- araratchurch
- Mar 30, 2024
- 4 min read
“The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?””
Acts 8:32-34 NLT
I was in fourth or fifth grade and we were outside on the playground playing softball. It was my turn at bat. I swung at the ball and hit it! In my excitement I threw the bat, causing it to hit a nearby metal building. The bat then bounced back, hitting one of my best friends in the head. Now, she did not lose consciousness; but she immediately sported a big “egg” sticking out on her forehead.
I can still remember how devastated I felt, knowing that I had done this to her. In fact, I was so beyond consolation that—sadly—she ended up trying to comfort me.
Why was I so bereaved? Because this was MY fault. Had my friend suffered this injury in any other way, I would still have been extremely sorry that she was hurt; but the fact that I had done this, the fact that she was suffering because of me, was almost more than I could bear.
Now, many well-meaning ministers, in describing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, seem to be aiming at provoking sympathy for the Lord. However, a while back the Lord instructed me that He is not looking for sympathy, nor does He want it. In fact, responding to His suffering with sympathy, misses the point of what He did and why He did it.
What the vision of His suffering should provoke in us, is what I experienced having been responsible for hurting my best friend’s head: extreme guilt and remorse (owning His suffering), and ultimately, repentance (sorrow for my sins that put Him there).
“He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross [willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice], so that we might die to sin [becoming immune from the penalty and power of sin] and live for righteousness; for by His wounds you [who believe] have been healed.”
1 Peter 2:24 AMP
As we shared yesterday, there are three lenses through which we must look to truly see and know Jesus.
The first of these lenses we employ today.
When we see our suffering Lord, we must see that He is suffering for our sin. We are responsible for His suffering. That suffering should have been ours.
No one forced Jesus—the I Am—to suffer and die. No, He chose to suffer in our place and give His life to provide for our salvation, a fact He made clear to His disciples.
“”I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.””
John 10:11, 15, 18 NKJV
Not only did Jesus suffer and die for us, He endured that suffering by thinking of what His suffering would accomplish.
“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.“
Hebrews 12:2 NKJV
In our opening scripture we see that the Ethiopian eunuch is asking Philip who was being referenced in the scripture about the lamb to the slaughter. He was reading from Isaiah 53 where the prophet prophetically paints a picture of our Lord and Savior as the Suffering Servant. Indeed, it is this very passage that contains one of our most beloved scriptures:
“He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.“
Isaiah 53:3-5 NKJV
Yes, in order to rightly see our Lord, we must see Him suffering for OUR sins.
Having appeared to His disciples soon after His resurrection, the Lord instructed them to look at His hands and feet.
“And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”“
Luke 24:38-39 NKJV
Here, Jesus was having them look at His hands and feet to recognize that He truly was the One Who had suffered and died, and was now alive.
We also must look at the wounds in the Lord’s hands and feet. We must see that He—in the flesh—suffered for our sins and now carries the sign of that suffering.
Ownership of the Lord’s suffering (in terms of causality) is the first step toward seeing Him clearly. As the Lord expressed to me several years ago, “In order to have a Savior, you must know you need one.”
Yes, we needed someone to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. And that’s what our Savior did in becoming the perfect Sacrifice, the perfect Lamb of God!
Friend, today, if you are suffering in some way, see Him willingly suffering on the cross for your sin. Let His suffering for you eclipse whatever you are feeling; let it lead you to the very relief and deliverance for which He suffered! Do it today!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Mar 29, 2024
- 3 min read
“Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!"”
John 19:4-5 ESV
Let us begin our word for today by considering a couple of familiar scenarios.
Have you ever been in a relationship with a person for a long time, yet came to realize that you do not really know who they are? Now, there are many complex reasons this phenomenon happens. But, for our purposes today, let it suffice to say that whether a person has a secret life into which we never entered, or they changed from who they were in the process of life and we did not follow that process, or we saw them through a “lens” we developed early on, never allowing consideration of any evidence to the contrary, that person we think we know may indeed be a “stranger” to us.
Another scenario for our consideration is the phenomenon of thinking you “know” someone, although you have only observed them from a distance, without any true personal interaction.
One situation in which we often see the phenomenon of thinking we “know” someone, without really having had a personal and reciprocal relationship with them, involves the perception of “stars” in our society.
Whether an actor or actress, a well-known sports figure, or anyone else enjoying celebrity status, we may think we know them because we “follow” them and know a lot ABOUT them.
As a matter of fact, in the case of Hollywood figures, we may even conflate roles people have played with who they are in “real” life. The true nature of the celebrity may be VERY different from the parts they have played. Indeed, we may see them in situations in real life (e.g., an interview, an unguarded moment, etc.), and be SHOCKED by seeing who they really are.
Now, how do these scenarios fit in with seeing or knowing the true Christ?
In order to truly know the Lord, we must not allow our false assumptions, what others have reported about Him, coming from a “religious” background, and/or neglect concerning our seeking of Him, make us think we know Him when we do not.
The Lord probably shocked His listeners when He spoke these words:
“”Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”
Matthew 7:21-23 NLT
The people Jesus is referencing here had no clue that disobedience to God’s law indicates the absence of a true, reciprocal, relationship with Him. And—if they had really known Him—they would have been walking in Godly fear.
Tragically, for many, it matters not how much anyone thinks they know the Lord, if He doesn’t know them, it’s a wrap.
In our opening scripture we see that Pilate presents Jesus to the Jews, telling them to look at Him. His purpose for doing so was in order for them to determine what should be done to Him. Pilate—having had a very poignant interaction with Jesus—knew that He was not worthy of death. And, he wanted Jesus’ accusers, those demanding He be crucified, to have to take a good look at the One they would condemn to death.
Now, whether we know it or not, our Lord is being presented to us through God’s word in order that we can determine what we will do with Him. Additionally, for the Spirit-filled believer, the Holy Spirit speaks the Lord’s heart to us. Our response to the invitation to truly look at our Savior, and what we do with what we have seen, will speak as to whether we know Him or not. And that, my friend, will not only determine our level of victory in this life, but also where we will spend eternity.
There are three “lenses” we will employ in our consideration of the Lord in order to truly see and know Him. We will begin our consideration of Him through these “lenses” tomorrow.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Mar 28, 2024
- 3 min read
As we observe this Holy Week leading up to Resurrection Sunday, it is fitting that we make sure we have a full and accurate “picture” of our Savior and Lord.
In preparation for our Holy Week discussion please read and meditate over these scriptures:
“Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!"”
John 19:4-5 ESV
“The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?””
Acts 8:32-34 NLT
“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.”
Romans 6:4-6 NLT
“And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. For in one place the Scriptures say, “What are mere mortals that you should think about them, or a son of man that you should care for him? Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them authority over all things.” Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.”
Hebrews 2:5-10 NLT
“See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, we are [even here and] now children of God, and it is not yet made clear what we will be [after His coming]. We know that when He comes and is revealed, we will [as His children] be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [in all His glory].”
1 John 3:1-2 AMP
Tomorrow we will begin a close examination of our Lord.
Peace to you!
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!