Soli Deo Gloria

O LORD, I am a shell full of dust, but animated with an invisible rational soul and made anew by an unseen power of grace; yet I am no rare object of valuable price, but one that has nothing and is nothing, although chosen of thee from eternity, given to Christ, and born again; I am deeply convinced of the evil and misery of a sinful state, of the vanity of creatures, but also of the sufficiency of Christ.

When thou wouldst guide me I control myself, when thou wouldst be sovereign I rule myself. When thou wouldst take care of me I suffice myself. When I should depend on thy providings I supply myself, when I should submit to thy providence I follow my will, when I should study, love, honour, trust thee, I serve myself; I fault and correct thy laws to suit myself, instead of thee I look to man’s approbation, and am by nature an idolater.

Lord, it is my chief design to bring my heart back to thee. Convince me that I cannot be my own god, or make myself happy, nor my own Christ to restore my joy, nor my own Spirit to teach, guide, rule me. Help me to see that grace does this by providential affliction, for when my credit is god thou dost cast me lower, when riches are my idol thou dost wing them away, when pleasure is my all thou dost turn it into bitterness.

Take away my roving eye, curious ear, greedy appetite, lustful heart; show me that none of these things can heal a wounded conscience, or support a tottering frame, or uphold a departing spirit. Then take me to the cross and leave me there.

From The Valley of Vision – A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

“For the cross saves completely, or not at all. Our faith does not divide the work of salvation between itself and the cross. It is the acknowledgement that the cross alone saves, and it saves alone. Faith adds nothing to the cross nor to its healing virtue. It owns the fullness and the sufficiency and the suitableness of the work done there and bids the toiling spirit cease from its labours and enter into rest. Faith does not come to Calvary to do anything. It comes to see the glorious spectacle of all things done and to accept this completion without misgiving as to its efficacy. It listens to the “It is finished” of the sin-bearer and says “Amen!” Where faith begins, there labour ends–labour, I mean, for life and for pardon. Faith is rest, not toil. It is the giving up of all the former weary efforts.”

- Horatius Bonar from The Everlasting Righteousness

“We must understand that Christ’s cross-work not only saves us from the penalty of sin – which is God’s eternal wrath and hell, but also from the power of sin through regeneration and sanctification giving us a new disposition that makes war with sin and new affections bent upward to see Christ as our all in all.”

“Behold the infinite love of God to mankind and the love of Jesus Christ that, rather than God see the children of men to perish eternally, would send His Son to take our nature upon Him and thus suffer such dreadful things. Herein God shows His love… It pleased the Father to break His Son and to pour out His blood. Here is the love of God and of Jesus Christ. Oh, what a power, mighty, drawing, efficacious meditation this should be to us!”

- Jeremiah Burroughs (from Gospel Worship)

“Christ endured our hell so that we might be set free to enter His heaven.” – Philip E. Hughes

“What makes sin sin, what makes it so profoundly heinous, what makes it so deeply repugnant and culpable, is that it is [an] offense against God. We dare not forget that the first commandment, according to Jesus, is the commandment to love God with heart and soul and mind and strength. This the first sin  - first sequentially, first in fundamental importance – is not to love God with heart and soul and mind and strength. It is the sin we always commit when we commit any other sin. At the most profound level, whenever we sin, God is the most offended party. If, like David, we commit adultery, God is the most offended party. If we cheat on our income taxes, God is the most offended party. If we puff ourselves up in pride, indulge in slander, demean a colleague, or nurture bitterness, God is the most offended party. If we watch porn on the internet, God is the most offended party.”

- D.A. Carson from his book Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus

I highly recommend this book – especially as we approach Easter. Carson does an outstanding job unpacking just a few of the glorious truths of Christ’s death and resurrection from a reformed, Biblical perspective.

As we approach Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday I hope to post a few articles and quotes that give us pause as we contemplate the glories of the cross of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. I’m reading through an excellent book entitled Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross which is a compilation of works by noted Christians such as Luther, Begg, Spurgeon, MacArthur and the like. I highly recommend this book. Following is an excerpt from one of the chapters by Martin Luther entitled “True Contemplation of the Cross” that really brings home a profound point to meditate on…

“Let us meditate a moment on the passion of CHrist. Some do so falsely in that they merely rail against Judas and the Jews. Some carry crucifixes to protect themselves from water, fire and sword, and turn the suffering of Christ into an amulet against suffering. Some weep, and that is the end of it. The true contemplation is that in which the heart is crushed and the conscience smitten. You must be overwhelmed by the frightful wrath of God who so hated sin that He spared not His only begotten Son. What can the sinner expect if the beloved Son was so afflicted? It must be an inexpressible and unendurable yearning that causes God’s Son Himself to suffer. Ponder this and you will tremble, and the more you ponder, the deeper you will tremble.”

How true is this profound statement! May we look long and hard into the Scriptures as we contemplate the life, death, resurrection and reigning ascension of the King of kings and see the glories of the cross of Christ. That on that cross the absolute perfect love and absolute perfect justice of God are simultaneously displayed. Let us be humbled by the glorious truth that “He made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf so that we may have the righteousness of God in Him”! (2 Corinthians 5:21) What magnificent truth!

Soli Deo Gloria

My wife sent me this video this morning about this elephant seal who literally cuddles with a woman on a beach. It’s one of the most amazing things I have seen in a while. Several things run through my mind when I watch this video. One is how amazing our great God is and being in awe of His creation. The heavens and the earth and all creation declares the glory of God indeed!

I am also reminded though that because of sin and because of man’s fall and rebellion Scripture tells us that all of creation groans in anticipation of Christ’s return when all things will be made new. (Romans 8:22) This truth from Scripture is precisely why seeing a clip like this makes us take attention. This kind of response from a wild animal is indeed a rarity.

Viewing this short video clip it made me wonder what life was like in Eden when Adam and Eve were with the animals and there was no fear. Do you wonder if they had experiences like this woman had with this wild animal – an animal that by all understanding should run from humanity in fear? This I believe is another way God gives us a small glimpse of what He has provided in Christ Jesus and thus points us to the necessity and grace of Christ Jesus.

Salvation and the cross of Jesus Christ is like a diamond with an infinite number of facets. Each time you begin to be in awe of the cross of Christ that diamond keeps turning with infinite facets of glory – each illustrating a new and awesome truth. One of those facets is that through the cross there will be a day at His Second Advent where Eden is restored and all things are made new. God in His infinite wisdom and grace continues to give humanity a small taste of heaven and the unfathomable riches in Christ Jesus through events like what we’re watching in this video.

Let us be reminded though that all creation groans because sin has separated us from God and His wrath rightly rests on all. Sin has marred all creation and that is evidenced by the rarity of this wild animal’s lack of fear with this woman. God’s wrath and love are simultaneously displayed at the cross of Jesus Christ showing us that Christ alone is the way, the truth and the life. Our conscience bears witness against us that we have sinned against the one true infinite, holy God and His wrath justly rests on all outside of Christ. It is only through Christ that our sin is expiated and propitiated and where God’s righteousness can be credited to us in the most glorious transaction in all of creation. (2 Corinthians 5:21). Cry out to the Lord and ask Him to grant you true repentance and faith and embrace the One true God – Christ Jesus the Lord and Savior.

Soli Deo Gloria.