Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The Cross and my Response, Part 2

September 15, 2013
"The Cross and My Response" part 2
1 Corinthians 1
Scott Howard

The theme of the entire book of 1 Corinthians is the Cross.

Last week we studied just the first way the Cross forms the Christian: The Cross Humbles us.

Six Ways the Cross forms the Christian:

1.  The Cross Humbles us.
2.  The Cross Satisfies us.  See 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
  • Because of the Cross all of our guilt is gone
  • Because of the Cross all His gifts are ours
3.  The Cross Unifies us.  See 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
  • The Cross erases any reason for division among you
  • The Cross exalts the only One who died for us
4.  The Cross Transforms us in Christ.
  • Christ is our righteousness: Meaning, He has saved us from sin's penalty.
  • Christ is our sanctification.  He is saving us from sin's power. 
  • Christ is our redemption.  He will ultimately save us from sin's presence altogether.
5.  The Cross Compels us.
  • We want to reflect the Holiness of God
  • We want to proclaim the Hope of the Gospel
6.  The Cross assures us.  See 1 Corinthians 1:8
  • The Christ who came to die on a Cross is the Christ who is coming to usher in a Kingdom.
  • The Church is not living for our best life now; the Church is living for our best life later.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Cross and My Response

September 8, 2013
"The Cross and My Response"
1 Corinthians chapter 1
Scott Howard

  • What makes the Church distinct is the Cross of Jesus Christ
Ways the Cross forms the Christian:
  • The Cross humbles us.
   1.  The Contrast: 1 Corinthians 1:18
  • To those who are perishing (not saved), the Cross seems absurd.
  • To those who are being saved, the Cross evokes awe.
   2.  The Cause:  1 Corinthians 1:26-28
  • It's not the specific quality of those who are called.
  • It's only the sovereign mercy of the one who calls.
The mercy of God (and our acceptance of it) is what allows us to view the Cross with awe.

   3.  The Caution:  1 Corinthians 1:30
  • Recognize the initiative of God. He called, and chose us.
  • Remember the responsibility of man.  Everyone is responsible for how he/she responds to the invitation and call to salvation.
Charles Spurgeon pondered these thoughts as well:

 "I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love."

   4.  The Conclusion:  1 Corinthians 1:31
  • We don't revel in the wisdom or the ways of this world
  • We only revel in the Grace and Glory of our God
Again, let's look at a portion of writings by Charles Spurgeon:

"How then can we be proud? Stand at the foot of the cross, and count the purple drops by which you have been cleansed; see the thorn-crown; mark His scourged shoulders, still gushing with encrimsoned rills; see hands and feet given up to the rough iron, and His whole self to mockery and scorn; see the bitterness, and the pangs, and the throes of inward grief, showing themselves in His outward frame; hear the thrilling shriek, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" And if you do not lie prostrate on the ground before that cross, you have never seen it: if you are not humbled in the presence of Jesus, you do not know Him. You were so lost that nothing could save you but the sacrifice of God's only begotten. Think of that, and as Jesus stooped for you, bow yourself in lowliness at His feet. A sense of Christ's amazing love to us has a tendency to humble us more than even a consciousness of our own guilt. May the Lord bring us in contemplation to Calvary, then our position will no longer be that of the pompous man of pride, but we will take the humble place of one who loves much because much has been forgiven him. Pride cannot live beneath the cross.
Let us sit there and learn our lesson, and then rise and carry it into practice." 

Food for thought: Before God made the heavens, before he laid the foundations of the earth, He sought and chose you to be His child.  You are that important to Him!  Yes, man sinned and chose independence from God, but He made a way.  God opened up a pathway, through the Cross of Jesus Christ, for us to be reconciled to Him and to be made righteous through His sacrifice.  All we need to do is respond.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Our Ways or God's Ways

September 1, 2013
Our Ways or God's Ways
Isaiah 55
Scott Howard

Are we really following God's ways, or are we making our own plans, walking our own path?

  • The Lord is saying through the prophet Isaiah - Five times- "Come"
This is an invitation for us all.  In Isaiah chapter 53 it is talking about Jesus coming to be our salvation.  In chapter 54 God is telling us all is forgiven.  And now in chapter 55 He is inviting us to find our fulfillment and satisfaction in relationship with Him.
  • Who is this invitation extended to? "Come, everyone who thirsts..."  It's for you!  If you are searching for fulfillment, purpose, hope, joy, forgiveness; if you are brokenhearted, if you're complacent, if you are worn out, etc.
There are two types of people:
  1.  They are thirsty and they know they are thirsty.
  2. They are thirsty but they don't know it.
We may be chasing dreams, looking to other things in this world to satisfy any of our needs.  But they cannot and will not satisfy, we will always come back feeling empty.
  • Satisfaction is found at the banqueting table of the King.  Our text talks about the feast with the King.  It represents taking care of all our tastes and our needs, and we are guests that do not have to pay!  All the costs have been taken care of, through the Good News of the Gospel.
Three pictures of the Gospel; of this invitation:
  1. Water - Represents Life--in the text it is plural to imply a never ending abundance of what God provides to quench our thirst.  It is life sustaining.
  2. Milk - Represents Spiritual Milk, to strengthen our weak souls.  Just as milk to an infant has all the right ingredients to strengthen muscles, bones, and nerves, this spiritual milk gives us what we need to grow.
  3. Wine - Represents the enjoyment and delight of our God.  This is not a necessity for life or growth, it is for celebration and enjoyment. 
The three are specific to satisfy us in Life, Strength, and Joy.

Paul says, "For our sake he [God the Father] made him [Jesus Christ the Son] to be sin, who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God." --2 Corinthians 5:21

The way has been made.  This invitation which is extended to us is extended to us free of charge, right?  "Come buy without money and without price." Isaiah 55:1b

But it is still conditional.  There is still an element that must take place in our own lives, and that's the element of Surrender.  We must forsake our own ways and turn to the Lord.  It may be beyond our comprehension, but God's ways are higher than our ways.  Isaiah 55:8-11. 

In Isaiah 55:12-13, This part of the text is our future in Christ: joy and peace--no more death, no more pain, but paradise with God: everlasting joy and peace!

Let us align our ways and our paths to God's ways, and allow Him to fulfill and satisfy us completely.