“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

I have a friend who is an amazing encouragement to me. Every time I am with him I feel encouraged. Every time I am with him, he makes me want to be a better person and a better Christian.

A while back we were attending the Leadership Summit conference at Willow Creek Church in Chicago. There were about 10,000 pastors and leaders from all around the world at Willow Creek Church. During the breaks, we would all make a mad dash for the restrooms. The Leadership Summit is about the only place I know – besides football games and rock concerts – where a guy has to wait to go to the bathroom.

During the breaks, we would all make a mad dash to the restrooms and wait in line. There would be lines 30-50 people deep waiting to use the men’s room. Every time we used the restroom, I would observe my friend taking the extra time to wipe down the sink with the paper towel after he washed his hands. I never asked him why he did that, but I don’t need to.

The reason why my friend did that – and why he was always an encouragement to me, why he always took the time to thank the waiter in the restaurant, acknowledged the guy who served our coffee, greeted the greeter at the hotel, etc. – is because his goal in life is to be like Jesus.

He wanted to make wherever he was a better place because wherever he was, Jesus was there.

And the reason why he lives his life like this is because that’s how Jesus lived his life.

Could you imagine if all Christians lived with this simple philosophy – making the world a better place than we found it?

Should Christians live our lives like that, there wouldn’t be a need for apologetics. Christians would be the best reason for others to come to love Jesus Christ.

So you know what I find myself doing now? I am wiping down the sink in public places, taking the extra time to greet and thank the people serving and helping, doing my best to be like my friend – because he’s so much like Jesus Christ.

“Let a righteous man strike me – it is kindness; let him rebuke me – it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it” (Psalm 141:5).

What an odd passage. How in the world is striking another kindness? How is rebuke a balm of healing?

Then, what in the world could the Bible have in mind when it says “Let” a righteous man strike me – it is kindness? How can striking someone and rebuking someone be kindness?

First of all, the Bible is not advocating violence.

What the Bible is advocating is wisdom. There is so much wisdom that can be learned and gained for those less wise from those who are righteous. What better way to learn about how to live a life that is pleasing to God, a life that is fruitful than to learn it from someone who is righteous and someone who’s already been living this life?

Our issue is that we insist on living life according to our own rules and our own standards. We are terrible when it comes to listening to wisdom. We insist on making all our own mistakes. And that is a tragedy. That is so unwise.

What the Bible is trying to teach us is that we can either let life smack us around or we can humble ourselves and let the righteous teach us how best to live life.

What a genuine gift it would be to have the righteous show us when we are wrong and when we have gone off track so that before something really tragic can happen, we can make the necessary corrections.

In order for this to happen, we need enough humility to seek such guidance, and secondly enough wisdom to accept such rebuke and correction when it is given in love by the righteous.

So how about it? Ready for some wisdom?

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

History is not meandering through time. All of history is marching toward a final destination. The Bible calls this final destination of all time the “Day of the LORD” or the “Day of Judgment.” On this day, everyone will face God from the throne of judgment.

The reason why Christians are saved from judgment and damnation is not because Christians are good and righteous. The reason why Christians will be saved from judgment and damnation is because Jesus is good and righteous.

On the Day of the LORD, I will stand before God if I were Christ because Christ stood before God as if he were me.

Theologians call this substitutionary atonement.

Atonement literally means a reparation or payment for sin. Sin is costly. This is the reason why when we pray the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Forgive us our debts…” The debt is the payment that sin requires.

Substitutionary atonement means that Jesus pays the debt of sin on our behalf. On the cross, Jesus bore my sins and paid its debt by descending into hell. But that’s not the end of the story. Jesus rose again from the dead so that all who receive Jesus as Lord and Savior will rise with Christ as sons and daughters. That’s what the verse of the day means: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

When Christians stand before God on the Day of Judgment what God sees in Christians is sons and daughters because of all that Jesus did for us on the cross.

Jesus paid the debt of sin on our behalf. That is what he meant when he cried on the cross, “It is finished.” Jesus was saying, “Father, for this one, I’ve paid it all. It’s done. It is finished.”

Because of all that Jesus has done for us on the cross, we are now received into God’s kingdom as sons and daughters. Not because we are good and righteous but because Jesus is good and righteous.

This is the gospel. This is Good News.

Thank you Jesus! Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank you for giving me new life. Thank you Jesus!