You had no hope, now you do. Texas is a big land. For that matter, the West is vast and needs men with hope.”
–D.C. Adkisson (Mal de Ojo)

“Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.”
–1 Peter 1:21 (NLT)
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“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Oh, that old rugged cross so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.”

Tremendous words written by George Bennard that we never hear anymore. Shame, there is such truth and such feeling within those words. Since the church has become more “enlightened” it has cast aside these treasures.
That cross truly is despised by the world. It is the cross that divides the world. Accept Jesus, His death, followed by the victory given in the resurrection and there is life eternal. Man cannot earn or make his own salvation; it only comes through the grace that was given because of the death of Jesus on the cross. The Cross represents the atonement, the propitiation, the substitution, the redemption for our souls.
No matter what happens in life–cling to the old rugged cross.

The world is out of joint or maybe I just don’t fit in.”
–Zane Grey (Wyoming)

“Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.”
–2 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT)
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“The Bible sets forth two things–the Cross and the Throne.
The Old Testament points toward the Cross.
The Gospels tell the story of the Cross.
The Epistles point toward the Throne.
The Revelation tells the story of the Throne.
The Old Testament tells us what sin leads to, and ends with the words, ‘Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.’ (Malachi 4:6)
The New Testament shows us the way out of sin, and ends thus, ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.’ (Revelation 22:21)”
–D. L. Moody

That may be a little simple, but we are now living in the day after the Cross. Salvation is always by grace and the people prior to Christ were looking for a Redeemer. The Redeemer has come; this week we celebrate the remembrance of the Cross.
The night before the Cross there was the “last supper” where Christ was illustrating what would soon be happening. He made mention that He would not eat with them again in this setting until He returned. However, after the Cross was Saturday. It was a day that should be pointing to the resurrection, but oh, ye of little faith.
In one sense, the earth was smitten with a curse. Jesus said He came to bring a sword, and that those against Him would be smitten with a curse.
So, today, Thursday, take time to look at the “last supper, and the events that led to the Cross, especially the suffering of Jesus. Then Saturday, put yourself in the place of the disciples, but remember, “Sunday’s comin'”
The resurrection should also remind us that Jesus is not slack on His promise. As the New Testament points to the Throne, and we are living in the New Testament period, the next thing we should be looking for is His return.

It had been given me that I live in the moment, with an awareness heightened by every impression of the senses…. Most people exist in an emptiness between memory anticipation, but never live in the moment.”
–Louis L’Amour (Kiowa Trail)

“Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”
–Ephesians 5:16-17 (NLT)
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I wonder how many will take time this week, not just to follow ritual, but in doing so take time to reverently think of the last days of Jesus, the man. One of the things that the deconstructions/postmodernists have succeeded in doing is the tearing down of reverence. I have mentioned it from time-to-time on the Echo, but this Sunday it really hit me.
There was a time when special clothes were kept to be worn only on Sunday or other special occasions. We have now come to the time when you can wear to church what you wore on Saturday’s fishing trip. Sure, God looks at the heart, but man looks on the outward. Also it is important to remember that the outward appearance very often reflects the heart.
I am not speaking of a clothesline, legalistic aspect. I am speaking of revering God as the great Almighty God of the universe. We wear to church what could never be worn in a courtroom without being found in contempt of court. I recall the last time I was called for jury duty. A “kid” showed up in shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops. He was found in contempt, sent home, warned that if he showed up like that when recalled that he would be arrested.
I might ask, what is man’s purpose? What is his ultimate duty? Scripture declares that it is to “Fear God, and obey His commandments.” The Shorter Westminster Catechism states, “To glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.” Worship Him wherever you are, in whatever you are wearing, but there is a time to dress properly before meeting before the Judge of the earth.
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What about these teenagers (and I use that guarded, because many of their speeches have been written by adults) proclaiming their 1st Amendment rights in marching for gun-control? Hmmm, protesting against the 2nd Amendment which protects their rights in the 1st Amendment. Somehow, that just doesn’t make sense.
They are wanting “gun-control.” There are many, many gun control laws. However, it is the person holding the gun that controls it. Most of those whining-babies don’t even know the laws. Try to purchase a gun and see what it is like.
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What do you think of ‘possums? It is the only marsupial in North America, but for most people they have a creepy look. If you watched the “Beverly Hillbillies” you may recall Granny saying she was fixin’ up some possum belly. I’ve eaten it, and don’t care for it myself. But I came across a few little facts I thought I’d pass on about ‘possums.
–It is a hero against ticks. It can eat up to 4,000 ticks in a week.
–They are immune to the venom of poisonous snakes.
–Their body temperature is so low that it is very rare for them to get rabies.
Know what, after giving you this information? I still don’t like the way they look, and you can eat all the ‘possum belly you want, I’ll pass.
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Ponder This: “As I look back upon the work of Jesus, I find there untiring labor joined with unruffled calm.” –George H. Morrison

Don’t hang on to your fear. Let yourself hope. It is only brave people who find life beautiful.”
–William MacLeod Raine (Challenge to Danger)

“I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land.”
–Leviticus 26:6 (NLT)
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If you ever get the chance, read some of the sermons by William E. Sangster, do so. He was an amazing preacher during the 20th-century. Ponder these thoughts from his pen.

“Sin is deadly. It is the one thing God won’t tolerate. The war between good and evil is to the death. And you lend yourself to sin without knowing what a dirty enterprise you have sold yourself…until you see that cross…. So it is with sin. You can discuss it academically. You can even argue whether there is such a thing or not, or whether it is all the imagination of moralists. But then go and look at the cross. It does that. It is the most deadly thing known to God and man. It would slay the body and damn the soul. It is hell’s worst. You can see it when you gaze upon the cross.”

Remember the old saying, “You play with fire, you’re gonna get burned.” The same thing is true of sin. It is nothing to play with. In fact we are told to flee, to run, to avoid, to stay away from all aspects of sin. Why play with sin, when God won’t tolerate it?
There was a student a few years ago that wanted to discuss the issue of gays. I said, no. He then said that I was “homophobic” to which I replied, that I wasn’t afraid of them, it wasn’t a fear that I had. Then I answered him, why should I talk of, dwell upon something that God calls an abomination? Sin is deadly and not to be played with.
Smart people have developed all kinds of programs to deal with the failure of man; they will not call it sin. However, these programs all fail. They do not take into account the only thing that will change sin, that can deal with it effectively and that is the Cross.
If we could really see sin the way God does. If we could really see what took place upon the Cross where the Son of God hung, died, and bore the sins of mankind. If we could just…then we would see the deadliness of sin.
This Easter season, take PLENTY of time to gaze upon the Cross.