Mark 8:34-36 When He (Jesus) had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them,
“Whoever desires to come after Me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For
whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for
My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For
what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Dr. Robert Strimple suggests
that in this natural material world, not only is the Bible’s message good news,
it is miraculous, seemingly beyond-our-imagination good news! John 3:16-17 “For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” Ephesians 2:4-8 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great
love with which He loved us, even
when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace
you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of
His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it
is the gift of God.” Such “supernatural” salvation news is harder to believe
than ordinary, everyday relations that we experience with our senses and mind. The
gospel can seem to be almost too good to believe. But we must believe, because God
is true and God’s Word is truth. Faith alone in Christ alone.
Romans 1:15-17 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are
in Rome
In the opening passage yesterday,
Jesus makes an assertion unthinkable by anyone but God Himself: “I am the
resurrection and the Life” (v.25), then the One who is Himself the great final
saving act of God asks Martha: “Do you believe this?” May the Holy Spirit
enable each of us to answer as Martha did: “Yes, Lord; I believe.”
Resurrection, the gift of life, is available now in Jesus, for He is the
Christ, the Son of God, God incarnate, the
promised Savior of the world. Existentialist atheist Albert Camus wrote: “Salvation
is much too big a word for me. I don’t aim so high.” But it is not too high or
too wonderful for Jesus! The good news of forgiveness and eternal resurrection
life in Jesus is not too good to be true.
Romans 16:24-27 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to Him who is able to establish you
according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the
prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of
the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith — to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
Brian
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