Oh the Glories of the Cross!

I can't help but sing those fantastic words of that song from Sovereign Grace. Especially in light of the weekend we have just had.

This weekend our church went away to a site for our "church weekend away." It was a fantastic time of really, (I mean really) delving into the word of God, to see what he has to say about the Cross of Christ. It was intense! Oh, but worth it. People in our church were really lapping up the teaching, and relishing the opportunity to meditate, and think upon this central Christian truth.

It continues to blow my mind, how much the Cross achieved. That God would love me so much that he would send his son to die, to take the punishment I deserve for saying to God "Hey I wanna be God, I wanna make to rules, not you..." For this I deserve death, punishment, and hell. But Christ, bore that for me in my place. Not as some third party - no because He is God! He is the one I have rebelled against. Oh, what love is this!

How great in the one that would die, for me (and for you!!), that we could be declared to be right with God.

It was a real joy. it excellent to get away for the weekend, and continue to foster and build relationships with people at church.

The only down side, was that Robyn had a fair bit of pain on the Saturday night. And this really knocked her around. She had to sleep on Sunday morning. She wanted to push through, so that she could continue to build relationships with people at church. But that was hard.

How central the cross is again hit home to Robyn and I. But I'll let God's word say it.

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. "(Romans 3:21-26 ESV)

"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. " 1 John 4:10 ESV

And how good is this quote from John Stott!

"The Cross which appeared to be the defeat of goodness by evil, was in fact the defeat of evil by goodness."

Oh, the glories of the Cross. For those of us who know the salvation of the cross, how could we not but sing?