Tag: crucifixion

Every Knee Will Bow

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

This morning I was reading Psalm 22 as part of my devotional. This Psalm is often referred to as a Messianic Psalm because it points forward to the work of Christ on the cross.

Similarities with Jesus’ Crucifixion

The first line of this Psalm is quoted by Jesus when He was hanging on the cross. In Matthew 27:46 Jesus says,

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

As you read through the rest of the Psalm one notices a similarity to what happens to Jesus and how those crucifying Jesus act. Jesus’ bones are out of joint, His strength has dried up, He is thirsty, His hands and feet are pierced, but His bones are not broken (14-17). Those in the crowd mock Him, they call out for Him to ask God to deliver Him from the cross, and they divide His garments by casting lots (7-8, 18).

The Lord has not forsaken Jesus

It seems the Lord has forsaken Jesus on the cross, but He has not. His plan has always been for Jesus to die for the sins of mankind (Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1). A plan worked out from before the foundations of the earth.

Every Knee Will Bow

Instead of forsaking Jesus, the Father resurrects Jesus and exalts Christ to His heavenly throne with the promise that everyone will worship Him (Psalm 22:27-28; Phil. 2:8-11). In verse 29, the Psalmist says,

All the prosperous of the earth eat
and worship;
before him shall bow all
who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not
keep himself alive.

Indeed, all will bow down to worship Him, even those who are not Christians. Every man, woman, and child will bow their knee before the Lord when He returns. Isaiah predicted it (Isa. 45:23), Paul confirmed it (Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10), and John wrote about the coming day when the Lamb (Jesus) would sit on His throne and every creature would recognize Him as Lord (Rev. 5:13).

There will be a day when Jesus will return, and there will be a day when every knee will bow to Him as Lord, whether you recognize Him now as Lord or not.

A Plea

Now is the time my friends to confess Christ as Savior and Lord of your life. If the Lord has given you the faith to believe in Him, then believe. For you can either confess Jesus as Lord and Savior now, or in the after life, but after this life is over, our chance of reconciliation with God and eternal life goes with it (Ecc. 3:17; 9:4-6).

Assurance

Those who are believers in Christ, be assured of your salvation. Place your hope fully in Christ and Christ alone, knowing He is our Savior and Lord. Know that the Lord will return and He will defeat the enemy, Satan. Know and trust that He will reign on His throne forever and ever, and that we will experience true joy for all of eternity as we worship and praise Him. Come Lord Jesus, come!

Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Crucifixion Story

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Last night, we had a Maundy Thursday service at our church. During the service, selected scripture was read that led us through the crucifixion of Jesus. Since today is Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified, I wanted to provide you with an excerpt from our reading last night.

Betrayal and Trial

43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. 53 And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 61bAgain the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Mark 14:43, 46, 53, 55, 61b-62 (ESV)

Reflection

63 And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. 65 And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.

Mark 14:63–65 (ESV)

Reflection

1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. 15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Matthew 27:1–2, 15-17, 21-23 (ESV)

Reflection

26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

Matthew 27:26–31 (ESV)

The Crucifixion

33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Matthew 27:33–44 (ESV)

The Death of Jesus

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Matthew 27:45–54 (ESV)

God’s Glory in Salvation

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals4 Comments

Recently, I have been working to prepare a sermon on Ephesians 1:3-14. If you don’t have your Bible’s handy, you can read the text here. The main idea of the sermon is that God is glorified in His remarkable plan of redemption, by electing a people for Himself before the foundations of the world, saving them through the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and sealing them through the work of the Holy Spirit.

God is Glorified in Election

God is glorified, firstly, because He chose and predestined a people for Himself before the foundations of the world. Election is not a popular topic; especially, in our consumer driven individualistic society. We are taught to make our own decisions, and we believe this right extends to our salvation as well. However, Ephesians 1 tells us that in God’s sovereign plan He has predestined those who would join His church before the foundations of the world.

Application

This means that we can rest assured that our work in evangelism is not in vain, nor do we have to depend on our own power to bring others to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. God has elected a people for Himself, and He will bring those people to salvation for His glory.

Our job is to be instruments in His sovereign plan by obeying His command to proclaim His gospel to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28)

God is Glorified in Redemption

God is glorified, secondly, in the redemption of the elect through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross, to provide a way for man to once again have a relationship with God. If we believe that Christ has the power to save us from eternal destruction through His death on the cross, then we experience a repaired and restored relationship with God. Here we see that salvation only comes through faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

Application

This means that we cannot work for our salvation. There is nothing we can do outside of having faith in Jesus Christ. And our last point makes it clear that God provides us with that faith through His electing grace for His glory.

God is Glorified in Sealing

God is glorified, thirdly, in the sealing of His church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those God has elected to salvation are saved through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, and are kept in Christ until their death by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Application

This means that we do not have to work to gain salvation, nor work to keep our salvation. We are secure in Christ because of the sealing power of the Holy Spirit.

However, this does not mean that walking the church aisle and praying a prayer with the pastor ten years ago precludes you from living a life pleasing to God. It is still necessary to reflect Christ in our thoughts and actions. What makes a Christlike life possible is the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and working to remove the idols of our hearts.

Come As You Are!

In order to attain salvation, we do not have to clean ourselves up. Salvation is not like trading in your old car for a new one. You don’t have to spend time fixing yourself up in order to gain a higher trade in value. We can come to God just as we are, and expect to get the highest price we would ever get for a beat up old car, eternal life and a relationship with the God of the universe.

Charge

If you are trying to get your life right before you approach God, don’t. Come just as you are. Accept the call of God on your life, believe in His Son for salvation, and you will be saved. To God be the Glory!