The Encourager
“Christ Gave Himself - Jeff Curtis”
Christ Gave Himself
By Jeff Curtis
When thinking about the mind of God, we need to realize our limitations (Isaiah 55:8-9); we shouldn’t allow ourselves to stray into areas of speculation. Still, we are encouraged by the Scriptures to meditate on the Word, and God will reward those who humbly and honestly seek to understand His will (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; 119:15, 46-48).
We should attempt to visualize the great drops of sweat that fell from our Lord’s face as He prayed in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). We should also study on the fact that His Spirit was One with the Father’s, and yet Peter says “He… bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1Peter 2:24). By doing so, maybe we will get some insight into what is at the heart of the meaning of the term “sacrifice” and also the mystery of God. By His nature, Jesus, in perfect holiness, hated the sin. And in His perfect spiritual harmony with God, He desired to do God’s will and was nourished by doing the will of God (John 4L34).
Everything God asked of Him, He could willingly do, and He even desired to do. He must have known even before His coming to this world that He, the holy Prince of Life, was to be delivered over to the realm of Satan, the prince of death and the unholiest being that ever existed. It was surely here, struggling in prayer, that our Lord fully learned obedience, doing the Father’s will and submitting to something that was utterly contrary to the spiritual fiber of His Being. We should learn such obedience, such hatred of sin, such loving sacrifice – to be partakers of so great a measure of His holiness.
All men “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Contingent upon this realization, fallen man must take the first step in accepting the salvation that Jesus offers us through His redemptive death. The writer of Hebrews wrote, “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10). The agony that Jesus suffered in Gethsemane was, in the will of God, the only way to achieve the purpose for which He was sent on His earthly mission (1Timothy 1:15). He, the Redeemer, paid the full price for our sins (1Peter 1:17-21). He was the Lamb of God who bore our sins (John 1:29). God made Him “to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2Corinthians 5:21). “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2Corinthians 5:19). Our justification comes as “a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
Ever Tempted to Forsake Your Faith?
by Russ Bowman
Psalm73 - Asaph acknowledges at the outset of this psalm that he had been seriously tempted to forsake his faith. He witnessed the injustices of life, and particularly the truth that wicked people often prosper. “They are not in trouble like other men, nor are they plagued like other men...their eyes bulge with abundance; they have more than heart could wish...these are the ungodly who are always at ease...” He goes so far as to question whether or not he had been serving God in vain (v.13-14).
Notice, however, that his frame of reference is changed when he “went into the sanctuary of God” and “understood their end” (v.17). Worship helps us to keep our head on straight. As we focus upon what is divine, holy, righteous, eternal, and just, the injustices and temporality of this world are put in their proper perspective. Yes, sinful and rebellious men often prosper in this life. They revel in their pride and abundance; often abuse and oppress others; seem at times to be above judgment and secure from retribution. But my regular presence in the “sanctuary of God” serves to remind me that our holy, righteous, and all-knowing Lord sits upon the throne of God and that every man will bow before Him and give account for his actions. It is this consideration that keeps us grounded, keeps us balanced, keeps us focused on things of true eternal value. And when tempted to think poorly of our conviction and service, it is often worship that becomes our way of escape.
Isn’t it a shame that we so very often neglect that which is so crucial to our continued trust in God.
