Lent (part 4)

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My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.
- Brennan Manning

Christ suffered & died...

To Reconcile Us to God (Romans 5:10) - "He took steps we could not take to remove his own judgment. He sent Christ to suffer in our place... Reconciliation from our side is simply to receive what God has already done, the way we receive an infinitely valuable gift."

To Bring Us to God (1 Peter 3:18, Ephesians 2:13) - "Long before Christ came, God revealed himself as the source of full and lasting pleasure. Then he sent Christ to suffer that he might bring us to God. This means he sent Christ to bring us to the deepest, longest joy a human can have. Hear the invitation: Turn from the fleeting pleasures of sing and come to pleasures forevermore. Come to Christ."

So That We Might Belong to Him (Romans 7:4, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Acts 20:28) - "Christ suffered and died that we might be set free from law and sing and belong to him. Here is where obedience ceases to be a burden and becomes the freedom of fruit-bearing. Remember, you are not your own."

To Give Us Confident Access to the Holiest Place (Hebrews 10:19) - "Without Christ the holiness of God had to be protected from us. He would have been dishonored and we would have been consumed because of our sin. But now, because of Christ, we may come near and feast our hearts on the fullness of the flaming beauty of God's holiness."

To Become for Us the Place Where We Meet God (John 2:19-21) - "When Christ died and rose again, the old temple was replaced by the globally accessible Christ. You may come to him without moving a muscle. He is as close as faith."

To Bring the Old Testament Priesthood to an End and Become the Eternal High Priest (Hebrews 7:23-27, Hebrews 9:24-26, Hebrews 10:11-12) - "There will never be the need for another. There is one mediator between us and God. One priest. We need no other. Oh, how happy are those who draw near to God through Christ alone."

To Become a Sympathetic and Helpful Priest (Hebrews 4:15-16) - "Evidently the thought goes like this: We are likely to feel unwelcome in the presence of God if we come with struggles. We feel God's purity and perfection so keenly that everything about us seems unsuitable in his presence. But then we remember that Jesus is "sympathetic." He feels with us, not against us. This awareness of Christ's sympathy makes us bold to come. He knows our cry. He tasted our struggle. He bids us come with confidence when we feel our need."