"No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them-- the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough...." (Psalm 49:7, 8-NIV)
Our text is from a time nearly 3000 years ago. It preceded the Cross by about 1000 years. Yet in the moment of its composition the psalmist experienced what Abraham did, "He saw it (i.e., Jesus' Day) and was glad." He realized by the Holy Spirit and prophesied by the Holy Spirit that, "No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them...." Only Jesus can do that. Yet how many times we try to, "redeem the life of another...." Counseling, preaching, praying can all be such attempts. So many times, however, such attempts end in failure. Talk does not redeem or ransom anyone. Only Jesus can do that. If I do not keep Jesus Christ before people or myself, I am wasting everyone's time. O, some are quite adept at drawing people to themselves, and their followings may be in the thousands. Regardless, "No one can redeem the life of another...."
The Passover Season is upon us. No one could get the Jews out of Egypt, or you and me out of sin. Only Jesus can do that. The Passover, the Exodus, the Sustenance in the Wilderness Wanderings of 40 years, the Entrance into the Land, all are Jesus' doing, the Captain of our Salvation. Yes, the Cross of Jesus made the Passover possible, the Exodus possible, etc. The Cross was not a time/space event. The Cross was, and dare I say, is an Eternal "event." It was in the Heart of God from, "days of eternity." It is still God's Heart. This is why Our Lord Jesus could say to the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Think of it. Abraham's "seeing" was, in time/space terms, nearly 2000 years before the Cross of Jesus. Yet the Cross of Jesus "saved" Abraham just as the Cross of Jesus saves you and me.
We see in the Cross of Jesus that, "the ransom for a life is costly," and, "no payment (which you or I or anyone can offer) is ever enough...." This is the answer to what Bonhoeffer called "cheap grace." It is "grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ." In short, "cheap grace" is not grace. The Grace of the Living Triune God is very, very costly, "He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief....Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (pains)....He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement needful to obtain peace for us was upon Him, and by His stripes (torn flesh) we are healed....The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Indeed, "the ransom for a life is costly." Nothing you or I could ever do or think of, "is ever enough." But as the song writer said, "It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me."
Father, in Jesus' Name, thank You for bearing all my sin, for destroying that sin, "in [Your] body on the tree." Amen.
Our text is from a time nearly 3000 years ago. It preceded the Cross by about 1000 years. Yet in the moment of its composition the psalmist experienced what Abraham did, "He saw it (i.e., Jesus' Day) and was glad." He realized by the Holy Spirit and prophesied by the Holy Spirit that, "No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them...." Only Jesus can do that. Yet how many times we try to, "redeem the life of another...." Counseling, preaching, praying can all be such attempts. So many times, however, such attempts end in failure. Talk does not redeem or ransom anyone. Only Jesus can do that. If I do not keep Jesus Christ before people or myself, I am wasting everyone's time. O, some are quite adept at drawing people to themselves, and their followings may be in the thousands. Regardless, "No one can redeem the life of another...."
The Passover Season is upon us. No one could get the Jews out of Egypt, or you and me out of sin. Only Jesus can do that. The Passover, the Exodus, the Sustenance in the Wilderness Wanderings of 40 years, the Entrance into the Land, all are Jesus' doing, the Captain of our Salvation. Yes, the Cross of Jesus made the Passover possible, the Exodus possible, etc. The Cross was not a time/space event. The Cross was, and dare I say, is an Eternal "event." It was in the Heart of God from, "days of eternity." It is still God's Heart. This is why Our Lord Jesus could say to the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Think of it. Abraham's "seeing" was, in time/space terms, nearly 2000 years before the Cross of Jesus. Yet the Cross of Jesus "saved" Abraham just as the Cross of Jesus saves you and me.
We see in the Cross of Jesus that, "the ransom for a life is costly," and, "no payment (which you or I or anyone can offer) is ever enough...." This is the answer to what Bonhoeffer called "cheap grace." It is "grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ." In short, "cheap grace" is not grace. The Grace of the Living Triune God is very, very costly, "He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief....Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (pains)....He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement needful to obtain peace for us was upon Him, and by His stripes (torn flesh) we are healed....The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Indeed, "the ransom for a life is costly." Nothing you or I could ever do or think of, "is ever enough." But as the song writer said, "It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me."
Father, in Jesus' Name, thank You for bearing all my sin, for destroying that sin, "in [Your] body on the tree." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
