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Giving Glory or Stripping?

Matthew 27:28, ” And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.”

Matthew chapter 27 records for us the crucifixion of the Lord. What He suffered that day is beyond the comprehension of the carnal human mind. By the wicked hands of man, the Eternal Son of God suffered beatings; nails through His hands and feet; His back was whipped by the Roman soldiers; His visage was marred by the hands and fists of those who hated Him.

Acts 2:22, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:…” On the day of Pentecost, it was the Apostle Peter who spoke these words. Peter, through the power of the Holy Spirit, declares that Jesus suffered willingly at the hands of wicked men. What happened to Jesus could only have happened by Him suffering it to be so. The wicked hands of men killed the Lord (Acts 3:15), but they only could have done so if He suffered it to be thus. The Lord did not cause these people to think and do wickedly, but suffered them to lay hands on Him. One of the things they did was strip Him of His clothing. This being part of the humiliation of crucifixion, the Lord suffered them to do this to Him. As I think about this event, my heart breaks thinking about Him who did no wrong suffering these things in my room and stead. He suffered the stripping that His family would be clothed with His glory.

In today’s world, we still find people who strip the Lord. Not that He is being crucified again, for He offered Himself once unto the Father for our sins. Hebrews 10:10, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (also see Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 9:26, and 9:28). Nor that any man is able to take anything away from the Lord and His person in Glory. The Lord is the Lord, the God of the whole universe, and is the sovereign ruler on His throne. But by the words they speak, and term it as the truth (which it is not), they strip the Lord of His Glory in the eyes of others. The false teachings of this world strip Him of His eternal Sonship by not declaring Him to be God manifested in perfect humanity. The false teachings of man strip Him of His righteousness by casting doubt on the virgin birth. And the false teachings of man strip Him of His glory by not teaching that He accomplished Eternal Redemption for His people when He finished the work of salvation on the Cross of Calvary.

One way the Lord is stripped in the eyes of man is by them saying “Salvation is available to all, and may be received by those who hear the gospel and accept Jesus as their Savior.” Not far down the road from Union Grove Primitive Baptist Church, you will find groups who preach such things. Either knowingly or in ignorance; a lie is a lie. And these words are stripping the Lord of His Victorious Glory in Salvation before the eyes of men. The Lord came into the world to save those that were given to Him. Scripture does not leave any room for argument or doubt, Jesus paid for all of His people’s sins on the Cross.

Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” John 6:37-39, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” Revelation 5:9, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;…” 1 Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,…” Hebrews 1:3, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;…”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, these scriptures, and many others which could be cited, teach us clearly that Jesus came into the world and got the job done. So whether in ignorance or willingly, if someone teaches anything else they are telling lies about Jesus Christ our Lord and not clothing Him with the glory He is worthy of receiving by our words and life. This is one of the reasons I left the Missionary Baptists and joined the Primitive Baptists. I wanted to be identified with a group that, by their words and life, glorified Jesus Christ for all that He accomplished. Whether we believe the truth or not, it is still the truth, but what a blessing it is to declare the glory of the Lord during this temporal life. What a blessing it is to give Him glory by acknowledging and confessing Him to Be the Savior, and not just One Who tried to save (as many declare). If you love Jesus, stop stripping Him with your words or actions, but use the life you have by His grace to declare Him to be the glorious Savior of His people.

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