04/06/2023
I am resting in the shadow of the cross this morning. My thoughts are on Jesus, the cross, and what that moment in human history, when Jesus Christ hung from it, means to you, me, and the world. Jesus was not a victim, the cross was not imposed upon Him. Jesus, the lamb of God, did not come to this world to perform some deed that was cut short by a Roman cross, He came as a sacrifice for our sins, and we were graced with three years of His life so that we would know beyond any doubt that this man was indeed the Son of God, and learn lessons regarding the new covenant that we could not know otherwise.
“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
John 10:17-18 KJV
Scripture also tells us that Satan makes war against the saints, and that there will be those who worship him, but even in that horrible sounding scripture there is victory for all who follow Jesus, because we learn that He was slain before the foundation of the world, and that He holds the book of life.
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Revelation 13:8 KJV
Jesus is the Lamb of God, and he was slain to defeat sin for all time (which is the only way we know how to describe it). To us it might seem that this occurred at a certain point in time, but the Son of God, like God the Father, is not bound by time. This is the crux of another scripture from Revelation which reads, that He “was, and is, and is to come."
“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Revelation 4:8 KJV
So although what appeared to us to be a certain moment in time and history, it was not, it occurred in the "fullness of the time"
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
Galatians 4:4-5 KJV
And indeed Jesus was as He told us Himself in scripture...
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:8 KJV
The wonder and thrill in this scripture is that Jesus said "I am Alpha" , not "I was". He didn't just die on the cross, but He rose again, and ascended into heaven. Death and Sin was defeated forever... even from the foundation of the earth.
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
1 Peter 2:24 KJV
The cross is not a symbol of sorrow... it is a banner shouting victory to the world, and Jesus was not a victim, nor was He murdered, because He lay His life down, and then picked it up again... victorious over death, but more than that... triumphant over sin. He is more than our "hope", He is our promise, and the cross (though those who employed it meant for it to embody horror), has become the symbol of our redemption... of the fulfillment of that joyous promise.
So we shout "Holy, Holy, Holy, is He" and hold to the promise that God made through His Son... from the foundation of the earth. Praise Be To God!!!
Prayer:
Father, I praise your name and thank you for loving us so much that you would give us your Son, Jesus Christ, to be slain before the foundation of the earth to redeem us. I lift His name in prayer. I sing before the cross that was intended to defeat Him, but instead showed his power and glory while pouring your grace out upon the world. The cross that man designed as an instrument of death was transformed for all time into a vessel containing the new wine of your covenant, forgiveness, and grace for all who would drink of it. I prostrate myself before you and humble myself as a servant of your will. You are good beyond measure and loving without bounds. We sing Holy, Holy, Holy before your throne, and shower our gratitude and love upon you, and our brother who sits at your right hand... Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Rich Forbes