Tag: Cross
All The Way
On the cross, we see what God did to satisfy his yearning for us. He went that far. He went all the way.
– Dane Ortlund in Gentle and Lowly
Friday Evening – Passion
Friday Evening: Passion – Remember the Cross
Read: Mark 15:16-39
Prayer: Father, they hit him, and spit upon him, and mocked him. They nailed him to a cross, and mocked him some more. He bore my sins, and your wrath for my sins, that I might go free. My words are so cheap, but thank you for the cross. Thank you for forgiveness. Thank you for Jesus. Amen.
Reflect/Discuss: How does reflecting on Christ’s passion fuel your love for him? How will you respond to his sacrifice?
Praise: Sing “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”
Friday Morning – Plot
Friday Morning: Plot – The Plans of God and Men
Read: Mark 14:1-2, 14:10-11, 14:43-65, 15:1-15
Prayer: Father, how shamefully they treated your Son. Judas plotted against him and betrayed his friend. The religious leaders plotted against him and made a mockery of justice to have their own way. Pilate gave in to the crowds. And yet all their plots were part of your bigger plot to save me. Thank you for my Savior. Amen.
Reflect/Discuss: In what current situations do you need to trust in God’s greater plan? How does it help to know God has a plan?
Praise: Sing “All The Way My Savior Leads Me”
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Get to the Cross and Never Leave – David Mathis (DG)
For Christians, true worship and “real sanctification” not only flow from the purchase of the cross, but also draw strength from conscious faith in the crucified Christ. We know our former selves to be crucified with him (Romans 6:6). “I have been crucified with Christ,” Paul says. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). So also for us: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
What Sins are You Killing Today? – Peter Adam (TGC)
It is not enough to stop doing what is wrong: you have to learn the habit of doing what is right. But you cannot start doing what is right, unless you kill off what is wrong!
Overcoming the Fear of Evangelism – Eric Davis (Cripplegate)
For those who like me have experienced butterflies in the stomach at times when you think about speaking the gospel to the lost, here are a few things that help me….
The Ministry of Presence – Tim Challies
I want to speak of the outsized value of the ministry of presence. The ministry of presence is the ministry of being there—of simply gathering with the church on Sunday. This may seem like a little thing, but it matters. It matters a lot. It’s genuinely a ministry. It’s genuinely a means of serving other Christians.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with the Lord and His church!
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your Easter weekend reading:
Enter the Dragon Slayer – Jon Bloom (DG)
Weary years passed as the cursed earth and its depraved inhabitants languished in bondage to corruption. And then, in the fullness of the King’s time, the ancient, mysterious decrees began to unfold. In an unexpected place and an unexpected way, into the world stepped the Dragon Slayer.
10 Things You Should Know about the Cross – Patrick Schreiner (Crossway)
The Christian faith is distinctively Trinitarian and cross-shaped. Therefore, the cross must reveal the Trinity. God the Father sent the Son to save the world, the Son submitted to the Father’s will, and the Spirit applies the work of redemption to Jesus followers.
Salvation by Propitiation – Kevin DeYoung
The God who has always been for us in eternity sent his Son in time to be the wrath-absorbing sacrifice that we might enjoy peace with God for ages unending.
Hymn Stories – Christ The Lord Is Risen Today – Tim Challies
Here are all 11 stanzas published by the Wesleys. It is worth reading through each one thoughtfully, and perhaps especially the ones that we no longer sing. They are rich with biblical allusion and the wonderful implications of Easter.
Hope you have a great Resurrection Sunday!
If Jesus Is Dead and Gone…
If Jesus is dead and gone, we have:
No Forgiveness of Sins
No Removal of Guilt
No Cleansing from Shame
No Righteousness in Christ
No New Life in Christ
No Relationship with God
No Victory over Sin
No Victory over Satan
No Mediator with God
No Intercession by Christ
No Sending of the Holy Spirit
No Way to Heaven
No Return of Christ
No Personal Resurrection
No Hope in Death
No Confidence in God’s Word
No Mercy or Grace
No Basis for Our Faith
No Reason to Sing
Brian J. Mikul 