Brown's Daily Word 3-11-11

Praise the Lord for this Friday. Spring is almost here. Let us remember to spring forward (on our clocks) one hour this Saturday night. Plan to be in the House of the Lord wherever you might be. The secular culture that has rebelled against the ways of the Lord focuses on a path of human justification and self-righteousness This life style promotes the theme of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps". A common theme in our culture encourages people to dig in and get the job done. Foolishly, people feel that they can atone for their own sins, and then hold their heads up high, proud of personal accomplishment. They try and do “good” to cover the hardness of their own hearts. Many find the path satisfying and pleasing for awhile, but they eventually realize that the road leads to destruction, absolute emptiness, and abject despair.
In this Lenten season, we focus on the way of the Cross. This path does not gleam with the glitter of fame, accomplishment, or a rising self-esteem. This path is splattered with the blood, sweat, and tears of Another. To some it would appear to be the path of defeat and surrender, not victory and valor. On this path there is no room for pride or arrogance. There are no class distinctions, no self-satisfied soldiers who claim the victory. All of those who travel this path know their absolute spiritual bankruptcy, they are all too familiar with their own depravity, and they are well acquainted with their moral degeneracy.
Paul’s letter to the Galatians was written to friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ, and he urged them to reject the path of human justification and self-righteousness, and continue on the path of mercy and grace, to walk in the Spirit. "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14 NIV)
Let those who are self-righteous glory in their outward show for the masses, but we will glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word, “boast” in Greek means, “to glory or praise.” It is not “boasting” as we think about bragging or boasting today. Paul said that he would glory in the shame of the cross. That which is a shame and an embarrassment to so many in our society was Paul’s glory and the object of His praise.
Paul said that the world has been crucified to him and that he had been crucified to the world. The “world,” written about by Paul, is not the physical world full of plants, trees, animals, flowing rivers, and galaxies beyond our reach, but it is the world’s system. Paul wrote about the ways of the world, the fruit of the flesh, the manners and customs of those who live to please themselves and justify themselves. Paul had become dead to that kind of thinking, that kind of living, that type of religion. It is not that they no longer had and influence on Paul, but that all those things had lost their power to hold him captive as they once did.
Paul considered everything he had ever done that he could pride himself in as nothing. Paul considered everything he had ever accomplished as nothing. It is not that what he had done was nothing, but in comparison to knowing Jesus—it was all junk, worthless junk.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:18, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God". (1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV)
Paul also wrote to the Colossians, saying, "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.
He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Colossians 2:13-15 NIV)
We were dead in our sins and yet God has made us alive in Christ.
I love the way John Bunyan depicts the power of the Cross in his epic drama"

"Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which Christian was to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called Salvation. Isaiah 26:1. Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back.
He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.

Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, "He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death." Then he stood still a while, to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks. Zech. 12:10. Now as he stood looking and weeping, behold, three Shining Ones came to him, and saluted him with, "Peace be to thee." So the first said to him, "Thy sins be forgiven thee," Mark 2:5; the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with change of raiment, Zech. 3:4; the third also set a mark on his forehead, Eph. 1:13, and gave him a roll with a seal upon it, which he bid him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the celestial gate: so they went their way. Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing,

"Thus far did I come laden with my sin,
Nor could aught ease the grief that I was in,
Till I came hither. What a place is this!
Must here be the beginning of my bliss?
Must here the burden fall from off my back?
Must here the strings that bound it to me crack?
Blest cross! blest sepulchre! blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sKcw9_PQYA



Fundraiser at Phil's Chicken House, Monday, March 14th from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the downstairs dining room. This will benefit the Union Center United Methodist Church Youth Group to allow them to attend Youth Retreats. The buffet is $9:99 and includes choices of dessert. Menu items can also be ordered. 10% of all income will be donated to the Youth. Please come out to support this good cause.



Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott

Saturday, March 12, 2011
6 PM Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Laureen Naik
Speaker: Rev. Bill Turner