Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-March 30, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

– Jesus, The Man Of Sorrows, Carried Our Sorrows-

“He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were our faces from Him; He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”

(Isaiah 53:3-4).

Jesus is called the Man of sorrows here in our text. He was loved by so many people in His life, yet hated by so many in His death. The chief priests, scribes, and elders of the Jews stirred up the crowd to demand His crucifixion. He did so much good, healed so many people, taught the Word of God, and performed such wonderful miracles. Still, He was rejected and crucified on the cross.

Matthew 27:22-23 says, “Pilate said to them, ‘What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said to him, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ Then the governor said, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified.’” Just days before the multitudes had shouted …”Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9)!” Oh how fickle are the hearts of men.

Jesus was despised and rejected. Men hid their faces from Him. He was beaten so unmercifully that He could not even be recognized. Isaiah 52:14 says, “Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” There was no one to defend Him, no one to comfort Him, no one on His side. Verse 4 gives us the reason, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.”

Jesus’ main purpose in coming into this world was to die on the cross for our sins. He endured the wrath and judgment of God that was our due. 1 Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” He died for us and rose again. Truly as the Man of sorrows He carried our griefs and sorrows. All our sins were put upon Him and He paid our sin debt in full. He tasted death for all of us and the whole world.

How can we thank our Savior enough. The hymn writer Philipp Bliss wrote, “Man of Sorrows, what a name for the Son of God who came ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! What a Savior!” Another hymn writer John Blackwell expressed, “Hail, Thou once despised Jesus! Hail, Thou still rejected King! Thou didst suffer to release us, Thou didst free salvation bring; Thro’ Thy death and resurrection, Bearer of our sin and shame! We enjoy divine protection, life and glory thro’ Thy name.” He is still despised and rejected by so many today. Let us bow down and worship Him our risen Savior!

Have a blessed day and Easter week contemplating the cross and the empty tomb. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 29, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-God Laid Our Sins on Christ So That His Righteousness May Be Imputed To Us-

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

(2 Corinthians 5:21).

Easter, the resurrection day, is next Sunday. It is the most important holy day in Christianity. We cannot think of the resurrection without consideration of the cross. Today’s verse is so precious and holy that we must take off our shoes for we are standing on holy ground. The Lord told this to Moses at the burning bush and to Joshua before the battle of Jericho.

We see the role of the Father and role of the Son on the cross for us. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The Paul also wrote in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

In order for God to save us He had to lay our sins on His beloved and only begotten Son. God (The Father) made Him (His Son Jesus Christ) to be sin for us. Not only did our Savior bear our sins but He also became sin for us. He was our Substitute on the cross. He took our place and died the death that we should have died. It is hard for us to imagine or comprehend the depths of His suffering on the cross. He bore the wrath and judgment at Calvary.

The hymn writer Annie Ross Cousin wrote, “Jehovah lifted up His rod — O Christ, it fell on Thee! Thou wast sore stricken of Thy God; There’s not one stroke for me. Thy blood beneath that rod has flowed: Thy bruising health me.” It says in Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His Seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall proper in His hand.” The reason it pleased the Father to bruise Him is because of His great love for us!

Because our Lord died for us and our sins, the Father has made us the righteousness of God in Him. We have been cleansed and forgiven of our sins and clothed in the righteousness of God. The Father now sees us through His perfect Son. Romans 5:19 says, “For as by one man’s (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s (Jesus) obedience many will be made righteous.” Praise God we are so blessed to be saved from our sins and to be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Have a blessed day and Easter week rejoicing in our salvation. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 28, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day and happy Palm Sunday,

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a random for all, to be testified in due time.”

( 1 Timothy 2:5-6).

As we reflect today on remembering our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, took our place on the cross, paid our sin debt and bore our sins in His own body, we are so encouraged. He came down from heaven to earth to bring us from earth to heaven. As someone said, “He paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed we could it pay.” Luke 22:19-20 says, “And He took break, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”

In the Gospel Of Luke, Luke presents Jesus as the Son of Man, who is perfect God and perfect man. Because He is sinless, He is the only one qualified to die for our sins. God accepted His one sacrifice on the cross to make atonement for our sins. God showed His complete satisfaction for His redeeming sacrifice by raising Him from the dead. He died for our sins and was raised for our justification.

The Apostle Paul calls Jesus the One Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. The definition of mediator is, “A person who attempts to make people involved in a conflict come to an agreement; a go-between.” Our Lord Jesus Christ did not just attempt it, He did it, He fulfilled it on the cross. He fulfilled the old covenant of the law and established the new covenant of grace.

There was not only a conflict, there was a great division between us as sinners and a holy, righteous God. Because we sinned, we were separated from God, under the condemnation of spiritual and physical death, and on our way to hell. There was no hope for us whatsoever. On the other side, God was holy, righteous, just, and perfect. According to His law, the soul that sins must die and be separated from Him forever. Sin must be paid for, and Jesus, the Son of God, our Mediator, paid the price for our sins.

Christ took the hand of God and the hand of man and joined them together in an eternal bond of love and forgiveness. In Hebrews the word Mediator is used four times. Hebrews 8:6 says, “But now He (i.e. Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.”

Under the old covenant of the law, there was no mediator. The law came through Moses from God. One who kept the law perfectly was saved, but not one person other than Jesus Christ could keep it perfectly. Through the law there was condemnation, through Christ there was grace. John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus was not only the Mediator, He was also our Substitute and our Intercessor.

In the business world, mediators are not always successful in bringing two sides together to a compromise and acceptable conclusion. Jesus fulfilled the role of Mediator perfectly. Through His sacrifice He made it possible for us unholy sinners to enter heaven and be with God forever. God now sees us through Christ, not as sinners but as sons, not as unrighteous but clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Our Savior was not only the just but also the justifier. Oh what Savior we have, what a salvation!

Let us thank God that our Savior became our Mediator. He is not only our Mediator but is our Intercessor. He makes intercession for us as our Great High Priest before the Father on a daily basis.

Have a blessed day rejoicing in our salvation. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 27, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-What A Great God We Have Who Protects Us-

“In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.”

(Psalm 62:7).

Today’s verse was written by King David. He found the Lord to be His Protector throughout his whole life. Over and over, the Lord protected him from death. Because David trusted in the Lord and obeyed Him, the Lord gave him the victory in every battle over all his enemies.

• In God is my salvation and my glory – The term salvation in the OT means to be saved from physical harm. David asked the question in Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid.” David recognized that it was God who was the source of his strength not his own strength or ability. The Lord was also his glory and exalted him to being king over Israel. David was Israel’s greatest king.

• The rock of my strength and my refuge – Three times in this rich and beautiful psalm, David uses the word “rock,” to describe the Lord. He was not just referring to a small stone one picks off the ground, but a huge boulder that cannot be moved. Psalm 61:2 says, “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock who is higher than I.” As believers in Christ we come to Him who is our rock, the chief cornerstone. We build our lives on obedience to Him and His Word. No storm can collapse our eternal dwelling. He is our refuge. The devil cannot get through to us nor can anything or anyone. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

What a great God we have and serve. Twice in our verse David uses the words “in God.“ The song writer wrote, “What a mighty God we serve, what a mighty God we serve. Angels bow before Him, heaven and earth adore Him, what a mighty God we serve.” We should not fear, be troubled, or anxious. He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. We can run to our Lord Jesus Christ for refuge in all the storms of life. He sees us through the storms and calms them as He did for His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. Let us trust Him at all times, pray, and be encouraged in the Word of God.

Have a blessed day of trusting in the Lord who is our salvation, glory, rock, and refuge. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 26, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Identifying With Christ By Believing And Suffering-

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”

(Philippians 1:29).

When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we identify ourselves with Him. A Christian is a follower of Christ. We identify ourselves first with the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior. This is shown in symbolic form in baptism. Following that we identify ourselves with Christ in believing in Him and suffering for His sake.

It was true for the OT prophets, for the apostles, and all believers in Jesus, standing for the Lord and His Word is costly. Suffering, especially in persecution, is a part of the Christian faith. Christianity will never be popular. People that hate Christ will also hate us, and people who love Christ will love us.

Jesus said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, you know it hated Me before you it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of this world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” There has always been persecution in one form of another, and it still exists today. In many countries today there is physical persecution, but there is also spiritual persecution everywhere, including in the U.S.A.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:17, “For the sufferings for this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” There is a three fold progression: we believe, we suffer, and we reign. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, than when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”

Peter and John were put into jail, threatened, and beaten for their faith in Christ. After their release it says in Acts 5:31, “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” We may not suffer in a physical way, but we are put down, mocked, ridiculed, and rejected by so many today. As soon as we identify with Christ and mention the name Jesus, we are cut off and people don’t want to hear it.

Do you believe in Jesus? Are you suffering in some way because of Him? Let us rejoice and thank the Lord that He suffered for us on the cross and we suffer for Him bearing His cross. Luke 9:23 says, “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’” Being a Christian is not easy, but it is the greatest blessing in the world and in heaven to come. Let us identify ourselves with Jesus, believing in Him and suffering for sake.

Have a blessed day identifying with Jesus, standing for Him, and suffering for His sake. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean