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The Cross of Calvary
We can only experience to become a new person when we accept the love of God, His righteousness from the Cross of Calvary. As soon as we accept Him as our personal Savior, we have been adopted to family of God. The Holy Spirit quickened our dead spirit and regenerated into new person spiritually.
The power of prayer is most forceful on the battlefield in the midst of the noise and strife of the conflict. Paul was preeminently a soldier of the Cross. For him, life was no flowery bed of ease. Moreover, in sight of the end, we hear him chanting his final song of victory. “I have fought a good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7). Reading between the lines, we see that he is more than a conqueror!
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see, His banners go!Chorus:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.“The sure way for the sick is, first to the cross for cleansing, then to the Upper Room for the gift of the Holy Spirit, then to the mount appointed for a life commission, and, lastly, to the Great Physician for strength for service.” – As I quoted from Bryant – F.F. Bosworth.
Photo by Susanne Jutzeler on Pexels.com The power of prayer is most forceful on the battlefield in the midst of noise and strife of the conflict. Paul was preeminently a soldier of the cross. For him, life was no flowery bed of ease. And in the sight of the end, we hear him chanting his final song of victory, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” (2 Timothy 4:7 NLT). Reading between the lines, we see that he is more than a conqueror!
“Christians often hunger for a deeper and more meaningful relationship with the Father, one that is full of His interaction with them. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, the work 1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13, 14 speak of: a releasing of charismata or spiritual gifts to empower believers into His presence. Unfortunately, we have all witnessed or heard of the misuse and abuse of gifts, which cause many to fear the Holy Spirit’s ministry. It is important to say at the outset of this discussion that people, including many Christians, tend to abuse whatever it is that God gives to bless us. We have often abused the life-giving grace of the cross, taking advantage of the death and resurrection of Christ. Fortunately, God does not withdraw grace due to humans abusing it. In like manner, when we abuse the gifts and ministry of the Holy Spirit, we are taught in the Word to correct our behavior, not do away with the Holy Spirit’s ministry.”
Imagine this scene in heaven prior to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father looks at His beloved Son and says, “Son, will you go to earth? Will you become flesh? Will you bear the sins of the world and die on a cruel Roman cross?”
The Son responds, “Father, for Me to go to earth, become a man and bear the sins of the world, I would need the Holy Spirit to go with Me. I would need His power to make Me flesh. I would need His power demonstrated through my life on earth to prove to all that I am your Son. I would need His power to endure the cross and to rise from the dead.”
Photo by pintu photoshoot on Pexels.com It was the Holy Spirit who gave our Lord Jesus Christ the power to feed the multitudes, walk on water, and raise the dead, demonstrating that He was indeed the Son of God. It was the Holy Spirit who helped Him endure the cross. And it was the Holy Spirit who raised Him from the dead. The Holy Spirit was fully the presence and power of God in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Lord Jesus Christ would soon die on the cross, be raised from the dead, and ascend to heaven. But He promised to ask the Father to send us “another Helper” (14:16, NKJV). Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was the first Helper, and He promised to send another Helper – the Holy Spirit after He was gone.
The word Gospel means “Good News.” There are many reasons why the news is good. It is good because it is all about grace, eternal life, and union with our Lord Jesus Christ. But the best thing about the Good News is that forgiveness for sin was immensely or greatly simplified when Jesus took upon Himself the sacrificial work of Golgotha (The Cross).
It is for this reason that Paul exhorts the believers to forgive others. Haven’t they been forgiven through the finished work of Christ on the cross? The Law of Moses did not misunderstand the seriousness of sin, but it did make forgiveness a complex matter involving the taking of an animal to the temple and having it slain. But now our Lord Jesus Christ has removed the effort from the process of obtaining God’s loving forgiveness. Our Lord Jesus Christ has died and risen again, and we are forgiven merely for the asking. The blood atonement is still required, but our Lord Jesus Christ took care of it finally on the cross.
The beginning of all worship is Love. Can those who do not have an intimate relationship with Christ praise Him? Can they worship Him if they have not experienced His gift of grace? If those who do not know God’s love could but for one moment stand at the cross and gaze into the face of Jesus Christ, they would know how every value they esteem or respect is trivial compared to what they behold in that one brief, thorn-crowned smile of grace.
This is God’s love for us: that He cares for us enough to bring about His will in our lives. But we must mark this love as behind all of God’s dealings with us. He celebrates our instant yielding as a triumph of His love. When He has to break our hard hearts, He celebrates that, too. He is willing – if we will have it no other way – to use a Cross to fashion us in the image of His dear Son – Jesus Christ
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