Sage Words

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!

Isaac Watts, 1707
Read Isaiah 53:1-12

Spend some time with this great hymn and reading. May we survey the wondrous cross more often.

An Invitation to Commitment

By Paula Wiseman

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus invites us to commitment

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Mark 8:34

The invitation was issued to the crowd.
The casual followers. Those on the fringes.
Those with a passing interest in Him and His teaching.

But also to His disciples.
To His chosen, close followers.
To those who were assumed to be committed already.

Come after Me.
Follow Me.
That the invitation Jesus issues.

But there are conditions.
Deny self.
Take up your cross (die to self).
Follow Jesus (words, example).

It is an invitation to commitment.
Stop hanging around on the edge of discipleship.
Stop being wishy-washy.

Jesus was all-in.
His only goal, mission, purpose
Was to accomplish the Father’s will.

If we cannot say the same,
Are we followers?
Is the invitation for us?

Peter says believers are a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5), drawing parallels with the priesthood established under the Law. Peter packs a lot of information and theological truth in that one metaphor. So let’s take a few posts to break down what Peter wants us to understand. The first thing is God has cleansed us from our sin. We are specially clothed. We are anointed for service. As we serve, we must remain obedient.

Old Testament priests were expected to obey God’s commands

We don’t know how much time passed between the ordination and installation of the priests in Leviticus 8-9 and the beginning chapter 10, but it was relatively soon after. Moses records

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the LORD spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.'” So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.
Leviticus 10:1-3

Nadab and Abihu were Aaron’s two oldest sons. In Exodus 24:1. They were privileged to be called to an intimate meeting in God’s presence with the elders of Israel on Mt. Sinai. They had been through extensive preparation for their roles just like Aaron their father had been. And they knew what was expected of them. In spite of that, they were disobedient and disrespectful. This was a capital offense. Aaron, even in his shock and grief, understood.

Later in the Old Testament, the prophets, especially Jeremiah and Ezekiel, denounce the priests who have completely abandoned the role and charge God entrusted them with. Consider these pronouncements in Ezekiel:

Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. … Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 22:26, 31

Obedience is the mark of believers

A follower of Christ is one who obeys His teachings and commands and imitates His life. It is preposterous to suggest we can believe Christ for salvation and then reject everything else He said. Hearing and doing are irrevocably tied together. At the end of Luke 6. Jesus tells a parable about a wise builder and a foolish builder. The key difference? The wise builder hears Jesus’s words and obeys them. Later in Luke 17, in a parable about a servanthood, Jesus tells His followers:

“So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”
Luke 17:10

It is our duty to do what we have been commanded to do. And in the Great Commission, Jesus further says, we must teach new believers to obey His commands. The New Living Translation puts it simply.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20

If we don’t obey, are we in danger of being consumed by fire? That’s the wrong question. We have a completely different motivation as believers. Paul explains (in one of my favorite verses) in Galatians

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which 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

The life I now live is one of faith in Christ and constant recognition of what He has done for me. Obedience flows naturally from that. If we are struggling to obey, we need to revisit Christ’s sacrifice for us and what He saved us from.

Next up, we’ll begin looking at what we as believers do as part of a holy priesthood.

O Why Not Tonight?

By Paula Wiseman

O do not let the word depart,
And close thine eyes against the light;
Poor sinner, harden not your heart;
Be saved, O tonight.

Tomorrow’s sun may never rise
To bless thy long deluded sight;
This is the time, O then be wise,
Be saved, O tonight. [Refrain]

Our Lord in pity lingers still,
And wilt thou thus His love requite?
Renounce at once thy stubborn will,
Be saved, O tonight. [Refrain]

Our blessed Lord refused none
Who would to Him their souls unite;
Believe, obey, the work is done;
Be saved, O tonight. [Refrain]

Refrain:
O why not tonight?
O why not tonight?
Wilt thou be saved?
Then why not tonight?

Elizabeth Read, 1842
Read

Clearly this is an invitation hymn, and those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ may be inclined to pass over it. Reading through it, we might ask if God has laid something on our hearts, a clear call, yet we procrastinate. Do we have a stubborn will? Do we have hard hearts? Now is the time to repent of those things and resolve to obey the voice of God. What are we waiting on?

An Invitation to Rest

By Paula Wiseman

In Matthew, Jesus invites us to rest.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

We are overworked
Overscheduled
Overbooked
And overstimulated.

But that’s not the labor and burden Jesus means.

Trying to measure up
Trying to win or keep God’s approval
Trying to follow all the rules
Trying to save ourselves.

That’s the rest He offers.

We rest in His finished work.
We rest in His imputed righteousness.
We rest in God’s favor through Christ.
We rest in God’s love and grace because of Christ.

Then He says His burden is light.
He will be yoked beside us.
He is meek and gentle,
Not overbearing and demanding.

Why wouldn’t we accept that invitation?

A Holy Priesthood: Anointed

By Paula Wiseman

Old Testament priests were anointed for service.

Leviticus 8:12-30 tells of the ceremony God directed Moses to use to install Aaron and his sons as the priests for the nation of Israel. There were sacrifices to consecrate the priests as well as the altars that would be used. The men were anointed. They ate a ceremonial meal and then remained separated from the people for seven days while continuing to offer more sacrifices.

The anointing was a visible sign to everyone that the priests was chosen, set apart and empowered to carry out his duties by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was the Anointed One.

The Hebrew word for anoint is mashach. The noun form, when transliterated into English is a word you no doubt recognize: messiah. The Greek equivalent word is christos. The Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descended on Christ at His baptism. A close reading of the Gospels shows the Jesus Himself attested to the Holy Spirit’s power and influence in His earthly ministry. The early church recognized that as well. It was one of their regular sermon points.

[H]ow God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Acts 10:38

Believers are also specially anointed.

Paul explains:

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,
2 Corinthians 1:21

And John confirms

The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, His anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as He has taught you, remain in Him.
1 John 2:27

God has given us a special anointing, the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised us in the Upper Room that the Spirit would come. We don’t have to wait for a special ceremony though. The Spirit indwells us at the moment of salvation, enabling us to understand and carry out the mission God has for us. Paul and John both needed that Holy Spirit anointing, and so do we. That enables us to intercede, minister, and teach the truth about Christ to others.

Once we’re prepared, there is one key that will determine our success. Next week we’ll consider it.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

An Invitation to Commitment

A Holy Priesthood: Obedient

Old Testament priests were expected to obey God’s commands

Obedience is the mark of believers

O Why Not Tonight?

An Invitation to Rest

A Holy Priesthood: Anointed

Old Testament priests were anointed for service.

Jesus was the Anointed One.

Believers are also specially anointed.

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series