Skip to main content

He Was Cursed So I'd Be Blessed

Today's reading: Deuteronomy 21, Psalm 108-109, Isaiah 48, Revelation 18.

Gospel summary: Left to ourselves, we would have no hope in this world. The enemy of our souls would seduce us and lead us astray to everlasting destruction. Our only hope is found in the steadfast love of God, who sent his Son to bear the curse of our sins on the cross. Since Jesus died in our place and rose again from the dead, we who hope in him have hope that will last beyond the fall of this world. Since Jesus took the curse we deserved for our sins, we have nothing to fear when this world's condemnation finally comes. We are forever safe in the arms of Jesus and he gives us strength to persevere all the attacks of the enemy and until that Day comes.

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you that Jesus bore the curse for my sins so that I could know the blessing of your love. Left to myself I would be a hard-hearted rebel serving my own selfish will, so give me grace to cling to Jesus each day. Help me to see that this world's days are numbered and to resist all its fleeting temptations. When worldlings attack me for my faith in Christ, strengthen me to endure it with the future joy of heaven in mind. Since you have so graciously loved me when I was your enemy and a rebel, teach me to show that same unfathomable love toward others. For the glory of Christ I pray, amen.

Key verses: "With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death." -Psalm 108:30-31

Hymn: "Not All the Blood of Beasts" by Isaac Watts

Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain
Could give the guilty conscience peace,
Or wash away the stain.

But Christ, the heav'nly Lamb,
Takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name
And richer blood than they.

My faith would lay her hand
On that dear head of Thine,
While like a penitent I stand,
And there confess my sin.

My soul looks back to see
The burden Thou didst bear,
When hanging on th'accursed tree,
And knows her guilt was there.

Believing, we rejoice
To see the curse removed;
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice,
And sing His bleeding love.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7 Steps to the Pulpit

Many times I’ve sat on the front pew just prior to the sermon time looking at the steps to the pulpit. In these moments each Sunday morning I’m reminded of the great task with which I have been entrusted and my own weakness to perform it. After hours of painstaking study and prayerful preparation, I still stare at those steps and feel under qualified, knowing I’ve only scratched the surface of the message. There is a certain holy trembling a preacher feels before climbing those steps to proclaim God’s eternal Word. In centuries past, preachers like Charles Spurgeon and Martyn Lloyd-Jones had to climb winding staircases to reach the “sacred desk”, but many pulpits today are just a few steps above the floor. Whether you have many steps or none at all, it is an other-worldly task we have been given. The following are a few practical steps preachers can take before climbing the real ones on Sunday morning... 1. Get in the Word We must immerse ourselves in the text at the outset o
Post a Comment
Read more

Pastors & Spider-Man

The other night my wife and I decided to watch one of the Spiderman movies we owned at the house. During the movie, I felt an odd connection with Peter Parker and his Spiderman persona. It was then that I started thinking about all the ways pastors and Spiderman have a very similar calling. First, like Spiderman, pastors are urged to serve because of the serious need they see around them and the unique calling given them. Whereas Peter Parker is urged by the screams of people who are in danger, we are urged by the lostness around us. When Paul was at Athens, his spirit was provoked when he saw the idols they worshiped (Acts 17:16ff). As pastors, we must never stop seeing the spiritual desperation in people’s lives. All believers are called to serve others for the sake of Christ, but pastors have a unique calling to shepherd their souls as well. Second, both pastors and Spiderman share the struggle of their calling with one woman (our wives, except in the case of Peter Parker).
Post a Comment
Read more

Sleep: Keeping in the Guardrails

Sleep is great. Who doesn’t want to get a full eight hours every night and wake up feeling rested and refreshed? Yet most of us find this quite challenging, if not impossible. There can be any number of reasons why we don’t get a good night’s sleep: work demands, small children who often cry out at night, household chores that must be completed, our favorite TV show that comes on late, a guilty conscience or racing mind, or even a health problem. For those of us who don’t have as much responsibility,  over sleeping can be a temptation: college students who don’t have class until 11am, the retired or unemployed who don’t have a boss waiting on them, or the self-employed who don’t have a fixed schedule. What can we do to avoid losing control of our sleep and this causing damage in other aspects of our lives? God’s Word teaches us to stay between two guardrails: too little sleep and too much sleep. The first guardrail, too little sleep, is found in Psalm 127:2: “ It is vain that you r
Post a Comment
Read more