GOD’S WORD FOR OCTOBER 19

We are using Charles Spurgeon book, “The Risen King.”  It’s a collection of well chosen excerpts from Spurgeon’s  “Easter” sermons in devotional form, put together by Jeff Medders.   Pastor Spurgeon lived from 1834 to 1892  in London, England, and had a unique gift of understanding and showing the depth of our faith.  Thus, his reverential title as the Prince of Preachers.   Even though we’re not in or near that season, every day is a good day to focus on Christ’s sacrifice and victory for us.

CHRIST ARRESTED

John 18:12

“so the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.”

Christ has scarcely risen from His knees, and the bloody sweat was like fresh ruby dew upon Him, yet these men “arrested Jesus and bound Him.”  Our only subject for today’s reading is to consider Christ in shackles – the Son of God as an ambassador under arrest, a king in chains, the God-man sent and bound, to take His trial in the court of the high priest, Caiaphas.

It seems to me that this binding of our Lord shows, first, something of fear on the part of His captors.  Why did they bind Him?  He wouldn’t attack them, and He had no desire to escape out of their hands.  Yet they probably thought He might break loose from them or in some way outwit them.  There is a latent, secret conviction in people’s minds that Christ is greater than He seems to be.  Even when they attack Him with their pagan weapons, they never seem to be satisfied with their own arguments, and they are continually seeking fresh ones.  To this very day, the ungodly are afraid of Christ, and often, their raging against Him resembles the noise made by the boy who, when hurrying through the graveyard, whistles to keep his courage up.

They also bound Christ to increase the shame of His condition.  Our Savior said to those who came to arrest Him in the garden, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?”  (Matthew 26:55).  Now they bound Him fast as though He were a thief – perhaps tied His hands with tight cords behind His back, to show that they regarded Him as a felon and that they were not taking Him into a civil court, where some case of law might be pending, but they already had condemned Him by the very act of binding Him.  They treated Him as if He were already sentenced and were not worthy to stand, a free man and plead for Himself before the judgment seat.  Oh, what shame that the Lord of life and glory should be bound:  that He, whom angels delight to worship, who is very sun of their heaven, should yet be bound as though He were a felon and be sent away to be tried for His life!

From the binding of our Lord Jesus flows a fact that is its opposite:  His people were all made free.  When Christ was made a curse for us, He became a blessing to us.  When Christ was made sin for us, we were  made the righteousness of God in Him.  When He died, then we lived.  So, as He was bound, we are set free.  That exchange of prisoners is seen in Barabbas being set free when the Lord Jesus Christ was given up to be crucified.  Christ, the great Deliverer, has made you free, and you are “free indeed” (John 8:36).  Enjoy your liberty.  Enjoy access to God.  Enjoy the privilege of claiming the promises which God has made to you.  Enjoy the exercise of the power with which God has endowed you.  Enjoy the holy anointing with which the Lord has prepared you for His service.

Do not sit and mope like a bird in a cage when you are free to soar away.  Imagine a bird that has been in a cage for years, then the cage is taken away.  Every wire of it.  Yet, the poor thing has been so accustomed to sit on that perch inside the cage and there it sits, and mopes still.  Fly away, sweet songbird!  The green fields and the blue sky are all yours!  Stretch your wings, soar away above the clouds, and sing the hymn of your freedom as though it would reach the ears of the angels. 

Let our spirits be this way, friends.  Christ has set us free:  therefore, let us not go back into slavery or sit still as though we were in prison.  Let us rejoice in our liberty this very hour, and let us do so all our days.

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John 8:36

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Matthew 10:8

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Romans 3:24

being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 5:15

But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died,(Adam’s sin) much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. (Salvation).

Romans 5:16

And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. (Adam)  For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation,  (of all of mankind) but the free gift which came from many offenses (all our sins) resulted in justification.(through Christ’s sacrifice for us)

Romans 5:18

Therefore, as through one man’s offense   (Adam) judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act ( Christ’s death) the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

Romans 6:7

“For he who has died has been freed from sin.”

And:

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  (This is true of every born again believer ~ resulting in freedom from sin as per Romans 6:7 above)  Galatians 2:20

Romans 6:18

And having been set free from sin, you became servants of righteousness.

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