Christ’s obedience to His Father in delivering Himself to the cross is incomprehensible to the human mind. It was and is the cost of all costs. A holy, blameless Savior who knew no sin became a sacrifice for the undeserving. As Jesus took on the cup of divine wrath for our sins, He was abandoned by God temporarily. Matthew 27:46 states, ”About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ’Eli, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?‘ that is, ’MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?’“ God’s perfect Son became sin-bearer on a human instrument used for execution.
God’s expression of love to a fallen world is Jesus Christ. Sin wrecked the creation; however, Jesus is the foundation for new beginnings. He is the only way to the Father and eternal life. Salvation is so precious because of the enormous lengths God went through to rescue sinners.
Unfortunately, too many professing Christians see Christ as a doormat to salvation. The cost is not appreciated. Jesus’ kingship is forgotten. In 2020, multitudes view grace as a means to live their own lives without conforming to the Lord’s commands. The average professing believer sees “no strings attached” to Christ’s directives even though He bought the saved for a price.
Beyond rejecting Christ’s lordship, a spirit of antichrist is overwhelmingly prevalent in church buildings across America. According to a survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries, 51% of Americans with evangelical beliefs indicate that God accepts worship from all religions. Many even disavow eternal hell as a reality. These attitudes are grounded in a minimization of God’s holiness. Relativism has further brought a casual view of sin. Nonetheless, the truth is that sin is the disruptor of creation, and it is the agent of man’s death. Sin is incompatible with our infinitely perfect God. The infractions of sin are so serious that the Lord will pour out His wrath for an eternity in hell. Scripture conveys to us that God’s full wrath will come to fruition. Only Christ, our King and Savior, will stand between this judgment and His people. He is salvation.
In Luke 14:26-35, Jesus tells everyone to count the cost before committing to Him. He made the ultimate sacrifice in obedience, and the gift of salvation demands true followership. The Master paid a price, and His servants must pay a negligible price....a price that leads to freedom. Repentance, a born again nature, self-denial, and faith are all evidence of true conversion. Believers must seek a life that honors Christ as we reach toward holiness. Followers with the indwelling Holy Spirit will, in fact, have a desire to please Christ. This type of commitment will place us alone in the world, but the ultimate treasure in Christ and eternity is incalculable. May we praise our King!
Psalm 7:11
God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day.
John 3:36
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Luke 14:26-35
“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
“Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, ]let him hear.”
Romans 2:5
But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
Romans 5:8-9
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
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