"But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
As I come to the end of a very hard year and look ahead with faith and hope to a new year my mind is filled with thoughts on the cross:
The bloody death of Jesus Christ on the cross was Paul’s magnificent obsession. It was the one great all embracing thing that set him on fire. He was utterly mastered, held captive, by one great scene in history: a cross on Golgotha and on it the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:23, “but we preach Christ crucified” or in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Paul was so saturated with the crucifying power of the cross that in everything that he said and did, in all of his preaching there would be an aroma of death-death to self reliance, death to pride, death to boasting in man-so that the life people would see would be the life of Christ, and the power people might see might be the power of God
Every day we all face the tendency to move away and to drift from the cross. That is why the main thing is to make sure that the first and most important thing that you do –ALWAYS-is to make sure that the cross is at the very center of your life. Therefore, every day I have to preach the gospel to myself Jesus Christ has paid the price.
My hope is not built upon my performance but on Jesus righteousness.In our flesh we are always performance driven and therefore, every day I need to become cross centered
No one needs the gospel only once because all of our bad days need the good things of his grace over and over and over again.
We need to stay close to the cross daily because there is so much pressure for children, parents, workers, spouses, ministers to perform. Every day tell yourself, Jesus has paid the price. It is not based upon your performance anymore
Preaching the gospel to myself is critical, otherwise my life is in critical condition.
If my life is not cross centered than my life will be off centered
If everything in my life is spinning out of control it is because I have lost the centrality of the cross in my life
This poor man needs again to wrap his life around the cross so I won't get lost.
I will cling to this cross and won't let go.
The cross is the intersection of the deep needs of my life and his love.
The cross is the beam that supports my life.
A cross-centered, cross-exalting, cross-saturated life is a God-glorifying life-the only God-glorifying life.
When all is said and done, there is enough sin in me to damn me forever. I truly deserve God's just wrath (Romans 1:18). But as I think about the cross and I let my sense of sinfulness again cause me to flee from it into the arms of Jesus, who died to save me from it.
The prophet Isaiah encourages me to "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:22) Jesus says in John 3:14-15 that "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."
And Hebrews 12:2 exhorts us to be"looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." So I am looking
I face 2013 a hopeless and helpless sinner and look and cling to and trust in the gift and grace of Jesus. I preach to myself that on the cross by sheer, free, divine grace:
Jesus is my ransom that repays the tremendous debt I owe to God for my sin.
Jesus is my substitute who bears my sin and my curse in Himself so that I can be freed from guilt and punishment.
Jesus, whose cross is a vindication of God's righteousness so that he can be both just and the one who justifies me who has faith in Jesus.
Jesus is the one who justifies sinners like me who trust Him. He bears upon Himself my just deserved punishment and I receive His goodness so that I can stand before God.
Because of his cross,
the wrath of God is taken away.
all my guilt is removed,
my sins are forgiven,
perfect righteousness is imputed to me,
the love of God is poured out in my heart by the Spirit,
and I am being conformed to the image of Christ.
C.J. Mahaney writes, “Ask me how I’m doing on a given day and you might be surprised by my response. I don’t give a typical “I’m great” or fine thanks!” Instead I say, “Better than I deserve.” It catches people off guard. Many times non-Christians have argued with me, convinced that I suffer from low self-esteem. But no-I understand who I am and where I deserve to be. I deserve God’s wrath…I deserve to be in hell. But instead I am God’s child. I’m forgiven and loved by Him. I’m going to heaven. I’m doing much better than I deserve!...That perspective fills me with joy even when things in my life aren’t going as I planned…I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know this: Because of the cross I am doing much better than I deserve. ”
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did ever such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown? His dying crimson, like a robe, spreads o’er His body on the tree; then I am dead to all the globe, and all the globe is dead to me. Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. Isaac Watts
As I leave 2012 and face 2013, I declare that I am a great sinner, Jesus is a wonderful savior, and on Him and His mercy and grace and kind arms I fall,
Pastor Bill.
1 comment:
Beautiful! Thanks for bringing me back to basics. I needed to hear this right now Bill. God bless your obedience to the will of God!
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