Bible

The 7 Last Sayings of Jesus On The Cross

/ Lee A. Robinson / 1 Comment

In recognition of the passion of Christ, I wanted to meditate on the crucifixion and take some time to write about it… 

The words that people use in their dying moments are supremely significant. If you only had a few minutes to live, what would you say to your loved ones or to the world? Most good people would probably boil it down to something like, “I love you,” if they only had one thing to say. Though Jesus had hours on the cross to speak, there is very little that he said (at least that is recorded for us), but a good way to summarize it would be, “I love you. I love you all – my family, my friends…my enemies.” Knowing who he was and that he was dying for the sins of all of us makes it so much more significant. Let’s take a look at each of his sayings while he hung on the cross . . . 

  1. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). 

As we read the accounts of the crucifixion we are bombarded with the evil and cruelty of the people involved. The Pharisees were inflamed with jealousy over Jesus. Their brutal envy forced them to betray the most innocent blood: and not just any innocent blood: the most gentle, wise, loving, caring prophet, teacher and healer in the land – the Messiah, the Son of God. Judas sold out his Teacher for the price of a slave, betraying him with a kiss. The bloodthirsty Roman soldiers fed off of torturing him. Corrupt, ignorant, vicious Israelites jeered, scoffed and mocked him while he suffered on the cross. Even the other criminals who were crucified next to him laughed at and derided him. This is some pretty evil stuff. It’s one thing when people mistreat you or take advantage of you, but this is people in broad daylight torturing a righteous man and laughing at him over it. 

What was Jesus’ response to all of this? “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Jesus prayed for his torturers. He prayed that they would be forgiven; that they would at some point have their eyes opened to the fact that what they were doing was truly evil, and that they would be delivered from being punished for it. Jesus recognized that there were dark forces enslaving these people – bad religion, corrupt teachings, a fallen world, a depraved heart – that molded these people to be filled with hatred. He wasn’t excusing their sins, but in his pity expressed his desire that they would be freed. Jesus could see past their immediate actions to the loving hands of God that created them. Jesus genuinely loved the people who murdered him. 

Jesus loves you, my friend. You may not believe in God. You may even mock Jesus like many people do in our society today. You may even hate Jesus, and if given the chance – if you were there 2,000 years ago – you would have joined in with the crowd in gladly crucifying him. Just know that he loves you anyway. He wishes goodwill on you even though you hate him. 

Christian, do you love your enemies this way? Jesus’ prayer was answered in your case: you have had your eyes opened. You do understand that Jesus is the Son of God and that he was being nailed to the tree on account of your sins. You have been forgiven by the Father and immeasurably blessed by him. Are you a yielded vessel allowing Jesus to channel that same kind of compassion, love, forgiveness and prayers to those around you? Forgive. Forgive your spouse, your sibling, your parents, your children, your friends and your enemies. Forgive them completely, forever and for everything. Why? Because you have been forgiven the same way. 

  1. “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Jesus was crucified between two criminals. Initially, they both railed on Jesus, but at some unknown point, the one criminal had a change of mind and heart. As the hardened thief was denouncing Jesus, the softened criminal began to rebuke him, “Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” (Luke 23:40‭-‬42). What happened to this man? My guess is that he observed the love, compassion and pity of Jesus for the hateful world and it gripped his heart. He saw how confidently Jesus placed his fate in the hands of God and it birthed in him faith that this truly was the Son of God. He believed and was converted! Right there on his cross! He entrusted his life and eternity to Christ. Jesus turned to him and assured him that they would enter into paradise together that day! Wow! What a story! 

We see here the eagerness of Jesus to save people. Jesus didn’t justly condemn this man for his crimes. He didn’t remind the criminal that he deserved to die. No, this man already acknowledged that much. Jesus didn’t demand him to become religious or jump through any holy hoops to access grace. Jesus wants one thing and one thing alone – allegiance, loyalty, faith. This lawbreaker courageously identified with Jesus right smack in the face of the world in all of its rage against the true God. I’m sure the crowd got a huge laugh at this interaction. But as they laughed on earth heaven rejoiced! Even in this deepest moment of pain and agony Jesus was bringing another lost sinner home with him! 

What a sweet picture – Jesus entering back into glory after his cosmic mission, and who does he bring with him – a condemned criminal, one among the worst on earth! This is representative of who Jesus came to save. He didn’t come to call the “righteous,” but sinners to repentance. This is because there is no one truly righteous on the earth apart from repentance and faith in Jesus. God loves you. He loves the worst of the worst of the worst. He loves those on death row and those guilty of the most vile crimes imaginable. He does not grant us eternal life because we are “good” or religious. People with good standing on earth are not more likely to be accepted by God. Rather, if we love him who took our place on the cross – that is how be gain acceptance with God. We love him and believe in him enough to identify with him who died for us. True faith in Christ is the kind that will die beside him and confess that his crucifixion is our total hope. I hope that you identify with him and that you also will be with him in paradise. 

  1. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

From noon to 3pm, as Jesus was on the cross, God brought a thick darkness over the land. The darkness during midday was a sign of God’s displeasure and wrath. Jesus was always obedient to his Father, but in those moments on the cross Jesus was absorbing the wrath of God in his body for our sins. “For he (the Father) hath made him (the Son) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4‭-‬5). This is the ultimate reason why he said, “My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me.” Jesus didn’t displease the Father, but he was receiving the displeasure of the Father on our behalf. Jesus pleased the Father through being obedient unto death – even the death of the cross. He was forsaken – an eternity of perfect union with the Father – SEVERED – so we could be brought near. Praise God. He was dealt with like a hardened, stone cold, depraved, unrepentant, unremorseful world, so that we could be treated like the beloved, faithful, dignified Son of God!   

Another reason Jesus said this on the cross is because he was quoting David from Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psalm 22:1). In short, David was in extreme agony because he was being persecuted by his people even though he was righteous. Jesus was identifying with David on the cross when he cried out this phrase. 

Praise the Lord that we have a Savior who willingly stood in the way of the wrath of God and man for us! The Bible says that God is angry with our sins every day (Psalm 7:11). He is perfectly Just and has perfect hatred against sin. Jesus – the only one who could fully satisfy God’s righteous rage – went to that cross to take our punishment. Amen. He is our King and Defender against the wrath of man. If we desire to be righteous we will have enemies – even those persecuting us into the name of “god” or “truth” or “love.” Thankfully, Jesus was and is willing to take the shame, ridicule and mockery to cheer us up and encourage us along the way. 

  1. “Woman, behold thy son! . . . Behold thy mother!” John 19:26-27

As his torture was coming to a close we have the last four sayings of Jesus. Before he died there was one last bit of unfinished business he had on the earth. He looks down and sees his mother Mary and standing next to her one of his most beloved disciples, John. As he sees them together, there is a natural recognition that this man would be the one to care for his mother after he left. With the world’s guilty burden on his shoulder he did not forget about his precious mother! He said to Mary, “Behold thy Son!” and then he said to John, “Behold thy mother!” I can imagine both of them looking at each other at that moment, perhaps not knowing everything that this would entail for their futures, but knowing that if Jesus was calling for it, then it must be right. 

There are several things going on here in my mind. One thing was that Jesus was entrusting the care of his mother to his disciple. The Scriptures are silent about Mary’s husband Joseph (perhaps he died at some point prior to this?) It seems unlikely that Joseph would never be mentioned again after Jesus’ childhood. Jesus, in caring for his mother, wanted to make sure she would be taken care of by a righteous man. At this point we do not get the impression that Jesus’ brothers were very righteous. So this is very sweet! Amidst all of the chaos of ministry and the pain of torture Jesus didn’t forget to care for those closest to him. He didn’t let rescuing the world take priority over his family. Perhaps at times you feel like no one cares about you? You may be a vulnerable person, such as a widow, or poor or an orphan, or just for whatever reason a lonely, desperate person. Take courage!!! Jesus has not forgotten about you! Yes, he controls the galaxies, making sure they stay on course, and yes, he governs the nations, but he is fully concentrated on your every need as well. He knows how many hairs are on your head. His thoughts towards you cannot be numbered – more than the grains of sand at the beach! There is nothing that will ever separate you from the Love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

But I also see another potential thing happening here. John would care for the mother of Jesus, but perhaps also Mary would care for the disciples of Jesus? He says, “Woman, behold thy Son!” For Jesus’ whole life Mary was unsure and perhaps mystified about who her Son truly was. Even if she understood that he was the Son of God, how could she possibly fully grasp what this meant for her, the world and their future? Mary had the natural motherly impulse to care for her Son, but she also believed in him as her Lord. She was about to lose her Son and her Savior. In the book of Ruth, Naomi went into despair when she lost her husband and sons. Now, here’s Mary losing everything. If the disciples were nervous that their Messiah was dying when he was supposed to reign, imagine how Mary must have felt! I think Jesus was redirecting Mary’s attention to how she could continue to be his Mother after he left. She could now channel her love and passion into serving the body of Christ, which John represented. Mary would be an integral part of the early church. I’m sure she had many opportunities to talk about Jesus to his followers about the glories of his childhood and the early stages of his ministry from her point of view. I’m sure very few other people were smitten so deeply with the love of God when she remembered the crucifixion. 

  1. “I thirst.” (John 19:28)

It is completely understandable that this would come out of the mouth of Jesus on the cross. The dehydration levels were through the roof because of the massive amount of blood loss on top of the crazy amount of physical exertion he experienced beginning the night before. Psalm 22:15 speaks prophetically about this moment, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death” (Psalm 22:15). The thirst was not unique to Jesus among those who were crucified. What was significant about this scene is who it was that became so thirsty. Jesus was (and is) the Son of God. He knew glory, immeasurable and beyond comprehension. Yet we see him here so completely subjected to the frailties of humanity! Have you ever been so thirsty that you were begging for water? It is a very humiliating thing. Yet, because he loved us, he came to take on our humiliation so that we could be exalted. The Fountain of Living Waters became thirsty so that our spiritual thirst could be quenched. “O God, thou art My God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” (Psalm 63:1). “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” (Augustine, Confessions). Our sins rob us of spiritual vitality, deservedly. God’s holiness is not compelled to nourish a sinful heart. There must be some kind of satisfaction of his justice before he opens the sluice of heavenly blessing. Praise God for the willingness of the only One who could unlock it! 

This is such a beautiful statement, as well, on the true nature of Christ. He was totally Human (minus a sinful nature) as is seen here is his thirst. Other places highlight the divinity of Christ, but this one reveals his full humanity. Jesus was conceived in the womb of a woman and had flesh, blood and bones just like we do. He was birthed and breathed the same air we breathe. He got tired, hungry and thirsty. He needed rest and refreshment like we do. The big difference is that he didn’t have to subject himself to these limitations, but he did. He could have stayed in heaven in absolute perfection and limitless satisfaction. He, as God, needed nothing, because he was the source of everything. God never has a Need. However, Jesus willingly laid aside that divine prerogative, so that he could identify with us, suffer and die for us. Now he lives eternally as the God-Man advocating for us as our perfect, compassionate High Priest. He says to you, “I know your thirst: your pain and agony, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Come to me and drink. I paid for it all.”

  1. “It is finished.” (John 19:30) 

No one else has had such a glorious death, ever. At best, the closest parallel that comes to mind is the picture of a war hero who achieves the final victory as they give up their life. Wherever that has happened, it was most likely not willingly, but of necessity. Either way, what is going on here? Why did Jesus say this on the cross at his last moment? It’s clear from the rest of Scripture the whole reason why Jesus came into the world, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus came into the world to give his life as a ransom – a payment for our sins. God’s prescribed way to atone (make amends) for sin is through the shedding of blood, or the giving of a life. “He that sinneth shall die.” “The wages of sin is death.” God demands a life for sins to be forgiven. Jesus – because his life is of great enough value – was able to present it as a sufficient ransom payment for the sins of the whole world. God was satisfied with his offering. 

Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).

He said, “It is finished.” What exactly was completed or accomplished? What work had to be done? It was the work of reconciling God and Man. The mission of redemption was being completed, right then and there. As soon as Jesus took his last breath and actually died, sin was PAID IN FULL! There is now nothing left undone in order to reconcile humanity back to God. There are NO works that we need to do in order to access God’s forgiving and saving grace. All we have to do is come and receive the benefits of Christ’s finished work! 

Some people say, “It’s all about being good. Be good and hopefully you’ll get in [to heaven].” Yet, this is not at all what the sacrifice of Christ teaches us. The crucifixion teaches us that our sin is ugly and that God hates it – detests it so much that he would deliver his own Son to a tortuous, humiliating death. If all we had to do was “be good” then Jesus died in vain. Why would he go through something so horrific if there was another way? Even Jesus prayed that if there was another way for redemption to be accomplished that it would happen, and because there was no other way he gladly submitted to the Father’s will. The only way to be forgiven and given eternal life is as a free gift from God through faith in Christ. And praise God that gift is available to whosoever will come!!!

What do you believe? How are you situated before God? Are you hoping that your goodness is good enough to gain eternal life? Are you really trusting yourself instead of Christ’s finished work? We either approach God seeking his favor based on our own merits or with no merits at all seeking mercy. We cannot have it both ways. I hope that today you will enjoy the rich pleasure of knowing your sins are forgiven and that your account is forever paid in full through what Jesus did for you!

  1. “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). 

The final words of Christ before his last breath was a commitment of his life into the hands of God. The whole life of Jesus had always been dedicated and obedient to the Father, but his last moments were the most difficult and painful. He trusted his Father all the way through. 

This statement though, like Psalm 22, is also a quotation from the Old Testament, “Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: For thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth” (Psalm 31:4‭-‬). Jesus, again, is identifying himself with David, who was a truly righteous man, but was being persecuted by his people (unrighteous Israelites) and had God alone to depend on. 

I like the way Peter words this, “…who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). Jesus believed that no matter what mankind did to him it could not overpower the sovereign will and goodness of God. God’s will in an ultimate sense will always be done. God’s Justice will always be satisfied. He will right every wrong in his perfect time. Jesus laid down his life in perfect cooperation with and faith in the Father’s will. Peter was encouraging his readers to follow the example of Jesus. When God calls us to difficult circumstances or to serve difficult people, we must, like Jesus, remember to commit ourselves into the Father’s hands. We must strive to keep the faith and serve in love, knowing that even if mankind ridicules, mocks, or even persecutes us for doing what’s right, God will take notice and make sure to reward us for what we do. 

The writer to the Hebrews also touches on this, “…looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus was laid in the tomb, but he did not stay there! The Father justified Jesus within the space of three days by raising him from the dead! Also, the Church was born and prospered in the first century while Jerusalem was burned to the ground, Judaism destroyed and the Jews scattered around the world in exile! Jesus was most certainly justified. The admonition for us is to follow Jesus’ example. Commit your spirit, your soul, your body, your life, your time, to the Father, and regardless of what man does, God will reward you. We must walk by faith and not by sight. Believe that God is stronger than your worst enemies. 

Conclusion

“Thank you so much, Lord Jesus, for what you did on the cross. Our whole hope is bound up in you and what you did that day. Give us even deeper hearts of gratitude. Help us to always and only serve you out of a heart of love and gratitude and never be motivated by anything else! Grant us the courage and faith to follow your example: to love and serve a fallen world that may brutally hate us and persecute us. Teach us again the power of your cross- that dying is the way to truly Live. We love you. Be glorified today. May many be converted so that you can receive the reward for your sufferings. Amen.”

Works Won’t Work

/ Lee A. Robinson / 1 Comment

How do we gain favor with God? Many people think that we “earn” eternal life by being good, religious and charitable, but works won’t work. Come see what the Bible says will work . . . 

We intuitively know that God wants us to be good and do good. We know that God is good and glorious, so it naturally follows that if we’re to be welcomed into his presence (favorably) then we ought to be good and seek for his glory. This human focused tendency is manifested in every religion mankind has come up with. Though culturally religions vary widely, the core principle of the systems are the same: God requires us to do certain things in order to gain his favor. Roman Catholics must follow the sacraments to hopefully gain eternal life; Muslims must faithfully observe the 5 pillars to gain paradise; Jehovah’s Witnesses must witness and obey the watchtower; Hindus achieve liberation through respect to Karma, etc. It all comes down to being good and doing good. But what does Jesus and the Bible teach?

Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day (the day of judgment), Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto you, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22-23 It is clear from his teaching here that there are many people who are professing worshippers of God who will be rejected by him. They say, “Lord, Lord…” showing repetition. These are people known to be religious and are consistent in their practice. Not only so, but they even carry a spiritual power: they perform wonderful works. There are people who can do supernatural things and are capable of doing unusual levels of philanthropy and altruism that will be rejected by God. Their works won’t work. Jesus told us in this passage that the person who will enter the kingdom of heaven is “he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 What is God’s will? “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40 Everlasting life is not earned by religious or good things we do, but is rather a gift given to those who believe in Jesus, who trust in the work that HE has done on our behalf.

The apostle Paul made it abundantly clear when he said, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 Eternal life is too precious to be purchased with our good deeds. It is and always will only be a gracious gift from God. Works won’t work, but faith will. Paul, in speaking about his own conversion wrote that God, “…saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” 2 Timothy 1:9 

He made this very plain in another passage as well, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-‬7 Favor with God is predicated on the fact that he has shown us mercy. In other words, we have all done wrong and need to be forgiven – this is the first step towards God. Criminals go to jail, not because of their lack of philanthropy, but because they have committed crimes. God has laws, and we have all broken those laws: do not lie, do not steal, honor your parents, etc. We deserve death and judgment from God. If we are attempting to argue our innocence before God’s throne on the basis of our good works, it won’t work. We don’t need a larger portfolio of charitable action, we need a changed heart. Our problem is internal. This is why the passage says that we needed “the washing of regeneration” and “renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Our lives are not naturally like spiritual soup kitchens that just need to feed more people. Rather, we are like abandoned, condemned sleaze motels that need to be torn down and rebuilt by God himself if we are to please him at all.    

Even if it were possible to work your way into heaven, no one’s work would be good enough. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 2:23 Do we really think that we could approach the God who made this universe and has continued to sustain it perfectly would be impressed with our accomplishments??? God rejects sinners who try to pay him off like he’s a corrupt judge. God is good and glorious. The way that pleases him is when we come to him humbly, with repentance, pleading for mercy, and receiving his wonderful gifts. Ultimately, it is set up this way so that he receives all of the glory. “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” Romans 3:27 There will be only one person receiving praise in heaven for all of the souls saved and welcomed in – and that is Jesus Christ! 

A simple note of reasoning to think about – If you could work your way into heaven, then why did Jesus need to die???

Good works are good. We should be abounding in good works and pure forms of worship. However, it is only good if it is done from a heart of gratitude and to earn nothing from God.

The Grace of God You Need.

/ Lee A. Robinson / Leave a comment

The grace of God is multifaceted but we will just focus on one face. Simply put, God’s grace are gifts we receive from God: spiritual gifts that enable us to possess certain God-like qualities. For example, the ability to remain calm and unirritated in the face of difficult people and to respond with kindness and genuine compassion is a gift from God. This kind of response is not natural to any human heart. I don’t know if I need to spend much time trying to prove this, but it really is. Just think of how rare that type of response is among our fellow humans. A few people do naturally have higher levels of endurance, but are not our innate strengths gifts from God as well? Truly, any good character quality or action does not naturally arise from our human heart, but is a divine enablement: an undeserved gift from God. If we are to become more and more like God and effectively do his will, we need as many gifts as we possibly can get! The first step, of course – as always – is to realize and admit that we are in deep need of his grace. Secondly, we must earnestly seek for his grace moment by moment. 

Christian, you need the Gospel. Do you think you are okay today? Are you all set? In what ways, specifically, are you not like Jesus? Are you kind to every person you can come into contact with? Are you more focused on yourself instead of the needs of others – your wife, your kids, your neighbor or coworkers? Are you deeply concerned about those around you who don’t know Christ? Are you ashamed of the Gospel? How often do you cross paths with people and not give glory to God or preach his Gospel? Do you carry a spirit of gratitude and contentment or are you weighed down with depression, anxiety, complaints and murmuring? Are you self-disciplined in your appetites and activities? What is your singular focus in life – is it heavenly things or earthly things? Are you bitter towards anyone? Are you harboring resentment towards anyone or for something that happened in the past? Are you angry with God or in awe of him? Are you watching things on the internet you shouldn’t be? Do you have any besetting sin? How are you falling short of the glory and goodness of God? If you’re not sure about your weakness, then maybe your struggle is with pride? Ask the people that know you the best, “What is my weakness?”

When you first came to God for salvation you had nothing to offer him except your sin. Nothing has changed in this regard. You still have nothing of value to offer God to earn his favor except your repentance. Once you realize this just simply tell him how busted up you are. Name your sin and the gift that you need. “God, I don’t deserve it, but I need patience. I need love. I need boldness. I need a spiritual mindset. I need kindness. I need joy and contentment. I need the right priorities . . . and God, you are the only one who can give me these abilities, because Jesus died for my inadequacies so that those parts of me might die and only Jesus rose from the dead, being the only one able to create in me these fresh, beautiful, powerful, Godlike qualities.”

In asking for such precious gifts, you must ask for the right reason. James 4:3, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” We’re not fooling God. He knows our true motivation. It must be pure. These gifts are not for our glory or pleasure, they are for the glory and pleasure of God, that his will would be done in the earth. Sure, when we do his will, most often we find ourselves with peace, contentment and joy, but our main desire must be that we please him and serve others well. So, when you begin to experience your relationships being handled in a supernaturally different way, verbally give God praise right then and there and then afterwards as many times as you have opportunity. When you achieve success through God’s grace in the areas that you failed repeatedly for years and years and years give God joyful praise and thanksgiving.

Thankfully, James also tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5).” No one is more ready and prepared to give you a gift than God. We can go to him boldly, as the scriptures say, in prayer. Any grace that you ask for is certainly praying according to the will of God, which gives us confidence that he will grant that request. What are you waiting for? Go now and receive from our heavenly father the good things you need to be more like him in the earth that you live in. 

Why did God set things up this way? Doesn’t it seem like a strange operation – we have to come to God to receive the ability to live in a way that is truly righteous? Why can’t we just do it on our own? Well, first of all, we can’t. It’s that simple. Furthermore, if we could, who would get the glory and praise? O, you know we definitely would take as much of it as possible! The reality is that there is only One Man who is worthy of it all – the Lord Jesus Christ. All things considered, is yucky when man receives high praise, because we all know that no man is an island, and every man has great faults that others don’t know about. However, it is soo fitting that Jesus receives all and the highest praise. He is the Almighty One (Heaven’s eternal adoration) who willingly and humbly left heaven in great condescension; who took off the garment of infinity and wrapped himself in restrictive human flesh; who suffered and died the most horrific, shameful, brutal, unrighteous, substitutionary death ever; who, by his own power and virtue, raised himself from the dead and was exalted back to the highest throne! What have we done that can even begin to compare?

May the Lord receive his fitting glory from you today. What an honor, that our sins would expose his generosity and power, which as a result we benefit from!!!

Friendship With God

/ Lee A. Robinson / 1 Comment

One of my go-to music albums over the past couple years is the soundtrack for the “David” show produced by Sight & Sound Theaters. They do an outstanding job at producing high quality music – especially for a company that’s not even specializing in producing music albums. One of my favorite songs on that album is “Creation Sings.” The song pictures creation “singing” praises to God by highlighting certain aspects of the beauty and majesty of that particular creation. What is the glory of the sea? – that it is deep and filled with life. What is the glory of the heavens? – it’s expanse. What is the glory of the mountains? – that they are built up to the sky. God himself takes light for his garment. At the climax of the song, the writer says, “So I will join the song as creation sings to you.” Well, what is the glory of man in the mind of this singer? – “…You call me your friend.” Creation is beautiful, glorious, majestic, powerful, awesome, etc. and as much as that is awesome, what is more awesome is that the God who made all of this calls us his friend. What a special thought!!!

Yes, God is our Creator, infusing each of us with uniqueness, purpose and meaning. God is our Father, guaranteeing us love, acceptance, provision, protection, guidance, etc. What is entailed in the fact that he is our friend?     

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:13-15).

What is different between the friend/friend relationship and the parent/child relationship? I think it’s mainly on the matter of “peerhood.” There isn’t a formal hierarchy amongst peers. People meet each other and decide to go deeper in a relationship because of a mutual desire. God didn’t have to make me. He didn’t get stuck with me. He didn’t have to save me. He doesn’t have to continue to call me and want to “hang out” with me. BUT HE DOES!!! He does willingly and cheerfully – and always will! Of course friends get upset and frustrated with one another, as I’m sure the Lord is with me often, but it doesn’t discourage him from coming back again. 

Friends tell each other secrets. They share their hearts with each other in a way that they might not even share with loving parents. Friends feel “safe” in that you’re not really accountable to them, and they are probably in a similar stage of life that you are. As if God couldn’t do something even more glorious, he reveals to us again how humble he is! He so wants to identify with us. Whatever you think of who God is, your thinking is too small and not impressed enough. The Creator and Sustainer of the Universe; the Lord of Heaven and Hell; the Ancient Father of Humanity; the King of all Authorities; the Eternal Sage – He wants to spend time with me, to make my issues his own. He grapples with my minuscule problems and cares like a fellow traveler (not because he doesn’t know the answers, or have the ability to just think the solution and it will happen, but because he knows that I need a friend to do it with me).   

Do you want God to be your friend? In the Scriptures above, Jesus said that we are his friends “if we do what he commands us to do.” His primary commandment is that we would repent of our sins and embrace him as our Savior and Lord. This is equivalent to us removing ourselves as the controller of our lives and replacing Christ as the Controller. In the same way that it is fitting for a novice to yield to the advice of a master, so it is fitting that we would yield control of our lives to the Master of all Life. Not only is it fitting, but it is obligatory. Refuse to surrender to Christ and you will not be his friend, but his enemy – a truly eternally cursed position to be in. Psalms 25:14, “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” We must fear God, which means that we must acknowledge and respect his true nature, power and authority. When we do, not only will he forgive us and call us on to his team, but he will “reveal to us his secrets” like a friend would. What a glorious truth!   

Caution In Hope. America’s Future?

/ Lee A. Robinson / 2 Comments

It is encouraging to feel the optimism because of a Trump victory. I’m reminded of the scripture, “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice.” It could simply be who I am surrounded by (most of my closer friends and acquaintances are of the more Republican type), but it seems like there is a general sense of relief, unity (for our times) and hope that the ship of America might not be completely lost at sea. However, I’d like to offer a thought or two – a reminder – of what really needs to happen in order for us to have biblical assurance of hope for our nation. 

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 33:12). The cornerstone of genuine, lasting blessing is surrender to and exclusive loyalty to the One True God – the trinitarian Christian God (Father, Son and Spirit). This is true for individuals, families, states and nations. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” applies to nations as well. In order for us to have the deepest confidence of good, we must, as a nation, be surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. A Trump victory is a sweet reprieve, but we need more than a mere postponement of judgment to truly thrive, we need genuine generational hope. Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” God’s blessing follows believing hearts. “Lord, somehow, turn the collective conscience of America back to you, in repentance and faith in Christ.” We must be very on guard against putting too much hope in a single man – especially a man with a pretty checkered past and a shady present (at least as far as humility before God and a commitment to truly following God’s ways. I enthusiastically voted for Trump, but I confess boldly that he is definitely not our Savior and hope, in any way shape or form. Psalms 146:3-5, Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:” Trump will be here for 4 years only, then will be gone. We want a plan that will put us on track for the next 40 years, yea the next 400 years, much more like the foundation that our founding fathers were building on. Jeremiah 17:5-8, “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”

Secondly, we have to stop killing babies. One of the surest ways to provoke the wrath of God on yourself is to harm an innocent child. Luke 17:2, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” God has made it clearly and forcibly known that he is an especially jealous protector of the fatherless and widows (those who are most vulnerable to attackers). There is no one in our nation as vulnerable as a human baby. Our leaders (from the lowest to the highest) must name abortion as nothing less than murder, and we must initiate and sign into law the strongest protections possible to preserve every human life from conception, and to appropriately punish those who try to harm them. Matthew 18:10, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” When we nurture and protect the little ones God has created, he will nurture and protect us, but if we continue to mutilate and annihilate them God will continue to do the same to us.

Thirdly, another red flag of a nation in decline is a public acceptance of homosexuality and perverted sex stuff. Romans 1 spells this out so clearly, as it seems that everyone is aware of nowadays. We must get back to the root, which is to be grateful to God for who He is and who he made us to be: Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Everyone has problems and everyone has been hurt by others to varying degrees, but we have all been blessed by God to be uniquely and specially created by God and also to be born into a prosperous nation. Whoever you are -whether male or female, whatever color, ethnicity or social class – accept the fact that a good, All mighty, perfectly providential God designed and planted you right where you are. Be content with what species your are, let your roots go deep and become what he has designed you to be. Our leaders – in public and in law – must make it abundantly clear that there are only – and will forever only be – two genders, that sexual activity must only be between a man and a woman, and that activity must only be within the boundaries of covenanted, lifelong marriage. The more we tighten up the culture and legislation on this issue, the more confidence we will have that good will come our way. Psalms 128:1-6, “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.” 

There are many other things we could talk about that are important to thriving (good financial stewardship, protecting our borders, striving for unity, weeding out corruption of all forms, not giving place to lies, etc.), but the ones I mentioned I believe are the really big ones. 

“Father, make your name to be hallowed in our land. May every heart confess his or her sins and sweetly cry out to Jesus for salvation. May every home, every neighborhood, every town, every county, and every state surrender to the authority of the Holy Bible. We don’t deserve it, but we appeal to your incomparable mercy and grace, and also the the prayers of our fathers in the past, who prayed for us that we might not stray from your ways. May it be in the soul of our nation, that, when we are blessed that we would not wax fat and kick against you, but be humble, generous stewards of your marvellous grace. Revive the churches and raise up preachers and prophets. Send your choice servants to the White House and to Washington in general. Whatever comes may we commit to joyfully praise you. Amen.” 

On Sinning Less

/ Lee A. Robinson / Leave a comment

I heard someone recently ask Elon Musk what he thought was the greatest piece of advice ever given him. After some deliberation he concluded that it was “to strive to be less wrong.” This struck me as a different and perhaps helpful way in approaching life. It is futile and frustrating to strive for perfection. However, to simply shave off a little bit of imperfection seems much more likely and encouraging of a goal. I could say, “I am never going to eat anything unhealthy ever again!” Wishful thinking. However, if I say, “If all else fails, I’m just not going to drink soda for a few months.” This is much, much more likely to be realistic and, if achieved, will push my health in a positive direction.

The ultimate goal for every person is to become more and more like Jesus Christ. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:28-29). We are born in the image of our fallen father Adam and it is the lifelong challenge for us all to be recreated and restored into the image of the perfect son of God. This is aiming at perfection. My thought at this moment though is not to think of it as, “I have to become perfect,” but rather, “Today the goal is just to remove something – even if it’s seemingly small – from what is unlike Christ. Sculptures start with a bland block and chisel away little by little until the desired image appears. 

Here are a few suggestions on how to effectively purge off imperfections of your life…

  1. Remember who God is and who you are. God made you. You did not exist eternally and then at one point create a god to worship. God always existed, then in time he made you, to worship him. God created the game, therefore he gets to set the rules. He embedded the rules in our hearts. We intuitively know what is right from wrong. We didn’t create our conscience, it was factory installed. Who put it there? God. This all means that our obligation is to obey the rules. Obey and live, disobey and die. Submit to God’s authority & rules and be happy, or rebel and be sad. Where is your heart right now? Is it resting under God’s authority? Are you content being a servant of God, or are you still longing to be the master of your own life? Positioning yourself gently under God is the first step to sinning less. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10)
  2. We must admit that we are sinful and that the true enemy is within. We are our own worst enemy. Of course, there is a devil, a corrupt world, difficult people, and severely challenging trials, but if we were like God (if we were holy) we still would not sin because we would be patient, merciful, forgiving and full of faith. I am the problem, not something or someone else. I have this part of me that doesn’t want to admit it. Why are we so quick to judge others, to point out their faults, to excuse our own and to think that we are better than others? Why does it seem so offensive when other people wrong us, but when we do wrong it doesn’t seem to bother us as much? This is our real nature manifesting itself. We are sinners. Admit it. If we don’t we will always be making excuses for ourselves, never actually growing spiritually. We must be quick to turn ourselves in to God. “Woe is me, for I am undone!” (Isaiah 6:5) “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
  1. Meditate on the consequences of your sins until it hurts. Our sins displease God: our wise creator, benevolent provider, redeemer, savior and friend: the one who left heaven and was crucified for us. There is no one so gentle towards you; so kind, compassionate, merciful, longsuffering, encouraging, thoughtful, committed. Think of how loving God is to you. He only wants your good. He never makes fun of you, hurts you, lies to you, or abandons you. He is by far your best friend. When you choose to sin it breaks God’s heart because he loves you: he knows that in some way your joy and peace is going to be disturbed because of this. Do you see him? He’s not upset or mad, he’s broken. Honor him by doing what pleases him.  
  1. Our sins also displease and hurt others. Every time we sin, no matter what it is, we hurt other people. Sometimes it is directly, by saying or doing something wrong to that person. But think about the other people involved in your life. Those who witness your wrong doings are presented with an unpleasant thing to watch and the weak are encouraged to do the same. When we sin other people are inconvenienced by it. There has to be valuable time spent trying to deal with the sin until it is corrected. Life is not all about you. We know deep down that it is more honorable to put others’ needs and desires in front of our own. Love other people by choosing to sin less. Another thought on this is, every time you sin, you become less equipped to serve other people in the future, so people who could have benefitted from you now will not. “Consider one another” (Hebrews 10:24). 
  1. Sinning now conditions you to sin easier and more in the future. Most people don’t like smoking the first time they try, but many acquire a taste for it. The more you allow yourself to do the same wrong thing over and over and over again, the easier it is going to become and the more you will enjoy it. Drug addicts build up a tolerance to the chemicals. This means that the more their bodies become used to those chemicals, the more chemicals are needed in order to get the same effect. A person who started consistently smoking a couple cigarettes a day will be smoking a whole pack after some time. Do you want to enjoy sin more and need more extreme sins to get the same feeling? God forbid. If not, sin less. Be afraid of where you may end up. Ask any old person and they will tell you that time flies. Time flies. They say about things that happened 40, 50, 60, 70 years ago, “It seems like yesterday.” Don’t wake up tomorrow being deep in sin because you excused your “little sins” today. “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate” (Proverbs 8:13). 
  1. Sin robs you. Do you like being robbed or lied to? Of course not! But when you sin you are freely giving away the most precious treasures you have: your peace, your joy, your freedom! Think about it. When you sin you hide because you’re scared and ashamed. Sin never leads you to joy or confidence. It may feel good for a brief moment, but then you are plagued with worry: you start having to think of ways to not get caught or to get out of the consequences. All of this is dark. Sin is a shrewd liar: promising you freedom but only bringing you into bondage. It’s proven that little children are happier if they play in an area that has clear boundaries. If they have no boundaries and no rules then they get frustrated. Dealing with God’s rules and boundaries are hard to handle sometimes, but playing inside of them is unexpectedly the true path to freedom and joy. “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:21-23).
  1. You only have one life. If you break your pencil you can always go and get a new one. You can’t just go get a new one if you break you. You only have one opportunity to manage the life that you have. How many days old are you? Today, I am on exactly day 13,600. That’s a lot of days. I will never be able to live any of my past days, ever again. I only had one chance to either make good decisions or bad decisions. The person I am today is the culmination of all of those decisions. The more that I consistently do what is right the better my life will be. The more I abuse my body, soul, mind and spirit, the worse my life is going to become. Also, we have to live with this life for the rest of our lives. You will always carry your past decisions with you. Strive to live in a way that will preserve your life instead of destroying it. You are precious and valuable – there is only one you – so treat yourself as though you are. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
  1. Have faith. There are times in your life when you desperately wanted something and didn’t get it, but it was ok. For example, there was a night when you really wanted dessert, but your parents said, “No.” It hurt alot and it seemed in the moment like you couldn’t handle it. But the next morning you completely forgot about it never to think about it again. Recognize that temptations only last for a short while. If you overcome it in the moment it will go away. Whatever the sin is, it will try to convince you that you will never be happy without it, but this is a lie. The truth is that you need righteousness and holiness, because without them you truly will not ever be happy. Crave what is good, yield to holiness and it will satisfy you for real. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12).
  1. Believe the Gospel: the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. You cannot sin less without Jesus. You have a fundamental problem: you are a sinner, you’ve sinned already and you will want to sin more in the future. Thankfully, Jesus died for all of your sins – past, present and future. Not only did he die for you, but also rose from the dead, for you. This means that he is the way for us to have power over the temptations of sin. Jesus came out of the grave: he can create life out of death. If he can do that, then he has the power and wisdom to be able to make you happy and content without that sin. You do need water and food to survive, but there is no sin that you need to survive or to prosper. You need the miraculous, creative power of Jesus to generate in you what is not there. This miracle happens as we internalize and obey the truth. Jesus said, “The truth shall make you free.” There is nothing in this world you can see or touch that will truly make you happy. Truth, righteousness and love makes you happy, and these are received only through the Gospel. So, confess your sins to God. Ask Jesus to forgive you. Thank God and rejoice in his forgiveness. Next time you are tempted to sin, run to Jesus and ask him to save you and do a miracle in your life. Ask him to give you contentment without having whatever sin it is you’re being tempted with. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25).
  2. Meditate on God’s Word. Fill up your heart and mind with his Word. “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). God’s Word is alive and powerful. The Word will lead you to a better understanding of God, yourself and the world around you. It will make you wiser to understand good and evil. The more you learn and grow in knowledge and understanding, the more you will be able to identify sin and avoid it. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalms 119:9-11).