Glory in the Cross

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14)

Paul never saw the cross as a good luck charm, an item of jewelry, or beautiful art work to adorn a wall or table. One would not have seen a small cross on the dash board of Paul’s chariot.

Paul gloried in the cross because it did two major things. First, it revealed God’s attitude toward sin. It is one thing to read “thou shalt” and “thou shall not” in the Ten Commandments. It is another thing to see the Son of God suffering death on the cross because of man’s sin. All the sins of the world were placed on Jesus Christ and God the Father poured out his Holy Wrath on sin. That’s what God thinks of sin.

Second, the cross represents God’s love for the sinner. Man cannot pay for his sins with his own efforts. But, God in His love for mankind sent Jesus to die on the cross for all of us sinners.

Things That Accompany Salvation

“But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation…” (Hebrews 6:9)

When someone comes to know the Lord they receive the indwelling Holy Spirit to aid them in living the Christian life and to comfort them along the way. Some of the other things that accompany salvation would be, “the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.” (Galatians 5:22-23) Other things are sobriety, assurance of salvation, peace that passes all understanding, hunger and thirst for the things of God, Godly behavior and a list too long for this page.

The writer is saying that the evidence will show that a saved person is a changed person. There are some accompanying marks that bear the proof.

Where are the Nine?

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back...and fell down at His feet giving Him thanks...and Jesus answering said, were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? (Luke 17: 15, 16, 17)

Ten leprous men begged Jesus to have mercy on them and heal them. Sure enough, He healed them. When one of the ten turned back and gave Him thanks, Jesus asked the question, “Where are the other nine?”

During this November Thanksgiving season when we are so blessed with God’s provision which He has so abundantly lavished on us, let us remember to be thankful. Will this be the year we profoundly thank Him for His goodness to us for the blessings of life, friends, the privilege of living in America with her freedoms, for food on our tables, clothes in our closets and a roof over our heads? Or, will this be another of those thankless seasons when we wonder why we don’t have more?

Don’t wait until Thanksgiving to be thankful.

Dealing With Our Sins

“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11)

In the 1930’s and 40’s if Adolph Hitler had been dealt with after his first taking the life of a Jew and before he was responsible for the second death, it is very probable that six million Jews would not have died in Nazi consecration camps and gas chambers in the Holocaust.

Prisons across America are holding men and women who got away with breaking small laws as children. If someone, a parent, a teacher or a friend had stopped their committing such deeds as juveniles, in many instances they would not have committed the larger crime that landed them behind bars.

You and I must take our sins to the foot of the cross and deal with them there in confession and repentance and let God deal with our sins in mercy, grace and forgiveness before He has to deal with them in judgment and wrath. “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…” (I John 1:9)

God’s Word Will Stand Forever

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” (Luke 21:33)

In the book of Revelation John the Beloved tells us that he “saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away…” (Revelation 21:1) The Bible tells us that what is seen is temporary, but what is not seen is eternal. All of that which we see with our eyes will someday pass away. God’s word is eternal.

But someone objects. “We are able to see our Bibles, the big ones, the little ones and everything in between. Are they not temporary?” Lovingly, I tell you that God’s Word is written and even though we see it in book form, if one were to destroy every single copy, as Jehoikim, king of Judah destroyed the scroll of the prophet Jeremiah, God’s word will not destroyed. Jeremiah dictated the unwritten word back to his penman, Baruch. If every copy were burned in a fire as was Jeremiah’s prophesy, God’s word would still stand.

Yes, heaven and earth shall pass away but God’s word will forever stand firm. We can depend on what He says to be accurate, true and everlasting. There will always be those who deny it, attempt to destroy it, and say it is not true. However, God’s Word will not pass away. The Psalmist said, “Forever, Oh LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psalm 119:89)

Be Strong and Courageous

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)

Moses, God’s servant, had died and God had buried him in an unmarked grave. Joshua, his successor, had been given the reigns of leadership over the nation of Israel. In this verse God is instructing Joshua to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9) because God is with him.

The Lord Jesus has given believers the “Great Commission” to go into the world and evangelize the lost, baptize those who become saved and teach all those whom we baptize. He then promises that He will be with us to the very end as we do His bidding. Let us be courageous and faithful to our Lord as Joshua was instructed to be courageous and unafraid.

Warning Signs

“And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, the LORD will not do good, neither will He do evil.” (Zephaniah 1:12)

Just as there were in the days of the reign of Josiah, king of Judah and the prophets, Zephaniah and Jeremiah, we have people today who think God either will not or cannot bring judgment on unrepentant rejecters of God and His word.

But as surely and certainly as the prophets had warned, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar, “God’s servant,” came in and took Judah captive. They stayed in captivity for seventy years. The people then realized that God meant what He said and did what He said He would do. They had been warned and now they were reaping what they had sown.

If those people who went into captivity could come to America and stand on the capitol steps and on the mall in Washington, what would they say to us concerning America’s sins and her refusal to heed the warning signs of judgment? Let us turn to God.