The Finished Work of Calvary

The cross of Christ!  An amazing gift!  God-given, God breathed and God performed. 

When Jesus Christ said, “It is done”, an exchange was fully completed on our behalf.  Thank you Jesus, for the finished work of the cross.

You became sin so I might become the righteousness of God

You were rejected so I could be accepted.

You took my sicknesses so I could be healed.

You became poor so I might become rich.

You took my shame so I would have honour as a child of the Most High God.

You were hated so I would be loved.

You died so I could have life. 

You became a curse so I would be set free from the curse of sin and be blessed.

You took my punishment and judgement so there is now no condemnation for me.

You were bound so I could be set free and walk in liberty.

You were taken captive by the darkness so I could be released into the light.

You took my sorrows so I could have joy.

You went to hell, took the keys of hades and death, so I could go to heaven.

You rose from the dead for my justification.

You were falsely accused so I could be declared innocent.

Your relationship with the Father was broken so I could be reconciled to Him.

You took His wrath so I could have His grace and peace.

Your heart was broken so mine could be restored and made whole.

Everything that you did at Calvary was for me.

The Natural, The Spiritual

"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him."  Col 1:16

I have just been thinking about creation (as I often do) and the vastness and variety of everything Jesus created, and realised afresh that all was created for us.  God's abundance is seen in creation.  Not only did He create on a practical level, for He gave man dominion over the work of His Hands, He also created it to be pleasing to our eyes, to surround us with beauty and to capture our inquisitiveness and imagination.

The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. Psa 111:2 

When I see the blue skies, the canvas of God's Hand, on which He hung the sun and paints the most incredible and awesome sunsets, I'm reminded of His goodness, His glory and His incredible order of things. 

God gave Adam the job of tending His garden.  He created us to do.  We have a great sense of achievement when we accomplish something and bring order too.  Work is a God given gift which gives us a sense of self worth and success.  Our Father works and we are made in His image.  He runs the universe for us, upholding all by the power of His Word.  Jesus told us that He only did the works He saw the Father doing, and the works He does are good and benefit society.

Creation should lead us to God as the natural often gives us clues into the spiritual.  When we look into creation, we see God's amazing wisdom and power.  Even Job encouraged us to:-

"Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you." Job 12:7 -8

When we study the how and why of creation, the order of the universe, the incredible information stored in the DNA, these things should point us back in reverence and awe to a Holy God from whom all good gifts flow.  When we see the rain bring a drought-dry landscape back to life, we should equally see how much we need the rain of the Spirit upon us, the presence of God, to stay "green" and alive, flourishing under His care.

Jesus often used the natural in parables to bring out a spiritual truth.  He is the vine, we the branches and even as a branch is cut away from the vine it perishes. So it is imperative that we remain in Him.  Yet if a branch is pruned it brings forth more fruit.  We need to allow Him to prune us and to cut out all the things that damage our relationship with Him.

He is the Shepherd, we the sheep.  If we go astray, He'll look for us, He'll tend to us and feed us.  Spiritually we need to cling to Him as the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, knowing that we can trust Him to take care of us through any and all situations.

I challenge you, when you gaze upon the nature around us, to think about God's abundant Hand and love for us that He would create such beauty and colour for our enjoyment and pleasure.  A gift from the Creator's Hand for us to unwrap each and every day!

 

 

John 3:16 Revisited

“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) Son...”

Imagine this!  Think about who is actually voicing these words?  It is Jesus, talking to Nicodemus about God’s love and God’s plan for the world.  Jesus is the one to whom He is referring...that His Father gave Him up.  And for whom – the world!  That’s us, in our sin, violence, idolatry and rebellion against the Father of Heaven, The Almighty.

I wonder at the willingness and peace with which Jesus Christ said this.   Fully aware and fully supportive of the plan, God’s plan to save us!  He was in on the discussion and there are no feelings of rejection here.  Just amazing grace, and total surrender to the will of the Father.  Jesus knew from whence He had come.  Back up a few verses and Jesus speaks of His deity.

Joh 3:13  And yet no one has ever gone up to heaven, but there is One Who has come down from heaven--the Son of Man [Himself], Who is (dwells, has His home) in heaven.

And the reason for all of this....

Joh 3:15  In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever!

Christ knew His purpose in the plan, to be the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. (Rev 13:8) He knew that He was the only begotten Son of the Father to be given up for us.  Ponder the love both had for us, both willing to give up their best – The Father His Son, and the Son His Life.  Both of them in total agreement, both of them proactive in dealing with men’s sinful condition.  Jesus trusting the Father, coming in human flesh to dwell among His created, knew what His suffering and pain would bring.  He was separated from His Father when He bore the sin of the world upon Himself at the cross of humiliation yet great victory.  The Father trusted the Son to accomplish the plan to the very “t” – not strive from it but strive toward it – not to run from the cross of suffering but to run toward it and embrace it.

Humankind desperately needed a Saviour as the prophets’ lamented about our condition.

Isa 59:12  For our transgressions are multiplied before You [O Lord], and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know and recognize them [as]:

Isa 59:13  Rebelling against and denying the Lord, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and muttering and moaning from the heart words of falsehood.

Rom 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

In our despair and suffering of our own making, God and demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)

I encourage you, mediate upon this Love.  Mediate upon the cross of Christ and may the revelation of God’s full Love be yours forever.