Text 423, 135 rader
Skriven 2005-06-25 20:26:22 av Bob Hoffman (8:8/2)
Ärende: It Will Not Be Long
===========================
From: "Bob Hoffman" <bhoffman@fmlynet.org>

      Faith's Checkbook - Powered by InJesus

      Sunday 06-26 / It Will Not Be Long
      Robert Prodoehl
      Jun 25, 2005


It Will Not Be Long

"Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the LORD draweth
nigh" (James 5:8).

The last word in the Canticle of love is, "Make haste, my beloved," and among
the last words of the Apocalypse we read, "The Spirit and the Bride say, Come";
to which the heavenly Bridegroom answers, "Surely I come quickly." Love longs
for the glorious appearing of the LORD and enjoys this sweet promise - "The
coming of the LORD draweth nigh." This stays our minds as to the future. We
look out with hope through this window.

This sacred "window of agate" lets in a flood of light upon the present and
puts us into fine condition for immediate work or suffering. Are we tired? Then
the nearness of our joy whispers patience. Are we growing weary because we do
not see the harvest of our seed-sowing? Again this glorious truth cries to us,
"Be patient." Do our multiplied temptations cause us in the least to waver?
Then the assurance that before long the LORD will be here preaches to us from
this text, "Stablish your hearts." Be firm, be stable, be constant, "stedfast,
unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the LORD." Soon will you hear the
silver trumpet which announces the coming of your King. Be not in the least
afraid. Hold the fort, for He is coming; yea, He may appear this very day.

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THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST:
For Whom Did Christ Die?

Jim Elliff

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ has piqued our national curiosity. While
the lively controversy surrounding it continues unabated, many ask in secret,
"Did Christ die for me?" When you evaluate the import of that intensely
personal question, it is easy to see that it should supercede all other debate
about the merits and demerits of Gibson's cinematic and spiritual efforts.
Christ's death is there in front of us, whether Gibson made a motion picture
about it or not. And we have to know how that applies to us on a personal
level.

Did He die for you? Was the act that was meant to pay the just penalty for
man's sins specifically calculated with you in mind? Was Christ cognizant of
you when He accomplished His sacrifice and subsequent resurrection? The first
century apostle, Paul, answers this relevant question in his letter to the
Romans. His words may help you and those you love. His answer:

Christ died for those who aren't strong

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. (Romans 5:6) The idea that Christianity is for people who have innate
moral strength is denied. Paul states categorically that Christ died for those
who do not have the ability to get to God on their own, that is, people who
aren't able to be and do all God demands. Interestingly, your awareness of your
spiritual inability is not a hindrance to having new life in Christ—it is your
ticket. Christ came for people just like you!

Christ died for those who sin

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man
someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in
that while were still sinners, Christ died for us. (5:7-8) Though sin is what
makes every living person deserving of hell, it is only for those who know
themselves to be sinners that Christ's death has any meaning and effect. Sin is
not only "the rape of the soul"—it is the cause of eternal separation from God.
How often do you sin? Multiplied thousands of times before you die. Why?
Because you are corrupted in your essential nature. It is for such that Christ
died. Be glad that you know yourself well.

Christ died for those who are His enemies

For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His
Son . . . (5:10) Who killed Jesus? The Jews? The Romans? God? Yes, in their own
way each of them was responsible. Yet, after all of it is bantered about, it
was our rebellion that caused the cross. Our self-interest is blatant. We have
lived independently, not wanting the control of God over our lives. The Bible
calls this enmity—and apathy is just the passive form of it. But Christ died
for such people.

Do you qualify as one for whom Christ died?

In Dallas, Texas there is an institution that has been serving that community
for many years. It is now called the Buckner Children's Home. In earlier days
it was called Buckner Orphanage. "Daddy Buckner" was the founder of this great
work. A story is told about a little girl who had survived a fire that had
claimed the lives of her family. She was scarred, especially on half of her
little face. It was difficult to look at her. When she came to the orphanage,
she told Mr. Buckner, "You'll have to be my mommy and my daddy." When Daddy
Buckner walked into the orphanage one day, he found the little girl weeping in
a corner. He had the sense to dismiss the other children so that he could talk
with her privately. Putting her on his lap, he quietly said, "What's the
matter, honey?" "Oh, daddy Buckner," she cried, "I know I'm ugly and nobody
loves me. But would you kiss me on my good side and tell me that you love me?"
Daddy Buckner took the little girl's face in his hands and, beginning with her
scarred side, kissed all over her face, passionately repeating the words, "I
love you, I love you, I love you, I love you." The cross is God's way of saying
to helpless, sinful enemies that He loves us. "I didn't come for the well,"
Christ once asserted, "but for the sick." He was not exempting some people as
if they simply didn't need Him, but rather He was asserting that there are some
who see themselves in need of nothing from Christ. For such people the cross of
Christ confers no benefits and has no effect. It is emblematic that there was a
thief crucified on the cross next to Jesus. Two, in fact—one completely
self-sufficient to the end, the other fully aware of his deplorable enmity
against God. "Remember me," he pleaded. Christ did. He died for him—and for all
such pathetic wretches. Were you among them?



Copyright C Jim Elliff 2004
Permission granted to photocopy for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form,
including copyright. All other uses require written permission. Write Christian
Communicators Worldwide, 201 Main, Parkville, MO 64152. For more information
about knowing God, see our website www.WayToGod.org
======================================================================



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