The Sacrificial Lamb

 1 Peter  3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit,

The observance of the death of Christ is recognized today, Friday, the end of Passion Week. As Christians, we celebrate this special day with thanksgiving that Jesus came to earth to die for our sins, renting the veil of the temple in half, giving us access to God, closing the chasm between man and God.  The week follows the Jewish Passover, which changes from year to year depending on the full moon after the spring equinox. The Passover occurred when the death angel came and killed all the firstborn in Egypt. The Jews were spared this death if their house had the shed blood of the lamb stricken over the door post of their home. The blood, signifying Jesus’ blood that was shed on Friday of Holy Week, covers our sin and the penalty for sin that we owe. He paid the debt that we could not pay. He was the sacrificial lamb who took on the wages of sin for you and me. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is life eternal because He died on the cross and became the substitutionary lamb of God.  It would appear to be a sad day for those who followed Him, grieved that their Messiah was being nailed to a cross between two thieves. But Christ, who willingly gave His life, said, “It is finished.” The songwriter pens, “It is finished, the battle is over, it is finished, there'll be no more war, it is finished, the end of the conflict, it is finished and Jesus is Lord.” The victory has been won. The good news is that Good Friday is God’s gift to us, and Sunday is coming!

Suffer Persecution

2Tim 3:12- Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 

Through time and history, the church has faced persecution from all that fight against God and the claims of Christ as God. Followers of Christ are seen as bigots and intolerant for they claim that Jesus in the only way to God the Father.  The church has suffered persecution from all those that oppose a God that requires obedience to a moral law. In the face of evil, John the Baptist darned to cross the immoral behavior of the daughter of Herod, for this he was beheaded. We stand today in a world with a philosophy that ever man is doing that which is right in his own eyes. If you dare show any intolerance or judgement of their behavior you are labeled as narrow minded and are ridiculed for your faith. In America, persecution may not show up as physical beating or elimination, but the faith of believers who stand up to truth is belittled and mocked. All those who live godly in Christ will be attached and judged by those who claim that they are tolerant of all people except Christians. With grace, Christian need to stand firm for truth, yet show to the world the love of Christ that is able to bring peace and forgiveness to the hearts of men.

He Gave Up The Ghost

Mark 15:37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

Good Friday is good because it is the day we remember what Jesus has done for us. Lost in sin without God we were sinners. Bound for eternity with no hope of seeing God. But the cross has made the difference. The cross, the emblem of suffering and shame. He took on Him the sins of the world, the punishment for sins that we have committed were the strips He bore on His back. It’s a good day to serve God, a day to be thankful for what He did for you and for me. He gave up the ghost, the veil has been rented, we now have access to the throne of God, because He shed His blood that we may enter into the presence of God and have fellowship with Him.

The Mind of Christ

Philippians 2:4,5 “Look not every man to his own things, but every man also to the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”-

Living in the Vine is to have the mind of Jesus. He is our supreme example how we are to act and behave. In our humanity we come short of what God wants us to be, but Christ humbled Himself and became human. He walked the dusty roads of this earth and suffered the afflictions that you and I encounter in life. Even during times of hardship and in the face of death, Christ willingly gave Himself to us. We are so prone to pamper ourselves and look out for number one. The spirit is often willing, but the flesh is weak. Paul realized that in our humanity that there would be a tendency to cater to our own needs, and there are times that doing so is the right thing to do. But, often those needs can be put aside, so we can care for the needs of others. Having the mind of Christ living within us, will give us the strength and fortitude to act in kindness, preferring one another over our own wants. The mind of Christ is allowing the Holy Spirit to take full control of our life and let Him direct and guide our path. When we have the mind of Christ, our attitude changes toward life, life is no longer about “us” but, it is about serving others. Let us put aside those things we want and start to focus on the things of others. 

The Seals Opened

Revelation 6: 1-6, 12-17

As the seals are open, the vision of the different horses that John saw all represented events to come. The actual events are all speculation. Some teach that these events have already occurred, other think that these are events still to be fulfilled. In conclusion, no doubt the wicked will suffer for rejecting Christ, and the righteous will be with Christ forever.

White Horse- Behold a white horse

• The first beast called- The lion- courage’s in battle-Victor
• The horse- animal of war and battle
• Victorious Trajan went forth toward the east
• The birth of the church going forth to all nations
• The Tribulation- Anti-Christ- victory through peace-diplomacy
• Christ on a white horse- He comes for the victor in all situations

Red Horse – horse that was red

• The second beast called- OX- Endurance and patience
• Decebalus, king of Dacia wars against Trajan- lots of blood
• The war against the church- persecution
• The Tribulation- War between each other- shedding of blood
• Judgment of those who reject the reign of Christ

Black Horse – and lo, a black horse

• The third beast called- The man- compassion for the suffering
• The famine in Egypt- land of plenty after the war
• A famine of Spiritual food- Church goes underground
• The Tribulation- famine- the poor suffer, the rich prosper
• Famine of spiritual food- become reprobates- mockers

Ashen Horse – and behold a pale horse

• The forth beast called- The eagle- intelligence- bird of prey
• The desolation left a weaken nation, brought death
• The church goes into the dark ages- the dead church
• The Tribulation- death come to a fourth of the earth
• Death and Hell is the final destination of those who reject

Altar of the Slain –souls of them that were slain

• The invisible world- no connection to the previous metaphor

• The martyrs, those left on earth, the angels on heaven

Black Sun & Red Moon – sun became black, moon as blood

• The destruction of Jerusalem
• Calamity to come when Christ returns
• The wrath of the lamb- Redeemer becomes judge

The Suffering Savior

Isaiah 53: 1-12

God, who loved this world, was willing to let His son come to earth and take on the form of man. Knowing that His son would suffer a cruel death on a rugged cross, God the Father released His son into the hands of cruel and hateful men. In spite of their hatred, Christ laid His life down to suffer and die for sinful man. The Suffering Christ made it possible for you and me to be reconciled and redeemed. It was through his suffering that we our made whole, whereby we cry “Abba Father”

Report of a Savior- Who hath believed our report

• By Faith they looked for the day to come
• That God would send His son to take away our sins

Reaching Arms of God- arm of the Lord revealed

• He will make Himself know to those who believe
• God’s arm will reach around the world- Salvation for all

Root in the desert- root out of dry land

• Royal line of David was buried
• His physical appearance was common
• His beauty was within- tender plant

Rejected & Despised of Men – He was despised and rejected

• He was hated of men and dismissed as a mere carpenter
• A man who identified with suffering
• Who is will to take up his cross and follow?

Redeemed Through His Blood with His strips we our healed

• Wounded for our committed sins
• Bruised for our sin nature- we were born in iniquity

• God laid on Him all of our sin(s)

Repudiated by His Own – He was afflicted, lamb to slaughter

• They led Him to the cross, as lamb is led for sacrifice
• He laid down His life willing
• Forsaken by all- cut off from the living

Righteous Servant-righteous servant justify many

• Fulfilled the will of Jehovah
• He who knew no sin, became sin for us
• More than just physical suffering

Risk All for the World- he bares the sin of many

• Poured out his soul unto death

• Numbered with the transgressors
• Interceded for sinful man

Job's Confidence

August 12th, 2007
Job 19:1-11, 19-27
In the shadow of despair and hopelessness, Job sees a ray of light shining through the dark clouds that surrounded him. He sternly rebukes those who have accused him wrongly and stands firm in his belief that he has done nothing that would cause the torrent of calamities that he is facing. He still does not understand why God is allowing all the pain and suffering, but he maintains his integrity toward God and is confident that God will see him through. We often go through trails and hardships without understanding the purpose, but God who stands alone as all knowing will judge right in the end. We may never know all the reasons why, but we can know that God lives and He is ultimately in control.

Agony of soul
• Beyond physical pain
• Rebuke those who cause more suffering
Accepting of fault
• “ I could be wrong, but it is not God’s Fault”
• We must always realize that we might be mistaken
Ascribe his suffering from God
• All things do come from God
• Caught in the net of God without know why
Anguish and hopeless
• Fence up- no where to go, no hope for the future
• A Tree uprooted with no hope to live again
Abhorred by friends
• When Friend turn on you
• Don’t give pity, but show compassion and sympathy
Affirming of our faith
• Epitaph of our life- Let it be know
• Though He slay, still he lives
Avenger of right
• God will make all thing right
• We live not for this world, but for the world to come
• Like the beggar, our reward may be in the life after.

Zophar, The Religous Dogmatist

August 5th, 2007
Job 11: 1-16, 20
Job is now in the midst of confusion. He is crying out to God for answers. He does not understand why he is being afflicted when he has done his best to flee wickedness and live right. Zophar, a man of self- importance, and one who values his opinion very highly is tired of Job’s “whining”. Job must see that there is only one cause for this suffering. Job has sinned, and he needs to stretch out toward God and confess his wickedness to God. Zophar leaves no room for any other possibilities, his ideas on how God works are right and there is only one way to deal with it. He usurps himself as God and passes judgment on Job with an air of arrogance and self-righteousness. When defending the faith, we must always stand for truth, but it must always be done in a spirit of meekness and humility.

Convinced opinion
• Job’s words go unanswered
• “Job, you are wrong, now listen to me”
Contend for the truth
• “Bless God! I’ll sent them right”
• More concern about being “right” than showing mercy
Condemnation of others
• Only God truly knows the heart of man
• Praying for others with compassion
Comprehension of God
• Man’s finite ability to comprehend all
• God’s sovereign will is accomplished
• Nothing is hid from God
• God knows the heart no matter the outward appearance
• Job’s declaration of righteousness is put the question
Confession of sin
• Prepare your heart- attitude of sorrow
• Stretch out your hand- Humility and God dependent
• Put iniquity away- confession and restitution
• The tabernacle is free of wickedness- sin is no longer entertained
Confidence toward God
• Clean conscience toward God and man
• Doubt and fears are swept away
Consequences of un-confess sin
• Hope is gone, life ends in despair

Job's Faithfulness

July 8th, 2007
Job 2:1-13
It was enough that Job suffered the lost of his children and processions. We often feel that we have reached the end of our endurances. And, often asked the questions. Could it get any worse? Why is this happening? What have I done to deserve this? Will it every end? No doubt, Job went through an emotional trauma as he was informed of his misfortunes. He was at the bottom and it seemed that he could not go any further down. But, the spiritual warfare still rages between good and evil. Satan’s desire is to bring ultimate defeat to man’s faith in God. It is said that every man and women has a price. And, at some point will be willing to sell. Satan was determined to bring down Job. God believed in Job’s undying faith and determination to do what was right no matter what happen. The testing of Job was more than physical anguish, but he also had to struggle with the hard questions in life. Does God really love me? Where is God when I need Him? What is the purpose of my life?

Spiritual Warfare vs.1-3 (Satan came... before the Lord)
• We fight not against flesh and blood
• Satan attacks the “apple of God’s eye”
Severe Trails (vs.4 skin for skin)
• Material and social lose
• Physical, emotional, and mental
Sovereignty of God (vs.6 save his life)
• God is in control
• He will not allow a temptation-more than we can bare
Sorrow and Suffering (vs.8 sat among the ashes)
• Dealing with pain
• All that live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer…
Speech Betrays (vs.10 thou speaketh… foolish)
• For out of the mouth comes cursing and blessing
• Let no corrupt communication proceed
• The power of words and speech
Sympathy of Friends (vs. 11 come to mourn with him)
• Bare one another burdens – so fulfill the law of God
• So glad to be apart of God’s family
• Sincere grief for those who suffer lose
Silence in time of Grief (vs13 and none spake a word)
• Custom of the day- Protocol, having respect for others
• Presence can do when words fail

As Strangers and Pilgrims

1 Peter 2:11-25

Review: Hope is made alive by the resurrection of Christ. He calls on us to wait with patience and accepting the trails we face as a test of our faith in that hope. It is in the trails that God can help us to grow and add to our faith. Please be patient, God is still working on me and no doubt, He is still working on you.

Temporary Dwelling
• We our only sojourners
• The balance- So heavenly minded, not earthly good
• Set you affections and treasures above
Temptation of the Flesh
• The pull of the world- the devil will work on our weak
• We must be masters over our natural fleshly desires
Testimony to the World
• The world is watching to see how you live
• We ought to please God 1st regardless of what the world thinks
• We are judge by God’s standard, not the world
Total Submission to God and Man
• Obeying the rules of man- Keeping the law
• We ought to obey God…. Make sure it is God, not you
• Honor those who are in authority- Your duty
• Subject yourself to the good boss and bad boss
Thankworthy in God’s sight
• Your actions will be honored by God
• Suffer for the Cause of God and not your mistakes
Taking up the Cross
• Jesus was persecuted for doing good.
• Follow His example- We should follow His footsteps
• Jesus did not retaliate when spoken against
• O’ To Be Like Jesus…
The Tree of Life
• His death on the tree brought forth life to all
• As pilgrims we must also take up the cross and follow
• True life and happiness comes only when we yield to God our all and see this world as a temporary dwelling place