2020-04-10
1 Korintiërs 1:18 NLV
God wat aan die kruis vir ons sondes sterf, kan dalk ‘belaglik’ vir sekere mense klink. Hulle filosofie is: ‘As ek dit nie kan verstaan nie, sal ek dit nie aanvaar nie.’ Dis waar hulle verkeerd is. Verlossing kom slegs deur geloof. ‘…As julle nie wegdraai van julle sondige lewe en soos die kindertjies word nie, sal julle beslis nie in die koninkryk van God ingaan nie’ (Matteus 18:3 NLV). Eenvoudige, kinderlike geloof in die voltooide werk van Christus aan die kruis, is al wat benodig word. Daar is ‘n verhaal van ‘n universiteitstudent wie se professor hom nul vir ‘n toets gegee het. Ontsteld het hy gesê: ‘Ek verdien nie hierdie punt nie.’ Die professor het geglimlag en gespot: ‘Ek stem saam, maar nul is die laagste punt wat ek kan gee.’ Dis hoe God oor ons wysheid voel. ‘Want die wysheid van hierdie wêreld is by God dwaasheid…’ (1 Korintiërs 3:19 NLV). Een dag het ‘n man tydens ‘n vloed op sy dak gestaan en gebid: ‘God, red my asseblief.’ Kort daarna het ‘n roeiboot verbygekom en aangebied om hom na veiligheid te neem. Hy het egter gesê: ‘Nee dankie, God sal vir my sorg.’ Skielik het ‘n helikopter te voorskyn gekom en ‘n touleer laat sak om hom te red. ‘O nee, God sal vir my sorg.’ Kort daarna het die man verdrink. Toe hy voor God staan, het die man gevra: ‘Hoekom het U my nie gered nie?’ God het geantwoord: ‘Ek het vir jou ‘n roeiboot en ‘n helikopter gestuur. Wat meer wou jy hê?’ Aan die kruis het God alles gedoen wat nodig is om jou te red. Al wat jy moet doen is om op Christus te vertrou en die geskenk van ewige lewe te ontvang.
Sielskos: Gen 22:1-18; Matt 27:45-56; Ps 22; Jes 53
John 16:33 NIV
Good Friday is a day when we tend to focus on the suffering Jesus endured. And it’s an opportunity to remember the importance of the cross in our times of struggle. When we go through traumatic events, are hurt by others, or walk through dark valleys, we can feel like we’re walking alone. But the cross reminds us that we have a God who understands. Jesus walked through suffering too. He was betrayed by a friend, had to walk a path that He didn’t want to, was mocked by crowds of people, and faced death on the cross. The Bible tells us that Jesus even felt abandoned by God: ‘Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”‘ (Matthew 27:46 NCV). Whatever we’re facing, we can know that Jesus understands. We’re not left to struggle on our own. We have a God who walks every step with us. The psalmist wrote: ‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me’ (Psalm 23:4 NIV) and in Deuteronomy it says, ‘the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you’ (31:6 NIV). It’s also important to remember that the cross we’re focusing on is empty. Jesus’ death wasn’t the end. God raised Him back to life again. And now we can have hope for the future, even if we have to walk through suffering right now. Whatever we’re going through, we can know that Jesus has already overcome. He said: ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ So let’s ‘take heart’ and remember that the cross is empty. We have hope because He has overcome.
Gen 22:1-18; Matt 27:45-56; Ps 22; Isa 53
1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV
God dying on the cross for our sins sounds like “foolishness” to some people. Their philosophy is “If I cannot understand it, I won’t accept it.” That’s where they get it wrong. Salvation comes through faith alone. “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3 NKJV). Simple, childlike faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross is all that’s required. The story is told of a college student whose professor gave him zero on a test. Upset, he said, “I don’t deserve this grade.” The professor smiled and quipped, “I agree, but zero is the lowest grade I can give.” That’s how God feels about our wisdom. “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Corinthians 3:19 NKJV). One day a man stood on the roof of his house during a flood, and prayed, “God, please save me.” Soon a rowboat came by and offered to take him to safety. But he said, “No, God will take care of me.” The waters kept coming up until they were almost at his waist. Suddenly a helicopter appeared overhead and a rope ladder was lowered down. “Oh no, God will take care of me.” Soon after that the man drowned. When he stood before God, he said, “Why didn’t you save me?” God responded, “I sent you a rowboat and a helicopter. What else did you want?” At the cross, God did everything required to save you. All you have to do is trust in Christ and receive the gift of eternal life.
Soul food: Gen 22:1-18; Matt 27:45-56; Ps 22; Isa 53
2020-04-09
Matthew 27:51 NIV
Another reason that the cross is important is that it reconnected us to God. Before Jesus’ death on the cross, the only people who could be in God’s presence were the priests who were allowed into the innermost parts of the Temple. The Bible says: ‘Only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance’ (Hebrews 9:7 NIV). But at the moment that Jesus died, ‘the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.’ The barrier between us and God was removed. That means we can now experience His presence and draw close to Him without fear. ‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). It also means we can approach Him with all our worship and requests without having to purify ourselves first. While we can never be perfect, God sees us through Jesus, who is righteous. We’re now seen as righteous before God because Jesus took all our sin and shame away from us when He died on the cross. We’re told: ‘God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God’ (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV). Jesus’ death on the cross was all part of God’s redemption plan. After sin and suffering entered the world (take a look at Genesis 3), God needed a way to bring us back to Him again. Out of His amazing love for us, He sacrificed His only Son so that we could be reconnected to Him, and live with Him forever.
Lev 8-10; Matt 27:33-44; Ps 49; Prov 10:1-2
1 Korintiërs 1:23 NLV
Paulus skryf: ‘Die Jode wil indrukwekkende tekens hê om die waarheid van die Goeie Nuus te bevestig en die Grieke wil ‘n vertoon van wysheid hê. Maar ons verkondig die gekruisigde Christus. Vir die Jode is dit skokkend en vir die heidene is dit absolute dwaasheid. Maar vir ons almal wat deur God geroep is, Jode sowel as Grieke, is die gekruisigde Christus die magtige kragwerking van God en die wonderlike wysheid van God’ (verse 22-24 NLV). Daar is nie ‘n Joodse of nie-Joodse manier om gered te word nie. Daar is net een manier om gered te word – deur die kruis! Ons almal het dieselfde behoefte. Ons moet weet wat reg is en doen wat reg is. Ons benodig die wysheid om te weet wat om te doen en die krag om dit te doen. Christus bied ons beide deur die kruis aan. In sy vroeë bediening, het Billy Graham vir ‘n groot skare in Dallas, Texas gepreek, maar daar was min reaksie op sy boodskap. Toe hy die verhoog verlaat, het ‘n ou man vir hom gesê: ‘Jou boodskap was goed, maar jy het nie die kruis gepreek nie.’ Billy het na sy kamer gegaan, gehuil en besluit: ‘Daar sal nooit weer ‘n preek wees waar ek nie die kruis die sentrale deel van my boodskap maak nie.’ Van daardie dag af het God hom gebruik om meer mense vir Christus as amper enige ander prediker in die geskiedenis te wen. Daar is net genoeg ego in elkeen van ons om deur goeie werke by ons verlossing te probeer ‘bydra.’ Ons kan egter nie. Die gesangedigter Robert Lowy het geskryf: ‘What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.’
Sielskos: Lev 8-10; Matt 27:33-44; Ps 49; Spr 10:1-2
