Hello everyone! The verse of the week is Mark 10:45 which states, "... The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
This is a tremendous verse that summarizes the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe it will be best (and most helpful) for us to simply meditate on the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ GAVE His life as a ransom for many. The Lord Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for our sins when He went to the cross and placed Himself under the death penalty on our behalf! Someone once said, "He paid a debt he did not owe, because we owe a debt we could not pay." The response of a person who understands and believes this marvelous truth should be, "Thank You, Jesus." I'm just going to type a few more quick verses that speak of how Jesus voluntarily gave Himself for our sins that should elicit the same response, "Thank You, Jesus."
Psalm 50:6, "I gave My back to thsoe who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting."
John 10:11, 15, 18 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep ... I lay down My life for the sheep... No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself..."
John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."
Let's resolve to be thankful people who truly appreciate what the Lord Jesus Christ has done on our behalf!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Hello everyone. Christmas is drawing near and that should make us think of 1 thing. JESUS. For the next several weeks I am going to write about verses that speak directly about Jesus and what He has done for us!
The first verse is 2 Corinthians 8:9 which states, "But you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." This is a wonderful verse that teaches us three wonderful truths.
1. Jesus was rich before He became poor! John the Baptist was 6 months older than Jesus (Luke 1:36), however, when John spoke of Jesus he repeatedly said, "He was before me" (John 1:15, 27). How could this be true? The answer is simple...
- Jesus is the Eternal Creator (John 1:1,14).
- Jesus is "the alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last" (Revelation 1:11).
- Jesus is the "I AM" who existed long before Abraham (John 8:58).
- Jesus is one with the Father (John 10:30).
2. Jesus became poor for our sakes! The Eternal Creator became poor! The Lord Jesus Christ stepped out of heaven and became a lowly man. Jesus actually became a poor man (who was homeless, Luke 9:58) and who was despised and rejected by the world and his peers (Isaiah 53:3-4). Ultimately, Jesus would humble himself to the point of dying on a cross for mankind. The Lord Jesus Christ left His throne and the glory that was rightfully His to become a man who would be mocked, beaten and murdered. He really did become poor!
3. We can be rich because Jesus of what Jesus did! The Lord Jesus Christ became poor for our sakes! Because He died for our sins on the cross we do not have to perish! Instead of standing before God and being condemned...
- We can become children of God!
- We can have an inheritance in the kingdom of God!
- We can have eternal life!
- We can look forward to the city whose builder and maker is God!
- We can look forward to kicking up gold dust!
We can do all of this because the Lord Jesus Christ became "poor" for our sakes! That is why we celebrate Christmas. That is why we should be thankful when we think of the Eternal Creator entering this world as a baby lying in a manager! He did it all for us. Let's all say, "Thank you Jesus!"
The first verse is 2 Corinthians 8:9 which states, "But you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." This is a wonderful verse that teaches us three wonderful truths.
1. Jesus was rich before He became poor! John the Baptist was 6 months older than Jesus (Luke 1:36), however, when John spoke of Jesus he repeatedly said, "He was before me" (John 1:15, 27). How could this be true? The answer is simple...
- Jesus is the Eternal Creator (John 1:1,14).
- Jesus is "the alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last" (Revelation 1:11).
- Jesus is the "I AM" who existed long before Abraham (John 8:58).
- Jesus is one with the Father (John 10:30).
2. Jesus became poor for our sakes! The Eternal Creator became poor! The Lord Jesus Christ stepped out of heaven and became a lowly man. Jesus actually became a poor man (who was homeless, Luke 9:58) and who was despised and rejected by the world and his peers (Isaiah 53:3-4). Ultimately, Jesus would humble himself to the point of dying on a cross for mankind. The Lord Jesus Christ left His throne and the glory that was rightfully His to become a man who would be mocked, beaten and murdered. He really did become poor!
3. We can be rich because Jesus of what Jesus did! The Lord Jesus Christ became poor for our sakes! Because He died for our sins on the cross we do not have to perish! Instead of standing before God and being condemned...
- We can become children of God!
- We can have an inheritance in the kingdom of God!
- We can have eternal life!
- We can look forward to the city whose builder and maker is God!
- We can look forward to kicking up gold dust!
We can do all of this because the Lord Jesus Christ became "poor" for our sakes! That is why we celebrate Christmas. That is why we should be thankful when we think of the Eternal Creator entering this world as a baby lying in a manager! He did it all for us. Let's all say, "Thank you Jesus!"
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Romans 5:18-19
The passage of the week is Romans 5:18-19 which states, "... through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free came to all men resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's offense many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous."
This is a short little passage that explains the significance of Adam and the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider...
- Adam was the first sinner.
- He offended God by breaking His law.
- He was placed under the death penalty because he rebelled against God (Genesis 3:19).
- Adam's descendants (all of us!) have followed in his footsteps.
- We have all rebelled against God.
- We are all born with sinful hearts and have all chosen to disobey God many times.
- We are all under a death sentence (judgment and condemnation) because of our guilt!
The bottom line is Adam really messed things up (with a little help from Eve!) when he rebelled against God in the garden. The great news is that Jesus Christ really fixed things when he came to earth! Just consider...
- The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed God's law (Hebrews 4:15)
- The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world (in obedience to the Father's command... i.e. "The righteous act")
- Because Jesus died for mankind we can now have the free gift of eternal life.
- Because Jesus died for mankind we can now be justified (the opposite of condemned) and do not have to fear judgment (John 5:24).
- Because Jesus died for mankind many people will become righteous!
2 Corinthians 5:21 states, "God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!" The bottom line is Jesus took my sins upon Him and graciously gave me His righteousness! We switched spots! When God looked at Jesus on the cross He saw sin (mine and yours), but when he looks at me he sees righteousness (the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!).
- It doesn't take a rocket scientists to figure out that the world is a messed up place. It also doesn't take a brilliant man to figure out that sin is the root cause of the world's problems. The good news is that Lord Jesus Christ came and fixed the problem! If you will place your faith in Him to save your sinful soul he will do it, and you will be out of trouble!
Now, just say "Thank you Jesus" and live for the One who died for you (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)!
This is a short little passage that explains the significance of Adam and the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider...
- Adam was the first sinner.
- He offended God by breaking His law.
- He was placed under the death penalty because he rebelled against God (Genesis 3:19).
- Adam's descendants (all of us!) have followed in his footsteps.
- We have all rebelled against God.
- We are all born with sinful hearts and have all chosen to disobey God many times.
- We are all under a death sentence (judgment and condemnation) because of our guilt!
The bottom line is Adam really messed things up (with a little help from Eve!) when he rebelled against God in the garden. The great news is that Jesus Christ really fixed things when he came to earth! Just consider...
- The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed God's law (Hebrews 4:15)
- The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world (in obedience to the Father's command... i.e. "The righteous act")
- Because Jesus died for mankind we can now have the free gift of eternal life.
- Because Jesus died for mankind we can now be justified (the opposite of condemned) and do not have to fear judgment (John 5:24).
- Because Jesus died for mankind many people will become righteous!
2 Corinthians 5:21 states, "God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!" The bottom line is Jesus took my sins upon Him and graciously gave me His righteousness! We switched spots! When God looked at Jesus on the cross He saw sin (mine and yours), but when he looks at me he sees righteousness (the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!).
- It doesn't take a rocket scientists to figure out that the world is a messed up place. It also doesn't take a brilliant man to figure out that sin is the root cause of the world's problems. The good news is that Lord Jesus Christ came and fixed the problem! If you will place your faith in Him to save your sinful soul he will do it, and you will be out of trouble!
Now, just say "Thank you Jesus" and live for the One who died for you (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The verse of the day is Jonah 2:8, "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."
This statement which was made by Jonah (while inside the belly of a great fish!) contains 3 important lessons for us...
1. God will graciously save any person. No one is too bad for grace! 1 Timothy 1:15 states, "Jesus Christ came into the world to saves sinners..." Jesus stated, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (Matthew 9:13). The good news the Bible contains is that God freely offers grace, forgiveness, and eternal life to all sinners.
2. Tragically, people forfeit the grace that could be theirs. God is willing to graciously save all people. However, that does not mean that all people will be in heaven. Some people (foolishly) choose to ignore God's offer of grace and eternal life. The invitation of salvation goes out to all men but all men do not take advantage of God's gracious offer. Thus, because they forfeit the grace that could be theirs they will end up perishing instead of enjoying eternal life! What a tragedy...
3. People forfeit the grace that could be theirs because they cling to worthless idols. In order to gain salvation and eternal life a person must be willing to "drop" the sins they are committing. One must "forsake his sinful ways and his sinful thoughts" (Isaiah 55:6-7). Foolishly, many people make the tragic mistake of "clinging" to sin and thus they forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jesus made this same point as Jonah in Mark 9:43 where he stated, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut if off. It would better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands and be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched..."
I will close by reminding you of the words of the Lord Jesus, "What does it profit a man if he gains the world and forfeits his soul" (Matthew 16:26). I beg you, please, do not forfeit the grace that could be yours. If you will "drop" your sins and call upon the Lord he will save you! Otherwise, you are giving up your spot in heaven!
This statement which was made by Jonah (while inside the belly of a great fish!) contains 3 important lessons for us...
1. God will graciously save any person. No one is too bad for grace! 1 Timothy 1:15 states, "Jesus Christ came into the world to saves sinners..." Jesus stated, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (Matthew 9:13). The good news the Bible contains is that God freely offers grace, forgiveness, and eternal life to all sinners.
2. Tragically, people forfeit the grace that could be theirs. God is willing to graciously save all people. However, that does not mean that all people will be in heaven. Some people (foolishly) choose to ignore God's offer of grace and eternal life. The invitation of salvation goes out to all men but all men do not take advantage of God's gracious offer. Thus, because they forfeit the grace that could be theirs they will end up perishing instead of enjoying eternal life! What a tragedy...
3. People forfeit the grace that could be theirs because they cling to worthless idols. In order to gain salvation and eternal life a person must be willing to "drop" the sins they are committing. One must "forsake his sinful ways and his sinful thoughts" (Isaiah 55:6-7). Foolishly, many people make the tragic mistake of "clinging" to sin and thus they forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jesus made this same point as Jonah in Mark 9:43 where he stated, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut if off. It would better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands and be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched..."
I will close by reminding you of the words of the Lord Jesus, "What does it profit a man if he gains the world and forfeits his soul" (Matthew 16:26). I beg you, please, do not forfeit the grace that could be yours. If you will "drop" your sins and call upon the Lord he will save you! Otherwise, you are giving up your spot in heaven!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
2 Corinthians 9:15
The verse for the week is 2 Corinthians 9:15, "Thanks be to God for the indescribable gift."
I sincerely believe the key to Christianity is being thankful. While there are many good gifts that God has graciously given to us that we all should be thankful for it is the "indescribable gift" of eternal life which comes through the Lord Jesus Christ that should compel us to eagerly serve the Lord. Just consider how great the "gift" of God really is...
1. God gave his Son so that we could have eternal life! The greatest verse in the Bible about giving is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God does not simply give a person eternal life. He gave his Son to die for mankind so that we might have eternal life. When we consider that God gave His Son for us it should make a thankful!
2. God gave his Son so that guilty sinners (that's us!) could have eternal life! Romans 5:7-8 states, "Very rarely will one die for a righteous man, though for a righteous man one might dare to die, but God demonstrated His love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus did not die for good men. He died for sinners. God gave His Son so that guilty criminals could have eternal life! When we consider that God gave His Son for us, the guilty sinners, it should make us thankful.
3. The gift of God is free! Romans 6:23 states, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." God graciously gives sinners eternal life! There are no strings attached! Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "By grace you are saved, through faith, and that not of yourself it is a gift of God, not of works so no man can boast." When you consider that God gave Jesus to die for your sins, and that you can freely receive eternal life because of Him, it should make you really thankful!
It is real easy to forget about the amazing, incredible, indescribable gift that God has given us! I hope thinking about 2 Corinthians 9:15 helps you to be thankful today!
I sincerely believe the key to Christianity is being thankful. While there are many good gifts that God has graciously given to us that we all should be thankful for it is the "indescribable gift" of eternal life which comes through the Lord Jesus Christ that should compel us to eagerly serve the Lord. Just consider how great the "gift" of God really is...
1. God gave his Son so that we could have eternal life! The greatest verse in the Bible about giving is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God does not simply give a person eternal life. He gave his Son to die for mankind so that we might have eternal life. When we consider that God gave His Son for us it should make a thankful!
2. God gave his Son so that guilty sinners (that's us!) could have eternal life! Romans 5:7-8 states, "Very rarely will one die for a righteous man, though for a righteous man one might dare to die, but God demonstrated His love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus did not die for good men. He died for sinners. God gave His Son so that guilty criminals could have eternal life! When we consider that God gave His Son for us, the guilty sinners, it should make us thankful.
3. The gift of God is free! Romans 6:23 states, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." God graciously gives sinners eternal life! There are no strings attached! Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "By grace you are saved, through faith, and that not of yourself it is a gift of God, not of works so no man can boast." When you consider that God gave Jesus to die for your sins, and that you can freely receive eternal life because of Him, it should make you really thankful!
It is real easy to forget about the amazing, incredible, indescribable gift that God has given us! I hope thinking about 2 Corinthians 9:15 helps you to be thankful today!
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