A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Man Of Sorrows (#19920406)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not” (Isaiah 53:3).

The marvelous hymn of the last century, “Hallelujah, What A Savior!,” provides in pithy but powerful form, an insight into the work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross. For the next few days, let us use its familiar verses to “think on these things” (Philippians 4:.

Man of Sorrows!“ What a name,
For the Son of God who came.
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah, what a Savor!
The creation should have brought great joy to the Creator, “for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). But ever since the beginning, the “very good” creation has defied Him, bringing great grief. In the days of Noah, “it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart” (Genesis 6:6).

But even in the face of such sinful defiance, the rejected Creator, the very Son of God came to “deliver them who . . . were all their lifetime subject to bondage. . . . To make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:15,17).

Yet when He came, instead of receiving a liberator’s welcome, He was again “despised and rejected,” as in our text for today. He was ridiculed and slandered, hounded and hunted; His body was beaten and broken and hung on a cross. But through it all “He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. . . . Was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, . . . was oppressed and afflicted” (vs.4–7), reclaiming ruined sinners.

Hallelujah, what a Savior! JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Condemned In My Place (#19920407)
by John Morris, Ph.D.
“Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of God” (Matthew 27:41–43).

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood—
Sealed my pardon with His blood:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Through the sham of a trial, they mocked Him and shamed Him. “They spit in His face, and buffeted Him” (Matthew 26:67). They “platted a crown of thorns, (and) put it upon His head” along with a kingly robe and “they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews” (27:29). Then they “scourged Jesus, (and) delivered Him to be crucified” (27:26). Finally, they stripped Him of His garments, hung Him naked on the cross, “And sitting down they watched Him there” (27:36). “They that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads” (27:39).

Surely such treatment would be reserved for only the worst sinners, but Pilate called Him “this just person” (v.24), not deserving of imprisonment or execution. Yet “they all condemned Him to be guilty of death” (Mark 14:64).

He wasn’t guilty, but I am, as are all of us. “For all have sinned” and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23; 6:23). He choose to stand condemned where we belong, for God “hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21).

We have thus been granted full pardon, “sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).

Hallelujah, what a Savior! JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Spotless Lamb Of God (#19920408)
by John Morris, Ph.D.
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, . . . But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18,19).

Guilty, vile and helpless we,
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement, can it be?
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Before God each individual stands as an absolutely guilty sinner. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Being more “good” than “bad” doesn’t help, “for whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (literally: used menstrual cloths)” (Isaiah 64:6). We are altogether vile and worthless.

Furthermore, we are powerless to change our situation. Our sins demand the death penalty, “and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). Either the guilty party must die to pay sin’s penalty, or a guiltless party must substitute and pay the penalty instead. And so, “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. . . . God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6,8).

This transaction removes our sin from us. We now stand before a Holy God just as if we had never sinned, and just as if we had always done right, “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

“And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:11).

Hallelujah, what a Savior! JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

It Is Finished! (#19920409)
by John Morris, Ph.D.
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14,15).

Lifted up was He to die,
“It is finished” was His cry;
Now in heav’n exalted high:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
The people of Israel many times rejected God’s plan and ways. Once their complaining brought deadly serpents into the camp as a judgment of God (Numbers 21:5–7). In response to Moses’ intercessory prayer, God said: “Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and . . . every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live” (v..

This episode provides a clear illustration of our sinfulness and God’s remedy. As in our text, those who look upon the cross of Christ with the eyes of faith, believing that His death provides a glorious remedy for our sin-wracked souls, will not only “live,” but will have “eternal life.”

While on that “pole,” Almighty God died as “the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2). This infinitely difficult work had been initiated at the time when sin first entered into and thereby spoiled creation (Genesis 3). And as He completed His sacrifice, He cried out “in a loud voice” (Luke 23:46) the awesome victory cry: “It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).

But death does not end the story, for the grave could not hold the Creator of life. He rose in victory over death and the grave, thereby conquering sin, its power and penalty, for ever, for “when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).

Hallelujah, what a Savior! JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

When He Comes (#19920410)
by John Morris, Ph.D.
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:16,17).

When He comes our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we’ll sing;
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

The sacrificed, risen, and exalted Christ will one day return in glorious victory to the earth. The King of creation will restore His creation to its original created intent, and reign over it in majesty, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

Furthermore, as we see in the text above, we shall be with Him, whether alive or dead, when He returns and reigns—a cause of much rejoicing and singing throughout eternity. “And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy: . . . for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9,10).

Through His mighty work of redemption, we have been ransomed out of slavery to sin. Our sins have been washed away, we have been clothed in His righteousness, and made fit to live forever with Him as His bride. “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready” (Revelation 19:6,7).

Hallelujah, what a Savior! JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Two Greatest Weeks (#19920411)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass; and upon a colt the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9).

The two greatest events in all history are the creation and the redemption of the world. Each of these events involved a great divine Week of work and a Day of rest. Day by day throughout the coming week, culminating on Easter Sunday, we will, in these pages, briefly compare the events of the seven days of Creation Week and Redemption Week.

The First Day of Creation Week involved the very creation of the universe itself (Genesis 1:1). An entire cosmos responded to the creative fiat of the Maker of heaven and earth. Initially, this space-mass-time (i.e., heaven, earth, beginning) continuum was created in the form of basic elements only, with no structure and no occupant (v.2)—a static suspension in a pervasive, watery matrix (II Peter 3:5). When God’s Spirit began to move, however, the gravitational and electromagnetic force systems for the cosmos were energized. The waters and their suspensions coalesced into a great spherical planet, and at His Word, visible light was generated (v.3).

In a beautiful analogy, on the first day of Redemption Week, the Creator King of the universe entered His chosen capital city (Matthew 21:1–9) to begin His work of redemption, as He had entered His universe to begin His work of creation. All the basic components of creation were there to acknowledge their Creator. The stones would have cried out to Him (Luke 19:39,40), the branches of the palm trees provided a carpet for Him (John 12:13; Mark 11:, the ass’s colt became His chariot (see our text, Zechariah 9:9), and the common people sang His praises (Matthew 21:9). “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee!” HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Preparation Of The Father's House (#19920412)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
“And He taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Mark 11:17).

As we continue to compare the corresponding days of Creation Week and Redemption Week, we must note that the chronology of the latter has been the subject of much disagreement among authorities. Details are uncertain, but we can at least consider this possible additional dimension to the understanding and harmony of the two weeks.

Having created and activated the earth on the First Day, God next provided for it a marvelous atmosphere and hydrosphere in which, later, would live the birds and fishes. No other planet is equipped with air and water in such abundance; the earth was uniquely planned for life! The hydrosphere, on the Second Day, was further divided into waters below and waters above “the firmament,” equipped to maintain a perfect climate worldwide.

Paralleling the primeval provision of life-sustaining air and water, on Day Two of Redemption Week, the Lord entered again into the city and into the temple, which He had called His Father’s house (John 2:16). As He approached the city, He cursed the barren fig tree (Mark 11:12–14) and then, in the temple, overthrew the tables of the money-changers (Mark 11:15). Both actions—the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple—symbolize the purging of that which is barren or corrupt in the Creator’s kingdom. He had created a world prepared for life, but mankind had made it unfruitful and impure. As physical life must first have a world of pure air and water, so the preparations for a world of true spiritual life require the purifying breath of the Spirit and the cleansing water of the Word, preparing for the true fruit of the Spirit and the true temple of God’s presence, in the age to come. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Sea And The Mountains (#19920413)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
“Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23).

On the Third Day of Redemption Week, the sight of the withered fig tree led to an instructive lesson on faith in God, the Lord Jesus assuring the disciples that real faith could even move mountains into the sea. In parallel, on the Third Day of Creation Week, He had literally called the mountains up out of the sea (Genesis 1:9,10)!

It was also on this day that the Lord rebuked the Jewish leaders with two parables about a vineyard (Matthew 21:28–43). They had been placed in charge of God’s vineyard on the earth, and had failed. Like the fig tree, there was no fruit for God from their service, and they must be removed.

Likewise, on Day Three of Creation, the entire earth had supported an abundance of fruit to nourish every living creature (Genesis 1:11,12). It had been placed in man’s care (1:28–30; 2:15), but he had failed. Before the earth can become a beautiful garden again (Revelation 22:2), it must be purged, and the faithless keepers of the vineyard banished.

This Third Day of Passion Week was climaxed with His great discourse on the Mount of Olives, in which the Lord promised He would come again some day in power and great glory (Matthew 24). He then spent the night with His disciples there on the mountain, no doubt remembering the first mountains. Also, the little Garden of Gethsemane—on its slopes—would bring to mind the beautiful Garden of Eden and the verdant world He had planted everywhere that same day. Now, because of what He was about to do in Jerusalem, the ground would some day be cleansed of its Curse and the world made new again. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Lights Of The World (#19920414)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16).

On the Fourth Day of Creation Week, the Lord Jesus had formed the sun and the moon and all the stars of heaven. There had been “light” on the first three days, but now there were actual lights! Not only would the earth and its verdure be a source of beauty and sustenance to man, but even the very heavens would bring joy and inspiration to him. Furthermore, they would guide his way, and keep his time.

But instead of the stars of heaven turning man’s thoughts and affections toward his Creator, they had been corrupted and identified with a host of false gods and goddesses. Furthermore, instead of creating a sense of awe and reverence for His majesty, they had bolstered the humanistic belief that the earth is insignificant and meaningless in a vast, evolving cosmos. Perhaps thoughts such as these troubled the mind of the Lord that night as He lay on the mountain gazing at the lights He had long ago made for the darkness.

When morning came and Day Four of Redemption Week began, He returned to Jerusalem, where many were waiting to hear Him. He taught in the temple (Luke 21:37,38), but the synoptic gospels do not record His teachings. This lack is probably supplied in the apparently parenthetical record of His temple teaching as given only in John’s Gospel (12:20–50), because there He twice compared Himself to the lights He had made. “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you” (John 12:46,35). He who was the True Light must become darkness, in order that, in the new world, there would never be night again (Revelation 22:5). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Lamb Of God (#19920415)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (I Corinthians 5:7).

The Fifth Day of Redemption Week was the annual day for the Passover Supper. We know nothing of His words during that day, but perhaps this Scriptural silence is for the purpose of emphasizing the greater importance of these preparations for the Passover.

Multitudes of sacrificial lambs and other animals had been slain and their blood spilled through the centuries, but this would be the last such acceptable sacrifice. On the morrow, the Lamb of God would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He would offer one sacrifice for sins forever (Hebrews 10:12). With the blood of His cross, He would become the great Peace Maker, reconciling all things unto the Maker of those things (Colossians 1:16,20).

As the Lord thought about the shedding of the blood of that last Passover Lamb on that Fifth Day of Holy Week, He must also have thought of the Fifth Day of Creation Week, when He had first created animal life (Genesis 1:21). This had been His second great act of creation—this creation of the entity of conscious animal life (the first act of ex nihilo creation had been the creation in Genesis 1:1 of the physical elements). In these living animals, the “life” of the flesh was in their blood, and it was the blood which would later be accepted as an atonement for sin (Leviticus 17:11). Note that the words “creature,” “soul,” and “life” are all translations of the same Hebrew word nephesh. Surely the shedding of the innocent blood of the lamb that day would recall the far-off day when the “life” in that blood had first been created. And because He, the Lamb of God, was about to become our Passover (note our text for the day), death itself would soon be swallowed up in victory and life (I Corinthians 15:54). HMM

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The Groaning Creation (#19920416)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22).

On the Sixth Day, man had been created in God’s image and likeness—the very climax and goal of creation (Genesis 1:26,27). But on this Sixth Day, God, made in the likeness of man, finished the even greater work of redemption.

Under the great Curse, the whole creation had long been groaning and travailing in pain. But now, the Creator, Himself, had been made the Curse (Galatians 3:13; Isaiah 52:14), and it seemed as though the Creation also must die. Though He had made heaven and earth on the First Day, now He had been lifted up from the earth (John 3:14) and the heavens were silent (Matthew 27:46). Though He had made the waters on the Second Day, He who was the very Water of Life (John 4:14), was dying of thirst (John 19:28).

On the Third Day, He had made the dry land, but now the “earth did quake, and the rocks rent” (Matthew 27:51). He had also covered the earth with trees and vines on that Third Day, but now the True Vine (John 15:1) had been plucked up and the Green Tree (Luke 23:31) cut down. He had made the sun on the Fourth Day, but now the sun was darkened (Luke 23:45) and the Light of the World (John 8:12) was burning out. On the Fifth Day, He had created life, and He, Himself, was life (John 11:25; 14:6), but now the life of His flesh, the precious blood, was being poured out, and He had been brought “into the dust of death” (Psalm 22:15). On the Sixth Day, He had created man and given him life, but now man had rejected Him and was putting Him to death.

The creation has been groaning and travailing in pain ever since Adam’s sin, but its Creator has paid the price for its redemption, and therefore, it will someday “be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

A First-Century Hymn

"It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us: If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself" (II Timothy 2:11-13).

It has been noted that our text for the day is in poetic language and form. It probably consists of an early hymn that Timothy and the other readers of this epistle knew. It consists of a series of "if . . . then" statements, each an important conditional promise, two with negative connotations and two with positive.

"If we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him." Elsewhere we read: "You, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2:13).

"If we suffer |literally, "endure"|, we shall also reign with Him." "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne" (Revelation 3:21).

"If we deny Him, He also will deny us." Christ said, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:33).

"If we believe not |literally, are unfaithful|, yet He abideth faithful." His promises are sure whether they be warnings of judgment or promises of blessing. God promised Joshua: "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage" (Joshua 1:5-6).

Our text begins with the statement, "It is a faithful saying," and ends with, "He cannot deny Himself." We can be sure that He will live up to His end of the bargain. His very nature demands it.

[Soldier4Christ]

Building-Vine-Body (#19920519)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

There are three wonderful figures in the New Testament which depict the relationship of the individual believer to all other believers and to Christ Himself. Christians are like little branches in the great Vine, which is Christ. They are stones in a great Building of which He is the foundation and corner stone. They are all members of the great Body of which He is the head. In each case, they have been placed “in Christ,” and they derive all life and meaning from Him.

As a stone lying alone on the ground is useless and ugly, so would be a professing Christian who is not truly in Christ. But we, “as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house” (I Peter 2:5) as “the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19–22).

Similarly, a branch without its vine and roots is lifeless. Jesus said: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The members of a body are functionless without the head to direct them. “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him” (I Corinthians 12:18), and it is intended that we “may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together . . . maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15,16).

Outside of Christ, we are useless and lifeless and directionless. In Him, we become a beautiful temple, a fruitful vine, and a strong body. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Ministry And The Word (#19920520)
by John Morris, Ph.D.
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (II Corinthians 5:20).

We, as emissaries of God, must be about the business of imploring people to “be reconciled to God,” for God “hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ” (v.18) and has a desire to see many others likewise reconciled.

Paul tells us that God “hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (v.18) and “committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (v.19). What is the difference?

In the first case, the word ministry is translated from the Greek word which means service. The right to serve is given to us by God, just as a gift is given. Prior to this passage, we are taught the “ministry” (4:1) which we have is in reality a “treasure in earthen vessels” (4:7). We always should remember that God does not need us to do His will, but that in His grace, He has chosen to use us in various ways.

In the second case, the teaching is quite different, for it is the magnificent word (Greek logos) being dealt with. Christ is referred to as “the Word” (John 1:1). The “Word of God is quick (alive)” (Hebrews 4:12), and through it we are “born again” (I Peter 1:23). A study of this grand theme demands that the logos is no less than the eternal Word of God—that aspect of the triune Godhead which communicates directly to man, whether written or incarnate. Here it is the “Word of reconciliation” (II Corinthians 4:19) which is committed to us.

The verb “commit” literally means “to place,” and implies a deep and important trust, a whole-hearted commitment. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down (same verb) his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

The Word has been carefully placed in our trust, to guard, believe, and to apply. The privilege of sharing it with others is a rich and gracious gift. JDM

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The Deep Sleep (#19920521)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof” (Genesis 2:21).

This is the first of seven occurrences of the unusual term “deep sleep” (Hebrew tardema) in the Old Testament. In each case, it seems to refer to a special state induced by the Lord Himself, in order to convey an important revelation to, or through, the person experiencing it.

In Adam’s case, God made a bride for him during his deep sleep, from whose seed would be born all the nations of the earth. “And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man” (v.22). The covenant God made with Adam and Eve delegated dominion over the earth to their descendants.

The second deep sleep was that which “fell upon Abram” (Genesis 15:12), when God passed between the sacrificial animals and established His great covenant with him, promising that from his seed would be born the chosen nation. “And I will make of thee a great nation” (12:2). The Abrahamic covenant also delegated the central land of the earth to Isaac’s descendants (15:18–21) and promised that “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (12:3).

But Adam was a type of Christ and Abraham was a type of Christ, and their deep sleeps pre-figured His own deep sleep of death on the cross. There He became the last Adam and the promised Seed, dying to give life to His great Bride and living again to establish a holy nation of the redeemed, fulfilling all of God’s ancient covenants, and instituting the eternal New Covenant in His own blood.

When Adam fell into a deep sleep, a bride was born; when Abraham fell into his deep sleep, a nation was born. But when Christ slept deeply in death, on the cross and in the tomb, death and hell were judged, and a new world was born. HMM