Michael continues that we have been made a new
creation in Christ Jesus. The devil weaves a web to trap those who have come to
Christ. However, the Scripture says, casting
all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.
There's a book called
"Classic Sermons on the Cross of Christ." by George H Morrison, who was pastor of Wellington Church in Glasgow,
Scotland UK wrote a message on Galatians 5:11. Paul prayed
that the Galatians might be brought into the fold even though they had fallen into
the bondage and rituals of the Old Testament Law. The cross of Christ was
offensive to the Jews because they thought that their messiah would come as the
conquering King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They didn't expect a suffering
servant: Jesus, the Christ and Him crucified. Written across the
cross is the word "sacrifice."
The cross swept away much
that the Jews took pride in. They were centered on their own rituals and
on their own self righteousness. The cross of Christ says, "in my flesh dwells no good thing." The
law of sin and death says I can never give enough, serve enough, love enough or
do enough. As Jesus said, "there
is none good, no not one."
Pastor Arthur Blessitt came
to speak at a revival at his conservative Southern Baptist church in
Birmingham. In the late 60's Arthur Blessitt was known as the minister of
the Sunset Strip. He attracted hippies and other people whom the proper
Southern Baptists of Birmingham considered "undesirables." Arthur had
the audacity to lead the Birmingham hippies in a cheer to Jesus inside the
sanctuary at a conservative church. The regular congregation and the
deacons were appalled. They reprimanded him for "desecrating the sanctuary" and commanded him not to lead
another cheer for Jesus in their church. At the next service, Blessitt said,
"I apologize for offending some of you." Then he led the
hippies outside to the steps of the church and led them in another cheer for
Jesus. This incident was the last time they ever experienced the movement
of the Holy Spirit in that church.
The Jews had inherited the
promises of God. They were not awed by the pagan cultures of their
day. They knew that they were God's chosen people and that they were given
the oracles of God. They knew that they were holy and set apart from the
Gentiles. However, when Christ came, he came to set the captives free. For
after the day of Pentecost, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female,
barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free. But
Christ is all and in all.
The apostle Paul said, “We preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ
and him crucified.” The crossroads of history leads to the cross of
Christ. At the cross, Jesus Christ who knew no sin was made the perfect
sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him. At the cross of Christ, we die to self in order to live for Him. For I was crucified with Christ,
nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me and the life that I now
live I live by faith in the one who loved me and gave himself for me.
Therefore, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God
unto salvation unto the Jew first and also to the gentile.
We who have been saved by
grace have been bought with the price Jesus paid on our behalf. We are His
purchased possession. A man of God is God's man, absolutely. A woman of
God is God's woman, absolutely. It's not who we are but rather whose we
are. We are a new creation in Christ and the dwelling place, the temple of
God's Holy Spirit.
As His holy of Holies, may
we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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