Thought for November 4, 2023

•  1646: Massachusetts imposes the death penalty for denying that the Bible is God's word
• 1794: London Missionary Society formed
• 1841: First wagon train arrives in California
• 1862: Gatling Gun patented
• 1873: Dentist John Beers patents the gold crown
• 1879: James Ritty patents the first cash register to keep bar tenders from stealing
• 1898: Pan Xiushan, the first Christian convert of the Hmu Tribe in China is martyred followed by William Fleming, the missionary for whom Pan translated
• 1904: First stadium built specifically for football-Harvard
• 1921: Hitler establishes the Brown Shirts
• 1922: Tomb of King Tut discovered
• 1928: AW Tozer begins his Chicago ministry
• 1939: First air conditioned automobile--Packard
• 1979: 90 hostages taken at U.S, Embassy in Tehran
• Born: Will Rogers, Gig Young, Walter Cronkite, Ruth Handler [Barbie Doll], Darla Hood [Little Rascals], Laura Bush, Ralph Macchio, Jeff Probst, Matthew McConaughey, Puff Daddy, Dez Bryant
• Died: Felix Mendelssohn, George Peabody, Cy Young, Yithak Rabin, Michael Crichton, Andy Rooney

Thought:

Reading 1 John 2:1-2 this morning. As a recovering lawyer, this passage is so meaningful to me.

John urges us to walk in the light with Jesus. If we did that perfectly, we would not sin. And John has told us that if we sin, we are to confess our sins. Think about a criminal charged with a crime. Guilty, so I confess and throw myself on the mercy of the court. I look to my lawyer for help. But John says, Larry, where your sin is concerned, you have a better Advocate--Jesus Christ the Righteous One. Why is He a better lawyer?

• He knows the Judge! In fact, He and the Judge are One!
• He has already paid the penalty for my crime--He took the punishment that my crime demanded. So my Advocate says--paid in full; debt cancelled, guilt atoned. My grandfather would use an illustration in his sermons about forgiveness. I forget whether it was Capone or some other guilty criminal, but the story pictured this guilty man sitting with his lawyer at the defense table through the trial. Witnesses came and described his crime in detail---no doubts. The jury is charged and goes out, quickly to return. The verdict guilty as charged. All the while, the criminal had sat smiling, unconcerned. The judge asks for any last words before sentence is announced. The criminal rises, reaches into his pocket and retrieves a paper. The paper is handed to the judge--it is a pardon signed by the governor. The criminal turns and walks away. "On the cross, He sealed my pardon, paid the debt and made me free." What an Advocate! 

I'm singing "I Will Sing of My Redeemer." I have written about this hymn by Philip Bliss before. Bliss wrote the words and music to some of the greatest hymns we sing. He was the song director for the crusades of Major Daniel Whittle. In 1876, He wrote the music to "It is Well with My Soul." After a year of travel, he and his family were celebrating Christmas in Pennsylvania. He received a telegram asking him to come to Chicago to sing on the last Sunday of the year. On December 29, he left his children with his mother and he and his wife headed to Chicago by train. The bridge at Ashtabula Ohio failed and the eleven passenger cars plunged into a ravine 75 feet below. Bliss survived and crawled from the train, but when the train caught fire, he went back for his wife and they both perished [he was 38]. When his travel trunk was opened, they found the words to "I Will Sing of My Redeemer." So with him, we praise the Lord that "on the cross He sealed my pardon, paid the debt and made me free."

Lord, forgive me for my sin that caused you pain. Thank you for Your grace that paid my debt and set me free.

Blessings

Larry