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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

LORD JESUS GAVE HIMSELF

LORD JESUS GAVE HIMSELF

Passage of ReferenceGal 1:4 who gave himself for our sins
Apostle Paul in the very introduction of his epistle to the Galatians draws an important point with the above few words. The epistle of Galatians is written to believers who were 'active' in 'doing' things for God. This went too far that they even kept the law of Moses which Christ made obsolete when He died to it. Eventually, these believers started to look at what they have done and not what Christ did, to ratify their salvation.

 God made no provision for flesh in Salvation. All boasting is excluded. Paul in this epistle had to graciously remind his readers that the phase of Man 'doing' and 'giving' things to God is over. The old testament marked by weak, erroneous, insufficient, imperfect efforts that man could give to God is of no avail. The old was all about what man could give to God; what he could give in exchange for his dying, dammed, & disdainful soul. Though the law did make provision for man to give, nothing what man could give including the blood of countless offerings was good enough.

 And this is just when light shinned through. When man is at the end of the law, grace takes over. When man could not give anything for his redemption, how wonderful that GOD GAVE! It was God who should have demanded anything from us, but He gave everything required for our salvation. And Paul in these few words illuminates this wonderful grace that Lord Jesus GAVE Himself.

 Yes Lord Jesus gave Himself. That's quite a powerful statement. Because this was only the beginning of all 'givings'. Because with Him, God has given us freely all things. Out of all the gifts that God has given, He is the indescribable gift. The gift of gifts, all other gifts in one. And all of this giving was under the backdrop of the law which demanded man to give. Just like God always does, He himself fulfilled what man couldn't.

God had envisaged the incapable, sinful nature of man to give anything in return to God. For when God decided to give, He gave even before the world began. And Isaiah the prophet wrote in this way "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is GIVEN".

The Lord himself tried to explain this to Nicodemus. Nicodemus understood the Lord as a "teacher come from God". But the Lord said something more profound, "For God so loved the world, that He GAVE his only begotten Son." With these words, The Lord drew strong lines differentiating Himself from all the prophets of the old. The prophets and teachers were all sent of God or come of God. But that's a whole lot different when God GAVE the very delight of His heart- His one and only Son. Words would fail to describe what it was for the Father to give His beloved.

The majesty of this grace shines even brighter with the next words Paul had to say - "Who gave Himself FOR OUR SINS." For when Christ sacrificed Himself, when he held back nothing and even sacrificed his unapproachable glory; it wasn't for something more precious than He himself is(for there's nothing), not even at least for the preciousness of gold or silver; but it was for the very same obnoxious and abominable sins of His eyes. Yes, his Everything for our Sins!!!

I can't possibly understand how the Lord of Glory and my shameful sins should be brought to the same pedestal? How the Father should even turn down the agonizing cry of His Son for a sinner like me? For "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Its an exchange quite un-comprehendible : JESUS for our SINS. Stark but yet true. 

Mat 20:28 -The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to GIVE his life as a ransom for many.”

Sunday, July 28, 2013

King Asa and God

* 2 Chron 15: 9 Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel *when they saw that the**Lord his God was with him.*

Many people joined the revival because of a single man ASA. When they saw Asa, His life, His behavior, his godly discipline, his pursuit of holiness and subjection of his enemies: they couldn't help but see that the LORD God was with him. It was not simply Asa, but they along with Asa were looking at God. His life became the evidence of things not seen. Through a visible Asa, the people saw the invisible God. This led to people to respond in faith and and revival was born. 

The people lived in a period when they realized no God, no teachings of priest or no law.(v3) Things they knew about God was simply vague or just on paper or in head. 

All changed when they saw the life of Asa. His life became the substance of things hoped for. His faith in God could not be evaded. His faith led others to believe. He was the light pointing out to a city build on a hill, an eternity and a world to come, another kingdom. His life became what people otherwise would not see.

*they saw:* Gen_39:3; 1Sa_18:28 ; 1Ki_3:28 ; Zec_8:21-23; Act_7:9-10, Act_9:31

For me as a Christian, I see that the Lord is not simply with me, but in me. Over the new testament, it becomes more powerful and an imperative for me as a Christian to live like Asa. It's no more me, But CHRIST IN me. Lord Jesus came to be WITH us -Emmanuel, but when He left this world, He sent His Spirit to dwell IN me. Paul says that Christ in You, the Hope of glory.  And so people around me should see Christ and the glory of eternity I hope for.  My life ought to be the evidence of things not seen and substance of things hoped for.  My transformation from one glory to another glory, even the glory of the Image of God Lord Jesus Christ should be visible. 

1 may read the bible, 99 may read Christian.- D. L Moody

Saturday, June 22, 2013

You Won't Stop Sinning till you start Hating.

You’ll never stop until you begin to see the monstrous nature of the sin you’re committing. You’ll never stop until the sin is more horrifying to you than the commission of the sin is enjoyable. You’ll need to hate that sin before you can find freedom from it. That means you need more grace. You need to cry out to be changed and to see the monstrous nature of this sin. And then you need to behave in faith that God will meet you with grace as you act to cut off the porn and begin the reset. - Tim Challies

Sunday, May 26, 2013

He Created Me, He saved me