The Angry God is Angry No More

Psalms 7:11

The Puritan preacher Jonathan Edward’s once preached a sermon that has since become legendary, both in its title and in the stories of conviction that resulted from it. ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ holds a place among the most famous services ever delivered. Legend has it that grown men clutched to the pillars that held up the balcony for fear that they were going to fall into the pits of hell when Edward’s gave his invitation. More romance has been added to the story as it is told of how Edward’s was so nervous that he held the written transcript of the sermon in front of his face and read it word for word, but the anointing on it was supposedly so powerful that it didn’t matter about the delivery.

I don’t know how much of the story is true, other than he actually preached the sermon. I do know that fear of an angry God has led countless people to an altar of repentance. It has also caused men and women to try and change their lives and their lifestyles. I am further sure however, that no sermon on the power of an angry God has ever empowered a single listener to live in a way that would assuage the anger of that God. No sermon on the wrath of God and the subsequent flames of hellfire and damnation can ever move or motivate a person to live righteously, as all of our righteousness’ are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

The great cosmic war between God and the sins of man has already been waged and has already been won. John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In the sacrifice of the Lamb, Christ Jesus, the war with sin was won. It is for this cause that Jesus could hang His head and die after having declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

God was certainly angry at sin, beginning at Mt. Sinai and continuing onward to the cross. Isaiah said, “It pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:10, 11). God was pleased to crucify His Son at Calvary because in sacrificing Jesus, He was satisfying His anger toward the sin of man. The suffering Savior truly satisfied the offended Father.

Read all Old Testament scripture within the context and timeframe that they were written. When the Psalmist wrote Psalms 7:11, God was dealing with man under the Old Covenant and His anger was mounting towards man’s disobedience. He was ready to “whet his sword” (Psalms 7:12) and use it against all of us, but then Jesus came and fulfilled all of the demands of the law and voluntarily laid down His life as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of the world. With His anger plunged into the heart of His Son, God was propitiated, or satisfied and we no longer have to see Him as “angry with the wicked every day” (7:11).

God is not mad at you. He is not even perturbed. When He looks at you He sees Jesus and He is well pleased. Live your life today as a Son, not a servant. The power to do righteous is found in knowing that you are righteous because of Jesus.

Crucifying Jesus Again

Hebrews 6:1-6

The first several verses of this chapter have caused a lot of confusion in many believers’ minds. Since God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), the problem lies with how we are interpreting the scripture, and how we have been taught to do so.

To properly understand what the author (who I believe is the Apostle Paul) is saying, you must notice that in the last few verses of chapter 5, he breaks away from talking about the High Priesthood of Jesus to explain that some people are not maturing in their walk with God enough to handle such information. They have been saved long enough to be teaching others, but they still need taught themselves (Hebrews 5:12).

Chapter 6 is Paul’s attempt to bring them back to the foundation of the New Covenant. He opens by taking them past the “principles of the doctrine of Christ”. He is not insinuating that there is something other to preach than Christ’s finished work, for the phrase means the “word of the beginning of the Christ” in Greek. He is taking them past the Old Testament prophets, which is where many Jews were getting stuck, still looking for Christ, though He had already come.

He wants them to understand their perfection in Christ (verse 2), which he will further explain in the 10th chapter. He explains that they no longer need the “foundation of repentance from dead works”, this is the sacrificial system, and “of faith toward God”. Our faith is not toward God under the New Covenant, it is toward Jesus.

He ends up with three verses that have caused grief in some, for he says that “it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6).

These verses refer to someone who was “enlightened” and have “tasted” and are “partakers of the Holy Ghost”. The phrase ‘partakers’ is from the Greek, ‘metochous’ meaning “going along with”. They go along with the teaching of the Holy Spirit but do not know His power. These are individuals who hear the gospel message but never accept it by faith. If this is the case then there is truly no way to “renew them again unto repentance” because they have rejected the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. They have put His finished work to an open shame because by rejecting it; they are saying that it isn’t enough!

As the message of God’s pure grace is ministered to you, please do not just “go along”. Accept His love and forgiveness freely and allow Him to wash you with the water of His words. If you reject grace, there is nothing left to accept but your own works of the law for righteousness. Having viewed Christ’s sacrificial death, for you to go back to your own works is to crucify Him afresh, saying that His finished work is an unfinished work. Believer, His finished work is a COMPLETELY finished work. Rest in Him today!

The Stumbling Block and the Foolishness

1 Corinthians 1:23

It seems that the world has nothing but good things to say about the life and statements of Jesus. They frequently quote Him in everything from motivational books to Hollywood movies. His birth is celebrated the world over, and His life is viewed as a model of virtue and peace. The cross of Christ, however, has never enjoyed the universal appeal that is so often associated with the man, Christ Jesus. The finished work, where Jesus paid the sin debt for the world, is not only ignored, but is often in dispute as to whether or not it even happened.

Paul was unashamed to declare that he preached Christ as crucified. The emphasis placed on “crucified” shows us that there are more ways to preach Jesus. There is certainly nothing wrong with preaching of the birth, life or principles of Jesus, but it is His death that changed the world. His finished work brought peace between God and men, ending the war against sin that had waged for nearly four thousand years.

To the Jew, Paul called the cross a “stumbling block”; to the Gentile, “foolishness”. The Jews had received the Law at the hands of Moses and they felt that the keeping of that Law entitled them to eternal life. The Law demanded works, and the cross declared that the work was finished. Many Jews “stumbled” at the prospect of righteousness apart from works.

Gentiles then and now, often view that finished work as foolish. While the Jew stumbles at the cross because they feel righteous through the Law, the Gentile feels that they need no redeemer. Thus, the prospect of someone dying for them is a foolish one. I have actually had some say to me that they didn’t see the need for Jesus to die for them. Well, I’m glad He died for me!

Both Jew and Gentile share a common problem; both trust in their ability to save them. The Jew trusts the Law while the Gentile trusts their wisdom and intellect. Only when one comes to the saving knowledge of Christ do they see that the cross is the apex of power and wisdom. Paul says that, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).

When you hear the cross of Christ preached, you are hearing the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). It is power to us, because we have had its effects at work in our heart. We know what we used to be, but the death of Christ brought death to our old nature, and a new start to our lives. Thanks be to God for that Old Rugged Cross!

See His finished work today as having been done on your behalf. He was cursed so that you could be blessed. He was rejected so that you would always be accepted. He finished it all, so that you could have it all. God bless.

As If the Cross Never Happened

2 Chronicles 7:14

This response of God to Solomon seems to be one of the most frequently quoted promises of God in the Old Testament. I have seen entire revivals and camp meetings make this verse their theme. I have heard sermons on it by preachers of all types of denominations and styles. It would appear as if this one verse is widely regarded as the single most important verse in the entirety of God’s Word as it relates to how God moves among the church. This conclusion is entirely wrong!

2 Chronicles 7:14 is God’s response to His own statement of verse 13. In that verse He says: “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people…” (2 Chronicles 7:13, 14). Verse thirteen ends with a semi-colon, and verse 14 is a continuation. God is saying that if He sends something as judgment, then the only way for it to be taken off is if the people humble themselves, beg Him and turn from their wickedness. Only then will He even hear them, and then He will forgive them and heal them. These are the actions of a God that is angry with sin and rebellion. These are the actions of an Old Covenant God.

What if we were to emphasize another promise of God in the Old Testament with as much fervor as we do this one? How about Isaiah 54:7-10? “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.”

This promise is God saying that because of Isaiah 53, where it pleased the Lord to bruise Jesus and God was “satisfied” with the death of His Son (verses 10, 11), He will no longer be angry with us! He was angry with Jesus, so that we could be blessed. God takes this so serious that He views the cross as He does the promise to Noah. Never again will he flood the earth, and never again will He judge you for sin.

Some are preaching the Old Testament as if the cross never happened. They teach that God curses Christians when they sin or when they skip church or don’t read their Bibles or don’t put tithes in the offering. God has certainly dealt with mankind in this manner before, but Jesus came and placed Himself under the curse, for us, so that we would not be cursed (Galatians 3:13), and that Abraham’s blessings of promise could come upon the whole world through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14).

Saint, rest in the assurance that God will never be angry with you again. You are His child and He cares for you. This does not mean that He will not discipline you and train you, but His blessings are not waiting on your humility and your turning. Your humility is why you are saved in the first place. It was that humility that brought grace into your heart. “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

(Need more on this subject? Contact the ministry and request Pastor Paul’s sermon by the same title, “As If the Cross Never Happened”.)

Remember Me

Luke 23:39-45

The cry of the criminal on the cross marks the simplest and most complete version of a sinner’s prayer found anywhere in the annals of human literature. No more words are needed when coupled with a heart of faith. From the lips of a fallen and failed creation to the ears of the Son of God, “Remember me” stands as man’s highest form of prayer and the gateway into the glories of everlasting life.

It seems strange that a moment as complex and well orchestrated as the cross, would be brought to its climax by a brief statement from a common criminal. Hanging between two thieves, Jesus suffers the scorn of man and the wrath of His Father, while for a moment He endured the mocking of those very thieves themselves (Mark 15:32). But Christ’s refusal to defend Himself or to return fire to those who were reviling Him must have had a profound effect on one of these dying men.

While one criminal continues the barrage against Jesus, the other has a convicted conscience, asking his fellow criminal, “Do you not fear God, seeing you are in the same condemnation?” (Luke 23:40). What a powerful question! While hanging on a cross dying for crimes committed, shouldn’t one be thinking of the after-life and whether or not they are ready to face God? These men were obviously Jews, since they have a working knowledge of condemnation and the fear of God (also, they wouldn’t be Roman citizens since Rome never crucified their own). Whatever led them down the road to destruction has brought them to this place, where not only they but all men must make a decision about the crucified Christ.

“And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward for our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23:41). This criminal cannot possibly realize the importance of what he has just said, but in a nutshell, he just gave the New Covenant. We are all guilty of sin and we deserve to die. Jesus lived a sin-free life and did not deserve to die. Instead of forcing us to pay-up for our own sins, Jesus was made to be our sin so that we could be made to be His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). The criminal has just confessed that Jesus is Lord and he is about to believe in his heart (Romans 10:9, 10).

“And he said unto Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom’” (Luke 23:42). The same Spirit that caused David to appeal to covenant when standing before Goliath causes the criminal on the cross to appeal to the New Covenant at Calvary. David fought Goliath with the knowledge that Goliath was “uncircumcised” meaning that Goliath had no Covenant promise on his side. The criminal says, “Remember me”, meaning, “Remember why you died here, for poor, guilty criminals like me”. When that criminal, or all of us criminals for that matter, appeal to the purpose of the cross, we are admitting our hopelessness and accepting Christ as our substitute. We are placing faith in a perfect, finished work, allowing Christ’s blood to wash away our sins.

Every person who has ever cried out to Jesus for redemption from sins has said, in so many words, “Remember me!” It is the cry of the lost world, and it still moves the heart of a God who remains stirred by sacrifice of His Son. Just as Jesus said to that man, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), He says the same to you and I. We are in a paradise of His love and favor right now, all because we once cried out, “Remember me!”

He Came To Be Judged

John 9:39

“For judgment I am come into this world” (John 9:39). This is a simple, straight-forward statement from the lips of Jesus. “For judgment” is why He entered the world, but the question must be asked, “Who is the ‘judgment for’?”

We know that judgment is what He came for, but is there other evidence as to why He was here? Paul said in Romans 5:8 that Jesus was the manifestation of God’s love for us, but that answers to who He was, not to why He was. As always, the answer can be found in God’s Word and in this case, from the words of Jesus Himself: “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Now we find that not only did Jesus come into the world for judgment, but that He DID NOT come to condemn the world. How can these two thoughts co-exist? If Jesus came to judge, must He not also condemn those whom He is going to judge?

Any confusion on John 9:39 stems from improper teaching on what the cross of Jesus Christ was all about. Let’s see a couple of other statements of Jesus that help fill in the blanks:

“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31). This is just before the cross, and the judgment that Jesus said that He came for is about to happen. Notice that at this judgment, “the prince of this world” is going to be taken out. That prince is Satan (Ephesians 2:2), thus a portion of the judgment must fall on him.

“And when He is come (Holy Spirit), He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged” (John 16:8, 11). This is pretty plain; that same prince (Satan) is judged.

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47). In a world desperate for heroes, Jesus states His purpose: not to judge but to save.

Now, in light of all of the passages put together (notice that they all fall within the book of John, the one gospel specifically written to the sinner; John 20:31), we have solid evidence as to why Jesus came and who was going to be judged. He came with love, as the embodiment of that love. He came without condemnation and without judgment against man, for His mission was to save them from their sins. He came to destroy the works of the devil and to cast him out as a super-power. There remains but one verse in that same Gospel of John that puts the final piece in the puzzle:

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me” (John 12:32). I left the word “men” out that appears in the King James Version because it is italicized, meaning that it was added by the translators. Jesus never said that He would draw all men to Him, but that He would draw all of something else to Him. That something else was the “judgment of this world” from the previous verse. Jesus is telling us that He came for one purpose and one purpose alone: to be judged of God for the sins of the world. In short: He came not to judge but to be judged. If He has been judged, and you have accepted Him as your Savior, then there remains no more judgment for you. Hallelujah!

How to Pay God Back

Psalm 116:12, 13

In light of all that Jesus has done for us through His sacrificial death on the cross, shouldn’t we owe Him something? We are so loved of God that He would put all of our sins and sicknesses into His own Son and then kill Him so that we might be saved. With that love in our hearts, surely we should spend our lives paying Him back?

Believer, never forget this; what Christ paid for at the cross costs WAY TOO MUCH for you to even begin paying Him back. No moral code that you adhere to will pay back His perfect morality. No system of regimental prayer and study will compensate Him for His complete relationship with His Father’s face and voice. No financial gift could ever compare to the royal diadem that He laid aside to live on this earth in human flesh. In short, there is not enough morality, or righteousness or money in the world to give back to God what He has so freely given to us.

The great Apostle Paul knew that he was a debtor, but not to God: “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise” (Romans 1:14). He did not see his debt as being God-ward but rather man-ward. Due to the finished work in us, we owe it to everyone that we come in contact with to show them the great “gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16).

By our human nature, we desire to work for all good things in our life. This instinct does not die easily, and many times as believers under the covenant of grace, we realize that while we cannot save ourselves, we surely should have some role to play in living our lives as a sort of “pay-back”. In fact, I recently spotted a bumper sticker that said, “He died for you, the least you could do is live for Him”. This sticker epitomized the condition of man, “work for that which is free; and payback all that is given”.

The only time that Paul uses the word “debt” in any of his writings is found in Romans 4:4. The verse follows Paul’s declaration of Abraham being counted righteous by believing God. “Now to him that works is the reward not counted of grace, but of debt”. In other words, what you work for (either to get or to pay-back) makes God a debtor to you.

When the Psalmist was faced with this age-old predicament of paying God back for all of His goodness, he stumbled upon the most perfect of solutions. Due to God’s nature as a giver and as one who truly loves us unconditionally, David saw what he could do that would bring the maximum amount of honor to God. Just after he asks the question, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?”, he concludes:

“I will take the cup of salvation…” (Psalms 116:13). Wow! David’s answer as to how to pay God back was to TAKE MORE! God is so gracious and loving and ready to bless us with all good things, that the only way to re-pay Him for this goodness is to honor that grace and favor by resting in it. Take of all that the cross paid for you, for our taking honors His giving.

Alexander the Great once passed a beggar on the side of the road. The beggar sought alms and Alexander told the man in charge of the money to give the beggar a gold coin. As they rode away, one of Alexander’s advisors leaned towards him and asked, “Why did you give that beggar a gold coin when a copper coin would have sufficed?” Alexander answered, “Copper coins suit the beggar’s need but gold coins suit Alexander’s giving”. Honor your great God by taking all that He has paid for. Hallelujah!

Christ's Broken Heart

Psalms 69:20

At Calvary, the soldiers broke the legs of the thieves on either side of Jesus so that they would die sooner, but when they came to Jesus they found no reason to break His legs, for He was already dead. Instead, a soldier took a spear and pierced the side of Jesus, thrusting the sharp point between His ribs and into His heart. Out of this wound poured blood and water, as the sack of water surrounding His heart exploded onto the crowd. From the spear pierced side, Jesus formed His church and we are covered with His blood for our sins and His water of Words for our cleanliness.

The breaking of Jesus’ heart in the physical happened after He was dead, but the breaking of His heart in the spiritual occurred before He drew His last breath. No doubt it was heart-wrenching to see doubt at the tomb of Lazarus, but Jesus had grown to expect as much from mankind. It was awful to know that Peter would deny Him, but denial is part of humanity. It was torture to receive the kiss of betrayal from Judas in Gethsemane, but Jesus prophesied that it would happen. None of these things were the spiritual breaking of the heart of our Savior.

“Reproach hath broken my heart” (Psalms 69:20). This Psalm could probably be called a Psalm of Reproach for the word appears six times, and each in characterizing the coming Savior and what He would face in death. In verse 7, He bears reproach for the sake of His Father’s name, showing us that Jesus was constantly mocked for claiming that He and the Father were one.

The worst reproach of all was not done at the hands of man, but at the hands of His Father. For three hours at Calvary, the sky went black and the earth began to tremble. In that time, God turned His back on Jesus as Jesus bore the sins and sickness of the world. Because God is holy and just and good, He cannot look upon sin, thus He abandoned Jesus there to suffer for us all. Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”; calling His Father “God” for the first and last time in His life. Feeling distant because of sin, He lost the spirit of son ship that so characterized His ministry.

Since Jesus paid for us at the cross, we are so blessed in that we get His benefits through the grace and favor of God. God turned His back on Jesus so that He will never turn His back on us. God abandoned Jesus to suffer so that He would never abandon His church to suffer. Jesus cried, “My God, my God”, so that you could always cry “Daddy, Daddy!”. You gained the spirit of son ship because Jesus surrendered it. You are never reproached because reproach broke His heart (Psalms 69:20).

There was no one found at Calvary to provide comfort to Jesus as He suffered for our sins, thus we have the everlasting Comforter to walk alongside of us every day. Since Jesus faced all of hell alone; we receive all of heaven and sit together with Him. How wonderful is our Jesus?

Made to be Righteous

2 Corinthians 5:21

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because it says so much about what Jesus took for me at Calvary and about what His death provided for me. In a nutshell, God made Jesus to be the bearer of the sins of the world, though Jesus had never committed a sin of His own. This was done so that all who believe on Jesus would be made into the very holiness and goodness of God because of Jesus.

The promise of this verse provides hope and redemption for everyone who believes on Jesus. He literally took all of your sins; past, present and future and bore them in His body on the cross. When He was lifted up, it was so that He could be the lightning rod that drew all of God’s judgment against YOUR SINS, into His body (John 12:32). If God judged Jesus for your sins, He cannot remain just if He judges you for the same sins. You might say, “Pastor Paul, Jesus only covered my past sins, not my future sins”. Really? He died 2000 years before you were born, thus He died before you had committed any sins and yet He still covers them all!

You need not worry about how much righteousness you “perform” as to whether or not you are considered righteous in the eyes of God. Jesus had committed no sins, yet He had all sins placed in Him at the cross. You have committed no righteousness, yet you have all of His righteousness placed in you at conversion. Whereas He took what you deserved; you receive what He deserved. He did not deserve punishment and death; we did. We do not deserve righteousness and blessing; He did. He lived the law to perfection, fulfilling its demands so that we would never again be held accountable for our failures.

View yourself as the righteousness of God in Christ. In fact, I teach my church to say that out loud, everyday, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ!” We do not say it to make it so; we say it because it IS so! Paul said, “I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13). Do you believe that Jesus bore your sins in His body at the cross so that you can bear His righteousness in you? If you believe it, say it. By putting it out into the world you let all of the forces of darkness know that you are well aware of who you are in Christ.

Praise God that Jesus knew no sin in His own life but was still made to be sin for us. This gives us hope that though we do not know how to perform righteously each and every day, His righteousness is still at work in us. When God looks at us, He does not see our failures or our problems. It is not a matter of God turning a blind eye on those failures, but rather it is a matter of Him seeing only Jesus and His perfection. Paul said, “For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). He didn’t tell you to hide your life with Christ in God; he said that it is already hidden. When God looks at you, He sees Jesus!

Rejoice in the knowledge that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. The more that you become aware of this phenomenon, the more that you will see that righteousness come out of you in every area of your life. We do not live more like Jesus by “trying harder”; but rather by knowing who He is in us and letting Him do the work.

Take Up His Cross Daily

Luke 9:23-27

What did Jesus mean when He said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me”? There is a school of thought that says that Jesus was telling us to die out to our old man every day, but Paul said, “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him…For in that He died, He died unto sin once…” (Romans 6:8, 10). The Apostle makes it clear that when we became believers, we were baptized into the death of Christ, dying with Him to sin; and that Jesus died but once. How could Jesus die to sin only once and then require that we die to sin over and over again?

The answer to the last question is, “He doesn’t require us to die out to sin on a day to day basis”. Paul said that Jesus died once and that we should “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin” (Romans 6:11). I should “reckon” or consider myself dead to sin, just as Christ is dead to sin. Because of His finished work there is no need for me to die again every day, nor is there a need for me to re-crucify myself every day. This doctrine is very subtly teaching believers that their salvation is only as good as the day is long and that every new day requires a new death to the old man. This insults the finished work, for it claims that the finished work is only finished today, but needs refinished tomorrow.

Jesus’ statement in Luke 9:23 is two-fold: one is spiritual while the other is physical. When He made this statement, the cross had not yet happened, so no one standing there would have assumed that dying on a cross was anything more than a physical death. His statement to the disciples was the equivalent of someone today saying, “Deny yourself and be ready to die in the electric chair”. We would understand that He meant for us to deny our own selfish desires and be ready to die a martyr’s death.

The spiritual aspect is the denial of self, which every believer must perform. We all sacrifice some of the things that we always wanted to accomplish; or that we wanted to become in order to do and to be all that God wills for us. The physical side of the statement is the willingness to lay down our lives on a daily basis for the cause of Christ. Paul said as much when he said, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). He wasn’t speaking of spiritual death, for the preceding verse said that he was in jeopardy every hour (verse 30) and the following verse says that he has fought with beasts at Ephesus (verse 32).

We can be sure that this is what Jesus meant because as we read further, we find this important statement in verse 27, “But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:27). If Jesus were talking about spiritual death when He said, “take up the cross daily”, why would He now speak of physical death in the same paragraph? “Take up the cross daily” was the willingness to lay down one’s life for Christ’s sake, which He then says, “some standing here shall not taste of death”. He is referring to the Mount of Transfiguration which takes place in the next few verses, allowing Peter, James and John to see the kingdom before they die a martyr’s death.

You died to sin the moment that you were saved, so how shall we “live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2). You need not die again every day; you simply need to trust your Jesus that He is living His life through you. The attempt to die spiritually every day will slowly lead you back into works where you will fear constantly that you are not “keeping your eyes on the cross” or that you haven’t properly crucified yourself. Relax and let the finished work do its work. Trust me; it works better than we can!

The Swap

One of the most eye-opening things for me, as I began to understand the finished work of Jesus, was the knowledge of what Jesus did for me at the cross, so that I could get the opposite. If effect, Jesus swapped places with me, as I was the one who deserved to die for my own sins. I should have been punished by God for my law-breaking, but Jesus took my punishment. I should have been disciplined for my own peace, but Jesus bore my discipline (Isaiah 53:5).

The following is a list of things that Jesus took, so that you could get the opposite. It could be better said that Jesus took what you deserved so that you could have what He earned. Notice that you have not earned any of the good things, for salvation comes only by faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8, 9). This list is not conclusive, as grace is always showing us what Jesus paid for.

• Jesus was made to be sin, so that you could be made the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Jesus was naked at the cross so that you could be clothed in robes of righteousness (John 19:23; Luke 15:22).
• Jesus was made poor, so that you could be made rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).
• Jesus was cursed so that you would be blessed (Galatians 3:13, 14).
• Jesus died in the dark so that you could live in the light (Matthew 27:45).
• Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” so that you could cry, “Daddy, Daddy, why are you so good to me?” (Matthew 27:46; Romans 8:15).
• Jesus bore the crown of thorns, which represent the cares of this life (Matthew 13:22), so that the cares of this life would never trouble your mind.
• Jesus had His heart pierced so that your heart would never be broken again (John 19:34).
• Jesus drank the sour wine so that your teeth would never be set on edge (John 19:30; Ezekial 18:1-3).
• Jesus’ body was broken so that yours could always be whole (Matthew 26:26).
• Jesus was disciplined of His Father so that you could always be at peace with the Father (Isaiah 53:5).
• Jesus bore the full brunt of God’s judgment against sin so that you would never bear any of God’s judgment against sin (John 12:31, 32; John 3:36).
• Jesus defeated the devil so that you would never have to fight him (Hebrews 2:14).

The list could go on and on but I hope you get the point. Jesus did it all so that we get it all!

Every believer should apply the previous list to memory as best as possible. It will work as a defense against the accusations of the enemy who is a defeated foe, but he doesn’t want you to know that! As you see what Christ paid for in your life, you will begin to rest in the finished work as a truly finished work.

Go in His grace today!

Under the Curse

Galatians 3:10-13

When Jesus died on the cross, He took all of our sins into His body, but He also took upon Himself the curse that accompanied the law. That curse could not come upon Jesus for His own law-breaking, for He had none, so it came upon Him because at Calvary, Jesus took our place. What was meant to come upon the whole of humanity was put upon Christ with full force at the cross. The curse was death, and its application on Jesus freed the rest of us from torment.

Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). Not only did Jesus take the curse intended for law-breakers, but He actually became the cursed object at Calvary. As the perfect sacrifice, He became the object of scorn for the wrath of God, and literally, the lightning rod for God’s judgment. The fullness of that punishment gave liberty to all of those who would accept Jesus by faith, thus coming under His wonderful grace.

When a believer sins, they do not fall out of God’s grace, nor do they go under the curse of the law. They can’t fall from God’s grace for they are positioned under grace, not above it (Romans 6:14). At the same time, while under His grace, they are truly surrounded by it, for Paul told us that if there is an abundance of sin, there is a super-abundance of grace (Romans 5:20). This means that when the believer fails, they do not fall from grace, but rather they fall into grace!

Failure by a saint does not put them back under the curse of the law either, for Jesus has already been made the curse for us. He fulfilled the law in its entirety; therefore no failure on your part can put any portion of the curse on you. If Jesus had failed to completely finish the work at the cross, there would be something left to be done by you and I, but thank God He meant it when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

How does one go back under the curse of the law? Paul makes it clear that “As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse” (Galatians 3:10). He does not say that if you fail to keep the law you are under the curse, for we know that is why Jesus became the curse. Instead, he emphasizes that everyone who works the law to achieve righteousness is going back to their own performance of the law, and they must suffer the curse that accompanies failure. Why would we want to take upon us that which Jesus has already taken upon Himself? Why would we desire to seek justification by our ability, when Jesus has freely justified us based upon His finished work?

It takes no faith to live according to the letter of the law; it simply takes obedience (Galatians 3:12). You can obey the instructions of the law and not even like it. You can obey the law and have no heart change. You can obey the law and hate the law-giver! You cannot help but rejoice in pure righteousness, and have a change of heart and fall in love with Jesus when you receive His free gift of salvation and sanctification by faith and none of it comes from your talent.

You are not cursed believer, for Jesus was cursed for you. That which is blessed cannot be cursed so reject the lie from Satan that you have been hexed or any such foolishness. Take your stand in the knowledge that Jesus bore your curse so that you can always bear His blessing!

God is Righteous

Romans 3:26

When we were children, we would say a prayer over our food that went, “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food, Amen”. There is good theology packed into that prayer of thanksgiving, because God truly is good and He is great. Due to the climate of the Old Testament, where God is seen killing those who sin and putting plagues on many others, how can we prove to the world that our God is truly “good” and “great”?

We know that God functioned in the aforementioned capacity in the Old Testament because He was dealing with man through the Covenant of Law, where man was held accountable for his keeping or breaking of God’s perfect law. No man could keep it, so every man was judged for his failures. When Jesus came, He lived that law to perfection and then laid down His life at Calvary so that we could have His goodness. In short, He lived it so that we won’t have to. He died, so that we can live. This changed God’s attitude, for it appeased His wrath (Isaiah 53:11, 1 John 2:2).

If God continues to look upon our sin with anger and then strikes us with cancer and tumors as a way to “keep us in line”, then He was obviously not appeased with Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross. For the church to preach that God is “keeping score” and is ready to pour out His wrath on this earth, shows a fundamental lack of understanding just how finished the finished work of the cross is. Will God show wrath to the earth again? He certainly will, but not while His church is here, for the blood is on the door of our hearts (John 3:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).

God declares to the earth just how righteous that He is through one act; bringing complete justification to those who have placed faith in Jesus Christ. Paul said that this one act shows that God is just (Romans 3:26). God being “just” means that God is fair and that He has perfect justice. If He justifies us when we believe in Jesus Christ and that constitutes God being just and fair then that means that all of our sin has been placed in the body of Christ at Calvary, and that God is honoring the price that Jesus paid by forgiving us.

Justification makes us appear before God as if we have never sinned in our life. This act is miraculously done by no effort on our part; it is all a gift of God’s grace through Christ’s finished work. By justifying us upon our faith in Jesus, God proves to the world that He is a righteous God. If He required us to earn our salvation or our blessings by works then He would be guilty of killing His Son for our sins and then holding us accountable for them as well.

It is an insult to Christ’s finished work when someone insinuates that you must pay for your own sins and failures. For you to think that your sin is greater than grace’s ability to save you is to think very highly of your ability to fail. In fact, that attitude thinks more of sin than it does of the Savior. His sacrifice was so all encompassing that you and I will never be able to “out sin” God’s abundant grace, for where our sin abounds, His grace will always super-abound (Romans 5:20).

May you go forward today with the blessed assurance that your Father is righteous for He has declared you justified through the finished work of Jesus Christ His Son!

Free Because of His Choice

John 4:4

This is the day that Americans celebrate their Independence as a nation. Over two centuries ago, our forefathers raised arms to fight for the right to govern themselves, and to determine their own fates and destinies. Subsequent generations have given life and limb to preserve that freedom which was won and which has been sustained through much bloodshed. Thank God today for your personal freedom, and for those who paid a great price to make it free.

Jesus paid for our redemption on the cross of Calvary some 2000 years ago. Just as many troops have voluntarily laid down their lives for our freedom as a nation, Jesus voluntarily laid His life down so that we could go free from the shackles of sin. Jesus had over 12 legions of angels (72,000+) at His disposal if He changed His mind about dying at Calvary (Matthew 26:53), but He went anyhow, because as the old gospel song says, “When He was on the cross, I was on His mind”.

Doing for others because He was prompted by the Spirit was not a new thing for Jesus. He told us, “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things” (John 8:28). His entire life was one of hearing the will of God and then acting accordingly. It was God’s will that Jesus live a sinless life and then give that life for humanity. God poured His wrath on His Son because He did not want to pour it on us.

In the time of the Bible, when a Jew wished to journey from Judea in the south of Palestine, to Galilee in the north of Palestine, they would cross the Jordan river and head north through Decapolis. This was not the shortest route from Point A to Point B, for this cost them an extra day of travel. The quickest route was directly north through Samaria, without the mundane practice of crossing the Jordan and then crossing back over into Galilee. The Jew went through this routine simply to avoid having to step foot in Samaria, such was their hatred for Samaritans. Samaritans were a breed of people whose ancestors were half Jew and half Gentile, thus Jews felt that they were an inferior race, and one unworthy of even the footprint of a good Jew.

John 4:3 tells us that Jesus left Judea, and departed again into Galilee, “And he must needs go through Samaria” (John 4:4). The Holy Spirit specifically mentions where Jesus is coming from and where He is going through and that He goes through Samaria by design of the Spirit. It is just like our Savior to ignore the trend of the day and go directly through Samaria. He was never afraid to get His hands dirty, and He felt no less love for Samaritans than He did for anyone else.

The reason for His journey into Samaria is the little woman at the well, who is only at the well at noon because her reputation has sent her into social isolation. The Spirit knows where you are and why you are there and He perfectly orchestrates Jesus to enter your Samaria on purpose. Thank God that Jesus went to the cross, though it would have made more sense for Him to “cross the Jordan” to avoid the issue. We can’t be worth the price that He paid to save our souls, can we?

We are free today through the blood of Jesus Christ and it was His choice to lay down His life. As you are grateful for physical freedom today, say a “thank you” to your Heavenly Father, that He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.

Painting God in the Proper Light

Numbers 20:7-13

When a photographer shoots a photograph, they need proper lighting to bring the beauty out of the subject. The same is true for a portrait painter, who needs to see the subject in proper perspective in order to render a quality painting. When a preacher delivers a sermon on God, he is painting God in a particular light, and that light has a great effect on how the listeners perceive God in their daily lives.

If God is painted against a backdrop of judgment and darkness then He is an angry God, ready to dole out lightning bolts of fury against a sin-filled world. If He is painted against the light of the cross, where Jesus was judged for our sin then He is seen as a compassionate God, ready to dole out grace on a world that is perishing.

Moses had an opportunity to paint God in a wonderful light for the children of Israel as they thirsted in the desert of Zin. The people complained of the lack of food and water, prompting Moses to go before the Lord. God told him to “speak ye unto the rock before their eyes” (Numbers 20:8). God wanted this done before the eyes of the people so that they could see for themselves what God was about to do. In his anger, Moses replaces God as the sole provider, asking the Israelites, “Must we fetch you water out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10) Moses has joined himself to God, saying “we” when he should have said, “Must God fetch you water?” By adding himself to the equation, he is removing the awesome power from what God is about to do.

The mistake is exacerbated when Moses lifts up his hand and smites the rock rather than speak to it. In the 17th chapter of Exodus, before the giving of the law at Sinai, Israel had been in a similar situation. They had complained of no water and God had instructed Moses to smite the rock, bringing forth water. Paul said that the rock in the wilderness was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4), so the smiting is a type of Christ being smitten of God at the cross (Isaiah 53:4). Paul also states in Hebrews 10:12 that Jesus “offered one sacrifice for sins, forever”, meaning that Jesus will not be smitten twice for our sins. If He is not smitten twice, then we are not smitten even once. Praise God!

God wanted Moses to speak to the rock so that He could show grace to His people, though they do not deserve it. Grace is never deserved and that is what makes it a free gift. By speaking to the rock and not smiting it, it is an example to them that God has never stopped providing for them by His smitten Rock. Jesus is our constant provision, and the believer only need speak His name for Him to provide water to their thirsty soul.

This mistake cost Moses entrance to the Promised Land. Being under law, he would bear the punishment for his failure. You and I are under grace, so Jesus has bore the punishment for us. We will not be denied our Promised Land due to our mistakes and failures, for where our sin abounds, grace does much more abound.

Paint God in the glorious light of the cross, showing the world that Jesus has been smitten for their sins. The God that you present is the God that they know, so show them the Rock that has already brought forth living water.

The Dividing Point

2 Timothy 2:15

What would you consider the dividing point of the Bible? You could accurately place it into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament, with the understanding that all that the Jews of Jesus day would have had were the writings of Genesis through Malachi. However, if this is the only dividing point, then we must assume that the New Covenant begins with the first word of the first book of the New Testament. If that be the case, then the New Covenant begins with the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth and with the Virgin Mary receiving the news of the impending birth of Christ.

Something is not quite right with that assumption. In reality, this theory makes the dividing point of the Bible the blank page between Malachi and Matthew. When Paul tells the young pastor Timothy to rightly divide the word of truth, he surely means more than “figure out how to find that blank page Timothy”.

The division of the Word of God must hinge upon some great event. Something cataclysmic, which is foreshadowed in the Old Testament and expounded upon in the New Testament, must be the dividing point of everything that is preached. That one event is the death of Jesus Christ. The cross is the introduction of the New Covenant, thus it is the division point of all that happens in God’s Word. Everything prior to Calvary is pointing forward to the event, while everything afterwards is hearkening backwards.

Jesus called Himself, “the truth” (John 14:6). When you preach or teach of the truth, you are preaching of Jesus. His day of division came when He was smitten of God on the cross. His punishment was for the sin of the whole world, and He was torn asunder by the righteous anger of God. As Jesus was divided at Calvary, so the preacher should always divide the Word with the cross on the horizon.

When we read the Old Testament, we must read it with the cross in our hearts. No statement or verse should ever again be read as if the cross did not happen. Anytime that you read something that is Old Testament, thus Old Covenant, you should make a habit of asking yourself, “What did the cross do to change this?” To read the Old Testament any other way is to read it out of context and to make a mockery of Christ’s finished work. In essence, to read the Word without taking the cross into account is to say that the cross made no difference at all.

The way to make this sort of interpretation come about is consistent study of God’s Word. When we study we make ourselves knowledgeable of Christ’s finished work and we have no reason to be ashamed of ourselves. As Paul investigated the Old Testament, he saw Jesus, just as Jesus had done on the road to Emmaus, “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). When Paul saw Jesus in these Old Testament scriptures, he made a determination, and it is one that we should all determine in our own hearts:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

The Angry God is Angry No More

Psalms 7:11

The Puritan preacher Jonathan Edward’s once preached a sermon that has since become legendary, both in its title and in the stories of conviction that resulted from it. ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ holds a place among the most famous services ever delivered. Legend has it that grown men clutched to the pillars that held up the balcony for fear that they were going to fall into the pits of hell when Edward’s gave his invitation. More romance has been added to the story as it is told of how Edward’s was so nervous that he held the written transcript of the sermon in front of his face and read it word for word, but the anointing on it was supposedly so powerful that it didn’t matter about the delivery.

I don’t know how much of the story is true, other than he actually preached the sermon. I do know that fear of an angry God has led countless people to an altar of repentance. It has also caused men and women to try and change their lives and their lifestyles. I am further sure however, that no sermon on the power of an angry God has ever empowered a single listener to live in a way that would assuage the anger of that God. No sermon on the wrath of God and the subsequent flames of hellfire and damnation can ever move or motivate a person to live righteously, as all of our righteousness’ are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

The great cosmic war between God and the sins of man has already been waged and has already been won. John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In the sacrifice of the Lamb, Christ Jesus, the war with sin was won. It is for this cause that Jesus could hang His head and die after having declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

God was certainly angry at sin, beginning at Mt. Sinai and continuing onward to the cross. Isaiah said, “It pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:10, 11). God was pleased to crucify His Son at Calvary because in sacrificing Jesus, He was satisfying His anger toward the sin of man. The suffering Savior truly satisfied the offended Father.

Read all Old Testament scripture within the context and timeframe that they were written. When the Psalmist wrote Psalms 7:11, God was dealing with man under the Old Covenant and His anger was mounting towards man’s disobedience. He was ready to “whet his sword” (Psalms 7:12) and use it against all of us, but then Jesus came and fulfilled all of the demands of the law and voluntarily laid down His life as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of the world. With His anger plunged into the heart of His Son, God was propitiated, or satisfied and we no longer have to see Him as “angry with the wicked every day” (7:11).

God is not mad at you. He is not even perturbed. When He looks at you He sees Jesus and He is well pleased. Live your life today as a Son, not a servant. The power to do righteous is found in knowing that you are righteous because of Jesus.

Crucifying Jesus Again

Hebrews 6:1-6

The first several verses of this chapter have caused a lot of confusion in many believers’ minds. Since God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), the problem lies with how we are interpreting the scripture, and how we have been taught to do so.

To properly understand what the author (who I believe is the Apostle Paul) is saying, you must notice that in the last few verses of chapter 5, he breaks away from talking about the High Priesthood of Jesus to explain that some people are not maturing in their walk with God enough to handle such information. They have been saved long enough to be teaching others, but they still need taught themselves (Hebrews 5:12).

Chapter 6 is Paul’s attempt to bring them back to the foundation of the New Covenant. He opens by taking them past the “principles of the doctrine of Christ”. He is not insinuating that there is something other to preach than Christ’s finished work, for the phrase means the “word of the beginning of the Christ” in Greek. He is taking them past the Old Testament prophets, which is where many Jews were getting stuck, still looking for Christ, though He had already come.

He wants them to understand their perfection in Christ (verse 2), which he will further explain in the 10th chapter. He explains that they no longer need the “foundation of repentance from dead works”, this is the sacrificial system, and “of faith toward God”. Our faith is not toward God under the New Covenant, it is toward Jesus.

He ends up with three verses that have caused grief in some, for he says that “it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6).

These verses refer to someone who was “enlightened” and have “tasted” and are “partakers of the Holy Ghost”. The phrase ‘partakers’ is from the Greek, ‘metochous’ meaning “going along with”. They go along with the teaching of the Holy Spirit but do not know His power. These are individuals who hear the gospel message but never accept it by faith. If this is the case then there is truly no way to “renew them again unto repentance” because they have rejected the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. They have put His finished work to an open shame because by rejecting it; they are saying that it isn’t enough!

As the message of God’s pure grace is ministered to you, please do not just “go along”. Accept His love and forgiveness freely and allow Him to wash you with the water of His words. If you reject grace, there is nothing left to accept but your own works of the law for righteousness. Having viewed Christ’s sacrificial death, for you to go back to your own works is to crucify Him afresh, saying that His finished work is an unfinished work. Believer, His finished work is a COMPLETELY finished work. Rest in Him today!

The Stumbling Block and the Foolishness

1 Corinthians 1:23

It seems that the world has nothing but good things to say about the life and statements of Jesus. They frequently quote Him in everything from motivational books to Hollywood movies. His birth is celebrated the world over, and His life is viewed as a model of virtue and peace. The cross of Christ, however, has never enjoyed the universal appeal that is so often associated with the man, Christ Jesus. The finished work, where Jesus paid the sin debt for the world, is not only ignored, but is often in dispute as to whether or not it even happened.

Paul was unashamed to declare that he preached Christ as crucified. The emphasis placed on “crucified” shows us that there are more ways to preach Jesus. There is certainly nothing wrong with preaching of the birth, life or principles of Jesus, but it is His death that changed the world. His finished work brought peace between God and men, ending the war against sin that had waged for nearly four thousand years.

To the Jew, Paul called the cross a “stumbling block”; to the Gentile, “foolishness”. The Jews had received the Law at the hands of Moses and they felt that the keeping of that Law entitled them to eternal life. The Law demanded works, and the cross declared that the work was finished. Many Jews “stumbled” at the prospect of righteousness apart from works.

Gentiles then and now, often view that finished work as foolish. While the Jew stumbles at the cross because they feel righteous through the Law, the Gentile feels that they need no redeemer. Thus, the prospect of someone dying for them is a foolish one. I have actually had some say to me that they didn’t see the need for Jesus to die for them. Well, I’m glad He died for me!

Both Jew and Gentile share a common problem; both trust in their ability to save them. The Jew trusts the Law while the Gentile trusts their wisdom and intellect. Only when one comes to the saving knowledge of Christ do they see that the cross is the apex of power and wisdom. Paul says that, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).

When you hear the cross of Christ preached, you are hearing the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). It is power to us, because we have had its effects at work in our heart. We know what we used to be, but the death of Christ brought death to our old nature, and a new start to our lives. Thanks be to God for that Old Rugged Cross!

See His finished work today as having been done on your behalf. He was cursed so that you could be blessed. He was rejected so that you would always be accepted. He finished it all, so that you could have it all. God bless.

As If the Cross Never Happened

2 Chronicles 7:14

This response of God to Solomon seems to be one of the most frequently quoted promises of God in the Old Testament. I have seen entire revivals and camp meetings make this verse their theme. I have heard sermons on it by preachers of all types of denominations and styles. It would appear as if this one verse is widely regarded as the single most important verse in the entirety of God’s Word as it relates to how God moves among the church. This conclusion is entirely wrong!

2 Chronicles 7:14 is God’s response to His own statement of verse 13. In that verse He says: “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people…” (2 Chronicles 7:13, 14). Verse thirteen ends with a semi-colon, and verse 14 is a continuation. God is saying that if He sends something as judgment, then the only way for it to be taken off is if the people humble themselves, beg Him and turn from their wickedness. Only then will He even hear them, and then He will forgive them and heal them. These are the actions of a God that is angry with sin and rebellion. These are the actions of an Old Covenant God.

What if we were to emphasize another promise of God in the Old Testament with as much fervor as we do this one? How about Isaiah 54:7-10? “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.”

This promise is God saying that because of Isaiah 53, where it pleased the Lord to bruise Jesus and God was “satisfied” with the death of His Son (verses 10, 11), He will no longer be angry with us! He was angry with Jesus, so that we could be blessed. God takes this so serious that He views the cross as He does the promise to Noah. Never again will he flood the earth, and never again will He judge you for sin.

Some are preaching the Old Testament as if the cross never happened. They teach that God curses Christians when they sin or when they skip church or don’t read their Bibles or don’t put tithes in the offering. God has certainly dealt with mankind in this manner before, but Jesus came and placed Himself under the curse, for us, so that we would not be cursed (Galatians 3:13), and that Abraham’s blessings of promise could come upon the whole world through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14).

Saint, rest in the assurance that God will never be angry with you again. You are His child and He cares for you. This does not mean that He will not discipline you and train you, but His blessings are not waiting on your humility and your turning. Your humility is why you are saved in the first place. It was that humility that brought grace into your heart. “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

(Need more on this subject? Contact the ministry and request Pastor Paul’s sermon by the same title, “As If the Cross Never Happened”.)