Dear church,

 

God has been teaching me so much about praise and thanksgiving lately, and how powerful it really is. Lord willing, over time we will begin to incorporate the power of praise in our prayer times together, both on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. Considering that God dwells in the praises of His people we may want to dedicate an entire Wednesday prayer time to praising and thanking our God. Notice this passage:

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. John 11:41

This is an unusual order, isn’t it? Lazarus is still in the grave, and Jesus’ thanksgiving precedes the miracle of resurrection. It seems that His thanksgiving and praise would have come after the resurrection, when Lazarus was brought to life again. But instead Jesus gives thanks for what He is about to receive. His thanksgiving and praise comes before the miracle happens, and Jesus expresses the assurance that it is certainly on the way. This is the song of victory being sung before the battle has been fought. It is thanksgiving before the miracle!

Also, there is a parallel passage in the Old Testament. In 2 Chronicles 20 Jehoshaphat faced a mighty army and did not know what to do to win the battle. But he consulted with the Lord and the people, and then he

²¹ …appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.” ²² As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” 2 Chronicles 20:21-22

The praise team went ahead of the soldiers and it was “as they began to sing and praise” that the Lord won the victory for them. Oh what a lesson this is for us. Do you have battles in this life? Give yourself over to praising the Lord and He will fight for you and ensure your victory. After all, He won the main battle for us on the cross when He “disarmed the powers and authorities, and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15). So praise Him now and watch the victory come in time. Thank Him now, being assured of what He will do.

Because of the victory Jesus won, we are assured of victory ourselves even before we engage in battle. Therefore we can praise and thank Him, even before we see the battle won.

“Who thinks of announcing a victory-psalm when the crusaders are just starting out for the field? Where can we hear the grateful song for the answer which has not yet been received? And after all, there is nothing strange or forced, or unreasonable in the Master’s order. Praise is really the most vital preparatory ministry to the working of the miracles. Miracles are wrought by spiritual power. Spiritual power is always proportioned to our faith”.—Dr. Jowett.

PRAISE CHANGES THINGS

Nothing so pleases God in connection with our prayer as our praise, and nothing so blesses the man who prays as the praise which he offers. I got a great blessing once in China in this connection. I had received bad and sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed, but the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, but the darkness only deepened. Just then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: “Try Thanksgiving.” I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return. Yes, the Psalmist was right, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.”—Rev. Henry W. Frost.

Man’s Ruin and God’s Rescue

⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6  

Dear church,

I wanted to show us another gospel lesson in the middle of the Old Testament, and then share with you the lyrics to a wonderful song I found just this morning. We know that the gospel can be found throughout the entire Bible as the gospel is the main point of the entire Bible. When we as Christians continually emphasize the gospel, and share the gospel with others, it is because the Bible continually emphasizes the gospel. In this verse about the gospel we can see the practice, the peril, and the pardon of man.

Practice of man. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; . . . iniquity.” The practice of man spoken of in this verse is a selfish practice, for it says man went “his own way.” This is how we all lived before Christ; our “own way”. It is also a popular practice, for “all” are doing it.

Peril of man. This sinful practice of man has put him in great peril. We were in great danger because our way was the wrong way. We went “astray”. This is not the way to heaven. Man is in peril because his way is a deadly way. The way of “iniquity” is the way of death, for “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Also man is in peril because his way is a condemned way. Man may call sin nice names, but that does not change the peril of sin. Changing the names on a bottle does not change the contents of the bottle, and if the bottle holds poison, the poison is just as dangerous with a nice name as it was with a truthful name. The Word of God gives sin the right names.

Pardon of man. “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This pardon is a Divine pardon. God laid our sins on His own Son. God provided the way of salvation. It was not man’s idea. This pardon is a merciful pardon, for man does not deserve the pardon. We do not deserve to be pardoned for we have gone our “own way” and rejected God’s way, yet God in His mercy provided for our rescue (see Colossians 1:13). This pardon is a vicarious pardon. This just means that our pardon comes through “Him” Who took our sins to the cross and died in our place. Finally this pardon is a sufficient pardon. Did you notice the word “all” at the end of the verse? This says salvation is available for anyone who comes to Jesus Christ and puts their faith in Him. The “all” who have “gone astray” can find pardon and peace with God through Jesus Christ.

After considering our previous practice and peril, does this not make the pardon that is in Jesus very precious? He is the “Cornerstone”, a very precious Stone to those who believe, and His rescue of us is very precious to us. In Jesus there is no condemnation, for He was condemned in our place, and this makes Him so precious to we who were previously in such peril. Now we praise His Name and there should be a desire within us to share Him with all we come in contact with. Here’s Peter’s commentary on Isaiah 53:6:

²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25

The author of this hymn is unknown, but what powerful lyrics. This is my testimony. Is it also yours?

I was in sin’s prison, oh, so dark and cold
Like a lost sheep wandering from God’s eternal fold.
Then the door swung open, and He spoke to me,
“I have signed your pardon, now you may go free.”

Chorus
Jesus signed my pardon, this I surely know
Took my place at Calvary, now I won’t have to go.
All my life I’ll give to Him – He gave His for me
When He signed my pardon there at Calvary.

Since the Savior led me from that awful place
I can hear the angels as they sing Amazing Grace.
I know I was pardoned from my sin and shame
When I joined them singing, “Glory to His name.”

Chorus
Jesus signed my pardon, this I surely know
Took my place at Calvary, now I won’t have to go.
All my life I’ll give to Him – He gave His for me
When He signed my pardon there at Calvary.

Life is now worth living since I’ve been set free.
I’m so glad He was willing to save a wretch like me.
Now I have a mansion, not a prison wall.
Jesus signed my pardon, Jesus paid it all.

Chorus
Jesus signed my pardon, this I surely know
Took my place at Calvary, now I won’t have to go.
All my life I’ll give to Him – He gave His for me
When He signed my pardon there at Calvary.

Yes, Jesus signed my pardon – Jesus paid it all!

You are loved!

Mike Cleveland

Dear friend,

We have been studying about faith, both in our Bible Study time and in our sermon messages. Faith is simply believing God, taking Him at His Word. And genuine faith will overcome any trial or problem, any time of testing, or any difficulty or storm. Even if you may not be going through a difficulty presently, take notice of how Paul’s faith got him through an extreme trial, for there may come a time in your life when you will need this as well. Notice the kind of faith Paul had. Here were his circumstances:

²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. Acts 27:20

They were in a raging storm out in the open seas. The situation looked bleak, the circumstances were very bad. So bad that they “gave up all hope of being saved.” How would you react in a storm this bad? And how do we react when going through stormy trials that are exceptionally intense? When our hope is gone, or our hearts are hurting badly. Here is where faith comes in, and this faith will get us through any storm, even ones that are very intense and severe. Notice Paul’s faith:

²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Acts 27:25

What a contrast! From “we finally gave up all hope of being saved” to “so keep up your courage men!” And what made the difference? “I have faith in God…” and more specifically, in His Word. “it will happen just as He told me.”

Weak faith is doing as Gideon did, and asking God for “confirming evidence” of what He says; a wet fleece or a dry fleece. Strong faith is believing God in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances, and taking Him at His Word no matter how bleak your circumstances or how bad you feel. So when you come upon a trial, run to God’s Word and find a promise to latch on to, and as you believe God’s Word you are strengthened greatly in the storm.

God has given us everything we need to make it through intense storms and fiery trials. It is His Word. And as we believe His Word, even in the face of circumstances that appear contrary, we gain the victory over them. Indeed, faith is the victory. ⁴ for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4

Dear friend,

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. ³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹ which you have prepared in the sight of all people, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke 2:25-32

A brother and I met for lunch yesterday and discussed the wonderful truth of this passage. If we remember the conditions at the time this was written it helps to see the truth: Israel was no longer a sovereign nation, but rather were subject to the Romans. They had not a had a prophet in 400 years, so God’s voice had been silent. They were emasculated as a nation, demon-possession was rampant, and true godliness at an all-time low. It was in these conditions that old Simeon had been earnestly seeking the Lord. He was “waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon Him.”

 

What does consolation mean? The Word in Greek is paraklēsis, from where we get the word for the Holy Spirit Who is our “Comforter.” The Word means to comfort, to console, to encourage, to build up, to strengthen. And oh how Israel needed consolation at this time in their history. They were under oppression from the Romans, they needed freedom and consolation. They were subject to the devil’s fury, they needed protection and comfort. They were cast down as a nation, they needed to be picked up, encouraged, given strength.

 

Simeon was moved by the Spirit to go to the Temple, and seeing Jesus Christ, He “took Him in His arms and praised God…” To those who need consolation, Jesus is the answer! To those attacked and beaten down by Satan, Jesus is the answer! To those who are weary and worn, tired and discouraged, Jesus Christ is the “Consolation of Israel!” Though we most certainly need each other, Jesus can do more to console and comfort us than any human being. The truth is, He consoles and comforts us through His Word, through His Spirit, and through His body. Triple consolation for all who are His.

 

Simeon saw Him and was moved to take Him in His arms. To hold Him. To embrace Him. God would encourage us today to take Jesus in our arms, to embrace Him; that is, to love and worship Him. We are instructed to “kiss the Son…” (Psalm 2:12) in submission and adoration and worship.

 

And then Simeon “praised God.” Once we take Jesus in our arms praise comes out of our mouth. We have found Who we were waiting for. We have Who we need. This beautiful baby, this “Consolation of Israel” is the Solution of all mankind! He would grow up and purposefully go to a Roman cross to die. Why? To remove our sins from us and replace them with His Spirit, thereby comforting us. Isaiah says it this way: “¹ Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. ² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1-2

Are you in need of consolation today? Needing comfort and encouragement and strength and love? Jesus is the consolation of Israel. No, He is the consolation of the whole world: “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

¹⁶ So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. Isaiah 28:16

Yesterday at church we looked at Jesus Who was called a “Rock” (1 Corinthians 10:4). Today let’s see Him as a “Stone.”

Isaiah 28:16 speaks prophetically about Jesus Christ. He is described as the Stone. In this verse, He is called the foundation stone, the tested stone, the precious stone, the cornerstone, and the sure stone. He is all we need! Let’s look at these together:

·       Foundation Stone. Christ is the foundation of our salvation. In fact, Jesus Christ is the only foundation of our salvation. Paul said, ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). We must build our salvation upon this foundation or we will not have any salvation.

·       Tested Stone. Jesus was tested (“tried”) in His time on earth and He passed every test. He was tested severely by Satan shortly after His baptism, and He passed this test with flying colors. The cross itself was a test, which Jesus passed in the Garden of Gethsemane when He said, “yet not my will, but Yours be done.” When it comes to our soul salvation, we need to put our trust in that which is proven and trustworthy. And none is more proven and trustworthy than Jesus Christ.

·       Precious Stone: The word “precious” has a double meaning here. First, it means great value. When we speak of precious stones, we speak of stones of great value such as a diamond. Jesus is the Stone of greatest value for He is mighty to save. Second, it means great affection. We call our sweethearts “precious” because we love them. If there is anyone we should love, it is Jesus Christ; for He has saved us from eternal condemnation through His work on the cross. Oh how sweet it is to love Jesus, not merely believe in Him. Is He precious to you?

·       Corner Stone. The cornerstone in those days did two important things. First, it tied two walls together. This speaks of the mediator work of Christ Who brings us to God and unites us with Him. Second, it was the pattern of the entire building. The whole building was set up according to the cornerstone. Jesus is both our Mediator and the pattern we need to follow in life. We do this as He lives His life in us.

·       Sure Stone. “Sure” means something that will not fail. Christ will never fail. The salvation He provides for us will never fail. It will never let us down. The world makes great promises but fails miserably to fulfill them. But not so Jesus Christ. What He promises He does. You can count on that!

If you and I were to go out on the street in say downtown Cleveland and we were to ask people, “how do you go to heaven?” There would be a number of them that would say, “you live a good life, you be a good person, you do the best you can.” And they would be describing the religion of human effort. There are only two religions in the whole world: the first is the religion of human effort, the second is faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The first says I am going to work my hardest to gain God’s favor, do the best I can and God will let me in the door. The second says Jesus’ death on the cross gained God’s favor for me, and through my believing this good news the door of acceptance is open to me.

And Paul is confronting people who were being lured away from the cross of Jesus Christ to the religion of human effort. Paul had preached the cross to them, they heard it, believed it, received the Spirit of God and were saved. But now some other people had come along and were preaching the Law, and confusing them, and the Galatians were deserting the cross as a means of salvation and turning to the other religion: their own efforts.

These people were being mesmerized or hypnotized. I don’t know if you have ever seen the movie “Junglebook.” This movie takes place in the jungle, and there is a Tiger named Sheer-Kahn, a little boy who looks like a young Tarzan and his name is Mowgli, and some other animals and then there is a snake. His name is Kaa. The way that Kaa gets his victims is that he gets right up face to face with his target, and he turns his eyes into swirling beams of light. One day the young boy named Mowgli was walking alone in the jungle and he came up next to Kaa. Kaa did that thing with his eyes: turned them into swirling lights, and pretty soon Mowgli’s eyes started swirling and he went into a daze. He had become mesmerized by the swirling eyes. And the one who is mesmerized is soon to be lunch.

And the apostle Paul is writing the book of Galatians to people who had become mesmerized, or hypnotized by false teaching that says we gain God’s favor by keeping the Law. And so Paul’s solution to them is to to remind them of the crucifixion of Jesus. You can see that in vs. 1 “¹ You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you (who has mesmerized you? Who has put you into a trance?) Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” Ah, there’s the solution, the answer. For someone trapped in thinking they have to obey God’s law to be saved, they have to do this and not do that, in order to win the smile of God, Paul says “no, Jesus was hung up on a tree to take your punishment, He shed all His blood to win God’s favor for you.” The death of Jesus is the answer to someone who is under a heavy burden of the Law. They try hard but just don’t feel like they measure up. They keep falling short and become so discouraged and so weighed down. When Jesus hung on that tree in agony for 6 hours He literally bought God’s favor and eternal salvation for anyone who will believe it. The answer to those under the burden of the law is vs. 1: “Jesus Christ was…crucified” for you.

And now Paul is going to remind these Galatians of the benefits of believing the good news. He does this by asking them questions. So today we’re just going to take the remainder of our time and remind ourselves of the benefits of believing the gospel. Let’s look at three of them today:

The first benefit is that we get the Spirit of God by believing the gospel. Notice vs. 2: “² I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?” In other words, did you try real hard, do your best, obey perfectly, and from all that effort God rewarded you with His Spirit? Or did you receive the Spirit by believing what you heard? He was reminding them that he had shown them Christ crucified for their sins, they had believed this good news and immediately received the Spirit of God. The first benefit of the gospel, is that we receive the Spirit through believing.

Now there is a perfect story that illustrates this very point. If you would, please turn in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 17. This story will answer Paul’s question. How did you receive the Spirit of God? This is the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. And they come to a place called Rephidim where there is no water. We’ll start at vs. 3: “³ But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” ⁴ Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” ⁵ The LORD answered Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶ I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”  

Now notice that God did not say to Moses, “Moses, give every man a shovel, and tell him to dig as long and as deep as he can. And if he keeps digging for several hours, if he doesn’t die of dehydration from all his efforts, he will find water if he can just go deep enough.” No, instead, Moses was told to go to a certain Rock and take his rod and hit it. Strike it. Beat it. And out of the rock that was struck flowed life-giving water, as a gift. They received this water apart from any effort of their own, but just by believing God’s Word that pointed to a Rock that would be struck for them. They received the water at the place where the Rock was struck.  

Now turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians 10 is the New Testament commentary on Exodus 17. And as Paul describes the Israelites wandering in the wilderness he says in 1 Corinthians 10:3 “³ They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” Ah, now we understand. This whole story was a picture. A picture of Jesus being struck for us, and out of His death came the living water of the Spirit, as a gift. And we receive the Spirit apart from any effort of our own. We receive the Spirit at the place where the Rock was struck, that is, at the cross. As we believe the good news, we drink in the Spirit of God.

And now look with me at John chapter 7, and let’s look at Jesus’ commentary on this same story. Jesus is at a feast here, and he says in John 7 vs. 37, “³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”

And Paul asks the Galatians, “did you receive the Spirit by obeying the Law, or by believing the gospel?” The reality is that to receive the Spirit of God we come to the cross of Christ, we see Him being struck, hit, whipped, beaten, and we read that He is taking our punishment so that He might give us His Spirit. And we look at Him dying for us, and we stop trying to work our way into God’s favor and we believe that Jesus died for us. And the moment we repent and believe, we get the Spirit of God.

Then let’s go back to Galatians and see the next question Paul asks. It’s in vs. 3. Paul asks ³ Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you changed religions? Did you forget that you got the Spirit and you got God’s favor and God’s blessing by believing the good news about Jesus? And now you want to earn the gift? Why that would be like the Israelites drinking the refreshing water that came from the struck Rock, and then saying, “ok guys, here’s your shovels, let’s get to work and dig us out some water.” What? You just got it as a gift, and now you want to earn it by your own efforts? Why would anybody do that?

And why would anybody look at the broken, bloody body of our Lord Jesus, hanging on a tree, crucified for us, and say “you live a good life, you be a good person, you do the best you can, and that will get you in the door.” As Paul puts it, that is foolishness.

Look at that word in vs. 3: “human effort.” This is the religion of the Muslims, of the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and it’s your religion and my religion, until we hear the good news of the gospel. When we finally see the gospel we come to understand that ⁸ it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– ⁹ not by works (not by human effort), so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 The cross teaches us one thing: “⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Titus 3:5.

The Bible says that just like a leopard cannot change his spots, even so a man accustomed to sin cannot stop by his own efforts, by keeping the law, by trying hard. Could you imagine a leopard getting a bucket of water and soap and rubbing and scrubbing trying to get those spots off? He’s wasting his time. Even so, it’s a waste of time to try to overcome our sin by our own efforts. Forget it. But the cross teaches us that the blood of Jesus washes away our sins, and removes all our spots. “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be white as snow.” ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27 This is the faith that is opposite of “human effort.” This is the faith that Satan in all his fury tries to destroy. He hates the cross, and will try to destroy it wherever it is preached.

And that brings us to the second benefit of the gospel. And when we read this, we think, “what, this is a benefit?” Look at his question in vs. 4: “⁴ Have you suffered so much for nothing–if it really was for nothing?” Galatians 3:4 Oh yeah, it’s great to get the Spirit, I’m not so sure I want the suffering. Hey count the cost. This is what we signed up for when we agreed to follow the one who went to the cross for us. Jesus said, ²⁴ “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ …If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! Matthew 10:24-25. Expect to be called Beezelbub; that is “father of lies.” If you’re following Christ you should expect to be falsely accused, wrongfully slandered, intensely persecuted, and even killed. Expect it. We get the Spirit, but we also get the suffering.

Look with me at Colossians 1, because I want us to see that we are to expect this suffering. Paul is literally rejoicing in his suffering. He got falsely accused and wrongfully beaten and he is rejoicing. Look at vs. 24: ²⁴ Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. ²⁵ I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness– Colossians 1:24-25. Listen, those who present the Word get to suffer. This is part of our calling, and yes it is part of our blessing. To “fellowship with Christ in His sufferings” is delightful. Oh it hurts deeply, but you’ll never be closer to Christ than when someone maligns you, hates you, or when they pretended to be your friend only to turn their back on you. This is when Jesus becomes very sweet to your soul.

Please look with me in Philippians chapter 1. I want us to notice the gift of suffering: Starting with vs. 27:  ²⁷ Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved–and that by God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Bill is teaching through James, and James tells us “² Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds” because they develop perseverance and character, etc. etc.

It was Jesus Christ who said in Luke 6: ²² Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. ²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. Luke 6:22-23

So by believing the gospel we get the Spirit, we also get to suffer. But finally, we get the supernatural. Notice vs. 5 “⁵ Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?” And we say, “wait, I don’t see any working of miracles, I don’t see anything supernatural.” Oh really. Every time somebody turns away from sin and turns to the Lord, that is the Spirit working a miracle. That is the Spirit breaking through a hard heart, knocking down the kingdom of the devil, rescuing him out of darkness, snatching him from the fire. Today, if any one of us turns away from sin and turns to the Lord that is the supernatural happening. Anytime someone turns away from “pleasure” and turns to prayer, that is a miracle. When someone turns from selfish living to studying the Word that is the supernatural.

So here are the benefits of believing the gospel. We get the Spirit, we get the suffering, and we get the supernatural working of God. What benefits! You remember that Job said, “the dying man has blessed me” and here we see it right in front of our eyes. The dying Man, Jesus Christ, blessed us with His Spirit, with suffering for His Name, and with the supernatural.

Are you believing the gospel today, or are you trying to earn your way by human effort? There is rest available for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus. This rest is in vs. 1: “before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” Put your faith there, and enjoy the benefits. Let’s pray.

Ever heard that question? Here is a really good answer. Watch the whole thing: http://bit.ly/aqs40c

¹⁸ “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18  

Here in the middle of the Old Testament is a beautiful Gospel invitation. As I was reading this verse of Gospel invitation tonight, I saw the call of the Gospel, the character of the Gospel, and the cleansing in the Gospel.

 

Call of the Gospel. “Come now.” This is both a gracious call and an urgent call. It is a gracious call because God could have said “get” instead of “come” and He would have been justified in so doing because of our sin. It is urgent call because God said, “Now.” “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2

Character of the Gospel. “Let us reason.” The word translated “reason” means to prove something, “to demonstrate what is right and true” (Wilson). The Gospel wants to be investigated to check its validity, to prove its high character. Many people scorn or minimize the Gospel, but if we will investigate and examine the Gospel, it is most logical and sensible. It is just and wise.

 

God’s people, like the gospel they love, desire to “reason together” through meeting and praying when there are differences. We have learned from the gospel invitation to meet, to ask questions, to “reason together”, rather than to run away. While the world runs, believers reason. We have learned this from the gospel where God invites us to reason with Him, rather than run from Him.

 

Cleansing of the Gospel. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Scarlet here speaks of the worst of sins. As an example, we call the sin of adultery the scarlet sin, and those who abandon their post in battle are given a “scarlet feather.” But the good news in the Gospel is that we can be cleansed of even the vilest sins. Our verse says even the worst of sins can be cleansed away. Looking at the cross we see the scarlet blood of Jesus being shed to forgive and pardon our scarlet sins. ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, Revelation 1:5

I guess we could even add another thought here, and that is the change of the gospel. To the one who embraces the gospel there comes a very real change: scarlet to white as snow and crimson to wool. Oh how I love to see this change come to the heart of people who answer the call.

I hope each one reading these words has answered the gospel call, and is living in the power of it.

We’re looking just at Galatians 2:20 today. Paul says “²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 This is one of the all-time great verses in the Bible. Not that any are more important than any others, but this is an all-time favorite with many people. The verse starts with the cross (“I’ve been crucified with Christ”) and ends with the cross (Jesus “gave Himself for me.”). So the cross makes up the two bookends of this verse. And right in the middle it tells us how the Apostle Paul lived (“I live by faith in the Son of God.”) And so we could think of this verse as a miniature Bible. The emphasis is on what Jesus accomplished for us in His death, but it also teaches us how to live. And we need both. We need to know what Jesus did, and we need to know what we are to do, and how we are to do it. So we’re reading the whole Bible in miniature today.

But before we look at it, we need to remember why Paul said this verse. Remember he was confronting Peter and the Jewish believers who were teaching the need for all people to follow the Law for salvation. He had just said in vs. 16 we “¹⁶ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” And now he adds “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live”, proving that he was not under law as a means of salvation. When someone dies the law is no longer is binding on him, and in Christ all believers have died. So that is the context of Galatians 2:20.

But you know, I don’t know how many times I’ve read Galatians 2:20, a lot, but I’ve never seen what I saw this past week. God showed me that this verse really is about life in Christ. It’s about the Christian life. “The life I live…I live by faith.” And so let’s consider this morning, what kind of life Christians live in the body. And I have four points that come from our verse this morning. Let’s pray:

We live the…

1.  Crucified-life. “I am crucified with Christ…” 

 

This speaks of the complete termination of our old life. Our past sinful life died under the wrath of God, was buried and no longer exists! God put us to death with Jesus on the cross. So we live a crucified life now. We are dead to sin. So in reality when temptation comes to us we could really picture ourselves in a casket, or in a grave, dead to sin. Or when Satan accuses us of our past sin, we remember that we died under the penalty of our sins. As I said last week, this verse establishes the time of our death. We died 2,000 years ago with Christ on the cross.

 

Please turn with me to Romans chapter 5. Romans 5 teaches this very important truth. This passage tells us that God sees every human being either in Adam or in Christ. If He sees us in Adam, He sees us dead in sin. If He sees us in Christ, He sees us dead to sin. Notice vs. 15: “¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man (that’s Adam) how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. So in Adam all people are under judgment and condemnation. But in Jesus we have the gift of forgiveness and justification. So God sees all people either in the first Adam, or the Last Adam, Jesus Christ.

And what makes the difference? Look at Galatians 2:16 again: the middle of the verse says that “¹⁶we have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ.” The moment we become believers we are taken out of Adam and placed into Jesus. Paul says “I’ve been crucified with Christ”, so I am in the last Adam, dead to sin and dead to the Law. So that at this very moment as God watches us, He sees us dead, buried and risen with Christ! Thank God we got out of Adam, out of condemnation, and we got into Jesus, into forgiveness and pardon and justification and eternal life. What a gift. Peter said Jesus “²⁴ …himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 And it is this fact that saves me from the penalty of my sin. I died in Jesus. And since I am dead, the law has no claim on me, and I can never be brought to trial for my sins. 

During the Civil War there was a man by the name of George Wyatt and he was drafted to go to the front lines in the war. But this troubled him because he had a wife and six children and he did not know who would take care of them. So this most amazing thing happened: George had a friend by the name of Richard Pratt, and Richard offered to go to battle as George Wyatt, in his place, as his representative. He was accepted, he joined the ranks, bearing the name and number of George Wyatt. But before long Richard Pratt was killed in battle. A few years later, the government again tried to draft George Wyatt into service. He sent a letter back to the government insisting that they check their records. And when they did so they discovered that George Wyatt died and therefore could not be drafted. See the law had no claim on George Wyatt because He died in his representative. 

 

If Christ died for us, then we died in Him. If we died, then we are no longer alive. The Christian life is a crucified-life. But secondly, the life we live is the…

 

2.  Christ-life. Paul says, “Christ lives in me.”

 

The death and resurrection of Christ are not only a historical event, but a personal reality. By faith we share in them, we benefit from them. We are crucified and risen with Christ.  Our old life was taken away at the cross and a new life was given – the resurrection life of Christ, by His Spirit.  If we ever really understand this and truly discover this we can never remain the same.

 

Notice where he says in vs. 20, “I no longer live.” And think about how much of your life is all about you—our plans, our ambitions, our influence, our opinions. I have my rights you know. Before Christ we are all wrapped up in ourselves. And Benjamin Franklin said, “A man all wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.”

 

No, the one who becomes a Christian has had his life, his dreams, his rights, his opinions crucified with Christ. The “I” life no longer lives, now Christ lives in me.

 

You know a few years back a phenomenon came into the Christian world. It was called “WWJD”. What would Jesus do? We got bracelets that reminded us, that in any given situation we were to follow Jesus example. The Christian life is not a life of imitation, the Christian life is a life of impartation. God imparts His Spirit, Jesus Himself, to come live in the life of every Christian. Jesus lives in us.

Think about the distinctive mark of the Christian. Is it that we go to church, read our Bibles, give to God’s work? All of that’s good, but the distinctive mark of a Christian is that “Christ lives in them.” When I’m spoken evil of, I bless in return. When I’m hated, I love in return. Anything short of this is not genuine Christianity. “⁵ Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

See this is not a reformation of our old life, but the impartation of God’s life to us and in us.  Ours is not an “Old Adam Improvement” plan—do better, try harder, give up this, give up that.

 

Once you receive Christ you can say, “Jesus Christ lives in me.”

            – You may not fully understand it.

            – You may not feel it all the time.

            – But it is so because it is so!

 

Do we understand this?

            – Christ for us is a wonderful thought.

            – Christ with us is even more thrilling.

            – Christ in us is unspeakably glorious!

 

So it’s a crucified l, and it’s a Christ-life—Christ in us. But thirdly, it’s a…

 

3.  Changed-life. “And the life I live in the body” or some versions say “the life I now live.” Spend time with me thinking about that word “now.”  The opposite of the word “now” is “then.”  The life we now live is not the same life we lived then, before we were believers. Think of who wrote Galatians 2:20:

 

Saul, was a Pharisee, Christian-killer, a church-persecuter, blinded by his religion. After the Damascus road change. – Devoted Christian, gospel preacher, missionary, church planter. The terrorist had become an evangelist. The persecutor became a preacher. The life we now live ought to be night and day different from the life we once lived. “¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

So, the question is, how do we experience this “changed” life? Our efforts are worthless.  It is not through reformation, trying harder, doing better. Even if we could change ourselves, we would ruin it because we would take the credit. As long as we do our best we prevent God from doing His normal.  

The change we so desperately need and want comes by putting our faith in Jesus. Paul says, “I live by faith in the Son of God.” Putting our faith in Jesus is the same as receiving Jesus to live in us and through us.

 

I want us to see this from Scripture, please look with me at Ephesians chapter 3. Here Paul is praying for the Ephesians, and note that he is writing down his prayer for them and sending it to them. This last Wednesday at our prayer meeting, we exchanged names to pray for one another all week. Some of us are writing our prayers down and sending it to the person we are praying for. That’s what Paul did here. He has written his prayer down and is sending it to the Ephesians. “¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” That’s how we get this changed life. Through believing in Jesus. The simple act of putting faith in Christ puts us under new management. The Bible says “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

 

I heard a preacher last week says, “Christianity is simply Jesus Christ living in our bodies and minding His own business.” And “His own business” is when He gives us a new desire for holiness, for God, for prayer, and for heaven.  It is not that we cannot sin again; we can. But we do not want to. The whole attitude of our life has been changed.

 

Here’s an illustration of this changed life: Here is a cup of water and here is a tea bag.  The water is not the tea and the tea is not the water. They are two separate items. The water is heated and the tea bag placed in the water. A strange thing takes place…the water’s color and nature are changed.  It becomes indwelt by a new and more powerful nature. Pretty soon the fluid becomes tea, not water. The whole purpose of the water to exist now is for tea to exist. The water could say, “I no longer live, but tea lives in me.”

 

So we are just a cup of water, which when heated by our faith and entered by our Savior, we become something else. Christ comes into us dominates us and changes us. And we become more and more like Christ and less and less like our old selves. And just as tea in the water is the hope of taste, Christ in the believer is the hope of glory! We have a changed life.

 

·         There is an immediate change in our heart when we are saved.

·         There is a progressive change in our way of living. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord,”  2 Corinthians 3:18.

·         There is an ultimate change at the resurrection. “Behold, we will not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,”  1 Corinthians 15:51. 

 

So the life we live is a changed life. But, finally the life we live is also a…

 

4.  Confident-life. Paul ends with Jesus “Who loved me and gave himself for me.” Believers can be confident in the love of our Savior, because He died to show us. I remember reading of little Jake Trevor, a child given up for adoption, growing up in an orphanage, having all kinds of problems. But when the Johnson’s came and paid the price to adopt him him, he went around and told all the other kids, “they love me, they really love me.” And he gained a confidence because he was now loved. This takes us full circle — back to the cross. What started at the cross, “I am crucified with Christ,” ends with the cross, “He loved me and gave Himself for me.”

 

Do you know this — Jesus really loves you! It one thing to know “for God so loved the world,” and “Christ loved the church,” but how awesome it is to know Christ “loves me.”  Paul looked at this so personally that it was as though he were the sole object of the love and sacrifice of Christ. 

   

I am crucified with Jesus, And the cross has set me free;

I have risen again with Jesus, And He lives and reigns in me!

It is sweet to die with Jesus, To the world, and self, and sin.

It is sweet to live with Jesus, As He lives and reigns within.

Galatians 2. You might remember that the second president of the United States, John Adams warned about something. He said, “there are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation: one is by the sword, the other is by debt.” And what is true of nations is also true of individuals, and the problem is that every human being ever born is born under a load of debt. Not a financial debt, but a debt that comes through sin, which can only be paid off through death. The Bible says “the soul that sins shall die.”

But one of the greatest benefits, possibly the greatest benefit, of believing in Jesus, is that our debt is fully paid. When we believe in Him, we no longer owe, we are no longer in debt. We could word this payment of our debt in a number of ways; we could say “Jesus paid our debt for us”, or we could say “we paid our debt in Him.” Both are exactly true.

One way of saying it is that “God took our sins off of us and put them on His Son, and Jesus died as our Substitute, thereby paying our debt. Or, another way of saying it is like Paul did in Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live” therefore, I paid my debt off in Him. Both are true. Either way you look at it we are sin free, guilt free and debt free, therefore President Adams, we are not enslaved and conquered but free indeed. This is the life of a Christian. And in today’s passage of Scripture we are going to look at the fact that we paid our debt through the death of Jesus Christ. Let’s pray before we begin our study today.

We are today studying a section of Scripture that I have called “Clarification”. If you look at chapter 1 vs. 7 you’ll see that some people were throwing the Galatians into confusion by trying to pervert the gospel. They were saying that Gentile Christians need to be under the Law for salvation, and that they needed to keep the customs and traditions and calendars of the Jews. The result was that the Galatians were all confused.

And because of that confusion Paul goes to the council in Jerusalem, you can see that in chapter 2 vss. 1-2, his purpose was to preach the gospel to bring clarification. And while he is there, according to vss. 11-14 Paul has to confront Peter to his face, in front of everybody, because Peter has given in to these legalists and has now withdrawn from Gentile Christians. In essence Peter is saying “to associate with Gentiles is just not kosher.” And according to vs. 13, Peter and the Jewish Christians have even led Barnabas astray.

So you have this horrible division: Peter and Barnabas and the Jewish Christians on one side, and Paul and Titus and the Gentile Christians on the other side. And so we learn that false teaching always brings division. Whereas the gospel brings unity and harmony and love, false teaching brings fractures and division and hard feelings. And Paul confronts Peter on his false teaching, and right now he is clarifying the truth of the gospel, to restore unity and love.

So we have so far in Galatians these headings: confusion (chapter 1:7 and on), confrontation (chapter 2 vss.11-14) and now clarification (chapter 2 vss. 15-21). In fact the rest of the Book of Galatians is Paul clarifying the truth of the gospel and defending the importance of the gospel. 

And today we’re going to see what Peter is really teaching. This is shocking, if we really come to understand what Peter was teaching. Notice vss. 17-18, Paul says, ¹⁷ “If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin?” See if the legalists are right, that we are under the Law for salvation, then Paul is placed in the category of “sinner” because he has eaten and fellowshipped with Gentiles, who are not under law. Think of what Peter is really saying: “If Paul became a sinner because of fellowshipping with Gentile brothers, then Christ Himself became “a promoter of sin.”

Think of it this way: Peter has withdrawn from Gentile Christians, in essence saying “it is sin to have fellowship with Gentiles. As the Law teaches in Joshua 23:7 “Do not associate with the (Gentile) nations around you.” Well here’s Paul fellowshipping with Gentile Christians; they have unity, they are celebrating the good news together, fellowshipping around the cross. Peter says “it’s sin to do that”, and Paul says “oh really. So did Christ promote sin?”

Paul remembered that Jesus prayed, “²¹ that all of them may be one… May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me” (John 17:21-23). But if Peter was right then Jesus was wrong. If Peter taught the truth then Jesus taught falsehood, and had become a “promoter of sin.” The logic of Paul’s argument was conclusive, inescapable. By his actions, Peter in effect condemned Jesus Christ. Therefore Peter either had to do away with his Jewish leanings or continue to make His Lord a liar. And Paul’s answer is emphatic, “absolutely not!”

But  Paul’s not done with his argument yet. He continues in vs. 18: ¹⁸ If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker.” See, anyone who tries to rebuild a system of legalism after he has destroyed it by believing in grace, and preaching the gospel, he proves himself to be a lawbreaker; a hypocrite, a sinner because he is abandoning grace for law.

Paul says “I could never do such a thing,” for “through the Law I died to the Law that I might live for God.” He is saying that “legalism clashes with God’s truth of the gospel, and with my own convictions. Now that I have accepted grace and died to the Law, I could never go back to its rituals and customs and the Jewish calendar and the feast days and the Sabbath and circumcision. Otherwise I could not live for God. The law is not the believer’s master; God is.

And now he is going to reach the apex of his argument. In vs. 20 he says “²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Paul is referring to the fact that when a person puts his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is placed in spiritual union with Jesus in the historical event of His death and resurrection, in which the penalty of sin was paid in full.

Let’s illustrate it like this: if a man is found guilty of a capital crime and is put to death, the law obviously has no more claim on him. He is dead. He has paid his debt to society. So even if he were to rise from the dead, he would have no guilt before the Law. So the law would have no claim on his new life. That’s how it is with the believer who dies in Christ and risen from the dead in new life. He is free forever from any claim of the law on him. He paid the law’s demand when he was crucified with Christ. That’s Paul’s argument. Peter, we are not under law because we died with Jesus. I’ve been thinking of putting on my tombstone “Mike Cleveland, Born November 22, 1961- Died A.D. 32.” And then Gal 2:20.

I wonder if we have ever considered the fact that we paid off our debt through the death of Jesus. Oh yes, Jesus paid it all for us, but it’s just as true to say that we paid it all in Him. There is a wonderful illustration of this, if you would turn with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 7. ⁴ Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! ⁵ Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people–that is, their brothers–even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. ⁶ This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷ And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. ⁸ In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. ⁹ One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, ¹⁰ because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor. What in the world is all this talking about? Well let’s just make it real simple, it’s an illustration about the greatness of Jesus Christ, our High Priest. The writer is proving how great this High Priest named Melchizedek was, and therefore how great Jesus is. He says that the whole priesthood of Levi paid tithe to Melchizedek. Wait, I thought it was Abraham that paid tithe to Melchizedek. Yes but Levi was in Abraham’s body, in his loins at this time. And so all of Abraham’s descendants made the payment through their ancestor, Abraham.   

Here it is in its simplest form: God counts the payment that Abraham made as applying to his descendants, as if they made that payment through him. And that is the illustration: that God counts the payment that Jesus made on the cross as if we, His descendants, had made it.

Or another way to look at it is this: according to Romans 5 we were in Adam when He sinned, therefore we were declared guilty when he partook of that tree. Even so, we were in Jesus, the Last Adam, when He died, therefore our debt was paid when He partook of the tree of Calvary.  

This means that 2,000 years ago we were put on trial, we were found guilty of sin, therefore we were subjected to God’s wrath, and we were punished by being nailed to a cross, and then we died, thereby paying off our debt to God, through the body of our ancestor Jesus. “I’ve been crucified with Christ and I no longer live”, speaks of the termination of our old life. Our old sinful life has been blotted out. Therefore our debt is paid and the Law has no claim on us.

Now we’ve seen this illustrated in the New Testament, let’s see it illustrated in the Old Testament. Turn with me to Hosea chapter 6. Now at the time of Hosea the nation of Israel was corrupt. They had been unfaithful to God and God was disciplining them through the nation of Assyria who had taken their king away and was ransacking their nation. Hosea writes: ¹ “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. ² After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.” Now this applies to the nation of Israel as I said, but it also applies to us today. 2,000 years ago on the cross God tore all believers to pieces, injured and wounded us in Jesus. Colossians 3:3 says, “³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Therefore our time of death was fixed at AD 32. But on the third day we were revived, restored. We rose from the dead on the third day to new life, and now we are seated with Christ in heaven. Ephesians 2:6 says “⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” And therefore, having paid our sin debt off through Jesus, the Law no longer can condemn us. And that is exactly what Paul is saying in Galatians chapter 2. “Peter, we died to the Law, so why are you trying to put us back under it?”

And Paul closes in Galatians 2:21 by showing that Peter was minimizing the cross. Paul says ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Here is legalism’s most destructive effect: it cancels the effect of the cross. To go back under the law would be to cancel my union with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and therefore to go back under sin and the condemnation of the Law.

Well there we have Paul’s clarification of the gospel, which he presented to combat legalism. Just to summarize it: Peter is saying by his actions that all people are under the Law for salvation, Paul says “no, we died to the Law when Jesus died on the cross.”

And I want to close now with 3 thoughts about the end of vs. 20. Paul talks about Jesus “²⁰ who loved me and gave himself for me.” And I want us to think for a minute about the love of Jesus Christ. It’s far deeper and more intense than I could ever put in to words, but try this morning to just feel this love in your heart and soul. Let’s notice these 3 points about the love of Jesus:

First, it is a Divine love. Paul speaks of “the Son of God, who loved me.” Many of us would be very happy if some king or some prince loved us! But this tells us that it is the Son of God loved us! Jesus loved me; not merely feeds me, or leads me, or provides for me, but He loved me. And He is God Himself. Immanuel, God with us. The King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God loved you and me. This is a divine love because it is the Son of God Who loved me.

Second, it is a Deep love. There is no bottom to it! You cannot exhaust the supply of God’s love for you—you can drink, and drink, and drink again, through a long life, and throughout all eternity you can go on receiving of this love, but you will never measure its heights, depths, lengths and breadths. There is a limit to everything else, but not to Jesus’ love. God says to the ocean, “you can come here, but no farther,” but He did not say that to the ocean of Jesus’ love. It is deep, deep love with no limits.

Third, it is a Dying love. A self-sacrificing love. “Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” “¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” He laid down His life for His enemies.

I mean think that Jesus not only gave up His crown, His Throne, His home, and His life, but He gave Himself up to suffering, and beating and bloodshed and death. It was one thing for Jesus to go stand with the woman caught in adultery and save her life but it is quite another for Him to go to the cross and die for us, His enemies. Song of Solomon says that “love is as strong as death” and Jesus’ love took Him to the cross for us.  

Wonder of wonders! Jesus loved me!
A wretch! Lost, ruined, sunk in misery! 
He sought me, found me, raised me, set me free! 

Set us free from sin that traps us, free from the Law that condemns us, free from Satan who accuses us, and free from the debt that conquers and enslaves us, and free to praise Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

⁵ …To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father–to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Revelation 1:6