Fearlessly Courageous

Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
12/3/2021

The slaughter of the son of God for the glory of his grace.

I believe over the decades or centuries we have so often heard the term “the Lamb who was slain”, we somehow lose some of the impact of the brutality and hideousness of a crime so great that it defies imagination.

We are often aghast when we hear of an innocent child murdered by her father or mother, or left in a trash bin, but somehow we lose the impact of a perfect and holy God brutally slaughtered for millions of people who were his enemies, who didn’t want his intervention, who were totally lost in their own darkness.

Why? Because the aim of God and creation in Providence is to provide the fullest, clearest, surest display of the greatness of the glory of God’s grace. And that display would be the slaughter of the best being in the universe in the place of millions of undeserving sinners.
Can you see that? The suffering and death of the “Lamb of God” in history is the consummate display of the “glory of the grace of God!” That is why God planned it before the foundation of the world. That is the aim and working wonder of God‘s pervasive providence.

Matthew quotes Jesus more fully from the last supper and makes a connection with forgiveness explicit: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”. Matthew 26:28

The pattern established under the old covenant had been that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:22 but he continues in Hebrews 10:4 that it’s impossible for the blood of bulls to take away sins. All of these animal sacrifices were pointing to the final sacrifice of Christ.
Noticed that unlike the “former priest who offered animals for the sins of the people” Hebrews 9:7 “Jesus was without sin” Hebrews 4:15 “therefore, he appeared once for all at the end of the age just to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” Hebrews 9:26

Therefore, Jesus is the ground of the new covenant. He is the basis of it. It has taken effect because of the sacrifice he made. He is responsible for putting it into effect.

But let’s open up our hearts to see a little deeper. Christ not only provided the ground of the new covenant promises; he also became the goal. Jesus is both the ground of our salvation and the glory we were saved to see and savor and share. He was the price that was paid for our deliverance and the prize we were destined to enjoy. And please understand that he not only redeemed us from hell, but he rewarded us with himself. The morning star!
The promise in Jeremiah 31:33 is clear, “I will be there God, and they will be my people”. God himself testifies that his son is God: “of the son he says, your throne is forever and ever” Hebrews 1:8 citing Psalm 45 6

2nd Tim1:9 Paul looks back into eternity before the ages began and says: “God saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his purpose and GRACE, which he gave us (that is, he gave us this grace) in Christ Jesus before the ages began”.
God gave us grace- undeserved favor toward sinners!- in Christ Jesus before we were created, but God had already decreed grace- an “in Christ” kind of grace, blood-bought grace, sin overcoming grace – in Christ Jesus.

Lastly, notice the hosts of heaven focus their worship not simply on the Lamb, but on the lamb who was slain Rev 5;9 And they are still singing this song in Rev 15:3 “They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God and the song of the Lamb”

In the slaughter of God’s son Jesus, and his suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus became the foundation of the promise of a new covenant. But not only the foundation but also the goal. And the beauty of the love and wisdom and power of his triumphant suffering. 1 Corinthians 1:18–25; 2:7–9, Christ displayed the glory that his people will exalt him forever. Take a moment and revel in this truth. He became the price and the prize of the new covenant. The ground and the goal. Redemption and the reward. This was God‘s plan of grace from before the foundation of the world.

Think about it. Your name is written in the Lambs book of Life
all for the glory of his grace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI2sYS3ov0w&list=RDMM&index=2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI2sYS3ov0w&list=RDMM&index=2)
Tremble Lauren Daigle

Excepts are taken from chapter 12 of John Piper’s book – Providence