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Tuesday, March 30, 2010
And I love that old cross
where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain!
Listen to this message on your
audio player.
"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).
The
Tremont Nail Company in Wareham, Massachusetts, is the oldest
continuously operating nail manufacturer in the United States, making
nails since the early 1800's and they're still stamping them out! When
I lived in New England I would periodically drive by the Company and,
although they didn’t have plant tours, I recall curiously looking
through the windows to watch. The nails they manufacture are not the
round kind we typically see, but square, peg-like. At the little
country gift store across the street I bought three of the longest ones
I could find. I still have them though I misplaced one. Holding these
nails, rubbing my fingers across their coarse surface, and considering
their lethal purpose in Christ's crucifixion illustrates more vividly
the price Jesus paid for our redemption.
King David provided "a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings" of the Temple (I Chronicles 22:3). Until the end of the 18th century, they were made by hand; an artisan known as a Nailer providing them with a head and point. We have no photographs nor are details given regarding the nails that affixed our Savior to the cross, but they were likely iron spikes five to seven inches long. In the daily text the action of nailing our Lord to the cross is taken from the Greek word "prospegnumi” and literally means “to impale.” Did you notice that the English word "peg" is in the middle of the Greek word? How indescribably horrible this form of death was.
To
partially identify with the humanity of Christ, perhaps in a rather
basic way, I recall getting splinters in my hands and feet when I
played outdoors as a child. I dreaded telling my mom, for I knew she
would want to dig it out and it would be a painful process. But if she
could find a needle with a very sharpened small point the pain was less
than a needle with a large point. To this day if I have a splinter I
will carefully select a sharp pointed needle to lessen the pain of the
piercing required for the needle to prick my skin.
Certainly Christ felt the physical agony of those long, thick, spikes driven into His hands and feet, in addition to the other horrible wounds He received. But surely He also felt another type of pain or “nail” as He hung on that Cross for our sins.
1. The nail of blasphemy:
This was demonstrated by the soldiers, the thieves crucified beside
Him, the religious officials and the onlookers as recorded in Matthew 27:27-44.
They mocked and hurled insults at Him, blaspheming the very One who
willingly laid down His life for their sins. The opposite of blasphemy
is worship and we are called to worship the Lord John 4:23-24.
2. The nail of rejection: This was demonstrated by the “other” unrepentant crucified criminal who hung on a cross beside Christ as recorded in Luke 23:39. He rejected Christ to his dying breath. The opposite of rejection is acceptance as taught in John 1:12.
3. The nail of denial: This was demonstrated by Peter and is recorded in Mark 14:66-72 The opposite of denial is confession and we are called to confess with our mouth that, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:8-10
4. The nail of indifference: This was demonstrated by the soldiers playing games at the foot of the Cross as recorded in John
19:23-24. The opposite of indifference is attentiveness and this is taught in Hebrews
12:1-3.
5. The nail of unbelief: This was demonstrated by so many: those who stood watching from a distance; those who participated in the sordid events leading up to the crucifixion; those who carried out the crucifixion and this unbelief was most famously initially exemplified by the disciple, Thomas, in John 20:25. The opposite of unbelief of course is belief and as Christ reached out to Thomas he fully believed, declaring, "My Lord and my God!" as recorded in John 20:27-29.
Tragically, the majority of people continue to respond to the claims of Christ either by blasphemy, rejection, denial, indifference or unbelief. But we who look upon and embrace Jesus' nail-pierced hands respond by crying out with Thomas: "My Lord and my God."
We give thanks for those nails knowing that He was pierced for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. Surely He bore our sorrows and by His stripes we are healed.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, we know that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of man ordained by You for a miraculous birth, along with many signs and wonders that You performed through Him. He was handed over to wicked men and gruesomely crucified by the nails that bore Him to the cross. This was done by Your set purpose and in Your foreknowedge. But God, You raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keeps its hold on Him. And now He is exalted to Your right hand making intercession for us. "What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!"
Yesterday
my sister Genelle and her husband Cesar, who reside in North Carolina,
celebrated their 30th wedding aniversary. Genelle posted this wedding
photo to her Facebook page. Brooksyne and I are to the right in the
photo, which was taken when we were in our mid-twenties. I wonder if I
was trying to do my hair like a favorite musician at that time, Keith
Green? Brooksyne looks about the same (to me anyway) and we
had Chrissie (in front of my mom) who was our foster child.
Chrissie still stays in touch and will probably see this photo. Here's
a photo of her comforting our dog Enoch who had just had a losing
tussle with a porcupine. Do you notice he doesn't look very happy? I had to
remove the quills with needle-nosed pliers and he sure didn't like that! But as I recall this happened several times.
Yesterday
we also heard from Marvin, a Guatamalan friend, who stayed with us as a
little boy when he was in the states for medical care over twenty years
ago. He sent us a bunch of photos of his family at the zoo and is
pictured here with his parents and son. We had dinner in their home in
Guatemala over twenty years ago and they treated us with such warmth
and kindness expressing gratefulness for the medical care provided for
their son from St. Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Here's a photo with Marvin's wife and son looking at a really large Ostrich!
Here is a
photo taken about twenty years ago when Marvin was living with us. He is with with two sisters, Shawna and
Sharon,
who were in the church we served at that time in northern Pennsylvania.
A fond memory we have of Marvin was how proud he was to wear his tie to
church. In fact he liked it so much he often wore it at home. He comes
from a devout Christian family.
Here's a newspaper article about Marvin when he was treated in Erie, Pennsylvania you might find interesting. Marvin1, Marvin2
"He Was Nailed To The Cross For Me" Video Actually I was looking for an older hymn by this title but instead found this song. Steve Holder and Anointed Praise.
"Playing Games At The Foot Of The Cross" Video This song especially goes with the point concerning indifference in our message.
"Jesus At The Cross" Video
"The Thief On The Cross" Video A song written from the perspective of the repentant thief. Third Day
"The Bridge" Video This powerful dramatic video illustrates the sacrifice God made in allowing His Son to die for our sins.
Here's an interesting chart from a Study Bible that may be helpful as you study the Bible this week. It sure helps me to have a sense of when the events took place and is inspiring to read these Scriptures in the daily sequence leading up to Easter.
The four gospels cover the life of Christ, a period of about 33 years. But most of this material deals with just the 3½ year period of His earthly ministry. However, an astounding 30 of the 89 accumulative chapters in the gospels cover the period beginning with Christ's triumphal entry through His resurrection and post-resurrection appearances. Mathematically this means that approximately 33% of the written material in the Gospels deals with a mere .05% period of His life! In the providence of God we have a much greater proportion of Scriptural revelation dealing with God's greatest act of mercy in providing our redemption.
Sunday
Finally today, for the chronically inquisitive here is some information about the Tremont Nail Company mentioned in today's message.
And I love that old cross
where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain!
Listen to this message on your
audio player. "The Nails"
"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).
The
Tremont Nail Company in Wareham, Massachusetts, is the oldest
continuously operating nail manufacturer in the United States, making
nails since the early 1800's and they're still stamping them out! When
I lived in New England I would periodically drive by the Company and,
although they didn’t have plant tours, I recall curiously looking
through the windows to watch. The nails they manufacture are not the
round kind we typically see, but square, peg-like. At the little
country gift store across the street I bought three of the longest ones
I could find. I still have them though I misplaced one. Holding these
nails, rubbing my fingers across their coarse surface, and considering
their lethal purpose in Christ's crucifixion illustrates more vividly
the price Jesus paid for our redemption.King David provided "a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings" of the Temple (I Chronicles 22:3). Until the end of the 18th century, they were made by hand; an artisan known as a Nailer providing them with a head and point. We have no photographs nor are details given regarding the nails that affixed our Savior to the cross, but they were likely iron spikes five to seven inches long. In the daily text the action of nailing our Lord to the cross is taken from the Greek word "prospegnumi” and literally means “to impale.” Did you notice that the English word "peg" is in the middle of the Greek word? How indescribably horrible this form of death was.
To
partially identify with the humanity of Christ, perhaps in a rather
basic way, I recall getting splinters in my hands and feet when I
played outdoors as a child. I dreaded telling my mom, for I knew she
would want to dig it out and it would be a painful process. But if she
could find a needle with a very sharpened small point the pain was less
than a needle with a large point. To this day if I have a splinter I
will carefully select a sharp pointed needle to lessen the pain of the
piercing required for the needle to prick my skin.Certainly Christ felt the physical agony of those long, thick, spikes driven into His hands and feet, in addition to the other horrible wounds He received. But surely He also felt another type of pain or “nail” as He hung on that Cross for our sins.
1. The nail of blasphemy:
This was demonstrated by the soldiers, the thieves crucified beside
Him, the religious officials and the onlookers as recorded in Matthew 27:27-44.
They mocked and hurled insults at Him, blaspheming the very One who
willingly laid down His life for their sins. The opposite of blasphemy
is worship and we are called to worship the Lord John 4:23-24.2. The nail of rejection: This was demonstrated by the “other” unrepentant crucified criminal who hung on a cross beside Christ as recorded in Luke 23:39. He rejected Christ to his dying breath. The opposite of rejection is acceptance as taught in John 1:12.
3. The nail of denial: This was demonstrated by Peter and is recorded in Mark 14:66-72 The opposite of denial is confession and we are called to confess with our mouth that, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:8-10
4. The nail of indifference: This was demonstrated by the soldiers playing games at the foot of the Cross as recorded in John
19:23-24. The opposite of indifference is attentiveness and this is taught in Hebrews
12:1-3.5. The nail of unbelief: This was demonstrated by so many: those who stood watching from a distance; those who participated in the sordid events leading up to the crucifixion; those who carried out the crucifixion and this unbelief was most famously initially exemplified by the disciple, Thomas, in John 20:25. The opposite of unbelief of course is belief and as Christ reached out to Thomas he fully believed, declaring, "My Lord and my God!" as recorded in John 20:27-29.
Tragically, the majority of people continue to respond to the claims of Christ either by blasphemy, rejection, denial, indifference or unbelief. But we who look upon and embrace Jesus' nail-pierced hands respond by crying out with Thomas: "My Lord and my God."
We give thanks for those nails knowing that He was pierced for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. Surely He bore our sorrows and by His stripes we are healed.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, we know that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of man ordained by You for a miraculous birth, along with many signs and wonders that You performed through Him. He was handed over to wicked men and gruesomely crucified by the nails that bore Him to the cross. This was done by Your set purpose and in Your foreknowedge. But God, You raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keeps its hold on Him. And now He is exalted to Your right hand making intercession for us. "What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!"
(Prayer based on Acts 2)
Yesterday
we received two photos that brought back some great memories that we
would like to share. (A number of our readers are familiar with some
of those photographed.)
Chrissie still stays in touch and will probably see this photo. Here's
a photo of her comforting our dog Enoch who had just had a losing
tussle with a porcupine. Do you notice he doesn't look very happy? I had to
remove the quills with needle-nosed pliers and he sure didn't like that! But as I recall this happened several times. Yesterday
we also heard from Marvin, a Guatamalan friend, who stayed with us as a
little boy when he was in the states for medical care over twenty years
ago. He sent us a bunch of photos of his family at the zoo and is
pictured here with his parents and son. We had dinner in their home in
Guatemala over twenty years ago and they treated us with such warmth
and kindness expressing gratefulness for the medical care provided for
their son from St. Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania. Here's a photo with Marvin's wife and son looking at a really large Ostrich!Here is a
photo taken about twenty years ago when Marvin was living with us. He is with with two sisters, Shawna and
Sharon,
who were in the church we served at that time in northern Pennsylvania.
A fond memory we have of Marvin was how proud he was to wear his tie to
church. In fact he liked it so much he often wore it at home. He comes
from a devout Christian family.Here's a newspaper article about Marvin when he was treated in Erie, Pennsylvania you might find interesting. Marvin1, Marvin2
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
Click
on the link to open and play.
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)
"He Was Nailed To The Cross For Me" Video Actually I was looking for an older hymn by this title but instead found this song. Steve Holder and Anointed Praise.
"Playing Games At The Foot Of The Cross" Video This song especially goes with the point concerning indifference in our message.
You've heard the story many times before,
How the soldiers gambled for the robe of the Lord.
Their laughter drowning out the Saviour's cry.
"Father, forgive them," as He bows His head and dies.
Chorus: And they were playing games at the foot of the cross,
So close to His struggle, yet so far from the cost.
Never feeling the shame and never sensing the loss,
They were playing games at the foot of the cross.
Verse 2: We're so quick to judge them yet so slow to see
How their games resemble ones played by you and me.
As we fight for position in the church of God
While the world goes on dying without the Saviour's love.
How the soldiers gambled for the robe of the Lord.
Their laughter drowning out the Saviour's cry.
"Father, forgive them," as He bows His head and dies.
Chorus: And they were playing games at the foot of the cross,
So close to His struggle, yet so far from the cost.
Never feeling the shame and never sensing the loss,
They were playing games at the foot of the cross.
Verse 2: We're so quick to judge them yet so slow to see
How their games resemble ones played by you and me.
As we fight for position in the church of God
While the world goes on dying without the Saviour's love.
"Jesus At The Cross" Video
"The Thief On The Cross" Video A song written from the perspective of the repentant thief. Third Day
"The Bridge" Video This powerful dramatic video illustrates the sacrifice God made in allowing His Son to die for our sins.
Major
Events of the Passion Week
Here's an interesting chart from a Study Bible that may be helpful as you study the Bible this week. It sure helps me to have a sense of when the events took place and is inspiring to read these Scriptures in the daily sequence leading up to Easter.
The four gospels cover the life of Christ, a period of about 33 years. But most of this material deals with just the 3½ year period of His earthly ministry. However, an astounding 30 of the 89 accumulative chapters in the gospels cover the period beginning with Christ's triumphal entry through His resurrection and post-resurrection appearances. Mathematically this means that approximately 33% of the written material in the Gospels deals with a mere .05% period of His life! In the providence of God we have a much greater proportion of Scriptural revelation dealing with God's greatest act of mercy in providing our redemption.
Sunday
- Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19
- Jesus Clears the Temple: Matthew 21:12,13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45,46
- Jesus' authority challenged in the temple: Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8
- Jesus teaches stories and confronts the Jewish leaders: Matthew 21:28-23:36; Mark 12:1-40; Luke 20:9-47
- Greeks ask to see Jesus: John 12:20-26
- The Olivet Discourse: Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21:5-38
- Judas agrees to betray Jesus: Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10,11; Luke 22:3-6
- The Last Supper: Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20
- Jesus speaks to the disciples in the upper room: John 13-17
- Jesus struggles in Garden of Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1
- Jesus is betrayed and arrested: Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12
- Jesus is tried by Jewish and Roman authorities and disowned by Peter: Matthew 26:57-27:2, 11-31; Mark 14:53-15:20; Luke 22:54-23:25; John 18:13-19:16
- Jesus is crucified and buried: Matthew 27:31-56; Mark 15:20-41; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:17-30
- The glorious resurrection: Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18
Finally today, for the chronically inquisitive here is some information about the Tremont Nail Company mentioned in today's message.
Send
a message to Stephen &
Brooksyne.
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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.)
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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."
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Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
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