What Cost Christ? 5

We began with what it cost Christ for us to become sons of God.  It cost Him the glory of heaven for no permanent earthly abode.  It cost Him the worship of angels for the rejection of men. It cost Him fellowship with the Father to God’s forsaking of His own Son while on the cross.  Truly He endured the cross and despised the shame as Hebrews tells us.   

What cost for Christ was there for us?  It cost us the arrogance of our own self righteousness.  I have known many people who have not wanted to pay that cost.  They were so self assured that they were right in who they were and what they thought that they could not see sin and its judgment.  They were the god of their own mind. 

Essentially the idea is a little broader than just the god of their own mind.  The fundamental idea is that man is god which is the very central lie that Satan offered Eve in the garden.  Collectively mankind has the power to find all the answers.  Collectively through the means of politics, economics, education, science and reasoning we will create heaven on earth.  That it hasn’t yet been achieved only means there is more tweeking to do, but we will get it.  Eve wanted to be god.  The citizens of Babel wanted to be god.  Ultimately pagan worship offered everyone a chance to touch the gods through the debauchery of their practices.  What it really costs then to know Christ is the cost of admitting the utter failure of fallen man and to declare the absolutely perfection of the Christ. 

That declaration of the perfection of Christ is what leads to obedient faith and faithful cross bearing.  If something is absolutely true, then that something deserves our absolute best. Therefore it is our reasonable service, as Paul told the Romans, that we present our bodies as a living sacrifice to Christ.  We offer ourselves up daily to die daily to self.  That is the cost of being His disciple, but it is a reasonable cost because we are serving the absolute perfection of Christ.  When we take our eyes off Him we will swim in the shallow waters.  We want the easy food on the bottom near the shore and relief from the current always running against us. But it is in the shallows where we become easy prey for the wolves that prowl along the shore and the joy of serving the sublime Christ is lost in the frenzy of the ravening wolves of the world.

Helen Lemuel wrote this beautiful song that has inspired many to turn their eyes away from the ease of the world and focus them clearly on Jesus.  “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”. 

Through death into life everlasting He passed, and we follow Him there;

Over us sin no more hath dominion, for more than conquerors we are! 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

You may also enjoy my new Gospel dog blog, The Gospel According to Molly Blog and my new Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe: An Alzheimer’s Blog” found on my website.