These verses contain two of Jesus’s last seven sayings as He hung on the cross. They are the shortest of the sayings, consisting of only five words combined (and only two words total in the original Greek). But do not mistake the brevity of these sayings with having a shallow meaning. Rather these two words from Christ have profound meaning and implications....
On the cross, suffering for the sins of the others, Jesus never forgot his mission. He came to fulfill the promise that had been given to Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:15), the words that had been given to the prophets, and the hope that had been in the hearts of God’s people. Jesus, speaking to Zacchaeus, spoke clearly about his Father-mandated mission, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10)....
Our Lord’s words here tell a precious promise. A guilty, crucified criminal is heading to Paradise. The same day he’s punished for his crimes, he’s promised by his Creator to be in glory. How did such a drastic change of destinations come about for this thief? Why did Jesus say what he did?...
In preparation for Good Friday, I have been looking over the readings for the Tenebrae service. The first reading is from Psalm 2. It is a psalm that in its historical context referred to the rightful Davidic king of Israel, but has been seen throughout history as referring to the Messiah. To some it seems out of place on Good Friday, with its insistence on the right of God’s Anointed One to rule and the ultimate pronouncement of judgment on those who reject His authority. Yet in a way it is a reminder of why Jesus, the Messiah, had to come and to give Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of humanity. I see three ways the psalmist reminds us of our need and God’s provision....
We see over and over how people or symbols in the Old Testament point to a greater fulfillment in Christ. Some person or object in the Old Testament imperfectly exhibits a characteristic, office, or function that foreshadows its perfect realization in Jesus. For instance, the first created man, Adam, was always pointing to the last Adam, who is Christ (1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Romans 5:12-21). David, the great king of Israel, was always pointing to the eternal King Jesus (Revelation 17:14; 1 Timothy 6:13-15). The high priests in the Old Testament were pointing to the great high priest, who offers up one sacrifice for the sins of the world (Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 10:11-14). The Passover lamb sacrificed in order to deliver the Israelites from bondage in Egypt was always pointing to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who would be sacrificed to free God’s people from their bondage to sin (John 1:29)....
We are motivated by what we love; we are driven by what we believe is valuable. As has been said often, if you want to know what someone loves, see how they use their time. Let’s take this same principle and press it into the individual a few steps deeper. Rather than looking at how we spend our time, let us instead consider our thoughts. Our minds tell the story of how we view the world, and it is within our thoughts that the true condition of our hearts is on full display. Unfortunately, we take little time to make an effort to reign in our thoughts. Too often we let them run free because they are hidden, invisible to the world, and free from judgment. This is an abomination to our God who has rescued us from bondage (Romans 6), including the bondage of our thoughts. Indeed, Scripture repeatedly calls on us to be intentional with our thoughts. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...
Psalm 91 promises, “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” (Psalm 91:4-6) This is God promise. It’s true. Yet pestilence and disease do come. Even to Christians. Such as right now. How then do we answer this? Is the promise void?...
In times like these, people may question everything they thought was true. Our world is turned upside-down. Things we took for granted are no longer available, our daily routine is restricted, and the future is so uncertain we’re not even sure how worried we ought to be. When our world is this crazy, it can be tempting to question where God is in all of this....
These verses contain two of Jesus’s last seven sayings as He hung on the cross. They are the shortest of the sayings, consisting of only five words combined (and only two words total in the original Greek). But do not mistake the brevity of these sayings with having a shallow meaning. Rather these two words from Christ have profound meaning and implications....
Keep Reading On the cross, suffering for the sins of the others, Jesus never forgot his mission. He came to fulfill the promise that had been given to Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:15), the words that had been given to the prophets, and the hope that had been in the hearts of God’s people. Jesus, speaking to Zacchaeus, spoke clearly about his Father-mandated mission, “For t...
Keep Reading Our Lord’s words here tell a precious promise. A guilty, crucified criminal is heading to Paradise. The same day he’s punished for his crimes, he’s promised by his Creator to be in glory. How did such a drastic change of destinations come about for this thief? Why did Jesus say what he did?...
Keep ReadingWill Our Marriages Become a Casualty of the Coronavirus? As we have seen on a daily basis, the threat of the Coronavirus is not just medical, not just financial, not just emotional, but if not prayerfully and humbly addressed, this threat could also become marital as well. While we pray against any casualties in our battle against this Coronavirus, we need to also pray o...
Keep Reading In preparation for Good Friday, I have been looking over the readings for the Tenebrae service. The first reading is from Psalm 2. It is a psalm that in its historical context referred to the rightful Davidic king of Israel, but has been seen throughout history as referring to the Messiah. To some it seems out of place on Good Friday, with its insistence on the right of Go...
Keep Reading We see over and over how people or symbols in the Old Testament point to a greater fulfillment in Christ. Some person or object in the Old Testament imperfectly exhibits a characteristic, office, or function that foreshadows its perfect realization in Jesus. For instance, the first created man, Adam, was always pointing to the last Adam, who is Christ (1 Corinthians 15:45-...
Keep Reading We are motivated by what we love; we are driven by what we believe is valuable. As has been said often, if you want to know what someone loves, see how they use their time. Let’s take this same principle and press it into the individual a few steps deeper. Rather than looking at how we spend our time, let us instead consider our thoughts. Our minds tell the story of how ...
Keep Reading Psalm 91 promises, “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” (Psalm 91:4-6) This is God promise. It’s true. Yet pestilence an...
Keep ReadingMore than any other time in recent memory, the entire world is fighting the same battle and the entire world is looking for the same victory. The impact of the Coronavirus is even more expansive than the two "World Wars" of the 20th Century! That is not to say the death toll or the suffering of the Coronavirus will be same as World War I and II, but history does not give ...
Keep Reading In times like these, people may question everything they thought was true. Our world is turned upside-down. Things we took for granted are no longer available, our daily routine is restricted, and the future is so uncertain we’re not even sure how worried we ought to be. When our world is this crazy, it can be tempting to question where God is in all of this....
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