What keeps the martyr humble!!!
Breaking News!!! Auction results are out!!! The gorgeous navy blue suit our Honorable Prime Minister wore to receive US President Barack Obama went under hammer on 20th Febraury 2015. With feisty bidding, diamond baron Lalji Patel owner of a Diamond Manufacturing Firm-Dharmanandan Diamonds in Surat- stamped his ownership on the same which has the PM’s full name- Narendra Damodardas Modi- embroidered into the pinstripes. After this high-profile auction Mr Patel’s prized possession was brought in a procession to Dharmanandan Diamonds factory at Gotalawadi in Katargam, Surat.
While it is indeed in order for the entire Dharmanandan Fraternity to be justifiably proud about having this prestigious dress in its possession, let’s turn our spotlight now on a totally different type of a garment albeit of immeasurable value which enhances not only the “Feel Good factor” of its wearer exponentially but guarantees eventually the concerned individual the priceless Eternal life. Let the Prophetic Scripture which speaks about the Song of a forgiven sinner of the Church age take over…
“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has …arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness…” –Isaiah 61:10.
For better understanding of the subject –Robe of Righteousness- here comes this message “tailored” by Yours Truly all for the Master’s Glory using the following sub-headings…
GRACE…
What is this robe of righteousness if it is not the very presence of God’s own Holy Spirit. When it is “with us”, we get “Righteousness” meaning a “Right standing” with God. Ah…Lalji Patel, while posing for his photographs with the Modi mannequin incidentally said, “Now, I could touch and feel the fabric and experience the presence of PM Modi standing by my side."
While it cost a hefty sum for Mr Patel to become proud possessor of PM’s pulchritudinous apparel, it is purely out of Almighty’s grace that “Robe of Righteousness” is given to an individual absolutely free of cost who comes seeking the right relationship with the Divine Redeemer. How? Read on…
GRIMY…
First things first. Being related to our original sinning parents –Adam and Eve- all of us are born with“grimy attire”, so to speak, the one which is totally unacceptable to the Holy God. Whilst being alive (Heb 9:27), we need to be “robed with robes” worthy of entering the Divine, Holy presence, otherwise we would not only be left alone in this Cursed World (Gen 3:17/Rom 8:19-22) to fend for ourselves (hmmm…living without God in this big bad World is really a frightening proposition) but also be condemned and cast away permanently from His Holy Presence at death.
A Disclaimer here please…the Sovereign, Almighty Creator does not give His priceless Robes of righteousness to everyone but reserves the right to grant the same to only those who approach Him for them on His terms. And why not? For He has paid a “heavy price” to give it to us in the form it is now!!!
When He says, “Come to me replacing your grungy clothing with clean ones’ of infinite value, I myself shall provide for you free of cost”, we need to listen and obey Him implicitly. What happened to the poor man of unkempt clothing who participated in the Royal wedding without wearing clothes (befitting the occasion) provided to him free of cost by the Regal Host (Matt 22:12)? Let not our end be like his.
ILLUS...Whilst on the subject of clothing…Dr Ravi Zecharias came up with a true witty story of a New Zealand Shepherd who was happy on a Christmas morning, sad in the afternoon but once again happy in the evening. What exactly contributed to his mood swings? Here goes…in the morning two of his ewes’ “A” and “B” gave birth to two lambs “a” and “b” respectively which brought joy to his heart understandably as his flock-size grew. However by afternoon he was sad and confused not only because one mother ewe “B” and one baby lamb “a” had died but also because surviving mother ewe “A” was now refusing to feed suckling lamb “b” when the latter was brought to it for feeding. By evening the Shepherd was smiling ear to ear because finally “A” accepted “b” but only after the Wise Shepherd had cut the skin of the dead lamb “a” and had put it on “b”.
Father God also accepts us only when we come to Him clothed with Holy robes of His Sinless Son Jesus Christ who died on the Cross giving us access to the same (2 Cor 5:21/John 14:6).
GREAT…
The clothes of Salvation is Biblically called Great (Heb 2:3) by the writer of the Epistle to Hebrews because amongst other things, it is not only free (none needs to dole out 4.32 crores for it), it is not only easily accessible (as close as our own hearts and mouths-Romans 10:8-10 TLB) without any need to travel say a 1000 kms from Surat to Delhi but primarily because it cost our great Saviour (Titus 2:13) a great price to give it to us in the form it is now. The Epistle Writer goes on to warn “How can we escape, if we ignore this great Salvation” (Heb 2:3) for it would mean we are treating the immeasurably great sacrifice of Christ as nothing.
Let’s try and fathom atleast to some extent the true measure of our Saviour’s sacrifice which ensured that we get the clothes of Salvation not only free of cost but also by being right where we are without undertaking any wild-goose chase like some in their ignorance do by withdrawing to the snow-clad Himalyas to live a Hermitic life.
Now it is not an understatement to say that at the Fall (Gen 3), Sin damaged the entire personality of man. His body, soul and spirit (hey, human being is a trinity – I Thess 5:23) were deeply “wounded” as a result of his conscious choice to breach his conscience in the Garden of Eden at the behest of the crafty tempter (Genesis 3:1-7). I reiterate here that at our physical birth, we the descendents of the Fallen Adam inherit the same “fallen, broken and damaged personality”. Now the groundwork necessary to provide robes of righteousness to cloth all the three parts of the fallen man required that the Saviour suffer on all the three fronts.
Yes, I reiterate that the terrible suffering of our Saviour on the Cross on ALL THE THREE FRONTS ensured that the Robe of Righteousness is there for taking for all of us from the First Good Friday onwards. His terrible physical anguish before and during the Crucifixion (a horrific death sentence where pain is maximal with death the “pain reliever” arriving oh so slowly) was immeasurable. The flogging and crowning of his head with “laurel wreath of thorns” only compounded it. Yes we were “sick” from head to toe (Isaiah 1:6) hence it required that our Saviour in his atoning work on the cross bleed to death from head to toe.
Now what about his emotional (soul) suffering before and during the Crucifixion? I would caution the readers’ not to be carried away by some “Christian” paintings which depict Christ praying in a dignified posture in the Garden of Gethsemane and being crucified with the loin cloth on? Even as the Cross with all its indescribable pain loomed before the spotless Son of God, so emotionally was he perturbed that he fell prostrate on his face (read the Gospels to know the truth – Mark 14:35) sweating blood. Then what about the insults that accompanied Him, all along this ordeal …the spitting and stripping (Matt 27:27-31)… the historians tell us that in order to instill uttermost fear of rebelling against their authority, the Romans ensured that the perpetrator was insulted publicly in toto. This meant crucifying him stark naked!!! So virtually Christ covered the shame brought about by sin (Genesis 3:7) by Himself enduring shame on the Cross (Heb 12:2).
Coming to the spiritual suffering, let it be said that when ALL sin came upon His sinless self (2 Cor 5:21), He experienced HELL for us in order we do NOT end up there. Nothing more, nothing less and nothing else. Jesus’ only source of comfort in this fiery affliction till then (the Father’s Holy presence) also abandoned Him as the Holy God whose pure eyes cannot see evil (Hab 1:13) could not stay in the presence of despicable sin, hence that heart-rending cry from the cross …”My God, My God (Note: Not My Father, in the way Christ had along addressed His Father) why have you forsaken me” (Matt 27:46) in perfect fulfillment of the prophecy recorded about 1000 years back (Psalm 22:1).
Was there further sacrificial suffering for the Saviour beyond the Cross? Yes!!! Let me use an illustration which in a minor way mirrors the greatest sacrifice of our Saviour …
ILLUS...A father and his son put up a beautiful bird sanctuary, housing variety of doves spouting feathers of various hues. Sadly one day these doves turn into crows and in their new ravenous nature start harming and even killing one another oblivious to repeated appeals of both the father and the son, not to do the same.
The father comes up with an idea to remedy the situation. His son would go amongst the crows as a bird himself, speaking their language in order they understand him and hopefully mend their ways. Hey from human perspective would not that be a case of lowering oneself by two notches (stooping below even the mammalian order)? When Christ condescended to become man, did not He lower himself below his own “second-ranked” created angels (Psalms 8:34-36/Heb 2:7) that are superior to men but inferior to the Almighty (Job 15:15)?
Now once the son made up his mind to become “a bird” (Philippians 2:5-8), the father reveals some more realities of this proposition to his son which would come the latter’s way.
a) The crows may eventually kill him, not giving a hoot to any of his pleas’ to change themselves for better
b) The father by giving a kiss of life, would bring back the son now confined in the bird’s body to life
c) The son in a bird’s body would then be elevated, exalted and even glorified but he would still REMAIN IN A BIRD’S BODY… WORSE …WOULD CONTINUE TO BEAR THE WOUNDS THAT CAUSED HIS DEATH (Rev 5:6-TLB) THROUGHOUT ETERNITY. His being throughout eternity would be a far cry from a far better state, he had possessed before incarnation.
The son willingly agrees to take them ALL in his stride…
Dear Friends, is the enormity of Christ’s sacrifice of coming down in a mere man’s body and being confined in it for eternity registering in your minds and spirits’? His condescension meant He would forever remain man albeit in a Glorified body (Rev 1:12-16).
Consider these Scripture portions (in present tense) penned after Christ’s ascension, which are a “clincher” as it were, in substantiating this “chilling” truth…
For in Christ there is all of God in a HUMAN body – Col 2:9 (TLB)
That God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, himself MAN, is between them to bring them together- I Tim 2:5 (TLB)
Now for a subject within the subject. What was the Father’s response to such a submissive, sacrificial obedience? He made His Son’s Name a Name above all names (including His- Philippians 2:9). Boy, if you are wondering where is the role of the third person in the Godhead- Holy Spirit (oh, He never clamors for attention)- in all these, let it be said that every word that has ever been written in appreciation of the Almighty’s Grand redemption plan has been inspired By Him…including this one of Yours truly. Of the perfect unity that exists within the Trinity in preparing the “Robes of Righteousness” to cloth the lost (I Peter 1:2), it was said by a ransomed soul “The Father thought it, the Son bought it, the Holy Spirit wrought it, though Devil fought it, Praise God I got it”.
Coming back to the main track, let me relate a relevant, touching story which goes thus…
ILLUS...There was an orphaned boy living with his grandma when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, perished in the flames. The boy’s cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron drainpipe and came back down with the boy hanging tightly to his neck. Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child. A farmer, a teacher, and the town’s wealthiest citizen all gave the reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. But as they talked, the lad’s eyes remained focused on the floor. Then a stranger walked to the front and slowly took his hands from his pockets, revealing severe scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life. His hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the man’s neck and held on for dear life. The other men silently walked away, leaving the boy and his rescuer alone. Those marred hands had settled the issue.
Friends, Jesus is still “clothed with an imperfect attire”, as it were, in order we wear His perfect robe of righteousness. If this truth doesn’t evoke gratitude in us, then nothing else will!!!
GRATITUDE…
Even as the Good Friday is around the corner, let us reflect on the truth that Christ’s hands and legs still retain the scars we inflicted upon Him and respond with a resolution of life-long gratitude borne out of love for the ONE who has given His ALL to robe us with His robes of righteousness. Where there is Gratitude, there is bound to be Heaven. Conversely where gratitude decreases, love of the Saved Ones’ for the Saviour is bound to drop a few notches, so much so that the Saviour would then be constrained to warn that He would take away the “very robes” (Rev 2:5) which make the Saved Ones’ acceptable to Him.
Boy…while commendable spiritual activities like Praying, Bible-reading, Church-fellowshipping and Witnessing in a believer’s life can be likened to basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter without which an individual would die slowly, the robe of righteousness (God’s presence) can be likened to one’s heart-beat. Take that away and a Christian collapses instantly.
Ah…the understanding that barring the priceless robes of righteousness the way to Heaven is hopelessly barred is what makes even a dying martyr grateful and thereby humble not only at the point of martyrdom but even after reaching Heaven!!! Oh yeah, even when being burnt at stake, what keeps a dying martyr grateful and thereby humble is the realization that even though his body and everything on it like clothes are being reduced to ashes, nothing, yes no power can touch the priceless robes of righteousness adorning his eternal spirit!!!
GROW…
One concrete way to measure one’s spiritual growth is to see one’s response to human praise for his/her apparent "spirituality" (Pro 27:21TLB). The Christian dress code for all seasons (of praise or criticism) as it were is …” clothe yourselves with… humility” (Col 3:21 NIV) having the same mind as Christ (Philippians 2:5-11/Romans 13:14).
We are nothing minus the robes of righteousness for even a second nay a nano-second is the sober, humbling thought which kept feet of spiritual giants through the ages like Apostle Paul or Bakth Singh or Sadhu Sundar Singh (in the modern Indian context) firmly rooted on the ground (Philippians 3:1-11/1 Tim 1:15-16 TLB). No wonder with their child-like humility waxing the good Lord kept opening up new vistas of Ministry opportunities for them (Luke 10:21). Let it be said that growth of Ministry done for God’s Glory is directly proportional to one’s own growth in humility.
GRATIS…
Would Mr. Lalji Patel the proud owner of the PM’s costly garment allow the strangers free access to it? No prizes for guessing the right answer. While the Dharmanandan family may not allow the “strangers” to come anywhere near their precious possession, what does Bible say is the Christian’s “Dharma” about the far more precious Robe of Righteousness given to him freely? We who are donning the same need to share the News with love and respect (I Peter 3:15) to the Unchurched Ones’ about its free availability freely (Matt 10:8) whatever be “the personal cost” involved. Nothing quite like wearing your faith on your sleeves really (albeit in a dignified way-2 Tim 2:23-26 ESV), even if persecutions come visiting! Trials, if the Lord permits to test our faith (I Peter 1:6-7) are bound to come when we share the Good News about the free availability of Salvation for in doing that are we not trying to snatch the “hapless sheep” from the jaws of the “devouring lion” (the ole’ adversary devil- I Sam 17:34-35) who is bound to counter-attack furiously on loss of his “prey”?
Finally wanna end with an invitation to the Unchurched Precious Ones’ . Oh how I crave that they too wear the precious robes and be filled with heavenly joy that comes with wearing the same. So folks on the lookout for the best ever clothes in town? Then go no further than the “Robes of righteousness”. Hey, they never go out of fashion!!! Hallelujah!!!
Suresh Manoharan
An Unworthy Servant
Ps… All those whose heart the Lord is touching say this Prayer right where you are…”Father, I confess I am a Sinner. Cloth me with Your Priceless Robes of Righteousness which Your Son Jesus Christ has purchased for me in the Cross. Fill my heart with the joy of Your Spirit. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Note: This message replete with pics is also available at the following URL...
http://www.jandsmministries.com/message_march1_15.asp
