The Overwhelming Importance of the Cross of Christ to the Christian Faith

01 Feb 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 2:8.          For by grace are ye saved (you have been saved) through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:        

It’s that day again friends; Sunday, the Lord’s Day, bright, sunshiny and cold, (smile) which means we need to gather in the Lord’s sanctuary, or wherever, so we can fellowship with joy, giving thanks and singing praises to His holy name, while receiving His grace and mercy to strengthen us for another week. And our song of worship today is this time a fairly new one, only written in 2003 by Bob Somma and Bill Batstone, and is most appropriately titled for a time such as this: ‘I come to the Cross.’ 

It’s all about repentance, salvation, grace and mercy, four of the most wonderful and most important things in this rather ungodly world of ours. So, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, sincere, heartfelt mid-tempo version, pouring all we have and are into it. 

Singing: ‘I come to the cross seeking mercy and grace, I come to the cross where You died in my place. Out of my weakness and into Your strength, Humbly, I come to the cross. I come to the cross seeking mercy and grace, I come to the cross where You died in my place. Out of my weakness and into Your strength, Jesus, I come to the cross. Your arms are open, You call me by name, You welcome this child that was lost. You paid the price for my guilt and my shame, Jesus, I come, Jesus I come, Jesus, I come to the cross. 

I come to the cross seeking mercy and grace, I come to the cross where You died in my place. Out of my weakness and into Your strength, Jesus, I come to the cross. Jesus, I come, Jesus I come, Jesus, I come to the cross Your arms are open, You call me by name, You welcome this child that was lost. You paid the price for my guilt and my shame, Jesus, I come, Jesus I come, Jesus, I come to the cross Jesus, I come to the cross…Jesus, I come to the cross….’ 

Oh my people, that was wonderful! Anyone hearing it would know that we were truly sincere, and the words we sang came directly from the depths of our hearts. And they ought to, since Jesus made Himself to be such a selfless sacrifice on our behalf, on the cross at Calvary. It’s on that dreadful cross that Jesus paid for our sins, through His shed innocent blood. That’s why the cross is such an important aspect of our faith, and Christians ought to venerate it much more than they do since it was through it that we received the wonderful options of salvation and eternal life. 

If Jesus had not died there, and paid our sin debt in full, we would never be able to talk about those things, much less stuff like mercy and grace. Note the opening line of the song: ‘I come to the cross seeking mercy and grace, I come to the cross where You died in my place.’ And that’s the place where every believer ought to bow their knees and give everlasting thanks to Christ. That’s where our journey ought to begin and end…at the cross of Calvary! For everything else pales in comparison to it. 

We have salvation, forgiveness of sins and eternal life with the Father because of the cross. We also have grace, which is God’s undeserved divine favour because of the cross. For as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are ye saved (you have been saved) through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:8-9) In other words, only through faith in Jesus Christ’s completed work on the cross can we acquire that saving grace. God gives it freely when we believe in His Son Jesus Christ. No works of ours can save us. 

Bruh Paul explains it to the Colossians, as being dead to the world yet alive. ‘And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh (spiritual not physical circumcision), hath he quickened (made alive) together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (certificate of debt with its decrees), which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way nailing it to his cross.’ 

And what does all of that mean? Simply that God through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, gave us new spiritual life. And the handwriting of ordinances refers to the Mosaic Law, which the Jews had contracted to obey, and to which the Gentiles by conscience were obligated. But owing to man’s inability to fulfill this obligation of obedience, he was therefore indebted to God. However, through Christ this debt was graciously blotted out.’ 

All praise, honour, thanks and glory to God for doing that! He must have LOVED us a whole lot, for the Bible tells us: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Yes, although we deserved God’s judgement for our sinfulness, Christ died in our place. What a great God we serve my people! 

And I like how the song talks about:’ Out of my weakness and into Your strength, Jesus, I come to the cross.’ That reminds us of the Lord’s words to Bruh Paul when he asked three times to have a thorn removed from his flesh. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a) 

And as this commentary explains: ‘It means that when human strength fails and weakness is acknowledged, God’s grace and power are most fully displayed and effective. It shifts focus from self-reliance to dependence on divine strength, allowing, as Paul did, for boasting in limitations so that Christ’s power may rest upon the believer.’  Now, let’s not forget these most meaningful words of the song. ‘Your arms are open, You call me by name, You welcome this child that was lost. You paid the price for my guilt and my shame,’ 

Yes friends, Jesus surely did it all, and His arms are open wide, as we can see from  the Great invitation He extends to all the lost, and weary: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt. 11:29) Who else offers such an invitation eh? No one but Jesus! So, on this first day of February in this new year of 2026, it behooves all who call themselves Christians to pay serious attention to the emblem of our faith; the cross of Christ, to bow before it and cherish it with heartfelt respect and LOVE, for it’s the essence of our very lives, both physical and spiritual. Much LOVE!

…oh the cross…the cross…but for the cross… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Jesus; Our Creator, Controller, and Redeemer of All Mankind!

02 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Job 19:25.       For I know that my redeemer (kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.

Come on down friends, it’s Sunday once again, that means despite the cold weather, (smile) it’s time to join in fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary with other believers and renew and restore your faith and confidence in Almighty God, through worship, prayer and the reading of His Holy Word! And on tap for today’s worship session is an old 18th century hymn written by ex-army officer turned pastor, Samuel Medley (1738-1799). We know it as the old faithful ‘I know that My Redeemer Lives.’ 

And surely He does, for Jesus Christ after offering once and for all time, His sinless life as a sacrifice for our redemption is alive and kicking, sitting at the right hand of the throne of God waiting for His enemies to be made his footstool. (Heb. 12-13) So, in sweet sacrifices of praise, let’s offer up this champion song in gratitude to our Lord and Saviour, in a soulful but joyful mid-tempo version, revealing from the depths of our hearts, that we truly believe what we’re singing. 

As one joyful and grateful voice: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives! What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives, he lives, who once was dead; he lives, my ever-living head! He lives triumphant from the grave; he lives eternally to save; he lives all-glorious in the sky; he lives exalted there on high. He lives to bless me with his love; he lives to plead for me above; he lives my hungry soul to feed; he lives to help in time of need. 

He lives to grant me rich supply; he lives to guide me with his eye; he lives to comfort me when faint; he lives to hear my soul’s complaint. He lives to silence all my fears; he lives to wipe away my tears; he lives to calm my troubled heart; he lives all blessings to impart. He lives, my kind, wise, heav’nly friend; he lives and LOVES me to the end; he lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing; he lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King. 

He lives and grants me daily breath; he lives, and I shall conquer death; he lives my mansion to prepare; he lives to bring me safely there. He lives, all glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives! He lives; all glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives!’ 

And if you don’t truly know and believe that friends, then I’d say you’re in a spot of bother, and ought to get it fixed right away, for all that the song says of Jesus is true, and the Bible proves it. And we can begin with this assured confirmation from the mouth of the patriarch Job. After the Lord had humiliated him, and his supposed friends were crying him down, he turned on them and proclaimed: ‘For I know that my redeemer (kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.’ (Job 19:25) 

Oh my people, let’s hope that we’re all as sure of those two facts as Job was…our Redeemer lives, and He will be standing beside us on the last day! I like how the scholars put it; ‘But from the depths of degradation he (Job) expresses the confidence that if his case could be recorded for posterity (vs. 23-24), future generations would judge him favourably. Furthermore, he knows confidently that he has a Redeemer. One who will champion his cause and vindicate him. Clearly Job viewed God Himself as the Redeemer.’ 

And it so happens that Job’s words were saved for posterity, and we do judge him favourably, and Jesus Christ has redeemed us all, through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary.  And the word ‘redeemer’ has been used of God all through the Old Testament, for example in Psalm 19:14, a verse which we all know well. Bruh David writes: ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.’ 

Isaiah also talks about it when he reminds Israel on God’s behalf that although they were sinful and disobedient, God will not forget them. “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.’ (Is. 44: 22-23) 

Now that’s exactly what we should be doing; singing, breaking forth in true joy, or as Psalm 150 says; ‘Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah)!’ (Ps. 150:6) That’s because the Lord our God has most definitely redeemed us through His Son Jesus Christ! And of a fact, Salvation is the greatest gift our God could ever have given us sinful ingrates! 

And who can deny these poignant and powerful words on the subject of redemption that Jesus spoke to Martha, Lazarus’ sister before He raised Lazarus from the dead. ‘Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26) 

Now friends, that’s a most important question we should all be asking ourselves, and if the answer is no, then get to changing it immediately! And Bruh Paul made it very clear to the Ephesians that their redemption in God, was brought about through Jesus Christ: ‘In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ (Eph. 1:7) 

And we could not end with better verses of scripture on the subject of redemption, than these three from the Epistle of Titus. ‘Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people (his own special people), zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.’  (Titus: 2:13-15) 

What more can I say friends, but exhort us to go and do as the apostle says, if we consider ourselves true believers. Much LOVE!

…Jesus became the Redeemer of mankind…because He was the ONLY One capable of doing it…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien