Paid in Full! (Colossians 2)

Paid in Full! (Colossians 2)

Colossians 2.14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. [nkjv]

It was one of those embarrassing moments which has probably happened to most of us at some stage of our life. Frances Martinez was trying to pay for her groceries but was having problems with her debit card. The eftpos machine was refusing to accept it, citing 'insufficient funds' as the reason for its non-cooperation. After a few attempts she left her groceries on the counter and went to phone the bank. When she came back, the cashier had surprising news for her. "Someone has paid for your groceries!" When Martinez asked who this Good Samaritan was, the only clue the cashier could give was that it was a lady who had been standing behind her in the queue. When Frances Martinez arrived home, all she could do was cry. She later told her local newspaper that, "with times the way they are and the economy so bad, it's wonderful to think that someone would do something like that for a complete stranger!"

Although we are no strangers to Jesus, this is exactly what He has done for us! When we were left with no means to pay, He took the long list of sins we have committed and paid for these in full with His blood, nailing them to the cross for all eternity. Our debt is gone!

However we need to make sure that list stays nailed to the cross. The temptation for all of us is to listen to the lies of satan, who tries to get us to remember our past. He wants us to take our list back off the cross. When it is in our hands, it's easy for him to pour on the guilt and condemnation, causing us to doubt God's work in our lives. We forget that it was all settled at Calvary.

Martin Luther once told how satan laid heavy condemnation on him because of his sins. Luther told satan to list them all, and even reminded him of some he had forgotten. Then he told satan to write across the whole list, "paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ."

Just like Luther, we can rejoice and rest in the knowledge that our sins have been 'paid in full' by Him who loves us. They have been nailed to the cross and to the cross they must stay.

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An Elephant Never Forgets! (Galatians 4)

An Elephant Never Forgets! (Galatians 4)

Galatians 4.7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. [nkjv]

The African elephant is the largest land animal in the world. In 1956, the largest elephant ever recorded was found in Angola, weighing in at 12,000 kilograms, with a shoulder height of 14 feet! These enormous creatures have incredible strength. In Africa elephants routinely knock over entire trees just to get to the tender branches they like to eat. In India, angry elephant herds have been known to push railway trains off their tracks!

I find it totally amazing that such a powerful animal could ever find itself in captivity. Yet we see them all the time in circuses and zoos all around the world. Despite how incredibly powerful these animals are, they have a weakness. You see, an elephant never forgets!

When an elephant is young, each night it is tied to a tree with a strong chain around its foot. The baby elephant wants to roam and struggles instinctively with all its might to be free, yet because of its small size and weight cannot break the chain. After many nights of struggle and failure, this defeat is etched into the young elephant's mind and they no longer resist.

When the elephant is fully grown, it can be tied with just a small rope to a stake. This powerful 12,000 kilogram animal could easily break free from it captivity yet its mind has been conditioned through its past experiences to believe resistance is futile. So it doesn't even make an attempt!

God's Word tells me that I have been forgiven of all my sins and washed clean by the blood of Jesus. It says I am a new creation. I have been made righteous. I am more than a conquerer, I can do all things and that when God is for me who can stand against me.

It says that I was once a slave to sin but Jesus has set me free.

Yet despite His complete work at Calvary, we often allow our past experiences to hold us captive. We still think like slaves when God calls us sons!

And we wonder why our Christian walk lacks power.

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Popcorn Christianity! (Mark 15)

Popcorn Christianity! (Mark 15)

Mark 15.21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. [nkjv]

Mel Gibson's film 'The Passion of the Christ' gave many people a new understanding of Jesus' journey to the cross and the horror of his crucifixion. Like many Christians around the world, I went with my Church to go and see the movie. In some ways I wish I hadn't. I would much rather have sat in the privacy of my home so I couldn't be distracted by the people around me. Along with many others in the cinema that day, I was moved to tears. All I could think while I watched Jesus being beaten, whipped and crucified was, 'He did this for me!" But there were some in the cinema who talked through the movie, some giggled while others sat there in their comfortable seats stuffing their faces with popcorn, chips and choc tops, while the Son of God was crucified in front of them!

Jesus' death to these 'Christians' was nothing more than a night's entertainment!

Afterwards as people were coming out of the cinema, some wanted to chat, all I wanted to do was jump in the car and go home as quickly as I could. I wanted to be alone. Scenes from the movie played over and over again in my head. I just wanted to fall in a heap on the floor somewhere and sob, and repent of living a selfish life. There was also part of me which wanted to phone every one of those 'so called Christians' and give them a piece of my mind. How can you watch something like that and be indifferent!

But I guess there were thousands of people just like these who actually witnessed Jesus going to the cross that day and walked away unchanged. Some hurled insults. Some jeered. Some even took great joy in seeing Him suffer. Would I have been any different if I were there that day?

There were some who were impacted. There were those closest to Jesus, His mother and friends who watched from afar. There was the Roman centurion who came to the realisation that this truly was the Son of God. There was the criminal on the cross who that day entered with Jesus into eternity. And there was Simon, the man compelled to carry the cross of Christ.

Simon was from North Africa. Maybe he was chosen because he was black, maybe because he was a foreigner, maybe because he stood out in the crowd. Regardless of why, he had the honour of being the very first person to carry the cross of Christ. But he had to be forced to do it.

To carry the cross of Christ is never easy. It is never comfortable and it is never convenient. But Jesus tells us that if we want to follow Him, it is something we need to do daily. To carry the cross causes us to focus our attention on Christ. It means laying down our will, our desires, our dreams. It forces us to stop thinking about ourselves. It causes us to stand out in the crowd and identifies us with Jesus.

Just like Simon, we are 'compelled' to do it but we are often blessed by the things we are compelled to do. We are changed! Scripture says that Simon was the father of Rufus and Alexander. We learn in Romans that Rufus was someone known to the early Church and was a devoted follower of Christ. We can surmise that something happened to Simon that day. He may have been a stranger to the city. He may not have known this 'Jesus' whose cross he was commanded to carry, but in carrying the cross, a transformation took place, one which not only changed his life but also that of his children.

My prayer is that we all put down the popcorn and pick up the cross so we can experience the transforming power of Jesus' love in our lives.

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