Holy is His Name, Holy is His Will, Holy is His Cross

Article for September 14, 2005

1 Corinthians 1:18–19 18The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

This world is full of wise want-a-bees, not that they are wise but that they think they can pull the wool over many eyes.  It is unfortunate that many fall for these tricksters of speech and believe them.  Evil lurks in smoothing talk and many fall to the soft sound of a lie.

I myself do not think I am wise; my problem is that I am a genius want-a-be.  Don’t worry, I don’t know a lot and my brain is already full.  Ok, worry.  Just kidding!

The cross, which really is a dark business, becomes a symbol of light.  Bugs are irritating to say the least, and most would probably say they represent the evil in our world.  Notice how the light becomes their folly and the light for us is a friend.  The cross is folly to those who are perishing and the only way for them to understand the means of the cross is going to Jesus Christ.

Jesus died on the cross, but He died for our sake, that is those who deserve the cross are saved by this act of mercy given to us through Christ Jesus.  It becomes folly to those perishing through their disbelief, and through their power struggle against God.  Who in this world is truly wise, and who in this world is truly a cunning liar?  Tis power that corrupts, tis the power hungry who works their cunning web to fool and catch the unsuspecting butterfly.

1 Corinthians 1:20–21 20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

Believe in God and be weary of those who promise everything and have no way of giving it to you.  God does not promise an easy life to any who sin.  Be it true that there were non-sinners, life would not be any easier as they live with sinners all around them.  But truth be told all are sinners and all have weeds and thistles to deal with in life.

God promised to save us, this is true.  But our salvation and joyful life comes when we follow Him and He gets us through our toil.  And we give God the glory for getting us through our toil.  And our salvation comes when we enter our eternal life and relationship with Him, that is Christ Jesus.  It is not the fault of God that we suffer, but the fault of our own sinful nature.

Many people want to blame others when they can only blame themselves.  We choose how to process our consequences for our sin, and we sometimes try to pass the blame to get through those consequences.  Not one person that passes the blame to God or others, truthfully alleviates their grief.  Truthfully, they add to their grief and mourn that much more.  But the one who can be honest with themselves, and others, have a means to repent and show favor in the heart of God.

1 Corinthians 1:22–25 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

God’s wisdom is to know our plight with sin and teach us of His gospel through Jesus Christ and the importance of the cross for all who have sinned.  This wisdom God gives us from the cross should make us look at the cross as something given that has become perfect.  The cross has become holy as it was used to free us from the clutches of sin and law.

This is Holy Cross Day.  This is a time to look upon the cross of Jesus which was made up by the sin of the world past, present and future.  The time is now that we can put all of our sins upon the cross that Jesus died on and not only died but in essence put to death, death, which is the punishment for all sin. 

This is a time to look at the cross and repent in the joy of knowing Jesus took our sin to its grave.  This is a time to rejoice that through the defeat of death Jesus was resurrected to bring us a true passage to everlasting life and eternal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the true Son of God, begotten not made. 

John 12:27 27“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose, I have come to this hour.

In this statement, Jesus tells those who are listening, that the plan all along is about salvation.  This is the true love of God, salvation.  God intended from the time of Adam and Eve to perfect a means of true salvation through a true life of eternity.  We are cleansed through our Baptism and through the Holy Cross of Jesus as He gives us His Body and blood, which He gave up on the Cross.  Holy is His Name, Holy is His Will, Holy is His Cross.

John 12:28 28Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

      Jesus will be glorified again in the same way He was resurrected from the grave into life.  Jesus will return alive as He comes to claim all believers.  This is all done to glorify God’s name as He gives us His glory in our eternal lives. 

Amen.