Here's an excerpt from the very end of my article, Cherish Grace. You can read all of it on Boundless. Happy Easter to you and your loved ones!
"Save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!"
Well, what if He had? What if Jesus had actually come down from that cross? What if He looked out at sinful humanity and shrugged off the plan of redemption for our sorry souls? That angry crowd was staring at the only way they would ever escape eternal torment—and they mocked it.
They. It's easy to cast ourselves among the few who, like Mary Magdalene, were truly appalled by the cross, isn't it? But C.J. Mahaney* makes a compelling case otherwise:
Let me tell you who I most identify with.
I identify most with the angry mob screaming, "Crucify Him!"
That's who we should all identify with. Because apart from God's grace, this is where we would all be standing, and we're only flattering ourselves to think otherwise. Unless you see yourself standing there with the shrieking crowd, full of hostility and hatred for the holy and innocent Lamb of God, you don't really understand the nature and depth of your sin or the necessity of the cross.
As the shouts and screams from the mob grow in volume, what's it like for our Lord to look out upon these people? Even if you can't recognize yourself among the angry faces, or distinguish your own strident voice . . . He can. And in response to those sinful shouts and curses from you and me, Jesus yields to the sentence of death . . .
When we begin to grasp that we joined that mockery—that we are to blame for the Savior's death—we start to understand the seriousness of our sin.
But convicting you of sin is not my ultimate purpose here; rather, I want to convince you of grace. For when you're deeply aware of your sin, and of what an affront it is to God's holiness, and of how impossible it is for Him to respond to this sin with anything other than furious wrath—you can only be overwhelmed with how amazing grace is.
Only those who are truly aware of their sin can truly cherish grace.
*C.J. Mahaney, Living the Cross-Centered Life (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers), 2006, pp. 87-88.
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Thank you for the post this morning. It was a good word for this day of remembrance.
As I've been preparing my heart this morning for the weekend of Resurrection celebration, I came across these two quotes from Tozer that I thought you might like:
"We must do something about the cross, and one of two things only we can do -- flee it or die upon it."
"It is easy to learn the doctrine of revival and victorious living; it is quite another thing to take our cross and plod on to the dark and bitter hill of self-renunciation."
That Tozer . . . he always pulls my heart toward exalting Christ! As do you also, every time we get together, friend. So good to spend some time with you this weekend, praying, laughing, and catching up.
Love and prayers to you this most sacred day!
on Friday, April 2, 2010 at 10:20 am
It was lovely to meet you on our flight back home. Your tip about hopping on the train to catch my flight was how I actually got to get ON it (it would not have occured to me to use it). I arrived at the very last minute! Thank you SO much. I am not flight savvy at all.
I'm sorry if I kept you awake, even when you are tired, you do sparkle. *chuckles* Do you remember my horrid knock knock joke? And then you cracked me up with your 'What?" Patheticly bubbly aren't I?
Anyhow, your article and dear Kimberly's reply put this amazing 'song'/sermon by twin Christian musicians to mind "Caleb and Sol Rexius", I think you will cherrish it like I did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toEdT0VEHKI
May God bless you deeply as you endevour in Washington D.C. ... you are precious in His sight. :c)
Peace, love n' blessings all!
PS Want a laugh? I did think of someone when I got home (I think I can hear you groan! *chuckles*).
on Friday, April 2, 2010 at 10:59 am
on Friday, April 2, 2010 at 11:28 am
I so appreciate your quote about the "cross" that WE must bear! Oftentimes, we can focus on the cross that JESUS bore, and miss the one we must bear, too....
Jesus said we must DENY self to follow Him and give up our lives. I realize this principle is as unpopular to us in these days as it was in the times of Christ. But it is the very secret to having power over sin in our lives...
Do we REALLY love God????? We prove it by taking up our cross....
Today is Easter Sunday on a calendar, but I don't regard it a special day or season because I know the reality of the resurrection power of Christ is there 365 days a year! Therefore, I am thankful for His resurrection EVERY day!
Here's what I have learned: We ONLY experience the power of Christ in our earthly bodies to the extent that we die daily to self (by taking up our cross). Anything else is just head knowledge...
What does that look like practically? When we choose to love those who hate us, close our mouth when we want to say the wrong thing, get out ahead of God and His timing, take honor for something that we don't deserve, shrink back in fears, let others know we did something so we can get credit, give into jealousy and unbelief when someone else gets what we want, try to control our own life on our terms, etc....
These are all parts of our earthly nature that must be "crucified". Then, and only then do we take on the NEW nature of Christ!
The end result is....loving those we naturally hate, forgiving those that have harmed us, trusting God instead of worrying, going forward with courage in facing each and every fear, humbling ourselves instead of seeking honor, rejoicing with those who get what we so eagerly desire...
THIS is the life of Christ in US! The kingdom of God is within us!
When these qualities are formed in us, we become transformed into that TRUE WOMAN!
May the Life of Christ Shine through all of us this day and always...
Nancy
on Sunday, April 4, 2010 at 7:44 am
Today, Easter Sunday, we (boyfriend and I) watched the Pope speak to the public, giving them the blessing.
It was a truly tear jerking moment.
God gives us so many choices in life. Let's choose love.
Judy
on Sunday, April 4, 2010 at 10:56 am
on Monday, April 5, 2010 at 7:15 pm
on Monday, April 5, 2010 at 9:10 pm
I just noticed today that you'd said hello! Sorry, boy, am I ever slow on the draw.
Hope you had a lovely God prasing Easter day!
Peace, love n' blessings to you and yours. :c)
An appology *hug*!<<<
on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 1:16 am