GOD’S WORD FOR OCTOBER 21

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 MOCKED

Matthew 27:28-31

“And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.”

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Here is the Christ (Savior, Messiah) – the generous, loving, tender Christ – treated with indignity and scorn.  We have before us a king, and such a king as was never known before.  But see that scarlet robe – it is a contemptuous imitation of the imperial purple that a king wears.  See that crown upon His head? – it has rubies in it, but the rubies are composed of His own blood, forced from His blessed temples by the cruel thorns.  They salute Him with “Hail, King of the Jews!” but it is done in scorn.

The coronation of Christ with thorns has great meaning in it, for first it was a crown of triumph for Christ.  Christ had fought with sin from the day when He stood foot to foot with it in the wilderness up to the time He entered Pilate’s hall and had conquered it.  As a witness that He had gained the victory, behold sin’s crown seized as a trophy!  What was the crown of sin?  THORNS.   They sprang from the curse in the beginning of time — when our first parents sinned — and now Christ has taken away its crown and put it on His own head.  He has spoiled sin of its richest regalia, and He wears it Himself.  Glorious Champion! 

ALL HAIL KING JESUS!

Where I see the great substitute for sinners put to such shame, scorn, and ridicule, my heart says to itself, “See what sin deserves.”  There is nothing in the world that more richly deserves to be despised, abhorred, and condemned than sin.  Think for a minute what sin is, and  you will see that it deserves ridicule for its folly.  What is sin?  It is rebellion against the Omnipotent – a revolt against the Almighty.  What utter folly that is!

 Let this crown of thorns serve as a mighty stimulus to your soul.  First, for fervent love of Him.  Can you see Him crowned with thorns and not be drawn to Him?  Worship Him! Adore Him!  Bless Him!  And let your voices sing, “Worthy is the Lamb.” (He was the substitute sacrifice for our sins, which usually was a lamb in the Jewish Law, so He’s called the Lamb of God)

Next, we ought to be moved toward repentance.  Did our sins put thorns around His head?  Oh, my poor fallen nature!  Let us declare before God our soul’s grief that we should make the Savior suffer, and then let us pray for grace to hedge our lives around with thorns, that from this very day sin may not approach us.

Lastly, see how your Redeemer loved you.  Recall when Christ stood by the grave of Lazarus and wept;  the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”  (This is in John 11:36.)

Ah, But look at Christ there among those Roman soldiers – despised, rejected, insulted, ridiculed – and let me say to you, “See how He loved us – you, me, and all His people!”  If I were to take your love to Christ and heap it up like a vast mountain, and if I fetched out of heaven the multitudes of redeemed and perfected souls before the throne and they emptied their hearts –if I could collect all the love that ever has been and that ever shall be throughout eternity in all the saved – all that would be but a drop in a bucket compared with the boundless, fathomless love of Christ for us.  So, friends, from this sad scene let us learn how greatly Jesus loved us, and let each one of us, in return, love Him with all our heart.

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Matthew 22:37

Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

Psalm 33:5

He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Psalm 145:20

The Lord preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.

Matthew 27:29

When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Isaiah 53:1-9 ~ ~( this was given to the prophet Isaiah 600 years before Christ was born.  Crucifixion as yet had not been invented.    Yet, even details are correct for the entire process.   Chapters 52 and 53 are devoted to Christ’s crucifixion.)

“Who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,

And as a root out of dry ground.

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.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment,

And who will declare His generation?

For He was cut off from the land of the living;

For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

And they made His grave with the wicked—

But with the rich at His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was any deceit in His mouth.”

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