The Cross: God’s Way of Salvation, “The Acid Test”
https://www.monergism.com/acid-test
Galatians 6:14 “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ...”
The cross is an offence to the pride of the natural man, because it says that not only are we all sinners, not only are we all equally sinners, but it tells us that we are all equally helpless. We can do nothing at all. It tells us that all our righteousness is but as filthy rags. All we regard as best is dung and refuse, and absolutely useless. And it tells us, who believe in ourselves and in our capacity, that we can do nothing. That we are utterly and completely helpless and entirely hopeless. And here it offends us and it hurts us, it damns all our efforts, it is an offence to the mind and to the heart. And it is equally an offence to the will of man. It tells him: I do not care what your will is, I do not care how powerful your will. I do not care what your resolutions are. Do all you will, you will never save yourself.
The Christian not only glories in the cross, he glories in the cross alone. He glories in nothing else.
Hear Isaac Watts putting it:
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God.
The test of the Christian is that he glories in (the cross), he exults in it, he boasts of it. It is everything to him, without it he has nothing. He owes all to this, this cross is the centre of his universe in every respect.
When I survey the wondrous Cross,
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
What do I see there on the cross? I see one who is sinless, who has never sinned, who gives perfect obedience to his Father in all things. He is innocent, pure and clean. He is altogether without sin. But I see the sinless one being punished. I see one who is utterly and entirely innocent dying for those who are evil and vile and unworthy. Dying for sinners, dying for rebels, dying for his own enemies. (Romans 5:6-10, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 3:18)
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Do you really believe that the Son of God came down from heaven and died on that cross for you? If you really believe it and see what it means, well, it is everything to you. It is either everything or else it is nothing. Are you glorying in the cross, my friend?
"The Glory of the Cross", on Galatians 6:14. Audio which includes the two Pastoral Prayers, 3 Hymns, and Lloyd-Jones' Scripture reading of Ephesians 2:1-22. Preached on Sunday evening, November 24, 1963, two days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
"We pray that Thou might visit us in the power of Thy might...Arise and speak Oh Lord...Sober the nations that they might return to Thee...God have mercy upon us...We pray for that young widow and young children."