There is no greater love story than this ... that God who created us in the beginning loved us so much that His decided plan of salvation -- decided before the world was framed -- was to shed His precious blood on the cross so that we could rejoice in His love. So that we could rest in His peace - the peace of Jesus that passes all understanding.
Remember the parables told by Jesus in Matthew 13? The man who found treasure in the field? He originally sought wealth. He had wanted to be rich -- at least that was his mission until he found the ultimate treasure. But when he found this treasure, "in his excitement" the man went and sold all that he had and bought the field. The second parable in Matthew 13 describes the smart merchant man who searched for fine pearls. He was not going to settle for less than the real pearl or, conversely, be deceived into believe that counterfeit pearls would be enough. Indeed, He wanted the pearl of great price. He wanted Jesus who can't be bought with the things of this earth. In fact, there is no amount of money or good works that can purchase salvation.
The Bible says that "all things are of God who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ." He hath given to us -- you and I -- the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, that God was in Christ -- the fullness of God dwelling bodily in Jesus -- so that the world -- we -- you and I -- could be reconciled back to our Lord God and Saviour Himself, not imputing our trespasses but rather committing unto us the Word of reconciliation.
Why? So that we can become ambassadors for Jesus the Christ who was made sin for us, the one who knew no sin in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. (II Corinthians 5:18-21) This is the love story that is not told enough. That in the beginning, even before God created man and woman in the Garden, He knew that these human beings -- who He loved so much -- would not have what it takes to save ourselves -- that all men would sin and fall short of the glory of God. This is why God became flesh, willing to shed His precious blood so that we might find the treasure in Him -- His love, His peace and His joy.
“In Jesus, men know and see the Father as they never did before. The cross and the passion of Jesus Christ are the unveiling to the world of the heart of God. It is the dying Christ that reveals the living God ... He is your way to God. See that you seek the Father by Him alone. He is your truth; grapple Him to your hearts, and by patient meditation and continual faithfulness enrich yourselves with all the communicated treasures that you have already received in Him. He is your Life. Cleave to Him that the quick Spirit that was in Him may pass into you and make you victors over all deaths, temporal and eternal." (Alexander McLaren)
And rejoice in this new "confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil. That is, His flesh. And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22). Stand in the offering plate.
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