Just discovered a new song written by D.A. Carson and Sandra McCracken that goes really well with the sermon I’m preaching this Sunday. You can listen to it below. Find out more and download the music and song sheet for free here.
Tag: Cross
It’s Friday…
This is well worth posting again as we remember our Lord’s death and anticipate celebrating his resurrection.
God’s Endorsement
The wrath of God was satisfied with the suffering and death of Jesus. The holy curse against sin was fully absorbed. The obedience of Christ was completed to the fullest measure. The price of forgiveness was totally paid. The righteousness of God was completely vindicated. All that was left to accomplish was the public declaration of God’s endorsement. This he gave by raising Jesus from the dead.
– John Piper in Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
What Is Conscience? – Joe Carter (GC)
The Multifaceted Diamond of Christ’s Atoning Work – Trevin Wax
Arms Outstretched – Trevin Wax
Simple Evangelism in the Church – Jason Helopoulis
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day celebrating our Savior!
Passion Points
Here are some good Passion Week related posts for your weekend reading:
How To Handle Your Sin – Kevin DeYoung
Run to the cross. There you will find salvation for your sin sick self.
God Wants You To Know How Much He Loves You – Jon Bloom (DG)
That’s what Passion Week is for; that you might remember and more deeply know how much God has loved you — so much that he gave his only Son for you
Includes a link to a Desiring God booklet with daily readings for the coming week.
The Passion Week – Infographic – Josh Byers
This week’s infographic, The Passion Week, is a chronological timeline of the major events that happened during Jesus’ last week before he died and rose again.
Some Easter Posts – Three Passions
This is a collection of Easter posts I put together last year, including another Easter week timeline and a short video you should watch every year.
The Thief and Us – Three Passions
Another post from last year worth pondering again.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day and coming week reflecting on our Savior’s death, burial and resurrection!
Preach the Gospel to Yourself
How can we grow up in Jesus? Part of the answer is that we need to preach the gospel to ourselves. We need to constantly remind ourselves of what God has done for us, of the many blessings of salvation that should change the way we live. In Romans 12:1 we read, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God….” These words mark a huge transition in the book. Everything before these words deals with God’s mercy in giving us a great salvation. Everything after these words deals with how we should live in response. It is because of the gospel that we should now live differently. And so we need to preach the gospel to ourselves. Let me take just two elements of the gospel to illustrate this point.
Remember the cross so you don’t want to sin. Part of the God’s mercy is that he became a man and took the judgment we deserved for our sins upon himself on the cross. Consider all that our Savior endured because of our sins. The whipping. The beatings. The mockings. The crown of thorns pressed into his head. The nails piercing his hands and feet. The agony hanging on the cross. As we consider what he endured to pay for our sin, how could we have any desire to sin? When the temptation to sin looks so alluring, place the picture of Jesus hanging on the cross next to the temptation, and the temptation will lose much of its tempting power. As we consider the cross, it motivates us to live for him. We remember the cross so we don’t want to sin.
Consider your new life that means you don’t have to sin. In Romans 6, Paul talks about the reality that we have died to sin and been raised to a new life in Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin. And so he tells us in verse 11 to “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” He has already established that we have a new life. In verse 11 he wants us to consider this reality. To think about it. To remember it. He wants us to preach the gospel to ourselves. We have a new life. God has enabled us to say no to sin. We don’t have to sin anymore. Too often we hear people say (and we might say ourselves) after sinning, “Well, I just couldn’t help it.” But if we are true Christians, we have been given a new life. We can help it. In the face of temptation, remind yourself that you are no longer a slave to sin, and you don’t want to act like a slave anymore. You can say no. We consider our new life to remind us that we don’t have to sin.
Remember the cross so you don’t want to sin. Consider your new life that means you don’t have to sin. Preach the gospel to yourself.
Passion Points – Easter Weekend
Here are some posts on the death and resurrection of our Savior for your weekend reading:
His Death
Go To Dark Gethsemane – Kevin DeYoung
The Cross Offers A Glimpse Into The Heart Of God – Trevin Wax
May Christ’s Shed Blood Make Me… – Puritan Prayer (via Trevin Wax)
His Resurrection
The Resurrection: The Reason For Hope – D. A. Carson (via Crossway)
The Neglected Resurrection – Matthre Barrett (via The Gospel Coalition)
Easter and the Great Wedding To Come – Jason Johnson (via The Gospel Coalition)
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day celebrating the resurrection of our Savior! He Is Risen!
Brian J. Mikul 