Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

John 18

 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 21.  Here, John Piper discusses how Jesus came into the world, which means that He already existed and on Christmas day in Bethlehem became the incarnate Son of God Jesus Christ.  He of course was also the fulfillment of prophecy as Piper refers us to just one of these prophecies in Micah 5:2.  Micah refers to Jesus "coming forth...from of old, from ancient days." Piper then shares that "therefore, [Jesus's] birth was purposeful. Before he was born he thought about being born. Together with his Father there was a plan. And part of that great plan he spoke in the last hours of his life on earth [John 18:37]." Piper concludes the devotion by stating that "[Jesus] was the eternal Truth. He spoke only the truth. He acted out the greatest truth of love. And he is gathering into his eternal family all those who are born of the truth. This was the plan from ancient days." Take comfort in knowing that God has a plan and it is glorious for all believers!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus. I am not deserving of You love and mercy.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Hebrews 2

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 11.  Here, John Piper unpacks Hebrews 2:14-15 as he describes the text as his "favorite Advent text because I don’t know any other that expresses so clearly the connection between the beginning and the end of Jesus’s earthly life — between the incarnation and crucifixion. These two verses make clear why Jesus came; namely, to die."  Piper then proceeds to go line-by-line with the text:

• “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood..."  In other words, in sending Christ, God has the salvation of his “children” especially in view." Those who believe in Christ become God's children and are adopted into His family.  We are referred to Isaiah 8:18, 53:10, John 3:16, 11:52, 1 Timothy 4:10, John 1:12.
• “ . . . he himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood]...” > "Christ existed before before the incarnation" (since the beginning of time) but became the incarnate Son of God - fully man and fully human.
  
• “ . . . that through death...” > Christ came to die for us - and this could only be accomplished if He became fully human. "He was born to die. Good Friday is the purpose of Christmas. This is what most people today need to hear about the meaning of Christmas."
• “ . . . he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil...” > "In dying, Christ de-fanged the devil. How? By covering all our sin. This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God." We are justified by God.  "Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon of the devil — the one mortal weapon that he has — is taken out of his hand." We are referred to Romans 8:33, 5:9.
  
• “ . . . and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” > "So, we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the Now." 

A great message indeed! What a great God we have that has done all of this for those who believe!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for coming for me, dying for me, and giving me victory over sin and death - the greatest gift of all time!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.

Hebrews 2

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Hebrews 2:14-16

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is a look specifically at Hebrews 2:14-16, the second of three divisions from Hebrews 2:10-18, and this division is entitled "The Incursion by the Incarnate Son" by the commentary.  The commentary first shares how these verses "show us how Christ brings sinners into a position of sonship with the Creator." It then highlights how in v14 Christ "partook of the same things": "Though he was the Creator of all, he became hungry. He grew tired. He ate, drank, slept, ached, and “shared in these” things that all humanity knows and experiences. This is the first and one of the most fundamental truths of the gospel story. God became a man. He became like us."  Yet incarnation alone is described as being insufficient to "secure our redemption" as Christ came to defeat both death (which He did through the resurrection) and the devil.  We are encouraged to see how Satan is real and referred to text such as 1 Peter 5:8, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, 11:14, John 10:10, Matthew 4:1-11, and 1 Corinthians 7:5.  The commentary shares that while Satan is not ultimately defeated and destroyed until end times, "Christ’s penal and substitutionary atonement completely exhausts Satan’s powers of accusation. Thus, while the devil may continue to prowl about, he prowls with a limp. He has been stripped of his most destructive weapons. His accusations against God’s people do not stick." Be encouraged how Jesus gives us victory over the sting of death and sin!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God - thank You for freeing me from the slavery of death and sin!  The greatest gift of all time!  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

1 John 3

 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. 1 John 3:7-8

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 24 of Advent, and today John Piper highlights two purposes for Christmas - that is why Jesus came into the world (incarnation). Jesus came into the world to defeat sin and to enable believers to battle sin - fearlessly. The second purpose is to forgive and take away sins.  Piper refers us to not just 1 John 3:7-8, but also 1 John 3:5, and 1 John 2:1-2.  Piper shares how these two purposes work together and that "[f]orgiveness is not for the purpose of permitting sin."  Indeed - we should battle sin with an aim to defeat sin. Pursue Christ!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of compassion and grace for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your grace and compassion.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 22 of Advent, and today John Piper seeks to stir awe and wonder in the hearts of believers who may have lost such feelings towards the gospel after hearing it again and again, perhaps as a result of growing up in the church.  Piper draws an analogy of awe and wonder we sometimes have as a result of movies we watch and he correctly states that this awe and wonder means that we are capable of these feelings, and that we must bring them to bear upon hearing of the gospel. He writes: "[w]hen Jesus said, “For this purpose I have come into the world” (John 18:37), he said something as crazy and weird and strange and eerie as any statement in science fiction that you have ever read. Oh, how I pray for a breaking forth of the Spirit of God upon me and upon you; for the Holy Spirit to break into my experience in a frightening way, to wake me up to the unimaginable reality of God." For believers (nearly all or perhaps all) who have been in this state from time to time, we should recite the same prayer.

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My Prayer: Jesus, You are an awesome God, worthy of awe and wonder every moment of every day - You came into the world to save me - amazing and what a blessing - the greatest gift of all time.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

John 18

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 21 of Advent, and today John Piper reminds us that on Christmas we don't celebrate the birth of Jesus, but the incarnation of Jesus as He existed since the beginning of time (Alpha and Omega - see Revelation 22:13).  As John 18:37 says, Jesus "[came] into the world" - this is incarnation.  John Piper shares how incarnation was God's plan from the beginning (ancient days) - that Jesus came to save sinners, He came into the world to die - so that others would be saved.  We are referred to Micah 5:2 and Mark 10:45. Read and listen to the voice of Jesus (the Bible) and rejoice over His incarnation this Christmas!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - You came into the world to die for me so that I could have life now in abundance and for eternity in Heaven with You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Hebrews 2

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15

I paused again my studies of both Isaiah and Proverbs to listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which focuses on how God's Son - Jesus - became flesh and blood to die so that believers are justified in God's eyes, and so that Satan is rendered powerless to use our sin against us.  Jesus' death on the cross of course also gives believers eternal life (John 3:16). These blessings combine to provide believers the greatest gift of all time - life to the full now (John 10:10) and for eternity. Piper uses Romans 8:33, Hebrews 9:14, and Romans 5:9 to support his claims about how God justifies and on what grounds.  He sums up it nicely by stating: "[s]o, we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. There is only future grace in front of us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the present." We should not only be encouraged but bold to live fearlessly for Christ.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me and You not only made me one of Your elect - You justify me, sanctify me, and You are saving a place for me in Heaven - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us[.]

Leviticus 13-15

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us[.]...John 1:14

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter thirteen - Unclean! - covering Leviticus 13-15, looking specifically at the fourth theme - Jesus Transforms Access to God's Presence.  Here, the commentary starts by looking at how believers today can apply the teachings in Leviticus (including 13-15).  It starts by stating that, for believers, "God has now established the new covenant in Jesus.  God's old covenant prepared for Jesus' coming and taught us principles that help us understand the person and work of Jesus.  God always knew that when the Messiah came and He initiated the new covenant, the old covenant would become obsolete." The commentary then encourages us to see "three ways Jesus transforms access to God's presence:

• Jesus eliminates ceremonial law" - we are encouraged to review the interactions Jesus had with the Jewish leaders and how they placed emphasis on rituals as an end in of itself vs Jesus teachings, using ritual cleansing as an example, where such ritual cleansings were not a matter of external cleanliness but of internal cleanliness and our heart condition with respect to a right relationship with God; Jesus also pointed out the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders who observed the ceremonial law but not the moral law; see also John Piper on the extent to which believers are to observe ceremonial law; see also Piper on the extent to which only worship, among all the activities done within the church, is an end in itself.  The commentary refers us to Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 2:23-28 as a scriptural basis to underscore this point.
  
• Jesus graduates us from symbol to substance" - using Colossians 2:16-17 as a scriptural basis for this point, the commentary highlights how the ceremonial laws were a "shadow" of what was to come with Jesus and the new covenant, and Jesus is the substance.  The commentary writes: "[t]he old covenant law shows us our dirtiness in God's sight, and Jesus came to be the way we become clean--not just clean on the outside, but clean on the inside, and clean forever.  He graduates us from symbol to substance."
  
• Jesus incarnates God's presence" - whereas in the Old Testament, the tabernacle, Tent of Meeting, and temple were the places that symbolized the presence of God (even though it also writes about God's omnipresence), the commentary urges us to understand that with the new covenant God is always among and within us - residing in our hearts. We are referred to John 1:14 as the scriptural basis for this takeaway. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who lives in my heart - thank You Jesus for walking with me in my journey and for sanctifying and refining me into more of Your image!  I am not deserving of such a blessing - my sins of worry, etc. continue.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

John 11

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. v33

This morning's reading in v17-37 struck me on the topic of the Incarnation. In three places (V33, 35, 38), we see Jesus' emotions, underscoring the humanity of His nature of both God and man.  We should take great comfort and encouragement in knowing that "Jesus is fully and perfectly man and has also experienced the full range of human experience. We have a Savior who can truly identify with us because he is man and who can also truly help us in temptation because he has never sinned" (see DesiringGod.com for more on this topic). 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who knows everything about me and knows everything about being human because You came to earth to live a sinless life and to give me the power to gain freedom over the sting of sin and death myself - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift and such love.  I worry and I gossip.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly firends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.