GodsView : The Humiliation of Christ!

GodsView : The Humiliation of Christ!: "We . . . see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death cr...

The Humiliation of Christ!

"We . . . see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9).

In serving as our substitute, Christ humbled Himself supremely.

Jesus' death on the cross was not easy or costless—it was a horrific death. It was not calm and peaceful; it was accompanied by outward torture and inward agony. The death He tasted was the curse of sin. In a few hours on that cross, He suffered the total agony of every soul for all eternity. He was guilty of no sin, yet He chose to suffer the weight of all sins committed for all time.
God sent His Son, and His Son willingly came to die to redeem mankind. Paul writes, "When the fulness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law" (Gal. 4:4-5).
Only by tasting death as a man could He free mankind from death. Historically, kings have had someone taste their food and drink before they consumed it. Christ drained to the dregs the cup of poison rightfully meant for us before it could ever touch our lips. He substituted His death for ours, releasing us from the deadness of sin to life with God.
What moved Jesus to suffer for us? Grace. What we did not deserve (salvation) we received, and what we did deserve (death) we did not receive. Unbounded love prompted Christ's gracious work on our behalf: "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).
After He accomplished the work of His substitutionary death, He was "crowned with glory and honor" and exalted to the right hand of the Father, where He will reign forever and ever. He is our great Substitute, whom we can thank and praise throughout all eternity.
Suggestion for Prayer
Ask God to give you opportunities to communicate the gospel to new people, even if you might suffer in the process.
For Further Study
Read Isaiah 52:13—53:12 to understand what the God of the universe had to endure at the hands of men.

GodsView : The Truth About the Devil!!

GodsView : The Truth About the Devil!!: The day you put your faith in Jesus Christ, your eternal address changed from a place known as hell to a place called heaven. It was a ...

The Truth About the Devil!!

The day you put your faith in Jesus Christ, your eternal address changed from a place known as hell to a place called heaven. It was a day in which you passed from darkness to light, a day in which you found new purpose and meaning.
It was also a day in which a very real spiritual war began in your life. Conversion made your heart a battlefield. You came to realize that not only is there a God who loves you, but there is also a devil who hates you and wants to pull you back into your old ways again.
We should never underestimate Satan. He is a sly and skillful adversary with many years' experience in dealing with humanity. Though he is a powerful foe, he can be overcome. Let's examine some facts about him.
Satan is nowhere near to being the equal of God.
God is omnipotent: He is all-powerful. God is omniscient: He is all-knowing. God is omnipresent: He is present everywhere.
The devil, in sharp contrast, does not reflect these divine attributes. Satan is very powerful, more than any man, and more powerful than most angels. But he is not anywhere near to being the equal of God.
His knowledge is limited, and he can't know all of our thoughts. And while God can be everywhere at the same time, Satan can be in only one place at one time. However, he does not work alone. He has his minions, his demon forces that do his dirty work (Ephesians 6:10–12).
He can do nothing in the life of the Christian without God's permission.
While God may allow demonic attacks in your life, you are still under God's divine protection. In the book of Job, for instance, we read of the angels coming to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan being among them. God said to him, "From where do you come?" (Job 1:7).
Satan answered, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
Then the Lord essentially began bragging on Job, who was "a blameless and upright man" (v. 8). Satan, in response, pointed out the hedge of protection God had placed around Job's household and everything he owned.
We see by this passage that in spite of his power and wicked agenda, the devil must ask permission when it comes to the life of the child of God, because God has placed a divine hedge of protection around His own.
You can be oppressed to some degree, but if you are a Christian, neither the devil nor a demon can ever take control of your life. When you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you came under His protection. He placed His I.D. tag on you that says, "Property of Jesus Christ. Bought with the blood." Satan knows that and must back off.
Having said that, it doesn't mean the devil can't try to lure you out of God's protection and draw you into his web of deception. That's why, as a child of God, your objective should be to stay as close to the Lord as you possibly can-and keep as much distance between yourself and the devil as possible.
The devil wants to pull you down before God. Then he wants to accuse you.
On more than one occasion, the Scriptures refer to Satan as an accuser. Revelation 12:10 calls him "the accuser of our brethren who accused them before God day and night...".
Satan wants you to believe that you are not worthy to approach God. But you are not approaching Him on the basis of your worthiness. You are approaching God on the basis of what Jesus did for you at the cross. Remember that, because the devil doesn't want you to know it. He wants to accuse you before God and keep you away from Him.
The difference between Satan's accusations and the Holy Spirit's conviction is that Satan will always drive you from the cross. Jesus always will bring you to it.
The devil was soundly defeated at the cross of Calvary.

GodsView : Make Room for Jesus This Christmas!

GodsView : Make Room for Jesus This Christmas!: Have you ever had one of those birthdays when you wanted people to throw a party for you? You wanted them to buy some nice gifts. You h...

Make Room for Jesus This Christmas!

Have you ever had one of those birthdays when you wanted people to throw a party for you?
You wanted them to buy some nice gifts. You hinted at what gifts you wanted and even left maps to the places where you wanted them to shop. You were hoping someone would get the idea of throwing you a surprise party. You were certain that every time you went out to dinner with a friend that people were going to jump out and yell, “Happy Birthday!” You were looking forward to it with great excitement. But nothing happened. The party never took place. In fact, it seemed like people forgot your birthday. Or worse yet, they remembered it but failed to acknowledge it.
Christmas is a Birthday.
In theory, that is what Christmas can be like. It is supposed to be a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. In contrast to your birthday or mine, everyone recognizes it. Everywhere we go there are reminders that Christmas is coming. Merchants want you to shop till you drop and spend money. Shoppers, in turn, can get psycho about getting good deals.
The Reason for the Season.
We all need to just relax a little bit and remember what this season is about: it is the time when we celebrate Jesus’ birth. In the midst of our activities and preparations to celebrate Christmas, how often do we forget about the honored guest? We string our lights. We trim our trees. We talk about Christmas. We hear recorded songs mentioning the birth of Jesus. But how many people actually take time for Him? We run around the malls and buy things for everyone we know—and even some people we wish we didn’t know. But we can forget to make room in our schedules for Jesus.
Make Room for Jesus.
The fact there was no room for Jesus at the inn that first Christmas was indicative of the treatment that He would receive throughout His entire earthly ministry. One telling passage is found for us in John’s Gospel, where it says, “And everyone went to his own house. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives” (John 7:53–8:1 NKJV). Everyone went home for the night, but Jesus went to sleep out in the open air on the Mount of Olives.
There was never room for Jesus. And today, there is just no room for Him in so many situations. Is there room for Jesus in your life right now? This Christmas, as we prepare to start a new year with new opportunities, will you make room in your life for Him?