Yesterday
afternoon turned out to be brilliant, balmy, and beautiful. I walked on the
banks of the charming Chenango River for over four miles. It was invigorating
and thrilling. I saw the countless geese and ducks, including mallards, taking
an unhurried plunge and a swim on the river. The waters looked crystal clear and
clean, exposing the smooth stones of all sizes and colors on the surface. The
trees by the bank of the river standing steadfast and triumphant, having come
out of another winter. Joyful squirrels were frolicking. Birds, the harbingers
of spring were making a melodious sonnet. As I walked with a joyful heart and
jubilant feet I paused and pondered on the extravagant grace of our Lord and on
His magnificent beauty that He displays in every season. I was blessed in
contemplating a how all beautiful creatures of our Lord "join with all nature in
manifold witness, to His great and matchless faithfulness, mercy, and
love."
We will gather for
our midweek Fellowship, Bible study, prayer, and choir practice starting at 6
PM. We will be looking at the Suffering servant passages recorded in Isaiah 52
and 53.
This Suffering
Servant is a man of contrasts. There is the contrast between the Servant’s
exaltation and accomplishment and His suffering and humiliation. There is also
the contrast between what people though about the Servant and what was actually
the case. Though man would cast Him down and humiliate Him, God would lift Him
up and glorify Him. This servant, Jesus
Christ, would be "marred beyond human likeness", but through His suffering He
would cleanse the nations (Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 1:2). Before Him every knee
will bow and every tongue will confess that He alone is Lord.
Many years ago
on the south coast of China, high on a hill overlooking harbor of Macao,
Portugese settlers built an enormous CATHEDRAL. They believed it would weather
time, and they marked their achievement with a massive bronze cross as the
centerpiece of its front wall. Not too many years later, a typhoon came, and the
edifice was destroyed, leaving only a portion of the front wall and the cross.
Centuries later a shipwreck stranded hundreds of men not far out in the same
harbor. Some died; some lived. One man hanging onto wreckage from the ship was
disoriented and frightened, having lost sight of land in the storm. Yet, each
time the ocean swells lifted him out of the waves, he spotted the cross, which
eventually guided him to safety.
To countless
millions, that is what the cross means. It is a glowing symbol of rescue,
leading stranded souls shipwrecked on sin’s jagged reefs from the shadow of
death’s darkness to the new dawn shining out of new life.
It is also a place of hope to countless Christians who come back to the cross, bringing the scattered debris of their lives. There, because of the violent suffering of Christ, amazing grace is offered. The suffering Christ experienced for us was beyond comprehension, but He experienced it for our redemption and our restoration. By His stripes we are healed. Therefore, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 ).
It is also a place of hope to countless Christians who come back to the cross, bringing the scattered debris of their lives. There, because of the violent suffering of Christ, amazing grace is offered. The suffering Christ experienced for us was beyond comprehension, but He experienced it for our redemption and our restoration. By His stripes we are healed. Therefore, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 ).
In
Christ,
Brown.
No comments:
Post a Comment