Soli Deo Gloria » Devotional

Taking the Scum Off in the Fire

Jay — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:50:22 +0000

There are several little books that are quite the treasures in my library of books. I got to thinking one day if I could only keep a handful of my books beside my Bible which ones would I keep? One such little book is called The Loveliness of Christ. It is a collection of snippets from the letters of Samuel Rutherford and it’s a goldmine of Christ centered treasures for the soul. Here are a few of these gems…

“It is the Lord’s kindness that He will take the scum off us in the fire. Who knows how needful winnowing is to us, and what dross we must want ere we enter into the kingdom of God? So narrow is the entry to heaven, that our knots, our bunches and lumps of pride, and self-love, and idol-love, and world-love must be hammered off us, that we may throng in, stooping low, and creeping through that narrow and thorny entry.”

“All the saints have their own measure of winter before their eternal summer.”

“Our pride must have winter weather to rot it.”

“Whether God come to His children with a rod or a crown, if He comes Himself with it, it is well.”

Soli Deo Gloria.

Jesus the Very Thought of Thee

Jay — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:07:03 +0000

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than Thy blest Name,
O Savior of mankind!

O Hope of every contrite heart,
O Joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, this
Nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is
None but His loved ones know.

O Jesus! light of all below!
Thou fount of life and fire!
Surpassing all the joys we know,
And all we can desire.

No other source have we but Thee,
Soul-thirst to satisfy.
Exhaustless spring! the waters free!
All other streams are dry.

Jesus, our only Joy be Thou,
As Thou our Prize wilt be;
Jesus, be Thou our Glory now,
And through eternity.

Listen to this Hymn

- Jesus the Very Thought of Thee (Bernard of Clairvaux)

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Jay — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:31:58 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy this beautiful Puritan Prayer…

O My God,Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves thee, for my little vessel is as full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for the soul thou hast created, for adorning it, for sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil; for the body thou hast given me, for preserving its strength and vigour, for providing senses to enjoy delights, for the ease and freedom of my limbs, for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding; for thy royal bounty providing my daily support, for a full table and overflowing cup, for appetite, taste, sweetness, for social joys of relatives and friends, for ability to serve others, for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities, for a mind to care for my fellow-men, for opportunities of spreading happiness around, for loved ones in the joys of heaven, for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures.Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

Crying Us Into Heaven

Jay — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:36:37 +0000

“And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:24

Christ’s blood in its cry has attributed to it here a further advantage over Abel’s blood. For Abel’s cried only from earth, from the ground, where it lay shed, and it cried only for an answerable earthly punishment on Cain, as he was a man on the earth. But Christ’s blood is carried up to heaven, for as the high priest carried the blood of the sacrifices into the Holy of Holies, so Christ has virtually carried His blood into heaven. (Heb. 9:12) This is intimated here in Hebrews 12 also, as the coherence shows. For all the other particulars (of which this is one) to which he says the saints are come are in heaven. “You are come,” says he, “to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the church of the first-born who are written in heaven, ad to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:22-23). All these things are in heaven; He names nothing that is not there. He then add, “and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaks…,” as a thing that speaks in heaven and is sprinkled from heaven, yea, a thing with which all heaven is sprinkled, as the mercy seat of the Holy of Holies was, because sinners are to come there. This blood therefore cried from heaven; it is next to God, who sites as judge there, and it cried in His very ears, whereas the cry of blood from the ground is further off. So though the cry of blood from the ground may come up to heaven, yet the blood itself does not come there, as Christ already is there. Abel’s blood cried for vengeance to come down from heaven, but Christ’s blood cries us up to heaven…

In the second place, add to this Christ’s intercession, which was the second thing propounded – that Christ by His prayers seconds this cry of His blood. So not only does the blood of Christ cry out, but Christ Himself, being alive, joins with it. How forcible and prevalent must this be! The blood of a slain man cries, though the man remains dead, even as it is said of Abel (though to another purpose) that “being dead he yet speaketh” (Heb. 11:4). But Christ lives and appears. He follows the suit and pursues the hue and cry of His blood Himself. His being alive puts a life into His death. It is not in this case as it was in the first Adam’s sin and disobedience. Adam, although he himself had been annihilated when he died, set the stock of human nature to the propagation of children. But his sin would have defiled and condemned them to the end of the world, and the force of it to condemn was neither furthered nor lessened by his subsisting and being, or by his not being; it received no assistance from his personal life one way or other. The reason is that his sin condemns us in a natural and necessary way. But the death of Christ and His shed blood wave us in a way of grace and favor unto Christ Himself and for His sake. Thus, Christ, who shed this blood, being alive, adds an infinite acceptance to it with God, and moves Him the more to hear the cry of it and regard it.

From Christ Set Forth, Works 4:77-78 by Richard Sibbes (1577-1635)

Affliction

Jay — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:07:52 +0000

The secret formula of the saints: When I am in the cellar of affliction, I look for the Lord’s choicest wines. —Samuel Rutherford

God takes a safe course with His children, that they may not be condemned with the world, He permits the world to condemn them, that they may not love the world, the world hates them…. —Richard Sibbes

It is the great support and solace of the saints in all the distresses that befall them here, that there is a wise Spirit sitting in all the wheels of motion, and governing the most eccentric creatures and their most pernicious designs to blessed and happy issues. —John Flavel

Whate’er My God Ordains

Jay — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:20:58 +0000

A sin that I seem to struggle with daily is the sin of fear and anxiety. Whether it be of the unknown or even over my own sin, anxiety and fear often rears its ugly head. I need not forget also that Satan loves to evoke fear and anxiety in the lives of believers. I also need to remember that fear and anxiety is sin because at its core it is raw unbelief. Preaching to myself the grand truths of Scripture and the sovereignty of God in all things bring true comfort based on truth. This hymn always brings me comfort and if you also struggle with anxiety I pray it also brings you comfort as you reflect on the Biblical truths it paints in music…

Whate’er my God ordains is right: His holy will abideth; I will be still whate’er He doth; And follow where He guideth; He is my God; though dark my road, He holds me that I shall not fall: Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Whate’er my God ordains is right: He never will deceive me; He leads me by the proper path: I know He will not leave me. I take, content, what He hath sent; His hand can turn my griefs away, And patiently I wait His day.

Whate’er my God ordains is right: His loving thought attends me; No poison can be in the cup That my physician sends me. My God is true; each morn anew I’ll trust His grace unending, My life to Him commending.

Whate’er my God ordains is right: He is my friend and Father; He suffers naught to do me harm, Though many storms may gather, Now I may know both joy and woe, Some day I shall see clearly That He hath loved me dearly.

Whate’er my God ordains is right: Though now this cup, in drinking, May bitter seem to my faint heart, I take it, all unshrinking. My God is true; each morn anew Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart, And pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate’er my God ordains is right: Here shall my stand be taken; Though sorrow, need, or death be mine, Yet I am not forsaken. My Father’s care is round me there; He holds me that I shall not fall: And so to Him I leave it all.

Samuel Rodigast, 1676
You can listen to a great version by Indelible Grace here.

Divine Promises

Jay — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:36:28 +0000

I have been so blessed by the writings of the Puritans. Writings by some of my favorites include John Owen, John Bunyan and John Flavel. Another treasury of Puritan writings comes in a small package called The Valley of Vision. It’s a collection of anonymous Puritan prayers and each one is a gem on its own. If you don’t have a copy I commend it to you! I am amazed at their understanding of God’s sovereignty and our sinfulness and how each and every prayer turns our focus to where it belongs – Christ. Sadly, this is a direction that many churches today have left. Here is another incredible prayer from that collection entitled Divine Promises…

Glorious Jehovah, My Covenant God,
All Thy promises in Christ Jesus are yea and amen, and all shall be fulfilled. Thou hast spoken them, and they shall be done, commanded, and they shall come to pass. Yet I have often doubted Thee, have lived at times as if there were no God.

Lord, forgive me that death in life, when I have found something apart from Thee, when I have been content with ephemeral things. But through Thy grace I have repented; Thou hast given me to read my pardon in the wounds of Jesus, and my soul doth trust in Him, my God incarnate, the ground of my life, the spring of my hope.

Teach me to be resigned to Thy will, to delight in Thy law, to have no will but Thine, to believe that everything Thou doest is for my good. Help me to leave my concerns in Thy hands, for Thou hast power over evil, and brings from it an infinite progression of good, until Thy purposes are fulfilled.

Bless me with Abraham’s faith that staggers not at promises through unbelief. May I not instruct Thee in my troubles, but glorify Thee in my trials; grant me a distinct advance in the divine life; may I reach a higher platform, leave the mists of doubt and fear in the valley, and climb to hill-tops of eternal security in Christ by simply believing He cannot lie, or turn from His purpose.

Give me the confidence I ought to have in Him who is worthy to be praised, and who is blessed for evermore.

Sins

Jay — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:20:17 +0000

Merciful Lord,
Pardon all my sins of this day, week, year, all the sins of my life, sins of early, middle and advanced years, of omission and commission, of morose, peevish and angry tempers, of lip, life and walk, of hard-heartedness, unbelief, presumption, pride, of unfaithfulness to the souls of men, of want of bold decision in the cause of Christ, of deficiency in outspoken zeal for His glory, of bringing dishonor upon Thy great name, of deception, injustice, untruthfulness in my dealings with others, of impurity in thought, word and deed, of covetousness, which is idolatry, of substance unduly hoarded, improvidently squandered, not consecrated to the glory of Thee, the great Giver; sins in private and in the family, in study and recreation, in the busy haunts of men, in the study of Thy Word and in the neglect of it, in prayer irreverently offered and coldly withheld, in time misspent, in yielding to Satan’s wiles, in opening my heart to his temptations, in being unwatchful when I know him nigh, in quenching the Holy Spirit; sins against light and knowledge, against conscience and the restraints of Thy Spirit, against the law of eternal love.

Pardon all my sins, known and unknown, felt and unfelt, confessed and not confessed, remembered or forgotten. Good Lord, hear; and hearing, forgive.

From Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers

My God, My God Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Jay — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:00:06 +0000

“About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’, that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46

Our Lord never leaves Scripture
“Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” Luke 24:27

Let us be amazed at the passion of Christ. Throughout the entire life of our Lord he never, ever leaves Scripture – even during the final hours as He is nailed to a cross. As He cried from that cross every moment of His life is a fulfillment of the majestic promises of Scripture and the fulfillment of all that was planned before the foundation of the world. The spotless Lamb of God came to die – all the while knowing that we would sin and heinously rebel against Him, and “yet while we were yet sinners, Christ Jesus died for us.” This is truly amazing grace! Time and time again we read in Holy Writ that Jesus does things and says things “so that the Scripture will be fulfilled.” He is the Word of God – the very Word that became flesh and tabernacled among us.

As two disciples were walking the road to Emmaus we see the amazing truths that the life, death and resurrection of Christ and the glorious truth that everything – absolutely everything was fulfilled in Scripture. Let us recall in Luke 24 how Jesus told the disciples that everything written in the Law and the prophets pointed to Him – the Christ, the Messiah.

My intention in this study is to show from one glorious statement heralded from the cross that every word of Scripture points to Christ. I also seek to challenge a common teaching in Evangelicalism today that teaches that the Father “abandoned and turned away” from His Son on the cross.

Let us explore together the majestic wonder of our Lord and Savior as we look at only one of the seven sayings of Christ on the cross in this Holy Week meditation.

The Hint of Rabbinical Teaching
“About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’, that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46

As the High Rabbi and teacher of all things, many Bible scholars believe our Lord used a technique known as remez from the cross. Remez is a Jewish rabbinical technique that gives only a section of Scripture while assuming that the student will know all of the Scripture around that line. It is thought that Jesus used this many times throughout His life on earth. For example, the name “Son of Man” is an obvious remez to Daniel and even Christ writing in the sand is a possible remez to Jeremiah 17:13. We must remember that Christ is the word – the Word made flesh. He is all that Scripture points to and everything He did was tied to Scripture. So it is no surprise that the sayings of Christ from the cross are all tied to Scripture.

We even use a form of remez today. For example, if a pastor stands up before his congregation and begins with, “Our Father, who art in heaven…” the congregation will know exactly the verse, passage and the remainder of the Scripture and will begin speaking the passage aloud. This is the same technique used in early Jewish teachings.

Remez also illustrates to us the utmost importance of knowing God’s Word. Christ knew it, lived it and never left it – even while hanging on the cross. Every true Christian desires to be more like Christ and the saturation of the Word of God in their life is one way to imitate our Lord and Savior.

Let us examine one of the most intense sayings of our Lord on that tree. A saying that has been interpreted many ways – often to the point of reading into Scripture instead of allowing Scripture to speak for itself. My goal is to approach from the latter by following the thought that Jesus utilized the Jewish technique of remez while on the cross. It is my prayer that this will open up some of the deep depths of the glorious truths of what took place on that cursed tree.

Why Have You Forsaken Me?
“About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’, that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46

These words of Christ are recorded in Matthew and Mark. They are words that I believe have been misused for many years to paint an unbiblical account of what Christ is experiencing on the cross and a false understanding of what God the Father is doing.

The word “forsake” all through Scripture rarely means to “abandon”. Yet that is most often how this word is interpreted among Evangelicals over the last few decades. In Scripture, “forsake” almost always means that God allows His children to fall into the hands of enemies (all under His sovereignty). So to forsake Biblically implies more of coming under judgement than the idea of turning away. However, we must also understand that in a sense God did turn away – by turning all His goodness away from Christ but focusing intensely all of His righteous wrath fully on Christ. This is no doubt an accurate picture of hell.

To understand Christ’s cry as God completely abandoning His Son on the cross is a poor handling of Scripture in my opinion. Many teach that God cannot look on sin. This is not a Biblical statement. God goes eyeball to eyeball with sin in Satan as clearly seen in the book of Job. Looking on sin is not contrary to God’s holiness. Not dealing with sin, not hating sin and not punishing sin would most definitely be contrary to who God is. This is clearly demonstrated at the cross!

Let us consider carefully that God not once abandoned Christ in the sense that many believe as a separation between the Father and the Son. The moment that would have happened the eternal Trinity would no longer be eternal. This poses critical theological issues. Muslims use the errant interpretation that God abandoned Christ at the cross to attack Christ’s deity saying that if God abandoned Christ then Christ could not be one with God, therefore He could not be God. Even the pagan world can see the error in this interpretation yet most of Evangelicalism misses this.

Let us pause and allow Scripture to systematically teach us truth and not speculate or fall victim to the error of reading into Scripture and not allowing Scripture to speak.

So What Exactly Is Jesus Saying?
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.” Psalm 22:1

We know that Christ taught up to His dying breath and then at His resurrection and ascension continues to teach through His Holy Spirit. From that cross the Father did not abandon Christ or turn away as many understand. What the Bible tells us took place is all the wrath and anger of God that we deserve was focused on Christ on the cross. The Father was pouring out the wrath we deserve on His Son as the darkness of judgment fell on the world. All the while Christ relied on the Father and knew that He was with Him even though He walked through the valley of the shadow of death.

The cross is the ultimate display of perfect holy love and perfect holy justice. We can turn the diamond of the cross over and over and never ever exhaust every facet of goodness, love, mercy, wrath, grace, justice and all that is God Almighty.

So if our Lord’s cry does not mean that the Father abandoned Him what does it mean? Let us recall the rabbinical technique remez and the Biblical illustration of Christ never, ever leaving Scripture. Even when Christ did not tell His disciples that what He was doing was to fulfill Scripture they are opened to that truth after His death and resurrection. Scripture makes every effort to point this fact out.

Our Lord, even from the cross, is teaching. He is showing the glory of God’s planned gracious event in history. I believe that Christ is using remez to point to a set of Psalms – to be sure it is Psalms 22-24. History teaches us that the early Jews considered these three psalms as a connected set. Christ’s cry of being forsaken would have immediately brought to mind the teachings and content of these three powerful psalms.

Let us review those three Psalms to see what Christ is teaching us as He hangs on that cross becoming a curse for us, for “cursed is the man who hangs on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)

Psalm 22 – A Cry from the Messiah
Jesus’ cry from the cross is the very first line of Psalm 22. As we have learned, this is likely a technique called remez. We have also learned that the Jews held Psalm 23 and 24 in tandem with this psalm so we need to keep that into consideration but our focus in this section will be on Psalm 22. This is one of the most powerful and prophetic Messianic Psalms in the Old Testament. It gloriously describes what Christ experienced on the cross as our Messiah. Here we see almost an exact detail of the events that took place hundreds of years later. It is as if David were there at Calvary as a witness to the entire event. This is a testimony to the glorious truths of God’s Word and that it is truly inspired and perfect in every way.

This psalm shows Christ being reproached and despised by men (Isaiah 53:3) and how the Jews and Gentiles mock Him while on the cross. Verse 8 is a direct tie to Matthew 27:43 where the leaders actually quote Psalm 22 in mockery of our Lord! It shows how blind they are to the truths of Scripture as Jesus told them that they search the Scriptures thinking that in them they will have eternal life but that it is the Scriptures that tell about Christ.

Let us be reminded that all of this is what Christ wanted us to hear from that one cry from the cross. Let us take notice from this the importance of knowing, studying and memorizing God’s Word. But oh, that is not all that was heralded from that one remez – there is more in Psalm 22 that we should heed.

The psalmist continues with utter reliance and dependance on God from peril – and of course this is ultimately fulfilled in the passion of our Lord. Oh what our Rabbi teaches us here – to trust and rely on God and His glorious goodness always. (Romans 8:28)

All of this causes the psalmist to burst into a charge of praise to God – to stand in awe of Him! God’s perfect holy love and justice at the cross – at the very event unfolding to those in earshot of Christ and His cry of Psalm 22 should cause us to break forth in absolute praise and adoration. Notice in verse 24 we see that God at no time turned from Christ or turned His face from Him. At the same time God looked intently at His Son pouring out divine wrath He never left or abandoned His Son – the second person of the eternal Trinity.

This Psalm ends with all focus on God – that He alone gets the honor, glory and praise because He alone has graciously provided salvation through His Son. All of creation will remember the most important event in history of all time. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. You will either bow in adoration as a Christian or you will be forced to bow in honor or the great Judge and Lord who you have rejected. As our Lord’s last words, “It is Finished!” ring across Calvary, the psalmist echoes the same words of completion that God alone has done it and it is truly finished!

Psalm 23 – Eternal Trust in the Father
“Even though I walk Through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

As we recall that the Jews traditionally treated Psalms 22-24 as one unit it brings even greater insight to one of the most beloved psalms – a perspective that puts our Lord Jesus in the focus of Psalm 23.

As we read through this psalm we are reminded that the entire time Jesus was on the earth He was constantly following and trusting in His Father. He equally taught us that we should be as dependent – not storing up treasures but looking to Him. Reminding us that if our heavenly Father so clothes the lilies of the fields He will surely care for us. Christ was hoping and trusting in the Eternal Father while on the cross – knowing that He was fulfilling the eternal plan of the Trinity long before the foundation of the world.

All that is done is done for His glory! Let us be reminded of the thundering voice from heaven in John 12:28 of the Father’s response to Jesus’ request for the Father to glorify His Name! God is glorified in all that He does and deserves proper worship, trust and obedience – the epitome of the life of our Savior who perfectly obeyed the Father without fail!

Again, this psalm shows us that at the cross the Father never leaves or abandons His Son. Christ will fear no evil for the Father is eternally with Him and that bond cannot and will never ever be broken. In the same way that God did not abandon His Son on the cross He will not abandon His elect who are in Christ in the valley of the shadow of death. Oh what a loving, merciful God we have!

Oh how the last words of our Savior before His death on the cross should bring us comfort, awe and humility and cause us to dip our finger into the unfathomable riches of grace and love that is exemplified in the cross of Christ. No matter what we go through, Christ suffered more! Because He suffered, those in Him will never experience the ultimate suffering – that of the wrath of God. (Romans 8:1) Let us learn from our Great Rabbi to rest fully on Him as our Great Shepherd and be not in want – for He is our All in all.

Psalm 24 – Who is this King of Glory?
“Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in!” Psalm 24:7

Now we move to the glorious resurrection of Christ and His triumphal entry into heaven. We have many other Scriptures that tell of of the Messiah’s resurrection including Psalm 16 that is quoted by Paul in his sermon in Acts 13:30-37. Paul uses this text to show that God had planned before the foundation of the world not to allow His Holy One to undergo decay.

In Psalm 24 we have the triumphal entry of Christ into the throne room of God – likely at His glorious ascension after walking on the earth 40 days after His resurrection.

This psalm is profound. It begins with a proclamation that everything is God’s. God created everything and is over everything. It begins with God and focuses on who He is – all of His glory and majesty as the Creator of all things. It begins where we must always begin and end – with God. Given who God is – that He is perfect and holy, who can possibly come before Him? What human can possibly enter the threshold of His throne room? The psalmist tells us that only one with a pure heart and clean hands – one who is spotless and perfect. Only one Man fits this condition – the God Man Jesus Christ.

Verses 7-10 paint a profound and awesome scene. Here we have Christ – fully man and fully God approaching the threshold of God’s throne room. The psalmist seems to write envisioning a throng of angels asking boldly, “what man dare approach the throne of the Almighty? No man has dared approached God!” But oh the glory of the immediate verse that this King of Glory is not only man but fully God – the Lord strong and mighty! Take in the beauty of this scene – our representative in heaven as fully man and our righteousness as fully God walking victoriously into heaven as the first fruits presenting Himself as the perfect sacrifice completed while throngs of angels proclaim that Jesus Christ is the King of Glory!

The very Lord of Hosts is the King of Glory – God in the flesh who sits at the right hand of the Father living forever to constantly intercede for us that we may be saved to the uttermost! (Hebrews 7:25)

Oh how Scripture is so true with, “My ways are not your ways”! Those in Christ who will live forever with Him will for eternity never exhaust or be in awe of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus. Eternal life is truly to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent! (John 17:17) Amen!

Taking It All In…
It is my prayer that this study will cause a yearning to delve deeper into the glorious truths of Holy Scripture. Sadly, the god of this world blinds the minds of people so that they cannot see the truth and come to the Light. No doubt this is what was occurring at the cross of Christ as crowds hurled insults at the uncreated Creator who became the creation and mocked Him as He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf so that we may have the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21) The truth of knowing that we too are just as hostile to God further causes us to glory in the grace of our God who causes us to be born again and grants us the gift of faith to open our eyes to His glory so that we run to the cross as our only hope. To be saved means that God alone has done it all. As the psalmist penned in the 22nd psalm, “He has done it!”

This study is one that overwhelms me for in one sentence our Savior points to the entire Gospel in three Psalms. The description of the suffering Messiah whose hands and feet were pierced, Christ’s trust in the Father while on the cross and the triumphal entry into the threshold of the throne room of God is all part of Holy Week and should be a part of every thought of the true believer as they live a gospel-centered life every day of our lives. May we seek to purify ourselves as we wait expectantly for the King of Glory to return to collect His elect from the four corners of the earth.

It has been said that Psalm 22-24 is the fifth gospel. These three psalms together offer us an astounding account that would make most believe that the psalmist was actually there witnessing the entire event.

This Holy Week may we be reminded of the truths of Scripture and all that our Savior endured for us – both physically and spiritually and all that He provides for us in His atoning and substitutionary death, resurrection and ascension.

Let us be reminded of the importance of studying and memorizing Scripture so that we will have a truthful understanding of the things of God and let what Jesus said from the cross and the expectations He had for those around Him to understand press us to delve deep into the Scriptures.

May we be reminded of who Christ is as we meditate this Holy Week on the unmerited and undeserved grace and mercy to us by our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him by the glory forever! Soli Deo Gloria!

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Then and Now…

Jay — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:24:12 +0000

There are few books besides the Holy Bible that I could honestly say have made an impact on me. John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and John Owen’s Mortification of Sin in the Life of a Believer are two I could immediately mention. However, there is one Puritan gem that tops my list of magnificent writings and it is John Flavel’s The Fountain of Life. Sadly, it remains out of print and it can be hard to find. I was blessed to find a very old copy and it has become a treasure in my library. Flavel’s book focuses on Christ. It’s 556 pages of Christ – His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension and everything in between. It is truly a Christological masterpiece.

As we approach Easter, we also need to reflect on the ascension of Christ. Flavel has several chapters dedicated to marveling at Christ’s ascension. Following is an excerpt from the chapter entitled “Christ’s Exaltation” in which he compares Christ’s humiliation with His exaltation. It’s stunning…

He was born in a stable, but now He reigns in His royal palace. Then He had a manger for His cradle, but now He sits on a chair of state. Then, in contempt, they called Him the carpenter’s son; now He obtains a more excellent name than the angels. Then He was led away in the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; now it is proclaimed, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” Then He had not where to lay His head; now He is exalted to be heir of all things. In His state of humiliation, “He endured the contradiction of sinners;” in His state of exaltation, “He is adored and admired by saints and angels.” Then “He had no form or comeliness; and when we saw Him, there was no beauty, that we would desire Him;” now the beauty of His countenance sends forth such glorious beams as may dazzle the eyes of the celestial inhabitants round about Him. (pg. 512)

Marvel at these great truths. Meditate on the majesty and glory of the God-Man Jesus Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High waiting for His enemies to be made a footstool to His feet. Marvel also that the ascension and exaltation of Christ is a direct fulfillment of Daniel 7:13-14.

Soli Deo Gloria Indeed!

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

Jay — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:31:53 +0000

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace: behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.

- William Cowper

The Giver

Jay — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:08:32 +0000

Creator, Upholder and Proprietor of all things,
We cannot escape from Thy presence and control, nor do we desire to do so. Our privilege is to be under the agency of Thy omnipotence, righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy and grace; for Thou art Love with more than parental affection. We admire Thy goodness, stand in awe of Thy power, abase ourselves before Thy purity. It is the discovery of Thy goodness alone that can banish our fear, allure us into Thy presence, help us to bewail and confess our sins. We review our past guilt and are conscious of present unworthiness.

We bless The that Thy steadfast love and attributes are essential to our happiness and hope; Thou hast witnessed to us Thy grace and mercy in the bounties of nature, in the fullness of Thy providence, in the revelations of Scripture, in the gift of Thy Son, in the proclamation of the gospel.

Make us willing to be saved in Thy own way, perceiving nothing in ourselves but all in Jesus. Help us not only to receive Him but to walk in Him, depend upon Him, commune with Him, follow Him as dear children, imperfect, but still pressing forward, not complaining of labor, but valuing rest, not murmuring under trials, but thankful for our state. And by so doing let us silence the ignorance of foolish men.

From Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers