2021-07-23
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I’ve been commanded to write about how Jesus’ Atonement is a blessing for the faithful. But there are some directions we need to know first, from LK 21: 16-19. “You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends; they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of Me. But not a hair on your head will perish. By standing firm, you will gain life.” Christ was referred to as “Rabboni or Teacher” at the beginning of what He told His disciples. (20), “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.” That was the signal that the end times were beginning in earnest. These would be frightening times, and they were to stand their ground in faith. Remember this was Christ’s message to them and all who believe: (33, 36), “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away…Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Each day, Christ was teaching at the Jerusalem temple.
It’s important that we understand some of the things that were also going on. LK 23: 8-12, “When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see Him. From what he heard about Him he hoped to see Him perform some miracle. He plied Him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing Him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him. Dressing Him in an elegant robe, they sent Him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.”
Most of us know that the insurrectionist/murderer, Barabbas, was released. Pilate couldn’t find a reason to charge Jesus, but the crowds chanted, “Crucify Him!” over and over. As He was being dragged away, the women whaled and mourned for Him. Jesus said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me for yourselves and for your children…” Later Jesus uttered, “Forgive them (the people) for they know not what they do.” He was nailed to the cross, where He suffered for three days. At his last breath, the Spirit left Him as did His earthly life. Once taken down from the cross, Jesus’ body was wrapped in grave cloth and given the usual preparation. Joseph of Arimathea placed it in his family grave and rolled a huge rock in front of the opening to it.
Since most of us already know this story, you might ask why go over it again? It helps us to remember just how much suffering a faithfully obedient Jesus endured for us. Yes, he went to the portion of hell where it is called “paradise,” and then, the Father resurrected Him to heaven. It is this author’s opinion (since I have no proof) that Christ’s greatest suffering came while He was apart from the Father’s Spirit. His restoration was always planned by the Father, but Christ had to experience it for Himself. His faithful obedience to the Father would be rewarded with resurrection to the highest place in heaven.
Now, to why this is a blessing to each believer in Jesus Christ:
JAS 2: 22-26, “And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body with the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” God chooses His friends with care, great wisdom, and consideration. As a believer in Christ, we must follow His teaching and will be rewarded with His friendship forever. All of us must go through physical death, but none who are obediently faithful need worry they will undergo spiritual death. We will one day be glorified, i.e. taken up to heaven for a blissful eternity of fellowship with God. That is salvation, yet another blessing for being faithful in word and deed [JN 3: 16]. Lastly, there is eternal forgiveness for our sins, yet another blessing. 1 JN 1: 9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We are left with 1 PET 3: 8, “Finally, all of you live in harmony, with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” And since we’ve been discussing love, this is the greatest combination of philos = friend, adelphos =brother, and agape =the love of God [Greek] there can be. Praise and thanks be to Him!
PRAYER: O Lord, when we carefully read Your words in the Scriptures, we can realize the kinds of love shown, the enormity of Christ’s Atonement, and Your remarkable plan of salvation. More than ever, we live in a broken world and need Your intervention in our lives. We endeavor to be faithfully obedient to Your teaching and to fully recognize the agape love You have for Your children. Christ’s time apart from Your Spirit must have been the most exquisite suffering anyone has ever endured. And to think that the people allowed Him to be scourged, ridiculed, and beaten. He was hung on the cross to suffer physically more than any other human. The article in the JAMA [Journal of the American Medical Association] several years ago described what a person being crucified goes through. Scary and horrific barely describe the degree of suffering that happens. Unselfishly, Your Son allowed this to happen to Himself leading to the ultimate sacrifice He could make. In this act of faithful obedience to You, He made salvation, justification, and eternal forgiveness available to all who believe in Him. We offer You praise, thanks, our loyalty, and honor for this key portion of Your plan of salvation. We stand firm in our faith and honor You in our lives, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded to write about how our kinship with God affects our relationships. If my own experience is any example, I can say with confidence that God is watching over us. If we are obedient to His teaching, He will see to it that we experience His fairness and equity. We are all judged on the same standard without Him favoring some of us over the others. That is not the kind of treatment we get from some of our fellow humans. A family member of mine complains about how these huge corporate entities don’t care about the less fortunate and needy people in our society. Yet another relative thinks they must make money to give the goods and services they render. I listen carefully and have come to my own conclusions, that these entities need to meet in the middle and consider individual circumstances. I see famous people who have committed crimes released from prisons, even though I think they are guilty. The average criminal doesn’t get such passes to freedom. God considers the circumstances with His wisdom before making such decisions. Our prisons are like revolving doors; our system is overloaded and broken. That is what it is like when humans are making decisions. Only God’s decisions are perfect and pure. I, for one, look forward hopefully to our eternity with Him. It’s my prayer that anyone reading this devotion will be at one with what I’ve written here. Our God is great!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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