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| To God Be The Glory! A Place to Praise, Honor and Glorify our God! Words of Praise and Encouragement. Poems, Hymns, Prayers, Words of Wisdom, Knowledge and Prophetic Speaking |
Topic Review (Newest First)
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| 03-22-2016 05:50 PM | ||
| Ohio |
Re: Having made purification for sins, He sat down Quote:
 Restore the present day Kingdom of God in the USA!  Yeah! |
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| 03-22-2016 02:12 PM | ||
| aron |
Having made purification for sins, He sat down I love the line, "But we all thought that He was going to be the Savior of Israel." That statement, by the dejected Clopas along the side of the road, was entirely political. And it was the royal "we"; speaking for all the followers of Jesus, I daresay including (and especially!) the twelve. "Blessed is the Son of David! Hosanna to the Highest!" The crowds shouted as He entered Jerusalem. They were looking for a showdown with the true King of Israel versus the dreaded Idumean pretender Herod. And those Romans would be sent packing, as well. Hooray! No wonder they all shouted with glee! Instead there was betrayal, pain, shame, humiliation and death. And soon rumors swirled, "Some people have seen visions of angels, and heard that He was alive." (Luke 24:22, 23). Even when He was fully revealed, and His victory over death unquestionable, the political issue remained at the forefront: "Lord, are You at this time restoring the Kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). Today what amazes me most is how little we still get it. We may be ardent, burning, passionate, and faithful. But to what? Restoring the Kingdom to Israel? Perhaps... but is that all that was accomplished, there? "Having made purification for sins..." unbelievable. My brain stops. Those were my sins, there, that were purified on that cross. Unbelievable. What manner of love is this? And what kingdom was won, there? Absolutely astonishing. Beyond comprehension. |
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| 03-22-2016 01:54 PM | ||
| UntoHim |
Re: The Ballad of a Cross and a Crown And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. (Matthew 26:39) But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. (1 John 2:1) This is the ballad of a cross and a crown and the man who was so punished, though no guilt in him was found. The scoffers would mock him, This is the ballad of a cross and a crown and the man who dreaded the first, then in the garden fell down For he knew Abba FatherNo other passage illustrates the intimate relationship between the Father and the Son more than our Lord's desperate prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. The eternal fate of every creature, and indeed creation itself, hung in the balance. The god of this world had already offered all he could offer, including "all the kingdoms of the world and their glory", but he was rebuffed by our Savior with "You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." (Matt 4:8-10) Yet, in the end, it still came down to the Son submitting one final time: "not as I will, but as you will". 1 John 2:1 starts with the address: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin". Little children are precious, but they are immature and selfish. They only know about and care about their own will. Sin is natural, it comes easy for little children. Let us not be ignorant. God is still offended, and his holiness and righteousness are violated, by our sin. But God has graciously provided a mediator, an advocate, to plead our case before the Father. Who could argue our case before such a righteous Father? After all: "None is righteous, no, not one" (Rom 3:10) The Lamb that God provided for our redemption has also become "Jesus Christ the Righteous" to plead the case of the little children. to be continued - |
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| 03-21-2016 07:26 PM | ||
| UntoHim |
The Ballad of a Cross and a Crown Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 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". John 19:1-4 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34 This is the ballad of a cross and a crown and the man who was so punished, though no guilt in him was found The scoffers would mock him,As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, may we all be reminded afresh of the last week of our Savior's earthly ministry. "That the scriptures might be fulfilled" was his urgent theme. He was introduced by John the baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) The people were accustomed to the an animal sacrifice atoning for the sins of the people of Israel, but "for the world"? This was something far beyond their tradition. The Passover meal had become "Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Cor 5:7) The blood upon the doorpost before the Exodus had become "the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." (1 Pet 1:19) Finally, in Revelation it is this very same blood which "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev 7:14) "Father for given them, for they know now what they do" was ostensibly aimed at his Roman executioners, however his plea surely included Pilate, who only hours before had quizzed Jesus: "What is truth?" It included the Jewish leaders that cried out "crucify him, crucify him!". It included his very own disciples that fled the scene of the crime, including Peter, the Rock, who denied that he even knew who Jesus was. And last of all, it included you and me, and every human who has ever taken a breath of the air that has been supplied by that man on the cross. Yes, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev 13:8) has proclaimed "it is finished". (John 19:30) So finished it is. to be continued - |
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