how true this is...

Image credit: http://www.theresurgence.com/

How Does God Inspire Us Through the Cross?

This is an excerpt from Mask Driscoll's new book, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe. I have read the chapter on the Resurrection, and it is good stuff!

I love this excerpt because it explains how practical and necessary the cross is for our Christian life. Discoll shows us how the Cross teaches us how to be like Jesus in suffering: not running to it, not running from it. I'll let his words speak for themselves.

Jesus died for our sins, thereby enabling us to experience new life. Jesus lived as our example showing us what it means to live a truly holy human life.

Throughout Jesus' life he repeatedly stated that the purpose of his life on earth was to glorify God the Father, or to make the Father's character visible. Jesus' glorifying God the Father included dying on the cross. Practically, this means that there is joy not only in our comfort and success, but also in our suffering and hardship, just as there was for Jesus.

At the cross of Jesus, we learn that to be like Jesus means that we pick up our cross and follow him as he commanded. Practically, this means that we glorify God by allowing hardship, pain, and loss to make us more and more like Jesus and give us a more credible witness for Jesus. As Christians we should neither run to suffering as the early Christian ascetics did, nor run from it as some modern Christians do. Instead, we receive suffering when it comes as an opportunity for God to do something good in us and through us. We rejoice not in the pain but rather in what it can accomplish for the gospel so that something as costly as suffering is not wasted but used for God's glory, our joy, and others' good. . . .

At the cross we see that the love of God is not merely sentimental but also efficacious. When people speak of love, they usually mean an emotional love that feels affectionate but may not do anything to help the beloved. Thankfully, God does not merely feel loving toward us; his love actually compels him to act on our behalf so that we can be changed by his love.

From Doctrine, Chapter 8. Cross: God Dies (pgs. 274–276).
Order Doctrine now.

It's All About Jesus!

I borrowed this image and the series title from Mars Hill Church, but found it an appropriate truth to proclaim and prayer to renew my mind. In addition, I am preaching through the book of John on Sundays in our youth group. The truth is, in Orange County, we make it ALL ABOUT US! It is clearly NOT, for one day "Every knee will bow on heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tounge will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!" (Philippians 2:10-11).

Tomorrow, I will preach on John 1:6-9:

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

A couple of things stand out to me:

1. John the Baptist had a specific MISSION and MESSAGE: He was sent by God to testify concerning the light (Jesus) so that all men might be saved.
2. John understands that he was NOT the light...it was not about him!
3. He is pointing people to the light, because it's ALL ABOUT JESUS!

We should take a lesson from John and carry out the same MISSION and MESSAGE. It's clearly not about us, but ALL ABOUT JESUS! Pray that the true light that gives light to every man would shine brightly in Orange County so that God may receive all the glory!

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