In a few days time, we are celebrating the Good Friday! Hallehlujah! Our Lord, Jesus, He came 2000 years ago to give us life and more abundantly. The very fact that He rose on the 3rd day after He was crucified, signify that God was fully satisfied with what Jesus had done on the cross. He raised Jesus from the dead. Amen! Today death is no longer a threat to us when we are in Christ. Amen! Therefore, we can speak boldly to our circumstances which may seem death, but in the name of our Lord, Jesus, it will be resurrected. Amen!
If our job is heading to a dead-end, with our identity in Christ, we can speak forth a resurrection to our career.. If our health is deterioting, with our identity in Christ, we can speak forth healing and health to our body! Amen!
What He did 2000 years ago is so powerful even till today, under the new covenant of Grace, we can enjoy the blessings and favors of God as long as we believe in Jesus and His finished work. Amen! This is Good News!
Now let's take a step back and examine John 3:16, we know all these blessings and favors are possible because we have a God who love us so much.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is one of the most famous verse among Christian. Sometime, when we are so familiar with a verse like this that we may miss the point.. Let's take a moment to examine this verse.
The word "so" speaks of intensity. e.g. I so loved the "char kuey teow" that I could have it every night for supper. We are so loved by God! But then, we can never know how much God love us until we know how much He love His Son.
The day when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist at Jordon river, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
And when Jesus together with Peter, James and John were at the Mount Transfiguration, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
From here, we can see that God is truly pleased with His Son. On two seperate occasion, He spoke and gave affirmation about His Son. Such affirmation cannot be found anywhere else in the Bible. Yet, God gave His one and only Son for us because He so loved us!
Last week, we talk about God hate sin and in order for men to have good standing before God in the old testament, a sacrifice was inevitable. But, of all the sacrifice then, God was not after human sacrifice. The only time He asked for a human sacrifice in the Bible is in Genesis 22.
God told Abraham to take his son, his only son Isaac, whom he love and offer him as a burnt offering. Even then, He was just testing Abraham and Isaac was not sacrified. And God said to Abraham "...now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Instead, today when we see Jesus at the cross as our sacrificial Lamb, we can say to God" ...now I know that You love me, since You have not withheld your Son, your only Son, the Son that You love, from me." Hallelujah!
We know God is just. And because He is just, He need to punish sin. Yet, God is love. To fulfil His judgement on sin and be reconciled with men, He sent His Son to be our sacrificial Lamb. Every punishment, every indignation fell upon Jesus and when Jesus exhausted every single drop of judgement for our sins, He cried out "It is finished!" Hallelujah! That shout is a victory proclamation!Satan is defeated and we are justified before God. Amen!
Today, we can no longer doubt if God love us. If we ever have such doubt, look at the cross. The cross is the sure symbol of God’s love for us. It is at the cross that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
As we come for the Easter celebration, let's come with a heart filled with His love and not doubt anything less. It will probably take us our entire life to truly understand the depth, the width, the length and the height of His love. But one thing is for sure, God’s love for you and I is displayed forever at the cross. Amen!
Happy Easter Day!
Shalom,
Bro
No comments:
Post a Comment