OT Pictures<\/b><\/p>\n
Situation<\/b><\/p>\n
Interpretation<\/b><\/p>\n
Reference<\/b><\/p>\n
Slave Market<\/p>\n
World System<\/p>\n
1 John 5:19<\/p>\n
Slave Master<\/p>\n
Satan<\/p>\n
John 12:31<\/p>\n
Slaves<\/p>\n
Humanity<\/p>\n
Ephesians 2:2\u20133<\/p>\n
The Problem<\/p>\n
Sin<\/p>\n
Colossians 2:14<\/p>\n
Highest Bidder<\/p>\n
Jesus Christ<\/p>\n
Hebrews 2:14\u201315<\/p>\n
Ransom Price<\/p>\n
Blood of Christ<\/p>\n
1 Peter 1:18\u201319<\/p>\n
One animal sacrifice <\/p>\n
per man<\/p>\n
Genesis 3<\/p>\n
One sacrifice <\/p>\n
per family<\/p>\n
Exodus 12:3\u201314<\/p>\n
One sacrifice <\/p>\n
per nation<\/p>\n
Tabernacle in wilderness, Day of atonement<\/p>\n
One sacrifice <\/p>\n
per world<\/p>\n
John 1:29, Heb 10:1\u201314<\/p>\n
Literally, \u201cat-one-ment,\u201d the making at one of those who have been separated. The word is used of Christ\u2019s dying to bring God and sinners together. Sin had separated them (Isa. 59:2) and made them enemies (Col. 1:2); it was thus a very serious matter. A many-sided act was required to remove that sin; words like redemption and reconciliation bring out significant aspects of Christ\u2019s saving work. Whatever had to be done about sin, Christ\u2019s death did, and thus opened up salvation for sinners.<\/p>\n
The Shaw Pocket Bible Handbook, Walter A. Elwell, Editor, (Harold Shaw Pub., Wheaton , IL; 1984), p. 347<\/p>\n
The Pardon<\/b><\/p>\n
An item in the May 2, 1985, Kansas City Times reminds us of a story you may be able to use in an evangelistic message. The item had to do with the attempt by some fans of O. Henry, the short-story writer, to get a pardon for their hero, who was convicted in 1898 of embezzling $784.08 from the bank where he was employed.<\/p>\n
But you cannot give a pardon to a dead man. A pardon can only be given to someone who can accept it. Now, for the story.<\/p>\n
Back in 1830 George Wilson was convicted of robbing the United States Mail and was sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon for Wilson, but he refused to accept it. The matter went to Chief Justice Marshall, who concluded that Wilson would have to be executed. \u201cA pardon is a slip of paper,\u201d wrote Marshall, \u201cthe value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.\u201d<\/p>\n
For some, the pardon comes too late. For others, the pardon is not accepted. <\/p>\n
Prokope, Vol. 11, #5<\/p>\n
One Man\u2019s Death<\/b><\/p>\n
One might ask, \u201cHow could one man pay the penalty of eternal condemnation for so many sins by so many people in just a few hours on the cross?\u201d He could do it for two reasons. Jesus was infinitely valuable and could take the place of an infinite number of people. And because He was infinitely righteous, He could pay the penalty for an infinite number of sins.<\/p>\n
Joe Wall, Going For The Gold, Moody, p. 29<\/p>\n
Why Did Jesus Die?<\/b><\/p>\n
In relation to God the Father.<\/p>\n
1. To do God\u2019s will: Hebrews 10:7, 9.<\/p>\n
2. To demonstrate God\u2019s love: John 3:16; Romans 5:8; I John 3:16; 4:10.<\/p>\n
3. To reconcile us to God: Romans 5:9\u201311; II Corinthians 5:18\u201319; Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:20\u201322.<\/p>\n
4. To bring us to God: I Peter 3:18; Hebrews 2:9\u201313.<\/p>\n
5. To demonstrate God\u2019s righteousness: Romans 3:24\u201326; II Corinthians 5:21.<\/p>\n
In relation to the devil.<\/p>\n
1. To destroy the power and works of the devil: Colossians 1:13; 2:15; Hebrews 2:14\u201315; I John 3:8.<\/p>\n
In relation to the law: Galatians 3:13-14; 4:5; Romans 7:1-6; 10:4.<\/p>\n
In relation to sin.<\/p>\n
1. To bear our sins: I Peter 2:24.<\/p>\n
2. To take away sin: John 1:29; Hebrews 9:26\u201328; 10:4, 11; I John 3:5.<\/p>\n
3. To be a final sacrifice for sin: Hebrews 7:26\u201327.<\/p>\n
4. To be the propitiation for our sins: I John 2:2; 4:20.<\/p>\n
5. To cleanse us from all sin: I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5.<\/p>\n
6. To forgive us of our sins: Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; 2:13\u201314.<\/p>\n
7. To redeem us: Galatians 3:13\u201314; 4:5; I Peter 1:18\u201319; Titus 2:14; Revelation 5:9\u201310.<\/p>\n
8. To save sinners: I Timothy 1:15; Hebrews 7:25.<\/p>\n
In relation to the believer\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
1. To perfect us forever: Hebrews 10:14.<\/p>\n
2. To give us eternal life: John 3:14\u201316; Romans 6:22\u201323; I John 5:6\u201313.<\/p>\n
3. To save us from wrath: Romans 5:9.<\/p>\n
The Biola Hour Guidelines, What We Believe, by David L. Hocking, (La Mirada, CA: Biola Univ., 1982), pp. 21-22<\/p>\n
Where Is God?<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is God?\u201d inquired the mind: \u201cTo His presence I am blind. . . . I have scanned each star and sun, Traced the certain course they run;<\/p>\n
I have weighed them in my scale, And can tell when each will fail; From the caverns of the night, I have brought new worlds to light;<\/p>\n
I have measured earth and sky, Read each zone with steady eye; But no sight of God appears, In the glory of the spheres.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the heart spoke wistfully, \u201cHave you looked at Calvary?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas C. Clark<\/p>\n
Quoted by John Gilmore in Probing Heaven, Key Questions on the Hereafter, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989, p. 97<\/p>\n
Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord Send Peace (Judges 6:24)<\/b><\/p>\n
Jesus! whose blood so freely stream\u2019d To satisfy the law\u2019s demand; By Thee from guilt and wrath redeem\u2019d, Before the Father\u2019s face I stand.<\/p>\n
To reconcile offending man, Make Justice drop her angry rod; What creature could have form\u2019d the plan, Or who fulfill it but a God?<\/p>\n
No drop remains of all the curse, For wretches who deserved the whole; No arrows dipt in wrath to pierce The guilty, but returning soul.<\/p>\n
Peace by such means so dearly bought, What rebel could have hoped to see? Peace, by his injured Sovereign wrought, His Sovereign fasten\u2019d to a tree.<\/p>\n
Now, Lord, Thy feeble worm prepare! For strife with earth, and hell begins; Confirm and gird me for the war; They hate the soul that hates his sins.<\/p>\n
Let them in horrid league agree! They may assault, they may distress; But cannot quench Thy love to me, Nor rob me of the Lord my peace.<\/p>\n
Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper\u2019s Poems, Sheldon & Company, New York<\/p>\n
Praise for the Fountain Opened (Zech. 13:1)<\/b><\/p>\n
There is a fountain fill\u2019d with blood Drawn from Emmanuel\u2019s veins; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains.<\/p>\n
The dying thief rejoiced to see That fountain in his day; And there have I, as vile as he, Wash\u2019d all my sins away.<\/p>\n
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood Shall never lose its power, Till all the ransom\u2019d church of God Be saved, to sin no more.<\/p>\n
E\u2019er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die.<\/p>\n
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I\u2019ll sing Thy power to save; When this poor lisping, stammering tongue Lies silent in the grave.<\/p>\n
Lord I believe Thou hast prepared (Unworthy though I be) For me a blood-bought free reward, A golden harp for me!<\/p>\n
\u2019Tis strung and tuned for endless years, And form\u2019d by power divine, To sound in God the Father\u2019s ears No other name but Thine.<\/p>\n
Olney Hymns, by William Cowper, from Cowper\u2019s Poems, Sheldon & Company, New York<\/p>\n
Jesus Hasting to Suffer<\/b><\/p>\n
The Saviour, what a noble flame Was kindled in His breast, When hasting to Jerusalem, He march\u2019d before the rest;<\/p>\n
Good will to men, and zeal for God, His every thought engross; He longs to be baptized with blood, He pants to reach the cross!<\/p>\n
With all His suffering full in view, And woes to us unknown, Forth to the task His spirit flew; \u2019Twas love that urged Him on.<\/p>\n
Lord, we return Thee what we can: Our hearts shall sound abroad, Salvation to the dying Man, And to the rising God!<\/p>\n
And while Thy bleeding glories here Engage our wondering eyes, We learn our lighter cross to bear, And hasten to the skies.<\/p>\n
Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper\u2019s Poems, Sheldon & Company, New York<\/p>\n
Sovereign Love<\/b><\/p>\n
Hail Sovereign Love that first began The scheme to rescue fallen man Hail matchless, free eternal grace That gave my soul a hiding place.<\/p>\n
Against the God that built the sky I fought with hands uplifted high Despised the mention of His grace Too proud to seek a hiding place.<\/p>\n
Enwrapped in thick Egyptian night And fond of darkness more than light Madly I ran a sinful race Secure without a hiding place.<\/p>\n
But thus the eternal council ran Almighty Love, arrest that man I felt the arrows of distress And found I had no hiding place.<\/p>\n
Eternal justice stood aview So to Sinai\u2019s fiery mount I flew But justice said with frowning face \u201cThe law is not hiding place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thus I wandered \u2018lone and feared Till mercy\u2019s angel soon appeared And led me at a placid pace To Jesus for a hiding place.<\/p>\n
On Him Almighty vengeance fell That would have sent a world to hell He bore it for a sinful race And thus became our hiding place.<\/p>\n
Should sevenfold storms of thunder roll And shake this globe from pole to pole No thunderstorm can daunt my face For Jesus is my hiding place.<\/p>\n
A few more days at most Will land me on fair Canaan\u2019s coast Where I shall sing the songs of grace And see my glorious hiding place.<\/p>\n
Major John Andre<\/p>\n
The Sufficient Blood<\/b><\/p>\n
His blood is so sufficient He tells us in His word On the mercy seat in heaven It was put there by our Lord.<\/p>\n
It stops the accuser of the brethren As he walks before the throne Our God just points to the blood And Satan knows He cares for His own.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s sufficient for any situation To nourish, to cleanse, and keep. Oh, magnify your name my Lord My soul with rapture leaps.<\/p>\n
Can my sins though oh so many Make this blood of no avail Once I\u2019ve named the name of Jesus In my heart, I cannot fail.<\/p>\n
His word has proclaimed it The work begun in me Will someday be completed When His dear face I see.<\/p>\n
And when I dwell in heaven As the ages roll along Oh, that precious blood of Jesus Will be my victory song.<\/p>\n
Author unknown<\/p>\n
Too Late<\/b><\/p>\n
An Englishman by the name of Ebenezer Wooten had just concluded a preaching service in the village square. The crowd had dispersed, and he was busily engaged in loading the equipment. A young man approached him and asked, \u201cMr. Wooten, what must I do to be saved?\u201d <\/p>\n
Sensing that the fellow was trusting his own righteousness, Wooten answered in a rather unconcerned way, \u201cIt\u2019s too late!\u201d <\/p>\n
The inquirer was startled. \u201cOh don\u2019t say that, sir!\u201d <\/p>\n
But the evangelist insisted, \u201cIt\u2019s too late!\u201d Then, looking the young man in the eye, he continued, \u201cYou want to know what you must DO to be saved. I tell you it\u2019s too late now or any other time. The work of salvation is done, completed, finished! It was finished on the cross.\u201d Then he explained that our part is simply to acknowledge our sin and receive by faith the gift of forgiveness.<\/p>\n
Our Daily Bread<\/p>\n
Problems of Christianity<\/b><\/p>\n
Some of the problems of Christianity strike me as being so blatantly rational-belief-destroying that there is almost a sense of farce in seeing its devotees trying to wriggle from under them. Chief among these is the problem of explaining how somebody\u2019s death two thousand years ago can wash away my sins. When you combine this with the doctrine of the Trinity and the implication that the sacrificial lamb is God Himself (or Itself) and that this therefore makes things all right with this self-same God, the rational mind boggles. <\/p>\n
Michael Ruse, professor of philosophy and zoology at the University of Guelph, Ontario, who was raised a Quaker, in \u201cFrom Belief to Unbelief and Halfway Back, Zygon, Vol 29, March 1994, p. 31<\/p>\n
Value of God\u2019s Gift<\/b><\/p>\n
Who can estimate the value of God\u2019s gift, when He gave to the world His only begotten Son! It is something unspeakable and incomprehensible. It passes man\u2019s understanding. Two things there are which man has no arithmetic to reckon, and no line to measure. One of these things is the extent of that man\u2019s loss who loses his own soul. The other is the extent of God\u2019s gift when he gave Christ to sinners\u2026Sin must indeed be exceeding sinful, when the Father must needs give His only Son to be the sinner\u2019s Friend! <\/p>\n
J.C. Ryle in Foundations of Faith<\/p>\n
Vicarious Death of Christ<\/b><\/p>\n
Why did the Father will the death of his only beloved Son, and in so painful and shameful a form? Because the Father had \u201claid on him the iniquity of us all\u201d (Isa. 53:6). Jesus\u2019 death was vicarious (undergone in our place) and atoning (securing remission of sins for us and reconciliation to God). It was a sacrificial death, fulfilling the principle of atonement taught in connection with the Old Testament sacrifices: \u201cwithout the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins\u201d (Heb. 9:22; Lev. 17:11).<\/p>\n
As the \u201clast Adam,\u201d the second man in history to act on mankind\u2019s behalf, Jesus died a representative death. As a sacrificial victim who put away our sins by undergoing the death penalty that was our due, Jesus died as our substitute. By removing God\u2019s wrath against us for sin, his death was an act of propitiation (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2, ; 4:10 –\u201dexpiation,\u201d signifying that which puts away sin, is only half the meaning). By saving us from slavery to ungodliness and divine retribution for sin, Jesus\u2019 death was an act of redemption (Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18\u201319). By mediating and making peace between us and God, it was an act of reconciliation (Rom. 5:10\u201311). It opened the door to our justification (pardon and acceptance) and our adoption (becoming God\u2019s sons and heirs — Rom. 5:1, 9; Gal. 4:4\u20135).<\/p>\n
This happy relationship with our Maker, based on and sealed by blood atonement, is the \u201cNew Covenant\u201d of which Jesus spoke in the Upper Room (1 Cor. 11:25; Matt. 26:28).<\/p>\n
Your Father Loves You by James Packer, (Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986), page for December 27<\/p>\n
Christ our Substitute<\/b><\/p>\n
Commenting on this verse Martin Luther wrote: \u201cAll the prophets did foresee in Spirit that Christ should become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, blasphemer, etc., that ever was or could be in all the world. For he, being made a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world is not now an innocent person and without sins\u2026but a sinner.\u201d He was, of course, talking about the imputing of our wrongdoing to Christ as our substitute.<\/p>\n
Luther continues: \u201cOur most merciful Father\u2026sent his only Son into the world and laid upon him\u2026the sins of all men saying: Be thou Peter that denier; Paul that persecutor, blasphemer and cruel oppressor; David that adulterer; that sinner which did eat the apple in Paradise; that thief which hanged upon the cross; and briefly be thou the person which hath committed the sins of all men; see therefore that thou pay and satisfy for them. Here now comes the law and saith: I find him a sinner\u2026therefore let him die upon the cross. And so he setteth upon him and killeth him. By this means the whole world is purged and cleansed from all sins.\u201d<\/p>\n
The presentation of the death of Christ as the substitute exhibits the love of the cross more richly, fully, gloriously, and glowingly than any other account of it. Luther saw this and gloried in it. He once wrote to a friend: \u201cLearn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, \u2018Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You became what you were not, so that I might become what I was not.\u2019\u201c<\/p>\n
What a great and wonderful exchange! Was there ever such love? <\/p>\n
Your Father Loves You by James Packer, (Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986), page for October 20<\/p>\n
Basic Truths<\/b><\/p>\n
As we look at the cross and interpret it, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and in the light of what the Bible says about it, we see many truths that are basic to personal religion:<\/p>\n
\u2022 God condones nothing but judges all sin as it deserves, which Scripture affirms and my conscience confirms to be right.<\/p>\n
\u2022 My sins merit ultimate penal suffering and rejection from God\u2019s presence (conscience also confirms this), and nothing I do can blot them out.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The penalty due me for my sins was paid for me by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in his death on the cross.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Because this is so, through faith in him I am made the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21): i.e., I am justified. Pardon, acceptance, and sonship become mine.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Christ\u2019s death for me is my sole ground of hope before God.<\/p>\n
\u2022 My faith in Christ is God\u2019s own gift to me, given in virtue of Christ\u2019s own death for me: i.e., the cross procured it.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Christ\u2019s death for me guarantees my preservation to glory.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Christ\u2019s death for me is the measure and pledge of the Father and Son\u2019s love for me.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Christ\u2019s death for me calls and constrains me to trust, worship, love and serve. <\/p>\n
Your Father Loves You by James Packer, (Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986), page for April 5<\/p>\n
Crucifixes<\/b><\/p>\n
The government of Polish Prime Minister Jaruzelski had ordered crucifixes removed from classroom walls, just as they had been banned in factories, hospitals, and other public institutions. Catholic bishops attacked the ban that had stirred waves of anger and resentment all across Poland. Ultimately the government relented, insisting that the law remain on the books, but agreeing not to press for removal of the crucifixes, particularly in the schoolrooms.<\/p>\n
But one zealous Communist school administrator in Garwolin decided that the law was the law. So one evening he had seven large crucifixes removed from lecture halls where they had hung since the school\u2019s founding in the twenties.<\/p>\n
Days later, a group of parents entered the school and hung more crosses. The administrator promptly had these taken down as well. The next day two-thirds of the school\u2019s six hundred students staged a sit-in. When heavily armed riot police arrived, the students were forced into the streets. Then they marched, crucifixes held high, to a nearby church where they were joined by twenty-five hundred other students from nearby schools for a morning of prayer in support of the protest. Soldiers surrounded the church. But the pictures from inside of students holding crosses high above their heads flashed around the world. So did the words of the priest who delivered the message to the weeping congregation that morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no Poland without a cross.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chuck Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict, pp. 202-3<\/p>\n
The Goddess<\/b><\/p>\n
Alila stood on the beach holding her tiny infant son close to her heart. Tears welled in her eyes as she began slowly walking toward the river\u2019s edge. She stepped into the water, silently making her way out until she was waist deep, the water gently lapping at the sleeping baby\u2019s feet. She stood there for a long time holding the child tightly as she stared out across the river. Then all of a sudden in one quick movement she threw the six month old baby to his watery death.<\/p>\n
Native missionary M.V. Varghese often witnesses among the crowds who gather at the Ganges. It was he who came upon Alila that day kneeling in the sand crying uncontrollably and beating her breast. With compassion he knelt down next to her and asked her what was wrong.<\/p>\n
Through her sobs she told him, \u201cThe problems in my home are too many and my sins are heavy on my heart, so I offered the best I have to the goddess Ganges, my first born son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brother Varghese\u2019s heart ached for the desperate woman. As she wept he gently began to tell her about the love of Jesus and that through Him her sins could be forgiven. <\/p>\n
She looked at him strangely. \u201cI have never heard that before,\u201d she replied through her tears. \u201cWhy couldn\u2019t you have come thirty minutes earlier? If you did, my child would not have had to die.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each year millions of people come to the holy Indian city of Hardwar to bathe in the River Ganges. These multitudes come believing this Hindu ritual will wash their sins away. For many people like Alila, missionaries are arriving too late, simply because there aren\u2019t enough of these faithful brothers and sisters on the mission field. <\/p>\n
Christianity Today, 1993<\/p>\n
The Nail Prints<\/b><\/p>\n
During the Middle Ages there was a popular story which circulated about Martin of Tours, the saint for whom Martin Luther was named. It was said that Satan once appeared to St Martin in the guise of the Savior himself. St. Martin was ready to fall to his feet and worship this resplendent being of glory and light. Then, suddenly, he looked up into the palms of his hands and asked, \u201cWhere are the nail prints?\u201d Whereupon the apparition vanished.<\/p>\n
Theologians tell a story to illustrate how Christ\u2019s triumph presently benefits our lives: Imagine a city under siege. The enemy that surrounds they city will not let anyone or anything leave. Supplies are running low, and the citizens are fearful. But in the dark of the night, a spy sneaks through the enemy lines. He has rushed to the city to tell the people that in another place the main enemy force has been defeated; the leaders have already surrendered. The people do not need to be afraid. It is only a matter of time until the besieging troops receive the news and lay down their weapons. <\/p>\n
Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces of evil — disease, injustice, oppression, death. But the enemy has actually been defeated at Calvary. Things are not the way they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it becomes clear to all that the battle is really over. <\/p>\n
Uncommon Decency, Richard J. Mouw, pp. 149-15<\/p>\n
Abraham\u2019s Offering<\/b><\/p>\n
For family devotions, Martin Luther once read the account of Abraham offering Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22. His wife, Katie, said, \u201cI do not believe it. God would not have treated his son like that!\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cBut, Katie,\u201d Luther replied, \u201cHe did.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 191<\/p>\n
Christ\u2019s Triumph<\/b><\/p>\n
At the cross, Jesus drove out Satan, \u201cthe prince of this world\u201d (John 12:31\u201333. <\/p>\n
Today Satan is a usurper. The cross passed initial judgment on him. His claims were destroyed; his claimed authority was invalidated. His defeat was so complete that he has lost his place and authority. The Greek word ekballo means \u201cto drive out, expel.\u201d The cross doomed Satan to ultimate expulsion from our world, though he is still active and desperate in his anger and futility. He is the archon, the ruler of this age only until God enforces the judgment of the cross after Christ\u2019s return.<\/p>\n
At the cross, Jesus \u201cdisarmed the powers and authorities\u201d (Col. 2:15). The word disarmed is from the Greek apekoyo, a double compound meaning \u201cto put off completely, to undress completely and thus render powerless.\u201d At the cross, Christ undressed all demon authorities. It is a picture from the ancient oriental custom of stripping the robes of office from a deposed official. At the cross, the leaders and authorities of Satan\u2019s forces and kingdom were stripped of their authority and honor. They now have no authority to oppose, intimidate, or harass you.<\/p>\n
But that is not all; there is even more in this picture. Paul says Christ \u201cmade a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross\u201d (v.15). This again is an illustration taken from ancient history. When a conquering emperor returned from a great victory, he was often given a triumphal procession. The victor and his army marched through streets lined by cheering thousands. While the musicians played, chariots and soldiers carried the looted treasures of the defeated king, and he and his general or other selected prisoners were led in chains, their shame openly displayed.<\/p>\n
The Greek word edeigmatisen means \u201cto make a public exhibition.\u201d During the interval between Christ\u2019s death and resurrection, when He announced (ekarussen) Satan\u2019s defeat at the cross to the evil spirits in prison (I Peter 3:19), in symbolism Christ marched triumphantly through the spirit prison, with Satan and his demonic rulers chained in inglorious defeat behind Him. He made a public spectacle of their defeat, says Paul, and now every demonic being knows his cause is defeated forever, his satanic lord\u2019s authority stripped from him, and his own doom waiting for the appointed time (Matt. 8:29).<\/p>\n
At the cross, Satan and his unclean spirits were destroyed (Heb. 2:14). The word destroy is from the Greek katargeo, which means \u201cto put out of action, to make useless.\u201d It is used repeatedly to show how through the death and the return of Christ (parousia), the powers of destruction that threaten man spiritually are put out of action. In I Corinthians 15:24, this includes all dominion of demonic authority and power. In verse 26, death itself will be the last enemy to be rendered useless. All these are \u201ccoming to nothing,\u201d including Satan himself (Heb. 2:14) and his demonic leaders (I Cor. 2:6).<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Way Out of Hell<\/b><\/p>\n
Pakistan in 1947. A fellow Hindu approaches to confess a great wrong. \u201cI killed a child,\u201d says the distraught man. \u201cI smashed his head against a wall.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d asks the Mahatma (Hindu for \u201cGreat Soul\u201d). <\/p>\n
\u201cThey killed my boy. The Moslems killed my son.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI know a way out of hell,\u201d says Gandhi. \u201cFind a child, a little boy whose mother and father have been killed, and raise him as your own. Only be sure he is a Moslem–and that you raise him as one.\u201d <\/p>\n
Feb 1992, Reader\u2019s Digest, p. 106<\/p>\n
One Hanging on a Tree<\/b><\/p>\n
In evil long I took delight, Unawed by shame or fear, Till a new object struck my sight, And stopp\u2019d my wild career:<\/p>\n
I saw One hanging on a Tree In agonies and blood, Who fix\u2019d His languid eyes on me. As near His Cross I stood.<\/p>\n
Sure never till my latest breath, Can I forget that look: It seem\u2019d to charge me with His death, Though not a word He spoke:<\/p>\n
My conscience felt and own\u2019d the guilt, And plunged me in despair: I saw my sins His Blood had spilt, And help\u2019d to nail Him there.<\/p>\n
Alas! I knew not what I did! But now my tears are vain: Where shall my trembling soul be hid? For I the Lord have slain!<\/p>\n
A second look He gave, which said, \u201cI freely all forgive; This blood is for thy ransom paid; I die that thou may\u2019st live.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thus, while His death my sin displays In all its blackest hue, Such is the mystery of grace, It seals my pardon too.<\/p>\n
With pleasing grief, and mournful joy, My spirit now if fill\u2019d, That I should such a life destroy, Yet live by Him I kill\u2019d!<\/p>\n
John Newton, 1725\u20131807<\/p>\n
Father God<\/b><\/p>\n
I read about a small boy who was consistently late coming home from school. His parents warned him one day that he must be home on time that afternoon, but nevertheless he arrived later than ever. His mother met him at the door and said nothing.<\/p>\n
At dinner that night, the boy looked at his plate. There was a slice of bread and a glass of water. He looked at his father\u2019s full plate and then at his father, but his father remained silent. The boy was crushed.<\/p>\n
The father waited for the full impact to sink in, then quietly took the boy\u2019s plate and placed it in front of himself. He took his own plate of meat and potatoes, put it in front of the boy, and smiled at his son. When that boy grew to be a man, he said, \u201cAll my life I\u2019ve known what God is like by what my father did that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
J. Allan Peterson<\/p>\n
Blood Transfusion<\/b><\/p>\n
In his book Written in Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you give your blood to Mary?\u201d the doctor asked.<\/p>\n
Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, \u201cSure, for my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room\u2014Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned.<\/p>\n
As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny\u2019s smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. \u201cDoctor, when do I die?\u2019<\/p>\n
Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he\u2019d agreed to donate his blood. He\u2019s thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he\u2019d made his great decision.<\/p>\n
Johnny, fortunately, didn\u2019t have to die to save his sister. Each of us, however, has a condition more serious than Mary\u2019s, and it required Jesus to give not just His blood but His life.<\/p>\n
Thomas Lindberg<\/p>\n
Our Debt<\/b><\/p>\n
We were in hopeless debt and Jesus paid the debt for us<\/p>\n
Luke 7:41\u201350<\/p>\n
Bank<\/p>\n
We were slaves and Jesus came to the marketplace to redeem us from bondage<\/p>\n
Eph. 1:7<\/p>\n
Slave market<\/p>\n
We were condemned criminals before the judgment seat of God and Jesus bore our penalty in order to set us free <\/p>\n
Rom. 5:16<\/p>\n
Law court<\/p>\n
We were unclean Gentiles, excluded by our defilement of sin from the presence of God in the temple, and Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice to consecrate for us a way to the throne of mercy<\/p>\n
Eph. 2:13\u201314<\/p>\n
Temple<\/p>\n
We were children in disgrace far from home and Jesus brought us back to the family circle<\/p>\n
Eph. 2:18\u201319<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
We were captives confined to the fortress of Satan and Jesus broke in to deliver us<\/p>\n
Col. 2:15<\/p>\n
Battlefield<\/p>\n
Christian Theology in Plain Language, p. 114<\/p>\n
Unholy Made Holy<\/b><\/p>\n
We trample the blood of the Son of God if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only explanation for the forgiveness of God and for the unfathomable depth of His forgetting is the death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the outcome of our personal realization of the atonement which He has worked out for us. It does not matter who or what we are; there is absolute reinstatement into God by the death of Jesus Christ and by no other way, not because Jesus Christ pleads, but because He died. It is not earned, but accepted. All the pleading which deliberately refuses to recognize the Cross is of no avail; it is battering at a door other than the one that Jesus has opened. Our Lord does not pretend we are all right when we are all wrong. The atonement is a propitiation whereby God, through the death of Jesus, makes an unholy man holy. <\/p>\n
Oswald Chambers<\/p>\n
Quote<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 God requires satisfaction because He is holiness, but He makes satisfaction because He is love. – A.H. Strong<\/p>\n
Maps<\/b><\/p>\n
Em Griffin writes, in MAKING FRIENDS, about three kinds of London maps: the street map, the map depicting throughways, and the underground map of the subway. \u201cEach map is accurate and correct,\u201d he writes, \u201cbut each map does not give the complete picture. To see the whole, the three maps must be printed one on top of each other. However, that is often confusing, so I use only one \u2018layer\u2019 at a time. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the same with the words used to describe the death of Jesus Christ. Each word, like redemption, reconciliation, or justification, is accurate and correct, but each word does not give the complete picture. To see the whole we need to place one \u2018layer\u2019 one top of the other, but that is sometimes confusing–we cannot see the trees for the whole! So we separate out each splendid concept and discover that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.\u201d – John Ross <\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Hijacked Jet Liner<\/b><\/p>\n
In his little book On Christian Truth, Harry Blamires suggests that we think of the human race aboard a hijacked jet-liner flying through time. \u201cGod himself directed its takeoff from the divine control-tower. The initiator of all evil, whom we call the Devil, managed to get a boarding pass.\u201d When the plane reached its cruising altitude, the Devil produced his weapons, threatened the pilot, and took control of the aircraft and all its passengers. Thus the plane hopped on fearfully through history from airport to airport till \u201cit was caught on the tarmac at Jerusalem, an outpost of the Roman empire, in the reign of Tiberius Caesar, where the Son of God offered himself as sole hostage in exchange for the passengers and crew.\u201d <\/p>\n
Christian Theology in Plain Language, p. 115<\/p>\n
Finished Work<\/b><\/p>\n
Did Christ finish His work? How dangerous it is to join anything of our own to the righteousness of Christ, in pursuit of justification before God! Jesus Christ will never endure this; it reflects upon His work dishonorably. He will be all, or none, in our justification. If He has finished the work, what need is there of our additions? And if not, to what purpose are they? <\/p>\n
Can we finish that which Christ Himself could not complete? Did He finish the work, and will He ever divide the glory and praise of it with us? No, no; Christ is no half-Savior. It is a hard thing to bring proud hearts to rest upon Christ for righteousness. God humbles the proud by calling sinners wholly from their own righteousness to Christ for their justification. – John Flavel<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Grace and Favor<\/b><\/p>\n
Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior, Turned away God\u2019s wrath forever; By His better grief and woe He saved us from the evil foe.<\/p>\n
Christ says: \u2018Come, all ye that labor, And receive My grace and favor\u2019; They who feel no want nor ill Need no physician\u2019s help nor skill.<\/p>\n
As His pledge of love undying, He this precious food supplying, Gives His body with the bread And with the wine the blood He shed.<\/p>\n
Praise the Father, who from heaven Unto us such food hath given And, to mend what we have done, Gave unto death His only Son.<\/p>\n
If thy heart this truth professes And thy mouth thy sin confesses, His dear guest thou here shalt be, And Christ Himself shall banquet thee.<\/p>\n
John Huss<\/p>\n
Resources<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 c.f. Hebrews 10:5\u20137 in file, J.M. Boice. Story of Czar Nicholas I of Russia and man deserving punishment.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Extent of: Bib Sac, 137:548:310, L.S. Chafer<\/p>\n
\u2022 Anselm\u2019s view of: Bib Sac, 135:540:333, J. Hanna<\/p>\n
\u2022 For Whom Did Christ Die?, R. Lightner, Walvoord: A Tribute, Donald Campbell, ed., Moody, 1982, p. 157.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OT Pictures Situation Interpretation Reference Slave Market World System 1 John 5:19 Slave Master Satan John 12:31 Slaves Humanity Ephesians 2:2\u20133 The Problem Sin Colossians 2:14 Highest Bidder Jesus Christ Hebrews 2:14\u201315 Ransom Price Blood of Christ 1 Peter 1:18\u201319 One animal sacrifice per man Genesis 3 One sacrifice per family Exodus 12:3\u201314 One sacrifice … Continue reading “Atonement”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}