Gospel Medicine

“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross … In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?”

- John Stott, from ‘The Cross of Christ’

A precious hymn, these words are updated from the original words written by Augustus Toplady in 1772.

Now why this fear and unbelief?
Has not the Father put to grief
His spotless Son for us?
And will the righteous Judge of men,
Condemn me for that debt of sin,
Now cancelled at the cross?

Chorus
Jesus, all my trust
Is in Your blood
Jesus, You’ve rescued us
Through Your great love!

Verse 2
Complete atonement You have made,
And by Your death completely  paid
The debt Your people owed
No wrath remains for us to face
We’re sheltered by Your saving grace,
And sprinkled with Your blood.

Verse 3
Be still, my soul, and know this peace
The merits of your Great High Priest
Have bought your liberty
Rely then on His precious blood,
Don’t fear your banishment from God
Since Jesus sets you free

Tag
How sweet the sound of saving grace
How sweet the sound of saving grace
Christ died for me

http://www.worshipmatters.com/2011/12/20/now-why-this-fear-video-from-worshipgod11/

For me, Christmas means that God is with us. Christmas means that God, the creator of the universe, came to live on earth as one of us. Not to show us how to live, or teach us God’s rules but to die so that we might live. Thirty three years later it was all about God’s ultimate self-giving love, shown through a sacrifice which, for those who will believe, swapped darkness, slavery and sin for light, liberation and new life in Christ. 

This Christmas, Mary (Jesus’ mum, that is) is my new favorite person to read about in the bible. I’m sure that as a normal girl, she was as far from God’s absolute holiness and as imperfect as I am. Yet, her swift willingness and obedience in response to God’s word and work is amazing to me.

If we think the nativity is a cosy christmas bed-time story we’d better re-read, briefly, what happened to Mary, my latest bible heroine, who was incidentally still a virgin (despite her engagement to Joseph, a carpenter). According to Luke, Chapter 2, this is what happened…


Angel: Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you *Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be* Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end

Mary: How will this be, since I am a virgin?

Angel: The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 


I am down with miracles, angels and seeing God make impossible things possible, but I have to be honest - if I were Mary, I would be absolutely bricking it, pinching myself and waiting to wake up. I’ve been wondering what made Mary so cool with the virgin birth. 

Fair enough, the bible says that Mary is scared when the angel arrives. She also asks an entirely logical and practical, question. But, what amazes me, is that she actually doesn’t seem to question the legitimacy of God’s message at all. Although overwhelmed and confused, Mary doesn’t disbelieve that the impossible is possible with God. Although scared, Mary fully embraces the part God has etched out for her in his mighty plan. She simply says ‘I am the Lord’s servant, let it be to me according to your word’.

Perhaps Mary’s unswerving desire to trust God’s word for her future (and the future of the world) stemmed from an understanding of his faithfulness in the past. Perhaps the angel’s final words to her, ‘for nothing is impossible with God’ reminded her that God’s word is unfailing. Almost certainly she had read the old testament scriptures (eg. Isaiah 7vs14), God’s promises about a coming king. Whether or not she understood the gravity of it all, she trusted him fully for the future. 

I am excited because I believe Christmas means God with us, come to die so that we might live. This is God’s mighty plan fulfilled through Mary, but ultimately in Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem. Also exciting is that God today chooses people to be part of his work on earth. 

For Christmas, and forever, all we need is Jesus. Lets pray for Mary’s unswerving desire to trust God’s faithfulness for the future and her unwavering belief in God’s possible impossible. We need this swift obedience and readiness to respond to God’s word and work.