“It Is Finished!”

“He will swallow up death in victory, and the LORD God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people he shall take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 25.8

There is coming a day when no heart aches shall come, no more clouds in the sky. No more tears to dim the eye. All is peace forever more on that happy golden shore. What a day, glorious day that will be. (Jim Hill) “He will swallow up death in victory … ” That is what we will celebrate tomorrow on Easter. When the Roman government sealed the tomb Satan said, “Gotcha!” But when the stone was rolled away and there was no body found, God said, “No, I gotcha!”

I don’t know anyone who hasn’t experienced the shedding of tears over the passing of a loved one. That is the most natural response in the world. Much love brings many tears. But one of these days, “the LORD God will wipe away tears from off all faces … ” The Bible doesn’t say there won’t be any tears in heaven. It says that God will wipe away all tears. If you are like me, you are looking forward to that time. The resilient cry from the cross in John 19.30 rings loud and clear even today: “It is finished!” Remember? He swallowed up death in victory! That cry was the cry of victory.

Today it seems that Christ-followers are ridiculed and made fun of in almost every arena of our culture. We have excluded God from just about every place that we can, and then we wonder why He doesn’t stop the horrible events that are going on in our world. Friend, one day “ … the rebuke of his people he shall take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.” I’m just waiting! How about you? Just my thoughts …

What Do YOU See On the Cross?

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. (8) But God commendeth his love toward us, is that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5.6-8

If these verses don’t speak to you here at Easter time, they never will. “ … while we were yet sinners … ” I am so moved by God’s compassionate heart. God knew there was absolutely nothing that I could do to deal with my own sin. He also knew that His Son, the only perfect sacrifice, was the only One who could satisfy His demand for absolute righteousness. And so the cross loomed before Christ as He knelt in Gethsemane and prayed. In a matter of hours He would hang on a Roman cross to die for “the sins of the world.” I am constantly amazed at those who think Christ’s death was for a select few. Remember, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackenss; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ” This verse does not require interpretation. It does require that we believe it. “any should perish” and “all should come to repentance” seem like pretty clear statements to me.

“God commendeth his love toward us, is that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Commendeth … to deliver, to hand over, to assign. God the Father said, “Do you see my Son handing on that cross? That is the greatest demonstration of my live that I can make. I am delivering my love to you through the death of my Son.” How dare we look lightly on that love and think that somehow we deserve it. It is a give of grace and an act of mercy on the part of a loving God. Just my thoughts …

Real Healing!

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53.5

Everything Jesus experienced prior too, and leading up to, and on the cross was for us. Before the foundation of the world God the Father established what would be required to redeem mankind, once he fell into sin. God did not have to hastily put together a plan to redeem Adam and Eve once they sinned. Genesis 3.15 was truth before time began: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” This phrase, “bruise his heel”, was a foreshadowing of the cross. Crucifixion is the only death known that bruise the heel of its victim. He was wounded and He was bruised, and “the chastisement of our peace was upon him … ” One translation says, “upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace … ”

Let’s give attention for a moment to a phrase that is frequently understood. That phrase is: “with his stripes we are healed.” There are some who believe this is a reference to physical healing. They claim physical healing on the basis of the strength of their faith. But the context is clearly speaking about spiritual healing. Transgressions and iniquities are a reference to our sin problem. Why would the verse suddenly change the context of its thinking and make the last verse apply to physical healing? I would ask this … if this is a reference to physical healing, why isn’t everyone who is saved completely free of any kind of disease or sickness? You and I all know believers who suffer with all kinds of sickness and disease. Maybe we ourselves are suffering. I am simply glad to know that with His stripes my sinful transgression and iniquities have been healed through the cross. Just my thoughts …

Living Like We Are Really Alive!

“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quickened your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8.10-11

The whole premise of Romans 8 is the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. We know that struggle exists. Paul makes the declaration here that as far as the physical body is concerned, it is dead in response to sin. If something or someone is dead, it has no ability to respond to anything. In stark contrast is the spirit within us (our spirit) that has the ability to respond to the Spirit of Christ that now dwells within us since we received Christ as savior.

Look carefully: “he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quickened your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Let me ask the obvious question. Since He has quickened our mortal bodies, what is the purpose for which we have been quickened (made alive)? God’s purpose never changes. He longs for every one of His children to live in such a way that He is glorified through them. Since the battle of the flesh and the spirit has already been won, the next step is up to us. We must choose to live in such a way that He is glorified in and through us. I know it seems that I dwell on this subject a lot, but I am fearful that so many of God’s children do not see the imperative of glorifying our Heavenly Father in our daily lives. To me, it is not an option. It is an imperative. Let’s live in the light of the truth that “he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quickened (our) mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in (us).” Just my thoughts …

Who Wants to Be Chief?

“And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: (28) Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give his life a ransom for many. ” Matthew 20.27-28

I can’t speak for others, but I know that for me, one of my greatest struggles is with the matter of pride. When Jesus is teaching his followers in these verses, these words are powerful words indeed: “ … whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant … “ If one wishes to be qualified to lead others, he must first learn to be a servant to others. It is easy to want to “be in charge” and tell others what to do. But unless I am willing to put myself under the authority of another, I have not earned the right to be a leader. Sometimes in churches, we find those who are self-appointed leaders who want others to look to them for direction and instruction, but they have not earned the right to be in charge because they have refused to allow anyone to be over them. Jesus challenges that mindset in the words quoted above.

Someone may ask what right He has to give those kinds of instructions? The answer is found in v. 28: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give his life a ransom for many.” Jesus personally set the example for us by ministering to others. As you examine His life experiences throughout the gospels, you find Him ministering to the needs of others over and over …healing the blind, raising the dead, making the lame to walk, feeding the multitudes, healing the lepers … you get the idea. I know He was the son of God, but I also know that he set the example for us in serving and ministering to others. We need to take the words of Jesus at fade value, as though He were speaking to us face to face. Let’s be the servant He wants us to be and let Him take care of the rest. Just my thoughts …

Lay Down in Peace? Really?

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for thou, LORD, only makest me well in safety.” Psalm 4.8

Fear is such a paralyzing emotion. It keeps us from accomplishing so much in life. So David’s words here bring me such comfort. If anyone had occasions in his life to be fearful, it was David. As a shepherd he was responsible for defending his sheep from any and all predators. He told King Saul once that he had killed a lion and a bear. But there also came a time in David’s life when he had to run for his life because King Saul was out to kill him. But here is what David knew. God had made him a promise that he was going to be king of Israel, and until that promise was fulfilled, he was safe. He could say, “for thou, LORD, only makest me well in safety.”

Recently I was working my shift as a chaplain at the hospital. I was asked to visit a patient who was fearful. When I entered the room and introduced myself, she immediately expressed her fear to me. I tried repeatedly to comfort her, all to no avail. Finally, I said to her, “Until God is finished with His work in your life, no one can harm you and you are not going to die.” Suddenly a look of peace came across her face. The realization that God was in charge of her life made all the difference in her outlook.

Tonight will you be able to lie down in peace and sleep, realizing that the Lord will make you dwell in safety? Remember, until God is finished working in your life, no one and no thing will be able to short circuit God’s plan for what He wants to do with you, in you, and through you. Just my thoughts …

Don’t Miss Your Appointment!

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91.1

The secret place – wow. I remember those from when I was a kid. We always wanted a secret place to hide so the girls couldn’t find us. Silly illustration, but the point was if it was secret, we were the only ones who knew where it was. So, where is the secret place of the Most High? If you have one, you know where it is. It is a secret that only you and God know. Is there a place or a time that is reserved for only you and God? Is that a place or a time that you cherish to be alone with God – in the secret place?

There are two particular names used for God in this verse: (1) the Most High and (2) the Almighty. The God Most High … are we realizing Who this God is with whom we are meeting? This is the God Most High. There is none higher. AND He is meeting with us in the secret place. The second name is the Almighty. The name here is El Shaddai. A literal translation is “the All-Sufficient One.” When a mother is nursing her baby, she wants to have enough milk to supply the child’s needs. God is the “big-breasted One” who has everything we need.

Walking with God doesn’t have to be a lonely experience. It simply needs to be an experience where you and I are willing to meet in the secret place of the most High and remember that we have the privilege of abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. Just my thoughts …

He Has – He Really Has!

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have over come the world.” John 16.33

Every time Jesus speaks, we need to listen. These words seem especially comforting. In fact, I don’t know when I have read words that are as comforting as these: “be of good cheer; I have over come the world.” You and I battle this world system every day of our lives. It is a constant struggle between Satan, his demons, the forces of evil, and the work that God wants to do through us.

What is it that Jesus wants us to experience in our walk with Him? Here it is: “in me ye might have peace.” He wants us to experience peace, real inward peace, all day, every day, for all time. What is it that causes us to struggle with experiencing that peace? He gives us the answer: “In the world ye shall have tribulation … ”When Jesus acknowledges that, we know that He knows the struggles we experience. We know that He cares about those struggles. And we know that he has the answer for us and it is found in this verse: “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” What is h\He saying? “I know the struggle you are going to face before you face it. I have already overcome it for you.” That is not a hollow statement with no meaning. The fact that He has already overcome this world through His life, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension simply means that I need to give Him my tribulation, my burden, my heartache, my disappointment, my distress, my emotional dilemma. He wants to handle all of them for me. He is just waiting for me to acknowledge that He has overcome the world for me and allow His victory to become my victory. That truth makes this day livable. That truth makes every day livable. So, friend, be the overcomer He wants you to be since He has already been the overcomer for you. Just my thoughts …

Despised? Why?

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Isaiah 53.3

Isaiah speaks graphically about the affects of sin on our Savior. Take note of the phrases he uses in this verse: (1) He is despised, (2) He is rejected of men, (3) He is a man of sorrows, and (4) He is acquainted with grief. When we think about the very nature of the son of God, why would men despise Him? He has a heart filled with love for the sinner. His life was one of nothing but service and sacrifice for those whom He encountered.

Rejected of men – again, my mind struggles with the idea that He was rejected. But He was. The religious leaders rejected Him. The Roman authorities rejected Him. Some of the people rejected Him because He confronted their sin. Truth be known, if I had lived then, I may have rejected Him too.

A man of sorrows – He was filled with sorrow because He knew what lay ahead of Him. He came to die. The cross was the most painful death known to mankind. The Bible speaks of His death as “even the death of the cross.” Here is the heartbreak of it all: “we hid as it were our faces from him … ” None of us likes to be reminded that we are sinners. But everyone of us is grateful that Jesus came to be the friend of sinners and to die for our sins so that we do not have to die for our sins.

We are quickly approaching the Easter season. Let me encourage you to read the account here in Isaiah 53 and express your love to God for sending His Son Jesus and then share your good news with someone who may not know how much He loves them. Just my thoughts …

Faithful God? Yes He Is!

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” Deuteronomy 7.9

Walking with God and serving God are not simple exercises that we attempt and accomplish alone. I know there are many believers who think they walk a daily walk with God all alone and the struggle seems too much for them. This verse reminds us that this God of ours is the LORD. He is the eternal Creator God. He is Jehovah. He is our personal God, and as such, he is faithful to each one of His children.

One great truth that we need to absorb is this: His faithfulness to us is not dependent on our faithfulness to Him. Praise His name for that great truth. Now, does this excuse us from a faithful walk with Him? Absolutely not! Our faithful walk with Him each day is not simply a duty. It is a joy. Do we get that? It is a joy. How can I make such a claim? Only on the basis of scripture: “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” At the risk of being redundant, do you see the phrase: “in thy presence is fulness of joy … ”? I am reminded of a story I heard. A man on the street stopped this little girl and said to her, “Little girl, I will give you a dollar if you can tell me where God is.” And the little girl shot right back, “Mister, I will give you ten if you can tell me where He ain’t.” All of us agree that God is omnipresent. So, since we are always in His presence, we can choose to have joy.

The last phrases in this verse assure us that God is not going to change His mind: “the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” Just make the choice to walk with Him today with great joy because he is faithful to you in every situation. Just my thoughts …