by HARVEYOPP | Mar 31, 2015 | Scott Henry
Matthew 27:46: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
This Friday, April 3, is the day known on the church calendar as Good Friday. It’s the day when the Church of Jesus Christ specifically remembers the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ for the redemption of sinners. We remember how Christ became a curse for us on the cross so that we might receive the blessings of God. We remember how Jesus suffered during His whole life on earth, and how He endured the reproach of sinful men and suffered the physical torture of being beaten and nailed to the cross. But the greatest of His suffering was when Jesus was forsaken by His Father. On the cross, Jesus Christ experienced the inexpressible pains and terrors of eternal death so that those who believe in Him might receive everlasting life. Matthew 27:46: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Christ was forsaken for a time by the Father because of the sins of all who were given to Him. It was at this time that He became a curse for us and was cast out by the Father for every sinful thought, word, and deed (past, present, and future) of all those given to Him by the Father (John 6:37).
2 Corinthians 5:21: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Christ was our scapegoat in order that God’s wrath might be turned away from us and we might become favorable in God’s sight (Leviticus 16:21-22). In the same way, Christ’s death was a substitutionary death — a death that atoned for the sins of His people. Do you understand what Christ had to go through to redeem your soul? Do you realize the great horror that He endured so we would not have to? According to Scripture, for sinners to be saved, the precious blood of Jesus had to be shed. “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). And we read in 1 Peter 1:18-19: “…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” But Jesus was the innocent Lamb of God — the One who knew no sin; therefore death could not hold Him down. Acts 2:23-24: “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”
And since death could not hold Him down Good Friday is not the end of the story. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” At the very heart of the Christian faith is the doctrine of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which demonstrates both the acceptance of Christ’s work by the Father and that Christ’s atoning work is finished as demonstrated by His sitting down at the Father’s right hand. The priest’s work in the Old Covenant was never finished; they continually offered animal sacrifices and thus never sat down. But Jesus, after the one sacrifice of Himself, sat down because His work was complete. And because Christ was raised from the dead everyone who trusts in Him is guaranteed a blessed resurrection. Romans 6:5: “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection…” However, the question is this — Are you trusting the crucified and risen Christ as the only satisfaction for your sins? Scripture says it plain and clear: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Look to Jesus today and live forevermore!!
by HARVEYOPP | Mar 27, 2015 | Scott Henry
The most important thing to see on the Lord’s Day as you gather for Worship is not the fancy organ pipes; not the baby grand piano; not the size of the building; not the number of members; not the beautiful choir loft; not the elegant pews or beautiful carpet or even the fancy oak pulpit … as nice as all these things may be … the ONLY important thing to see as you gather for Worship on the Lord’s Day is JESUS and we see Him only as His Word is faithfully proclaimed. Are you seeing JESUS on the Lord’s Day at your place of Worship? If not, run to a church that faithfully, deliberately, and unashamedly proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord, God, Savior, and King, who came to save the sheep of His pasture, the people of His hand.
“Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21).
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35).
“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42).
by HARVEYOPP | Mar 27, 2015 | Scott Henry
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
Why did Jesus come into this world? Do you know the answer? If we took a survey concerning this question, I think we would be amazed by the confusion and distortion of many professing Christians, who attend Bible-believing churches, as to the reason why Jesus came into this world. Yet Scripture clearly answers this question: 1 Timothy 1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” John 10:10: “Jesus said He came to lay down His life for His sheep.” John 1:29: “He is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world.” Ephesians 2:16: “He came that He might reconcile sinners to God through the cross.” Luke 4:18-19: “He came to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Matthew 1:21: “Jesus came to save His people from their sins.”
And our text tells us another reason why Jesus came into this world. Luke 19:10: “For the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” This statement sums up the entire life and ministry of Jesus. It is a statement that is at the very heart of the Gospel message, and it is a foundational truth the Church of Jesus Christ is built upon. “The Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” There is so much today that would try to turn our attention away from the Gospel, and whenever we find our attention wandering, our faith wavering, or we become confused about the true meaning of Christ’s coming, then we should remember that “The Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
The first thing we need to notice in our text is that it is Jesus who does the seeking. So many churches today talk about unbelievers seeking the Lord. We even have a movement in our day of churches being “seeker sensitive.” That is why men come up with such things as contemporary worship, no pulpit, casual dress, and usually no preaching of sin and the need for faith and repentance. But Scripture teaches us that we are to worship God in no other way than He has commanded in His Word. People are saved though preaching … not by toning down the truth and catering to man’s sinful emotions and fleshly desires. Sinners ought to be uncomfortable when they hear preaching about sin, even as Felix when the Apostle Paul confronted him with truth in Acts 24:25: “Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”
But what is clear in Scripture is that no unbeliever seeks the Lord. Romans 3:10-11: “As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.” Seeking after God is the business of the believer and the only reason he seeks after God is because he was first found by Jesus Christ. Do you trust Christ for the forgiveness of your sins? Then praise Jesus that He came into this world as the true seeker to seek and save you from your sins.
by HARVEYOPP | Feb 27, 2015 | Scott Henry
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…” (Ephesians 1:3).
Immediately after the Apostle Paul gives his opening salutation to the Ephesians and tells them they are saints in Christ who have received grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, he then breaks into a doxology: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The word “blessed” comes from the Greek word “eulogeo” from which we get our English word eulogy. A eulogy is a message of praise and commendation; it’s a declaration of one’s goodness. And since God alone is good (Matt. 19:17), He is the only one worthy of eulogy. So when we gather together to worship our first and foremost purpose is to give praise, honor, and thanks to our God. This is appropriate behavior for every believer because we have received the grace of God and are now at peace with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. The very thought of God’s saving grace coming to people who are utterly undeserving and unworthy of any good thing from God should cause every believer to break forth in wonder, love, and praise to God. That’s what the realization of God’s grace does — it leads us to doxology. It leads the redeemed “to praise God from who all blessings flow!”
Praising God is the main duty and privilege of every person redeemed by Christ. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:6 that we were saved “To the praise of the glory of God’s grace.” In Ephesians 1:12 we read: “…that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” And in Ephesians 1:13-14 the Apostle Paul tells believers that we were sealed with the Holy Spirit “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Do you understand that giving praise to God is a fundamental duty and privilege in your life as a believer, or is going to worship on the Lord’s Day to praise the Only Blessed God a burden to you? When you realize the grace in Jesus Christ that God has extended to you as an unworthy, undeserving, wretched, Hell-deserving sinner does praise, reverence, and thanksgiving to God immediately spring forth from your soul? You see, the giving of praise and thanksgiving to God is a barometer of the Christian life — no, praise and thanksgiving are not going to be perfect in this life, but these qualities will definitely be the direction of your life. In other words, if praise and heartfelt giving of thanks to God is not something you delight in and continually practice in your life then you have not experienced the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Why? Because saving grace always leads to praise as the Apostle Paul demonstrates in our text: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…” (Ephesians 1:3). Have you received God’s saving grace? Then diligently, zealously, and unashamedly practice giving praise and thanksgiving to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy of all our worship and praise.
by HARVEYOPP | Feb 10, 2015 | Scott Henry
“There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward’” (Luke 16:1-2).
Because of sin, man constantly rebels against his stewardship. He says concerning his possessions, “They’re mine and I will use them any way I please for my own profit and pleasure.” The words rooted deep in the heart of every person are those of the Pharaoh found in Exodus 5:2: “Who is the Lord that I should obey Him?” But, by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, sinners are brought back into the household of God to be faithful and wise stewards over the Lord’s possessions so that we may say, “That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.” We are stewards of the time, talents, and treasures of our Lord, and we are called to use them for His glory, and we must also be ready to give an account, at any moment, of what He has entrusted into our hands.
Scripture tells us that we must seize every opportunity, every moment, and every talent for the glory of God. We must work diligently in our vocation as responsible stewards of Christ. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:15: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” And we read in Colossians 3:17: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” And Paul makes it very clear in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that our stewardship applies to every area and aspect of our lives: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Scripture is clear — we are stewards of all that God has entrusted into our hand; we don’t steward these things to gain salvation; that is impossible. Rather, we strive to be good stewards as a result or a fruit of our salvation. Time, talents, and treasures and how we use these things only reveal the nature of our heart. If you think everything you possess is yours to do with as you please then you’re manifesting a heart of unbelief; you’re behaving like the Pharaoh in Exodus 5. But if you believe and confess the words of 1 Corinthians 4:7, “What do you have that you have not received?” then you manifest a heart that has been transformed by the Spirit of God. Oh, it’s easy to say that you believe the earth is the Lord’s and all the fullness thereof, but how do you spend your time? How do you spend the money God has entrusted to you? How much do you give to the work of the Lord compared to spending on your own purposes and pleasures? Are you faithfully giving back to the Lord what He requires of you? Pray that the Lord makes you a better steward of all that He has given to you in order that His name might be praised through the manner in which you steward the possessions He blesses you with.
by HARVEYOPP | Feb 10, 2015 | Scott Henry
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD!” (Psalm 119:1)
If we are going to be joyful and live an undefiled life by keeping God’s testimonies then we must be those who know the Word of God. How much time do you spend searching Scripture? It seems so simple and basic that it should not even have to be asked, but so many people who profess Christ as their Lord and Savior neglect the Word of God. Christians used to be known as “people of the Book” — the Bible. They read it, memorized it, meditated upon it, spoke about it, quoted it, and it was preached from the pulpit on the Lord’s Day, but many in our day, including many “preachers”, neglect the very means that the Lord uses to regenerate the soul of a sinner. As it is written, “…having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever…” (1 Peter 1:23).
Do you have a daily time when you faithfully seek God’s testimonies? How many times have you read through the Bible in your Christian life? Have you learned the lesson that the Lord taught the Israelites of old? “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD” (Deut. 8:3). Jesus proclaimed this very verse when He was being tempted by Satan: “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD’” (Matthew 4:4).
So, how much time do you spend searching Scripture? David wrote in Psalm 119:82: “My eyes fail from searching Your Word.” And again in Psalm 119:72: “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.” And once again, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). How many Christians can truly claim the words of these Psalms as their own? We spend hours trying to gain earthly riches, which are temporal and fleeting, but how much time do we spend mining the true, eternal riches of God’s Word. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Mark 13:31). It was said of the Bereans that they “…were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Could this be said of believers in our day? Now that your face is red from embarrassment, let’s do something about this neglect of God’s Word. Begin daily to feast on the Word of Life “…which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). Even as the Apostle Peter wrote, “…as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:2-3).
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