2 Corinthians 5:21 "Jesus Our Savior"

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ~2 Corinthians 5:21

As we discussed last week, we are fallen beings who are in need of a Savior. Without someone to pay the price for our sins, we cannot be in relationship with God because He cannot condone sin. Someone must pay the price. That someone was Jesus Christ. The Almighty chose to come down from His throne humbling Himself into the human body of His creation.

And as the sacrificial Lamb, He paid a dear price. His body was severely beaten then placed on a cross. His torturers drove iron nails through His hands and feet; pierced His side with a spear. Christ’s death was horrific, but the Lamb went suffered willingly for you and me. His grace-filled gift is our life renewed.

Within the arms of Jesus, we not only have salvation, but protection and guidance. He has given us life and shown us how to live. As our Lord, we are safe in His arms.

Further Thoughts:

1. Why did the chief priests arrest Jesus? How did God use their sin to His own purpose?
2. Read an account of Jesus’ crucifixion in John 19:16-30. Write your thoughts on His sacrifice.
3. Compare and contrast the death of Christ compared to the sacrifices of the Old Testament.
4. What completes Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and separates Him from all the other gods that man worships? (HINT: See John 20:1-9)

Lord, You endured such horrors for me. Thank You for Your grace and sacrifice which passes all understanding. Amen.

Hebrews 3:1 "Staying Focused"

Read Hebrews 3:1.

"...fix your thoughts on Jesus...." NIV

I couldn't get past verse 1 today. I was stopped dead in my tracks. What does it mean to "fix your thoughts on Jesus?"

Our thoughts can turn many different directions. And I find that my circumstances can really influence where those thoughts/attention/focus goes. And I don't like that. I feel manipulated by life and not centered in who I am -- or rather in whose I am. Here's what I mean:

The most focused on Christ that I am is when I get away on a spiritual retreat. Best if I am alone, but I have gone on retreats with my husband/with my best friend/other pastors and their spouses/and just other Christian women. All my time is spent in worship, in The Word, in prayer, usually in one of God's beautiful creation spots, fellowshipping with people of like mind. In those settings, I have experienced some amazing revelations from God, and He has used me to speak into other people's lives. I come away totally refreshed and ready to face the world again.

Then there is the school year. A huge time of routine. Get up, have my time with the Lord, get my daughter started on school, exercise, housework, etc. Routines. I work well in routines. They keep someone who can be happy with a glass of iced tea and a good book focused on getting other things accomplished. But the best part of the routine is, I do not miss out on my time with the Lord every morning. Because it is as natural as brushing my teeth, I make time for it. And those are the times that fuel my life. I start off my day on the right foot with my eyes firmly focused on the Lord. Do I do everything perfectly after that? No. But at least I am booting up to the right system. I'm kneeling at the Master's feet receiving my marching orders for that day, and absorbing His amazing love.

Then there are all the other times that offer distractions -- vacations, long jury duty, visitors, summer break in general, loss of routines/responsibilities. And then my focus is gone. I start wandering to other distractions and lose sight of purpose and the fuel that keeps me going. Discipline is easy when it is part of our daily routine. But when that routine is interrupted, I can so easily lose focus on the important part of living -- serving our Lord.

I want a discipline, no a passion in my heart for the Lord that is so great that nothing can distract me. I mean NOTHING. I don't want to have to rely on routines. I want to be driven to my knees each day in desperation. I want my every action -- even during the distractions -- to be to live for Christ and His glory. I want every word I speak and every action I do to be with one purpose -- to serve Him. No more allowing distractions to make my focus blurry. I choose to fix my thoughts, eyes, ears, my whole being, on Jesus -- the author and finisher of my faith.

Further Thoughts:

1. How do you operate? What or who distracts you from focusing on Jesus?
2. How can you eliminate or control those distractions?
3. Find some verses that will keep your mind focused on Christ. Post them on your mirror, dashboard, or computer to remind you daily where your focus must remain.

Hebrews 2:5-18. "Made Human to Save"

Read Hebrews 2:5-18.

"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death -- that is, the devil -- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." NIV

What a beautiful passage describing the power of Christ and His submission to a human life. He suffered so much for us so we would no longer live in fear. His authority is established by everything being put "under his feet." And then His humility comes through lowering Himself to the level of His Creation.

I find the passage "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering." very interesting. By Christ lowering himself to our level, He not only became our high priest of atonement, but a brother to all mankind. We are children together. Very hard for my human mind to wrap itself around this thought. But I am so thankful and humbled that I am loved that much. I just pray that I can share a small portion of that love to those around me. What amazing grace.

And because Jesus could not sin, his connection to our humanity is that He suffered in temptation just like we do. We are not alone; He truly knows our struggles and provides a way out.

Further Thoughts:

1. Does the fact that Christ became like us humble you or make you arrogant?
2. Based on Christ's actions and our place in eternity, how should we relate to those around us who have not accepted the Truth?
3. We are all still messed up beings. So what has changed?

Hebrews 1:1-3a "In His Image"

NOTE: Okay, took a little longer than a week. Jury duty took over my life. In the Word, but not online. (Read a lot from Proverbs.) I'm back now and ready to tackle a new book and learn many new truths.

Read Hebrews 1:1-3a.

"...he has spoken to us by his Son...." NIV

Here is the essence of the Old Testament versus the New Testament. In the Old, God spoke to the prophets, and they spoke to the people God's words. But now through Jesus Christ, we have direct access to the Father. That is just amazing to me. How blessed we are. We do not serve a distant God who like the mythological gods sat on their thrones far away and in their self-centeredness, dictated our fates. Our Father loves us so much that He became one of us and makes it possible for us to "draw near to Him and He will draw near to us." His dictates are not for His own gain, but for our good. His guidance is 24/7. He never sleeps or ignores us. Even when He takes His time to answer us, it is because His timing is perfect, and His ways are right. Out of His tremendous love, our Father makes Himself available to His children, and it is only possible through Jesus Christ -- the "perfecter and finisher of our faith."

I also love the first part of verse three. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." All of God's glory could not have been contained in one human being. So Christ is the radiance of His glory -- a mere fraction to give us a glimpse of who God is. But in Christ's being, He is an "exact representation" of the Father. Everything we see and learn from the Word about Christ, that is God. His compassion, justice, understanding, knowledge, power, anger at sin, unconditional love -- these are all God's attributes. As God Himself, Jesus shows us in a human package, what our Father and Creator is like. And then to be told that we are made in His image. Wow. Stop and think about that a minute. I am made in the image of the Creator. I'm not equal with Him, nor will I ever be. But like a child resembles their parents in looks, I resemble my Father in my spirit. If I put away the sinful nature that wants to take over each day, I am truly designed for good. There is something very comforting in that truth. And powerful. By the power of Jesus Christ, I am in touch with my Creator whose character I am designed to embody.

I'm still human and will never be perfect. But, wow, what a leg up we have. We are designed for perfection. Now to just allow His Spirit to mold our hearts to match.

Further Thoughts:

1. What other Scripture says that we were designed in God's image?
2. What would Old Testament life been like?
3. Has New Testament revelation made life to easy for us? Or at least, can we become lazy over Old Testament devotion?
4. Does direct access to the Father make arrogance a temptation? How do we avoid that?
5. Even though we are made in His image, we are still so small, and He is so BIG. Live in humility.

Colossians 1:24-27 "Mystery Revealed"

Read Colossians 1:24-27.

"...the mystery that has been kept hidden....is now disclosed." NIV

The mystery. Paul uses this term very deliberately here because the "mystery religions" believed that truth was revealed to only a select few. However, every time Paul uses the word "mystery," he always combines it with "revealed," disclosed," "made known," because what was hidden is now revealed. There are no mysteries other that those that God chooses to keep from everyone. (i.e. When Christ will return, etc.) The hope of mankind is out there in the form of Jesus Christ. Everyone has access to Him. Everyone can receive their rhema through the Word of God. Different people have different giftings in the body of Christ, the Church, but all people have access to know God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. He's available to anyone, not just a few chosen ones. So Paul's statements here were very much directed at the problems creeping into the church in Colosse at the time.

But the truth of his message is eternal.

I love mysteries. I read voraciously (when I'm not on a writing deadline.) And mostly I read mysteries and thrillers. They are my favorite. I see how fast I can figure the outcome based on the clues. My favorite thing is to compare with other people reading the same book and see if I solved the mystery before them. (Okay, I'm a little competitive.)

My point is, what is the basic premise of any mystery? There's an answer that is hidden from general knowledge; there are clues to that answer; the clues accumulate until the protagonist of the story figures out the answer, and the mystery is solved. Paul is saying here that Jesus did exist; He was the plan all along. But God had hidden Him from us until the right time. We had clues in the prophet's revelations, but even the clues got messed up. The Jews understood a Messiah was coming, but they thought a great warrior/political leader would come in and rescue them from their oppressors. They still believe that. But in God's great wisdom, the mystery is revealed outside of our paradigm and expectations. Christ came in the humble example of how we are to live our lives. And now we have the hope of glory..... Hmmm, never saw that one coming.....

Further Thoughts:

1. Look up OT Scriptures that are revelations (clues) of Christ's coming as a baby and Savior.
2. Do you believe and live as one who is a recipient of God's revelations? Or do you rely on others that you think are "the chosen" to reveal God's truth? If yes, why? Is that biblical?
3. Research the Greek words, logos and rhema.
4. Ask God to reveal Himself and His wisdom to you today. (Where in Scripture does He promise to answer that request?)

Matthew 16:13-16 "Who is He?"

Read Matthew 16:13-16.

"'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?'" NIV

That is the question we all must ask ourselves. Who do we say that Christ is? We as a church remain firm in the definition - He is the Son of God, Second in the Triune. He is 100% God and 100% man. He existed from the beginning of time and lowered Himself to come to earth to be like us. He was crucified, died, and rose again, becoming the final sacrificial lamb for our sins. Through receiving Him as our Savior, we have eternal life with Him. By surrendering our will to His ways, He is our Lord and Master of all our ways. In the last days, He will come again to take His Bride home to eternity with the Father.

This is who Christ is -- divine and human, my Savior and my Lord. The question we all must ask ourselves is, "Do I just give Him lip-service or do I really believe He is who He says He is?" If I don't believe, I will not follow His ways with Him as my Lord and Master. To be a Christian, I must be a Christ-follower. Otherwise, I am just claiming a tradition, not a relationship.

Further Thoughts:

1. Who do you say Jesus is?
2. What Scriptures prove His divinity?
3. Do you live out your life based on your definition of Jesus Christ? If not, why? Is your definition wrong or are your choices wrong?