THE cross of Calvary was ever casting its terrible shadow across the path of Christ. It is interesting and instructive to mark Christ’s repeated reference to His death.
The death of Christ is:
The testimony to man’s sin.
And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. – (Acts 20:22-23)
The triumph of God’s grace.
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. – (Hebrews 2:9)
The trysting place where God and the sinner can meet.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. – (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
The title to eternal life.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. – (John 12:24)
The temple for refuge.
he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. – (Hebrews 9:12-14)
The teacher for instruction.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, – (Titus 2:11-12)
The tether for binding.
I 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)
Mathew says
April 2, 2012 at 5:37 amPs.118:27
I will meet you..there Exo.29:42
Lovers’Lane!
OR ” Prepare to meet ..Amos.4:12
Grace be with you all.
Poor and needy one,
mathew
Mathew says
April 2, 2012 at 6:23 am“SATYAMEVA JAYATE”!”Tryst with Destiny” in NIV new Indian Version, “Tryst with Corruption”!
EVERY INDIAN, EVERY MAN has/ has to have a TRYST with The Truth. “Prepare to meet thy God.” “SATYAMEVA JAYATE”
So now bind the sacrifice fast to the altar with the cords of “love of truth”,(2Thes.2:10), constrained by the spirit of love..
” For (reason) love of Christ constraineth me/us..2Cor.5:14.
Can’t you feel the tug, the push, the pull. He is “The Pulley”- the amazing pull! Read that poem by George Herbert. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Poor and needy one,
mathew
steve morrow says
April 2, 2012 at 6:37 amHebrews 12:24
And to JESUS the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel
Mathew says
April 2, 2012 at 7:57 amYes, Jesus. YES – Your Essential Savior, Shopper (Ps.47:4)!!!
What meaneth this?
Just
Enjoy, eat, endure
Salvation, shalom
Upon
Salvation to the uttermost (parts& people)Acts.1:8; Heb.7:25.
Jesus- the womb to tomb versatile, very present, very praying, WONDRAMATIC God!!!Altogether lovely, comely, not just one third, but altogether! Hallelujah!
In my hard quest for the appropriate word to describe The Word, I found none. So I was urged to splice up two words together, the twain shall be one. Wonderful + Dramatic = Wondramatic. Amen.
If your life is NOT wonderful, nay wondramatic, stop & say YES to Jesus. It works. Or else I give you a money-back guaranty (Isa.55:1 & Rev.3:18). Amen.
Grace be with you all.
Poor and needy one,
mathew
Andy Bob says
April 2, 2012 at 11:42 amBrethren,
It is Easter week and many of our brothers and sisters around the world are remembering the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ which I am very thankful for.
While in Bible College, in the 1980’s, I was once asked a question that at first posed a difficult answer for me until I had searched out the answer in the scriptures.
The question was, “When Jesus died on the cross did a man die or did God die? (Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, and John 19:30)” My first thought of an answer was that a man had died because God cannot die because He is eternal (1 Tim 1:17, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. NIV” (Deut 33:27 …eternal God…KJV)
I was then asked a second question concerning our Lord Jesus Christ which was a little easier for me to answer which was, “When Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan was a man tempted or was God tempted?” My thought here was that it was a man being tempted because God cannot be tempted (James 1:13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” NKJV) and I know that in the book of Hebrews we see that Jesus the man was tempted in all points even as we are tempted by Satan and the demons (Heb 4:15, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” NKJV)
Interesting questions aren’t they? The answer came to me because as I read through the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John I see that the Father dwelled in the man Jesus Christ and that our Father God did the miracles through him (John 14:10, “”Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” NJKV)
As Easter comes and goes we will continue to love our Father God, Yahweh is His name, and be very thankful that He raised the man Jesus Christ from the dead and that Jesus, the man, chose with his own free will, to go to the cross and die for us, while in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mat 26:36-44), because the Father, the Eternal God and our creator, asked him to.
Wow! What a wonderful man! What a wonderful brother! I sure do love him and I love our God and Father who set the plan in motion!
Agape to each one of you!
Brother Andybob
Mathew says
April 2, 2012 at 2:17 pmWow!
Wonderful,
Counsellor,
The Mighty God,
The Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace
1Cor.15:23-28 that God may be all in all.
This Wonderful Man is looking for an equally wonderful Bride 2Cor.11:2-4. John saw it…..Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice… for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Rev.19:6-7. ARE YOU READY? Rapture, Bride, First resurrection..second death (Rev.21:8)
Pl. get back to the 5th point -temple, city of refuge. Note the phrase “the eternal Spirit” there. You find all the three at the cross. Father, Son & the Holy Spirit. It takes 3 to offer a sacrifice (Heb.7:1). Amen.
Poor and needy one,
mathew
Mathew says
April 2, 2012 at 5:21 pmSo
Brother, what are you up to?
Are you denying something or
declaring something?
I am reminded of Jude 1:4.
Are you contending for the faith (Jude1:3)
or contemning (Ps.107.10-11)?
Grace be with you all.
Poor and needy one,
mathew
Mathew says
April 2, 2012 at 5:47 pmWhat is agape?
What is kenosis?
Can we say ‘love of truth’ is agape?
(Zec.8:19; 2Thes.2:10)
Thanks.
Poor and needy one,
mathew
Andy Bob says
April 3, 2012 at 8:11 amWhat is agape?
Agape comes from God for God is agape.
1 John 4:8 tells us “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
The Greek word for love is agape. It literally means, affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love.
In English we do not distinguish very well with the word love because some say, “I love ice cream” while others say, “I love God”. There is quite a big difference in the love we have for ice cream versus the love we have for God.
The Greek language denotes the different type of loves we have because they have 4 different words to describe love. Agape is one of them (see “philia, eros, and storge”, Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_words_for_love )
I have great agape for the people of God, for God, for His son Jesus Christ.
When Jesus decided to go to the cross his Agape or love was fully expressed for God and for us.
1 Corinthians 13 is the love chapter and the King James Version of the Bible translate the Greek word agape as “Charity” but the word charity doesn’t quite have the meaning as the Greek word describes which is the unconditional love we should have as we go about our lives.
Being mindful of this fact I signed my post with Agape.
Hope this helps you dear brother!
Much Agape,
Andybob
steve morrow says
April 2, 2012 at 5:26 pmHebrews 9:15 And for this cause HE is the mediator of the new testament that by means of death for the redemption of transgressions that were under the first testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance
Hebrews 9:16 For where a testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the testator
Hebrews 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of now strength at all while the testator liveth
Loving the LORD
Teirrah McNair says
April 2, 2012 at 7:19 pmO how excellent. Thanks be to God for your insight.
Dawn Leskoske says
April 3, 2012 at 2:09 amSeems to me Acts 20:22-23 are Paul’s words about himself going to Jerusalem, not Jesus’ words about His own death.
Mathew says
April 3, 2012 at 4:06 amPraise the Lord. You are right.
Rom.3:25 is a better,apt reference for this point ,I suppose.
You are a Berean (Acts.17:11) indeed. Grace be with you.
Poor and needy one,
mathew