We are gathered here this morning to remember Him. To remember Him in truth as it has been revealed to us in God’s word. To remember Him in worship. To remember Him in prayer.
We are here to remember Him as Savior and Lord. We are here to remember Him as the Founder of the feast of the Eternal Life we have been blessed to enjoy day after day.
Jesus died for all of us collectively and He died for each of us personally. So, we have gathered collectively to thank Him personally for doing what was necessary for the forgiveness of our sins and for eternal life.
Remembering Him is not merely a sentimental act He asked us to do; it is also a reminder of how deeply loved we are, and that is the healthy spiritual foundation of everything else we do and believe as Christians.
Remembering Him is a balm for tough times. It is a toast for good times. It is a reminder that we are loved at all times. Now and forever.
It really happened one day.
There was a specific day in history when Jesus died. And dying was the easiest part of the day. Because prior to dying, He was mocked, ridiculed, beaten, and tortured. And compounding all that physical suffering was the unfathomable spiritual agony of bearing on His body the sins of the entire world – past, present and future sins – and, in the words of Scripture, from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 53:5-6
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
The reason we need never fear being punished for our sins is because the punishment that brought us peace was place on Jesus. The Lord laid on Him, the iniquity of us all.
Jesus knew that day was coming.
Most of us know neither the day nor the details of our death. But Jesus knew and He knew all that was coming with it. In the garden, the night he was arrested, from John 12:27-28
“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
• My Son, said the Father, I have already glorified My name through Your earthly ministry. And though this night is dark for You and the coming day will be painful to You. I will glorify it again in three short days. When I raise You to life from the grave.
When that fateful day arrived, Jesus did not shrink back. He faced it and decided to go through it.
From My Monday Morning Boost of January 9th
The Lord went right through it for us, all that was required for our salvation.
He went through it. He didn’t go around it. He didn’t go over it. He didn’t go underneath it. He cut no corners. He spared no expense. He accomplished all that was necessary to provide Gold-Level Redemption for us. Not silver. Not bronze. Gold! He paid for us to receive ultra-premium benefits.
According to the scriptures, those benefits include the indwelling Holy Spirit, (who serves as our guide, coach, companion and friend) 24/7/365 full access to His throne room, ministering angels, and “forever-favored” status as fellow-heirs with Christ and adopted princes or princesses of His royal family.
These benefits and so much more are ours regardless of what anyone else may say about us, think about us or do to us. They are ours no matter what we may gain or lose. They are ours whether we consider our week a towering success or a colossal failure. Because Jesus went through it for us, they are immutably and irrevocably ours now and forever.
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We are gathered here today to refresh and renew our trust in the love for us that commissioned Jesus and the love for us that motivated Jesus to accept the commission. The love that sponsored His rescue mission and the love that drove Him to complete the mission.
Let us peek through the window of the dreadful night and see the Lord, spending His last hours with His disciples:
[Read John 14:1-7]
“I am going there…”
They didn’t understand what “going there” meant. They didn’t understand that it meant Jesus being arrested. They didn’t understand that it meant Jesus being tortured and killed. Even though Jesus had told them so several times. They didn’t understand that it meant Jesus rising from the dead.
Because when He was arrested, Peter struck off the ear of the High Priest’s servant with a knife to try to rescue Jesus. Then they all fled and went into hiding. And when Jesus was raised from the dead and the women told them that they had seen Him, they thought the women had lost their minds.
And as for the place itself that Jesus said He was going away to prepare for us…
In our Bible study discussion last Thursday, we were imagining together what heaven would be like. One member of the group gave a one-word description of heaven: “Home.” At a memorial service I attended on Friday, the pastor characterized it as “a place of wholeness.” And one of our Bible study members said, “I don’t think any of us have any idea what it will be like.”
We imagine heaven’s environment to be a more luxurious version of earth. because that’s all we know.
But regardless of our picture, we know Jesus will be there.
I have a picture of LaVern in my phone that has become my favorite. She’s about 8 years old. I told her this morning it says to me, “When she enjoys it she lets it show.” May God bless us, through our remembrance of Him, to enjoy this life He has purchased for us by His blood – and let it show.
Clinton Scott says
These benefits and so much more are ours regardless of what anyone else may say about us, think about us or do to us. They are ours no matter what we may gain or lose. They are ours whether we consider our week a towering success or a colossal failure. Because Jesus went through it for us, they are immutably and irrevocably ours now and forever.
I used to wonder what made people shout and say “Hallelujah! Glory to God In the Highest!” at the top of their lungs. No longer!! When I read passages like this and meditate over them, I find myself shouting with joy and joining in the chorus. The Holy Ghost unleashes a torrent of praise out of my mouth and before I know it, I standing on my feet and praising God. I don’t have to think about it. It just works out that way.