Jesus was resurrected as our only righteousness — our only way to please God.
The Father said of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). The apostle Paul reminds us of this again and again throughout his epistles, teaching that Christ alone is our righteousness in God’s eyes.
In obedience to God, Abraham took his son Isaac to a mountain to offer a sacrifice. Along the way Isaac asked his father, “Where is the lamb for sacrifice?” Abraham answered with faith: “My son, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8). And God did, leading Abraham to find a ram caught in a brush.
Abraham’s faith speaks clearly to us today, just as it spoke to Isaac: “If only you had been looking, you would see God provide for the sacrifice.”
David often wrote about brokenness in his psalms. He spoke of God’s nearness to those who are broken: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (34:18).
What incredible promises our Lord has given to those who are broken in spirit. He pledges to dwell with all who have been broken and revive their hearts.
When Paul appeared in court he heard outlandish charges leveled against him: “This man is a political zealot. He’s a troublemaker, stirring up the Jewish population worldwide. And he is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes and provokes great crowds against Rome. He is guilty of sedition!”
This was all a trap set by his opponents, yet Paul saw an even bigger trap: Satan himself was trying to get him off his central message of Jesus.
Paul wrote, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
He lived in a time when factions in the church abounded on the left and right, and they fought bitterly. Paul responded to the conflict by saying, “I have nothing to do with this. I am here for one purpose: to live and preach Christ crucified and risen. As a servant of the Lord, I refuse to get entangled in such things.”
In his later years, the faithful disciple John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos (see Revelation 1).
This was in effect a punishment of solitary confinement. John had no human contact on Patmos except with his jailers. It was a time of extreme cold, hunger and excruciating isolation for this elderly servant. Yet in the midst of his trial John had a powerful vision of the Lord.
Today our society is broken. We have out-of-control schools, confused leaders, collapsing banking systems, widespread unemployment, unmanageable social programs, and a complete breakdown of moral values. And to top it off, the earth could be standing on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. In short, things seem to be spinning out of control.
How can believers possibly stand firm and steadfast in the midst of all this chaos? The author of Hebrews answers us: We must see Jesus in all that is happening in our lives (see Hebrews 2:9).
Few Christians doubt that Jesus is their source but they don’t always have confidence and assurance he’ll give them what they need. Here are a few wonderful reminders of the Lord’s concern for you.
He knows all about your personal needs. “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8).
“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). You are being promised, “In Christ are all the riches of glory. In Jesus God has given you everything you need for life and godliness.”
If we’re honest, we’ll admit we often put our confidence in others during our hour of great need. We look to pastors, counselors, friends, spouses for answers. We spend hours, days, even weeks trying to figure out how our problem can be solved. And if a solution isn’t quick in coming, we keep manipulating, working every angle, until all our human resources are exhausted.
Deep despair and anguish can come at Jesus from those he cares for most.
Mary and Martha had cast away their confidence in him after their brother, Lazarus, fell sick and died (see John 11:20-21). Jairus’ household had cast away their confidence, as well. They all accused Jesus of being too late and uncaring (see Mark 5:35).