February 28th, 2024
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
Mortally Wounded for Us
"On the 19th of November 1967, in the vicinity of Dak To, Viet Nam Chaplain Charlie Waters was moving with one of the companies of his Battalion when it engaged a heavily armed enemy battalion. As the battle raged and the casualties mounted, Chaplain Waters, with complete disregard for his safety, rushed forward to the line of contact. Unarmed and completely exposed, he moved among, as well as in front of the advancing troops, giving aid to the wounded, assisting in their evacuation, giving words of encouragement, and administering the last rites to the dying. When a wounded paratrooper was standing in shock in front of the assaulting forces, Chaplain Waters ran forward, picked the man up on his shoulders and carried him to safety. At least 6 more times Chaplain Waters went outside the perimeter to rescue wounded soldiers, exposing himself to both friendly and enemy fire. Chaplain Waters was giving aid to the wounded when he himself was mortally wounded."
-from CH Waters’ Medal of Honor Citation
We can be grateful that Jesus Christ stood up for us and carried our wounds and casualties upon himself when he went to the cross. He was mortally wounded for us.
Isaiah 53:4-6 describes his sacrifice:
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah’s citation for Christ’s gift reminds us why we love him so much. His sacrifice was selfless and generous. It was excruciating and fearless. It was made with a purpose. That purpose was to pay a bill for us that we could never pay. We couldn’t afford the down payment, much less the full price. When we approach the Lord’s Table, we do so in gratitude and humility because the body and blood of Christ was. Undeserved by us. We have received it free of charge, but it was quite costly. It cost God the life of his only begotten Son and it cost his Son pain, misery, humiliation and his very own blood. He bore our stripes, wounds and scars because he wanted to know us forever.
This Sunday we will continue our march toward Easter with the message titled, Remember Me and based on Matthew 26:17-29. We will see Christ sharing his final meal as he instituted what we call “The Lord’s Supper,” a memorial meal we share in weekly that serves as a powerful reminder of his love, his sacrifice and his forgiveness of our sins. We are grateful for his sacrifice for our sins.
Grateful with you,
Jon
Mortally Wounded for Us
"On the 19th of November 1967, in the vicinity of Dak To, Viet Nam Chaplain Charlie Waters was moving with one of the companies of his Battalion when it engaged a heavily armed enemy battalion. As the battle raged and the casualties mounted, Chaplain Waters, with complete disregard for his safety, rushed forward to the line of contact. Unarmed and completely exposed, he moved among, as well as in front of the advancing troops, giving aid to the wounded, assisting in their evacuation, giving words of encouragement, and administering the last rites to the dying. When a wounded paratrooper was standing in shock in front of the assaulting forces, Chaplain Waters ran forward, picked the man up on his shoulders and carried him to safety. At least 6 more times Chaplain Waters went outside the perimeter to rescue wounded soldiers, exposing himself to both friendly and enemy fire. Chaplain Waters was giving aid to the wounded when he himself was mortally wounded."
-from CH Waters’ Medal of Honor Citation
We can be grateful that Jesus Christ stood up for us and carried our wounds and casualties upon himself when he went to the cross. He was mortally wounded for us.
Isaiah 53:4-6 describes his sacrifice:
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah’s citation for Christ’s gift reminds us why we love him so much. His sacrifice was selfless and generous. It was excruciating and fearless. It was made with a purpose. That purpose was to pay a bill for us that we could never pay. We couldn’t afford the down payment, much less the full price. When we approach the Lord’s Table, we do so in gratitude and humility because the body and blood of Christ was. Undeserved by us. We have received it free of charge, but it was quite costly. It cost God the life of his only begotten Son and it cost his Son pain, misery, humiliation and his very own blood. He bore our stripes, wounds and scars because he wanted to know us forever.
This Sunday we will continue our march toward Easter with the message titled, Remember Me and based on Matthew 26:17-29. We will see Christ sharing his final meal as he instituted what we call “The Lord’s Supper,” a memorial meal we share in weekly that serves as a powerful reminder of his love, his sacrifice and his forgiveness of our sins. We are grateful for his sacrifice for our sins.
Grateful with you,
Jon
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