When Paul says of Christ, in Galatians 3:13, that He "became a curse for us," this carries with it a world of biblical and theological meaning. Surely, the Apostle had the curse of the Mosaic Covenant in mind--as the context indicates; but what lay behind the covenant curses of the Mosaic Law was the curse of the broken Covenant of Works stretching all the way back to Adam--our federal representative--in the Garden. When we start to examine the biblical storyline, we start to see how all the pieces fall together as God directs our attention to the Second Adam and true Israel, Jesus Christ, who became the representative curse for us so that those who believe in Him might receive all the spiritual and eternal blessings of God.
The Good News of the Gospel reminds us that we have we have a king who did not tear his garments in embarrassment and frustrated humiliation. The Gospel tells us that King Jesus had his flesh torn apart in judgment so that, in his death, he might become the curse and take the condemnation our sins required. The Gospel tells us that in His death, death itself was defeated, so that as the first born from among the dead, all who come to King Jesus will know that He and He alone is the one who can raise sinners--who are dead in their transgressions--and bring them back to life.
Everyone has dealt with restlessness and sleepless nights at some point. We've all schlepped through a groggy morning after a night of no sleep. Sleep is crucial to life. The restoration and revitalization that comes through a good night's sleep is vital. We all want the sleep of Proverbs 3:20, “If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” But often we experience the tossing and turning of Job 7:4, “When I lie down I say, 'When shall I arise?' But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till the dawn.” What does the Bible say about our sleep?
Christ's intercession is so often the forgotten part of His redemptive work. We rightfully focus upon the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. We know the important role that each of these play in the establishment of our salvation, but what about Christ's work as our intercessor? We are robbing ourselves of much of the Christian life and faith when we do not give Christ's intercession the attention it is due. There is much encouragement and comfort in understanding that Christ is our High Priest, who lives to make intercession.
They sit there next to you and their feet don’t even hit the floor. You’re thinking, “What, if anything, of this sermon is sinking into my kid’s head?” And with that little thought you’ve already decided not to engage with your child about the sermon. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
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