This is PART 2 of the 3 PART Series titled “Loving One Another”.
Loving One Another (I John 3:11-20) – Part 2 2. Causes to Love (I John 3:13-15) I John 3:13-15, Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Cain had a bitter hatred for his own brother because of Abel’s ’righteousness. It is godliness that infuriates the wicked (Proverbs 29:27). As people become more ungodly, those who are good will be called evil and those who are called evil will be called good (Isaiah 5:20). When these conditions occur, that society is in serious sorrow. How can a person know if they have been saved and have passed from death unto life? The answer, according to John, is love for the brethren. The word "brethren" has reference to the spiritual brotherhood. Love is not the cause of our passing over into life; it is the proof that we have passed from death to life. John comes back to this point again because this matter is so important. Christians grow when they love other believers. Churches thrive when the people love one another instead of fussing, feuding, and fighting with one another. When you love the brethren, you will love your church and you will enjoy going to church. It is difficult to love others in the church, to really know them, and get close to them when you are not faithful to the services. It is one thing to like other believers, but it is another matter to actually love other Christians. Hatred is a very serious matter because hatred is not satisfied with controlling a small part of your heart. It wants and takes almost complete control of a person’s heart, mind, body, and soul. When hate grips a person, they do not think rationally at all. The person is consumed by their hate. Common sense gets blurred, biased, and bizarre. Hating a believer makes a person no different than Osama Bin Laden, Charles Manson, or Adolf Hitler in God’s approximation. That is alarming and crushing. Those who are branded by repeated hateful attitudes toward others and who habitually harbor murderous feelings, give proof of an unbelieving heart. We must remember that Jesus was hated by the world long before we came on the scene. Therefore, we should not be surprised when the world and worldly people hate us. The more you love and honor God, the more you expose the evil of those who do not. The more you expose the evil of those who dishonor God, the more they’ll hate you. They’ll hate you because of who you love, because of who you resemble. They hated Jesus and they’ll hate those who are like Jesus. The very core of Christ's message is one of love. God loved so much that He gave His all. Those that are saved have experienced that love fully, and now God desires that they turn around to show others that love as well. Love isn't common in our world. Hearing of someone giving of themselves stands out in a world of selfish pursuit. So, when someone shows love, others notice. As Christians, our very existence should be to show love to those around us. PRAYER: Lord, I know the power of Your love can impact someone today so, help me take the time to show it to someone today. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for reading PART 2 of the 3 PART Series titled “Loving One Another”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 3. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
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This is PART 1 of the 3 PART Series titled “Loving One Another”.
Loving One Another (I John 3:11-20) – Part 1 1. Christlike Love (I John 3:11-12) I John 3:11-12, For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Here in these verses, John’s main emphasis is one of the most needed things in the world and the church, which is love. The love spoken of here is the unconditional, self-sacrificing love which God has shown to man. This is the very thing that Christians are to have for one another. This message suggests that while others are loving us, we are to be loving them. In I John 3:11, John said that we have an obligation to love one another. This obligation was laid down from the beginning. John probably had reference to John 13:34, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. This word “love” which means “we are to continually love others with a self-sacrificing love.” It is the same kind of love that God has for us. When the ministry of the Lord Jesus was nearing its end on earth, He shared with the disciples the key, distinguishing mark of a Christian. It was not someone who wore a cross around his or her neck. It was not someone who went to church. The mark was love for the brethren. I John 3:12, on the other hand, suggests that Cain had a love unlike that we are to have. Cain’s love for his brother Abel had conditions in it. Cain’s love for his brother dried up once he discovered that his brother was so much different from himself. Cain discovered that Abel’s deeds were righteous and his own deeds were evil. Cain’s love was a wrong love because it was not strong enough to let his brother take a few steps ahead of him. In our loving one another, we must be sure that we have a right love. This kind of love is unconditional. Cain killed his brother because he was angry at God for refusing his offering to the Lord and was jealous that Abel’s offering was accepted. It was accepted because it was offered in obedience and faith (Hebrews 11:4). Cain wanted to worship God on his own terms and did not follow the instructions of his father on how to offer a proper blood sacrifice to the Lord. Cain’s offering was a bloodless one. Cain was not any different than people today who worship God on their terms. They leave Jesus out of their lives. They depend on works, to get them to Heaven or gain merit with God, but all to no avail. Without personally accepting Christ’s sacrifice for sins, a person is of the wicked one (John 8:44). Love does not persecute the righteous. A person who truly loves his brother will not persecute him. Love means that we will not even dislike another person. We love them, care for them, and reach out to them. We want their fellowship in Christ, longing for them to experience all the richness of life and for them to know all the fulness of Christ and His love. PRAYER: Lord, I see that love for others and for You does not come easily to me. That kind of love isn’t in me on my own. I’m asking You today to pour that kind of love into my life. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for reading PART 1 of the 3 PART Series titled “Loving One Another”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 2. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Beware of the Snare (II Timothy 2:25-26)
II Timothy 2:25-26, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. It is crucial that we do our best to be on guard against temptations and sinful attractions that we may be confronted with day by day. We need to understand that Satan does set traps for us just like a sea lion sets a trap for the sea gull. The sea lion is probably the gawkiest animal in the world. He likes to lounge in the sun all day, and when he does move, he is very lazy and uncoordinated. It has often been questioned how this animal succeeds to secure his favorite food, wild sea fowl. Sea gulls are so wild that it is difficult even for man to get within a gunshot of one. The seal seems to realize that it would be a waste of time to attempt to crawl upon the gulls as they rest upon the water and catch them unawares. So, he watches until the gulls are soaring slowly through the air close to the waves. Then the seal dives into the sea and swims underneath the water for some distance from the point at which he dived, and allows merely the tip of his great nose to appear above the water. Remaining in this position, he gives his enormous body a rotary motion so that his nose describes a circle on the surface of the ocean. He does this so skillfully that to the gull, his nose looks like a water bug at play. This catches the gull's eye, and it at once, darts down with the speed of an arrow, aiming straight for the little dot. The seal sees it coming and sinks a few inches, and as the gull strikes the water with tremendous force, the seal's jaws close upward and the gull disappears. The opposers have been influenced by Satan to believe false doctrine and to do his will in opposing the teachers of truth. These men who oppose the truth and the teachers of truth are really in opposition to themselves. Our purpose is not to set people straight, get in the last word, or win an argument. Our goal is to teach others the words and ways of God. Ministers are to help people by instructing them in meekness to come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil. This is only possible if God gives them repentance that they may be freed from Satan’s captivity. The minister must be gentle when people oppose him, that he does not react in aggression, but that he reaches out in gentleness. When he has to correct people and point out their weaknesses, he is not mean but gentle. This is possible if the minister walks with the Lord each day. 1. Christian Every day Satan baits our path (I Peter 5:8), not revealing what is at its end. Be careful what you are doing, where you are going, and the company you keep. By the grace of God, let the Lord win the battle over your will. The devil is most afraid of a person God can use. He knows the power of one life that can be used by God. Therefore, he sets his snare, which can be envy, sensual pleasure, pride, etc. He knows our weaknesses and sets his snare accordingly. 2. Church Within the church, this is a believer whose emotions the devil has manipulated until the person becomes the source of strife, discord, and subversion in the church, all the while thinking that he is doing the will of God. This is a deceived believer, captured by the enemy and now working for the devil to disrupt the local church! Anyone who is in opposition to God’s work, whether they know it or not, are ensnared in a demonic deception, and are doing the devil’s work. We minister to them in gentleness, in the hope they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 3. Classroom We are in a great battle for the minds of young people today. Today, for the most part in classrooms, rather than being taught, students are being indoctrinated. The battle is not going to be won in boardrooms or with ballots, but with the Bible. The solution is and has always been the Lord. 4. Community If we are to be people God can use, we must gently instruct those who oppose us, praying that God will help them acknowledge the truth. Our goal should never be to embarrass or prove someone wrong, but to be used of God to gently bring people to repentance. This means we treat them respectfully and do not argue or talk down to them. Instead of antagonizing them, we should lovingly and humbly lead them to the truth of God's Word. a. The Christian life calls for Prudence. We must never underestimate the power of the world to corrupt us. Even though we must live in the world, we must be careful not to let the world live in us. Evil communications corrupt good manners. b. The Christian life calls for Passion. We must never allow our passion for God to cause us to be calloused toward those who don't share the passion. c. The Christian life calls for Proclamation. Paul instructs Timothy that if the people are to be taught, he is to teach them. If the Gospel is to be preached, he will have to preach it. We are not to quarantine ourselves from the world. Instead, we are to connect the world with the proclamation of God's Word and with the demonstration of God's love. That is still an effective strategy for us today as we live out our lives in a fallen world. PRAYER: Lord, give me the wisdom to walk wisely in the wicked world. Help me to recognize Satan’s strategy that I will not become a victim he uses, but a vessel that will honor You. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN! If this post has blessed you in any way please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Disconnected (Psalm 10:1)
Psalm 10:1, Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? Lord, why do you stand so far away? Lord, Why do you hide in times of trouble? These are questions that harassed and hurting believers have asked through the ages. This prayer is a cry to understand why God delays His justice (Revelation 6:9-10) and allows wicked people to succeed. Our present age seems to be filled with injustice and all sorts of evil, and God often seems to “stand far off,” letting the ungodly go their own way without being punished. While God’s people should continue to pray that He will stop evil and suffering, they can rest assured that a day of justice and judgment is coming. Until then, the Lord will lift up those who trust Him (Psalm 10:17-18). While the context of this verse is speaking of what appears to be a delay in judging injustice. I want to take a moment and consider what life is like when it seems the Lord is distant. We have been without internet service since last evening. Perhaps you have visited our website and have noticed until now that we had not posted a devotion. While this was frustrating for me, it was also out of my control. The more I thought about it, I began thinking of others who were (disconnected) without their internet service. Many people that depend on the internet for business, communication, social interaction, and etc. Then it hit me, what it must be like to feel disconnected for the LORD? Have you ever had a time when it seemed that you were disconnected from God? Maybe you prayed, but it seemed God wasn’t listening. Like David, Sometimes people feel disconnected from God (Psalm 10:1). There are times in our lives when we have a distant or disconnected feeling from God, like we’ve lost our passion for our pursuit of Him. This is a very miserable feeling. In fact, sociologists report, if the power grids were to fail to produce energy to power our homes resulting in no internet service. That within three days the impact would be felt mostly amongst the millennials of our generation. It causes me to ask myself. How long could I bear to be disconnected from communication to the Lord. The truth is, God has never left us. Omnipresence means present everywhere at the same time, at all times. He has been that way for all eternity. He isn’t contained by this universe (His creation). Yet, He permeates every inch of it. That means He’s there in your bedroom, in your car, at your work, with you on vacation, and with you in times of joy and in times of immense pain and heartache. Whether you are in tune with His constant presence or not, God is right there…always. How would your life change if you lived your belief that God is holy, omniscient, and that He loved you, and that unrepentant sin is what separates you from Him? God is very active in our lives. In the end when we feel isolated and alone, it is not because God is gone, but because we do not see Him working. We sometimes feel as if God has pulled away from us, but in actuality, we have held onto things in our lives that have created that space between us and God, blocking our intimacy with Him. This can come in many forms including people, busyness, disappointment with God, career, or social media. It can come from anything that diverts your attention or drains your energy away from God. When we sin, it creates feelings of guilt, and this guilt destroys our desire for intimacy with God, creating a gap between us and Him. With a habitual, sin we are constantly reliving this cycle of sin, guilt, and repentance that wears on us and makes the space between us and God larger and larger. By admitting our struggle and working to remove a habitual sin from our lives, we close that gap and progress towards reestablishing our walk with God. We are very grateful that we can publish these daily devotions on our website. We praise the LORD that we have an opportunity to reach the world with the Gospel. We want to thank you for your prayers and encouragement in this ministry. PRAYER: Lord, I want to thank You for Your ever presence in my life. I want to be more connected with you. Lead the way. Put in my mind and heart or the circumstances of my life today what You want me to do. I know You long to speak to me and I desire to hear from You. Teach me that I might have a deeper connection with You, that the Holy Spirit may transform my life that I may perform Your will for my life. In Jesus name Amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com He is Risen…He is Risen Indeed (Matthew 28:6)
Matthew 28:6, He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Over 500 people saw Jesus after the resurrection and before His ascension up to heaven. These people were so impacted by seeing a living Saviour with their own eyes that they were willing to die before they denied it. The passion they lived with for Jesus helped change the world. May the reality of Jesus resurrection cause you to burn with passion and purpose. May you have the boldness to suffer with Him before you ever deny Him! Jesus endured horrendous torture and an excruciatingly painful death that we might have eternal life with Him. Remember that the next time you feel the pressure to give up, cave in or quit. Jesus faced death on the cross and God was still God, He was still on the throne, and He still had all power. Remember that the next time you are facing a challenge. The fact that you will face tribulation in this world does not lessen the power of God in any way. It should actually motivate you to tap into it with your faith. The devil lost the day Jesus gave up the ghost. The foolish devil thought he was destroying Jesus, but he actually helped give Jesus the ultimate victory. When the first drop of Jesus’ blood was shed it sealed Satan’s fate forever. No matter what you are facing this morning, you have to remember that God is still God. He is still on the throne. The Lord God omnipotent reigns. He still loves you unconditionally. Knowing this, you know that you will overcome because Jesus already overcame for you! What impact does the Resurrection of Jesus do for us today? No matter how dead your dreams, your goals, your marriage, your relationships, your career, etc., may seem, know that through Christ you can rebound! Jesus was dead, but He arose again. What dead issue needs to be resurrected in your life? Whatever it is, take it to God in prayer, do or say whatever He leads you to do or say, and watch Him turn your hopeless situation around. PRAYER: Father, I thank You this morning for Jesus! I will never cease to give You the praise for what Jesus did for me. He willingly endured the pain of the cross for me. Jesus took my place on Calvary. No matter what I face, I know that You are still God and I still have a purpose. I honor Jesus’ sacrifice today and every day by becoming a conduit of His light and His love in the earth. In Jesus name, Amen! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com This is PART 7 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”.
7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART - 7 PART 7 - Christ’s 7TH Saying (Luke 23:46) Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit: Luke 23:46, And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit: and having said thus, He gave up His spirit. The Word of God tells us that as He uttered these words, He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. Physicians report that when people are dying, they try to raise their heads for one more breath. He bowed His head. What is worth noting is that the sufferings did not take His life, excruciating as though they were; He laid it down of Himself! Hallelujah! What a Saviour! Christ had announced earlier in His ministry that He would give up His life on His own (John 10:18). Christ would give His life when He decided, not when man decided. Christ gave up His own life. Nobody took it from Him, because no one has the power to do so. He willingly gave up His life for you. Jesus had the power to destroy all those who were attempting to destroy Him (Matthew 26:53). But He restrained Himself and endured this horrible death because of our sin. While Jesus was dying on the cross, God was still God, He was still on the throne and reigning omnipotent. The events around the cross, the earthquake, darkness, the rent veil, and the actions of our Lord as He was suspended between Heaven and earth, convinced the Roman centurion that Jesus was not only a righteous man, but He was God. Jesus voluntarily gave His life for us, yielding every moment of His life, even unto death, to God’s plan and purpose. Jesus commended His spirit unto God and then gave up His spirit. This fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 31:5, Into thine hand I commit my spirit: …. The word “commend” in Christ’s seventh saying from the cross means to “entrust, to commit to one’s charge.” The Lord Jesus entrusted His spirit into His Father’s keeping. He entrusted or committed Himself to the guardianship of the Father. As is stated in another text, “Christ . . . through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God…,” (Hebrews 9:14). When the first drop of Jesus’ blood was shed it sealed Satan’s fate forever. At that moment, He returned in spirit to His Father in heaven. At this moment, the temple’s veil was rent Matthew 27:51, signifying that the death of Jesus had settled the sin problem and had removed the barrier between sinful men and a holy God, Hebrews 10:19-20. Paul used the same word when he wrote to young Timothy. He wrote, “For I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” (II Timothy 1:12). Because Jesus entrusted His spirit with the Father, we can entrust our spirits in His saving and keeping power. Since He committed His all to the Father, we can commit our all to Him, also. Throughout His earthly ministry, Christ magnified the sovereignty and authority of His Father (John 6:38, 44; 10:29). Lovingly trusting Him to safely guard His spirit, the Lord Jesus entrusted it into His Father’s “hands.” The God Who held Him in His hands of mercy in life could be trusted to hold Him in His hands of might in death. This is also true for you and me! Christ died honoring God by committing His most precious possession into God's hands. You honor a person when you entrust into their care your most priceless possession. Since Jesus committed His spirit to the Father in the hour of death, then the Father must be eternal. The spirit would live on with the Father on the other side of death. As Christ committed Himself into the hands of the eternal God with certainty, so all believers can be assured about the ages to come. Through Christ, we will not only live with the Father, but will live as long as the Father lives. Christ died with a prayer on His lips. Some die with a curse on their lips. You do not die praying if you have not prayed much in your life. The fact that you will face tribulation in this world does not lessen the power of God in any way. In fact, it should motivate you to tap into the reservoir of faith. Have you committed your life into God’s hands’? Romans 12:1-2. PRAYER: Father in Heaven, as Jesus commended Himself to You, my desire is to commit my life to Your service. May I seek to win more people to Christ by sharing the Gospel more often. In Jesus name, Amen! Thank you for reading PART 7 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com 7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 6
This is PART 6 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. PART 6 - Christ’s 6TH Saying (John 19:30) It is finished: John 19:30, When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. From the beginning, Satan opposed the work of redemption. Beginning with Abel’s death, he attempted to hinder the coming of the Messiah. Pharoah, in Egypt, attempted to keep the Hebrews in bondage and to have all male babies drowned in the Nile River in order to prevent the coming of the Messiah. God foiled Satan’s strategy delivering the Jews. Wicked Haman attempted genocide for the complete and utter destruction of all the Jewish people. Herod attempted to destroy all male Jewish boys to prevent the Messiah from taking the throne. Satan had tried numerous times to stop Calvary's plan. But he failed and Christ conquered victoriously. The Lord Jesus was not ignorant of Satan’s devices (II Corinthians 2:11). Through His life and ministry, He fought the enemy with the Word (Matthew 4:1-11). But in His death, glory be to God, the Seed of the woman crushed the head of him “…that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Praise the LORD, Jesus said “It is finished and not, I quit!” It is finished speaks of Christ’s success over Satan. Satan had opposed Christ going to the cross and dying in the way heaven had planned. The word ‘finished’ occurs 3 times: a) Genesis 2:1. At the completion of God’s physical creation. b) John 19:30. When salvation was completed on the cross. c) Revelation 16:17. “It is done” at the 7th vial judgment. Here our Lord Jesus used the Greek word “Tetelestai” meaning, “It is finished, and as a result it is forever done.” The very words of the Lord Jesus, “It is finished,” make it clear that He did win! When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” the redemptive work He came to accomplish was done. Nothing else needed to be added to it. The word “Tetelestai” speaks of accomplishment, satisfaction, and victory! Examples of this are: 1. A servant, reporting to his master, would say, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” (John 17:4) 2. A farmer would use this term when there was born into his herd an animal so well-rounded, beautiful, and healthy that it seemed to be without defects and fault. 3. An artist or sculptor who finished a great masterpiece would stand back and say “Tetelestai. Tetelestai,” meaning that the painting is so perfect that nothing can be added to it. It needed no corrections nor any improvements. 4. A merchant would say this when “The debt is paid in full”. As our Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus paid the exacted payment to set us free from the bondage of sin. 5. A priest would use this word when examining a perfect animal sacrifice when the devout worshipper brought a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year (according to God's instructions in Exodus 12:5), to be offered as a sacrifice. 6. The greatest and example is when Christ said it to describe His payment for our sins on the cross. When our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offered Himself as the Lamb of God on the altar at Calvary being such a full, complete and perfect payment that nothing could he added to it. Jesus fully met the righteous demands of a holy law. He paid our sin debt in full. The Lamb of God shed His blood to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29; Hebrews 9:24-28). His Sacrifice for sins which was perfect, pure, powerful, once for all, eternal, finished, and done forever. Amen and amen!!!! The Creator (John 1:1-3) was sacrificed for His creation. Everything Christ did was according to the Scriptures. While on the cross, Christ spoke of finishing the work of salvation. Calvary was the sacrifice that finished all sacrifices for sin which made salvation possible. Christ had completed perfectly the work assigned to Him. Jesus paid the perfect price for sin and bridged the gap between a holy God and sinful people. Jesus had proclaimed He laid His life down, in John 10:18, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” The truth of this claim was verified in John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” Jesus was not robbed of His life; He voluntarily laid it down in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” When Jesus declared, “It is finished”, His work of atonement for sin was done. The demands of the law had been met. The debt for sin had been paid in full. Nothing can be, or needs to be, added to Christ’s finished work on the cross. Jesus endured the punishment for our sins against God, He opened the way for people to have a relationship with Him. Paul said, “I have finished my course.” II Timothy 4:6-8. Will you finish your life’s work that God has given you to do? PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank You for sending Jesus to shed His blood, to die, and pay the price for my sins. Thank You for giving Him the strength to finish the word He did at Calvary. He did it all He finished the work You sent Him to do. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for reading PART 6 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 7. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com 7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 5
This is PART 5 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Christ’s 5TH Saying (John 19:28) I thirst. John 19:28, After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. We all know the common cry of daily thirst in our bodies. When the water level of the body falls below a certain point, the brain signals that we are thirsty. On a hot day, we have all become especially thirsty for water. But most of us have never known the thirst that accompanies suffering and death. Physicians have assured us that there is no suffering comparable to that of an unassuaged thirst. It’s been said that those who died on the cross became so thirsty that their tongues would swell and protrude from their mouths. The Lord Jesus had suffered in many inconceivable ways. He had been mocked, beaten, and scourged. Then He had the cross laid upon His bleeding shoulders and back. When He reached Calvary, His hands and feet were nailed to the tree. The cross was then dropped into a prepared hole as His body screamed with pain, indicating the intense level of His sufferings. Christ did all He did according to a divine arrangement and order. The words “After this” conclude the movements of this event. “After” His prayer for forgiveness; “After” His acceptance of the thief; “After” His mother and His disciple were addressed; “After” the Father withdrew His presence from the Son; “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished . . . saith I thirst.” The Jews, stunned by what they had already experienced, then heard a cry that stirred sympathy in the hearts of some of the crowd. Jesus again revealed His humanity by declaring "I thirst." In response to this cry, some of the people standing by took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and put it to His mouth. Jesus had refused the pain deadening wine that was offered to those about to be crucified (Matthew 27:34). A soldier moistened Jesus’ lips with cheap vinegar on a sponge (John 19:29). “I was thirsty and ye gave me drink” (Matthew 25:35). When Jesus cried, “I thirst,” no doubt He was thirsting for the Father’s presence from which He had been separated. Perhaps He was also thirsting for the finality of His redemptive work. Remember as the rich man was thirsty in the tormenting flames of hell (Luke 16:24), so the Saviour, bearing our sins in His own body on the cross, was thirsty as He suffered the judgment for us. What infinite and precious love! It is clear that the Lord Jesus was concerned “that the scripture might be fulfilled.” In John 19, four references are made to prophetical fulfillments related to His crucifixion (John 19:24, 28, 36, 37). In His life and in His death, the Living Word did what He did in perfect agreement with the written Word. In order to fulfil the Scriptures Jesus said, “I thirst.” He had just endured three hours of darkness when He felt the wrath of God and separation from God (Matthew 27:45-49). Jesus experienced darkness, thirst and isolation as well as spiritual sufferings “My soul thirsteth for God” (Psalm 42:1-2). This fulfilled Psalm 22:15, “My tongue cleaveth to my jaws.” This shows the deep suffering Jesus went through. Messianic themes in Psalm 69: Psalm 69:3, my throat is dried. John 19:38, I thirst Psalm 69:4, They hated me without a cause. John 15:25, They hated me without a cause. Psalm 69:8, I am become a stranger to my brethren. John 7:5, For neither did his brethren believe in Him” Psalm 69:9, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. John 2:17, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Psalm 69:21, they gave me gall for my meat: in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. John 19:28-29, After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. Jesus had earlier said: “He that believeth on me shall never thirst” John 6:35, and “If any man thirst, let him come into me and drink” John 7:37. Jesus who gave His life so man need never thirst spiritually, endured great physical thirst. John 4:13-15. The One Who had said that those who are thirsty are invited to come unto Him and drink was now thirsty. He thirsted that sinners might have their thirst quenched at the Fountain of the Waters of Life. Today, we can “give Jesus a drink” by sharing what we have with those in need. The Lord wants to draw your focus beyond the immediate to the eternal. Everyday we encounter empty vessels who are in desperate need for the Fountain of Living Water. Many in this world are spiritually thirsty, but they have found nothing to quench their thirst. They have pursued the waters of pleasure, success, fame, and fortune; but they have been chasing a mirage without the Living Water Christ offers. It is our moral obligation to guide these people to the Living Water, whatever the cost. PRAYER: Father in Heaven, my soul truly thirsts after your righteousness. My desire is to continually pursue You each day until Your Son Jesus comes back for me. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for reading PART 5 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 6. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com This is PART 4 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”.
7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 4 Christ’s 4TH Saying - (Matthew 27:46) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:46, And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? At the sixth hour, which is noon, suddenly and without any warning the light of the world went out. There was a total darkness that lasted for the next three hours. Both Jews and the Roman Soldiers must have been very troubled. It seems that our Lord was silent for most of these three hours. No one was moving because of the darkness. What would happen now? The suspense built. Perhaps some of the Jews remembered when their ancestors were down in Egypt in the days of Moses, God sent a darkness that lasted for three days and nights. How long should this darkness last? But then, in that awful darkness in the middle of the afternoon, He did not address God as His Father, but rather addresses Him as God. Even greater than this, Christ was now talking about God forsaking Him. While Jesus did not address His Father, He did call upon God. As man, Jesus cried out to God in obedience and love. Jesus was not questioning the divine plan. The last Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1). Jesus, in His dying hour, quoted prophecy, expressed faith in it, and fulfilled it. He totally understood the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 22:1. Jesus quoted this from Psalm 22:1. Isaiah prophesied that Jehovah’s Servant would be “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). The Christ would be forsaken, not because of hard times and harsh conditions, but because “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Jesus was forsaken by the Jews, His disciples, the Father and the Holy Spirit. When Jesus came, we read that “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). Jesus was forsaken and accused by the religious leaders of His day (Luke 23:10) “the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him”. After the leaders apprehended Him in the garden, His own disciples “forsook Him, and fled” (Matthew 26:56). It is certainly clear that no other experience of abandonment in His earthly sojourn came close to His being forsaken by His Father. Though He had previously known only unbroken divine fellowship from all eternity, Jesus experienced the horrible abandonment of His Father as God poured out His wrath on His Son as He bore the sins of the world. In what sense was Jesus forsaken by God? God approved His work. He was innocent. He had done nothing to forfeit the favor of God. God still loved Him. Christ’s intense sufferings were caused by our sins being laid on Him and the manifestation of God’s intense hatred of sin to His soul. This had never happened before. Why did the Father turn His back on the Son? Because Jesus was bearing the sin of the world, and God cannot look on sin (Habakkuk 1:13). The torture and agony of the past few hours were horrible for Jesus, but the temporary alienation from God the Father was the ultimate pain. This sense of separation was intensified because Christ—as our substitute—actually took upon himself the full weight of guilt and punishment for every sin that had ever been committed or ever will be (II Corinthians 5:21). We cannot even begin to comprehend the sense of abandonment that Jesus felt as he hung on the cross. Here we see God’s Son, the Creator of the universe (John 1:1-3), not only rejected by his creation, but also isolated from the One who is everywhere. No human ever endured such a strong sense of judgment and isolation from God. Even though he had never sinned, God made him “to be sin for us” (II Corinthians 5:21). “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities...” (Isaiah 53:4-5), and he gave “his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28; I Timothy 2:6). He died forsaken so that we would never have to be forsaken (Psalm 22). By his suffering, he restored to those who trust him a right relationship with God (I Peter 1:19). This cry speaks of the separation of the sinner from God, the worst punishment of all. Christ was taking the place of the sinner on the cross and so experienced this terrible separation. The plea, “Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” indicates that when Christ was made sin for us (II Corinthians 5:21), because of the terrible nature of sin, the Father turned His back on His Son. Jesus was forsaken by the Father that we may never be forsaken by Him. He cried out as an orphan that we may never feel like orphans. Christ was cut off that we might never be cut off from God and His grace. Points to Ponder: Because Christ was forsaken by His Father, God will never leave us or forsake us (Psalm 37:23; Hebrews 13:5). Jesus experienced separation from God for the sake of others who would not need to experience that same separation. PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to shed His blood and die on the cross for my sins. Because of Jesus sacrificing Himself to pay the debt for my sins, I’ll never be forsaken by You. In Jesus name, Amen! Thank you for reading PART 4 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 5. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com This is PART 3 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”.
7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 3 Christ’s 3RD Saying (John 19:26-27) Woman, behold thy son! … Behold thy mother! John 19:26-27, When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. Jesus, in His dying moments, expressed His tender care for His mother. What a model for all children in providing for our parents’ needs who have done so much for us! “Behold thy mother!” Because your mother has always been your caregiver, when the tables are turned in her life, taking care of her can be a very challenging experience. Although you are a capable adult, in her eyes you are still her little one. We know the circumstances and challenges of Christ’s day were very different than ours. Yet He did not shirk the responsibility of taking care of His earthly mother. When the hour of His death arrived, it was clear that He had made special plans and accommodations. John, His beloved disciple, would take care of His mother, and Mary, whose heart was closest to the heart of Jesus, would live the remainder of her life with John. The God Who said, “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12), came to this earth and “was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). With human flesh draped around Him, He obeyed the same commandment that He had given to men. And even when He was dying, He continued to obey that commandment, honoring His mother with His thoughtfulness and provisions. Even as He hung dying on a cross, Jesus fulfilled His obligation to care for His mother. Even during the agony of a horribly cruel death and in the last moments of His life upon earth, Jesus was concerned about the welfare of his mother. He made arrangements for her care. Caring for and assisting helpless and needy family members is a responsibility we have until death. The focus here is on the responsibility of children for their dependent parents. Jesus was saying to John that He wanted him to be the substitute for the Substitute. As Jesus trusted John to take Mary to his own home and to lovingly provide for her in His absence, may He trust us to do His bidding. The fact that Jesus spoke to both His earthly mother and John from the cross indicates they were on His heart. He loved Mary so much that He guarded her future; He loved John so much that He gave Him a special ministry. He had us on His heart also and lovingly died for us. He still has us on His heart and lovingly speaks to us by His Spirit. Like John, may we hasten to do His will. And He purposes the same for all of us who have been purchased by His Precious Blood. As the poet has said; "Christ has no hands but our hands To do His work today, He has no feet but our feet To lead men in His way, He has no tongue but our tongues To tell men how He died, He has no help but our help To bring them to His side." Points to Ponder: Jesus was touched with the feelings of His mother’s hurt and pain. Jesus is touched with the feeling of our hurt and pain, so he takes care of us. PRAYER: Father In Heaven, I thank You for my Mother. Thank You for giving me a mother that has sacrificed so much for me and who has always been there for me. May I be as strong and supporting for her as she was for me. I Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for reading PART 3 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 4. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com |
AuthorDr. Blackman is passionate about helping others grow in the grace of the Lord. His devotions are centered on how to grow closer to the Lord through a personal relationship with Christ. Archives
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