DN Born to Die 12/26/2005
- From: Peter G. Chase <pchase1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 05:31:44 -0500
DRAWING NEAR
December 26
Born to Die
"We . . . see Him who has been made for a little while lower
than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of
death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He
might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9).
Jesus Christ was born to die as our substitute.
At this time of year, it is difficult for us to see Jesus other than
as a little baby. We of course know why He came, but we usually focus
on His death on the cross at another time of year. But we must never
forget that He came to die.
Those soft baby hands fashioned by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb
were made to have two great nails hammered through them. Those little
chubby feet were to walk up a hill and be nailed to a cross. That
sacred head was made to wear a crown of thorns. His tender body
wrapped in swaddling clothes would be pierced by a spear to reveal a
broken heart. The death of Christ was no accident; He was born to
die.
Jesus died to remove the curse so we could regain our dominion. But
to do that, He had to come as a man. Even though in doing so He
temporarily became lower than the angels, He accomplished something
no angel could: our restoration.
The first and foremost reason for the incarnation is that Christ
might taste death on behalf of every man and woman. He came to die in
our place--to be our substitute. God had two options: Either let us
die and pay for our own sins, or allow a substitute to take our
punishment and die in our place. He mercifully chose the latter.
It is vital that we affirm the fact of Christ's substitutionary death
because modern liberal theology claims Jesus died merely as an
example, like a martyr dying for some cause. But He died as a
substitute for you and me. As a result He freed us to live for and
with God. Rejoice that the creator of angels, the Lord of hosts,
would become lower than His creation for our sakes.
Suggestion for Prayer:
Thank the Lord for His willingness to humble Himself to become a man
to save you.
For Further Study:
Read Psalm 22 and note which verses prophesy Jesus' suffering on the
cross.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Psalm 22 (NKJV)
22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far
from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the
night season, and am not silent.
3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them.
5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and
were not ashamed.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by
the people.
7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, saying,
8 "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him,
since He delights in Him!"
9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust
while on My mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb You have
been My God.
11 Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to
help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have
encircled Me.
13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring
lion.
14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My
heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to
My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has
enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast
lots.
19 But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to
help Me!
20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the
dog.
21 Save Me from the lion's mouth And from the horns of the wild
oxen! You have answered Me.
22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the
assembly I will praise You.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob,
glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the
afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to
Him, He heard.
25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My
vows before those who fear Him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will
praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!
27 All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord's, And He rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those
who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep
himself alive.
30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to
the next generation,
31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will
be born, That He has done this.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@xxxxxxx
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel
http://www.gty.org/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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