“Taking A Bullet” (Ready to Worship S8E4)

On this season of Ready to Worship, we are studying the cross. What could better prepare us for worship than that?

In this podcast, we want to start with an illustration. No doubt, you know a little about the Secret Service. You know that the Secret Service is charged with protecting the President of the United States. They are trained to take a bullet for him if necessary. The lesser dying for the greater. I remember vividly the assassination attempt on President Reagan. The agents protecting Reagan immediately put themselves between him and the threat with no regard for their own lives or safety. I believe that you will agree that these actions are impressive. Now, imagine a slightly different scenario. Imagine the President stepping in front of the Secret Service to take a bullet for them. The greater sacrificing himself for the lesser.

The scenario that I just described is fictional. The one that I am about to describe isn’t. Jesús Christ is the greater. We are the lesser. John the baptist declared, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Mt. 3:11). Jesús was greater than John who went before Him. He is greater than those of us who follow after him. Yet, He gave Himself for us. To the saints at Galatia, Paul wrote, “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” (Gal. 1:4). In the second chapter of Galatians, Paul made it even more personal. He wrote, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Christ stepped in and took the violence intended for us. The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah records this in detail for us. We read, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:4-6). The King of Kings and Lord of Lords sacrificed himself for us. We must never question how much He loved us.

As we get Ready to Worship this week, let’s remember the One who stepped between death and us. Let’s worship with the full understanding of just how much we are loved.