Do you ever really think about the enormity of that day at Golgotha where the King of Glory laid down His life on the cross more than two thousand years ago?

Sadly, I often take this day for granted.  I go about my business, doing my own thing, scarcely giving a thought to that great sacrifice.  Oh, I pray.  I read the Bible.  I attempt to walk the walk of a Christian.

But do I remember that day?

When I read of the sacrificial lamb in the Old Testament, do I just brush it off as ancient ritual, or do I view the sacrifice as intended–as a picture of the ultimate, once-for-all, perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus many years later?  He was beaten, mocked and separated from the Father–for me, for you.

He [Jesus] 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. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. ~Isaiah 53:3-7

Do I remember that day?

When I mess up, when I say something unkind, when I am not that ambassador for Christ that I ought to be.  When I must come before Him humbly seeking forgiveness for my failures…

Do I remember that day?

That day when Christ gave everything for me?

Each time I seek His forgiveness, am I duly thankful? Not the “thanks for holding the door open” kind of thankful, but the “thank you for paying my debt of sin–which, by the way, is death, eternity in hell–and grafting me into Your family and giving me eternal life in heaven!” words-cannot-fully-express kind of thankful.

Do I remember that day?

When I think about His mercy and grace, am I awestruck?  Do I fall to my knees with the wonder of it all?

Do I remember that day?

When I lift up my hands, my voice in praise to Him, is it uninhibited and from the very depths of my heart?

Do I remember that day?

When I do remember that day, do I also remember that my Jesus did not leave it there.  He exclaimed, “It is finished!”  That cleansing, debt-paying, freedom-giving work was complete.  But His victory would be even greater, as they opened the tomb three days later.  It was empty!  He said He would rise again.  Death could not hold my Saviour!  He is high and lifted up, seated at the right hand of the Father!

But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.  ~Matthew 28:5-9

Worthy Is the Lamb

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU DID NOT DESIRE, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME. IN BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES FOR SIN YOU HAD NO PLEASURE.  THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME—IN THE VOLUME OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME—TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’ “ [this is Jesus] Previously saying, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING, BURNT OFFERINGS, AND OFFERINGS FOR SIN YOU DID NOT DESIRE, NOR HAD PLEASURE IN THEM” (which are offered according to the law),  then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.”  [again, Jesus] He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,  “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR HEARTS, AND IN THEIR MINDS I WILL WRITE THEM,” then He adds, “THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”  Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.  

~Hebrews 10:1-18

“Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.” Watchman Nee