On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown.
Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dark Calvary.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, to pardon and sanctify me.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
We have fashioned it into pieces of jewelry.
We have put it on bumper stickers.
There are more pictures and drawings of it than one could ever count or imagine.
The cross of Jesus.
It is either a place of beauty, to the eyes of a believer.....
or it is a place of repulsion and horror, to the eyes of one who does not know Jesus.
The cross of Christ defined for all time that sin had received a "Paid in Full" from God.
Humanity was no longer adrift in this world without hope.
The Lamb of God, without blemish, had given himself to become that payment.
The very thought of this is almost more than my mind can bear.
As much as a I love Easter and the Resurrection....
I cannot reach that place without first going to the cross.
To stand on that hill and place my hands upon that rough, hewn piece of wood. An instrument of torture and humiliation became the trumpet blast of victory as Jesus stretched out himself and became the propitiation for mankind.
Do not think for one moment that I am elevating the cross above Christ, for I am not.
Without Christ, the cross truly is nothing more than wood. Jesus probably wasn't the first one to have been crucified upon his cross, as the Roman government was not one to waste even the wood used for crosses. Other backs had laid upon it. Other men had cried out from its beams for mercy. But only the Son of God brought healing and liberty to this world through his suffering and death. From the cross, it was the voice of Jesus who cried aloud...."IT IS FINISHED! How can you think on such actions without feeling broken and grateful for His love and obedience? For it was through this act of giving, that it can be truly said....Jesus is The way, The truth and The life. The door to God the Father is found at the cross.
We would do well to stay at the cross. I know that the thing to do today is to prepare messages for congregations that are full of "self-help" information. "Ten Keys to a better life," "Unlock Your Potential and Destiny".....
My friend, my destiny is found in that cross. Without the cross, I am lost and adrift without purpose and meaning for this life. I don't need a self-centered gospel where it is all about me. I need a fresh revealing of Jesus in my life. A revealing that lifts my vision from my own wants and desires (which by the way usually comes from my flesh) so that I can embrace the directives of the Kingdom of God.
That is why I have, since the beginning of my entering the ministry, have looked to I Corinthians 2:2 as the verse God used to define who I am.
"For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."
All other understanding pales in comparison to the cross and what it stands for.
All other understanding crumbles and falls under the weight and in the shadow of the cross.
The cross either gives life or it condemns us to death. That is why I open my heart to the saving grace of God. The cross gives me life. It proclaims across time and space that penalty of sin has been broken....the power of sin has been defeated...and the presence of sin cannot stand against the cross.
I read where there are 39 different groups that meet using the Twelve Steps as a means to bring healing. Now when I say that the Twelve Steps bring healing, I want you to understand that those steps are nothing without our Higher Power, Jesus. In fact a friend of mine told me once...."You can't do the 12 steps and not hit your head on the cross."
Don't you find it strange that there 39 different groups ( A.A., N.A., G.A., S.A. etc) that meet for healing. Do you remember how many lashes Jesus took from the Roman whip? Thirty-nine lashes. Scripture says that by his stripes we are healed. Those stripes upon the back of Jesus, walked up that hill outside of Jerusalem and paid the full price for a healing that goes far beyond physical healing. You see....sin is our problem in this world today.
That word, sin, has fallen from favor in some of our churches. We don't use that word any more for fear of offending someone. We need to be offended. The cross is a place of offense that opens my heart up to the eternal truth that I am a sinner who has sinned against an eternal God. Because of my sin, I deserve an eternal punishment. A punishment that I am powerless to pay. But, praise God! Jesus stepped forth and took my sin/punishment upon his back. As Scripture says...."He who knew no sin, became sin."
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross....
God on you...
mb
No comments:
Post a Comment