Sanctified by the Cross

The Son of God and Son of Man had been tried and convicted. Jesus had been rushed through a ramshackle trial. He had been whipped, bloodied and scourged all because he claimed to be God's son. He was seen as dangerous, an insurrectionist and a revolutionary. The Romans and the Jews were getting nervous. Something had to be done. The only way to stop this man was to put him to death and death by crucifixion would silence him forever, or so they thought. Jesus said many times that all this was going to happen to him to disciples still unwilling or unable to picture this kind of savior or salvation. They rejected it out right. That trend continues today. They just could not see how this kind of suffering and death could accomplish anything. The disciples wanted, prayed and hoped that Jesus would put a stop to it all. Others doubted, denied, turned tail and ran. In it all Jesus never put the brakes on. He never stopped the runaway train that led straight to the cross and crucifix...

Made Alive 13 You who were dead, God made alive together with him, having forgiven all our trespasses, 14 by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14 Those who trust in Christ have been made alive in Christ.   We go from death to life in our very nature.   We don’t make ourselves alive; there is no way we could.   We were dead, and dead people don’t do anything. God made us alive and brought us to life. Notice: Together with Him. Having believed in Christ we are buried with him in his death for our sins, and then we are raised to new life with Him when he rose victoriously over death, having defeated it. That old dead sinful disposition that went to our very core, the motives and nature that ended in death He raised, changed and made alive. Further he did this, Having forgiven all our trespasses . We are made alive in our very nature reversing the nature that...

13  And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him. Colossians 2:13 Can you imagine opening the paper and seeing your own obituary printed there? Startling and overwhelming would not be sufficient words.   If your own shock wore off, you would then have to deal with the shock to your friends and the cards you would receive in the mail comforting you in light of your own demise.   I do not intend to be insensitive here.   I intend to help us see a very real truth in God’s Word.   The Bible then comes along and writes our own obituary for us and prints it here and a few other places in the Scriptures (Eph 2:1, Rom 6).   “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and sins” Are the Scriptures being intentionally offensive?     This is getting personal now.   Here is the point: You would resist the news of your death because we consider ourselves experts on our own aliven...