I just wanted to take a minute and share with you guys this really great song that I’ve been enjoying a lot lately. It does a great job reminding me of the simplicity of the Gospel and the love that was poured out for us at Calvary, and I hope it blesses you as much as it’s blessed me. In many ways, it seems to be a modern rendition of the old Isaac Watts hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

 

 

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

             -Romans 5:8

If you want to be amazed, then stop and think for a few moments on the incredible love of God. Few things are as unbelievable, and yet even fewer things more real. Though the Scriptures tell us He was “despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3), He nevertheless endured the cross on our behalf  that we might be reconciled to God through His blood and enjoy everlasting life with Him (Hebrews 2:17; John 17:2, 3). He demonstrated the greatest kind of love one can possess despite our obvious inability to ever earn grace or forgiveness, and promises that many more blessings will follow to those who put their trust in Him.

What makes this kind of love so amazing? The simple fact that we don’t deserve it. As humans, we are all members of a fallen race (Romans 5:12-14) and the thought that an infinite, holy, and eternal God would even take the time to notice – let alone die for – us should baffle our minds completely. We have nothing to offer Him that He doesn’t already possess, because, as Matthew 5:48 so plainly states, He is perfect. We don’t complete Him, but are in desperate need of His grace and mercy to complete us (Colossians 2:10).

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

                         -I John 4:9

On this Good Friday, when people around the world are commemorating Christ’s death on the cross, let each of us be reminded of the amazing and undeserved love that was demonstrated by God the Son on that day some 2,000 years ago. He did what no one else could do and what few others would do: He died for us (Romans 5:7). God, in all of His power and glory, stooped to our level so that we could be raised up to His (Ephesians 2:6). That, my friend, is amazing love.

 

 

I’ve been wanting to write about humility for a while now, but I didn’t really know how. As C.J. Mahaney once wrote, “If I met someone presuming to have something to say about humility, automatically I’d think him unqualified to speak on the subject.*”  My prayer, though, is that you won’t view this post as instruction from one who is a master at resisting pride and remaining humble. I’m not. Instead, look at these words as a message of encouragement from someone who must daily battle against pride in his own life. I’m not perfect, and I won’t claim to be.

“(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)”

                       -Numbers 12:3

If we want an example of humility, we needn’t look further than the life of Moses. I know I mention him often, but few men in history have ever been used by God so mightily as he was. In spite of that, the Scripture tells us that he really wasn’t anything special. In Exodus 4, Moses himself even admitted to his poor social skills and begged God to pick someone else to lead Israel in their Exodus from Egypt. Yet the Lord chose him anyway because He knew that Moses wouldn’t seek to steal the glory that only God deserved. It is no less true today that the Lord will only use a vessel that He knows will redirect any glory it receives to the One Who truly deserves it. 

I don’t know about you, but many times I’ve found myself longing to be used by God for selfish reasons. How many times do we ask God to use us for the sole purpose of being noticed by others for our “commitment to God”, and yet somehow find ourself surprised when He doesn’t use us in the way we thought He would! The truth is, selfish motives indicate a prideful heart which is rarely used by God to accomplish anything (1 Peter 5:5). 

“For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”

                          -Galatians 6:3

Contrary to what you’ll hear from many people today, humility doesn’t require a person viewing himself as less than he truly is. No, humility is assessing yourself properly in the light of Who God is and what He has done. When we do that, we’ll see that anything we have ever, will ever, or could ever do falls amazingly short. Isaac Watts said it best when he wrote, “When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.**”

 

 

 

*C.J. Mahaney in his book, “Humility: True Greatness”

** Isaac Watts in his hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

As we all know, taking God’s name in vain is a terrible sin. And as with every sin, “the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7) But while we generally associate taking God’s name in vain with cursing and swearing by it, the Lord’s definition is much further-reaching.

“Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

                        -Proverbs 30:8, 9

You see, I don’t think that Agur, the one who authored this particular proverb (see verse 1), was fearful that he might curse with God’s name if he went hungry. The fact is, he was afraid that his lifestyle would then contradict his professed Godliness – thus bringing shame to God Himself. While using God’s name as a filth word is taking His name in vain, so is professing the name of Christ while denying it with your actions (see Titus 1:16). This is what I’m afraid has happened in the American church in their use of the cross.

While the cross may bring comfort to weary Christians today (and it should), it is still a symbol of death – Christ’s death. That means we should not treat it lightly. People often tattoo the cross on their arm and wear it around their neck without giving a second thought to the significance of their actions. In many ways, it has become more of a decoration than anything else.

Please don’t think that I’m discouraging you from having a cross anywhere besides your church. That’s not the point. As you can see from the photo above, I have one in my yard where I often spend time praying. It’s not a sin to hang a cross in your house, or to wear a t-shirt that portrays it's image. My hope is simply that we would treat the cross with the utmost respect, seeing as it is a symbol of Christ Himself. If we take the cross in vain, we take the very name of Christ in vain.

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

                            -James 1:2 

When James wrote this epistle, the first thing he did was encourage his fellow brothers and sisters in the faith to withstand temptation (meaning trials, in this context). He spoke of when they encountered hardship - not if they encountered it. This is because  he realized that all Christians will go through their fair share of difficult times, no matter how Godly they are. In fact, the Godlier we are, the more trials we will go through. But instead of discouraging us, these times should cause us to be all the more joyful, knowing that it is through these times that we will be brought closer to the Lord.

Look through the 1,000+ pages of the Bible, and you will not find a single verse where we are promised that the cross will not get heavy from time to time. On the contrary, we have promises assuring us that it will at times become difficult to bear (see II Timothy 3:12). But during those trials, we can hold on to the promise that, not matter what we go through, we will never go alone (Matthew 28:20). As has often been said, God wouldn't lead you to it if He couldn't bring you through it.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

                            -I Corinthians 10:13

Whatever you may be going through right now, remember that you aren't on your own. Not only is God with you, but He has brought many other Christians through this same valley safely to the other side. As it says in this verse, when the cross become heavy, God will enable us to bear it.

   "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;"

                                -Colossians 2:13, 14

   "And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

                                -Philippians 2:8

   "And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"

                                -Ephesians 2:16

   "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

                                -I Corinthians 2:2

   "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

                                -Galatians 2:20

  
  
   These are only some of the verses in which Paul made reference to the cross. To him, the cross was everything. And rightfully so. If there was no cross, then there was no sacrifice for our sins, and therefore no forgiveness for them. Just as a house cannot stand without a foundation, Christianity is nothing without the cross.
  

   "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. 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."

  
   Isaiah says that the chastisement of our peace was upon him: the peace of God that you feel in your soul right now is a result of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. It says He was bruised for our iniquities: the reason you don't have to live with the guilt of all your past sins is a result of the cross. It also says by His stripes we are healed: the spiritual healing that has taken place in our lives would not be without the cross. The next verse says that we have all like sheep gone astray: our going astray was paid for on the cross. The Messiah (i.e. Savior) would not even be the Messiah without the cross. Without the cross we are nothing.

   Stop and think for a minute about all that was accomplished through the apostle Paul. We likely would not even be saved today if it was not for his ministry. He was taught the Gospel by Christ alone - no man instructed him in it. Jesus Himself spoke from heaven and called Him to be His light to the Gentiles. He established numerous churches. Why wasn't he full of pride and arrogance? All it takes is a quick look at Galatians 6:14.

   "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

   When you stay at the foot of the cross, pride is disgusting to you. Think about it: the King of Glory willingly left His Throne in heaven where He was worshiped by countless angels to come into a broken world filled with sinful people to die the most horrible death ever invented by man for sins that He never committed. And we think we're something special? I like how the old song puts it: