The Ohio Independent Baptist, April 1957

Pn c Ten R el '. Robert L . Gilbert ,..\ 11tl111lJe1· of ) '"e,1 r " ago, 1uo1·e i11 fact tl1,111 t l1e al1tl1or 111ight lilze to at1n1it . cl g·o:1Jel t ea111 of college t1lcle11t. ,,-a. a1)1)ec11· i11g i11 a 111all io1l11tr,T ·11111' ·h i11 1101-.t l1 ·e11t ral .. I11clia11,1 . Tl1e t l1en1e of t l1e ) llll- da,- .. "c11ool le . on ce11 ter ecl al)Ollt • the r 1·0.. a11cl cll11'i110· the ·0111-- e of di.--c11 . io11 tl1e teach r a l<ed each n1e111lJe1· of the ·la.... to tell tl1eir i111p1'e . io11 of the c1--o . "\Vhen it ·a111e 1n~,. t111"11 I aid that I t l1011g:ht the c1·0... ,v·a. a t e1 ..1--il1le thi11g i11 it. c1a , T. Tl1at it ' ''"'a. ll, eel for ., capital p t111i l11ne11 t fo1" ha1~dene l crimi11c:1 l. a11 l traito1\ ·. F l11·tl1er· - 111or e, i11 that la ,r it wa , co 11. icl er e l a di g1·ace to clie 01 a cro . . "\ it l1 that a . ta1"r)r-eyecl }"Ollng· lac1y ai 1 ,Teheme11tlv )h I l on t t l1i11l{ it ._ ,,·a. that at all. I t l1i11k t h e cr o. · i a lo, ·el} 7 thi11g· it i.· a ihi110· of lJca11 t}~. f t r e1)1 ..e. e1 t.· tl1e high– e:t a1J1l1itio11 of life. r o Ille it 111ea11. belie,,i11 o- i11 a thing 11011g·h to be ,,~illi11g· to c1ie for· it. ,,.,.hat ,,..a: tl1 e ·1·0. ·? Wl1at i.· the c1--o , a11c1 it. · 111 e:\. age fo r to– cla,T? ~ .L\. ,,,e loo]< arou11 1 ll · t rl1e it i.· that t11e ,,·orlcl ha. tal{e11 th e ·t"O, ancl n1ade it a tl1i110· of beauty. The ,,01--lcl ha moothecl it rot1g·h ide and jagged edge a11d cover ed them with a plating of gold. It has been decorated so that it might seem only to challenge the highest thoughts and mo t noble ambitions of mankind. Bl1t that wa not the cr o on '\\hich t he Prince of Glo1•}l' diecl. IIi Cl"O ,va a c1·uel a11c1 11g·l3T 011 . .· the P . al1n i. t a11cl the lcl T e. ·ta1nc11t p1'ophet . looked i11to thr fl1tt11·e tl1ej'" . a,v 011 e . 11ffe1·i11Q' a11 ag·o11izi11g· cleath e, ..en tJ1ot1g·l1 IIe ,,·a i11noce1t. We lo e . igl1t of tl1e p1·iC'e of r eclen1p– tio11 ,,·he1J ,,,e poli h the e1·0:. ancl mal{P it . 0111etl1i110' to l)e cle. i1·ecl- 01netl1i110· e, ..e11 to l)e ,,or ,]1ipped. THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST April 1957 THE CROSS the Center Fig11re of History 1~,~ I{l~\ T. R()13BJI,rl' JJ. {ITjl11~R 'l, l)a.·tor • 11r J;ortl Rc1,,· tl1c . l1c1<1o,,· of thr <'l'C)s~ 1 <)0111 i 11g· 1111 so , , 1·}r c 1 o . e to I I i111 clR I I e p1·aJ~ecl i11 xetl1. en1- ,111cl · , g·,11· l l 11 . II ,1c1 it bee11 a thing· t<) b0 l e. i1·ed gr eat l1'0P of bloo 1 ,,ro11 l c.l 11ot l1a,.re lri11ped f1--om Ilim to tl10 g·1·01111d. Ila 1 it bee11 a ' t l1i11g· of l)ea11t)" Tie ,vol1ld 11ot }1 a,re l)I'a~"e 1, Fatl1e1>, if t ho11 be ,,Tilli11g', I'e1no, re thi ·11p f1--01n me : 11 , rer·thele.. 11ot lllV will bt1t thi11 .. Ile do11 e. (Ll1l<:e 22 :±2) Dea1" Reade1.. tl1at ,va the pri e of 3'"0111· 1·e l en1ptio11 a11d 1nine. The e, Te1 t : 11rrot1ndi11g the ru ifix– io11 of J e. 11 h1·i t make llp the ce11t1·al . ce11e of all hi torv. • Befo1--e t he cro... manl{ind ,,~a. l ool{i11g fo1· a way 011t. 11 io-11. ON CALVARY'S BROW On Calvary's brow my Saviour died, 'Twas there my Lord was crucified: Twas on the cross He bled for me, And purchased there my pardon free . 'Mid r ending rocks and dark'ning skies, My Saviour bows His head and dies The opening vail reveals the way To heaven's joys and endless day. O J esus, Lord, how can it be, That Thou shouldst give Thy life for me , To bear the cross and agony, In that dread hour on Calvary? O Calvary! dark Calvary! Where J esus shed His blood for me. O Calvary! dark Calvary! 'Twas ther e my Saviour died for me. - Darwood. the1 poi11t 1 to a11 ,.. e11t }"et to co111 tl1at \\"01111 111 t all t l1 a - l)i1·atio11.· a 11 l l101 : of a i11-c111· eel \\TQl"l 1. -1\ ' ear])r a. tl1 t l1i1· l ll1apt r of 1 e11e:i. at t l1e ve1--y cla,v11 of ·i,' - ilizatio11 o l aid that t h e ee 1 of t l1e \'?On1an ,,..ol1lcl en1e1--ge vic– to1~iou o,rer the ,,,.ile of the devil, e,ren though the erpe11t ,vould bruise it. When the order for the Tabernacle \VOrship was given to :\loses by God in the wilderness at inai, every act and e, 1 ery piece of f t1rniture pointed for\vard to a cominO' Redeeme1"-even the ar– rangme11t of the pi ce of furnit11re iu the tabe1"'11acle Yra i11 th fo1--111 of a cr o. . Thi-- e of the fi,T offe1"i11g· . I)Ol{e of the 11ffe1"i11g· of the ,,el")T ~'ion of Joel 011 the c1·0 · . Tl10 e v'tho l1ave macle t11 c1ie. of apital pl111i. h1ne1 t ha, 1 e aicl t l1at ,,..ithol1t cl ol11Jt t l1e 01 e ,,,,11 0 died on a c1·0 uff r ed tl1e mo t excruci- ati11g a11cl ago11i zi11g cleath man (•01111 cle,Ti:e. It \Va. eve11 more se, ·rre t l1 a11 bei11g lJ11rnecl at the tal{e. '\Vh:y· ,,,.a. it that it hacl to be . o? The a, 1 iot11' l1ad to r eceive the , ,el'}'" ,vor t that 1nan ould offer O that ~,e might 1{110\V the lenO'th b1--eaclth heio·ht a11cl cl eptl1 of ocl' pla11 of 1·ecl e1nption. I-l e m11 t t1f– f er· the wor . t ma11 could do to IIim o that I-le would be , rictoriou . ,ve ee J e ll wea1·ily trodding the , ria Dolor o a d1"aO'ging Hi hea,Ty ·ro on I-Ii boulder with it r ot1gh harp edge cutting and dig– g·i11g· d ep into Ili t e11der kin– we . ee the kin l of lovTe God had for u. ,vhile we were yet I-Ii en emie . ,ve look at the cro we ee tl1at it become a p erfect ign of f Ollr clime11 io11 . Ili tory tell u of the oldie1" of Napoleon coming t o on e of the dungeon that the Rpani. h I11c1l1i itor ll ed u11der the g·ui e of tampino· out r eligioll her e JT· Tl1er e they found a kele– t on " 1 ith the hain till fa tened to the to11e ,vall a11d the band a- 1~ol111d the anl{le b11t carved in the to11e above the hain fa tening ,,·a a 1·l1cl e cro at the top of the cro wa chi eled the ~ pani h ,,.. 01"cl for l1eig·ht, at the bottom the ~ ~ I)ani h wo1 ..cl for depth at the end of one a1--111 the pani h word for I 11gth ancl 011 the other the 1 pa11i. h wor·d fo1-- b1 ..eadth. The t r o .· i.· the p erfect ymbol of (}o 1 pla11 of 1·ede1nption ancl thu be ·0111 , tl1e ·ent e1· fio-11.re of hi - to1·3... o 1 I la11 of alvatio11 truly i , cleep enough to take a inner at the , ·e1--v o·ate of H ell it elf and , a,, hin1. It i broad enol1gh to i11 ·l11de e, 1 e1'y 1"ace and p eople. It i long e11ol1 o·h to tretch from eternity to ete1 ..nity and it i high e11ough to afely take u into Heaven itself, e, en now it sets u& in the heavenlies ( Eph. 1 :3 ) . As \Ve look further at the cross ,ve see that it is empty. We do not wor hip a dead Christ. There is a path from the cro leading to a tomb. we follow Ollr Lord to the ton1b 011r heart r ejoice that it i e111pty. H i not tl1ere– lle i. 1·i e11 e\Te11 a. II aid a11d to- la3r i at th 1--io·ht han i of the Father· inte1·ceding fo1· tho e who tI"ll t in Him. T1·t1ly the c1--o 011 ,,,hich the I ri11 e of lo1"y diecl i the ce11ter of all hi to1 .. y.