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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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The Intentional Saviour |
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Luke 18:31-43 Quinquagesima
Sunday February 22, 2009 From our Bible Study last Sunday we know that Jesus spoke the words of this morning’s Gospel Reading while in Perea on the east side of the Jordan river. He had set His face toward Jerusalem, knowing full well what awaited Him there. He even told His disciples again, “All things that are written by the prophets concerning
the Son of man shall be accomplished.
For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked,
and spitefully entreated, and spitted upon: and they shall scourge him and
put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.” I want to emphasize the intentionality of Jesus as He journeyed toward Jerusalem. The crucifixion of Jesus was no accident of history. It was the plan of God from before the beginning of the world. Before He laid the foundations of the cosmos, He laid the plan for our redemption. We see this revealed many times in Scripture. In Genesis 3:15 Jesus is the seed that will bruise the head of Satan. At the other end of the Bible, Revelation 13:8 tells us of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And listen to 1 Peter 1:18-20; “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you.” Ephesians 1:4 tells us we are chosen in Him “before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,” and Matthew 26:24 tells us the Son of man goeth as it is written of him.” Some of the most touching words of the Bible are found in John 12:27, where Jesus, knowing that His hour has come (vs. 23) and that His crucifixion and suffering were near, said, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour: but for this cause came I to this hour.” But, though Christ was an innocent victim, He was not an unwilling victim. The crucifixion was an act of His own will. It was His own offering of Himself for our sins. He said the Good Shepherd giveth His life for His sheep (Jn. 10:11). He said no man takes His life from Him “but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again” (Jn. 10:18). Luke 9:51 tells us again that when the time had come that He should be “received up” that is crucified and received up by the Father as the peace offering for our sins, He “steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.” There is great intentionality here. There is purpose here. Jesus went to Jerusalem for the purpose of giving His life on the cross, and He went to the cross for the purpose of paying the price for our sin. There are only two choices open to God for dealing with our sin. Either we must bear its cost ourselves, or God must bear it in Himself. The cross was God bearing it in Himself. It was an intentional act on the part of Christ, according to the plan of God laid before our universe was created. Thanks be to God. Amen. The Rev. Dr. R. Dennis Campbell, Vicar, Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
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