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Friday, March 29, 2013
"Good Friday"
Listen to this message on your
audio player.
"The Triumph of the Cross"
"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5) "This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross" (Acts 2:23). "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
During our Maundy Thursday service last night we sang the somber hymn, "He Was Wounded For Our Transgressions" based on Isaiah 53. It's a lesser known song written by Thomas Chisholm in 1941 who also wrote the more familiar hymn, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness". It speaks of the sin offering Jesus became as He took all our sins upon Himself while hanging on the cross.
Of the seven last sayings of Christ from the cross three are specifically directed to His Father. The God of creation and the Lord of the universe was surely there when His only begotten Son was crucified. Consideration of the Father's perspective at the crucifixion of His Son gives us much to think about.
But this much is clear; the Father was not a mere passive Spectator. The first phrase in the third daily text reads, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us."
Three words in that sentence especially grip my attention. Read them slowly: "God made Him..." Due to the complexities of the English language perhaps some clarification is needed. We often use the word "made" to describe one forcing another to do something against his will.
But the Father did not force Christ to be our sacrifice. The Greek understanding of this verse would more clearly read, "for Him who knew no sin, God hath made sin, or a sin-offering for us."
Today, as believers, we look back nearly 2,000 years to the great Sacrifice Jesus made so that our sins could be forgiven. We realize that this day, Good Friday, is indeed good because it is the day that God showed us the full extent of His love and provided for our eternal redemption. The patriarch Joseph, whom many see as a type of Christ, made a statement that many years later found even greater fulfillment at the Cross: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). Yes, surely God intended the Cross for good. This Good Friday let us indeed praise God from whom all blessings flow!
The song, like so many of the great songs of the Church ends with a view of the eternal future.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Loving Father, we thank You for Jesus who was
wounded for our transgressions, who bore our sins in His body on the
tree. For our guilt He gave us peace, and from our bondage to sin He
gave sweet release. The triumph of the cross is witnessed by the
myriads of believers who follow Christ into heaven. We thank You for
Jesus who is our victorious and soon coming King! We honor Him by
surrendering our lives wholly to His set purpose. Praise God from whom
all blessings flow! Amen.
Brooksyne's Note: I laid awake last night because the song "He Was Wounded for Our Transgressions" which we feature today kept playing over and over in my mind. It's never been one of my "top ten" favorite songs during the Easter season due to its tune that's somewhat difficult to sing and the tone which is quite gloomy, but its message lingered in my spirit throughout the night and even this morning. I kept thinking of the many things Jesus gave up or endured on His earthly journey that would conclude at the cross even as the tune played in my mind:
Last night we had a Maundy Thursday service in our church that included a "love feast", singing, Scripture readings, testimonies, Communion, and a devotional message, along with a footwashing service. Since the footwashing service is the least commonly experienced among our readers we will share a couple photos and notes about this. I (Stephen) went to a separate room with the men while the women and girls (who outnumbered us) stayed in the main room. We had children, teens, young adults, and the elderly participating.
Jesse
and Jim, two of our retired pastor friends washing one another's feet
following the example of Christ who washed the disciple's feet.
Following
the footwashing the elder brothers pronounced blessing upon each other
as, in the words of Paul, they also "greeted each other heartily in the
Lord". Following
this part of the service Jesse, who is seated, shared our main
devotional message based on Isaiah 53. Pretty amazing considering he
will soon turn 90!
Brooksyne's thoughts from the Women's Footwashing: I'm always blessed by the hymns we sing as we wash one another's feet. I was especially touched as I saw two little girls, in earnest, washing and having their feet washed. Though I had been leading out in adult hymns I was prompted by another woman to sing "Jesus Loves Me This I Know" for the sake of the children. As I did so little six year old Tirzah smiled and sang out heartily. Immediately following that song she boldly began to sing out the words, "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world." In this case a little child led the women in singing rather than the other way around, and it sure warmed my heart!
Today we will share our final selection of photos from our trip to northern New York this past weekend.
On the way up we passed this rather rugged looking horse standing in the snow near the fence along Route 11. The wind blown mane kind of sets him apart, don't you think!
The owner of this rural mailbox devised an interesting post by using a limb that sticks its neck out for the postal worker!
We suspect that this most unusual mailbox will lift up out of the way for the powerful snow plow. (The owner probably replaced a few mailboxes over the years that had been hit by snow plows.)
This stately church is in Croghan, New York.
On the way home we passed these remnants from an old series of locks near Booneville on the Black River Canal system.
Covered Bridge across the canal in Booneville, New York
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"He Was Wounded For Our Transgressions" Video (This is the song referred to in the message). If you have time listen to it a couple of times so that its message will penetrate deep into your soul on this Good Friday.
"By His Wounds" Video Mac Powell, Steven Curtis Chapman, Brian Littrell & Mark Hall
"O Mighty Cross" Video Don Moen
"What Love Is This?" Video
"Lead Me To The Cross" Video
"The Wonderful Cross" Video
"It's Still The Cross" Video
"The Bridge" Video This powerful dramatic video illustrates the sacrifice God made in allowing His Son to die for our sins.
Google map of the region in New York we visited this last weekend.
Black River Canal
To receive the "Daily
Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this
page
to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed
or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
Are
our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to
consider making a donation to Daily
Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this
daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all
over the world. Daily
Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support
of its readers and
podcast listeners. See here
for more information on
supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
<Previous Message Next Message>
Friday, March 29, 2013
"Good Friday"
Listen to this message on your
audio player."The Triumph of the Cross"
"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5) "This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross" (Acts 2:23). "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
During our Maundy Thursday service last night we sang the somber hymn, "He Was Wounded For Our Transgressions" based on Isaiah 53. It's a lesser known song written by Thomas Chisholm in 1941 who also wrote the more familiar hymn, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness". It speaks of the sin offering Jesus became as He took all our sins upon Himself while hanging on the cross.
He was wounded for our transgressions,
He bore our sins in His body on the tree;
For our guilt He gave us peace,
from our bondage gave release,
And with His stripes, and with His stripes,
And with His stripes our souls are healed.
He bore our sins in His body on the tree;
For our guilt He gave us peace,
from our bondage gave release,
And with His stripes, and with His stripes,
And with His stripes our souls are healed.
Of the seven last sayings of Christ from the cross three are specifically directed to His Father. The God of creation and the Lord of the universe was surely there when His only begotten Son was crucified. Consideration of the Father's perspective at the crucifixion of His Son gives us much to think about.
But this much is clear; the Father was not a mere passive Spectator. The first phrase in the third daily text reads, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us."
Three words in that sentence especially grip my attention. Read them slowly: "God made Him..." Due to the complexities of the English language perhaps some clarification is needed. We often use the word "made" to describe one forcing another to do something against his will.
But the Father did not force Christ to be our sacrifice. The Greek understanding of this verse would more clearly read, "for Him who knew no sin, God hath made sin, or a sin-offering for us."
He was numbered among the transgressors,
We did esteem Him forsaken by His God;
As our sacrifice He died, that the law be satisfied,
and all our sin,
and all our sin,
and all our sin was laid on Him.
We did esteem Him forsaken by His God;
As our sacrifice He died, that the law be satisfied,
and all our sin,
and all our sin,
and all our sin was laid on Him.
Today, as believers, we look back nearly 2,000 years to the great Sacrifice Jesus made so that our sins could be forgiven. We realize that this day, Good Friday, is indeed good because it is the day that God showed us the full extent of His love and provided for our eternal redemption. The patriarch Joseph, whom many see as a type of Christ, made a statement that many years later found even greater fulfillment at the Cross: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). Yes, surely God intended the Cross for good. This Good Friday let us indeed praise God from whom all blessings flow!
The song, like so many of the great songs of the Church ends with a view of the eternal future.
Who can number His generation?
Who shall declare all the triumphs of the cross?
Millions dead now live again,
Myriads follow in His train!
Victorious Lord, victorious Lord,
Victorious Lord and coming King!
Who shall declare all the triumphs of the cross?
Millions dead now live again,
Myriads follow in His train!
Victorious Lord, victorious Lord,
Victorious Lord and coming King!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Loving Father, we thank You for Jesus who was
wounded for our transgressions, who bore our sins in His body on the
tree. For our guilt He gave us peace, and from our bondage to sin He
gave sweet release. The triumph of the cross is witnessed by the
myriads of believers who follow Christ into heaven. We thank You for
Jesus who is our victorious and soon coming King! We honor Him by
surrendering our lives wholly to His set purpose. Praise God from whom
all blessings flow! Amen.Brooksyne's Note: I laid awake last night because the song "He Was Wounded for Our Transgressions" which we feature today kept playing over and over in my mind. It's never been one of my "top ten" favorite songs during the Easter season due to its tune that's somewhat difficult to sing and the tone which is quite gloomy, but its message lingered in my spirit throughout the night and even this morning. I kept thinking of the many things Jesus gave up or endured on His earthly journey that would conclude at the cross even as the tune played in my mind:
- His glory in heaven.
- His royal privileges.
- His being subjected to Satan's temptuous ways.
- His incorruptible body being subjected to physical death.
- His being numbered with transgressors while the guilty was freed.
- His being abandoned by those closest to Him.
- His silence when false accusations were hurled at Him.
- His being subjected to betrayal and physical cruelty by those He came to save.
- His seeking us out even when we were indifferent to all He has done for us.
- His bearing all our sin to satisfy what the law demanded.
Maundy Thursday Service
Last night we had a Maundy Thursday service in our church that included a "love feast", singing, Scripture readings, testimonies, Communion, and a devotional message, along with a footwashing service. Since the footwashing service is the least commonly experienced among our readers we will share a couple photos and notes about this. I (Stephen) went to a separate room with the men while the women and girls (who outnumbered us) stayed in the main room. We had children, teens, young adults, and the elderly participating.
Brooksyne's thoughts from the Women's Footwashing: I'm always blessed by the hymns we sing as we wash one another's feet. I was especially touched as I saw two little girls, in earnest, washing and having their feet washed. Though I had been leading out in adult hymns I was prompted by another woman to sing "Jesus Loves Me This I Know" for the sake of the children. As I did so little six year old Tirzah smiled and sang out heartily. Immediately following that song she boldly began to sing out the words, "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world." In this case a little child led the women in singing rather than the other way around, and it sure warmed my heart!
Northern New York
Today we will share our final selection of photos from our trip to northern New York this past weekend.
On the way up we passed this rather rugged looking horse standing in the snow near the fence along Route 11. The wind blown mane kind of sets him apart, don't you think!
The owner of this rural mailbox devised an interesting post by using a limb that sticks its neck out for the postal worker!
We suspect that this most unusual mailbox will lift up out of the way for the powerful snow plow. (The owner probably replaced a few mailboxes over the years that had been hit by snow plows.)
This stately church is in Croghan, New York.
On the way home we passed these remnants from an old series of locks near Booneville on the Black River Canal system.
Covered Bridge across the canal in Booneville, New York
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"He Was Wounded For Our Transgressions" Video (This is the song referred to in the message). If you have time listen to it a couple of times so that its message will penetrate deep into your soul on this Good Friday.
"By His Wounds" Video Mac Powell, Steven Curtis Chapman, Brian Littrell & Mark Hall
"O Mighty Cross" Video Don Moen
"What Love Is This?" Video
"Lead Me To The Cross" Video
"The Wonderful Cross" Video
"It's Still The Cross" Video
"The Bridge" Video This powerful dramatic video illustrates the sacrifice God made in allowing His Son to die for our sins.
Google map of the region in New York we visited this last weekend.
Black River Canal
Send
a message
to Stephen &
Brooksyne
To receive the "Daily
Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this
page
to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed
or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)Are
our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to
consider making a donation to Daily
Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this
daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all
over the world. Daily
Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support
of its readers and
podcast listeners. See here
for more information on
supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA