Crucial Event - John 12:32

John 12:32 (Jesus said) “And I, when I am lifted up from the Earth, will draw all people to myself.” NIV

            The Cross is what makes us Christians because we humbly accept that Jesus died for our sins. Whether or not we are repulsed or deeply saddened by the brutality of His crucifixion is not important; what is absolutely crucial - a word that has its roots in the Latin term for cross – is that we understand our salvation can only be offered to us because of Christ’s death on the Cross at Calvary.

            It would be a lot easier for us if God would just accept who we are without getting His Son involved. We could all make a strong case for ourselves and give plenty of reasons why God should allow us eternal life, but the truth of the matter is this: we can do nothing by ourselves to earn salvation; it only comes to us through Jesus, our crucified Lord.

            This is why Christ told His disciples and people that when He would be lifted up – hoisted on a cross – He would draw all kinds of people to Himself. Today, we know this is true because all over the world churches exist and within almost all of them, we will find a cross.

            Wherever we are today and whatever we do, let’s take time to reflect on Christ’s Cross and be truly thankful for how it has given us the wonderful opportunity of being restored to God for all of Eternity.

Point to ponder

When I look at a cross, what does it mean to me? How crucial is Christ’s Cross in my life?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we can never repay the everlasting debt that we owe to You for dying for our sins. Instead of being eternally separated from God, You have graciously allowed us to be restored to His Kingdom and favor. Thank You for this outstanding and undeserved gift. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org. You may also send John an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Good Friday drawings called ‘Powerless.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Powerless.

Church Devotions: A Believer's Catechism - Matthew 20:28

Today’s Bible readings are Isaiah 41:17-24 and Matthew 20:20-28

Matthew 20:28            “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Why did Jesus die? To save us from our sins.

Why do we need to be saved? Because God is holy and perfect and cannot abide sin; our sins separate us from God, so if we die in sin, we will be separated from Him forever.

Why can’t we save ourselves? Because we are not perfect or holy. We are human and sinful, selfish and proud, greedy and faithless, self-centered and conceited. Our sins are many and our good deeds are too few to purchase salvation.

What did Jesus mean when He said that He came to give His life as a ransom for many? Jesus was telling His followers that only He could pay the full price for our salvation. Without His perfect and supreme sacrifice, the ransom that God demanded would never be paid.

What did Jesus mean by ‘many?’  Not everyone will be saved. There will still be those who will choose to die in sin. There will still be those who choose to reject Jesus. There will still be those who will not repent of their sins, so they will never be restored to God. Jesus died for all, but not all will be saved.

How can I be saved?  Completely believe in Jesus and fully accept His words. Sincerely repent of your sins and seek His forgiveness. Respect Him as Your Savior and serve Him as Your King. Then you will know the joy and experience the blessing of being eternally saved by Christ.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we come to you as sinners needing to be saved, as followers seeking forgiveness, and as servants searching for Your blessing. Forgive us of the past. Reclaim us at this present time. Restore us eternally to God. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. if you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of my Good Friday drawings from last year. It’s called “Death by Dali” and is my crayon version of Salvador Dali’s ‘Christ of St. John of the Cross.’ The original painting hangs in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery of my hometown Glasgow, Scotland. If you would like to see a larger version of my drawing, click on the following link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5061/5630260156_4cd6a2e7b5_b.jpg

If you would like to view an image of Dali’s original painting, please click this link: http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/museums/FullSizeMuseumPhotos/ac_id/87/image_id/361/imageno/1

Good Friday art: Bloody Sunset

Without Christ's death, there is no forgiveness...

My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,lama sabachthani?" — which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

The first time I ever came across the word “forsake” was when I saw the old black & white western movie, “High Noon.” You’ll remember that it starred Gary Cooper as a US Marshall who single handedly has a gunfight with four gunslingers whoa re out to get their revenge. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, it’s also Gary Cooper’s wedding day and his bride, played by Grace Kelly is thinking about deserting him.

The title song of the movie, sung by Tex Ritter, is called “Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darling,” and it more or less tells the whole story of the picture. It’s a wonderful song and I learned it completely as a child. If I had the time, I could sing to you from start to finish.

So I learned from that movie that the word ‘forsaken’ means to abandon someone in the midst of deep trouble and possibly life threatening circumstances. When I later came across the passage from scripture where Jesus shouts out from the Cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” all that I could think of, was how abandoned Jesus felt by His Father.

It must have been both a terrible and terrifying moment for Jesus. As His life is fading away and the pain is most excruciating, it’s as if the Devil chooses this weak moment to tempt Jesus into believing that the situation is hopeless and that God can no longer bear to watch what is happening. Only the night before, Jesus pleaded with God to take this cup of sacrifice away from Him. He didn’t personally want to go through with it, but eventually Jesus surrendered Himself to God’s will.

As Christ calls out these words, beneath the Cross His beloved Mother is also going through the same agony, second by second, tear by tear, blood drop by blood drop. Jesus’ words must have pierced her heart and I imagine that Mary must also have felt forsaken by God and the promises that Gabriel had given to her before Christ was born. But perhaps she also remembered that another name was given to Jesus – that of Immanuel – which means God is with us. Mary could do nothing for her Son at that time, except to hold on to the promise that God had not forsaken them, but was still in the midst of the suffering.

As each Easter comes and goes, we all experience loss and grief, separation and suffering, pain and anxiety. During those moments, sometimes despair will rend our hearts and bring chaos to our minds. On Good Friday, we recall the suffering of our Savior, the heartbreak of His Mother, and the holy presence of the God who suffers with us. We are not forsaken nor forgotten by God. We are supported, embraced, and completely loved.