A Little Time With The 1689: Day 157

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Day 157

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 5.

“...procured reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father has given unto Him.“

Scripture Lookup

John 17:2

Hebrews 9:15

Reflection

Have you ever heard “I forgive you,” from someone, and wondered if they really meant it?

Too often those words mean that your relationship with that person is over. They move on, and there is no chance to rebuild or reconcile. Such actions make you question if the forgiveness given was merely the offended taking the moral high ground.

Such behavior from humans can make you wonder, “What about God?”

While He says He forgives sinners, will He continue to be there each time we confess our sin? Will He become distant, no matter how penitent we are? What kind of a relationship will we continue to have when He realizes that we are vile?

For the answers, look at Jesus.

Jesus’ perfect offering of Himself has procured reconciliation. It is not a matter of God saying “I forgive you” and then having nothing more to do with you. When He pardons you, He will never leave you or forsake you. He loves you, cares for you, and conforms you to the image of His Son, the One who never sinned and always did the will of His Father.

If you are His, then God does not give up and move on from you. In fact, He adopts you as His son! We enjoy the privileges and liberties of being children of God! The Confession tells of it this way: “[the elect]…are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him, as by a Father; yet never cast off” (LBCF Ch.12, italics added.) In fact, far from casting us off, Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us; He awaits our arrival! This inheritance He has purchased is eternal. It will not change. He is with you ’til the end.

“Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! What a Friend!”

Questions to Consider

  • Is it hard for you to accept that if you are in Christ, you are reconciled to God?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 156

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Day 156

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 5.

“The Lord Jesus by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the Eternal Spirit once offered up to God, hath fully satisfied the Justice of God,...“

Scripture Lookup

Hebrews 9:14, 10:14

Romans 3:25,26

Reflection

How many times must a truly righteous Jesus offer Himself as a sacrifice for His people? Only one. Think about it: a perfect savior makes a perfect sacrifice. If another sacrifice is necessary, then the first sacrifice was not perfect. Thankfully, Jesus does not need to be sacrificed over and over. He was without any spot or blemish of sin, and could endure the infinite wrath due to sin. He offered Himself up once, and that is enough.

The sacrifice of Christ is over. It is done. It is finished. We have no need to “re-present” it, as Roman Catholics do in the mass day after day. The work of redemption has ceased! Jesus is now in heaven, reigning and sitting at the right hand of the Father!

Since Jesus’s offering up of Himself only needed to happen once, we have assurance that those who trust in Christ are forgiven. God’s justice is FULLY satisfied.

My sin—O the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

-Horatio Spafford, It Is Well With My Soul

Not a little satisfied, not somewhat satisfied, but fully. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) Why is He just? Because Christ’s offering has fully satisfied the justice of God.

Do not trick yourself into thinking that Christ is not enough to save you. There is no need for “salvation insurance” in the form of saints, Mary, adding your works to Christ, or adopting any other practice that claims to get you into heaven. Only Christ is sufficient. He is all you need.

Questions to Consider

  • Is Christ enough for you?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 155

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Day 155

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world.“

Scripture Lookup

Acts 10:42

Romans 14:9,10

Acts 1:11

2 Peter 2:4

 

Reflection

Jesus will judge you.

It is fitting that Jesus is the judge of the world, because all things were made for Him and through Him. He reigns from on high, seated at the right hand of the Father. Have you ever heard of a king that was unable to judge His people as well? All authority has been given to Jesus, and that includes determining who will receive blessing and who will receive punishment.

When this world ends, Jesus will judge not only you and the elect, but all of mankind, and even the angels. All will give an account for their deeds, and Jesus will judge accordingly. Angels that rebelled against God will receive everlasting torment. Those men who have not believed and trusted in Christ will also receive everlasting torment. The elect will receive eternal life.

The world attempts to persuade you that justice does not exist. Time after time acts of violence and rebellion occur with no consequence.  Life is not fair, the world cries, and thus we must look out for ourselves. But justice does exist. We know this, because Jesus came. He suffered, died, rose, and ascended just as He said. And He said that there will be a time of judgement. He will keep His word; we do not need to doubt Him. He is just, and He will judge.

Questions to Consider

  • Will Jesus judge impartially? What will be your plea when you stand before Him?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 154

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Day 154

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“… and there sits at the right hand of His Father making intercession,…“

Scripture Lookup

Romans 8:34

Hebrews 9:24

Reflection

After Jesus ascended into heaven, He sat down at the right hand of the Father. What does that mean? Rather than declaring that there is furniture in heaven, “sitting at the right hand” means that He is in the place of highest favor with the Father. Christ is exalted by His Father, attaining again the glory He shared with Him before the world began. He is reigning over all, holding the universe together.

With Christ’s work of redemption complete, and with Him now ruling in the heavens, is He finished with humanity? Not at all! Despite His power, despite His prestige, Christ is still the mediator on our behalf. He intercedes for us. Think of it: we have connections to the infinite, most Holy God! Jesus has not left us to ignore us; He continues to pray for us. If the prayers of a righteous man avails much, as it says in James 5:16, how powerful are the prayers of Jesus, who knew no sin!

In the midst of the hard, trying days when we fail and feel friendless, you are not forgotten: Jesus is interceding for you. Right now, as you read this, He is interceding for you. He will continue to intercede for you while you live on this earth. Thank you, Lord, for Your mercy and goodness to us!

Questions to Consider

  • How does the intercession of Christ affect your life right now?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 153

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Day 153

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“… with which He also ascended into heaven,…“

Scripture Lookup

Mark 16:19

Acts 1:9-11

Reflection

Staring at the sky, the disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven. Before planes and rockets, before any notion that man could travel by air, Jesus did miraculously go up to His Father. The ascension of Jesus has always been somewhat of an overlooked event. There are no big holidays surrounding it. So what about the ascension is important? As the angels say to the disciples, “Why do you stare at the sky?”

Jesus, victor over death, had to go back to the Father. He was looking forward to it, sharing with His disciples that it was to happen. (See John 6:62; 16:5; 20:17, for example.) It was fitting that He be exalted in the heavens, since He no longer needed to be subject to the weaknesses of life on earth. Jesus now enjoys the place at the Father’s right hand, and is reigning there.

If Jesus had not ascended, we would not receive the Holy Spirit. “Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ” (John 16:7) We have the Comforter as a result of Jesus sending Him to us!

With the ascension of Jesus, we are taught how He left, and how He will come back. He will return in the same body that He ascended with, and it will be an event that cannot be missed. Jesus will be seen. His power will be demonstrated, and His authority as Lord will not be denied.

Thus the ascension of Jesus is not a passing afterthought in His life. It was foreordained from eternity past, proclaimed in advance by Jesus, and fulfilled forty days after His resurrection. It is an event of great importance, and one for which we can praise Him.

Questions to Consider

  • How does the ascension of Christ affect your life right now?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 152

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Day 152

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…on the third day He arose from the dead with the same body in which He suffered;…“

Scripture Lookup

1 Corinthians 15:3,4

John 20:25,27

Reflection

Jesus was true to His word.

He died on the cross. His body was taken down, wrapped in burial cloths, and shut in a tomb. The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers. There was no way that body was going to get out of there.

And yet…three days later, the stone was rolled away, the cloths were folded at the tomb, and Jesus appeared to His disciples. This was no apparition! It was truly Him, in the same body that a couple days earlier had been lifeless. The marks from the nails were still there. It was Him! What He said came to pass.

With the resurrection of Christ we see the importance of the body. The Son of God was not made flesh only to cast it off once His work of redemption was complete. Instead He remained with the body He always had on earth, only now glorified. He still intercedes for us with that same body. We who are in Christ will also be resurrected with glorified bodies.

Because of the resurrection, we can be confident that those who are in Christ will not remain dead. Our bodies will be fully redeemed and conformable to His. Jesus has proved true.

Questions to Consider

  • How does the resurrection of Christ affect your life right now?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 151

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Day 151

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…was crucified, and died, and remained in the state of the dead; yet saw no corruption:…“

Scripture Lookup

Acts 13:37

Reflection

Jesus died on the cross.

“It is finished!” He said, and gave up His spirit. The Roman soldiers there saw He was dead. His body was prepared for burial. It was shut up in a tomb. He was dead.

There are groups that vehemently deny this fact. He only lost consciousness, they say. This way they can explain away what happened to His body three days later. But Jesus actually died. There was no ordinary way of reviving Him. His spirit was separate from His body.

His death continued for three days. Why three? Because that’s how long He said it would last: “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ” (Matthew 12:40); “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). The Pharisees remembered that He said He would rise after three days, and secured the tomb with a Roman guard. During that time, Jesus remained dead.

The sacrificial work needed to atone for His people was complete in Jesus’ death. His body lay in the tomb. Yet it would not experience the effects of death. Christ’s body did not decay and turn to dust like other human bodies. The penalty due to sin paid for, there was no need for Jesus to remain dead. Indeed, God would not let Him undergo decay…

Questions to Consider

  • What has Christ’s death accomplished for you?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 150

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Day 150

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…enduring most grievous sorrows in his Soul; and most painful sufferings in his body;…“

Scripture Lookup

Matthew 26:37,38

Luke 22:44

Matthew 27:46

Reflection

What is the worst pain you have ever experienced? How about the worst hurt? The worst anguish?

Jesus, in fulfilling His office as mediator, became the curse for Christians. The punishment we deserve for breaking God’s law He endured.  Much has been written about how agonizing a death was crucifixion. Slow, exhausting, torturous and barbaric, crucifixion was designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation upon a person. The crucified was often forced to carry the heavy wood to the place where it would be used to kill him. Stripped of his clothes, he was exposed to mock and ridicule. Nails puncturing hands and feet attached the victim to the cross. He would have to push against his feet to be able to breathe, otherwise he would asphyxiate.  Jesus endured this.

Not only did Jesus suffer physically, but also spiritually. He prayed that if it were possible, the cup would pass and He would not have to endure such pain. Dread accompanied that prayer, which was not a simple request but an earnest pleading with God. The mental anguish produced drops of blood. No one stuck by Him. He was betrayed; He was abandoned; He was denied. And when He experienced the suffering of the cross, He endured all of the infinite wrath that sin must receive.

Christ bore all this, and bore it willingly, so that God and sinners would be reconciled. While the pain and hurt we experience in this life are real, as Christians there can be no suffering or distress that compares with what Jesus endured: what He endured for us and our salvation. In your times of despair, look to Christ. See how He loves you in becoming a curse for you. Go to Him who cares for you, who intercedes on your behalf, and be at rest.

Questions to Consider

  • How does Jesus enduring sorrows and suffering aid you in your life today?

Loving the Local Church

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As mentioned in the previous blog, the local church is the ordinary and primary means in which God sanctifies and grows believers, which means that church membership is non-negotiable for Christians. However, the trends in church membership and church attendance have created a new category of Christians in social science research who “love Jesus but not the Church”. We know that there is significant pressure from the unbelieving world to reject the institutional church. However, the sad reality is that the most popular polemics against the institutional church comes from other Christians. There have been numerous blogs in which professing Christians air their disgust for institutional Christianity. This mentality appears to be pervasive within our culture, but it’s an attitude that is contrary to the core teachings of the New Testament.

I don’t speak about this topic from an air of aloofness or indifference. About 10 years ago, I was once part of the crowd of Christians who loved Jesus but was burned by multiple local churches. As a Christian, I’ve been a member of churches in which individuals have been found guilty of sexual molestation of minors; individuals have been involved in adulterous relationships; individuals have split churches due to gossip, slander, and tertiary doctrinal matters (such as head coverings); elders have been found guilty of financial exploitation of its members; and members have harbored resentment towards other members for years. Observing the faults of various local churches drove me away from the institutional church. However, it was the testimony of older saints (who have walked through worse issues within the local church) who reproved me of this attitude. The central passage worthy of consideration is the following

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:20-21

Let those words sink in. Nothing can be plainer: it is impossible to love God without loving your brother. Applying this to the church, to say that “I love Jesus but not the Church” means that you do not love Jesus. This may be a harsh statement to some, but it’s the direct teaching of the New Testament. How can you claim to love Christ yet you are unwilling to love those for whom Christ has died? How can you claim unending love for Christ, yet you are unwilling to stick through the difficulties of your local church? The Apostle John makes even more penetrating statements regarding the necessity of loving your brothers:

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another… We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in Him. 1 John 3:10-11, 14-15

Let this passage sink in. The Apostle John connects our love for fellow brothers with our individual salvation. In other words, one is deceiving himself if he believes that he can truly know God apart from loving his brothers. The objection that usually follows is that it is possible to love fellow Christians without joining or committing to a local church. However, John continues his exhortation

By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18

This was the passage that cut me to the core as a young Christian. Practically, how is it possible to lay down your life for your brothers apart from local church? It’s easy to love your select group of Christian friends, but you don’t have the authority to pick and choose who are the members of your local church. If you aren’t committed to the fellow members of the body in the local church, can you honestly say that your love is “in deed and in truth”? There are many who are willing to point out the sins and flaws of members within their local church, but they are unwilling to aid in their sanctification. Is this truly the heart of someone who genuinely loves their brother?

There are many who will use the hypocrisy of the institutional church as a reason to reject her, but they rarely ever see their own hypocrisy. It is hypocritical to decry radical individualism within American Christianity while, at the same time, rejecting the community that God has formed in your local church. It’s hypocritical to say that the Church has become nothing more than a social club while, at the same time, rejecting the diversity of gifts, viewpoints, and personalities that God has formed in your local church. This is the mentality of one who is “dating the church” and then criticizes her to strangers after the breakup. As our Savior has said, you must take the log out of your own eye so that you can see clearly how to the speck out of your brother’s eye (cf. Matthew 7:5). In other words, you are not in position to judge the sins and blemishes of the institutional church until you are committed and willing to lay your life down for the members of your local church.

This is a call for perseverance and patience towards the local church. If you have walked away from the local church, I implore you not to forsake the local assembly. If you are a member of local church, I implore you not to keep your brothers and sisters at a distance. For those who are committed to your local church, I pray that you will excel still the more. I’ll end this blog with a quote from Thabiti Anyabwile:

…The proper response to the church, the church of worship, the people of God when they look upon the church isn’t critique and evaluation. It isn’t to spot all the limitations… The proper response of a heart oriented toward God that loves God and loves all that God does is, ‘Oh my God! Oh how staggering! Oh how beautiful … He’s my God and we are His people. Oh my God, look at the church!’

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 149

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Day 149

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…being made sin and a curse for us;…“

Scripture Lookup

2 Corinthians 5:21

Reflection

Jesus underwent the punishment for sin that we rightly deserve. He became sin and a curse for us. How can that be? Jesus never sinned and He wasn’t defiled by sin. So how could He be made sin for us? How could the innocent Christ be a curse?

Our sin – our transgressions, our corruption, our lack of adherence to God’s law – was imputed onto Christ when He died on the cross. It was attributed vicariously to Jesus, even though He was guilty of none of it. He was the scapegoat, the one who took the fall although innocent.

When Adam and Eve fell, the human race was plunged into a state of misery. Not only is this life filled with toil and grief, eternal punishment awaits as the result of our sin. Because of sin, we are cursed. Jesus, however, became the curse for us. All the consequences due to our transgression, He took upon Himself. Undeserving of the slightest drop of God’s wrath, Christ endured all of it.

Christian, Jesus became your sin, and the curse due to your sin. All this was done so that you may be the righteousness of God. There is no condemnation for you, because Christ was condemned in your place. Do not turn again to sin, but live freely due to Christ!

Questions to Consider

  • If Jesus became sin and a curse for you, how does that affect your daily life?