Wonder of Wonders

The Seven Wonders of the World (of the Ancient World) is a list of seven man-made wonders (built between 3000 B.C. and A.D. 476) that the ancients compiled:

• The Great Pyramid of Giza – a 13-acre, 450 foot high royal tomb.

• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon – They were “hanging” because they were elevated, perhaps built upon a ziggurat-type tower.

• The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus – a massive marble temple dedicated to the goddess of fertility, which housed her statue, which was said to have fallen from heaven.

• The Statue of Zeus at Olympia – It was 40 feet high.  Zeus’ body was made of ivory, and his robe and ornaments of gold.

• The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus – a huge, white marble tomb for a provincial ruler named Mausolus, so famous that all large tombs are now called mausoleums.

• The Colossus of Rhodes – a huge, bronze statue to the sun god Helios, about 120 feet high (about as high as the Statue of Liberty).

• The Lighthouse of Alexandria – It stood over 400 feet high with a fire burning at the top to give light.

Interestingly, of the Seven Wonders, only one remains: the Great Pyramid of Giza. *

There was another man-made structure that was built early in the 1^st Century A.D.  Those who built it did not know that it would become the Wonder of Wonders. 
The structure was the Cross of Christ....

What made THIS particular cross so significant was not the rough wood from which it was made, but the ONE that was hung upon it!  It was not the wood but the One who was nailed to the cross that was and is the Wonder of Wonders!  This One was the Son of God.  He was nailed to the cross, not for His own sins, but for the sins of the world – OUR sins!

The cross upon which Jesus died is the Wonder of Wonders because it reveals the great LOVE of God.  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  WE were the ones who deserved to die for OUR sins, but Jesus took our place.  And through HIS atoning sacrifice, we are saved from sin!

Jesus’ offer of salvation can be accepted by those who: place their faith
and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).

The actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified no longer exists, but the One who died for us is ALIVE!  He rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death, and now offers to us the opportunity to share in His victory and life eternal.

Won’t YOU accept His offer on His terms?

David A. Sargent, Minister

** Several disaster relief agencies associated with the church of Christ are reaching out to the victims of recent storms including the Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team (www.churchesofchristdrt.org), Churches of Christ Disaster Assistance (www.disasterassistancecoc.com), and the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort (www.disasterreliefeffort.org).  See the websites for ways to help.