Knowing the Grace of Jesus in Christmas (Part 3 of 4)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

This is the connection between Bethlehem and Calvary; the manger and the cross. As God, he is immortal. He could not die. His incarnation was necessary for in God's design of the redemption, someone must be sacrificed for the expiation of sin.

The purpose of his poverty is laid here: "so that by his poverty, we might become rich", implying of course that before the great sacrifice, before we have inherited all the spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph. 1:3), we were in a state of poverty. We were poor in the sense that we are subject to pain and suffering as a result of the sin that entered through one man and spread to all mankind. It is a misery so great that would last for all eternity-- if the Lord had not shown his mercy. But he did showed his mercy by sending his Son to deal with this root problem of all our miseries namely "sin".

The rich and glorious King came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." (Eph. 1:7). And because the root problem of sin has been dealt with, we are now rich. Every spiritual blessing is ours. We are already given much benefit today, and more will be given in eternity: "so that by his poverty, we might become rich."

The Curse and the Cross

May isang pangungusap na madalas kong marinig sa usapan ng ibat ibang tao. Tila ba halos lahat ng nasa paligid ay marunong magsabi ng "God bless you" o ang mas maiksing "God bless".

Kasabay ng kaway pamamaalam, sinasambit nila "God bless!"
Sa chat, "Sign-out na ako, 'God bless na lang'
Sa text messaging, "TY po! GBU" (pinaiksing thank you at God bless you)

Halos lahat yata ng bati ay ay puwedeng dugtungan nito.

"Happy Birthday, God bless!"
"Best Wishes, God bless!"
"Happy Graduation, God bless!"

Bukod sa pagsambit nito para sa mga indibiduwal, puwede rin ito para sa mga grupo. "God bless the PNP" o "God bless the AFP"


Naririnig ko ring sinasambit ito para sa mga bansa. Sa takot ng mga Kano matapos ang 9/11 terrorists attacks, madalas nilang sabihin "God bless America!" Mula naman kay Bro. Eddie Villanueva at sa mga tulad niyang walang kasawa-sawa sa pagpapapaniwala sa mga bulaang propetang nagsasabi na may "prophetic destiny" raw ng bansang Pilipinas, madalas kong marinig ang "God bless the Philippines!"

Tulad ng ibang mga pangungusap na bukambibig ng karamihan, maaaring sa iba ay "expression" na lang ito na hindi na napag-iisipan kung ano ang kahulugan. Subalit kung ito ay nauunawaan at sasambitin ng taos-puso para sa iyong kapwa, ito ay napakaganda. Nagpapahayag ito na nais mong maranasan ng iyong kapwa ang kabutihan, habag, pag-ibig at kagandahang-loob ng Diyos.

When we are sincere in saying "God bless you", two things could be said about us. First, we mirror the character of our God who is perfectly kind. Sa Genesis pa lang, makikita mo na agad na siya ay isang mapagpalang Diyos:
     a. In Creation-- 1:26-28
     b. In the Post-Flood world-- 9:1
     c. To Abraham and his descendants-- 12:1-2

Second, We fulfill the New Testament command "bless and do not curse"-- even to those who perseute us (Rom. 12:14)

Having mentioned Rom.12:14, I would like you to notice that an antonym for "bless" is right before us; it is the word "curse". The Greek word is kataraomi which is defined by Louw and Nida's lexicon as:

"to cause injury or harm by means of a statement regarded as having some supernatural power, often because a deity or supernatural force has been evoked."¹

In the ancient times, and even in the modern times, people believe that by uttering words, you either bring good or bad on other parties. We have a biblical example for this in Numbers 22 where Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel. We have pop-culture examples like Alice Bungisngis, the teenage witch whom  I saw on TV one day who said "Madapa ka sana!" at nadapa nga yung kaaway niya. And sadly we have examples from our own camp, professing evangelical Christians who adapted the lies of Positive confession (false) teachers like Kenneth Copeland who preaches messages like "You are the prophet of your own life" and Kenneth Hagin who tells his followers to declare "I am healed" no matter how severe the symptoms are.

However, one thing I am happy about is on the realization that man-made curses have no effect on those whom God has blessed (Num.22:12; Gen. 12:3). A dozen witches may form a coalition to cast spells against you but if you are blessed by God, no amount of man-made or even Satanic curses can harm you. For God is sovereign; when he stretches his hand, no one could turn it back (Isaiah 14:27)

But here is our real problem: the whole world is not under a man-made curse, but a curse from God himself.

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." ~Gal.3:10

Objection Bro. Manny! God is love. God is good all the time; and all the time God is good. He gives blessings. He never curses.

Objection overruled (Gen. 3:19, 8:21, 9:11, 11:25, Deut. 28:15 ff.)

R. C. Sproul suggests the simplest way to understand what it means for a Jew to be cursed is to reverse the meaning of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26

The Priestly Blessing:

"The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

The Priestly Blessing reversed:

"May the LORD curse you and abandon you.

May the LORD keep you in darkness and give you only judgment without grace.

May the LORD turn his back upon you and remove his peace from you forever"²

To be cursed by God then is not just him withdrawing his favors but him working against you.

One key verse is Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Sa mga karatig-talata nito, lumalabas na may mga bulaang guro na nakapasok sa iglesya sa Galacia; at kanilang ipinagkakalat na kung nais mong mapabilang at manatiling kabilang sa mga taong kinalulugdan ng Diyos, kinakailangang ikaw ay magpatuli at sundin ang mga nakasaad sa Mosaic Law. Kinagat ito ng mga tao.

Prideful man takes delight in the thought of being able to secure right standing before God by what he does. Human nature hasn't changed. This is confirmed by our experience in using Evangelism Explosion's diagnostic question #2: "Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and he were to say to you 'Why should I let you into my heaven?' What would you say?

Ang mga kadalasang sagot nila ay: "Sinisikap ko namang magpakabuti" o  "Wala naman akong tinatapakang tao" at iba pang works-based soteriology.

Paul saw such attitude as directly opposite to the gospel of grace. In verse 10, he asserts that those who rely on their merits measured by their adherence to the law are under a curse. He supports his assertion by quoting the law itself! (Deuteronomy 27:26). Thomas Schreiner reduced Paul's argument in a syllogism:

Those who don't do everything required by the law are cursed (v.10b)
 No one does everything required by the law (implied)

 Therefore, those who are of the works of the law are cursed (v.10a)³

James M. Boice comments:

“The law- is not a collection of stray and miscellaneous parts, some of which may be conveniently disregarded. It is a whole, and must be kept in all its parts if it is to be considered kept at all. The point is not that justification cannot come by keeping the law, at least theoretically, but that a curse is attached to any failure to keep it, no matter how small. Since all fail, all are under the curse. Paul is assuming the universality of sin in this quotation.”⁴

Woe is me! I am under God's curse. How can I escape from it?

Paul's answer is through Christ who gave his life on the cross to take the curse in behalf of those who would believe in him. The curse motif is very close to the penal substitution facet of the atonement. In my place, cursed he stood. The reversed priestly blessing was applied on Christ instead of being applied to me. He who has always been with the Father from eternity past, enjoying the sweetness of Trinitarian Fellowship was abandoned by his Father, because of the curse which was supposed to be upon us.

Moreover, he did not only rescue his people from the curse, he also placed them in a state of blessing (Galatians 3:14)

 -------------------- 

Footnotes:

1 J.P Louw and Eugene Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains

2 R.C. Sproul Sr., The Curse Motif of the Atonement, 2008 T4G Conference

3 Thomas Schreiner, Galatians (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), p.204

4 James Boice, Galatians, Expositor's Bible Commentary

The Terrifying God and His Forsaken Son

He was terrifying when he wiped-out the world's population with a global flood.

He was terrifying when he showered Sodom with burning sulfur.

He was terrifying when fire came out from his presence to consume Nadab and Abihu for their experimental worship.

He was terrifying when he instantly struck Uzzah dead for rescuing the ark of the covenant from touching the soil.

The presence of the holy God then is not a safe place for us unholy ones. Isaiah understood this well that when he saw a vision of the Holy God, he thought his doom has come.

Yet when his beloved Son was arrested, none of the arresting team fell dead. Where is the terrifying God?

On trial, while answering the question of the High Priest, one of the officials struck him in the face and asked, "Is this the way you answer the high priest?". He was concerned about the honor of the High Priest yet trampled upon the honor of the Son of God. But he remained alive. Where is the terrifying God?

While on trial, a false witness appeared. He testified that Jesus forbids people from paying taxes. This was a big lie for when Jesus was asked on this very issue, he replied "Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar..." Yet the liar remained alive. Where is the terrifying God?

They made him wear a mock royal robe; made him wear a crown of thorns. The King of glory was made a laughingstock. But they remained alive. Where is the terrifying God?

Blindfolded, they struck him repeatedly and asked, "Who struck you?". Yet they remained alive. Where is the terrifying God?

They spit on him. Probably some drops of saliva and phlegm landed on Jesus' face. Yet the offenders remained alive. Where is the terrifying God?

They stripped Jesus naked subjecting him to public shame. Nails were driven through his feet and wrists. Yet they remained alive. Where is the terrifying God?

The crowd taunted, "He saved others, but he can't save himself!". But no one in the crowd fell dead. Where is the terrifying God?

Where is the holy and terrifying Father who sent the global cataclysmic flood, burned Sodom, killed Uzzah and burned Aaron's sons?

He was there. In fact, the Heavenly Father was not passive in all these. He was actively involved:

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)

His wrath was poured out exclusively on his sin-bearing Son. When Jesus shouted "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?", he wasn't merely reciting the words of Psalm 22. This was a heartfelt outcry from an abandoned soul who for the first time since eternity past was separated from the presence of his Father to suffer for sins not his own. By this one sacrifice, we who believe won't have to fear the wrath of God anymore. The presence of God is now a safe place for those who believe in his Son. (Isaiah 53:3-6; Romans 3:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18)

Huwebes Santo Hip Hop with Shai Linne

It is a tradition among FM stations not to play upbeat music on this day-- but not so at Tinubos blog.

ATONEMENT Q&A defines key soteriological terms.

PENELOPE JUDD is an allegory on Christ's Imputed Righteousness.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED is a defense of TULIP's 3rd petal.

Shai Linne is currently a pastoral intern at Capitol Hill Baptist Church under the tutelage of Mark Dever.

ATONEMENT Q&A

PENELOPE JUDD

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Priceless Gift; Worthless Recipients

 Romans 5:6-8, 10

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us... For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (NIV)

One of the means by which we can show our affections for the ones we love is by the gifts we give or by the things we do for them. For example,  the gifts children give to their parents on a father's day or a mother's day. Parents in turn make sacrifices just for the future of their kids, perhaps withholding from their selves some pleasures in life just for the kids' tuition fees. An employee who is free to go home after 5 may extend his labor for an extra hour without pay when the need arises out of love for his employer. The employer in turn may give benefits beyond what is required by the law to his employees out of love for them.

Sometimes, its hard to place value on a gift for more than monetary considerations are involved. Let's suppose that on your wedding day, you received two lechons from two different individuals. The pigs are of the same size so you may say that both givers love you equally. Yet Don Rodrigo gave you a roasted pig out of his multi-hectare piggery, while Mang Kulas roasted the only pig in his backyard. Of course Don Rodrigo's gift has some value on it, but Mang Kulas' gift stands out because it was sacrificial giving. (See the same principle in Luke 21:1-4)

The value of a sacrifice is measured by the cost it takes out of the giver, as in David's case:  “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Sam.24:24).

On this ground, we base our first point:

1.God showed the greatness of his by the cost of the gift he gave—the life of his one and only Son.

Isn't that the message of this song?


We are the reason that He gave his life
We are the reason that He suffered and died
 To a world that was lost He gave all He could give...

Just think about the worth of the person sacrificed: The 2nd person of the Trinity, The One who was eternally with the Father, the Creator of Heaven and earth, the One who sustains of life, the exact representation of the Father, the One who is the object of worship among the angels, the One who even in his humbled state remained sinless. Yet even with this loftiness, he gave his life for us.

His life is of infinite value, more precious than all the soldiers combined. His life is infinitely more precious than the lives of all kings and presidents combined. Yet God gave his Son anyway for your ransom.

Perhaps there is a thought in our hearts that since Jesus is God, and he has the power to take back his life anyway, dying on the cross was so easy for him and it did not cost him much. But to put the weight of the sacrifice in perspective, let us go to Luke 22:42-44. This was his prayer a few hours before he was arrested. It is here revealed that the torture and death he has to go though caused much anguish in the incarnate Son of God. It was too heavy for him who knew no sin eternally to bear sin on the cross. He who enjoyed the love and fellowship of the Father from eternity past must be forsaken for a while-- and the fury of God's wrath must be poured out on him. That caused much agony in his soul a few hours before it took place and surely it caused maximum agony and pain on him while enduring it. Christ death is a true  sacrifice; it was not a sacrifice that cost him nothing. It is a sacrifice of infinite worth.

2.God showed the greatness of his love by giving the gift to unworthy recipients

The truncated quote that appears on the 500 peso bill fails to convey in fullness Sen. Ninoy Aquino's message. Here's the full quote from a speech he delivered before the Asia Society in New York (1980):

“I have asked myself many times: Is the Filipino worth suffering, or even dying, for? Is he not a coward who would readily yield to any colonizer, be he foreign or homegrown? Is a Filipino more comfortable under an authoritarian leader because he does not want to be burdened with the freedom of choice? Is he unprepared, or worse, ill-suited for presidential or parliamentary democracy?

I have carefully weighed the virtues and the faults of the Filipino and I have come to the conclusion that he is worth dying for because he is the nation’s greatest untapped resource.”

So in the full quote we can see that Ninoy was weighing the virtues vs. the faults of the Filipino people. He saw some flaws in them. Well noted is the cowardice of the Filipino in fighting for democracy. Yet in the end, he concluded that the Filipino is worth dying for BECAUSE he is the greatest untapped resource of the nation. The virtues still outweigh the faults. .. And the rest is history. Ninoy is now counted among the heroes of the nation.

But God's love is infinitely greater than the love of any national hero for Jesus died for us who are not worth dying for. The point of the passage is that God's love is unparalleled. For we will not die for bad persons though for good persons, there are rare cases of martyrdom. Yet God's love surpasses all we could do by giving the life of his Son for us who are bad, Bad, BAD! Paul makes this point clear by using a variety of words to describe the recipients of God's love (I used a Greek lexicon for this task)

a. weak, powerless (v.6)-- it talks about our inability to rescue ourselves from the condition we are in  (Rom.8:7, John 6:44)

b. ungodly (v.6)-- it refers to persons who have no regard for God and his standards.(2 Pet.2:5-6-- flood/Sodom)

c sinners (v.8)- we are not occasional sinners; we customarily sin. Sinning is our lifestyle

d. enemy- well, we don't have to consult the lexicon on this one. Just think about the Diaz siblings: Romy and Paquito; or Max Alvarado or Bella Flores.

On the human level, no man will sacrifice his life for villains. Perhaps Clark Kent can sacrifice his life for Lana Lang or Lois Lane, but he would not die for Lex Luthor. Yet Christ died for villains namely you and me.

For the application part, we have already looked into in when we started. Heb. 12:4-13, do not ever think God is against you when you are going through discipline or life's hardships. Look into what he has done for you at the cross. The tragedies and calamities of life pales into comparison to what God has done for you to be saved from his wrath.

There is a second application: That is We must love God in return. We have to respond to God's love with our own love for God.

If you may observe, the text points to a past condition of the recipients that has been changed already. The powerless were given the ability to draw near to God, and the sinners and the ungodly have been transformed into saints. The enemies are now friends of God. It sounds like the text is saying that the recipients of this love have been turn from God-haters into God-lovers. If your sense of smell is sharp enough, you can smell the 4th petal of TULIP here namely irresistible grace.

Tom Schreiner sees it that way too.

“I don't think this text is simply saying that God showed us his love and demonstrated his love. I mean certainly that's true. But isn't the text saying something more than that when you put it all together? Isn't this text also saying that he won us with his love? In other words God has captured us as believers with his love. He's wooed us and reconciled us and brought us to himself with his love.

We see this on the human level sometimes. A guy likes a girl and she doesn't like him. He wants to marry her and he wins her! It may take a long time. At first she didn't like him... at first there's nothing there but the guy wins the girl and he brings her over finally and they end up getting married.”

(from a sermon titled Trinitarian Love of God

Clifton Baptist Church, 2010-09-12)

The text implies that the recipients of this gift are now lovers of God. The bible doesn't give assurance to God-haters (1 Cor. 16:22)

Now that we understand God's love for us, let us passionately love him and seek to increase our love for him. The reason why we have so little love for God is because we don't understand the magnitude of our offense against him (Luke 7:40-43). We don't understand that we were powerless, sinners, ungodly, enemies of God. We think that our sins deserve only five pesos of penalty, that's why we love him so little.

Again, that song goes:

I've finally found the reason for living

It's in giving every part of my heart to Him

In all that I do, every word that I say

I'll be giving my heart just for Him

There is a biblical support for that--

2 Corinthians 5:15 “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again”

Last Two Minutes

An Exposition of Luke 23:39-43

Sinusundan ko ang bawat laro

Ng koponan kong nanghihingalo

Sa bawat bolang binibitaw

'Di mapigilang mapapasigaw

Iyan ang mga panimulang linya ng likhang-awit ni Gary Granada, “'Pag Nananalo ang Ginebra” (tinig ni Bayang Barrios). Ito ay pagsasalarawan ng kasiyahang nadarama ng isang tipikal na basketball fan kapag nagwawagi ang kanyang paboritong team. Iyan din ang mga panimulang linya ng awitin niyang “'Pag Natatalo ang Ginebra”, pagsasalarawan naman ng damdamin ng isang tipikal na fan kapag nagkakalat ang kanyang paboritong koponan. Para sa mga hindi basketball fans, mahirap unawain iyan pero ganun po talaga. Ganyan ang damdamin ng mga fans. Masyado silang affected sa nangyayari sa hinahangaang koponan

Ngayon ay hindi na ako nanonood, pero pinagdaanan ko rin 'yan. Kapag natatambakan ang aking paborito, at nakikita kong nauubos na ang oras, nasasaktan ako. Lalo na kapag nakikita mong unti-unti nababakante ang mga upuan. Lumalabas na ng ULTRA o Araneta Colosseum ang mga manonood kasi tiyak silang hindi na makakahabol pa yung natatalong koponan-- at malamang marami sa kanila ay nasasaktan din tulad ko. Parang gusto ko na ngang patayin ang telebisyon kasi nga masakit sa damdamin.

Bihirang mangyari, subalit kung minsan ay nangyayari na yung hindi mo inaasahang makakahabol pa ay nakakahabol pa. Sunod-sunod ang turnovers ng kabilang team at nakaka-iskor naman sila. Makikita mo, yung mga lumalabas ng Colosseum at hindi pa nakakalayo ay biglang bumabalik sa kanilang mga upuan. Napasarap ulit ang laban. Akala mo wala nang pag-asa, meron pa pala.

Ang taong katabi ni Kristo sa kanyang pagkakapako sa krus ay aakalain mong wala nang pag-asang maligtas. Bakit?

Una, hindi siya isang relihiyosong tao. Siya ay isang kriminal. Kapag nanonood ako ng police report sa mga newscast, tinatanong ng reporter yung mga nahuling suspek, “matagal na ba ninyong gawain ito?” . Sagot ng suspek (habang tinatakpan ang kanyang mukha), “hindi po sir, ngayon lang po. Nayaya lang ako.” Kadalasan ay hindi kapani-paniwala, pero ibigay na natin. Meron naman talaga sigurong natukso lang, hindi naman talaga niya gawain. Sinubukan lang gumawa ng kalokohan- timbog agad.

Ang kriminal sa tabi ng Panginoon ay tinawag na kakourgos. Ganito ang depinisyon ng isang Greek lexicon sa salitang iyan:

"one who customarily engages in doing what is bad"

(Louw-Nida)

Hindi siya isang one time criminal na natimbog; siya ay isang professional criminal. Normal na sa buhay niya ang paggawa ng masama-- ito ang kanyang career. Hindi siya yung tipo ng tao na makikinig sa mga usaping ispirituwal.

Pangalawa, sa ulat nina Mateo at Marcos, noong una ay kasama siya sa mga kumukutya at lumalapastangan sa Diyos. Ang salitang “robbers” sa Matt. 27:41-44 at Mark 15:32 ay nasa plural form. Hindi isa kundi yung dalawang kriminal ang kumukutya at lumalapastangan sa Panginoon.

Isipin na lang ninyo ang kanyang kalagayan. Nakapako sa krus, marami siyang tinanggap na hagupit; marami siyang sugat. Sa bawat oras na dumaraan ay nanghihina siya. Slowly but surely, he is dying.

Pero saan niya ginagamit ang natitirang lakas? Ginagamit niya ito sa paglapastangan sa Diyos na may likha ng daigdig, laban sa Diyos na nagbigay ng buhay sa kanya at patuloy na bumubuhay sa kanya. Death is at the doorstep and he will soon face his Creator, and he is using the depleting energy in his body to mock the judge who has the authority to declare him justified or guilty.

Malapit na siyang malagutan ng hininga. Kumbaga ay last two minutes na ng kanyang buhay at kung mamasdan mo ang kanyang kalagayan, wala talaga siyang kapag-apag-asang maligtas.

Unexpected turn of events

Humirit ulit ng isa pang round ng pang-aalaska ang isang kriminal:

Luke 23:39- One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!".

Ang inaasahan niya, sasali ulit yung kapwa niya kriminal sa pang-iinsulto sa Panginoon. Pero ang tugon ng kanyang kapwa kriminal ay kagulat-gulat:

“ But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God..."

Marahil ay na-shock siya sa tugon ng kanyang kumpareng Kriminal-- “Anong nangyayari sa iyo pare?”

Makikita rin natin dito ang unang palatandaan ng isang taong binago ng Panginoon. Sabi niya “Don't you fear God”

But let me just say that these marks of conversion are not exhaustive. One must survey all the relevant accounts and deductive passages on conversion before we can present an exhaustive list of the Converts' marks. We will limit the marks to what we are seeing in Luke 23:39-43)

The first mark of conversion: fear of God.

Tulad ng lahat ng hindi pa mananampalataya, ang propesyonal na kriminal na ito ay walang takot sa Diyos. Ang pagsasalarawan ng bibliya sa lahat ng hindi pa mananampalataya ay "There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom 3:18). Subalit ngayon ay may malaking pagbabago-- biglang nagkaroon siya ng takot sa Diyos.'

Ika nga ni John Macarthur: “the first thing you see in a real conversion is a heightened awareness that God is a threat”

He is crucified; he is suffering from a cruel form of capital punishment in the ancient times. That is terrifying enough. Yet escaping from the cross is not his concern right now. For him there is something more terrifying than crucifixion.

The Roman government can only destroy his body. But there is a higher judge who can destroy not just the body but the soul as well.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt. 10:29)

He has fallen into the hands of Roman authorities, and that is dreadful. Yet that is not his concern at the moment. For him there is something more dreadful.

“ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:31)

BTW, how do you evangelize? Is God a threat in your gospel presentation? Or do you have your own version of the gospel which offers a non-threatening God? Mag-ingat, baka hindi ebanghelyo yang ibinabahagi mo.

The second mark of conversion: a high view of Jesus Christ.

To the natural eyes, there is nothing impressive about Jesus. Even those who admired him in the early days demanded that he should be crucified during his trial. Christ is majestic in glory but he clothed it with frail humanity. As a result:

“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” (Isa.53:2 b)

The Pharisees, Saduccees, the Priests, Pilate, Herod and other authorities can't see his beauty. Moments ago, this criminal himself finds Jesus unattractive and unimpressive. He was mocking him moments ago. Yet there was a sudden change. His eyes were opened and he saw beyond what eyes could see.

a. He saw the sinlessness of Jesus.

Nakita niyang hindi nila ka-level si Hesus. They are rightly judged as criminals but this this man called Jesus is sinless. There is nothing in him that deserves this wicked punishment.

1 Peter 1:22- "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

Heb. 4:15- "we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin"

b. He saw Jesus as a King

The crowd entertained themselves by placing a crown of thorns upon the head of Jesus. They nailed a sign which says ““This is the king of the Jews.””. Earlier, they put a mock royal robe on him. The irony is, the one whom they mocked is the true king who deserves more than the best robe the world can offer; he deserves the best crown which the world cannot give. He is not just the King of the Jews but the King of the entire universe and the heaven itself

This criminal however asked Jesus to remember him when he comes into his Kingdom. That is a recognition that Jesus is indeed King. For What is a kingdom without a King?

Namamangha ako sa lalim ng insights na ibinigay ng Diyos sa taong ito. In search for a similar case of conversion, John Macarthur says this criminal's conversion is close to Paul's. Pero sa ganang akin, mukhang malayo. You see, there was a miracle in the conversion of Paul. There was that blinding light. He even heard the audible voice of the Lord Jesus.on the way to Damascus. This man's conversion however was unaided by miracles.

When Jesus died, there was a violent earthquake; The temple veil was rended from top to button. The centurion who was guarding him were terrified by the earthquake and so they confessed, “"Surely he was the Son of God!".

Praise God for the salvation of that centurion; praise God for the conversion of Paul. However, the criminal's conversion was unaided by miracles and signs. All he saw was a wounded and dying man, yet he saw him as King.

The followers of Jesus along Emmaus road said “we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel (Luke 24:21)” – When Jesus died, their hopes for the Kingdom were shattered. But this man looks forward to the day when Christ will finally reign.

c. He saw Jesus' victory over death.

Again he saw something hidden from the eyes of others. In John 2:19-21, Jesus prophesied that when they shall murder him, he will rise again from the dead in three days. In verse 22, John reports that only after the resurrection did the the apostles understood the significance of Jesus' words about this resurrection. One apostle even said that he will not believe Christ's resurrection unless he can insert his fingers on Jesus' nail marks and his hand on Jesus wound by the side. These are men who benefited from Jesus' instruction and fellowship for three years.

~This criminal however did not have that privilege of walking with Jesus for three years. Ang mga Dabarkads niya sa nakaraang tatlong taon ay malamang mga kriminal din na kagaya niya. But he looks forward to the day when Jesus lives and reigns. Another unusually amazing deep insight from this man.

The third mark of Conversion: Willingness to be ridiculed for the cause of Christ.

The fact that it is written in the bible means that Luke's careful investigation (Luke 1:1-4) yielded eyewitnesses who heard of this confession. Just imagine the scene: the whole world is mocking Jesus. Everyone thinks he is a fraud. And out of that multitude of voices, you will confess Christ as King. For that reason, you will share the ridicule reserved only for Jesus.

~Charles Spurgeon comments: “Its easy to swim with the current, and hard to go against the flow”

Dear students, when the textbooks and the whole class assumes Darwinism (evolution), it will be easy for you if you will swim towards their direction. Life will be easier for you if you will just accept the assertion that molecules gradually change overtime to become man. But I'm telling you, God will be please if you can stand up for the Bible's teaching that man was instantly created by God in his image on the sixth day. Oh how I wish I could turn back time and be a maverick in the classroom.

When all the people around you think that homosexuality is okay, God will be pleased if you shall go against the flow at the risk of being labeled as a discriminator or an homophobic. Stand up for what the bible says about homosexuality.

Going against the flow not only pleases Christ, it is also a mark of true conversion, as demonstrated by that thief on the cross.

The fourth mark of conversion: his plea to be a recipient of mercy.

He knows he is a sinner; he knows what he deserves is punishment. Yet he sees Jesus as a merciful king and so he asked “Remember me”. That reminds me of the tax collector in Luke 18:13 who went to the temple yet stood at a distance. He can't even look up because of shame. And while beating his breast pleads “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

JESUS' Response

1. A Promise of Assurance

Aren't you glad there is certainty in Jesus promise? He said “you will be with me...” Ano kaya kung sinabi ni Hesus, Okay, you will be with me in paradise. Pero mag-ingat ka! May ilang oras ka pa para mabuhay. Baka magkasala sa last two minutes. Pagbabayaran mo sa purgatoryo ng sandaang taon. Magbilin ka na sa mga kamag-anak mo na mag-novena sila pagkamatay mo. Dapat ipagdasal ka nila tuwing death anniversary mo at All Soul's Days. No, Jesus gave a certain promise that he will be preserved for the remaining hours of his life so when he departs from this life, he will be in paradise.

Those who were faithful to the Lord for two minutes prior to death is just as safe as those who were faithful for the last twenty years. 


This ought to give us hope in sharing the gospel at someone's deathbed. Many times, our loved ones reject the gospel we offer. The rejection may last for decades, but God may still do something amazing in the last two minutes.


I'm also looking forward for surprises in heaven. We will see unexpected people there. "Nandito ka!!! "Di ba nagnakaw ka pa dalawang araw bago ka mamatay !!!"  We'll God granted him repentance before he took his last breathe.

2. Immediate fellowship

There are those who believe in Psychopannychy as an intermediate state, popularly called soul sleep . In this view, the soul is unconscious in between death and resurrection. This verse says that on that very day, the converted criminal will enjoy God's fellowship in paradise. The reunion of our souls with our bodies will wait until the resurrection--- John 6:44, “ I will raise him up on the last day” , but we will be in conscious fellowship with Jesus and other saints. Remember Lazarus with Abraham in Luke 16:19-31

Now if you think the doctrine of soul sleep is weird, there is something weirder. The Jehovah's Witnesses insist on this translation:

'Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in paradise." (New World Translation)

Other translations however read:

"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (NIV)

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (ESV)

Legitimate bible translations place the comma before the word today; but the NWT places it after. That is strange because in other instances where the phrase “amen soi lego“ appears, the NWT always placed the break immediately after it. Luke 23:43 is the only exception. Why? As in other places where the NWT is controversial, they were translating out of theological bias.

NWT translated it that way to support a distinctive of the Jehovah's Witnesses: they believe that men cease to exist as persons at death. In their system the repentant criminal has been non-existent for the past 2000 years.

The following verses are proofs that we will enter into immediate fellowship with the Lord after death:

Acts 7:59

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Phil 1:21-24

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”

2 Cor. 5:6-8

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

This is not just to defend a doctrine. It is meant to give you hope that even death can do you no harm. All it can do to you is to bring you to immediate fellowship with your King.

CONCLUSION

Sa basketbol, ang isang koponan ay maaaring makahabol sa last two minutes malamang dahil sa husay ng mga manlalaro at sa strategy ng kanilang coach o di kaya ay dahil sa mga “lucky breaks”. Pero sa last two minutes salvation, hindi husay o suwerte ang batayan upang makahabol sa langit, kundi habag ng Diyos.

John 6:44 “"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

This is the story of two criminals. Both were notorious sinners. Both were deserving of eternal punishment. Both were unable to come to Jesus. The only difference is that God the Father has drawn one to come to his Son and the other was not. God's sovereignty and God's mercy were both displayed in this account of a salvation in the last two minutes.

The Bridgemaster Illustration Missed the Essentials of the Penal Substitution

"The story of the railway switchman illustrates the substitutionary nature of Christ's death, but gives a distorted portrayal of God's will and God's law. The switchman (representing God the Father) is compelled to make a choice between two distinctly unpalatable options, and the decision is forced upon him by the pressure of unforeseen circumstances. His son is an unfortunate, passive victim who has landed himself and his father in this dreadful situation by sheer carelessness, and he does not willingly consent to die. This contrasts starkly with the biblical picture of the cross as part of God's eternal plan, devised before the creation of the world to glorify the Son; of the Father as the one who deliberately chose to send his Son into the world; of the Son as the willing, determined, self-giving Savior of his people".

Pierced for Our Transgressions:

Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution (page 332-333)

Steve Jeffery, Mike Ovey and Andrew Sach

GUEST POST: God’s Exaltation of His Godhood and Solitariness in His Judgment Against His Mockers

by Sheila Marie Andales

Scripture:2 Kings 19:8-19, 35-36

Background/Context:

The context of this passage is primarily the hostilities between Judah and Assyria during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah and King Sennacherib of Assyria.

Judah (Southern Kingdom) was ruled by King Hezekiah, a king who did what was right in the sight of the Lord. He is known to have trusted in the LORD so that after him was none like him among all kings of Judah, nor who were before him, for he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments. The Lord was with him and he prospered wherever he went.

On one hand, Assyria, led by King Sennacherib was a very powerful nation able to conquer the neighboring nations of Israel and Judah.

Before King Hezekiah of Judah became king, his father submitted to Assyria. But King Hezekiah rebelled against him and asserted independence. Thus, Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, sent messengers to demand Hezekiah’s complete surrender.

Sennacherib, through his messengers, threatened King Hezekiah and reproached Judah’s living God, saying:

“Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria’. Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed…?” (vv.10-12)

Two Observations on Sennacherib’s Threat:
From this, I gleaned two observations from Sennacherib’s threat:

First, Sennacherib and his messengers falsely accused God. Through Isaiah, the prophet, the LORD assured Hezekiah that He would deliver him. Hezekiah trusted the LORD and he encouraged the people of Judah. He gathered them together and said,

“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all te multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles”.

Sennacherib, on one hand, accused God of deception. He accused God of deceiving Judah in promising victory for them. He accused God of being powerless to give victory for his people.

The second observation is that Sennacherib and his messengers mocked God. They did this by equating and likening the One True God with the gods of the surrounding nations. They placed God at the same level with the gods of the gentile nations. They likened Him to the powerless gods of the Gentiles.

Hezekiah’s Response:
As a response, Hezekiah sought the LORD and pleaded for the exaltation of God’s Godhood through victory over Sennacherib and his army. In his prayer, he affirmed the power of God, by saying: “You have made the heavens and the earth”(v.15). He pointed out the non-existence of Gentile gods as the reason of the Gentile nations’ defeat while affirming the existence and power of God as the ground of his hope for deliverance. He says in vv15b and 19:

“You are God , You alone of all the kingdoms of the earth.. Now, therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, YOU ALONE.”

God’s Response to Hezekiah:
God exalted His Godhood in His judgment against Sennacherib and the Assyrian army. The Angel of the LORD slaughtered 185,000 men of Sennacherib’s army. In Psalm 76, the slaughter was attributed to the LORD Himself

“[God] broke the arrows of the bow, the shield and sword of battle… The stouthearted were plundered; they have sunk in to their sleep; and none of the mighty men have found use of their hands. At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse were cast into dead sleep”.

Moreover, God’s Word regarding the death of Sennacherib came to pass. He was assassinated by his sons while worshipping in the temple of Nisroch his god. God punished His mockers.

Instructions Gleaned from the Passage:
Certain instructions can be gleaned through this passage.

First, this account instructs us about the God who demands our worship. The God who demands our worship is a God of truth who promised punishment on His mockers. He is mocked when people persist in their evil ways, waywardness, and unbelief. He shows Himself strong for those whose heart is loyal to Him but shows Himself just and powerful to the rebellious and unbelieving. He deceives not. What He promises will surely come to pass. His promised punishment will surely come to pass.

The God who demands our worship is also the Only True God. He is solitary in His ESSENCE and BEING. No one can be compared to Him. We could not liken him to gods made of wood or stone. We could not reduce Him to something He is not. He is unequal. He cold not be likened to any created things or beings. Thus, he has the right to demand a bowing before His SUPREMACY and INCOMPARABILITY.

Second, this account instructs us about proper attitude in worship.

Since the God we worship is a powerful God who punishes His mockers, we should fear Him. In Ps. 76, a psalm believed by most scholars to have been written after God’s slaughter of Sennacherib’s army, the psalmist exhorted Judah to fear God (Ps. 76:7 “You, Yourself, are to be feared; And who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry?”). This fear has two results. First, it results to resolutions to fulfill one’s obligations to Him. Second, it results to expressions of homage and gratitude (Ps. 76:11 “Make vows to the LORD your God , and pay them: Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be found.”). Worship, which is manifested trough godly living and yielding of one’s self, has the fear of God as its foundation.

Since the God we worship is also SUPREME and INCOMPARABLE, our worship should likewise be SUPREME and INCOMPRABLE. Our worship should match His supremacy and incomparability. May our affections be devoted wholly to the ONLY TRUE GOD. May our devotion to Him be unrivaled just as He Himself is unrivaled.
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Kung hindi lang dahil sa dugo ni Kristo, mga kontra-bida rin sana tayo

Noong ako ay munting bata, katulad ng iba, maiksi ang aking attention span. Kaya naman kahit nakikinood ako kay Tatay at kuya ng FPJ movies, hindi ko nasusundan ang daloy ng kuwento. Mahirap naman para sa isang munting bata ang magtiyaga sa loob ng dalawang oras sa harap ng telebisyon at unawain ang isang kuwentong pang-matanda.







Iniisip ko ngayon: Saan ko ba natutunan yung konsepto ng Bida vs. kontra-bida (Hero vs. Villain)? Ang aking kongklusyon: Ang konsepto ng Bida vs. Kontra-bida ay una kong natutunan sa panonood ng mga cartoons. Oo nga't pamilyar ako sa mga pagmumukha nina Romy Diaz, Paquito Diaz at Max Alvarado, pero sa cartoons ko talaga unang natutunan ang konsepto.

Popeye vs. Brutus

Batman vs. Joker, Penguin, Mr. Freeze

Kasabay ng mga cartoon na iyan, nanonood din ako ng Superbook at Flying House, mga cartoons ng bible stories. Pero dahil nga bata, mas inaabangan ko yung Superbook kasi Old Testament stories ang mga yun. May David vs. Goliath… Samson vs. Philistines… Maaksyon ‘di ba? Tuwang-tuwa talaga ako sa adventures nina Christopher, kaibigan niyang si Joy, at siyempre yung laruang robot na si Gizmo… yung may susi sa likod na kailangang pihitin sa tuwing lowbat siya. Favorite ko talaga ito, kahit tignan nyo pa ang aking Friendster profile.

Sa aking panonood ng Superbook, yung konsepto ng bida vs. kontra-bida ay nadala ko sa kuwento ni Moses. Ang tingin ko sa mga Egyptians, lalo na kay Pharoah ay mga kontra-bida. Eh kasi pinagmamalupitan nila yung mga aliping Israelita.

Sino nga ba ang Bida at mga Kontra-bida?

Sinabi ng Diyos sa Exodus 12:12: “against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment” (NKJV). Ibig sabihin, isa sa mga dahilan ng paghatol ng Diyos laban sa Ehipto ay ang kanilang talamak na idolatry.

Ang kaso, hindi lang naman Egyptians ang guilty sa idolatry. Ayon sa Ezekiel 20:6-8:

v.6- On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.

v.7- And I said to them, "Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

v.8-" `But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt.

Nang mangako ang Diyos na ilalabas niya sila mula sa Ehipto, ipinag-utos niya na layuan nila ang mga diyus-diyosan ng Ehipto. Subalit hindi sila tumalima.Kaya nga doon pa lang sa Ehipto: “in the midst of the land of Egypt” (verse 8, NKJV), nag-aalab na ang poot at galit ng Diyos laban sa kanila. Kaya lang naman natuloy ang kanilang paglaya ay dahil sa:

v.9-“ But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations they lived among and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites by bringing them out of Egypt.”

Para sa karangalan ng Diyos ang nangyari. Siya ang tunay na bida sa kasaysayan ng pagtutubos. Ang mga tinubos (tulad ng may-ari ng blog na ito) ay kinahabagan lamang ng Diyos. Hindi sila karapat-dapat ibigin, pero inibig pa rin sila ng Diyos:

Deuteronomy 7:7-8: “The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

Ang Dugo na Ipinahid sa mga Pinto

May sampung salot na ipinadala ng Diyos. Mga Egyptians lang ang tinamaan pero ang totoo, maging ang mga Israelita ay karapat-dapat rin naman magdusa sa mga salot na iyon.

Bago ipadala ng Diyos ang ika-sampung salot, ipinag-utos niya sa mga Israelita na maghanda ng mga tupa. Ipinapahid niya ang dugo sa mga pintuan ng kanilang mga tahanan. Wika ng Diyos: “when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:13).

Ang mga nakasulat sa Matandang Tipan ay naisulat para sa ating ikatututo (Romans 15:4). Sa Bagong Tipan ay nasusulat: “Christ, our Passover lamb. Has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7)

The reason why we are spared from the wrath of God is not because we are better than our unbelieving neighbors. It is because of Christ's blood.

Kung hindi lang dahil sa dugo ni Kristo, mga kontra-bida rin sana tayo.

Romans 5:8-9: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!”

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Mga Sinangguni:

Alexander, Ralph-- Commentary on Ezekiel, in Expositor's Bible Commentary (Frank E. Gaebelein, editor)

Henry, Matthew-- Commentary on the Whole Bible

Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach- Pierced for our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution