[Christ Our Rock] The Horn of Salvation (Sep 08)

[Christ Our Rock Bible Church]

A poor Scottish farmer, by the name of Fleming, was out in his fields, trying to eke out a living. All of a sudden, he heard a blood-curdling scream, dropped his tools and ran in that direction—to the bogs. There, sinking beyond his waist in the oozing black muck and mire, was a young boy, struggling to no avail. The farmer saved the boy from what could have been a very slow and agonizing death. The next day, yes, the very next day, a fancy carriage arrived at the Fleming farm, and out stepped a very richly dressed nobleman, who introduced himself as the father of the boy from the bogs. He wanted to repay the farmer for his good deed, but Fleming very politely refused. Just then the farmer's own son came out of the family hovel, at which point the nobleman made another offer—to take the farmer's son and educate him. And he certainly did that—in time, the farm boy graduated from medical school in England, and went on to become known as Sir Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered penicillin.

As amazing as that is, it is not the end of the story! Years later, the nobleman's son was stricken by pneumonia. What saved him this time? Penicillin. The nobleman's name? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill, the future Prime Minister of England, during the days of World War II. Amazing! If we can't see the power of God in this, then we need to take some time to consider this very thing—the power of God! When John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Christ, was born, his father, Zacharias, praised the Lord for His power. In part, he sang, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David." (Luke 1:68,69) The "horn" that will be raised up is, of course, Jesus, but it would be John the Baptist that would point one and all to Jesus with the call to repentance—"Repent ye: for the kingdom of God is at hand…I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with Holy Ghost and with fire." (Matt. 3:2,11)

You see, this concept of the "horn" is one of power and might, and it is found all through the Scriptures. The figure of the "horn" is tied to the animals that sported them—bulls, oxen, and rams, just to name a few—pictures of very powerful strength! Daniel, in the eighth chapter of his book of prophecy, looks into his future and depicts Assyria's King Darius and Greece's Alexander the Great as a ram and a goat, respectively, running violently at each other with their powerful horns. Zechariah, in the first chapter of his prophetic book that calls the people to repentance and to rebuild the temple after the Babylonian Captivity, speaks of four horns—four world powers that were about to scatter Judah, Israel, and even Jerusalem in the days inbetween the Old and New Testaments. On Egyptian and Roman coins, as well as in Assyrian sculptures, we find figures of gods with horns, symbolizing their prowess and their might.

Praise God—our God and Savior came as a Horn, a mighty instrument of salvation and sanctification. The Christian life is not a matter of peeling off the bad layers to get to the good core. No, when we are born again, God begins at the core. It is kind of like a horn, or antler, beginning as a small protrusion, and over time, it grows and develops—and all for a purpose. John called for repentance, but now Jesus announces the fulfillment of that—"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15) Perhaps we need to be reminded that this repentance is not just a feeling or being sorry in the wake of some situation gone awry. True repentance is an actual turning away from attitudes and actions of the past and leaving them there. It is a heart change that results in a life change—not just to have things go better, but to the glory of God. This is the grace of God! Paul told the Ephesian church, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (2:8-10) Do you see the message growing? Why can't we just admit we were wrong, confessing that we didn't listen to and obey Godly advice? Repent, and we will see the power of God grow and grow as we come to see His grace as totally sufficient!

I think maybe Martin Luther, the Reformation leader, put it quite powerfully—"Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever." Can you see the revelation of the Horn of God's salvation growing and being strengthened through sanctification—purity, holiness, and obedience abounding? Anything less is pride! Certainly you have heard the modern saying, "Boy, he sure likes to blow his own horn." Be careful, though, for that can be a loud, boisterous arrogance, or a quiet, false humility that tearfully attempts to gather people who agree—even if that means not agreeing with God. The psalmist writes, "I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck…All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted." (Ps. 75:4,5,10)

You see, it is far better to let the Lord lift up your horn, not you—"…my faithfulness and mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted." (Ps. 89:24) Remember now—trusting, by faith, in the Lord to change both the heart and the life is not arrogance and pride; in fact, it is just the opposite—to base everything on our own interpretations is the real place of pride. Self-defense, self-justification, and self-vindication are just that—self! A secular proverb gives one solution—"He had better put his horns in his pockets than to blow them." Better yet, though, the Bible gives the best solution to this reoccurring self-life—deny it! Oh, I don't mean to ignore that it is there. No, I mean turn your back on it, deny it, and crucify it! Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26)

But the self-life does not want to die—maybe this is why there were horns on the altar, to tie it down so it could be killed. These horns on each corner of the altar were also a place where the criminal—if his crime were accidental—could cling to for protection. Accidental or not—repent—cling to the one who is the Horn of our salvation, and in Him alone we can and will find protection. If Jesus is your Horn, then all strength is His to save you and grow you. It is said that in Chinese culture, if you save someone's life, you are forever responsible for that person. But is that for that person, or to that person? If we do lay hold on Him who came as the "Horn of Salvation," and we continue to do so, He will be eternally responsible for us. And, if we truly recognize how precious this Horn is, we will be responsible to Him!

How? A.B. Simpson once wrote, "The highest spirituality, therefore, is the most utter helplessness, the most total dependence, and the most complete possession of the Holy Spirit." Remember—true saving and sanctifying faith is an attitude in which we acknowledge our insufficiency for spiritual ends, and utterly rely on the sufficiency of God. It is the absolute cessation of self-reliant effort to attain righteousness, allowing the divine initiative to assert itself in and through us—absolute surrender! Let your cry be with the Psalmist—"Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing…Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink." (69:1,2, 14)

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Posted By Christ Our Rock Bible Church to Christ Our Rock at 9/01/2008 01:00:00 PM