Secured by Christ

My goal during this week leading up to Easter is to post a gospel-centered, cross-focused post everyday. This one comes from my daily e-mail feed from the Of First Importance blog(www.firstimportance.org).

All Good Things Secured by Christ on the Cross

“Everything that we know and appreciate and praise God for in all Christian experience both in this life and in the life to come springs from this bloody cross.

Do we have the gift of the Spirit? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we enjoy the fellowship of saints? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Does he give us comfort in life and death? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Does he watch over us faithfully, providentially, graciously, and covenantally? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we have hope of a heaven to come? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we anticipate resurrection bodies on the last day? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Is there a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we now enjoy new identities, so that we are no longer to see ourselves as nothing but failures, moral pariahs, disappointments to our parents—but deeply loved, blood-bought, human beings, redeemed by Christ, declared just by God himself, owing to the fact that God himself presented his Son Jesus as the propitiation for our sins? All this is secured by Christ on the cross and granted to those who have faith in him.”

—D.A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 70-71

My Jesus, Fair

At church, during the month of March, we've been singing the hymn My Jesus, Fair (by Chris Anderson and Greg Habegger). I think the gospel message in this song is incredible and worthy of being shared. I would encourage you to reflect on the words this week.

My Jesus fair was pierced by thorns
By thorns from the fall
Thus He who gave the curse was torn
To end the curse for all

My Jesus meek was scorned by men
By men in blasphemy
"Father forgive their senseless sin!"
He prayed for them, for me

My Jesus kind was torn by nails
By nails of cruel men
And to His cross as grace prevailed
God pinned my wretched sin

My Jesus pure was crushed by God
In judgment just
The Father grieved yet turned his rod
On Christ made sin for us

My Jesus strong shall come to reign
To reign in majesty
The Lamb arose and death is slain
Lord, come in victory

Chorus

O love divine, O matchless grace
That God should die for men!
With joyful grief I lift my praise
Abhorring all my sin
Adoring only Him


Note: I'm struck every time I sing the line, "abhorring all my sin, adoring only Him." That is as it should be. May it be so in me.

This Week

This week I will be breaking from my usual blog post schedule. With Good Friday and Easter included in this week, I will be focusing on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in my personal time and study. I will aim to make that my focus on my blog as well.

Frightening Friday 03/26/10

This week I spent my time making up packets to give out at the mall tonight and while running errands during the next week. I wanted to be sure that people heard the gospel message (the reason we celebrate Easter) during this season. Many people in America have no clue that Easter is about Jesus' death and resurrection. They don't know the "good news" of the gospel.

Each clear plastic bag included: A gospel tract, a bookmark (I made bookmarks that said: "The Easter season is the perfect time to read the Gospel of John in the Bible, fourth book in the New Testament"--weirdly practical I know, but decorative as well), a card pointing them to my blog (for follow up or other resources), and two pieces of candy (to eat).

This idea came to me a little late in the week, so I had only 29 packs prepared for tonight. I handed them out at the mall in about 30 minutes. I said, "Happy Easter" as I handed out the packs. Only one person turned me down (and very politely so), the rest were very receptive and thanked me.

I pray that the gospel message is read, understood, and responded to in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Note: If you are reading this blog this evening because you received one of these "Easter packs", please check out My Favorite Links at the side of this page for other resources or check out other posts on this blog. If you live in the area and do not have a church to attend this Easter, you are welcome to join us at Bible Baptist Church in Otsego (the link for this church can also be found under My Favorite Links on the right-hand side of this website).

Philippians 2:1-11

With Resurrection Sunday (Easter season) approaching, I've been reflecting on Bible passages that contain the gospel message. This passage in Philippians is one of my favorites. I also look to this passage as an example of how to apply the gospel to my life. When I am struggling with humility, I look to Christ's ultimate example of humility ("even death on a cross").

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:1-11 ESV

Presumption

I recently read the book Gospel-Powered Parenting by William Farley. I have mentioned several times that I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it. Several sections in this book are worth quoting. Today I'd like to share with you one of those sections that stood out to me. It pertains to presuming that your child understands the gospel because they grew up in a "Christian" home. I was particularly struck by the comment about legalism at the end of the second paragraph quoted here.

"Finally they [parents] never presume that their children understand the gospel. We noted in chapter 1 that parents do this at their peril. A young person started attending our church. He was from a Christian home. He had attended an evangelical church every Sunday for twenty years. Yet in a membership interview, when we asked him to articulate the gospel, he said, "It is the Ten commandments."

When I explained this to his parents, they were astounded. They had presumed that he understood the gospel. But the default condition of our flesh is "earn it." We enter the world in love with legalism. We are convinced that we can merit God's favor. We love moralism but we resist the gospel. Parents who understand this never stop preaching the gospel to themselves and their children.-----Gospel-Powered Parenting, Chapter 10, page 184

Cookie Baking Night 03/22/10

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night and it was just Aunt Katrina and Emily (Meghan had a "ton" of homework to do and Carissa was sick this evening so Ethan and Carissa weren't able to join us).

In honor of the first day of spring (last Saturday), we made spring bird nests. Here's the recipe:

Melt in microwave:

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

Stir until smooth

Stir in:

12 ounce bag of chow mein noodles

Stir until completely coated with chocolate mixture

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto wax paper spread on a cookie sheet. Decorate with colored candy eggs (we used malted milk ball eggs).

Regrigerate until set.

Serve.

Enjoy!