SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/5/2016 11:31 PM
My Worship Time Focus: The Advocate
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Zechariah 3:2-5
Message of the verses: “2 The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD
rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is
this not a brand plucked from the fire?" 3 Now Joshua was clothed with
filthy garments and standing before the angel. 4 He spoke and said to those who
were standing before him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from
him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will
clothe you with festal robes." 5 Then I said, "Let them put a
clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and
clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.”
Dr. Wiersbe
begins his commentary on this section by writing what our Lord’s present
ministry is in heaven and writes that it is “twofold. He’s our High Priest, interceding for us and
giving us the grace we need for life and service here on earth (Heb. 4:14-16;
13:20-21); and He’s our Advocate, representing us before the throne of God when
we do sin (1 John 2:1-2). Don’t get the
erroneous idea that the Father years to punish us and the Son pleads with Him
to change His mind, because that isn’t the picture at all. The Father and the Son both love us and want
the best for us, but God can’t ignore our sins and still be a holy God.” Now as you think about this statement we have
to realize that it is true, for it is Satan who is the one who is telling God
the Father the things we do wrong, and remember we stated that he is the one
who tempts us to sin in the first place.
Another thing to remember is that God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit are of one mind.
Now as we
think of Jesus’ ministries in heaven at this time we can understand why He took
His wounds back to heaven with Him as seen in Luke 24:39-40 and also John
20:20, 25-27 as they prove that He was “delivered over to death for our sins
and was raised to life for our justification” which is stated in Romans
3:25. Satan cannot accuse us who have
been born into the family of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ for “There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Rom.
8:1).
Dr. Wiersbe
writes “The Lord rebuked Satan on the basis of His own electing grace: He had chosen Jerusalem and the Jewish nation
in His own love and grace (Deut. 7:7-11; Pss. 33:12; 132:13). He had not chosen them because of their good
works, so how could He condemn them for their bad works? ‘Who shall bring a charge against God’s
elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is
also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession
for us’ (Rom. 8:33-34, NKJV),”
Now when we
look at verse two where is speaks of a “brand plucked from the fire” this
proves God grace to Israel by rescuing them from Babylon captivity. There are places in the OT which speaks of
Israel’s suffering as “going through the fire.”
Fire refines and when Israel goes through the tribulation period they
will be refined, and those who are believers will be ushered into the
Millennial Kingdom to begin to repopulate the earth.
5/5/2016 11:50 PM
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