by Mitchell Skelton

Names like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods roll from the lips of those who talk about golf’s premier event, the Masters. One name that will probably never surface in a conversation about golfing legends is Doug Ford. Few people would have any idea that Ford won the 1957 Masters. He never won another green jacket and he hasn’t made the cut since 1971 (four years before Tiger Woods was born), but he is invited to play in the Masters every year. The Masters’ rules include a lifetime invitation to every champion of the event. Ford only won the tournament once, hasn’t qualified with his golf skills in nearly three decades, and hasn’t been able to break par in the event since 1958. Nonetheless, he gets to play in the tournament every year because on one single occasion he won the jacket. Our salvation is similarly linked to a single event. Christ’s work on the cross was a one shot deal. He died once so that all could live eternally. /1

There aren’t many things on this earth that we do “Once for all.” In Hebrews 9:23 – 28, the Hebrew writer examines a job that Christ accomplished “Once, for All.” Moreover, this was the most important task ever completed.

Christ’s Sacrifice

Christ’s sacrifice is final and permanent. “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:24 – 26). Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was complete perfection. In contrast with the sacrifices of the Old Testament, when Christ sacrificed himself it’s efficacy was such that it only needed to be performed once for all time.

Christ’s sacrifice took care of sin once, for all. “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Heb. 9:13 – 14). Christ’s one act of redemption was so powerful that it cleanses our sins permanently. “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12).

Death and Judgment

The fact that Christ died and through his death we have eternal life should be a word of encouragement to all Christians. Yet the Hebrew writer continues with a curious statement that in no way sounds encouraging. “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people” (Heb. 9:27 – 28a). We will all die. We will all be judged. How can this in any way be construed as encouraging? Death and judgment have always been talked about with much fear and apprehension.

The encouraging word for Christians is that Christ took the sting out of death. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:56 – 57). Christ’s victory over death equates to our victory over death. Judgment does not necessarily mean condemnation. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). For the Christian, there is no condemnation therefore death and judgment are events to look forward to, they signal a beginning instead of an end.

Christ’s Second Coming

The Day of Atonement was a special day to the Israelites. On this day, the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place to make sacrifices. Since no one except the High Priest is allowed to enter the Most Holy Place, the people waited outside to see if God had accepted their sacrifices. When the High Priest reappeared, the people shouted with the joy of salvation. In similar fashion, Jesus’ second coming assures our salvation. Those who are in Christ can look forward to the day Jesus, our High Priest, returns from the Most Holy Place. It is strange to think of the second coming of Christ as an assurance of salvation. The idea of salvation has many facets. Our salvation is past; Jesus died for our sins. Our salvation is present; Jesus continues to forgive. Our salvation is future; Jesus is coming again. /2

1 Houston Chronicle, April 10, 1998, p. 1B 2 Gary Holloway, “Certain Hope”; ACU Press, (Abilene) 1999.

by Mitchell Skelton 1 Corinthians 1:18–31

Once there was a little girl who always wore a bright, shiny cross around her neck that she proudly displayed for all to see. One day she was approached by a man who said to her, “Little girl, don’t you know that the cross Jesus died on wasn’t beautiful like the one you are wearing? It was an ugly, wooden thing.” At this the little girl smartly replied, “Yes, I know. But don’t you know that whatever Jesus touches, he changes?”/1

When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians the church in Corinth was in a sad condition. Among their many problems were division, pride, idolatry and sexual immorality. Paul’s remedy for their pitiful state was redirecting them to the cross. He brought to remembrance “the message of the cross” which is the power of God.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).

The Greek word translated ‘message’ in this verse is ‘logos,’ which actually means ‘word.’ While some bible versions translate this phrase as “the preaching of the cross” it is more accurately translated, “the word or message of the cross.” Paul often changed his method of preaching (1 Cor. 9:22). Yet he never changed the message (Gal. 1:8), because there is only one message (1 Cor. 2:2).

The Foolishness of the Cross

The cross hinders some people. They cannot let themselves believe that God actually became human and gave himself to die in such a demeaning fashion. The message of the cross is lost in such men. The ‘wisdom’ of man seeks to conform God to their image. “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:22).

The Jews of Christ’s day missed the message of the cross because Jesus did not fit into their image of the Messiah (John 1:10–11). Still today, many miss the message of the cross because they try to make God fit into their image of him.

The ‘wisdom’ of man also seeks to complicate the message of the cross. The simplicity of the gospel has been corrupted by man’s wisdom. Many have lost the ‘Berean Spirit’ (Acts 17:21) of examining the scriptures and instead try to wrap the scriptures around their own ‘wisdom.’ However, the ‘wisdom’ of man fails when confronted with the cross. “But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 1 Cor. 1:23–25).

The Power of the Cross

A well-known preacher once gave the following advice to a group of Australian churches concerning their approach to evangelism:

“Don’t tell people about the cross, it doesn’t work. Too many evangelistic efforts fail because they focus too much on the cross. Just tell them God loves them and has a plan for them.” He continued, “The message of a crucified Jew is ridiculous to the modern mind. So move onto something better. A crucified Messiah is stupid, but promise them prosperity, give them emotional experiences, provide them with self–esteem and then you’ll fill the pews.”/2

Avoiding the cross and catering to people’s external needs might indeed “fill the pews,” but they will be pews filled with people still dying in their sins. Without the cross, the bible is just another neat story book. Without the cross, Christianity is no more than a self–help seminar. It was in the cross that God displayed his wisdom and power.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).

Christ’s work on the cross is the means of our salvation. “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God, that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).

The world says that it is not rational to believe that a virgin can give birth to a child. The world says that it is not rational that an all–powerful God left his home in heaven to become human. The world says that it is not rational that God would allow His Son to suffer the shame, scorn and death of the cross. The world says that it is not rational for a man who has been dead and buried for three days to come back to life.

The message of the cross says, “You see at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6–8).

/1 Illustration taken from Melvin Newland @ sermoncentral.com /2 Ibid.

by Mitchell Skelton

On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed and presented the Emancipation Proclamation. This great document would change the course of American history and lead us headlong into civil war. The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation meant the legal status of thousands of slaves in this country would be changing. Slavery wasn’t officially done away within this country until the ratification of the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution in December 1865. What Lincoln had done was let it be known that freedom was available and attainable.

In Romans 6:15–23 the apostle Paul proclaims the great emancipation of the Christian from slavery to sin. Yet this emancipation is quite different from the one Lincoln proclaimed. The Emancipation of 1862 was universal and those set free by it were forever free. The emancipation Paul speaks of however is conditional and those set free from sin are freed only to become slaves again.

Slaves to Sin

All men outside of Christ are slaves to sin. “Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12). The question you are forced to confront is, “To whom do you pledge your allegiance?” God or Satan? Not many people would openly admit to serving Satan, but when you delay in committing your life to Christ then you are pledging to stay in your sin and thus be a slave to sin. “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16). Pledging to serve the devil does not require taking up a pitch fork and dancing around a sacrificed goat, all it takes is refusing to allow Christ into your life.

In a curious twist on slavery, slaves to sin are the only slaves who get paid for their effort. Sin pays wages. “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

Freed from Sin

In ancient times slaves could work their way out of bondage or be granted freedom by their master. This “manumission” of a slave was usually signified with much grandeur. The ancient ceremony of manumission was an elaborate ceremony in which the slave’s chains were actually cut off by a blacksmith using an anvil and chisel. It was at this point in the ceremony that the slave’s legal status was changed from slave to free. The Greek expression for being “set free from sin” is a term that refers to this manumission of a slave./1 The point where one is set free from sin is just as defined as this example.

Wholehearted Obedience

The point at which one is set free from sin is when one displays wholehearted obedience to the gospel. “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted” (Rom. 6:17). Salvation starts with the heart (Rom. 10:9–10) and culminates with obedience to “that form of teaching.” It is then that one is freed from sin. Yet, then we “become slaves to righteousness” (Rom. 6:18). Instead of being slaves to sin earning wages of death, the Christian is a slave to righteousness where, though the blessings are plentiful, they cannot be earned. The blessing is a gift of God, “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

How remarkable it is that being released from the bondage of sin actually means that we are freed to be a slave! This new master we serve pays no wage as did our former master yet this is the very lure that attracts one to make the change. We don’t want to receive what we deserve as a result of our works. Our new master’s gift is so much more than we deserve, yet it shows his love for those who wholeheartedly obey his will.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him” (John 3:16–17).

/1 J.B. Coffman; Commentary on Romans

by Mitchell Skelton

At the time of his death, this man's work appeared in 2,600 newspapers worldwide, and was the basis of a franchise earning $1 billion a year. Since its modest debut in just seven papers on October 2, 1950, his comic strip became a constant feature of daily life for nearly fifty years.

Ironically, this man's work should have never been noticed. He learned his trade through a correspondence school and earned a C in "the drawing of children." The tall, skinny outsider at St. Paul High School was a lousy student whose only hope was that his gangly cartoons would be accepted for print in his 1940 senior yearbook. The annuals went to press without the drawings. Though discouraged, the fledgling artist was undaunted in the pursuit of his dream.

Through determination and perseverance, Charles Schultz fulfilled his childhood goal, and Peanuts became the most widely syndicated cartoon in the world./1

While we identify success in one's chosen vocation with achieving a specific goal, success in the Christian life is not that easy to distinguish. The Christian life is not all about our effort. While we must make an effort, it is not by our effort that we realize success. However, we can be assured of a successful Christian life without yet fully realizing the success. The promise to all who do "the will of the Father" is the reward of heaven (Matt. 7:21).

Regarding this promise the Hebrew writer says,

"Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf" (Heb. 6:17–20).

Our salvation is secure because of two unchangeable things we can rely upon.

1. God made a promise. "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Num. 23:19).

2. God swore an oath. God made a promise to Abraham that through him would come a blessing to all mankind (Gen. 22). God made this promise in the form of an oath to emphasize its unchanging character. By swearing an oath, God was showing man just how much he wanted us to trust him and the promise he made to us.

Our salvation is secure because Jesus is in heaven. Jesus being the hope of our salvation is described as "an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

A naval officer from World War II explains the idea of Jesus as the anchor for the soul as he described how the battleship he was assigned to survived a hurricane in Chesapeake Bay. It was a similar method used by sailors in the 18th and 19th centuries to move their ships through tight and dangerous spots. When storms or turbulent seas threatened a ship, a crew of sailors would set out in a launch carrying with them the larger ship's anchor. Going as far toward safety as the anchor's chain would allow they would then cast the anchor down in the sea. They would then winch the larger ship forward into deeper water./2

Jesus is an anchor for the soul in this manner. Not that he is holding us secure in one spot, but that He is firm and secure and guiding us where we need to be. Jesus entered heaven before us on our behalf. In doing this he made access available for us (Eph. 2:14–18). By entering heaven on our behalf, Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through Him (Heb. 7:24–25).

Life and success can become confusing and frustrating. The Christian need not be left to wonder about his eternal destiny. The Christian need not be frustrated when confronted with the question, "Do you know if you are going to heaven?"

We have an Anchor who is firm and secure in heaven, and he is guiding us to the finish line. Let him accomplish what he set out to accomplish!

1 (Adapted from Houston Chronicle, Dec. 1, 1999, p. 4D) 2 (Adapted from Leonard Sweet, taken from Damian Phillips @ SermonCentral.com)

by Mitchell Skelton

Have you ever noticed how easy being mad at someone is when they are not in your presence and how hard it is to stay mad at them once you come face to face? How many of us have spent countless minutes even hours rehearsing the perfect line that expresses our anger, only to toss is into the “scrap pile” when we finally get the opportunity to deliver?

Perhaps this is why the Hebrew writer encourages us not to “give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Heb. 10:25). Even more, he gives us the charge to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24). Staying mad at someone is hard as you are simultaneously trying to encourage them. When we practice true fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we also begin to learn more about them. During this learning process we gain valuable knowledge about their conduct and moods. In essence, “We know where they’re coming from.” We are not often too critical of people for irrational or abnormal behavior when they have good reason to act in such a manner.

Imagine a group of fish swimming together in a school. All of them are moving in the same direction with comparable style when suddenly one of them starts destroying the unity. He begins to twist and swerve from side to side with precarious moves. The older fish are annoyed with the nonconformity of this immature adolescent. They show their disapproval while voicing disgust, “We don’t swim like that around here.” Turning to their offspring, they declare, “That type of behavior is totally unacceptable.” Before they can take action against the renegade fish, his thrashing tail disappears at the surface of the lake. A hook in his mouth rather than rebellion in his heart was the cause of all his distasteful activity.1

Sometimes it is hard to accept the actions of another person especially when what they are doing “just isn’t done.” If we follow the advice of the Hebrew writer then we will not have to question the persons’ motives, we will already know about the hook in their mouth.

1 Illustration from “And God Wants People,” Mary Lou Lacy, 1962, p. 35