The Supreme Moment in History
1 PETER 2:21-24 

Sin is so atrocious in the Lord’s eyes that it costs a life. Without the shedding of blood, there’s no forgiveness and no remission of sin (Heb. 9:22). God set up a system of animal sacrifice as a temporary solution to the problem. An Israelite would take a spotless lamb to the priest, lay hands on its head, and confess his sin. The priest would sacrifice the animal and sprinkle its blood on the altar. The Israelite went away purified.

Throughout history, countless beasts were slain, which seems like an awesome waste from a human perspective. The Lord, however, was making an eternal point: Holy God cannot accept sin.

The Lord is vehemently opposed to sin because of its devastating power. Look at the television news or the front page of the newspaper to see the results of wrongdoing in people’s lives. It brings harm and ruin. Our heavenly Father does not want us to suffer those destructive consequences. Therefore, the Father made one final sacrifice by putting Christ on the cross to die as our substitute. On that day, God judged sin. He put the weight of mankind’s wrongs onto Jesus’ shoulders and exacted the death penalty from His only Son. Animal sacrifice was instantly obsolete because the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

God deemed sin so horrible and destructive that He willingly killed His own Son in order to break its power. For His part, Jesus offered Himself as a substitute. He purchased victory over sin for those believe in Him. That was the supreme moment in human history

Bring Your Children Today    –   ‘Bring him to me.’

Mark 9:19

Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had failed, but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil one when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus’ word, “Bring him to me.”

Children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes along with them. They may be a great joy or a great bitterness to their parents; they may be filled with the Spirit of God or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the Word of God gives us one prescription for the cure of all their ills: “Bring him to me.”

We need to engage in agonizing prayer on their behalf while they are still babies! Sin is there; so let our prayers begin to attack it. Our cries for our offspring should precede those cries that herald their arrival into a world of sin. In the days of their youth we will see sad evidences of that dumb and deaf spirit that will neither pray properly, nor hear the voice of God in the soul, but Jesus still commands, “Bring him to me.” When they are grown up, they may wallow in sin and foam with enmity against God; then when our hearts are breaking we should remember the Great Physician’s words, “Bring him to me.” We must never cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless while Jesus lives.

The Lord sometimes allows His people to be driven into a corner that they may learn how necessary He is to them. Ungodly children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of their hearts, drive us to the strong for strength, and this is a great blessing to us. Whatever our morning’s need may be, may it like a strong current carry us to the ocean of divine love. Jesus can soon remove our sorrow; He delights to comfort us. Let us hurry to Him while He waits to meet us.

The family reading plan for

September 17, 2011

2 Samuel 13 | 2 Corinthians 6