The Work of the Cross

"I must work the works of Him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Jn 9:4-5

There is a growing ground swell around the world of believers who are out in the market place seeing the sick healed.  They have had a revelation of the work of the cross and of the person of Jesus Christ, and have taken on His commission and go, in His authority, to carry on His works.

In the above passage of scripture, Jesus gives sight to a man born blind for the glory of God.  He called this miracle a work.  From scripture, we see the works Jesus did according to His own manifesto:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

This was the heart of the Father and the blueprint for the work of our Saviour.  His work always was the result of His Father's desire and heart toward us and of who He is - LOVE!  Just think on this fact.  The father's love for us, made provision for our salvation and for any and every circumstance through the Cross of His Son. That is the eternal work of the cross.

What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who didn't spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? Rom 8:31-32

Jesus, the Word of God, come in the flesh, the light of the world, introduced us to the realm of the supernatural motivated by love and compassion in dramatic healings, deliverance and salvation.
The work of the cross, forged in earth time, but eternally powerful has the only ability to save, heal and deliver mankind's souls and affect our physical world too. Christ's spilt blood eternally cries out its covenant of provision for the forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with Father, totally healing body, soul and spirit, and in fact for every need we have.  The answer is found in the work of the cross.  Not only that, The Cross has given us status as Kingdom people, who carry the same manifesto as Christ on earth, to bring the Kingdom to earth as He did, through the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.

The work of the Kingdom never ends for we have a King who is the same, yesterday, today and forever.  Heb 13:8. Motivated by His love for the world, His desire is still to do His work through those who have a revelation of the Cross which was His greatest work for us and the greatest example of His love.  His blood eternally cries out its covenant of the healing and saving provision Christ paid for on that tree.  Receive that healing power and freely give what we have been given as we bring the Kingdom to earth.

Enabling Grace

"The word became flesh and lived among us.  We saw His glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound."  Jesus was recognised as "one full of grace and truth" by the apostle John, whose gospel portrays the divinity of the One and only Son of God.  I find that fascinating and how true when we consider Jesus knew the truth, as He is the Truth, that He would come into the world and to His own, but they would not recognise Him or accept Him.  His grace and love for us was more powerful than the rejection He would suffer from us.

The Creator of the world, stepped down out of eternity to grace mankind with the light of His presence, to be rejected and to die for those He came for.

I think of encounters with this God-man full of grace and truth, such as the woman at the well.  Jesus fully knew, by the Holy Spirit, the life she lived and how she was in de facto with her 6th man, but that didn't stop His grace reaching her and healing her hurts.  His grace covered over her sins. He elevated her to an increased spiritual realm, where she became the bearer of Good News to those in her village who rejected her because of her lifestyle.  His grace and love seeks to save those who are lost; those who are sincerely seeking something better.

Thirsty, guilt-laden hearts can find comfort in His grace when they recognise the truth of who He is, the Holy One from God, and, who they are, sinners, who have missed the mark of Holiness yet who are saved by grace.

His grace enables us to live better, make better choices, to accept ourselves where we are and to grow up into the full stature of Christ.  An encounter with His grace humbles the human heart. The truth that God Himself, our Lord and Saviour, could come and take our sins and punishment on the cross, so that, in believing, we can have the power given to us to become sons and daughters of God Most High.

Every heavenly gift comes to us because of His grace toward us and the cross.  It's at the foot of the cross where heavy hearts and burdens are laid down at His feet as grace pours down even as His blood did to bring forgiveness and freedom.  It's at the cross where we are spiritually awakened to the depth of our depravity in comparison to His holiness and purity. Yet it is the place to receive the grace He freely offers to be cleansed and pure.  Oh the cleansing power of His blood; there's none like it!

The Rich Young Ruler

Behold, one came to him and said, "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"

We humans seem to love to have a check list that we can tick off to see if we're on the right track and going to heaven.  Even Jesus gave this young man a list from the 10 Commandments which he should be keeping.  At this time, the Israelites were still under the Law of Moses as Jesus was not yet crucified and the Holy Spirit not yet given.

The thing is, under the law of grace, we don't do anything to gain eternal life.  Christ has done it all. We just need to accept the gracious gift of the cross. After Christ died, we were no longer under Law, the requirements of which were fully satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection. Jesus sent the Helper and now we live not by the Law but by our submission and obedience to the Holy Spirit. We no longer need the check list of the Law, which Paul said leads us into bondage.

"But now rather you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again?"

This does not mean that we throw out the 10 Commandments, as the wages for sin is still death, and for which Jesus fully paid,  but we now achieve them by the help and power of the Helper and not by our own strength. The word is very clear that Jesus became our sin so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him.  When we do falter, we have forgiveness in the cross when we repent.

There is nothing we can do to gain eternal life, except believe.

"For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed - a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as is is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Rom 1:17

The main message Jesus wanted to get across to this young man was about intimacy.  "Come follow me."  This is what Jesus wanted, fellowship with him.  However, the young man had affluence and riches that kept a tight hold on his soul.  It is interesting to note that Jesus did not quote the first four commandments in his conversation with the young man.  These deal with man's relationship with God, the awareness of who He is and our response that comes out that awareness.

If this rich, young ruler had recognised Jesus as the Son of God, Messiah, instead of just "good teacher", would have his decision been different?  He walked away from the One who is Eternal Life in favour of the riches that tied him to the temporal realm. He had his faith and trust in his riches and not in the Son of God.  Yet, in having an intimacy with the Lord Jesus, he would have found that Jesus would have been more than enough in giving him sufficiency of soul.

This story is in stark contrast to those in the early church who had this intimate relationship with their Lord and Saviour.

"All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." Acts 2:44

I wonder, if facing the same predicament as the rich, young ruler, would I do the same? With all my heart I hope not.