Scripture:
Mark 8:31-38:
This morning a few minutes before
our worship service I noticed two of our preschool children running around and
each were pulling behind them long chains. They were not big heavy chains but
they were chains nonetheless. I
immediately thought of how so many of us are pulling behind us or we are in
bondage to things in this world that weigh us down and keep up enslaved.
Our sin had, as it were,
kidnapped up and put us in a prison of our own making, far from GOD, in the
chains of iniquity, under GOD’s holy wrath, and powerless to free
ourselves. One of the images the Bible
uses for our liberation is ransom.
Read Psalm 49:7-8: “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to
GOD the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never
suffice.” But GOD goes on in verse 5 and
says, “But GOD will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol.” Man can’t but GOD can and GOD will!
This is what is happening as
JESUS plots His death on the way to Jerusalem. The Son of Man came to give His life as a
ransom for many. This is all GOD’s
idea. It’s not JESUS against GOD. It’s GOD through JESUS. GOD wants us to see through His redemptive
plan His great love for us. (v. 32-33).
In v. 34 JESUS is trying to
explain, treasure Me more than your own comfort and your own safety. The opposite of self-denial is the idol of
self-gratification, and the opposite of cross-bearing is the idol of
self-preservation. You will have your
life forever if you treasure Me enough to lose it for My sake (v. 35).
If you gain the whole world by
valuing it above JESUS—by being more proud of it than of Him—it won’t be able
to save you in the end. There is nothing
you can pay for your soul when you have scorned what JESUS has
accomplished. Gaining the whole world
will be of no use to you (V. 36). In v.
37 JESUS says, there’s nothing you can give in return for your soul.
Do you hear JESUS’ cry for us to
get it, “if you’re not proud of Me and you don’t cherish Me and what I did for
you—if you want to put yourself with the goats that value their reputation in
the goat herd more than they value me—then that’s the way I will view you when
I come. You will perish with the people
who consider Me an embarrassment.
JESUS paid it all . . . all to
Him I owe . . .
JESUS is Risen . . . !
Richard Holloman
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