Michael Brown
When We Fall Short, His Work at the Cross Is More Than Enough
Yes, it is finished! The divine mission has been accomplished! Jesus has done it! Every sin has been paid for, every evil deed judged, and the full and total price of our redemption purchased at the cross. That is the power of the blood of Jesus. That is the glory of the Son of God. That is the depth of the Father’s love—and it was all for you and for me so that forever we could be with Him and even share in His nature. Who could imagine such a story of love?
Jesus perfectly lived the life He had to live and perfectly died the death He had to die. It is finished! It is with good reason that John G. Lake (1870-1935) said, “In all of your preaching and teaching you must always leave people with the consciousness of the triumph of Christ.” Yes! Amen!
It’s time we put our focus on the cross, where Jesus the Messiah “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” where God “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God,” where the Father canceled “the record of debt that stood against us with legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (1 Pet. 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21; Col 2:14).
It was at the cross that the Lord “disarmed the [demonic] rulers and authorities and put them to open shame,” triumphing over them through Yeshua’s death and resurrection (Col. 2:15, ESV). And it was there at the cross that Jesus “himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds [we] have been healed. For [we] were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of [our] souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25).
The story really is too good to be true, and to exaggerate it is to cheapen it. See what Paul wrote 2,000 years ago in Romans 5:6-10, 15, 17, and note those words, “much more”! Everything about the cross shouts, “Much more!” Surely that “much more” is more than enough for us!
We sinned. He died.
We were guilty He was punished.
We deserved death. He gave his life.
We rejected Him. He accepted us.
We drove the nails in His hands. Those nails saved our souls!
And now, in Him, we have everything we need. And now, through Him, we can do the Father’s bidding. And now, with Him, we can go and change the world. Isn’t this more than enough?
Our sins have been dealt with once and for all at the cross, and we need never look for another sacrifice or offering for our guilt. When we fall short, we look back to the cross, and the same blood that saved us cleanses us afresh, and we go forward, free from condemnation and guilt, living lives that please the Lord.
And there’s something else that we now understand. When He died, we died with Him, and we too have been raised in newness of life, considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Rom. 6:6-12). That is the power of the gospel!
And when Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, He sent the Spirit down to us, now to dwell within us, to guide us and instruct us, turning us from error and leading us into truth, communing with us in holy fellowship and empowering us for holy service. This is the all complete, all comprehensive grace of God, and all of it was purchased at the cross, where the Savior of the world perfectly accomplished the Father’s mission, declaring, “It is finished!”
Because of that we have a glorious calling! (See 2 Peter 1:3-4). He has now promised that nothing in the universe can separate us from His love and that He Himself will keep us strong to the end, as we “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that [we] heard” (Col. 1:23), confident that the God “who began a good work in [us] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:6), and putting our trust in the one “who is able to keep [us] from stumbling and to present [us] blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25).
Is this not enough? Is this not much more than enough?
That’s why for the next trillion years, just as eternity is getting started, we will glory more and more in the finished work of the cross, finally understanding just what Paul meant when he said, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). May this be our boast as well.
Adapted from Hyper-Grace by Michael Brown, PhD, copyright 2014, published by Charisma House. This book gives you a true understanding of the grace of God as not only His unmerited favor, but also His ongoing empowerment and continued working on our behalf. It will help you discern between a true and false message of grace and keep you scripturally grounded and on the right track in your spiritual journey. To order your copy click here.
PRAYER POWER FOR THE WEEK OF 2/17/2014
This week meditate on what Christ did for you on the cross, and spend time thanking God for this ultimate sacrifice of immeasurable love. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Pray that God will direct each day and give you opportunities to share His love and gospel with those who desperately need Him. Lift up those suffering from the effects of recent winter storms and look to connect with those offering help, ministry and provision. Continue to pray that our nation’s leaders will recognize their need for God’s wisdom, guidance and counsel. Pray for more laborers for the harvest, for Israel to fulfill God’s purpose and for worldwide revival to spread. Ps. 100; Col. 1:23; Phil. 1:6.
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