Yesterday, Sunday, October 2, 2011, was a wonderful day for Paula and me. We visited friends at the New Covenant Community Church which meets in a Rec Center just around the corner from our home. Ryan Gold is the pastor of this small congregation and he, his wife Rachel, and their four children are so very close to our hearts. Over the years, God has given us several younger families to add to our extended family and the Golds are the newest.
As Ryan was preparing us for the Lord's Supper celebration, he mentioned a passage of scripture found in Ephesians 3 which says, "18 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God."
Quickly my mind went to the place where God set in place the both the height and depth of his panoply of all eternity ... that place was Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified. That day when Jesus died would seem to many a terrible day, and it was, except for the fact that He overcame death. His victory has given all who will believe on His name the assurance of eternal life in heaven with Him. Romans 5 tells us of that day and of God's love, " 8 But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners."
Go back with me to the Ephesians passage where it talks about "the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is."
Picture those rugged crossed timbers on which Jesus was nailed to die a horrible death. What do you suppose it was ... 6 feet across and 12 feet long? Maybe, but even at that it was way too small to contain the surpassing greatness of the body of our Lord.
John 3:16 tells us, “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life." Notice that God's love was expressed to the whole world! On that cross, Jesus spread out His arms way past the ends of the timbers to extend the circumference of the whole world! When He cried out to the Father “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” recorded in Matthew 27:46, His heart split open the heavens themselves reaching out to the Father who had turned His back on the Son because of the Sin He bore. That cross was no where tall enough for that "sin-laden" body reaching beyond the stars. Then, as His blood began to flow, it filled the hole which had been dug to drop that cross in. The sins of the world were pounded below that timber, shoved to the pit of hell where they belonged and the blood of Christ sealed them there for all eternity.
The length and width and height and depth of the Love of Christ is beyond our comprehension, however it also is so very close ... close enough to grasp when in simple faith the sinner, separated from God, says, "Lord Jesus, I believe in my heart that you died on that horrible cross for me. I believe that you are God come in the flesh to pay the sacrifice for my sin which I could not pay. I accept your gift of life and ask you to come into my heart and save me!"
This prayer of faith will move you into a whole new existence. If you pray this prayer with all your heart, then I will welcome you into God's family for ever and ever. Comment on this below and I will contact you and encourage you in your new walk of life.
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