The Cross of Jesus Christ... Something to Linger On

Setting Captive Free offers several courses to take. One of the best ones (I think) is “The Cross.” They take you through a 60 course of looking at the Cross of Jesus Christ. Each day is packed full of biblical truths about the single greatest event that has ever taken place in the history of man. Some would say that 60 days is to much, to long, and that it would get old. Well I will tell you that 60 isn’t enough.

With all that being said, I would like to share with you something that really got my attention. We all know (or should have an understanding) that Jesus is the payment of our sins. For most of you who will read this you also know that in the Old Testament they had to pay for their sins. They would do this several different ways, but always there was blood that had to be shed. I want to take a quick little snap shot from the course to examine a biblical truth of how the atonement for sins of old correlates to what Jesus did on the cross.

Exo 25:21-22  You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. (22)  And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

Notice from the above passage that two specific things happened at the mercy seat. From Exodus 25:22 we see that God would “meet with” the high priest there, and that God would “speak with” him there. Please keep these truths in mind as we read additional verses on the mercy seat.

The Cross of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the “Mercy Seat” of the Old Testament. God looks down upon the death of His Son, who shed His blood for our forgiveness, and He has mercy on His people. Just as God met with the people and spoke to them from above the mercy seat, so He meets with us at the cross, and speaks to us at the cross.

The words He speaks at the cross are words of mercy. If we linger at the cross, and examine it with eyes of faith, here are the words we will hear:

·         Forgiveness: Act 10:43  To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."

·          Acceptance: Eph 1:6  to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

·         Redemption: Eph 1:7  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

·         Reconciliation: Rom 5:11  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

·         Peace with God: Col 1:20  and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.Rom 5:1  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

·         Eternal life: Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

To stop and think about the cross (process, from beginning to end) is something that I have not done in a long time. Please take a few moments (longer would be preferred) and meditate on what Jesus did for you at the Cross………… I would also urge you to meditate on this throughout the week, as this is the most important part of what we believe as Christians… just take a look at what Paul had to say about this matter.

Gal 6:14  But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

1Co 2:2  For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Wicked, Judgement, Grace, Redemption in Psalms

i have been reading/praying Psalms for the past several weeks. as i read this morning before prayer, i read Ch 49-50. and during that reading i saw the redemption story. its like a conversation between us and God. it starts with Him.

(God)
Psa 50:16  But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth,
Psa 50:17  Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?
Psa 50:18  When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers.
Psa 50:19  You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit.
Psa 50:20  You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son.
Psa 50:21  These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes.

God says to us that we are wicked and that we have taken His words His commands and thrown them behind us. we act as if He never gave us a law to follow (just like in Mat_7:23). God goes on to tell us just how we have broken His laws. we speak evil with no remorse, we kill our brother with our tongue and never think twice about it. when we see someone sinning we turn our head and say "i didnt see that." then we go to that person and act as if they are our friends. finally God tells us this: that we have made a god in our own minds. we thought that our god was like us, that he was on our side (even though we sinned against him). we thought that we were righteous in the eyes of the god of our own understanding. we thought this when the one true I AM kept silent. He did this because He despises the proud (Jas_5:5, & 1Pe_5:5), and that is just what we the wicked are. 


their are times that we even as "christians" fall into the category of the "wicked." and to be honest  to look again at Psa_50:16-21 we see that God is in fact talking to us "christians."


our reply to God should and must be one of humility.

(Us "Christians")
Psa 38:18  For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.

as our Father speaks to us our hearts should melt within us knowing that have sinned against a Holy God. that we have sinned against a good God (Rom_2:4). it is out of this that we should agree with Him and begin to repent.


our hearts should brake with in us. as we cry out to Him we cry "what can i do oh Lord? for i have sinned against you!!!"


as we agree with our God that we have sinned (this is confession) He responds to us:

(God)
Psa 49:7  None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him—
Psa 49:8  For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever—

also talk a look at this in the Message version

Psa 49:7  Really! There's no such thing as self-rescue, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.
Psa 49:8  The cost of rescue is beyond our means, and even then it doesn't guarantee life forever

we see our Father speaking to us that there is no way that we can save ourselves or even our brother. (we cant pray our dead friends and family into heaven. so dont even try!) He tells us that the cost of redemption is to high for us. there is no way that we can gain salvation. the price is blood! to give all of our blood would only take us face to face with our "good God" where He must punish us to hell forever. that is the price for us sinning against our Holy and righteous God. 


knowing this and seeing that even when we cry out to our good God that we cannot by any means save ourselves, this should brake us. this should cause us to morn over our sins, as we have sinned against God! 


at this point our heart our broken and we should be in a state of repentance.

(Us "Christians")
Psa 38:1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
Psa 38:2  For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down.
Psa 38:3  There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin.
Psa 38:4  For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
Psa 38:5  My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness.
Psa 38:6  I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
Psa 38:7  For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh.
Psa 38:8  I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.
Psa 38:9  Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.
Psa 38:10  My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

now this is what i call a repentant heart/mouth. to many times i see (even in me) "Christians" go to our Holy and righteous God and call this repentance: "oh dear heavenly Father, i am sorry that i sinned today. please forgive me." there is no heart in this. there is no humility in this. all it takes is for one to read a few Psalms to see that David (a man after God's own heart) sinned and that He truly repented. he was broken before God. just take a look at these verses.

Psa 40:12  For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me.

and the famous Psa_51:1-19. through it all we see a state of repentance, but look at verse 17.

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

so what do we do then? what now, our hearts are broken before God, knowing that we cannot pay for our sins. He even told us that it is to costly! that is where grace comes in. that is where our JESUS comes in! that is where the good new of the gospel of Jesus Christ comes in. He paid for our sins. He was forsaken by God Himself. Jesus became so disgusting before our righteous and Holy God that God Himself could not even look upon His only Son. our Father turned His back on Jesus, and punished Him to hell, His rightful place for the sins He bore!...... then the glory of it all is that Jesus rose and defeated sin and death!!!! where He was restored to God, and in that restoration, He paid for us too. the ministry of Jesus is one of salvation and restoration. this is in short the gospel of Jesus. our good news and hope! JESUS PAID FOR OUR SINS!!!! HE HAS COME TO SET THE CAPTIVES FREE!!!!!


finally God says to us in this new state of holiness (in the blood of Jesus).

(God)
Psa 50:4  He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
Psa 50:5  "Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice."

on the final day, the day of judgement those that have repented and have sought Jesus for their salvation, and have trusted and put their faith in Jesus and the blood He paid, will be saved. when God (the Judge) stands high above the earth he will say "has the sacrifice been made?" and with great joy those of His house will proclaim YES!!! JESUS PAID!!!!


this is our greatest testimony. this is our good news to the world. their are to many people "Christians" or other wise that do not know or do not confess the deep depravity of their heart. it is our job to tell the world that they have sinned against a Holy God, a good God. and that they (we all) must repent and seek Jesus for the blood that He shed, so that there will be payment for our sins. this act of repentance/salvation is one that changes our lives, giving us that new life in Jesus!!!