“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2).
Once a person begins to understand the cross, as much as we poor humans can, our relationship with Christ improves a thousand percent. Looking back at my own life—before I had at least a modicum of understanding respecting this great subject and what I have now, what I see now; the relationship with the Lord now—it’s no comparison. I wish I had the proper vocabulary to elucidate exactly that of which I feel in my spirit. It’s like having a friend that you’ve known for some time, and he’s a good friend, but then you find out a little later that he’s your brother—that’s an entirely different relationship. No matter how good of a friend he was, when you realize that he’s your blood brother, that puts an entirely different perspective on the situation.
My Brother
That’s the way I see the Lord Jesus Christ now—I see Him as my Brother, and there’s a closeness, a proximity, a nearness there that I did not once have, and I believe that relationship will increase; it will grow. But without an understanding of the cross, it will not. Are we saying that for every person who has at least a modicum of understanding respecting the cross that his relationship with Christ will improve? Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. And I think that many of you reading this believe what we are teaching, according to the Word of God, and if you will look at your own life, your own experience, your own walk with God, you will find that your relationship with Christ has increased dramatically so.
Among the many things that change is this: you don’t see Jesus as a stern Judge. You see Him as a Saviour, as a Redeemer, as your Brother, and it’s altogether different. He’s not waiting to smite you if you don’t do just right. No, He loves you. You sense that love, you feel that love, and it makes you want to draw closer to Him.
Closer to the Lord
We should strive to draw closer to the Lord constantly. One of my most favorite passages is where it says that Enoch had this testimony, that he pleased God. I want to please God. I want to please Him, and I can only do it by understanding the cross—the great price that was paid for my redemption and the redemption of all of mankind. It’s all enmeshed in the cross. You can’t really understand what I’m talking about unless your understanding of the cross is as it ought to be. And don’t misunderstand: you can’t exhaust what the cross means, I don’t care how much you know about it.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
con't - JSM
Once a person begins to understand the cross, as much as we poor humans can, our relationship with Christ improves a thousand percent. Looking back at my own life—before I had at least a modicum of understanding respecting this great subject and what I have now, what I see now; the relationship with the Lord now—it’s no comparison. I wish I had the proper vocabulary to elucidate exactly that of which I feel in my spirit. It’s like having a friend that you’ve known for some time, and he’s a good friend, but then you find out a little later that he’s your brother—that’s an entirely different relationship. No matter how good of a friend he was, when you realize that he’s your blood brother, that puts an entirely different perspective on the situation.
My Brother
That’s the way I see the Lord Jesus Christ now—I see Him as my Brother, and there’s a closeness, a proximity, a nearness there that I did not once have, and I believe that relationship will increase; it will grow. But without an understanding of the cross, it will not. Are we saying that for every person who has at least a modicum of understanding respecting the cross that his relationship with Christ will improve? Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. And I think that many of you reading this believe what we are teaching, according to the Word of God, and if you will look at your own life, your own experience, your own walk with God, you will find that your relationship with Christ has increased dramatically so.
Among the many things that change is this: you don’t see Jesus as a stern Judge. You see Him as a Saviour, as a Redeemer, as your Brother, and it’s altogether different. He’s not waiting to smite you if you don’t do just right. No, He loves you. You sense that love, you feel that love, and it makes you want to draw closer to Him.
Closer to the Lord
We should strive to draw closer to the Lord constantly. One of my most favorite passages is where it says that Enoch had this testimony, that he pleased God. I want to please God. I want to please Him, and I can only do it by understanding the cross—the great price that was paid for my redemption and the redemption of all of mankind. It’s all enmeshed in the cross. You can’t really understand what I’m talking about unless your understanding of the cross is as it ought to be. And don’t misunderstand: you can’t exhaust what the cross means, I don’t care how much you know about it.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
con't - JSM