This The Power of the Cross

As someone who loves the doctrines of grace, I tend to place the focus on how undeserving I am to have been predestined, plucked out of my hell-bound way, and given saving faith through the power of the Holy Spirit. But in that focus, I've often forgotten to look to who and what our saving faith is placed in, the person and work of Jesus Christ, and more specifically the cross of Christ.

"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." - Galatians 6:14

Our Pastor John Grevious delivered a wonderful reminder this Sunday that the believer's only boast should be in the cross of Christ. In doing so he led us to sing the modern hymn "The Power of the Cross" and reminded us that one form of boasting is also to glory in.

In singing that hymn, I found that my heart and soul were doing just that, glorying in the cross. I'm sad to say it's something that I don't do as often as I should, so I'd love to encourage you also, as we consider the verses of this hymn, to glory along with me - what happened at the cross?

• Christ, tried by sinful men: The Judge of the living and the dead allowed Himself to be tried by sinful men. He humbled Himself to the point of death, even the despicable death on the cross.
• Christ became sin for us: The only righteous man, the God-Man who is by nature thrice holy, became sin for us.
• He bore the awesome weight of sin: Jesus swallowed up, to the very dregs, the eternal hell deserved by sinful man. He bore and endured on our behalf the fullness of the wrath of the Almighty.
• Daylight fled, the ground quaked, as Christ died, nailed to a tree: The Creator of all creation, was nailed to a tree. The Giver of Life died, and the His created earth quaked and light fled in response.
• Curtain torn in two, "finished" the victory cry: The great chasm of separation between a holy God and His sinful people, set up that we may not die in His presence, was bridged by the life and death of the perfect God-Man. Hundreds of years of sacrifices which symbolized the deadly cost of sin, and pointed to the spotless sacrifice to come, were fulfilled, and salvation wrought for all who believe upon His name. Justification is finished, you cannot work for it.
• Dead are raised to life, death is crushed to death: At Christ's crucifixion, some dead were brought to life, to point to the reality that in the resurrection, Jesus Christ defeated death. In this, we see the power of the promise of eternal life in the presence of our King. 

Lord knows we could go on and on, but in this one hymn I've been so blessed to think on the magnificence of what we see on the cross. May our boast truly be in none other than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.