Do Not Depart

Encouragement and Tools to Abide in God's Word

You are here: Home / Archives for Jesus

The Lamb of God

by 4 Comments

About fifteen years ago, friends invited our family to share their Passover Seder. Since they knew all about our faith in Jesus they graciously encouraged us to talk to our children during the ceremonial meal about the Christian significance of each element.

I will never forget the experience. We were so honored to be included in this special occasion, but more than that we were overwhelmed by how completely and thoroughly everything pointed to Christ and the salvation He offers.

God established Passover with the nation of Israel at the end of their Egyptian slavery. It was to be a lasting observance to remind them of His dramatic deliverance (Exodus 12:14). Pharaoh had hardened his heart through the first nine plagues God brought on Egypt. The tenth plague would be the last, but God had to provide a way to protect His own people.

Through Moses, God instructed each household to kill, roast, and eat an unblemished lamb. They were to smear some of the lamb’s blood on the doorposts of their home. The blood would be a sign to God as He brought the death plague to all the firstborn males in the land. God would see the blood and “not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you” (Exodus 12:23).

Passover stands as a permanent reminder to Israel of God’s salvation. The blood of the lamb without spot or blemish covered them and protected them from death. There would have been no salvation without the blood. There would have been no blood without the death of the lamb.

Image from VisualBibleAlive.com

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb.

  • John the Baptist proclaimed it. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
  • Jesus’ trial and crucifixion corresponded with the “Day of Preparation” and the slaughtering of the Passover lamb in the temple (John 19:14, 31,42).
  • Jesus Christ, our spotless Lamb (1 Peter 1:19) was sacrificed for our salvation (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Only the blood of the spotless Lamb of God can take away our sin and provide eternal life. No death, no blood. No blood, no salvation.

If you’d like to find out more about a traditional Jewish Passover check out these links:

Judaism 101: Passover

Guide to Passover Seder

If you’re interested in celebrating a Christian Seder, check out these resources:

Introduction to a Christian Seder

The Christian Seder Haggadah (the telling)

The Passover was established as a permanent reminder of God’s salvation. What ways do you purposefully work to remember the salvation provided by your Passover Lamb?

“Son of Man” for “Children of God”

by 3 Comments

A name reveals much about who we are; the names of Christ are no different. The Christmas story begins in Genesis 3:15 when God told Satan the offspring of the woman would one day overcome him. At that point, He was nameless to us, except for the  “need for seed,” the seed of man.

 

In giving a unique promise to Abram, Adam’s descendant, God assured him of blessing. By initiating a covenant relationship with Abram, God said that in him “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12: 3).  It foreshadowed the One seed who would descend from Abram to save the world:  Jesus. In chapter 15 God assured childless Abram that his descendants would multiply like stars. The flesh of an animal was cut, providing a wall of blood to pass through as the covenant was sealed. In chapter 17 God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, showing he would be the “father” of many nations. A new name often accompanies a covenant relationship of oneness and reveals a new identity. No longer was Abram simply the father of his own family; he was divinely chosen as father of many nations and ancestor of the One who would fulfill God’s Gen. 3:15 promise.  Everyone would be impacted by Father Abraham’s descendant.

Son of God became Son of Man

Like Abraham’s name changed when he entered a covenant relationship, so did that of Jesus Son of God. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).   When Jesus was born, He humbled himself in a way I can not comprehend, but He provided us the benefit of sharing in His glory. He came as the Son of God, the holy One from heaven, the Prince of Peace. Reaching out for a relationship with man meant complete humility for Him, even down to changing His name.

I’m able to take on the name “child of God,” because Jesus took on the name “Son of Man.”

“Son of Man.” Such a human name to bear, if you’re the Son of God. Such an earthly name, when you’re heavenly. Such a low name, when you’re God Most High. Yet when He entered into a covenant love with us, He took on a new name to identify with us in our flesh: Son of Man.

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29).

“But when thefullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Gal. 4:4-7).

 

In the Old Testament, Abrahamreceived a new name, and God promised all of Abraham’s descendants would share in his blessing.  The name change revealed identity change! If we are Christ’s, then we’re offspring of Abraham, his heirs.

 

When Jesus took on the form of a man, His new name revealed a change! As flesh and blood, Jesus put on mankind and became the sacrificial Lamb, so we could put Him on. Our covenant exchange of names provided blessing for us. He took on more than our name; the Lamb of God took on our sins.  He also took on the understanding of what it means to be tempted and tried like those who are “but dust.” How comforting to know the Son of Man understands.  We can be “children of God,” because Jesus became the “Son of Man.”

 

Because He is the Son of Man, I am a child of God, heir of righteousness, daughter of the King, son not slave, pure not dirty, forgiven not condemned, and redeemed not guilty.  No doubt, the covenant exchange of names works in our favor, but I’m so thankful to the Son of Man through whom all the nations of the world are blessed.

 

How would you finish this sentence:  Because He became the Son of Man, I am ____________ instead of _____________?

Empty into full

by 9 Comments

She arrived empty handed, shuffling into Bethlehem, far from her homeland, away from her relatives, without possessions, bringing only memories of the pain that sent her there and the hope that got her there. Naomi made it clear the likelihood of rescue was nil. All knew she was a foreigner from the land of idol worshipers. Who could redeem the widowed, barren, pagan Ruth? And if one could, would he?


Boaz was able to change Ruth’s empty to full. The humble kinsman became obedient  and willingly acted on his love for the unprotected outcast stooping in his field. Knowing her journey was a choice to embrace His God, Boaz knew she was taking shelter under the refuge of Jehovah’s wings. Boaz was able and willing to give her refuge under the shelter of his “wings,” (2:12,3:9) purchasing her as his own through marriage and redemption. Drawing Ruth into his world, he protected her purity, restored more than she lost, and insured her future reward. Boaz willingly changed her empty to full.


As a kinsman, Boaz was able to provide rescue to the helpless woman, but he was also willing to do his duty of redemption as “Kinsman-Redeemer.” He took an empty foreigner with no hope, calling her “accepted,” and lifting her to be his bride with secure blessings and a glorious future.

In the same way, Christ was able and willing to act on behalf of the lost in need of redemption. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those where under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5).  Our rescue required His humanity, and he “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:8) The Son of God, our Kinsman, acted to rescue us from our desperate condition, making us pure, restoring more than what was lost, insuring future reward.


In his book Twelve Extraordinary Women, John MacArthur says, “Ruth is a fitting symbol of every believer, and even of the church itself – redeemed, brought into a position of great favor, endowed with riches and privilege, exalted to be the Redeemer’s own bride, and loved by Him with the profoundest affection” (p. 85).

Our pain sends us searching for Jesus, and hope gets us to Him. When the helpless stoop before Him, we cannot fathom the love extending His wings of refuge, joyfully taking us from wretch to bride. In heaven a song is sung to the Lamb of God, Jesus, because “with <his> blood <he> purchased for God  persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9b). Our Redeemer changes our empty to full.


We thought we faced a future of scraping for refuse in the fields, but our loving Lord has given us the inheritance reserved for His beloved. Just like Boaz purchased the unclaimed and destitute woman of Moab as his bride, so Christ purchased us to make us His own and restore to us a glorious future.


Without the love of our able and willing Redeemer, we would still be suffering in the field. Gwen Smith shares the story of Christ’s rescue in her song Broken into Beautiful. Reflect on what Boaz did for Ruth and rejoice in what Christ does for the broken as you listen to Gwen’s testimony in song. When Jesus takes us from empty to full, we must never cease to be gratefully amazed.

Find your beach

by 11 Comments

I looked past the dunes and saw no one. All alone and amazed by it, I wondered if I was safe.  I expected my family to emerge from the beach grass and ask what was for dinner. It was so strange to be so utterly … alone.  I was tempted to feel empty and lonely.  Instead, God overwhelmed me. I reveled in the chance to pray aloud, to lay in the sand and talk to the Lord, to sing with abandon, and to laugh in enjoyment of His creation and the truths He stirred in my mind. If anyone came to the beach, they must’ve left when they saw what they thought was a crazy woman. It was not loneliness. It was solitude.

 

Finding a deserted beach and hours to drink in the Lord is not common in our day. We must seek solitude.  Jesus made a habit of going to a “lonely place apart” (Matt. 14:13).  Seeking out a solitary place was essential to Jesus’ ministry to people. It’s easy to forge ahead with the “doing,” but even Jesus took time to recharge.  The more filled our lives are with people, the more necessary it is to step aside to find refreshment.


The Discipline of Solitude allows us to:

Release our FEARS ~ Most of us resist being alone, seeking groups and people, instead. When we get alone, we exchange control for putting our TRUST in God. Kristi discussed the part trust plays in Submission yesterday. Getting alone forces us to trust God is sufficient to care for us.  When faced with problems, our instinct is to answer, defend, explain … but silence is the response of a heart  filled with trust, a heart strengthened in the garden of Solitude.

As we discipline ourselves to stop talking, we let God act for us as our Justifier.  Letting go of our modern mindset, craving company and words, it seems natural to open our hands to display our trust in  God, inviting Him to be our only Companion.  When we risk being still, we discover God in a deeper way than while in motion (Psalm 46:10).

Replace our DISTRACTIONS ~ Instead of being swept away be life, Solitude requires the Spirit fruit of self control to be quiet with the Lord. Silence creates emotional and spiritual space. In following Jesus’ pattern of restructuring habits and priorities of mankind, we still the motion of our days. We exchange uncertainty about this life with confidence from being still and knowing He is God.

Ecclesiastes 5:2  “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”

Redeem our TIME ~ It’s not easy to find this place of solitude, but Foster encourages us that solitude is “more a state of mind and heart than it is a place.”  Our minds settle on Him and experience peace that replenishes. Valuing the discipline of Solitude means we create opportunity to hear God and be refreshed by Him.

So where is this beach, so you can go there? God may have a different, better place to meet with you. Sometimes solitude must be captured when & where we least expect it. It can happen anywhere or time, when we redirect the focus of our hearts:

  • Instead of filling 10 minutes in the car line with a phone call, enjoy the solitude. Talk to God aloud or just concentrate on a scripture and be quiet with Him, as He works the Word into your mind.
  • Instead of using that corner chair to pile laundry, make it a special place for solitude.
  • Instead of looking at this weekend and filling it only w/cleaning & kids’ sports, carve out space for solitude. It could be the sweetest time of your weekend and the refill you need to approach next week.

Lost moments are reclaimed.  Sacred places are created.  Meaningful times are experienced.

 

Don’t apologize for being still or silent or embracing sweet solitude. Jesus found refreshing, so He could be a blessing to those around Him.  Sweet things from the Lord await us on the beach!

Joseph- Forgotten Father

by 6 Comments

Driving home one night last week I noticed a nativity scene in front of a church. Joseph had been blown over by the wind so you could really only see Mary and Jesus. No big deal, I thought to myself. It’s just Joseph. Then I got home and watched this video:



Joseph’s side of the story has never been so real to me. His love for Mary, his pain, his joy, and his devotion to his wife and son.

We don’t know a lot about the life of Joseph, but one characteristic that stands out in the verses that describe his life is his obedience.

  • He was obedient to take Mary as his wife after he heard the word of the Lord in a dream.
  • He was obedient to circumcise Jesus and present Him in in the temple, according to Jewish law.
  • He was obedient to take his family to Egypt to protect Jesus from Herod.
  • He was obedient to take his family back to Israel and settle in Nazareth.
  • He was obedient to take his family to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover each year.

Even though Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father, he was obedient to the call God placed on his life to raise Jesus as his own. As my family moves through the adoption process and hopes to have our new son home from Ethiopia by next Christmas, the story of Joseph touches me in new ways. May we all be obedient to raise the children God has blessed us with to honor Him!

Why Jesus Came

by 7 Comments

As soon as I finished storing the leftover Thanksgiving turkey in Tupperware, I began putting up the tree and cluttering every surface of our house with nativity scenes, reindeer, poinsettias, and twinkly lights. Every year our family – like many of you – goes to great lengths to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But do we ever slow down to seriously contemplate why He came?

A couple of years ago, God drew my attention to several statements Jesus made that included the phrase “I came” or “I have come.” Of course, I had read them many times before, but had never considered them in the context of Christmas. As I searched the Gospels I found more than a dozen of these “I came…” statements. As I studied them, Christmas took on a deeper and richer meaning for me. This year, I would like to share them with you. I pray God would use His Words to enrich your Christmas celebration and foster worship of Him!

Jesus’ “I came” statements fall into three general categories, so we will look at them in those groups. I did not include all the passages themselves due to space. I encourage you to read these verses during your quiet time between now and Christmas. Use them to reflect on our gift of a Savior!

Group One: Jesus came to be the Father’s representative

Jesus made it very clear that He came to reveal the Father to the people. He never did or said or initiated anything on His own. He came in complete submission and obedience to the Father. He sought to please the Father and bring Him glory.

1. John 6:38 – Jesus did not operate from a personal agenda. He came only to do the Father’s will.

2. John 12:27 – He came to obey whatever the Father directed, even if it meant suffering.

3. Matthew 5:17 – Jesus came to complete what the Father initiated, including the Law and prophecy, not to change or abolish it.

Group Two: Jesus came to carry out the Father’s mission of salvation

Jesus came as the Father’s representative to fulfill the Father’s will. And the Father’s will was to provide redemption for all mankind. Jesus was His agent of redemption.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him (John 3:16-17).”

4. Mark 2:17 – Jesus came to call sinners and heal the spiritually sick.

5. Luke 19:10 – Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.

6. John 10:10 – Jesus came to provide abundant life.

7. John 9:39 – Jesus came to give “sight” to those who had been blind to spiritual things. He opened their understanding so they could receive Him.

8. John 12:46-47 – Jesus came as a light to save. The Light of the world draws people out of spiritual darkness.

Group Three: Jesus came to further the Kingdom of God

Jesus came as the Father’s representative, to carry out the Father’s mission of redemption, in order to establish a Kingdom. Have you ever noticed how much Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God? He saved us so we could be a part of His Kingdom. Jesus came to reveal the truth of God’s Kingdom to the world.

9. Luke 4:43 – Jesus came to preach about the Kingdom of God. From town to town He declared the rule and reign of God.

10. John 18:37 – Jesus came to be a King and to bring truth. Jesus victoriously rules and reigns today!

11. Matthew 20:28 – Jesus came “to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He set the example for the citizens of God’s Kingdom.

12. Luke 12:51 – Jesus came to “bring division.” His offer of salvation requires a decision. Those who receive Him enter His Kingdom. Those that reject Him do not. (Find out now how to have a relationship with Jesus.)

If you are like me, when I celebrate Christmas I tend to limit my view of Jesus to a baby in a feed trough filled with hay. Yes, that’s how He arrived, but that is not why He came. As you celebrate Christmas this year, don’t leave Jesus in the manger. Remember, He came as the Father’s representative to provide a way for your salvation and establish God’s Kingdom on earth. Rejoice with exceeding great joy!

Merry Christmas!

Kathy

 

 

God or man? Yes!

by 7 Comments

The first couple of chapters of Luke and Matthew get worn out this time of year. That’s where we normally go to read about the birth of Jesus. However, the Christmas story found in the first chapter of John richly presents another aspect of our Savior’s earthly arrival.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:1-4, 10, 12, 14 NIV

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” Ah, so much truth, so much hope, found in one statement. Jesus, who John meaningful calls the “Word,” left the glory of heaven and became human in order to walk the earth with mankind. To “tabernacle” or dwell with us. The Word – who was Himself God – became man. John 1:14 poetically describes what we refer to as the “Incarnation.”

The term “Incarnation” refers to the foundational Christian belief that God became man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Passage after passage in the Bible clearly presents Jesus as both fully divine and fully human. Two natures united together in one person.

Although hard to grasp, this concept is absolutely vital to our faith. That is why the early church worked so hard to battle against heretics and false teachers who wanted to twist the correct understanding of the Incarnation. After centuries of fighting those who would introduce incorrect doctrine, the church settled the matter once and for all at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. The following is an excerpt from their lengthy treatise on the nature of Christ.

At once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man… recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ;

Why is the Incarnation – the truth that Jesus was both God and man – so vital to our faith? Here are a few things to consider:

  • Without it we would still be lost, spiritually dead. Only God Himself can forgive our sins. Only the sinless God-man could offer His life as the once-for-all perfect sacrifice needed to make atonement for our sins. No incarnation, no salvation. (John 1:12, Heb 9:11-28)
  • We have a High Priest who understands both our temptations and our sufferings. Because Jesus experienced both He knows exactly what we are going through and how to help us (Hebrews 5:14-15).
  • Our earthly Savior is both God and King! Jesus is the eternal God, the Creator of all there is (John 1:1-3). He is worthy of our praise and worship.
  • Jesus Christ is the true revelation of the Father to us. If we know Jesus, then we know the Father (John 14:9).

This Christmas don’t simply celebrate the birth of a wee babe in the manger. Celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God became flesh and dwelled among men so He could bring salvation to all who would receive Him! Hallelujah and amen!

How does the truth that Jesus is both fully human and fully God impact you and your faith? Share your thoughts with us.

If you have never received Jesus as your Savior, don’t let another Christmas go by without making that eternally important decision. Find out now how you can become a Christian. If you want to learn more about your need for a Savior check out Kathy’s book “God’s Truth Revealed.”

Jesus Prays for You

by 18 Comments

Do you know someone who seems to have a direct line to God? Maybe her prayers are so full of praise and adoration, you instantly feel better when you hear her pray. Or maybe she’s the church prayer warrior–the go-to person when anyone has a request because everyone knows she will pray and keep praying. These people are a blessing (especially to those of us who sometimes struggle to find the “right words”).

I believe there is no more precious prayer that has been prayed over me (and you!) than Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-26. In the hours before His betrayal, trial, and crucifixion, Christ prayed for Himself, His disciples, and for all believers.

What did Jesus Christ pray on your behalf?

  • He prayed for unity among believers (v. 21).
  • He prayed that we would point others to Him (v. 21).
  • He prayed that we would be made perfect (v. 23).
  • He prayed we would be with Him, so we can behold His glory (v. 24).
  • He prayed that the world would know God through our witness (v. 25).
  • He prayed that the love He has with the Father would be in us (v. 26).

His prayer that evening stretched years and miles to reach you! He prayed for your unity with others, your love, and your witness. Hearing His words for me motivates me to want to live His words!

This isn’t the only prayer Christ prayed for you. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Consequently [Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” He continues to pray for you–seated at the right hand of God!

Just as you feel empowered by the words a friend prays over you, realize the power of Jesus’ prayer for you. Live in unity, love, and with a burden to tell of God’s love to others today!

Find Us on Facebook


Recent Posts

Archives