Good new for the first time again

I heard the gospel for the first time again today, and it never sounded better. The gospel is the only truth I've known.  Christ crucified is the only food for my soul. 

Most of the time, which includes most of my life, I have been self-deceived by my own self-righteousness, my ignorance, my arrogance and my willfulness.  This, I am ashamed to admit, but it's true.  If I scan back through the pages of my experience, I can sum up that wasteland in this way:

• I heard what I must do, but learned I couldn't do it.
  
• I heard what I must be, but found I could never become it.
  
• I sought the experience that counts, but never found it.
  
• I heard what decision I must make and the One I must choose, but with all of my natural gifts of will power, I realized it was not my choice at all that made the difference.
  
• I heard I must commit, surrender and make Jesus Lord.  I taught others the same. But fanatic commitment and surrender and measurements of the lordship I gave Him in my life left a fleeting self-created peace.
  
• I heard that a sinner must believe, but I believed the wrong things.
  
• I heard I must be sorry, must know and feel my depravity, must sincerely and earnestly trust no other, must believe with all of my heart, but I could never produce these.
  
• I learned that I am positively evil, and my thoughts instead of being toward God are opposed to His truth and His way.
  

  
I will freely borrow words that describe the full extent of my case from men far better than me: 

      Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief !  - Apostle Paul
      I am a great sinner, and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in all. - Poor Huckster

Don't celebrate my accomplishments when I am gone; I have none. Do me this honor instead: Hear what Jesus has done.
 
My confidence, my joy, my desire and hope is simply this:

• Before creation's foundation was laid, in love, God chose me.
  
• Before I had an experience, Christ stood before God as Surety for me.
  
• When I was ungodly, Christ died for ungodly me.
  
• When I was without strength, Christ died for impotent me.
  
• Christ took my sin, became sin, and delivered God's wrath from me.
  
• When I was His enemy, by His death, Christ reconciled me to God.
  
• God did not spare His own Son for me.
  
• Christ loved and gave Himself for me.
  
• By Himself, without my participation, thought or help at all, Christ purged my sins from me.
  
• Before I was born, by His blood He justified me.
  
• By the offering of Himself, Christ both sanctified and forever perfected me.
  
• When I was dead in sins, for His great love wherewith He loved Christ, He received Him and loved me.
  
• God never looked for a reason from me to save me.
  
• My cries were never loud, long or earnest enough, but His cries and His offering were heard and accepted for me.
  
• For His name's sake alone, He found reason to save me.
  

 
How do I know that He did this for me?

• Because Christ's experience, and what God thinks of Him is all that matters to me.
  
• My experience never measured up; but Christ's experience did.
  
• My righteousness is not on earth; He is in heaven.
  
• My food and drink is Christ's obedience unto death to fulfill the will of God for me.
  
• Christ reigns over His enemies to bring them under my feet.
  
• His satisfaction for sin satisfied God, and by His grace, it satisfies me.
  
• My commitment or surrender could never influence the Judge of all the earth, but only bring me lower than the grave.  But Christ died for me.
  
• My accepting Jesus didn't make me acceptable to God, but God accepting Him for me did.
  

  We are told to look to Jesus only, to look away from all that we are and look only to Him.  In looking by faith, I am now and shall be satisfied when I awake in His likeness.

                          -- Pastor Rick Warta