; he made it as obvious as a cross. He did not hold back; he spent it all.

As this woman broke the flask and poured out the perfume, God broke his Son and poured out his blood.

"Love so amazing, so divine..."

How often, when planning a way to show love to someone, do I consider the cost and rein in the concept? How often, when expressing myself, do I choose to reel it in a bit so as not to go too far. How often, when enjoying the love of my Savior, do I hold back rather than get carried away? Understated expressions of love and devotion do not change lives, they do not change worlds.

This woman didn't hold back. Neither did God.

Neither should I.

By Tim W. Shorey

Labels: Extravagance, Guest Post, Lent, Love

Matt. 21:1-11

My favorite movie scene comes from the old "Robin Hood" movie with Errol Flynn. Robin Hood and his merry men come upon some hooded travelers. After a little banter in an attempt to "take from the rich and give to the poor," one of the travelers dismounts and removes his cloak. The true King of England reveals himself and Robin Hood immediately falls to his knees in honor of the one he has faithfully tried to serve.

I love this scene because it reminds me of the day when my King will return. He won't be cloaked in a hood. Matt. 21:1-11 tells of a time when the King came under cover of human flesh. He had his "merry men" around him. In recalling this scene, John Piper says in a 1982 sermon, "There's no doubt what those disciples had in their minds what was happening at that moment because they knew their Old Testament. They knew the prophecy from Zech. 9:9-10. The Messiah has come that Palm Sunday; from here he would rule the whole world."

Piper goes on to say, "Imagine how the disciples must have felt on that first entry into Jerusalem… like soldiers ready for battle. How would he do it? Would he rush in and bring down the Roman Praetorium, or call fire down from heaven and destroy God’s enemies? What a day!"

Yes, it was a day but they were soon to find out that it wasn't the day they had in mind. Their understanding was flawed, yet it was true. This entry into Jerusalem was a foretaste of what is yet to come – more like a rehearsal. Zechariah 9 will yet be fulfilled completely. Only John notes that there were palm branches being waved and laid down as they would be for a returning triumphant warrior. Fast forward to Revelation 7:9 and again John gives us another picture, a great multitude consisting of all nations, tribes and peoples are standing before the throne and before the Lamb with palm branches in their hands.

Palm Sunday has always seemed an irony to me as doubtless many of the same crowd would shout, "Crucify him!" less than a week later. As I have contemplated this with this helpful sermon from Piper, I see it now more as the rehearsal for that day when the Coming of The King will be a final victory lap and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Until then every Sunday is a rehearsal for That Day. Dress rehearsals always supply a tremendous energy as we await the real performance. May it be so with our worship each week, because we never know whether this Sunday may be the dress rehearsal. Maranatha! Come soon Lord Jesus! The King is coming!

by Pat Bowditch

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

I was driving the day after one of our recent snowstorms. The sun was in full strength without a cloud in the sky to dim its light. The reflection of the light off the snow was so intense I was, for all practical purposes, blinded. Squinting my eyes wasn't sufficient. Pulling down the visor wasn't sufficient. My eyes couldn't take it. I couldn't see where I was going because I couldn't handle the intensity of the light. It was painful. It actually hurt to try and keep my eyes open. I had to pull off the road and buy a pair of sunglasses to try to enable myself to safely operate my car.

In Matthew's account (Matthew 17:1-8) of Jesus' transfiguration before Peter, James, and John it says, "He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light." And in Mark's account it says, "his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them." Christ's divine glory was best described as shining like the sun and intensely white.

With Jesus came two great saints: Moses and Elijah. We have another account of Moses in the presence of the glory of God. In Exodus 33 we read about Moses being shown the back of God’s glory. What was the effect that this encounter had? Moses' face shined so brightly that when he came down from the presence of the Lord the people of Israel begged him to cover his face, for they couldn't handle the reflection of the brightness of the back of the glory of God.

Peter, James, and John didn't just see two men that had been briefly been shown the back of God's glory but they saw two glorified saints that had been living in God’s presence, soaking up the radiance of the face of God. Luke's account says that Moses and Elijah "appeared in glory." Apparently, they were so glorious that Peter thought it appropriate to build three tents, or tabernacles: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

But the problem was that their glory was not their own. Their glory was simply an absorbing of the brightness of God himself. The snow that blinded me was not blinding me with its own light but the light from the sun. Moses and Elijah were glorious but they were not glorious in themselves but through the light of the Son. God's words declare this to us, "This (not just Jesus physically but I believe all the glory that they were beholding) is my Son, my Chosen One." They saw the glory of God, for they saw Jesus in his pre-incarnate glory, so glorious that he didn't just shine but he made everyone that spent time in his presence shine too.

And when God the Father spoke down from heaven affirming this to be his Son Jesus, he declared with it the only proper response that the disciples and we should have: "listen to him." Words from a God this glorious should not be taken lightly but his words need to be listened to and obeyed.

by Elliot Shorey

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

Matthew 23:37 – "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!"

Oh, I so much want to begin with the analogy of the chicken gathering her brood but think it wise to set the context of today’s verse. In the first verses of Matthew 23, Jesus delivers a scathing rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees. As a matter of fact, his exact words to them are, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees!" He not only says this once but seven times and calls them names – hypocrites(7x’s), blind guides (1x), blind fools (1x), whitewashed tombs (1x), brood of vipers (1x), and serpents (1x). Strong language for the rulers of his day. Strong warnings for those who were entrusted with the care of His chicks.

God had sent many emissaries to the people of Israel who clearly pointed them in the right way but instead they "killed the prophets and stoned those who are sent to it!" This particular group of scribes and Pharisees was so prideful that they were sure had they lived in the times of their fathers they would not have taken the same action. But we know better. Not only would they have joined in, but they would very soon kill the Son of God. Jesus knew this.

Doesn't it make you weep to see the compassion Jesus shows here for Israel (including the scribes and Pharisees), his dearly loved people yet in many ways his enemies? Can't you hear the empathy in the words "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem"? Haven't you uttered similar words over friends and family? These people hate him and yet he loves them. He loves them enough to want to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks, but they wouldn't let him.

Such imagery conjures up in my mind the very maternal instinct of a plump hen in a slight tizzy, wings stretched as far as they'll reach, corralling her babes under her body. Danger is near and they need protection or night is coming and it's time to be tucked in. Once gathered, her chicks can be barely seen because she encompasses the whole brood. While she offers a warm place of safety and rest, there needs to be a word of warning, you do not want to mess with "this chick". "Hen pecked" will have a whole new meaning.

Jesus was offering his dearly loved people, Israel, gentle yet fierce love and protection and they would not have it. Hard to imagine isn't it.

Jesus is offering the same love and protection to us through his death on the cross? Will we have it?

Psalm 91:1 -- He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

by Debbie Stengele

Labels: Guest Post, Lent, Love of Christ

Three years ago I had the privilege of sitting alone with Tim's mother as she lay dying. There had been an all-night vigil with Tim and his siblings surrounding her, but at one point I found myself alone with her for a little while. I'll never forget it. I remember holding her hand, studying it, remembering all that she had done to serve me. Then my thoughts went to Tim. She had fed him, clothed him, comforted him, disciplined him, held a book to read to him, held his hand in hers, held him in worship, and prayed for him with those hands. Hers were wonderfully beautiful hands.

Hands. They are an important part of us. There is no other part of our body that can grasp something as securely and for as long as the hands.

Isn't it wonderful that Jesus uses this image to convey His and the Father's everlasting loving care of us?

This isn't poetry. The last words Jesus spoke as He was dying on the cross were, "Into Thy hands I commit my spirit." Jesus, too, was in need of the Father's hands. A split second after breathing out his last words Jesus experienced the full wrath of God. He knew what He was in for. He knew it was all up to God the Father from that point on. As he willingly submitted to the Father he confidently placed His life in the Father's hands.

And now He sits at the Father's right hand.

What are your fears? What keeps you awake at night? What do you find yourself worrying about? What would it take to make you be completely worry-free? How secure is secure for you? How could you know for certain that you are protected from danger, disease and death? Would hiring a personal physician and health guru help?

What about your home, your family, your "things"? Are they safe? Would you think it enough protection if you owned a guard dog? Or would installing a "Broad View Home Security System" give you peace? Or would you not feel safe until you built a fully stocked underground bunker, (just as the President would use in case of disaster - surely if it's good enough for the president than surely it should be good enough for you).

In John 10:29 Jesus tell us we are safe in the hands of the Father. Sounds nice, but how can we know for sure?

We can know for sure because, "He that secured the glory of the Redeemer will secure the glory of the redeemed." (Matthew Henry). If it was true for Jesus it is true for us.

"Nothing - nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:34). Because Jesus committed His Spirit into the Father's hands, and because Jesus now sits at the Father's right hand, we can be confident that we, too, are safe in the Father's Hands. It doesn't get any better, or safer, or more secure than that.

by Gayline Shorey

Labels: death, eternal security, Guest Post, Lent, The Love of God

"You have made us for Yourself and our hearts are restless until they find peace in you." --St. Augustine

You know that feeling when you're really REALLY sleep-deprived? Heavy eye-lids, pounding head-ache, 'fuzzy' thoughts. All you can think about is collapsing into your warm, comfy bed and sleeping for about two years!

The human body craves rest, needs rest. The degree to which the body feels its need for rest differs, depending on how far removed from its last resting period it is--but it always needs rest. Rest offers a temporary fix for the body's need, but it is not lasting. Before long, the body needs more rest.

The body's need for rest really pictures for us the soul's need for rest. The human soul longs to be satisfied. It searches everywhere for rest--family, medication, entertainment, pleasure, sports, career, etc. Just like the body, the soul experiences temporary periods of rest. It isn't long however, before the nagging need for satisfying rest returns and the search for something new to fulfill us is undertaken.

This world promises us so much. At the end of the day why are we left longing for more?

Sinclair Ferguson says, "There are aches this world cannot heal because it was never meant to heal them." ("The Greatest Rest You Will Ever Enjoy")

So what, or who, is made to heal our aches and longings and anxieties and guilt?

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28)

But what makes Jesus' claim to be able to provide rest different from all of the 'false advertisers' out there?

The world puts a band-aid onto an open wound; Jesus operates on the sore and cleans out the infection. Jesus deals with the real problem of our souls' restlessness: He takes away the burden of our sins.

We spend our lives rushing to and fro to 'doctors' (media, books, education, etc.) being misdiagnosed and prescribed 'medications' (entertainment, substances, money, etc.) that do not make our symptoms disappear, but worsen. Our disease is never healed. Jesus is saying, "I'm the Master Physician. I have the cure to your disease--come to Me for healing!" And the cure is free!

Why then do so few take Jesus up on His wonderful invitation?

You have to admit that you're sick. Not just sick, but terminally ill.

Ferguson explains, "[Jesus'] invitation is to those who are conscious that they bear burdens and therefore seek help and grace and salvation for their needs. It's an invitation that someone who feels no need is never going to hear, never going to respond to." ("The Greatest Need You Will Ever Have")

When grace opens our eyes to our sick condition, there Jesus is with open arms. "I will give you rest," He says.


Jesus gives me rest. Fully-satisfying, wonder-inducing, worship-prompting rest. My rest in Jesus lies in this: I fully rely on Christ to be my righteousness before God.

The burdensome attempts at being 'religious' enough are over. The guilt over my sins is gone. My anxieties about where I will spend eternity have disappeared.

My confidence in God lies not in what I do, but in what Christ did on the cross. That is the rest that Jesus gives to all who come to Him!

by Robin Lawrence

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

Matthew tells us in Chapter 16 that "Jesus began to show his disciples" about the necessity of his sufferings and death. He begins in clearer terms than ever before to speak to them about the necessity of his going to the cross. This prompts Peter to rebuke Jesus and question the need for such talk. Looking back on this passage with the rest of the teachings of the New Testament at our disposal, no knowledgeable Christian today would argue that the cross of Christ was unnecessary. In fact, cross-centered is a good description of any true Christian.

But what about the other cross mentioned in verse 24, the one we are told to take up as followers of Christ. First century believers would surely hear this command with amazement. Taking up one's cross meant certain death to them, and a cruel, painful death at that. To take up one's cross in their day was to carry the very means of their own execution to the place of crucifixion. To make this command anything less than a command of Christ to die to everything that has to do with self would be to water down its serious message.

Jesus teaches in these verses that our death is just as necessary as His if we would be saved, for it is only those who lose their lives for Christ's sake that truly find eternal life. The message of Matthew 16 is that two crosses are necessary for us to be saved, His cross and ours. In a Christian culture which questions the necessity of taking up one's cross, and for that matter the need for discipleship in any form, may God give us grace to boldly proclaim the necessity of both crosses, and may he give us grace to follow Christ's command with a greater sincerity and sobriety than ever before.

by Scott Stengele

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

"And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days being tempted by the devil" (Luke 4:1, 2).

Most if not all of the material for this blog post was lifted directly from a sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church. Here is the link to the video: Jesus Without Sin.



First, it is important to remember, I think, that Jesus was not tempted only three times but was tempted continually for forty days. We should also remember that Jesus was fully tempted as we are yet without sin. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate that Jesus was as tempted as we are if not more so because he never relented. Imagine two weightlifters in a gym. One struggles to get the bar off his chest only to cry out for his spotter; the other presses the weight all the way up. Which one felt the full weight?

Isn't it interesting that two of the three recorded temptations that Satan offers are presented as questions regarding Jesus' identity? The first temptation, "If you are the son of God command these stones to become bread", doesn't even seem like a temptation at first glance. Jesus is more than capable of performing the miracle. It is his creation and he is hungry; so what is the issue? First, Satan is asking Jesus to use his power to feed himself. This is in direct contradiction to Jesus' mandate to lay down his life for his people. Second, Satan is trying to call the shots. Obviously when stated like this, the temptation should have been easy for Jesus to defeat. The opening that Satan uses to try to wedge Jesus from the truth is to question Jesus' relationship with God the Father.

After Satan promises Jesus the wealth and power of the world without having to experience pain and death on the cross, Satan returns to a variation of his first question. The third temptation, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here...", also seeks to find an opening in Jesus spiritual armor by questioning Jesus' identity. Why is this significant? Pastor Mark says it is because "identity determines biography." If we believe we are victims we will never accept accountability for our sin. If we believe we are damaged goods, we will never experience the full blessing of grace that God intends for us. Satan brings up the identity question two times in thirteen verses. It must be because he finds this as an effective line of attack.

Are you secure in your relationship as God's adopted son or daughter? Has Satan gotten you to doubt if you are a Christian? Remember that Satan is a liar and the father of all lies. He will say anything to separate you from the truth that we have in Christ. Remember that God our Father loves us and has given us a savior who can sympathize with our weaknesses.

by Adam Metcalf

Labels: Guest Post, Lent

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

"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

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

If you know the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion of Christ, especially as found in Matthew, a number of verses from Psalm 22 will sound strikingly familiar. The very first verse--"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"--was quoted by Jesus as he hung on the cross (Matt. 27:46). Verses 7 and 8 foreshadow the taunting by the chief priests and others (Matt. 27:39 ff.). Obviously these are unmistakable prophetic words.

There are others: the description of the soldiers gambling for Christ's clothing in verse 18 (see Matt. 27:35), and even the imagery in verses 14 and 15, which could easily apply to a thirsty Jesus hanging in agony with his weakened shoulders dislocated from bearing his weight--all these details bring to mind the picture of Christ in the six hours on that day we call Good Friday. What is amazing is that the psalm was written in about 1000 B.C., hundreds of years before the Romans would invent crucifixion!

Referring to this psalm, the ESV Study Bible has this to say:

(I)n view of its prominent place in the crucifixion story, Christian readers have found in it a description of the sufferings of Jesus. Many Christians have taken it as a straight prediction of Jesus' sufferings, as if the primary function of the psalm was to foretell the work of the Savior; others have read it as a lament in its OT context, with a "fuller meaning" revealed by Jesus' use of it. It is better to see the psalm as providing a lament for the innocent sufferer, and then to see how all the Gospels use this to portray Jesus as the innocent sufferer par excellence.

Regardless of how we approach the question of interpretation, the point is that there is something going on here that mere "coincidence" cannot explain. As believers in Christ, we can take from this a few things:

1. The Word of God is utterly dependable. It spoke prophetically of the crucifixion a millennium before God the Son would assume a physical body and undergo the agony of the cross. Therefore, it is just as dependable when it comes to prophetic words that have yet to be realized. The description of the return of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4 would be but one example. Jesus Christ is coming again.

2. When we suffer, we can know that God is "in it" for our good. He was most certainly in the sufferings of Jesus, and he is in our sufferings as well. He intends to work in them for our good.

3. Christ died for us as our Older Brother. There is another statement that is quoted, not in the Gospels, but in Hebrews. Psalm 22:22 ("I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.") appears in Hebrews 2:12, and that quotation comes on the heels of these words: "That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers." So we can know that Christ's becoming our older brother was never far from his mind, even as he hung dying for us. Understanding that, we can rejoice in the exclamation of verse 26: "May your hearts live forever!"

by Tim Bowditch

Labels: Atonement, Cross Centered Living, Death of Christ, Guest Post, prophecy fulfilled, The Love of God

One of my teachers used to say "our heredity begins in Christ." It is a powerful suggestion, and an effective counseling tool. Sadly, there are people who struggle for years, even decades, because of an unsavory heritage. I'm no psychologist, and clearly counselors and therapists play their part in bringing emotional healing to folks with troubled pasts. But there is a truth in this assertion that can overcome a host of evil. If we are "in Christ" we are members of God's family-- God is our father and Jesus is our brother! We have a brand new heritage!

I am always blessed when Pastor Tim speaks about his own father, as he did in yesterday's sermon. It seems to me that Tim's dad is an example of this idea that, in a true sense, our heredity begins with Christ. Mr. Shorey did not come from a Christian home, but the fruit of his salvation was passed on to Timothy M., and now the third and fourth generations are reaping the blessings of a wonderful inheritance in Christ.

I have a niece who lives in Minnesota. She recently changed her Facebook status to "in a relationship with..." She met a friend of her brother, who attended the same law school, and they are now taking a pre-marriage class at Bethlehem Baptist Church, where John Piper preaches. My niece is the dearest young lady! At 26 years old, she has her degrees, and has done a good deal of missions work overseas. She speaks of her Lord, and writes of her relationship with Him in wonderful ways. I know her love for God runs deeper than most her age.

But there is some concern on the part of some in her family. Why? Because the young man has only recently come to know the Lord, and isn't yet able to carefully articulate his theological positions. (At least, that seems to be the reason for concern). But he is an eager learner; very bright, and he's learning from the best there at Bethlehem Baptist.

And so, I do not share the concern that others have expressed. This young man is a part of God's family-- God is his Father, Christ, his brother! What more background do we need! And who knows... he may just turn out to be another Mr. Shorey!

Labels: Christian Heritage, Guest Post

My dear wife and I are actually away for the weekend among the Amish, and I am posting this a little early while I have internet connectivity. Tomorrow is an uncertainty (in more ways then one), so I think it best to send this out now.

I deeply love "The Pilgrims Progress", and I think the quote below is my favorite passage (alright, one of my favorites) in the whole book. This classic of John Bunyan's is an extended study in allegory form of the great Biblical doctrine of the preservation and perseverance of the saints---------i.e. all those whom God graciously and sovereignly saves will continue or persevere in faith, holiness and obedience unto Christ's eternal kingdom, because God Himself preserves them to the end (Phil. 1:6).

The gospel of God's saving grace that begins in one sense with our problem, the problem of our radical depravity, is answered by God with four sovereign initiatives: the Father's unconditional election, the Son's substitutionary atonement for the elect, and the Spirit's enliviening work of effective grace in calling the elect to saving faith in the Savior who died for them. And then finally the God who began this work does not leave His people to an uncertain future, but works in us to complete what He started.

In the gospel, Christ who saves us from our sins, is not only our righteousness, but is our sanctifier as well, keeping us in His way. Bunyan put it beautifully this way:

"Then I saw in my dream, that the Interpreter took Christian by the hand, and led him into a place where was a fire burning against a wall, and one standing by it, always casting much water upon it, to quench it; yet did the fire burn higher and hotter.

Then said Christian, What means this?

The Interpreter answered, This fire is the work of grace that is wrought in the heart; he that casts water upon it, to extinguish and put it out, is the devil: but in that thou seest the fire, notwithstanding, burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that. So he had him about to the back side of the wall, where he saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of the which he did also continually cast (but secretly) into the fire.

Then said Christian, What means this?

The Interpreter answered, This is Christ, who continually, with the oil of his grace, maintains the work already begun in the heart; by the means of which, notwithstanding what the devil can do, the souls of his people prove gracious still. 2 Cor. 12:9. And in that thou sawest that the man stood behind the wall to maintain the fire; this is to teach thee, that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in the soul."

John Newton knew of this secret work of Christ in the heart as we press on in the battle that is the Christian life, expressing it in this affecting way (at least for me, since he seems to have nailed my experience):

"As to myself, I would tell you how it is with me if I could: at the best, it would be an inconsistent account…I am a sinner, believing in the name of Jesus. I am a silly sheep, but I have a gracious, watchful Shepherd. I am a dull scholar, but I have a Master who can make the dullest learn. He still bears with me, He still employs me, He still enables me, He still owns me. Oh for a coal of heavenly fire to warm my heart, that I might praise him as I ought!"

So, here is our calling, and here is our certian promise---------

".....work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Phil.2:12-13).

How do these things affect your heart? It would truly be good to hear.

Labels: Guest Post, Perseverance of the Saints, Pilgrims Progress

For my post this week once again my focus will be on that aspect of divine truth that is of first importance--the gospel (1 Cor. 15:3-4), as I consider one of it's chief blessings. During this Valentine's Day weekend as our thoughts ponder the subject of love, generally on the horizontal plane, let us first and foremost look up and gaze upon that great love of God in granting salvation to utterly unworthy rebels such as you and I. One of the chief blessings of this great saving love as God applies it to our lives is that provision of clothing us "in an alien asbestos righteousness transparent to the glory of God that can take me (us) into the flame of that 6 trillion degree centigrade holiness and enjoy it instead of being consumed by it" (John Piper). I am afraid this will be one of my more long-winded posts, for which I apologize profusely in advance. I cannot help myself.

Are you familiar with the phrase, simul justus et peccator--Latin for: at the same time--simultaneously--righteous or just and a sinner? In this slogan from the 16th century Reformation is captured my dear readers of this blog the sweetness of the Gospel. At the very moment we by God's sovereign mercy are granted saving faith in the Savior and rest our confidence in Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins, and His perfect righteousness is imputed or credited to us by an act of forensic declaration, we are in and of ourselves sinners still. And while God the Holy Spirit now resides in us and begins from that moment to form a real righteousness within us through the work of progressive sanctification, that righteousness in this life is always an imperfect righteousness.

We are saints on the one hand because of the perfect righteousness of Christ, and on the other hand, we still sin-------though to be sure sin no longer reigns over us and we no longer live in it as those who pursue holiness. We are simul justus et peccator. And as such, and only because of such we can come before God with a pacified conscience. Folks, there is never a moment in this life when our fellowship with God does not rest ultimately upon the free forgiveness of sins and justifying rigtheousness--all because of grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone. It is always Christ's virtue, not our own, that is the ground of our acceptance with the infinite/personal God.

At the heart of the Biblical gospel is the doctrine of justification. J. I. Packer in his introductory essay to the classic work "The Doctrine of Justification: An Outline of its History in the Church and of its Exposition from Scripture", by James Buchanan, expressed the following concerning the importance of the doctrine of justification:

...the doctrine of justification by faith is like Atlas: it bears a world on its shoulders, the entire evangelical knowledge of saving grace. The doctrines of election, of effectual calling, regeneration, and repentance, of adoption, of prayer, of the church, the ministry, and the sacraments, have all to be interpreted and understood in the light of justification by faith. Thus, the Bible teaches that God elected men in eternity in order that in due time they might be justified through faith in Christ. He renews their hearts under the Word, and draws them to Christ by effectual calling, in order that he might justify them upon their believing. Their adoption as God's sons is consequent on their justification; indeed, it is no more than the positive aspect of God's justifying sentence. Their practice of prayer, of daily repentance, and of good works--their whole life of faith--springs from the knowledge of God's justifying grace. The church is to be thought of as the congregation of the faithful, the fellowship of justified sinners, and the preaching of the Word and ministry of the sacraments are to be understood as means of grace only in the sense that they are means through which God works the birth and growth of justifying faith. A right view of these things is not possible without a right understanding of justification; so that when justification falls, all true knowledge of the grace of God in human life falls with it, and then, as Luther said, the church itself falls. A society like the Church of Rome, which is committed by its official creed to pervert the doctrine of justification, has sentenced itself to a distorted understanding of salvation at every point. Nor can these distortions ever be corrected till the Roman doctrine of justification is put right. And something similar happens when Protestants let the thought of justification drop out of their minds: the true knowledge of salvation drops out with it, and cannot be restored till the truth of justification is back in its proper place. When Atlas falls, everything that rested on his shoulders comes crashing down too.

To help us think more clearly about this vital truth that is at the heart of the gospel I am including in this post a brief test for us. It consists of 10 pairs of statements concerning the Biblical teaching about justification. Read them through carefully and choose which statements reflect the teaching of Sacred Scripture. The answers are given below (but no peeking allowed).

1. (a) God gives a sinner right standing with himself by mercifully accounting him innocent or virtuous.
(b) God gives a sinner right standing with himself by actually making him into an innocent and virtuous person.

2. (a) God gives a sinner right standing with himself by placing Christ's goodness and virtue to his credit.
(b) God gives a sinner right standing with himself by putting Christ's goodness and virtue into his heart.

3. (a) God accepts the believer because of the righteousness found in Jesus Christ.
(b) God makes the believer acceptable by infusing Christ's righteousness into his life.

4. (a) If a person becomes "born again" (regenerate), he will achieve right standing with God on the basis of his new birth.
(b) If a person becomes "born again" he achieves right standing with God on the basis of Christ's work alone.

5. (a) We receive right standing with God by faith alone.
(b) We receive right standing with God by faith which has become active by love.

6. (a) We achieve right standing with God by having Christ live out his life of obedience in us.
(b) We receive right standing with God by accepting the fact that Christ obeyed the law perfectly for us.

7. (a) We achieve right standing with God by following Christ's example by the help of his enabling grace.
(b) We follow Christ's example because his death has given us right standing with God.

8. (a) God first pronounces that we are good in his sight, then gives us his Spirit to make us good.
(b) God sends his Spirit to make us good, and then he will pronounce that we are good.

9. (a) Christ's finished work outside of us and his intercession at God's right hand gives us favor in the sight of God.
(b) It is the indwelling Christ that gives us favor in God's sight.

10. (a) Only by faith in the doing and dying of Christ can we satisfy the claims of the Ten Commandments.
(b) By the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, we can satisfy the claims of the Ten Commandments.


Answers: 1 a; 2 a; 3 a; 4 b; 5 a; 6 b; 7 b; 8 a; 9 a; 10 a.

The answers given above reflect the Evangelical, and what we believe to be the Biblical teaching on this great and vital truth. The alternative statements reflect a summary of the understanding of Roman Catholicism on this doctrine. They are obviously not the same. Do we understand the difference? Does it matter? Why?

"For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Rom. 3:28).

"And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness" (Rom. 4:5).

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:6).

Labels: Gospel, Guest Post, Justification