Scripture

In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

~Colossians 3:11 NLT

Quote

In every part of the Bible Christ is found–dimly and indistinctly at the beginning, more clearly and plainly in the middle and fully and completely in the end–but substantially everywhere.

~John Charles Ryle

Ryle’s book on holiness ends with a barrage of praise for Jesus. Christ is the key that unlocks the mysteries found is God’s word. The reason some do not understand the Bible is that they don’t have the key {Christ}. Christ is pictured first as the vicarious sacrifice. Adam and Eve’s clothing was made from animal skins which meant the death of an innocent animal. I can’t prove it but I believe is was a lamb or possibly more than one lamb. Abel’s sacrifice of the lamb is a picture of Christ and the atonement. Isaac is a type of Christ as he is laid upon the sacrificial altar and his life being spared pictures the resurrection. Where did I come up with this far fetched notion? Hebrew 11:19! Moses was a type of Christ, a savior who came to a helpless Israel and delivered them from bondage by the power of God. David was a type of Christ. His entire life is a picture of Christ: [1] Anointed by God [2] Hated and despised by his brethren [3] Persecuted and mistreated [4] Exalted as the victorious King. The four gospels are Christ incarnated, living, working miracles, suffering, dying and resurrected. The book of Acts is Christ preached, published and proclaimed. The Epistles are Christ exalted and the Revelation is Christ the triumphant Warrior King; the victorious Lion of Judah.

To study the Bible and not see Jesus is like studying our solar system and not seeing the sun. Justification is impossible without Jesus and so is sanctification and glorification. We are justified by His blood and sanctified by His word and Spirit. Glorification is the complete transformation from a body of sin to a perfect body that knows no sin. What good deed have we done or collection of good deeds that will take us to heaven? None, none, none! We are all guilty. We all deserve hell and death. Only the blood of Christ can atone for our sins. I fear that some are building the Tower of Babel all over again. A good deed here, a good deed there, row upon row, and stack upon stack, as we in our carnal flesh attempt to establish our own righteousness without need of repentance or faith in Christ.

I beg you come to Christ. Bring Him your sin and shame. He suffered God’s wrath in your behalf. He died so that you and I could be forgiven. He is not a way, He is the only way. You can cast all your burdens and cares on HIM because He cares for you. He can even share in your grief because He was a man of sorrows. He can share in your pain and suffering for He knows what it is like to have fiery pain shooting through every nerve in the body. Even if you face hatred and rejection: He knows what it is like to be hated and rejected. There is nothing you can tell Him that will shock Him and there is nothing He can’t handle. Don’t delay, repent today!

Extra

Christmas week and it will fly by for me. It is a little nippy outside but it beats a heat wave or a drought. God bless you, I hope you have a great day and week. Thanks for reading the blog.

Extra/Extra

A Grief Observed

Grief is an intruder; it is an uninvited guest that needs no invitation. C.S. Lewis said, “The most difficult thing about grief is it’s everydayness.” Grief will not go home. It comes in and refuses to leave. Most guess can be dismissed at bed time but not grief. Grief spends the night, the next day, the next night and the next day: it will not leave us alone. It is there when you fall asleep and it is there when you wake up. It is not a cheerful friend but extremely melancholy. Its gloominess can cause doubt and depression. Psalm 30:5 encourages me, “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning”. Grief is with us now but Jesus {Joy} is coming. Grief is not our final state; it is merely a dark valley that we pass through. There is a huge difference between a valley and a pit. In a pit {like Joseph} we are stuck but in a valley we keep walking. There is light and joy ahead, keep walking.