Noted theologian Karl Barth wrote, “For the relevance of holy baptism is this: that we may our whole life long think about the fact that we are baptized…Once in my life a sign has been established that I hold on to…Just as I was born, I was baptized.”
Later he said, “Baptism is a representation of Christ’s death. It tells us that when Christ was dead and buried, we too have been dead and buried…Baptism tells you that the death was also your death.”
I would like to add to this that baptism not only portrays the death of our old self, it also pictures our resurrection to live a new life. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”—Romans 6:4.
One of the most detailed descriptions of the crucifixion of Jesus is not found in the gospels, but in the Psalms. Remarkably, Psalm 22 gives what appears to be an eye-witness account of Jesus’ crucifixion, yet it was written centuries before the event occurred! No event in David’s life can begin to resemble what we read in Psalm 22, so the narrative is strictly a prophecy of what would happen to the Messiah.
The Psalm begins with the phrase, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is the anguished cry that Jesus would utter as he took upon himself the guilt and punishment of all the sins that would ever be committed by all the human beings who would ever exist. As our innocent Savior bore the wrath of God in our place, it seemed as though he had been abandoned by God, but the resurrection would soon prove otherwise.
V.7 of this Psalm depicts those who would mock Jesus as he hung on the cross. The predictions of their insults are amazingly accurate in their wording.
V.15 records that the one being tortured would become extremely thirsty, something that would naturally occur in the process of being crucified. The words of Jesus on the cross, “I’m thirsty”, would point out the fulfillment of this prophecy.
“They pierce my hands and feet”, the Psalmist says in v.16. This is a detailed description of what happens during a crucifixion, even though it would be many years until this form of capital punishment would even be invented.
V.18 says, “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” Right there in the shadow of the cross, the Roman soldiers would greedily vie for the clothing of the One who was in the process of dying to pay for their greed!
The despair of v.1 will be countered by the trust expressed in vv.19-21, where we find such terms as: “strength”, “help”, “deliver”, “rescue” and “save”. God did not save Jesus from the cross. It was Jesus’ mission to seek and save the lost and give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus had to die in order for us to be saved. But God did rescue Jesus from death by resurrecting him on the third day, just as Jesus had predicted.
The Psalm ends with the prediction that the Lord would be praised and served by future generations for his righteousness and his dominion over the nations. Indeed, the church proclaims the gospel message that salvation has been made available through Jesus! The crucified and resurrected Jesus is the only hope for those who are dying in their sins and desperately need a Savior to rescue them! Those who believe in him worship him, serve him and make him known to future generations.
This time last year, churches suspended in-person worship services for a period of time as the nation tried to stop the spread of COVID-19. Many congregations offered on-line services to give their members an opportunity to worship. This was the best we could do under the circumstances, but it just wasn’t the same as worshiping together. Every aspect of corporate worship—singing, preaching, offering, communion, prayer, etc.–is enhanced by our being together.
I am concerned that many Christians have become satisfied with sitting on their couches on Sunday morning, watching a worship service on an electronic device. As churches have returned to meeting together–with some safety measures in place, of course—some believers have not yet returned to the assembly. Many have legitimate health concerns. But I hope that followers of Jesus will understand the need to be together on the Lord’s Day. There is no good substitute for face to face interaction between those who worship the Lord.
“I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”—2 John 12.
As the Lord prepared to deliver his people, the Israelites, out of bondage in Egypt, he sent a series of plagues upon the Egyptian people. The last, and most terrible, of these ten plagues was to kill the firstborn sons of all the Egyptian families. God told Moses ahead of time what he was going to do—“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.” (Exodus 12:12).
God had a plan to spare the Israelites from suffering from this devastating plague. He told each family to take a lamb without defect, slaughter it, and put some of the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their houses. God told them, “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.” (Exodus 12:13).
The Lord did just as he said he would. At midnight he struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, and there was loud wailing throughout the land. But the Israelite families were spared from this plague. Not a single family suffered a loss. That very night, Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt. The Lord had delivered his people.
The Israelites were to celebrate this Passover for generations to come. They would have a meal to remind them of how the Lord had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He delivered them and redeemed them, because of the blood of the sacrificial lambs.
Jesus built on this long-standing Passover tradition when he instituted the Lord’s Supper. In the same way that the lamb’s blood brought salvation to the Israelites, the blood of Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, would bring redemption to those who would trust in Jesus for their salvation. Every Sunday Christians all over the world celebrate communion together as they remember the loving sacrifice Jesus made on the cross to purchase their salvation and deliver them from the slavery of sin.
Did you notice what God was looking for when he visited each Israelite home? He didn’t ask to see their performance record. He didn’t demand to see a list of all the evil actions they had avoided and all the good deeds they had done. All he was looking for was the blood on the doorframes. When he saw the blood, he passed over them and allowed them to live.
It’s the same way with the salvation we have in Jesus. God doesn’t weigh the good we have done against the bad. When it comes to our salvation, the Lord only looks to see if the blood of Jesus has been applied to our lives. Have you confessed Jesus as Lord and accepted him as your savior through faith, repentance and baptism? Make no mistake! The Lord will pass judgment on every human being. Those who are covered by the blood of Jesus will be saved. All others will meet their destruction.
“…But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:26-28).
Many preachers have to fight against the sin of envy. It is easy to fall into the trap of comparing your ministry with those of your fellow ministers. For example, when preachers meet, it doesn’t take long for the question to come up, “How big is your congregation?” There is a temptation to inflate the numbers just a bit. For years I have answered that question with the following statement—“We are running something under 500 in attendance.” 70 or 80 is something under 500, right?!
Preachers aren’t the only Christians who are tempted to be envious. The truth is, there are many people in God’s kingdom who have the same kind of ministry that you have. And, quite frankly, a lot of them are doing it better than you.
Ministry is not a competition. All that God expects from each of us is to do our very best at what he has called us to do. We mustn’t be envious of others.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”—1 Corinthians 13:4.
COVID-19 has shut down another sports team. The Duke men’s basketball team has pulled out of the ACC tournament, ending their season. One of their walk-on players tested positive for the virus. Just losing one player who had a very limited role would not normally have a negative impact on a team. However, contact tracing would have made multiple Blue Devil players ineligible, thus making it necessary to cancel the rest of the season.
This illustrates a biblical principle about how the sin of just one member can have a negative impact on the whole church. 1 Corinthians 5 says that the serious sin of just one member works its way through the congregation like yeast works its way through the whole batch of dough. One person’s sin has a negative impact on all the other members, often in ways we would never expect, and maybe in ways that are not obviously noticeable. But the principle is plain for all to see. The holiness of every single member of the church should be a top priority, and serious sin in the congregation must not be tolerated. Churches who ignore this biblical truth will suffer the consequences for their disobedience.
Railroad workers recently left some railroad ties along the track behind our house in preparation for some upcoming repairs. Being a man, of course I wondered if I could lift one of them. I could not. I couldn’t even pick up one end of a railroad tie.
There are some objects that are too heavy to be carried by one person. Yet there are occasions when some heavy lifting is required. This calls for teamwork.
Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Sometimes we let our pride get the best of us and we refuse to allow others to help us with the burdens of life. At other times we are so self-focused that we don’t see an opportunity to help someone else with their heavy burden. Life is too difficult for us to ignore this biblical principle about carrying each other’s burdens. Let’s try to do a better job of obeying this teaching.
When is the last time you had the humility to ask someone for help with a matter that was weighing you down?
What can you do this week to lighten the load of a fellow Christian who is struggling?
After having manufactured Mr. Potato Head for 70 years, Hasbro has decided to make a change. They are going to a gender-neutral name. He (it?) will now be known simply as Potato Head. Apparently, having a Mrs. Potato Head to go along with Mr. wasn’t enough to satisfy some people.
Count me among those who think that the crowd pushing for gender-neutrality has pushed too far. We should get back to a reality-based understanding that there are indeed differences between males and females. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Jesus quoted that text as he reiterated this important truth in Matthew 19:4-5—“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?”
There certainly is a lot of confusion these days about gender issues. People who insist that gender doesn’t matter at all also insist that we should elect a woman as president. Some maintain that it doesn’t matter which public restroom they use, no matter how creepy it looks or how uncomfortable they make others feel. Some boys would rather compete in sports against girls, unconcerned about the unfair advantage they have. Some adults are saying that little boys and girls should be allowed, and even encouraged, to change from one gender to the other, with all the surgery and bombardment of artificial hormones that decision entails. Our culture has already attempted to redefine marriage from the God-ordained one man/one woman relationship, and the price we will pay for that decision remains to be seen.
We need to be graceful as we speak God’s truth about these matters. But speak we must! We must not cower in fear of our opposition, not when so much is at stake. The moral climate we leave to our children and grandchildren will be partly determined by how willing we are to stand up for the truth.
Maybe it’s too late for our nation. Perhaps we have already crossed the line. Our society seems hell-bent on becoming the next Sodom and Gomorrah. Or maybe it’s not too late. Perhaps we can turn things around. It’s happened before. But no matter what happens, God will reward or punish each individual for their obedience or their disobedience to his Word.
So, men and women of God, let’s take our stand! Let’s speak the truth in love and trust the Lord for the results. Let’s say, along with Joshua, “…Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15).
Cancel culture has claimed its latest victim—the late Dr. Seuss. It was recently announced that several books from the hugely popular author of children’s books will no longer be published. The reason given was that these books were racist. I watched a news story about this on one of the television networks and read an Associated Press story about it in the newspaper, but neither story convinced me that there was anything wrong about the books in question. The public response to the decision seems to be overwhelmingly in favor of the view that the politically correct crowd has seriously overstepped their bounds this time.
Cancel culture is nothing new. It’s been going on for centuries. In Jeremiah 36, we read about what king Jehoiakim did with a scroll containing the word of the Lord—he burned it. He found the words offensive, so he destroyed them. Jehoiakim would be punished for his mockery of God, and a new scroll was written to replace the one that had been destroyed. You can try to cancel out ideas that you don’t agree with, but you can’t do away with the truth.
It’s one thing to try to cancel a popular human author. But when you try to cancel out God, you are in for some big trouble!
A little girl regularly sat in church next to stained glass windows with pictures of St. Matthew, St. Peter, and St. John. She was always fascinated by the way the light shone through in such a brilliant manner. One day her Sunday School teacher asked her what a saint was. She answered, “A saint is someone who lets the Son shine through.”
Sounds like a pretty good answer to me!
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”—Matthew 5:14-16.
