2020-04-09
1 Corinthians 1:23 NKJV
Paul writes: “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (vv. 22-24 NKJV). There’s no Jewish way to be saved, or Gentile way to be saved. There’s only one way to be saved – that’s the way of the cross! We all have the same need. We need to know what’s right and do what’s right. We need the wisdom to know what to do, and we need the power to do it. And Christ offers us both through the cross. In his early ministry, when Billy Graham preached to a great crowd in Dallas, Texas, there was very little response to his message. As he was leaving the platform, an old man told him, “Your message was good, but you didn’t preach the cross.” Billy went to his room, wept, and resolved, “There will never be a sermon that I preach unless the cross is central.” Starting that day, God used him to win more people to Christ than almost any other preacher in history. There’s just enough ego in each of us to want to “contribute” to our salvation by doing good works. But we cannot. Hymnist Robert Lowry wrote: “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.”
Soul food: Lev 8-10; Matt 27:33-44; Ps 49; Prov 10:1-2
2020-04-08
Galasiërs 6:14 NLV
Dis interessant dat Jesus ons nie in die Bybel vra om sy geboorte of opstanding te onthou nie – alhoewel ons dit moet onthou – maar dat Hy vir ons sê om sy sterfte te onthou. Toe Hy die laaste paasmaaltyd ingestel het, het Hy gesê: ‘…Gebruik dit ter herinnering aan My’ (Lukas 22:19 NLV). Paulus het gesê: ‘…ek wil my op niks anders beroem as die kruis van ons Here Jesus Christus nie…’ Die kruis, soos die galg en die elektriese stoel, is ‘n instrument van die dood. Hoekom dit dan verheerlik? Oor dit wat daar plaasgevind het. Toe Jesus gesê het: ‘Dit is volbring’, het Hy vir al jou sondes, van jou wieg tot jou graf, betaal. Die kruis is dus God se eerste en laaste woorde wanneer dit by verlossing kom. Dis sy eerste woorde want: ‘Die boek van die lewe is ook die boek van die Lam, die Lam wat aan die kruis gesterf het’ (Openbaring 13:8 ABA). Die kruis is ook God se laaste woord oor verlossing, want in die hemel sal hulle sing: ‘…U is waardig genoeg om die boekrol te neem en sy seëls te breek omdat U geslag is en met u bloed mense vir God vrygekoop het, uit elke geslag en taalgroep, volk en nasie’ (Openbaring 5:9 NLV). Daar is nie ‘n ‘Plan B’ vir verlossing nie. Die enigste hoofweg wat hemel toe gaan, loop deur Golgota. Jy kan nie die kruis verbygaan of om dit loop as jy gered wil word nie. Die Bybel sê: ‘…Sonder bloedvergieting vind daar geen vergifnis van sonde plaas nie’ (Hebreërs 9:22 NLV). As jy vandag na die kruis kyk, sal jy die vloek van sonde, die koste van sonde en die kuur vir sonde sien. Soos jy na die kruis kyk, herinner jouself ook: ‘Hy het dit vir my gedoen.’
Sielskos: Eks 12:1-14; 1 Kor 11:20-34; Ps 25:16-22
Galatians 6:14 NIV
In the Bible, Jesus doesn’t ask us to remember His birth or His resurrection, although we should remember these things, but He does tell us to remember His death. When He shared the Last Supper with the disciples, He said, ‘do this in remembrance of me’ (Luke 22:19 NIV). We can’t remember Jesus’ death without focusing on the cross. Paul said, ‘May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ The cross can seem like a strange thing to remember and boast about. Jesus’ suffering on the cross isn’t something we might want to spend time thinking about. So why is it important? Firstly, it reminds us of our salvation. When Jesus said, ‘It is finished,’ (John 19:30), all our sins were paid for. Because of His death, we can be forgiven and can look forward to eternal life. Sometimes we can be tempted to think that our salvation depends on the things that we’ve done. But the cross reminds us that we can’t earn our salvation. We will never be good enough, but Jesus has paid the price so that we can be acceptable to God. Our salvation is a gift, rather than something we have to earn. The Bible says: ‘You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God’ (Ephesians 2:8 NCV). God sent His Son to die for each one of us because of how much He loves us. Even if you were the only person on earth, He would still have done it. We should never boast to others about our good works or how much God must be pleased with us, we should always point people to the cross and the incredible sacrifice that was made for us all.
Exo 12:1-14; 1 Cor 11:20-34; Ps 25:16-22
Galatians 6:14 KJV
It’s interesting that in the Bible Jesus doesn’t ask us to remember His birth or His resurrection, although we know we should, but He tells us to remember His death. When He instituted the Lord’s Supper, He said, “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19 KJV). Paul said, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The cross, like the gallows and the electric chair, is an instrument of death. So why glory in it? Because of what took place there. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” all your sins from the cradle to the grave were paid for. So the cross is God’s first and last word when it comes to salvation. It’s His first word because Jesus was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8 KJV). And the cross is God’s last word about salvation, for in heaven they will sing, “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9 KJV). There is no “plan B” for salvation. The only highway that goes to heaven goes through Calvary. You can’t bypass the cross or go around it if you want to be saved. The Bible says, “Without shedding of blood [there] is no remission [for sin]” (Hebrews 9:22 KJV). As you look at the cross today, you’ll see the curse of sin, the cost of sin, and the cure for sin. And as you look at the cross, remind yourself: “He did it for me.”
Soul food: Exo 12:1-14; 1 Cor 11:20-34; Ps 25:16-22
2020-04-07
Genesis 19:27 NKJV
It’s really important to spend time praying with others, but it’s also vitally important that we spend time alone with God. Abraham had a special place where he met with God. So did Daniel. When his life was threatened, Daniel went ‘home to his upstairs room…Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before’ (Daniel 6:10 NIV). Jesus also had a special place: ‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed’ (Mark 1:35 NIV). It can be a good idea to establish a ‘God place’ in our lives. This doesn’t mean that we can only seek God in one place. He can be found everywhere. But having a specific place to go and meet with Him can help us remove all distractions and focus on Him. It can be a private place where we can take off all the masks we’ve been wearing, and be open and honest before God. Jesus said: ‘When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you’ (Matthew 6:6 NIV). Our ‘God place’ can be anywhere. It’s a place where we can create memories of intimate times with God. When problems and pressures threaten to overwhelm us, we can go to our ‘God place’. When we need guidance, we can go to our ‘God place’. It can become our sanctuary, which simply means ‘a place of refuge and safety.’ It’s a place where we can go and feel safe, no matter what we’re facing.
Lev 5-7; Matt 27:27-32; Ps 25:8-15; Prov 9:18
