"It is Finished!"
We now come to the most tragic, yet most world changing event in all of human history- the day Christ died. As you know, if Christ had turned back from such horrible suffering and death for our sins, we would all be hopelessly headed for eternal doom that we so deserve. The crucifixion story is actually quite familiar to us through Easter plays, sermons and Bible readings. But what may surprise you is how little is told by the gospel writers about what Christ's death on the cross was actually accomplishing. John simply tells us that Jesus declared, "It is finished." So for the new reader who just jumped into the story at this point or those standing there that day might wonder, "What is finished?" We will answer that vital question shortly, but first...
Reverently read this crucial account of the death of Christ in John 19:17-30.
1.- Pick one of those 50 accomplishments and scroll down to read that brief chapter (or portion of the chapter if you're short on time). Then cut and paste some important words that you want to enrich us with. (Be on the lookout to send or share your great findings with others too. Perhaps you could send such to the guy you are seeking to recruit to M3.)
2.- Now end by writing your own prayer of worship and thanks to Christ for what he accomplished for you on the cross.
"It is finished." That phrase is actually one word in the Greek- "tetelesai." It is also variously rendered, to accomplish, to complete, to fulfill, to pay in full. Jesus paid all of our sin debt in full. He didn't just give a down payment. If it was just a deposit, we would be left to pay off the remaining impossible debt. Sadly, this is the view that so many people have. "Yes, I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. But I still think I have to pay my fair share to get into heaven by being good enough." Yet we know that even one sin is beyond repayment. Just the one sin of Adam and Eve plunged the whole world into ruin, sin and death. We would be doomed if Jesus hadn't paid it all. "It is finished!" Thank You Lord!
Announcements
May you be on the look out to share the good news with others, "It is finished!" Stay focused on this great co-mission of telling others of transformation and your T goals. I'll ask you Monday how you did. So ask God to open your eyes to opportunities around you. They are there. May we see them and seize them.
Thanks for getting all your points up on the board today.
See you Monday in our new home located at multiplyingmanlymen.com
(If you come here you'll be lonely :)
1. The link doesn't work.
ReplyDelete2. Father, in my walk with you there is nothing I've struggled with more than praising you. Please help me to overcome this.
So sorry Mike! Thanks for the text about this too. It should work now.
Delete1- yes, I also could not access the link.
ReplyDelete2- Father in heaven. You are Holy. I praise you for you deserve all praise. I thank you for your selfless act when you laid down my life for mine. Thank you that you have put an end to death and have given us an opportunity to spend eternity with you. Lord strengthen me by the power of your Holy Spirit so that I may continue to follow you according to your will Father. In the name of Jesus I pray.
Amen.
Ugh! Don't know how the copy and paste got corrupted. So sorry Luis! It should work now.
DeleteI second that, the link gives Not Found. After some research, it looks like the link has some crud at the end of it -- this does work for me:
ReplyDeletehttp://cdn.desiringgod.org/pdf/books_pojc/bpojc_all.pdf
Ugh! Don't know how the copy and paste got corrupted. So sorry Kevin! It should work now.
Delete1. Link does not work, it says: "Access denied"
ReplyDelete2. Dear Lord thank you so much for your great love for us because there is nothing in us that could deserve it. But yet you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that our sins will be forgiven and we can have communion with you as we live on this earth, eagerly waiting for the day that we will be in your presence. Thank you Lord.
Great prayer brother. Amen.
DeleteSome gift I gave you! Don't know how the copy and paste got corrupted. So sorry Roger! It should work now.
DeleteAmen, good prayer Roger
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kevin. Your link works. http://cdn.desiringgod.org/pdf/books_pojc/bpojc_all.pdf
ReplyDeleteBrothers the link does not work. Here is a link i was able to get it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die
ReplyDelete32 To Enable Us to Live for Christ and Not Ourselves
1. He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Corinthians 5:15
Now that is true. It’s not a word trick. The very essence of sin is that we have failed to glorify God—which includes failing to glorify his Son (Romans 3:23). But Christ died to bear that sin and to free us from it. So he died to bear the dishonor that we had
heaped on him by our sin. He died to turn this around. Christ died for the glory of Christ.
Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)
2. Heavenly father, thank you for your grace on man kind. Thank you for the opportunity to know you and serve you. Blessed is the king on high! Glory be to your works and wonders that are around us every day. Thank you, thank you, thank you for my salvation! I pray for your blessing to be on my brothers. Protect us from any harm and let us be fruitful in your name. Amen
Great choice. It looks like we were on the same page today.Literally. God bless you :)
DeleteThanks for researching to find a link that works Horacio! Uda man!
DeleteGreat gold and golden prayer.
Amen thank your for your prayer
Delete1. Shared this with Richard B. (the guy I am trying to recruit).
ReplyDelete2 Corinthians 5:15 (NIV) And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
I sent him a text praying that he continue to grow his faith and live for Christ.
2) Dear God, thank you for love, mercy and grace. Thank you for dying the death I deserve. Thank you for paying the price, I could never afford.
Yes amen Sam, thank you for your prayer
DeleteReason #8: To become a ransom for many.
ReplyDeleteMark 10:45 says, "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many."
This book is tremendous as John Piper packs a lot of truth and scripture references into a couple short pages for each reason. Piper clarifies that the ransom was not paid to the Devil but rather to God. (Ephesians 5:2, Hebrews 9:14) It's not like a typical 'ransom' story where the evil person is paid off. Jesus willingly laid down His life (John 10:18). It is tragic that the word "many" is used at the end since Jesus paid the price for everyone (1Tim 2:5-6) but not everyone chooses to follow Him.
"Lord, we are so limited and simple in your sight and Yet You have chosen to communicate to us, bring us out of our blindness, and make us Your children and servants. Once again we stand in awe of the work done on the cross. We worship, we receive forgiveness, and we follow you by taking up our cross daily. We give You thanks for including us in Your death and resurrection and life today. The disciples were told to go and meet You and receive direction and grace for the next chapter. In a similar way we gather to meet with You and ask for Your strength, guidance, and provision. We carry the same message. Empower us to bring the gospel to those that have not turned from sin to You. Use us we pray to build Your church and bring people to You."
Thank you Mike! I prayed out loud that great prayer too.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1.Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,
ReplyDeletea fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:2
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4-5
2. Thank you Lord Jesus for taking my sins up on the cross. And now I am washed in your blood. The penalty of sin has been paid. I have been redeemed set free .
Very good cross references George. And I know you are a man who appreciates his salvation. Bless you!
DeleteGeorge great words
DeleteGood prayer George
Deletehttp://www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die
ReplyDelete1. To Become a Sympathetic
Deleteand Helpful Priest
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize
with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence
draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16
Evidently the thought goes like this: We are likely to feel
unwelcome in the presence of God if we come with struggles.
We feel God’s purity and perfection so keenly that everything
about us seems unsuitable in his presence. But then we remem-
ber that Jesus is “sympathetic.” He feels with us, not against us.
This awareness of Christ’s sympathy makes us bold to come. He
knows our cry. He tasted our struggle. He bids us come with
confidence when we feel our need. So let’s remember the old song
of John Newton:
Thou art coming to a King.
Large petitions with thee bring;
For his grace and pow’r are such
None can ever ask too much.
2. Lord Jesus you went through the strongest of temptations yet you never caved in to them. We're thankful that you choose to do such merely to be sympathetic with us. Thank you for being the one we turn to when we have a temptation to turn to the world for relief. Provide an exit strategy, be our guide and our strength. In Your Precious Name.
3. Broken Arrow: Some of you may know my Dad had emergency heart surgery last week. Surgery was successful, and he came home last Friday. However, he had a set back and is back in the hospital. His intestines aren't functioning fully. As of right now the doctors said no surgery, but prayers as appreciated. This has been draining for him and my mom and family. I don't like to see my dad hurting and honestly getting a bit tired of hospitals. Thank you men.
Eddie I will keep your dad in prayer for a quick recovery
DeleteGreat words your found and shared and and a great prayer Eddie.
DeleteSo sorry to hear about your dad back in the hospital. I will alert others to pray and will call you soon.
Eddie will keep your family in prayer, that God may heal your dad and give the family peace in the midst of your dad's illness
DeleteI just said a prayer for your dad and family.
DeleteI'm praying for you and your family this morning.
Delete1.- #12
ReplyDelete"To take away our condemnation."
The great conclusion to the suffering and death of Christ is this: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). To be “in Christ” means to be in relationship to him by faith. Faith in Christ unites us to Christ so that his death becomes our death and his perfection becomes our perfection. Christ becomes our punishment (which we don’t have to bear) and our perfection (which we cannot perform).
Faith is not the ground of our acceptance with God. Christ alone is. Faith unites us to Christ so that his righteousness is counted as ours. “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16). Being “justified by faith” and being “justified . . . in Christ” (Galatians 2:17) are parallel terms. We are in Christ by faith, and therefore justified.
When the question is asked, “Who is to condemn?” the answer is assumed. No one! Then the basis is declared: “Christ Jesus is the one who died!" The death of Christ secures our freedom from condemnation. It is as sure that we cannot be condemned as it is sure that Christ died. There is no double jeopardy in God’s court. We will not be condemned twice for the same offenses. Christ has died once for our sins. We will not be condemned for them. Condemnation is gone not because there isn’t any, but because it has already happened.
But what about condemnation by the world? Is that not an answer to the question, “Who is to condemn?” Aren’t Christians condemned by the world? There have been many martyrs. The answer is that no one can condemn us successfully. Charges can be brought, but none will stick in the end. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). It’s the same as when the Bible asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” (Romans 8:35). The answer is not that these things don’t happen to Christians. The answer is: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
The world will bring its condemnation. They may even put their sword behind it. But we know that the highest court has already ruled in our favor. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). No one successfully. If they reject us, he accepts us. If they hate us, he loves us. If they imprison us, he sets our spirits free. If they afflict us, he refines us by the fire. If they kill us, he makes it a passage to paradise. They cannot defeat us. Christ has died. Christ is risen. We are alive in him. And in him there is no condemnation. We are forgiven, and we are righteous. “And the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).
2.- Thank you JESUS for removing the burden of my sins which harbored in my soul for many years. Walking in shame, guilt and condemnation of self, thank you for cleansing and renewing my heart, body, spirit and soul. Ready and willingly here to serve you, my LORD SAVIOR.
Armando great prayer. Thank you
DeleteAmen
DeleteGood digging and prayer Armondo
Delete1. To Absorb the Wrath of God
ReplyDeleteOnly God is BIG enough, STRONG enough and RIGHTEOUS enough to take the FULL Wrath of God!!!
2. Lord Jesus Christ, I praise you for becoming the sacrificial Lamb of God to save a wretch like me. I thank you for your nailed scarred hands and feet, for the crown of thorns you wore, for your pierced side, for the torment and torture you endured on my behalf. Thank you for paying a debt that I could never afford. Thank you for loving us so much, that would rather die, than live without us. It wasn't the nails that kept you bound on the cross, but rather your immeasurable love for us. For this and so much more O Lord, I'm eternally indebted and grateful to you.
Robert amen to that prayer, thank you
DeleteAmen brother Robert, good prayer
DeleteGreat prayer brother-- he listens to you always
Delete1 So That We Might Belong to Him-
ReplyDeleteoriginally we were slaves to sin and death, but Jesus has set us free from sin and have become slaves of God (Romans 6:16, 20, 22).
2 Thank you Lord that you loved me enough to face the physical and emotional torture that you endured. Thank you that you didn't just walk away, but that you cared enough to go through all that for me; that you would rather go through all of that then to go to heaven without me. Please help me to be more aware of that on a daily basis and that I would likewise choose the cross over comfort and convenience. Help me to follow where my master has gone. Give me eyes to see the emptiness of what the world has to offer and remind me of the importance of sharing your gospel with the people you have put in my life.
Amen.
DeleteI love that line in your prayer that reads, "Thank you...that you would rather go through all that than to go to heaven without me." What a beautiful testimony to Christ's love. He refused to take His throne in Heaven without securing our place in His heavenly kingdom.
Delete1. To Absorb the Weath of God.
ReplyDeleteIf God were not just, there would be no demand for his Son to
suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingnessfor
his Son to suffer and die.
2. Thanks God for sending your only Son to die for our Sins. If it were not for that, we would have certain death with no chance of everlasting life.
Yes Lord, thank you that Jesus died for our sins. Now we pray that You enable us to live for you the rest of our lives.
Delete1. Couldn't do it. Tried many times
ReplyDelete2. Father, I give you my heart and thanks for the sacrifice you gave for me so I can live. Because he lives I can live forever and your complete love displayed we can never appreciate enough. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness that I don't deserve-- you are ever lasting light. I pray this in Jesus mighty name. Amen
Good prayer Jack
DeleteGreat prayer Roger
ReplyDelete1- To Complete the Obedience That Becomes Our Righteousness
ReplyDeleteJustification is not merely the cancellation of my unrighteousness.
It is also the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to me. I
do not have a righteousness that commends me to God. My claim
before God is this: “not having a righteousness of my own that
comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ”
(Philippians 3:9).
2- Thank You Jesus for dying for me. I know I am not worthy to receive such Grace. You paid a debt you did not owe because I had a debt I couldn't pay. please hear my cry. I know I have failed so many times yet you never have. You have been faithful to me. Thank You. Love you Jesus. I ask that your purpose for my life be fulfilled. In Jesus name amen
Great prayer Vince
DeleteIt really is a great prayer, brother.
DeleteTo Enable Us to Live by Faith in Him
ReplyDeleteI have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
The aim of the death of Christ was to take our “old self” with him into the grave and put an end to it. “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing” (Romans 6:6). If we trust Christ, we are united to him, and God counts our old self as dying with Christ.
Dear Lord, thank you that You alone paid the cost of my sins; that by Your blood, I am cleaned; that my old ways was crucified with You. Thank You for being my way to God, my truth and compass, and my life, now and for eternity.
I choose to be united to Christ. Thank you for finding and sharing this information, brother.
DeleteGreat prayer Kevin. He is the only way to the Father.
DeleteWell said Kevin - Thank You for being my way to God, my truth and compass, and my life, now and for eternity.
DeleteAccomplishment #51: My mom, a believer, will be able to go to heaven in literally a couple off hours, and I will be able to see her again one day.
ReplyDeleteDear God, thank you for what you have done for me, the price you paid for us. Amen.
I'm so sorry for your loss my brother! I'm sure you have made her proud. Love u man!
DeleteThank you Phil!
DeleteTim, I knew you went to see her, but I didn't know she was so close to her home going. My prayers will continue to be with you. I echo Phil's words.
DeleteTim. My heart goes out to you brother-- but the joy of knowing that she sees Jesus' face and never feel pain again comforts us. God Bless you brother
DeleteSorry for your loss Tim. I'll be praying for your family.
Delete1. For the forgiveness of our sins
ReplyDeleteForgiveness assumes grace. If I am injured by you, grace lets it go. I don’t sue you. I forgive you. Grace gives what someone doesn’t deserve. That’s why forgiveness has the word give in it. Forgiveness is not “getting” even. It is giving away the right to get even.
That is what God does to us when we trust Christ: “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). If we believe in Christ, God no longer holds our sins against us. This is God’s own testimony in the Bible: “I, I am he who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake” (Isaiah 43:25). “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
2. Thank you Jesus for giving your life on the cross for us sinners! Thank you Lord for forgiving us and loving us unconditionally. You are the way, the truth, and the life Lord. I love you Jesus! Amen!
What an awesome insight, brother. Forgiveness is giving away the right to get even. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that by your death and resurrection you have made it so we will never know the Father's wrath for which we were destined. Through you, God the Father has given up His right to unleash His wrath upon us.
DeletePhil. How enlightening your post on forgiveness is. Without holding it in -- we must openly forgive in our hearts to be forgiven
Delete1. How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eter- nal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our con- science from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). The animal sacrifices foreshadowed the final sacrifice of God’s Son, and the death of the Son reaches back to cover all the sins of God’s people in the old time period, and forward to cover all the sins of God’s people in the new time period.
ReplyDelete2. Jesus thank you that you have taken all my shame and cleansed me from all unrighteousness so I can come to you with clean hands and heart!
Wonderful prayer of dedication to God for the sacrifice offered by our lord Jesus Christ.
Delete1. Reason #50. 'To show that the worst evil was meant by God for Good.' - "Joseph, the son of Jacob, was sold into slavery in Egypt. He seemed abandoned for seventeen years. But God was in it and made him ruler in Egypt, so that in a great famine he could save the very ones who sold him. The story is summed up in a word from Joseph to his brothers: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). A foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, forsaken in order to save.
ReplyDeleteA very favorite verse of mine. What others have done and meant for evil God can use for the salvation of many, forgiveness and healing in families, and the growth of His kingdom. That is true for many of us, it is a tactic that God has employed to save me- what I meant for evil, God has used to break me to save me.
Also a mystery and excellent verse to throw at an a-theist, who uses that as an excuse to not have any consideration for the thought of God. But believes in themselves as self righteous and able to make lemonade out of lemons. (God made those too by the way)
1 Corinthians 1:18-
[ Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom ] For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Suffering and evil are a mystery, but when we see Him through that, that is how we are saved.
2. Lord, give us the respect, humility and see to know even our own gripes and iniquity do not hinder who you are working on next, but please Lord make us sensitive to your speaking and leading as we serve our family and brothers in arms of your Word
1. To Give Marriage its Deepest Meaning:
ReplyDeleteGod’s design for marriage in the Bible pictures the husband loving his wife the way Christ loves his people, and the wife responding to her husband the way Christ’s people should respond to him. This picture was in God’s mind when he sent Christ into the world. Christ came for his bride and died for her to display the way marriage was meant to be.
All his sufferings were meant to be a message especially to husbands: This is how every husband should love his wife.
Husbands are not Christ. But they are called to be like him. And the specific point of likeness is the husband’s readiness to suffer for his wife’s good without threatening or abusing her. This includes suffering to protect her from any outside forces that would harm her, as well as suffering disappointments or abuses even from her. This kind of love is possible because Christ died for both husband and wife. Their sins are forgiven. Neither needs to make the other suffer for sins. Christ has borne that suf- fering. Now as two sinful and forgiven people we can return good for evil.
2. Thank you, Jesus, for bearing the pain of my sins on the Cross. Thank you for making clear to all husbands, what it truly means to love their wife. Thank you for making it so that my wife and I, in spite of our faults, can bear the fruit of love and celebrate it through our marriage, confident that this pleases you and that it is the purpose of our marriage. I love you, Lord Jesus. Come, take the throne we reserve for you in our heart...reside among us and be the center of our marriage and life. Amen.
"All his sufferings were meant to be a message especially to husbands: This is how every husband should love his wife." Those are powerful convicting words brother. Thank you for those prayers for all of us husbands.
Delete1. Being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8
ReplyDelete2. Im thankful for you laying your life down for us. we don't deserve it but you continue to give us many chances. I pray that you help us to stay on your course for our lives and not are sinful natures. I pray these things in Jesus's name. Amen.
Yes Lord, we want to stay on course of living for you.
Delete1) From Chapter 21
ReplyDelete"The reconciliation that needs to happen between sinful man and God goes both ways. Our attitude toward God must be changed from defiance to faith. And God’s attitude to us must be changed from wrath to mercy. But the two are not the same. I need God’s help to change; but God does not need mine. My change will have to come from outside of me, but God’s change originates in his own nature. Which means that overall, it is not a change in God at all. It is God’s own planned action to stop being against me and start being for me."
2) Heavenly Father, I praise you for all You accomplished through Your Son dying on the cross for me. Among the many things You did was to reconcile me to yourself. I was your enemy, lost, wondering far from you and doomed behind the barrier of my sin. I was powerless to change my situation. But through the cross, Your Son removed the barrier of my sin. You reached out to me through others offering me mercy, forgiveness, grace and love. Your call enabled me to turn around to You and to receive Your gift of a new life. Now I am Yours. I offer back to you all that You have given me. I ask that You now use me Lord to help reconcile others to Yourself. Amen.
That was beautiful prayers brother David "I offer back to you all that You have given me. I ask that You now use me Lord to help reconcile others to Yourself."
DeleteJesus died to please the heavenly Father. I wish Piper would have gone more into imputation, that Jesus pleasing he Father means we are now pleasing to the Father without any effort of our own. That, to me, is one of the greatest comforts.
ReplyDeleteJesus, thank you for your utter bravery and strength, bearing everything I could never hope to to free me from all burdens.
1) That is what God does to us when we trust Christ: “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). If we believe in Christ, God no longer holds our sins against us. This is God’s own testimony in the Bible: “I, I am he who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake” (Isaiah 43:25). “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
ReplyDelete2) Heavenly Father thank you for taking on all my sins and burdens and carrying them
On ur shoulders.
Amen, we are forever thankful brother Ricardo.
Delete1-So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
ReplyDeleteJohn 19:30-31 NKJV
“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him.” DA 741.1
“That He might sanctify the people with His own blood,” Christ “suffered without the gate.” Hebrews 13:12. For transgression of the law of God, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden. Christ, our substitute, was to suffer without the boundaries of Jerusalem. He died outside the gate, where felons and murderers were executed. Full of significance are the words, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” Galatians 3:13.
When the loud cry, “It is finished,” came from the lips of Christ, the priests were officiating in the temple. It was the hour of the evening sacrifice. The lamb representing Christ had been brought to be slain.
The Son of God is come according to His word, “Lo, I come (in the volume of the Book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God.” “By His own blood” He entereth “in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 10:7; 9:12. "Commentary - Desire of Ages"
2-Oh lord our God, there is no way the fallen sons and daughters of Adam to be reconciled to creator God accept only by the blood of Jesus Christ. For this reason, I just want to say thank you Jesus for redeeming us.
Good prayer Lemmy!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI) I chose number 9: the forgiveness of our sins.
ReplyDeleteDirect quote from the reading: "That is why Christ suffered and died. “In him we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses”
(Ephesians 1:7). Forgiveness costs us nothing. All our costly obedience
is the fruit, not the root, of being forgiven. That’s why we
call it grace. But it cost Jesus his life. That is why we call it just.
Oh, how precious is the news that God does not hold our sins
against us! And how beautiful is Christ, whose blood made it right
for God to do this."
The sacrificial act of Christ was totally necessary. Hebrews 9:22 "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."
2) Thank you, Jesus, for Your sacrifice as well as the grace and forgiveness You pour out on us daily. In addition, thank You for loving us so much to die on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. No gift can compare! In Your precious name, amen!
1 – Thanks for the book Dave! I picked number 48 - To Gain His Joy and Ours
ReplyDeleteIn the same way that the hope of joy enabled Christ to endure the cross, our hope of joy empowers us to suffer with him. Jesus prepared us for this very thing when he said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12). Our reward will be to enjoy God with the very joy that the Son of God has in his Father. If Jesus had not willingly died, neither he nor we could be forever glad. He would have been disobedient. We would have perished in our sins. His joy and ours were acquired at the cross. Now we follow him in the path of love. We reckon “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). Now we bear reproach with him. But then there will be undiminished joy. Any risk required by love we will endure. Not with heroic might, but in the strength of hope that “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
2 – Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you have done for us. Thank you for not giving up on us but sacrificing Your sinless son on the cross for our sins. It’s overwhelming to think you are reaching out to us sinners and giving us a way to have a relationship with you.
1. I chose "Christ suffered and died to give us a clear conscious"
ReplyDeleteHow much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Hebrews 9:14 NIV
So here we are in the modern age—the age of science, Internet, organ transplants, instant messaging, cell phones—and our problem is fundamentally the same as always: Our conscience condemns us. We don’t feel good enough to come to God. And no matter how distorted our consciences are, this much is true: We are not good enough to come to him.
We are defiled by pride and self-pity and bitterness and lust and envy and jealousy and covetousness and apathy and fear—and the actions they breed. These are all “dead works.” They have no spiritual life in them. They don’t come from new life; they come from death, and they lead to death. That is why they make us feel hopeless in our consciences.
By John Piper, couldn't say it any better.
The answer is through the blood of Christ that cleanses us.
2. Father, not only you saved me from all my wicked ways that ultimately would end me up into the lake of fire but through your blood that shed from your body cleansed me of everything including my consciousness. Through you I am made new, through you I am made beautiful.
1. 32, To Enable Us to Live for Christ and Not Ourselves. He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Corinthians 5:15
ReplyDelete“Christ died that we might live for him” does not mean “that we might help him.” “[God is not] served by human hands, as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:25). Neither is Christ: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). What Christ died for is not that we might help him, but that we might see and savor him as infinitely valuable. He died to wean us from poisonous pleasures and enthrall us with the pleasures of his beauty. In this way we are loved, and he is honored. These are not competing aims. They are one. Jesus said to his disciples that he had to go away so that he could send the Holy Spirit, the Helper (John 16:7). Then he told them what the Helper would do when he came: “He will glorify me” (John 16:14). Christ died and rose so that we would see and magnify him. This is the greatest help in the world. This is love. The most loving prayer Jesus ever prayed was this: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory” (John 17:24). For this Christ died. This is love—suffering to give us everlasting enjoyment, namely himself.
2. – Dear Heavenly Father Thank you for dying in my place. Thank you Lord for given me a new life to serve you. Amen.
1. 30 That We Might Die to Sin and Live to Righteousness.
ReplyDeleteHe is infinitely wise and just and good and strong. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3). To see him and know him is more satisfying than having all that earth can offer.
Those who knew him best spoke this way:
Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)
“Christ died that we might live for him” does not mean “that we might help him.” “[God is not] served by human hands, as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:25). Neither is Christ: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). What Christ died for is not that we might help him, but that we might see and savor him as infinitely valuable. He died to wean us from poisonous pleasures and enthrall us with the pleasures of his beauty. In this way we are loved, and he is honored. These are not competing aims. They are one.
Jesus said to his disciples that he had to go away so that he could send the Holy Spirit, the Helper (John 16:7). Then he told them what the Helper would do when he came: “He will glorify me” (John 16:14). Christ died and rose so that we would see and magnify him. This is the greatest help in the world. This is love. The most loving prayer Jesus ever prayed was this: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory” (John 17:24). For this Christ died. This is love—suffering to give us everlasting enjoyment, namely himself.
2. Father God I thank you for suffering for us, for cleansing us from sin. Thank you lord Jesus, for freeing us from a sinful life. I pray this from my heart in Jesus Christ mighty name Amen.
1. "...to give Marriage its deepest meaning"
ReplyDeleteI really liked the closing paragraph statement:
"Husbands are not Christ. But they are called to be like Him. And he specific point of likeness is the husband's readiness to suffer for his wife's good without threatening or abusing her. This includes suffering to abuse her from outside forces that would harm, as well as suffering disappointments or abuses even from her. This kind of love is possible because Christ died for both husband and wife."
2. My Lord God, thank you for coming down from your throne, taking on the likeness of a man, and dying for me. You loved me at my darkest, and called me by name. When I turned away from you, you never left me, or treated me wrongly. Only in Love was I ever handled. Your patience for me otherworldly. As a new husband that has been blessed with the most wonderful of wives, I pray Lord that you would fill me with the same Love you have for me, so that I may pout that out myself on my wife. May I always teat her with the care, dignity, and love that she as a delicate vessel deserves, and as you have called me too. I pray for patience, self control, and a soft heart in the times I may struggle, and may I lead her, wash her with the word, and present her spotless in your eyes. I trust you Father and I ask this in your Son, Jesus' name, Amen.
Brother Will, I'm confident you're a great husband to your wife. God bless you :-)
DeleteFirstly thanks Dave for this incredible resource
ReplyDelete1
“Christ’s death became the basis of our pardon and our perfection. “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). What does it mean that God made the sinless Christ to be sin? It means our sin was imputed to him, and thus he became our pardon. And what does it mean that we (who are sinners) become the righteousness of God in Christ? It means, similarly, that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us, and thus he became our perfection.”
I have alway thought of modifying the theological term of imputation to cross imputation. That not only is Christ’s perfection imputed to us but the for of covering but we impute to Him our sinful nature that He can actually take it to the Holy place and make atonement for it. While also His cover which we all know is the very nature that God sees which we are continually sanctified for.
2
I worship your holy name and incredible sacrifice for each of us. This defies compression but so the the very full nature of love and the very full capability of God to reconcile humanity right back to His presence.
Brother Gary, very good. Lord willing, I'll see you later today. God bless :-)
ReplyDelete