For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).
I am reading a book written by Darek Prince entitled Bought With Blood. I highly recommend it. The Cross is the significance of the divine exchange where forgiveness of my sins was exchanged for the blood of Christ. It is the very significance of the Christian faith and without it there is nothing to faith at all. There is no health of the soul, no hope of eternal life, save in the cross.
What God has done is complete, perfect, final. Never will it have to be changed or modified. But our appropriation of it is progressive. It is important to see this especially as we continue to emphasize the perfection of the work.
The real source of strength and wisdom for the Christian lies in the cross. Without the cross we can have good morality, a host of good intention and a lot of nice sermons, but we will have no significant results.
The fact that a man died and rose from the dead and is still alive today is the most important single event in human history. Nothing else can compare with it. When we refer to the cross, we are talking about the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity.
The glory of the cross was not about a wooden beam, or glittering symbol, but about the One who was nailed to it. Jesus Christ. The Lamb of God. The Son of God. Our Lord. Our Savior. And Redeemer. Jesus was forsaken that we might be forgiven. He was wounded that we might be healed. He was humiliated that we might be glorified. He was killed that we might live. He was sacrificed that we might be saved.
While the cross in Jesus’ days symbolized weakness, shame, and humiliation, it became the symbol of strength, liberty, and power. The blood of the cross became the divine agent demonstrating God’s power to cleanse sinners.
We should see the purpose of the cross. To Paul, as it should be to all of us, the cross was personal. It signifies the breaking down of barriers that separate people. It represents a new creation. It symbolizes our redemption, justification, and salvation from sin.
It is the focus of what we as Christians are and ought to be. It is not an adornment to be hung on a wall or worn around our neck. It is the focus of the resurrection power of the risen Christ.
What is the cross to you?
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
A Baptist minister named John Harper was on board the Titanic when it sank in the Atlantic Ocean in April 1912. He had a seat on a lifeboat alongside his sister and six-year-old daughter, but gave it up so he could stay on the sinking ship to preach to its doomed passengers. He even gave his life jacket to another passenger, who miraculously survived the disaster.
Rev. Harper continued sharing the gospel on the ship as it sank and then with those in the freezing water before he died. His daughter, Annie Jessie, went on to become the longest-living Scottish Titanic survivor.
Before the Titanic set sail, Pastor Harper wrote a letter to another clergyman, dated April 11, 1912. He thanked his fellow minister for his kindness when they had been together recently and closed his note, “The warriors are with me here and are doing well so far on the journey. With kindest love, your loving auld Pastor, John Harper.”
The letter recently sold at auction for more than $55,000. Its author’s sacrificial service after he wrote it was beyond price. —Jim Denison
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Planned Parenthood Annual Report shows it killed 354,000 babies in abortions, more than ever before.
Before He formed us, He knew us in the womb. He has had a hand in our life before we even knew Him. He has led and guided before we even knew to ask. His grace has been given even before we knew we needed it.
Think about it.
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Hungry? …… There are 4,297 restaurants in Tampa.
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78% of people live from paycheck to paycheck and only 47% of people pay off their credit card balance each month.
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A ten-year-old leukemia patient has designed a sweatshirt to raise money for families impacted by pediatric cancer. Her design includes the words, “Be strong and courageous,” taken from Joshua 1:9.
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The percentage of North Korean citizens who are exposed to the Bible is steadily increasing each year despite extreme persecution. The YouVersion Bible app is now available in fifteen hundred languages.
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this; when I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. …Then the effort that I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought. —ALEXANDER HAMILTON
Many have been around Jesus and may regularly attend church and read their Bible, but have not had a transformation with Jesus. —Ken Whitten
Anything lavished on Jesus is not wasted. —Ken Whitten
If you want to score a home run, you have to swing like you want one. —Bruce Ariens
Do small things with great love. —Mother Teresa
TO GOD, THE PRAYERS OF HIS PEOPLE ARE A PLEASANT ODOR. —Dan Shock
If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. —Napoleon Hill
Our deeper problems are theological, not political.
A quote from philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, “Faith sees best in the dark.”
That which is prefaced by prayer, needs to be punctuated by practice.
A goal is a dream with a deadline. —Napoleon Hill
What is the one thing that we can do that is different from the world? We can pray. —Chris Dotson
Do you view prayer as transactional or transformational? —Kelly Knouse