The Power of the Cross with Alistair Begg
Today we get to hear from Alistair Begg as he shares about his conviction for sharing the gospel and seeing Jesus in the Scriptures. We pray that this episode grows your love for the man on the middle cross, and that it encourages you to share that love and the truth of the gospel with others.
NOTES & QUOTES
“Whether it is in the dying embers of somebody's life, God's grace is still operative.”
“Whether it is in the life of a lady who's been essentially looking for love in all the wrong places and feels herself to be a bit of an outcast and has got no idea just really how she's going to fulfill the longings of her heart, she encounters the grace of God in the person of Jesus.”
“The man who was unable to do anything for himself when it came to physicality, helped by his friends to meet Jesus, then makes the discovery that what he thinks is the big issue of his life is a big issue of his life, but it's not the big issue of his life.”
“It is the discovery. The woman suddenly discovers, ‘God knows me, Jesus knows who I am.’ The man on the cross realizes that Jesus listens to him and responds to him. And the man on the bed realizes that Jesus is able to point to what his greatest need is. And his greatest need is not unique to him. What is unique to him is that he's paralyzed. I’m not paralyzed, but the paralysis of my soul as a sinner before a holy God is the paralysis concerning which I need help.”
“It is never too late as long as the grace of God is extended to us in Jesus.”
“Jesus hangs between two thieves. When we read the gospel records we realize that they are not immediately amenable to the man on the middle cross. One in particular seems to be the most outspoken. ‘If you are the Messiah, then prove it. Get down from the cross and get us down as well.’ And the amazing thing about grace is that both of these men were essentially in equal position before Jesus. Both of them presumably were able to hear the words of Jesus, ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’ They were able to hear the great cry that came from Jesus, ‘Tetelestai. It is finished.’ Both of them, both of them. But it is only one of them who says to his friend, ‘You know, we shouldn't keep talking like this because after all, we are up here getting what we deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ And it is in that moment of seeing that the grace of God penetrates this guy's mind and heart. And that's why he then says, ‘Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And of course, Jesus doesn't say, ‘Well, I guess when finally the kingdom is finished.’ No, he says, ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’”
“I don't care if you've been a pastor for 100 years, if you're a great soul winner, if you're a church organist or whatever else it is. We're all going to make our entry on the strength, not on what we have done or even ultimately on what has been done in us, but on account of what has been done for us.”
“The Bible is a book about Jesus, right? And so when we take our eyes off Jesus, we lose our way around the Bible.”
“It's the Word of God that does the work of God by the Spirit of God in the lives of the people of God.”
“Despite all the advances of modern technology, all of our abilities graphically to do all kinds of things, the preaching of the Bible remains unique insofar as it's just not a small group Bible study. This is not share your view on this passage. This is one individual standing up speaking to young and old, rich and poor, fat and thin, bright and dumb. And it's not because of who he is, it's because of what he does, because the Word of God lights into our darkness. Now that is true in our whole Bible study. It's true in a one-on-one situation. But it is in some senses uniquely true because that is the way that God has planned it. And that is why when he ascends on high and he gives gifts to men, part of his gifting is not only evangelists, but also pastors and teachers to edify the saints so that they in turn will do the works of ministry.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What is your response right now to hearing the gospel as Alistair shared it?
Have you ever had the opportunity to share the gospel with someone? What has that been like?
Is there someone in your life whom you might consider sharing the gospel with?
How has sitting under the preached Word of God changed you? How have you grown from experiencing the preached Word?
What might you do or implement based on what you learned in this week’s episode?
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IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
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