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This Lent season I am reading the book, The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross by Arthur W. Pink and on this Lord’s Day I would like to invite you consider with me what these words teach us.

“In praying for His enemies, not only did Christ set before us a perfect example of how we should treat those who wrong and hate us, but He also taught us never to regard any as beyond the reach of prayer. If Christ prayed for His murderers, then surely we have encouragement to pray now for the very chief of sinners! Christian reader, never lose hope… Learn, then, not to look on any as beyond the reach of prayer”

“That Christ should make intercession for His enemies was one of the items of the wonderful prophecy found in Isaiah 53. This chapter tells us at least ten things about the humiliation and suffering of the Redeemer. It declared that He should be despised and rejected of men; that He should be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; that He should be wounded, bruised, and chastised; that He should be led, unresistingly, to slaughter; that He should be dumb before His shearers; that He should not only suffer at the hands of man but also be bruised by the Lord; that He should pour out His soul unto death; that He should be buried in a rich man’s tomb; and then it was added, that He would be numbered with transgressors; and finally, that He should make intercession for the transgressors. Here then was the prophecy-“and made intercession for the transgressors”; there was the fulfillment of it-“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He thought of His murderers; He pleaded for His crucifiers; He made intercession for their forgiveness.”

“Sin is always sin in the sight of God, whether we are conscious of it or not. Sins of ignorance need atonement just as truly as do conscious sins. God is Holy, and He will not lower His standard of righteousness to the level of our ignorance. Ignorance is not innocence. As a matter of fact, ignorance is more culpable now than it was in the days of Moses. We have no excuse for our ignorance. God has clearly and fully revealed His will. The Bible is in our hands, and we cannot plead ignorance of its contents except to condemn our laziness. God has spoken, and by His Word we shall be judged… And yet the fact remains that we are ignorant of many things, and the fault and blame are ours. And this does not minimize the enormity of our guilt. Sins of ignorance need the divine forgiveness as our Lord’s prayer here plainly shows. Learn, then, how high is God’s standard, how great is our need, and praise Him for an atonement of infinite sufficiency, which cleanseth from all sin.”

May God help us to forgive and pray and never lose hope.

Read over at my photography blog today about The Key to Bible Study

Over at Rebecca Writes, you will find every Sunday great hymns, sermon notes and prayers.

And some words worth reading today… Let Every Man be Slow to Tweet. (HT. Hiraeth)