Year 2 Day 11

Year 2 Day 11 

Pray (ACts)

Read - Exodus 7:8-13, Matthew 27:46

Message - Alan Burke
The Exodus tells us of God’s triumph over Satan, but that invisible war that continually rages between Heaven and Hell continues but the Lord God has had the ultimate victory. In the Gospel of John, as Jesus is with his disciples in the upper room, preparing to leave them for the last time. They together celebrate the last passover together and the first Lord’s supper, and Jesus tells his disciples, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me” (Jn 14:30). There Jesus as he is preparing his disciples for what lay ahead, giving them final instructions for what he came to do is about to be fulfilled, for Jesus knew that the ruler of this world, that is Satan was about to unleash his full fury upon him, he was going to be dragged though the streets of Jerusalem, a lamb to the slaughter, through the courts and to the cross, he would be tortured, nailed, and pierced, utter and brutal agony but all that Satan could do. 

Throughout his life Jesus had been opposed by Satan from the beginning, he had used the power of Herod as soldiers were sent to kill him, he had tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he used the religious leaders to accuse him, but only at the right time did God finally allow Satan to put Jesus to death. But it was by his death, by dying for our sins that Jesus delivered us from his power. He triumphed over Satan through the cross. Satan was doing his worst, but through this one death, it would seal Satan’s doom and would ensure the salvation of many. The physical pain that Jesus faced was nothing compared to the wrath of God that he bore, for there on the cross in his humiliation every sin of the elect was imputed to Jesus, all the ugliness of human violence was concentrated on His person. Once sin was concentrated on Jesus, God cursed Him. When the curse of the law was poured out on Jesus, He experienced pain that had never been suffered in the annals of history. Only one man has ever felt the pain of the fullness of the unmitigated curse of God on Him.

In his anguish, Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 27:46). He who was the Word of God, he who had from eternity looked into the face of His Father and seen only love, then hearted only silence and could see no loving face, only alienation, this is the heart of the agony of the cross, the focal point of his suffering. This is the suffering, his forsakenness, this was the pinnacle of his life of sacrifice and he endured this for the joy that was set before him as the author of Hebrews makes clear (Heb 12:2). How could this be joy? 

For in his sacrifice it would lead to the joy of our rescue. The Jesus who died because of love towards us who are his very enemies on the third day he rose again from the dead, the most momentous event in human history, he rose never to die again, he did so that those who are his would know life everlasting, that we would be freed from the bondage of sin, Now we can say, as the book of 1 Corinthians 54-57, …Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan still rages for he knows his time is short but he is not and will not be victorious - he is a bound and defeated foe who will know the punishment of eternal hell (Rev 20:10). 

Pray (acTS)

Sing

WSC
Q 26 How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, (Acts 15:14–16) in ruling, (Isa. 32:22) and defending us, (Isa. 32:1–2) and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. (1 Cor. 15:25, Ps. 110)
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