Tozer on the Cross

People want the benefits of the cross, but yet they do not want to bow to the control of the cross. They want to take all the cross can offer but they don't want to be under the lordship of Jesus.

Smith on Preaching

The death to self that is demanded of the preacher works life in his people. In this way, the preacher becomes like Christ, who died so that we might live. If we do not die, they do not live. (18).

An obsession with style will actually be counterproductive to the Gospel message (52).

For a preacher to die, he must die to his right to be thought of as a great preacher (53).

Paul is suggesting a horrific, criminal irony: the means of preaching displaces the message of preaching (74).

Preaching ourselves, even in small inconsequential ways, can be the few small lumens that keep people from the true satisfying glorious light of Christ (74).

Death is in the pew because few are willing to die in the pulpit (88).

We are redeemed rebels who are calling other rebels to be redeemed. We are no longer managing our image. No. We have thrown off our robes and are taking the long walk outside the city. We are looking up at the thrashed corpse and taking a stand-this is who we are! We are cross bearers because we are cross lovers (98).

Calvin on True Faith

We hold God alone to be the sole governor of our souls, that we hold his law to be the only rule and spiritual directory of our consciences, not serving him according to the foolish inventions of men; and that according to his nature would be worshipped in spirit and in purity of heart. We acknowledge that there is nothing but wretchedness in ourselves, and that we are corrupt in all our feelings and affections, so that our souls are a very abyss of iniquity, utterly despairing of ourselves. And that, having exhausted every presumption of our own wisdom, worth or power of well doing, we must have recourse to the fountain of every blessing, which is in Christ Jesus, accepting that which he confers on us, that is the merit of his death and passion, that by this means we might be reconciled to God.

Tim Chester on Gospel Living

Christians are united by faith with Christ in his death and resurrection. This is the basis of our salvation: his death is our death that he bears in our place and his new life is our new life. But this union with Christ in his death and resurrection is also the basis for the way we live our lives as Christians.

1. Suffering followed by glory

‘Then [Paul and Barnabas] returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.’ (Acts 14:21-22)

‘Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.’ (Romans 8:17-18)

In this present life we follow the way of the cross. Jesus said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Everywhere you look in the New Testament the cross of Jesus (more than the life of Jesus) defines what it means to live as Christ. It can be summarised with five Ss:

•sacrifice
•submission
•self-denial
•service
•suffering
Reflection
The way of cross impacts both our big life choices and our small daily actions: from martyrdom to washing up. Identify what the way of the cross will mean for you in the next five minutes? Five hours? Five days? Five months? Five years?


We follow the way of the cross because it leads to resurrection glory. We live sacrificially because we are living for a glorious inheritance kept in heaven for us. (See Matthew 6:19-21 and Hebrews 11:24-26 and 12:1-3.)


In the meantime we cannot expect glory without the cross (see Mark 10:35-45).

Peter concludes his first letter by saying that he has written ‘encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God’ (5:12). What is this true grace of God? ‘And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Peter 5:10-11) The true grace of God, the grace that makes him ‘the God of all grace’, consists of this: he has called to eternal glory after we have suffered a little while. Suffering followed by glory. The pattern of suffering and glory in the experience of Christ (1:11) is the experience of all believers (1:6-7; 4:13; 5:1-6, 10).

Peter needs to write to confirm that this is the true grace of God, because there are false versions of grace. There are versions of grace that promise glory without suffering.

Bob Kaufman on Worship

One of the drums I will never tire of beating is this: All biblical worship is rooted in and made possible by the cross of Christ. Most churches could stand to be much clearer and more consistent when it comes to highlighting the gospel in song. I said it this way in my book, Worship Matters:
The gospel is not merely one of many possible themes we can touch on as we come to worship God. It is the central and foundational theme. All our worship originates and is brought into focus at the cross of Jesus Christ.
Glorying in Jesus Christ means glorying in his cross. That doesn?t mean looking at some icon or two pieces of wood nailed together. Nor does it imply that every song we sing has the word cross in it. It has little to do with church gatherings that are more like a funeral than a celebration.
The cross stands for all that was accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. It focuses on his substitutionary death at Calvary but includes everything that gave meaning to that act. His preexistent state in glory. His incarnation. His life of perfect obedience. His suffering. His resurrection. His ascension. His present intercession and reign in glory. His triumphant return.
I will always plead that worship pastors lead gospel-centered worship that is characterized by:
? an awareness that the cross/gospel should be referenced somewhere in the time of singing.
? viewing the gospel as our primary motivation for praising God.
? helping people understand that only Jesus enables us to approach God - not music, musicians, worship leaders, or particular worship songs.
? encouraging congregations to be most enthusiastic about the theme the Bible is the most enthusiastic about - the Lamb of God who was slain.
When the Gospel Loses Its Power
But I?ve learned that we can practice gospel-centered corporate worship in a way that is more obligatory than faith-filled. What once magnified the glory of Christ becomes lifeless repetition. My friend, Jon Payne, shared some thoughts with me on this topic that I found helpful. He pointed out that a formulaic approach to gospel-centered worship can lead to some of the following problems:
? thinking every song should be exclusively about justification, boldness before the throne, or our sins being completely forgiven.
? thinking every song list should climax with a ?gospel? song.
? an inability to reference or articulate uniquely other aspects of the gospel - adoption, reconciliation, union with Christ, etc.
? a scarcity of other themes in our songs such as the wisdom of God, the eternity of God, the power of God, the incarnation, the kingship of Christ, heaven.
? worshiping a doctrine rather than allowing that doctrine to lead us to a living Savior. We are not ?crowning the gospel with many crowns.?
Leading gospel-centered worship in a faithless way can lead to some bad fruit:
? the gospel and the Savior lose glory in the eyes of bored worshipers.
? People develop a limited view of God and his attributes.
? People don?t learn how to apply the gospel to other areas of life/Biblical themes.
? The gospel becomes a crude, repetitive tool of truth rather than a lens for all of life.
? People think an explicit reference to the gospel reference makes their worship acceptable, rather than trust in a crucified and living Savior.
? Rather than expecting to encounter God because of the gospel people come expecting to repeat faithless facts.
The gospel of our Savior must never cease to be amazing in people?s eyes. It?s our responsibility as leaders to make sure, as the Puritans said, that we always ?labor to be affected by the cross.? That?s the best way of insuring that the gospel will never lose its power in our songs, or more importantly, in our lives.
May our understanding, practice, and leadership always cause people to have a greater love for the Savior who died to redeem them and reconcile them to God.