The Power of the Cross

Genesis 1-3; Matthew 26-28; Mark 14-16; Luke 22-24; John 13-21

The relatively short early ministry of Jesus Christ (three to three and a half years) culminated in the most beautiful act of undeniably selfless love that the world has ever known.  While reading scripture can give us knowledge of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, it is still difficult for our human minds to fully comprehend all that Jesus accomplished during those few days that marked the end of His earthly ministry.

To gain a greater understanding of what Jesus did, we must go back to the Garden of Eden and take a look at what was lost so very long ago.  The very first words that we read in the book of Genesis explain that God created the heavens and the earth.  As we read from there, we see over the next six days that God created every living creature, every living plant and every other thing that exists to make the world complete.  At the end of each day, God looked at all He created and saw that it was good.  On the sixth day, God created man and woman, and His opinion on the sixth day was that it was very good.

Adam and Eve had it all!  The whole of creation was theirs to enjoy, but even more than that, we see in Genesis 3, that Adam and Eve could walk and talk in the Garden with God.  At the point in time when they both chose to mistrust their Creator and believe the lies of the serpent, they separated themselves from the close, intimate contact that had been theirs to enjoy with God.  I am sure if Adam and Eve had realized the full weight of their choice, not just for them, but for those that would come after them; they may have made a very different decision, but then again, maybe not, because just like you and me, they were human.

After the Israelites escaped Egypt, God instructed them to build a tabernacle (sanctuary), as a place for God to dwell.  "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.  Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." (Exodus 25:8-9)  Within the tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, the place where God dwelled and the only furnishing was the Ark of the Covenant.  The Holy of Holies was separated by a veil or curtain and once a year the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to make atonement not only for his own sins, but also the sins of the people.  The Holy of Holies was replicated in the Temple in Jerusalem.

On the day of Jesus' crucifixion, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that at the moment of His death, the veil was torn. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. (Matthew 27:50-51)  Not only did Jesus take our sin from us so that we can appear before God as righteous, He also removed the barrier that separated us from God.  No longer must we rely on a high priest to make atonement for us, Jesus did it once and for all.  From that moment on, we have been enabled to go to God on our own through Jesus ~ there is nothing separating us!  We can live in communion with God our Father.  We can experience His presence daily, see His hand in our lives and listen for His tender voice speaking to our hearts.  As Paul spoke to the Corinthians, he explained it this way: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)  That is very good news for all those who believe on the name of Jesus Christ!

Shortly before His death, the Gospel of John records Jesus praying, not only for His disciples but for all the people that would come after them and believe on Him.  In other words, right before His death, YOU were on His mind.  "My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity.  Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23)

Over the next few days the world will celebrate Easter.  Retail stores will sell mountains of candy and plastic eggs.  Children will hunt eggs and there will be appearances of the Easter Bunny.  All across America, churches will be filled to overflowing as folks make their way to visit one of the two most highly attended services of the year, Easter and Christmas.  But the real truth is this: Bunnies, eggs and candy have nothing at all to do with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Setting aside one day a year to celebrate seems cheap compared to His sacrifice.  As Christ followers, we have the joy and privilege to celebrate all He has done and continues to do each and every day until that glorious day when we shall see Him face to face!

May the Lord bless you as you seek Him!

I'm on My Knees Begging You to Notice Me . . .

There is a popular song currently playing on Christian radio called "Hold My Heart," by Tenth Avenue North, and these are the lyrics to the first verse:


How long must I pray, must I pray to You?
How long must I wait, must I wait for You?
How long 'til I see Your face, see You shining through?
I'm on my knees, begging You to notice me.
I'm on my knees, Father will You turn to me?


Do we really need to beg God to notice us or to hear us when we pray? Will begging God somehow make our prayer more effective? I am sure that most of us at some time or the other have found ourselves in a desperate situation which led us to beg God to answer our prayer. Quite often, when we are doing our begging, the only answer we are seeking is the one we desire. We are not begging Him for His answer, but our answer. But in those times when you have found yourself begging, have you received the answer you were seeking? Maybe, but maybe not, and that kind of posture befoe God will often lead us to feelings of emptiness and mistrust of the very One who created us!


What did Jesus say about such things? When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He gave them what we commonly refer to as "The Lord's Prayer," but He did not stop there. He went on to explain how we should approach God: "So I say to you; Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Luke 11:9-10) Prayer is not a complicated process; it is simply conversing with the Father. While He knows what is on our hearts, He wants us to bring it to Him and say it with words out of our own mouth.


Are there other things to consider when we pray? Prior to Jesus' teaching on prayer, Matthew records His teaching on worrying. Jesus teaches His followers not to worry, because our Heavenly Father knows what we need and He will meet all of our needs. One of Jesus' final statements in this teaching is this: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33) So there's the catch, seek God, His righteousness and those things that you need will be provided, not just some of the things, but Jesus said ALL things. Here are some questions to consider when you feel like your prayers are in vain: Are you seeking God's Kingdom and His righteousness? Are you seeking His will for your life or are you asking Him to bless your plans and your agenda? Who do you think has the best answers for your life, you or God?


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:11-12