Results tagged “cross”
The Truth of the Cross (06/28/09 - 3 Comments)
In his book The Truth of the Cross, R.C. Sproul spends some time discussing the human condition and as he does so he uses three biblical concepts: debtors, enemies, and criminals. The Bible describes all of us in these terms. What Sproul does here, and this really helped it hit home for me, is show how it is always the Father who has been offended and the Son who intercedes. We have committed crimes against...
Outrageous Mercy (05/26/09 - 10 Comments)
Martin Luther got it right when he said, "No theology is genuinely Christian which does not arise from and focus on the cross." The cross of Christ is the very center point of the Christian faith; indeed, it is the very focal point of all of history. No event will or can be more significant than this. Little wonder, then, that so many books have been written that teach the cross, reflect on the cross,...
While We Were Still Sinners (05/08/09 - 7 Comments)
This morning I came across the name Jason Dunham and spent a few minutes reading about his life and death. In 2004, Dunham was a twenty-two year-old Corporal in the United States Marine Corps, serving in Iraq. He became the first Marine since 1970 to earn the Medal of Honor--the nation's highest award for battlefield heroism--for actions in combat. On April 14, 2004, he was manning a checkpoint near Karabilah when an Iraqi man whose...
Behold the Man Upon a Cross (04/10/09 - 4 Comments)
As seems to be the case with most boys, my friends and I went through a stage where we found great joy in tying people to things. In second or third grade we would take turns being the guys who would grab the skipping ropes and twist endless knots, fastening one of our friends to a tree or fence or flag pole. And, of course, we would take turns being the unfortunate one who was...
The Cross He Bore - Outer Darkness (04/10/09 - 3 Comments)
Today is Good Friday and, not coincidentally, today we finish reading The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy. It has proven, I think, a valuable read leading to those days we set aside to particularly remember Jesus' death and resurrection. Today's text is Matthew 27:45: "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour." Here is a short quote: ***** At Bethlehem, when the Saviour was born, the...
The Cross He Bore - The King Among Bandits (04/09/09 - 3 Comments)
There is just one day remaining in our thirteen-day read of Frederick Leahy's The Cross He Bore. Tomorrow we will finish just on time to remember the death of Jesus on Good Friday. Meanwhile, today's text is Luke 23:33: "And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left." Leahy looks at what it means that Jesus...
The Cross He Bore - Satan's Cup Refused (04/08/09 - 4 Comments)
Today we come to the eleventh chapter of Frederick Leahy's The Cross He Bore, a book many of us are reading to turn our hearts and minds toward the cross as we prepare to remember Jesus' death and to celebrate his resurrection. Today's text is Mark 15:23: "And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it." Leahy uses this chapter to look to the cup Jesus refused and to compare...
The Cross He Bore - Outside the Gates (04/07/09 - 3 Comments)
Good Friday is fast approaching and, not coincidentally, we are drawing near to the end of our reading of Frederick Leahy's The Cross He Bore. Today, in chapter 10, Leahy looks to John 19:17 which reads "So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha." In this chapter Leahy looks to the significance of Jesus being taken...
The Cross He Bore - The Crown of Thorns (04/06/09 - 2 Comments)
Today we come to chapter 9 of The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy. And today the author focuses on the words of John 19:5 and the crown of thorns. "So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, 'Behold the man!'" Leahy looks to the shame, the significance and the wonder of this brutal crown. ***** There he stood, his face bruised, swollen and bleeding, and...
The Cross He Bore - The Butt of Mockery (04/05/09 - 8 Comments)
A week from today we will be celebrating the resurrection of our Lord. Today, those of us who are reading through The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy are focusing on the mockery he first endured on his way to the cross. The text is from Matthew 26:67,68: "They spit in his face, and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, 'Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?'. I will share...
The Cross He Bore - Sentenced to Death (04/04/09 - 3 Comments)
We are now a week into our reading of Frederick Leahy's The Cross He Bore. We are also, of course, just a week away from remembering Jesus' death and celebrating his resurrection. Today's text is Matthew 26:65,66: "Then the high priest tore his robes and said, 'He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?' They answered, 'He deserves death.'" Here is just a...
The Cross He Bore - Taking the Oath (04/03/09 - 4 Comments)
This is day six of our thirteen days trek through The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy. Today's text is from Matthew 26:63,64: "And the high priest said to him, 'I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.' Jesus said to him, 'You have said so.'" In this chapter Leahy continues to look at the farce of a trial Jesus was subjected to by the...
The Cross He Bore - The Dumb Lamb (04/02/09 - 11 Comments)
This is day five of our thirteen days spent reading The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy. Today's text is from Matthew 26:62,63: "The high priest stood up and said, 'Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?' But Jesus remained silent." What stood out to me in Leahy's description of this event in the life of Jesus was that his silence was not merely part of his...
The Cross He Bore - Satan's Hour (04/01/09 - 4 Comments)
This is the fourth day of our thirteen days spent reading The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy. Today's text is from Luke 22:53: "This is your hour, and the power of darkness." In this chapter Leahy looks to the sovereignty of God and his foreknowledge of all that would come. "This hour was predestined, and because predestined it was prophesied: prophecy depends on predestination." And so all that happened to Christ this night was...
Awakening to Grace (12/12/08 - 15 Comments)
There's always an element of frustration when I read the gospels. I read of these men who traveled with Jesus, who followed him month after month, who drank in nearly every word of his earthly ministry. And yet somehow they just did not get it. Somehow the full reality of who he was and what he would do escaped them. It was only in hindsight, only after all was unmistakably clear, only in the book...
I Love You This Much (10/29/08 - 60 Comments)
Last week I spent an evening reading Rick Warren's soon-to-be-published book The Purpose of Christmas. It is a mostly-original work that, while it draws heavily from The Purpose Driven Life is at least not entirely derived from it. An evangelistic gift book, it is meant to be given as a Christmas gift. I have written a review of it that I will post a little closer to the release date. For now, though, I wanted...
Reading Classics Together - The Seven Sayings (Chapter 7) (06/19/08 - 5 Comments)
We have come to the final chapter of the The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross, the third classic we’ve read together here. It has gone very quickly! If you have not been reading along with us it is obviously too late to start now, but stayed tuned for the next book we’ll read together (I will announce it here in a couple of weeks). Summary The seventh chapter looks at the final...
Reading Classics Together - The Seven Sayings (Chapter 6) (06/12/08 - 5 Comments)
We are nearing the end of the The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross and by next week we will be finished. It seems to have gone by very quickly. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. If you have not been reading along with us it is probably a bit too late to start now, but stayed tuned for the next book we’ll read together (I will...
Reading Classics Together - The Seven Sayings (Chapter 5) (06/05/08 - 9 Comments)
This morning those of us who are reading some Christian classics together are going to be looking at the fifth chapter of A.W. Pink’s The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. Before we begin, do allow me to apologize for not posting about the chapter last week. When I go to conferences my intentions are always good, but somehow I can...
Reading Classics Together - The Seven Sayings (Chapter 4) (05/22/08 - 10 Comments)
This morning those of us who are reading some Christian classics together are going to be looking at the fourth chapter of A.W. Pink’s The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. Summary Jesus’ fourth saying on the cross is the word of anguish. While hanging on the cross and facing the wrath of God, just cried out to His Father. This...