The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Our Brother"
"For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."
(Ephesians 2:18)
Joseph, a type of the Lord Jesus Christ in so many ways, vividly illustrated the believer's access to God when declaring to his brothers their only hope for favor and access into his presence.
"The man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you" (Genesis 43:5).
In the narrative of Joseph's rescue of his family from famine, he required the brethren who sold him into slavery to bring his blood brother Benjamin with them as the only means of approach. This vividly typifies our hope of access through the Lord Jesus, who wondrously referred to believers as "My brethren" (John 20:17). Like Joseph, our Father would say to those whose sins delivered His beloved Son to the cross of Calvary as our sacrificial substitute, "You will not see My face, except your Brother be with you." As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). Yes, we come to our Father with our Brother. Or we do not come at all. "No man cometh unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).
From alienation to acceptance - the Gospel mercifully rescues us from the former, while graciously escorting us into the latter (Ephesians 4:18; 1:6). Indeed, we often see the question posited, "What will we say to God when first we enter His presence?" If able to speak, which may or may not initially be the case in the presence of our glorious God, we might direct His attention to the Lord Jesus. "My Father, I come with my Brother, Your dear Son, who is also my dear Savior." As the old hymn so beautifully exults, "Nothing in My hand I bring, only to Thy cross I cling!"
"We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him" (Ephesians 3:12).
Because of our Brother, we cannot imagine how welcome - and welcomed - we will be. Consider Joseph's response when seeing Benjamin:
"And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him" (Genesis 45:14-15).
The man of God lavished love not only upon his blood brother, but upon all his half brothers who came with Benjamin (the very ones who had sold him into slavery). We would not see our Father's face if we sought to approach Him without the Lord Jesus. But oh, how we will see it forevermore because we come with Him, by Him, and through Him, our hands empty of our own merits, but our hearts full of the Lord Jesus. An old poem speaks to such grace, and we close in the light of its assurance, and of God's gift of freely given access as we come with our Brother.
Under the law with its ten-fold lash,
learning alas how true,
that the more I tried, the sooner I died,
while the law cried, "You, you, you!"
Hopelessly still did the battle rage,
o wretched man my cry,
and deliverance sought by some penance bought,
while my soul cried, "I, I, I!"
Then came a day when all struggling ceased,
and trembling in every limb,
I knelt at the Tree where One died for me,
and cried out, "Him, Him, Him!"
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
(Romans 5:1-2)
Weekly Memory Verse
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
(Romans 8:13)
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