MAY 29

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

2 Corinthians 1:3

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,”

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

“ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,  that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Isaiah 54:7-8

“‘For a mere moment I have forsaken you,  but with great mercies I will gather you.

With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,’     Says the Lord, your Redeemer.”

2 Timothy 2:12

“If we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us;”

2 Corinthians 12:10

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

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We will be reading from a book by Erwin Lutzer, President of Moody Bible Institute.  It’s a short book about Christ’s sacrifice for us.  It’s called simply, “For Us.”

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Psalm 22:1-11

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?  Why are You so far from helping Me,

And from the words of My groaning?  O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;

And in the night season, and am not silent.   But You are holy,   enthroned in the praises of Israel.

Our fathers trusted in You;  They trusted, and You delivered them. 

They cried to You, and were delivered;  they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

But I am a worm, and no man;  a reproach of men, and despised by the people.

All those who see Me ridicule Me;  they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;  Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

But You are He who took Me out of the womb;  You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.

I was cast upon You from birth.  From My mother’s womb  You have been My God.

Be not far from Me,  for trouble is near;  For there is none to help.”

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“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Did the Father really forsake the Son on the cross, or did Jesus only feel forsaken? Did He suffer only as a man, as some people suggest, or did He suffer as God?

 It is necessary for a holy God to turn His face away from sin.  He turned His face away from Jesus, His Son, while He bore OUR sin. ……and He will turn His face away from every sinner who comes to the Judgment Seat on their own merits.  Jesus chose to be truly forsaken so that we might become acceptable to God, unholy as we are.

If Christ suffered and died only as a man, the Incarnation is a sham and so is our salvation.  We must try to grasp the fact that Jesus suffered and died as the God-Man;  yes, God suffered too.  Obviously God did not and cannot die, but the break in fellowship between the Father and the Son proved that the Godhead was involved in securing our redemption.  Salvation is of the Lord!

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