by Jimmy Young

We have read many times from the Bible regarding the cross of Christ. Countless lessons have been written about His crucifixion. The theme of New Testament preaching was Christ and Him crucified (Acts 2:22-36; 1 Corinthians 1:17-25). We often sing of the cross of Christ. One of the best of these songs is, "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross." What do you see when your mind goes back and surveys the cross of Christ?

The first thing we visualize is the power of supreme love. God's great love for man is overwhelmingly pictured on the cross (John 3:16,17; Luke 11:56; Luke 19:10; Hebrews 2:9). It isn't God's desire that any perish (2 Peter 3:9). He made a way of escape, and that was through the cross of Christ. If you want to know how much God loves you, then take a look at the cross.

When we survey the cross of Christ, we see the ugly reality of sin. It was sin that put Christ on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:28). There would not have been a need for the cross if there had been no sin. But because of sin, Christ suffered great pain and agony at Calvary. At the cross of Christ we see the reality of sin.

In considering that old rugged cross, we see that Jesus became the remedy for sin. Jesus was sinless, yet He took our sins on Himself. Man could not save himself from his own sins; he was doomed eternally, without help from God. Christ fulfilled that need (Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 1 Peter 2:1,2). It is by the blood of Christ that we have redemption (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14), remission of sins (Matthew 26:28), and reconciliation to God (Romans 5:10). It is by the blood of Christ, coupled with our obedience to God's commands, that we are able to claim those spiritual blessings promised in the New Testament (Ephesians 1:3; Galatians 3:26,27).

In being obedient to the Lord we will hear His Word (Romans 10:17: John 5:24); believe in Christ as the Son of God (John 8:24; Mark 16:16); repent of our sins (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 17:30,31); confess Christ as God's Son (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:10; Acts 8:37), and be baptized for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

When we survey the cross of Christ, we can easily see that the cross proclaims the supreme love of God, the reality of sin, and the remedy for sin. We need nothing more.

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol. 41, pgs. 16-17.

by David R. Pharr

Have you ever heard someone say that Judas betrayed Jesus for a mere thirty pieces of silver?

It is true that the chief priests paid Judas thirty silver pieces (Matthew 26:14-16). It is also true that this was the Old Testament price of a slave (Exodus 21:32).

What is it, however, that makes Judas' action so tragic? Is it that he sold Jesus? Or, is it that he sold Jesus for such a small amount?

It sometimes seems that what people find so shocking is that Judas betrayed the Lord for so little. Indeed, some might feel that Judas sinned in selling Jesus too cheaply.

But would his crime have been less heinous if the reward had been greater? Could we be more understanding if he had gotten a million dollars instead of a mere thirty pieces of silver?

Judas Iscariot was not the last to betray the Lord for a certain price. Whether the value received seems more or less than the infamous thirty pieces matters not. The shameful and damnable crime is in selling Christ at all, no matter what one receives in return.

Many who have marveled over the enormity of Judas' crime perhaps have not considered that there are other ways to sell Christ. What of the youth who compromises principles to be accepted by friends? What of the woman who leaves the church to please her husband? What about the man who accepts dishonesty in business because there is money to be made? What about the one who returns to the world because it's easier than being faithful to the Lord?

We may have thought that Judas was a unique person. The sad truth is, however, that the evil that ruled in the heart of Judas rules in much of humanity. Judas, no doubt, had the same kind of yearnings, made the same excuses, and rationalized his actions just as do others who betray the Lord. The bottom line is not how much or what kind of payment one receives. What is significant is that Jesus is "sold" — at any price!

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol. 36, pgs. 11-12.

by Stan Mitchell

He was a righteous man, and a priest. No doubt, he had read many times the story of the aged Abraham, and God's promise of a son. He must have thrilled at the angel's question, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14). He may have wept silently at the ancient account of Isaac's birth, for he understood only too well Abraham's deepest longing.

Abraham had wanted a son more than life itself, and the God of heaven, who loves His people and keeps His promises, gave him a son. No doubt, the priest had also read the story of Hannah's prayer for a son. She had cried the tears of the desperately lonely, and had promised that, if given a son, she would dedicate him to God. He may have smiled when he read that Eli had told her, "Go in peace; the God of Israel grant you the petition you have made to him" (1 Samuel 1:17). Of course Hannah's prayer was granted, for God is a God who kept His promises, and loves His children. In those long ago days He led and loved and blessed His people.

But perhaps the priest wondered: Does God guide and love His people still? Does He still answer prayer? Might the Lord of heaven, even on that day, answer His deepest longing for a son?

"Do not be afraid," the angel had said, "Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John" (Luke 1:13).

Zechariah believed that God had answered Abraham's prayer, and Hannah's, too. But he just could not believe that God wished to bless him with a child. Could God's blessings be for him, too?

Zechariah had nine months to think the matter over. God struck him dumb for his lack of faith. Which brings up an important question. If every Christian who failed to believe God's promises today were struck dumb...how many of us could say "hello" this morning?

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol. 36, pg. 79.

by Maxie Boren

It was a pitch-black night, illuminated only by the headlights of passing automobiles. At the wheel of a fast-moving vehicle, a drunken driver crosses the median into oncoming traffic, and then suddenly, the screeching tires, the dreadful impact! The two cars plunge down the embankment into heavy brush, nearly out of sight from the highway. But fortunately, a few people in trailing traffic witness the collision, and motorists commence stopping. One man, rushing and sliding down the embankment with heart pounding, is the first to survey the tangled steel and to hear the moans of the injured. But in the darkness, it's impossible to see, so he frantically calls to others who have gathered at the side of the highway, "Quick, somebody bring a light!"

Though the above is an imagined scenario for the sake of this article, yet we know that such can, and most likely does, happen. But my primary interest is to make a spiritual application.

In sin, the world has plunged itself into foreboding darkness! Comes the urgent plea, "Quick, somebody bring the light!" True Christians just must respond! We can't stand by with callused hearts and fail to help. We must carry the glorious light of the Gospel to a world that Satan has led into the pitch-blackness of iniquity!

Through the Gospel of Christ, and by proper example, we must TRY to illuminate the way for others! "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18).

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol. 34, pg. 63.

Tom Kelton

Our Lord is a high-test, high-performance God. We can trust Him to do as He says He will. Many times it seems that the Lord won't be able to fulfill His promises, but even when a situation looks hopeless, our best recourse is to be patient and wait; God will be faithful.

Often God does not show us the valley between the promise and the fulfillment. He doesn't tell us in advance about the testing, the humiliation, the trials which will come into our lives and prepare us to receive His later blessing. When Abram set out from Haran, he had no idea that he would encounter famine and enemies. His faith was tested before the blessing came. There was a long delay from the time God gave Abram the promises in Genesis 12 to the time He began to fulfill those promises — twenty-five years to be exact. Through those years, Abram's faith would be tested and tempered by the experiences the Lord allowed him to endure.

God told Joseph in a dream in Genesis 37 that his brothers would bow before him, that he would one day be in a place of great leadership. The next thing, Joseph found that he was in a pit, then in a prison. Only after thirteen years of slavery and captivity in Egypt would he be made prime minister of the land, second in command to Pharaoh. Nine more years passed before the brothers who betrayed him bowed before him. Joseph's trials were intense before he ever saw God fulfill what He had promised, but He was faithful.

God has given us a promise of eternal life. He does not reveal beforehand the discipline that will go on in our lives between the promise and its fulfillment. The difficulties, the trying situations are what He's allowing so that we will be strengthened. Through these experiences, we will be prepared to receive His blessings.

Even though we don't know how we will be tried before we are blessed, we should expect to be tested in the pursuit of God's will. The apostle Paul teaches that we can expect the test when he writes in 1 Thessalonians 3:4: "For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know." Like Paul, we can fully anticipate that our lives as Christians will contain some pitfalls and obstacles. Just because we are faithful to Christ doesn't mean that we are protected from problems.

Those who would leave the impression that becoming a Christian ensures that one's life will be filled with wealth, good times, and no problems are deceiving their audience. God has promised to be with His children (Matthew 28:20), and He has promised that all things will work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28) — but those promises were not meant to shield us from the challenges that come from living in this world. Through our faithfulness in good times as well as bad, God uses the natural difficulties of life to mold and temper us into vessels of gold in His service (Romans 5:1-5; 2 Timothy 2:2).

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol. 35, pgs. 88,89.