The Elevator to Paradise

Coral Ridge Ministries

The Elevator to Paradise

Ephesians 2:8-9

September 23, 2024

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast.”

— Ephesians 2:8-9

Mankind inveterately seems to want to do something to earn salvation. They say, “Oh, that is too easy.”

I think of a minister in South Africa who went down into the depths of a mine at lunchtime to preach the Gospel to some of the workers there.

When the foreman heard the message of salvation, he said, “Oh, I don’t believe that. It’s too easy. We have to do our part.”

As they got into the elevator at the bottom of the shaft, the preacher asked, “What do we have to do to get to the surface?”

“Nothing. I just push this button.”

“Surely you have to do something to help pull yourself up.”

“Of course not. The elevator does it all. It was difficult to build, but it lifts us up in just a few seconds. There is nothing we have to do but push the button.”

When God provided for us that “elevator” to Paradise, He did it at infinite cost, a cost which caused Him to bore a hole into the very pit of hell where Christ suffered and died and endured the wrath of God in our place. An infinite price has been paid. But for us, it is free; for us it is easy. It was not easy for Christ when He paid the price. We simply have to get in, and believe, and He will lift us to heaven by faith.

Lord, give us strength for today to treasure the Good News in our hearts. Help us to share it with joy and gratitude. Thank You that You did all the heavy lifting in our salvation…

BY HIS STRENGTH, WE CAN RECEIVE HIS GIFTS.

Christ and Humility

September 30, 2024

“Let nothing be done out of strife or conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself.” — Philippians 2:3 When Paul wrote the church in the Roman outpost of Philippi (in modern day Turkey), there were positive things for which he commended them. But Paul realized that the only flaw that he saw in the Philippian church was a tendency to divisiveness, a tendency which ultimately was going to be destructive to that church. But he did his best to point out to them the danger, the rocks that lay submerged in the path of the ecclesiastical ship at Philippi. In order for them to be of one mind and one accord they had to acquire humility. He wrote to them, “Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Let this mind be in you all, which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:4-5). Jesus humbled Himself by becoming a man. The Second Person of the Trinity took on human flesh. So, He was fully God and fully man. Then He humbled Himself in complete obedience, living a perfect life. Finally, He humbled Himself by dying on the cross. This was a degrading form of execution reserved only for slaves and non-Roman citizens. But God raised Him from the dead and vindicated Him completely. One day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Humility comes before honor. Christ has shown us the way. Lord, You who humbled Yourself so completely and received the name above all names, help me to have a true picture of You and, thus, a true picture of myself, resulting in humility… BY GOD’S STRENGTH AND BY HIS LIGHT, WE CAN SEE OURSELVES CLEARLY.

The Necessity of Humility

September 29, 2024

“The meek will He guide in judgment, and the meek He will teach His way.” — Psalm 25:9 Among the pagans, humility was not a virtue, it was a vice. I think of a man who described himself as a complete pagan. He scorned humility and all Christian virtues as being beneath the dignity of the pagan mind. His name was Adolf Hitler. I remember one time debating a modern humanist atheist on a radio show, and someone called and asked what they should do to become a Christian. I said, “First you need to get down on your knees and repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life.” Well, the host interrupted and said, “No, you should stand on your feet, be proud.” Well, that’s the humanist motto, “Be proud.” You know it is hard when you’re pretending to be a god to be humble, and that’s of course what humanists believe that they are. Lowliness of mind and humility, those are two virtues that are not seen very often. I recall reading about two men who were arguing, and finally one of them despairing of ever changing the mind of the other said, “I can see that I am going to do nothing today to change your mind, but I would prayerfully ask you to prayerfully consider if there might just be a possibility that you could be wrong.” A constant theme of the Bible is that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Paul asks a great question that helps encourage humility: “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). O Lord God Almighty, You are so high and lifted up and yet You dwell with the humble of heart. As I walk with You, please develop in me a true humility that only You can bring. BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN ACQUIRE TRUE HUMILITY.

God’s Part, Man’s Part

September 28, 2024

“Nor do I count my life of value to myself, so that I may joyfully finish my course and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.” — Acts 20:24 Some people think of trusting in God as if they don’t need to do anything else—just sit back on their lazy chair, watch TV or read a book, while God does all the work. Instead, we should take that guarantee of God, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV), and trust in Him. Let me point out to you, that doesn’t mean that you just rest and wait for God to drop all of these blessings down the chimney. It means that you work harder. Look at the Apostle Paul as an example. He was an indefatigable worker, and he never stopped. God used Paul in absolutely great ways because he was so committed to the task at hand. He was a tentmaker, and he refused gifts from many churches because he didn’t want to be a burden to them. But he was most concerned about the kingdom of God and the glory of Christ and the salvation of men and women. Where do those things rank in your list of priorities? Only you and God know. Taking God at His guarantee involves taking Him as Lord and Savior and Master. This is the One who died in agony for your sins, the One who loves you eternally and infinitely, the One who has redeemed you, the One who adopted you into His family and made you His heir. This is the One, Jesus Christ. Let Him use you for His glory and others’ good. Lord, forgive me for my spiritual laziness. Give me strength for today to serve You diligently. Thank You that in Christ we can do all things You set before us… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN BE USEFUL TO GOD’S KINGDOM.