“And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, ‘If you are Christ, save yourself and us.’ 40. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, seeing you are in the same condemnation. 41. And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing amiss.’ 42. And he said unto Jesus, ‘Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ 43. And Jesus said unto him, ‘Verily, I say unto you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
There are two reactions shared in the text above that show us possible reactions to the Christ’s crucifixion. Which has been your reaction? It’s worth thinking about. One reaction is that the crucifixion means absolutely nothing. This is the reaction of the first thief. If Jesus wouldn’t act in the way he wanted Him to react, that is, to save his life, he had no interest in Jesus’ crucifixion. This is an attitude of , “What’s in it for me?” He was not thinking above his own self-interest. This is the attitude of a lot of people today. The death of Jesus means nothing to them, because it doesn’t promote their own interests. They are afraid about what they might lose if they follow Jesus. Another reaction is that the crucifixion means something beyond this earthly life. That is the reaction of the second thief. He evidently heard the voice of the Spirit and saw in Jesus the Savior that He is. He had recognized his own sins and knew that he deserved punishment for his crime, but he saw the innocence of Jesus. He wanted to go with Jesus into His kingdom. Jesus accepted this thief’s profession of faith and said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” I have read all sorts of ideas about what “paradise” means. My conclusion is that it is the place where we will be with Jesus, and that is enough for me. (We also call it “heaven.”) I just want to leave the details up to God. There are millions of people who have the reaction of the first thief: Jesus’ crucifixion means nothing to them. They do not want Jesus to interfere with their lives and certainly not with their lifestyles. It would take an admission of sin and a need for forgiveness. Let us pray that many people will have the reaction of the second thief during this season of the emphasis on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. I pray that your reaction is that of the second thief (or ex-thief). Bro. Joe
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“For it pleased the Lord that in (Christ) should all fullness dwell. 20. And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
There are those who think that we are coarse, or crazy, to praise and thank God for the “blood of His cross.” After all, it is an ugly picture. A man hangs bleeding and dying and we are thankful and we praise God. Understand that in the economy of God, a lot depended on the Son giving Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Jesus told His disciples, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give His life a ransom for many.” This meant that “His time had come” as John mentions so many times in His gospel. Yes, we celebrate, because of the cross of Jesus some great things can happen in our lives. Following are at least three of these things. Because of the cross of Jesus, we can truly know that God loves us. All we need to do is to go back to the promise of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”If you need proof that God loves you, look to the cross and the words of John 3:16 should echo through your soul and give you the assurance of God’s love for you. The love of God is beyond our imagination and our intellectual understanding, but that does not mean that it is not real. Because of the cross of Jesus, we can be saved. “Saved” seems a quaint word in our sophisticated age. Sometimes people make fun of our claim to be saved. It might seem simple-minded to many, but those who have looked to the cross and to the empty tomb of Jesus, being saved is no joke. It is through the “blood of His cross” that we can be reconciled to God – forever. We have been saved to serve the Lord and to live what we call “the saved life.” What does this saved life entail? It entails worship of God, not just in church, but in our daily lives, living daily in the light of His presence. It entails living in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It entails loving people whether they are lovable or not, because we know that Jesus also died for them. Goodness, I’m making us sound like super humans, but being saved does not make us super humans. We do not always show the “saved life” to the world. We are sinners saved by grace. We are not perfect, but thank God through our faith in Jesus and because of His grace we are saved. I might reiterate that we are saved because of the cross of Jesus. We didn’t earn it, but it was given to us by God’s unmerited favor – His amazing grace! Because of the cross of Jesus, we can go to heaven. There are other scriptures that I could refer to about this eternal abode with God, but I want to go back to a promise that Jesus gave His disciples in His words of comfort about His coming crucifixion in John 14:2b-3: “I go to prepare a place for you. 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am there shall you be also.” Here Jesus gave a promise that those who believe in Him, surrender their lives to Him - shall be saved and we will be with Him eternally. Hey, that is good news and it comes to us via the cross of Jesus. I guess that I could have shared other great things because of the cross of Jesus, but these should give reason for rejoicing during this joyous season. Bro. Joe “God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Unbelievers have no idea why Paul would write such a thing. After all, the cross was the most inhumane method of capital punishment that man ever devised. They also wonder why we would glory in the cross. The point is that to glory in the cross, you have to believe biblical prophecy, and the gospels in the New Testament. There are some very good reasons why all Christians can glory in the cross. I will list three of them. It was on the cross that salvation was made possible. Jesus is referred to as the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) Isaiah prophesied about the suffering servant in Isaiah 53:6-7: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before her shearers is dumb, so openeth not His mouth.” Paul wrote about this in Ephesians 2:15-19: “Having abolished in His flesh the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of two one new man, so making peace. 16. And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were near. 18. For through Him we both (Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19. Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcititzens with the saints, and of the household of God.” It was on the cross that God’s great love for us was revealed in all of its glory. In John 3:16, Jesus told of the extent of the Father’s love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus knew that the cross was in His future, even as He said these loving words. In His earthly ministry, Jesus revealed the love of the Father by His love for people. The New Testament portrays Jesus as One who loved everyone, the rich and poor. He saved the wealthy Zacchaeus and bragged on the widow who gave all that she had at the temple. Matthew 9:36 reveals the great love and compassion of Jesus: “But when (Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus revealed great love when He healed the sick, raised the dead, calmed the sea and fed two multitudes with just a few loaves and fishes. Then when Jesus died on the cross, He gave proof of the love portrayed in John 3:16. It was on the cross that Satan’s eternal fate was sealed. He did everything that he could to keep Jesus from the cross. In the temptations given in the gospels, the devil tried to get Jesus to short-circuit his destiny on the cross by proving Himself without it. Jesus would not succumb to this. I think that it was the devil who tempted the people to try to make Jesus a king. Jesus would not allow that to happen. 1 John 3:8 says: “He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested (revealed) that He might destroy the works of the devil.” That is why Paul could write that he gloried in the cross and that is why we do as well. Bro. Joe “God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Unbelievers have no idea why Paul would write such a thing. After all, the cross was the most inhumane method of capital punishment that man ever devised. They also wonder why we would glory in the cross. This point is that to glory in the cross, you have to believe biblical prophecy in the Old Testament and in the message of the New Testament. There are some very good reasons why all Christians can glory in the cross. I will list three of them. It was on the cross that salvation was made possible. Jesus is referred to as the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) Isaiah prophesied about the suffering servant in Isaiah 53:6-7: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before her shearers is dumb, so openeth He not His mouth.” Paul wrote about this in Ephesians 2:15-19: “Having abolished in His flesh the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of two one new man, so making peace. 16. that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were near. 18. For through Him we both (Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19. Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow cititzens with the saints, and of the household of God.” There is much more about the cross in the New Testament, but these should suffice to prove the point. It was on the cross that God’s great love for human beings was revealed in all of its glory. In John 3:16, Jesus told of the extent of the love of God for us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus knew that the cross was in His future, even as He said these loving words. In His earthly ministry, Jesus revealed the love of the Father by His love for people. The New Testament portrays Jesus as One who loved everyone, the rich and the poor. He saved the wealthy Zacchaeus and bragged on the widow who gave all that she had at the temple. Matthew 9:36 reveals the great love and compassion of Jesus: “But when (Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus revealed great love when He healed the sick, raised the dead, calmed the sea and fed two multitudes of five thousand and four thousand with just a few loaves and fishes. Then when Jesus died on the cross, He gave proof of the love portrayed in John 3:16. I once heard Billy Graham say that Jesus was saying from the cross: “I love you! I love you! I love you!” It was on the cross that Satan’s eternal fate was sealed. He did everything that he could to keep Jesus from the cross. In the temptations given in the gospels, the devil tried to get Jesus to short-circuit his destiny on the cross by proving Himself without dying on the cross. Jesus would not succumb to this. I think that it was the devil who tempted the people to try to make Jesus a king. Jesus would not allow that to happen. 1 John 3:8 says: “He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested (revealed) that He might destroy the works of the devil.” John also pointed out in 1 John 1:9 that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" That is why Paul could write that he gloried in the cross and that is why we do as well. Bro. Joe “God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Unbelievers have no idea why Paul would write such a thing. After all, the cross was the most inhumane method of capital punishment that man ever devised. They also wonder why we would glory in the cross. This point is that to glory in the cross, you have to believe biblical prophecy, and the gospels in the New Testament. There are some very good reasons why all Christians can glory in the cross. I will list three of them. It was on the cross that salvation was made possible. Jesus is referred to as the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) Isaiah prophesied about the suffering servant in Isaiah 53:6-7: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before her shearers is dumb, so openeth not His mouth.” Paul wrote about this in Ephesians 2:15-19: “Having abolished in His flesh the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of two one new man, so making peace. 16. And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 and came an preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were near. 18. For through Him we both (Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19. Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcititzens with the saints, and of the household of God.” There is much more about the cross in the New Testament, but these should suffice to prove the point. It was on the cross that God’s great love for human beings was revealed in all of its glory. In John 3:16, Jesus told of the extent of the Father’s love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus knew that the cross was in His future, even as He said these loving words. In His earthly ministry, Jesus revealed the love of the Father by His love for people. The New Testament portrays Jesus as One who loved everyone, the rich and poor. He saved the wealthy Zacchaeus and bragged on the widow who gave all that she had at the temple. Matthew 9:36 reveals the great love and compassion of Jesus: “But when (Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus revealed great love when He healed the sick, raised the dead, calmed the sea and fed two multitudes with just a few loaves and fishes. Then when Jesus died on the cross, He gave proof of the love portrayed in John 3:16. I once heard Billy Graham say that Jesus was saying from the cross: “I love you! I love you! I love you!” It was on the cross that Satan’s eternal fate was sealed. He did everything that he could to keep Jesus from the cross. In the temptations given in the gospels, the devil tried to get Jesus to short-circuit his destiny on the cross by proving Himself without it. Jesus would not succumb to this. I think that it was the devil who tempted the people to try to make Jesus a king. Jesus would not allow that to happen. 1 John 3:8 says: “He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested (revealed) that He might destroy the works of the devil.” John also pointed out in 1 John 1:9 that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. That is why Paul could write that he gloried in the cross and that is why we glory in it as well. Bro. Joe Paul wrote that he would glory only in the cross of Christ. Why? Because he didn't have anything else worth bragging about. He gloried in the cross, because it was Christ's death on the cross that made it possible for Paul to be saved and to live the victorious Chrisitan life that he wrote so eloquently about. We need to glory in the cross, for we are in the same position. There is nothing in our lives that we have, or that we have done, that we can brag about. If you have taught Sunday School for years and years and are considered your church's "Bible scholar," you still have nothing to brag about, for that did not save you. If you are the head deacon of your church, and have a part of every decision that it is made at your church, that did not save you. If you read the Bible through every year, word for word, I commend you, but that did not save you. If you have memorized whole books of the Bible, that is a good thing, but it is nothing for you to boast about, because that did not save you. It was only when Jesus died on the cross for our sins and announced from that cross:
"It is finished," that we were able to be forgiven for our sins and be saved. Everything depended on the cross and that was why Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane was so important: "Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done." We needed for Jesus to die on the cross and if He hadn't we couldn't be saved. Consequently, let us join Paul and say, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." During this season of the year let's be especially thankful for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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