HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS
Almost eight years ago, in November, 2014, Newsboys released their seventeenth studio album, titled "Hallelujah For The Cross." Newsboys is a Christian rock band founded in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia in 1985 by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. Now based in Nashville, USA, six of their albums have been certified gold.
The title song of the album "Hallelujah For The Cross," is a rousing anthem of declaration of what Christ accomplished through his death on the cross at Calvary.
The words of the song are well worth reading and meditating upon:
Up to the hill of Calvary
My Saviour went courageously
And there He bled and died for me
Hallelujah for the cross
And on that day the world was changed
A final, perfect lamb was slain
Let earth and heaven now proclaim
Hallelujah for the cross
Hallelujah for the war he fought
Love has won, death has lost
Hallelujah for the souls he bought
Hallelujah for the cross
What good I've done could never save
My debt too great for deeds to pay
But God, my Saviour made a way
Hallelujah for the cross
A slave to sin, my life was bound
But all my chains fell to the ground
When Jesus' blood came flowing down
Hallelujah for the cross
Hallelujah for the war He fought
Love has won, death has lost
Hallelujah for the souls He bought
Hallelujah for the cross
And when I breathe my final breath
I'll have no need to fear that rest
This hope will guide me into death
Hallelujah for the cross
Songwriters: Todd Edgar Wright / Ross Sullivan King / Brandon Todd Wright
The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 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. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the wisdom of the prudent."
Where is the wise [man]? Where is the scribe? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
The cross of Christ is central to the message of the gospel. The Gospel is Good News to everyone who will hear and respond in faith to the invitation from the Lord God to come to repentance from sin in acknowledgment that Jesus died on the cross in our place for our sin, so that we can be reconciled to the Father God. Romans 5:8 tells us: God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus, in speaking about the death He would die on a Roman cross, said in
John 12:32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me."
Probably the best known verse of the New Testament of the Bible is John 3:16, which encapsulates the message of the gospel: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish [in their sins], but have everlasting life.
The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 that: ....all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The Greek word for sin is 'hamartia' which essentially means "to miss the mark." If we think of an archer shooting arrows at a target, it would be as if the arrows never reached the target. They always fell short. That is the picture of the word sin - that in our own efforts, even in our estimation of our goodness and kindness, generosity etc., we can never attain to the standard of God's righteousness. Our sinful nature will always separate us from a holy God. It is only by means of the work of the Holy Spirit indwelling our human spirit at the time of conversion - being "born again," as the Bible says in John 3, that we are able to have fellowship restored with our Father God, through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
Christianity without the cross is just dead religion. Jesus said in John 10:10: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy, (speaking of satan).
I have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
We do not have to look far to see the ravages that satan is accomplishing in humanity, with broken lives, families torn apart, sickness and disease, the rising tide of evil politicians espousing abominable social policies, wars and rumours of wars etc.
The prophet Isaiah, in isaiah 59:19 stated prophetically: So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.
It is very obvious that in these days in which we are living, demonic activity is increasing at an alarming rate, with spiritual darkness being almost palpable at times in the nations, no doubt more so in some cities and nations more than others. The GOOD NEWS is, though, that according to the above mentioned verse in Isaiah, as the rising tide of evil is seen in the world, the Spirit of the LORD, the Holy Spirit is lifting up the STANDARD, the Lord Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life - the answer to the desperate searching of man for hope and freedom in this sin-sick world. As singer/songwriter Andrae Crouch proclaimed in his song from the seventies, "Jesus Is The Answer,":
Jesus is the answer for the world today
Above Him is no other
Jesus is the Way
Jesus is the answer for the world today
Above Him is no other
Jesus is the Way
If you have some questions
In the corners of your mind
And traces of discouragement
And peace you cannot find
Reflections of the old past
They seem to face you every day
There's one thing I do know
That Jesus is the way
I know you got mountains
That you think you cannot climb
I know that your skies have been dark
You think the sun won't shine
In case you don't know
That the word of God is true
And everything that He's promised
He will do it for you
Songwriters: Andrae Crouch / Sandra Crouch
If you have read this blog and would like to become a Christian - to be born again, as Jesus says in John 3:3, `today could be for you the day of salvation. You need to pray a prayer to the Lord God from your heart. You do not have to use eloquent speech. Your prayer could be something like this:
Jesus, I believe you died on the cross, in my place for my sins. Please forgive me for my sin, and set me free from the power and penalty of my sin. I ask you to cleanse me by your blood shed for me on the cross and make me a new person on the inside so that I can have fellowship with you and the Father God, through the Holy Spirit living within me. I want to know you and to live for you. I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer, please tell someone of your commitment to Jesus.
Further to this step, I encourage you to:
Get a Bible if you do not already have one, and start reading one of the Gospels such as John or Mark.
Pray regularly in your own words, from your heart knowing that the Lord will hear you.
Find a Bible-believing church where you can be encouraged and built up in your new found faith, and
Fellowship with other Christians who can encourage you, help answer questions you may have, and help to spur you on in your walk with the Lord
