Sunday, October 6, 2019 am
Surveying the Cross of
Jesus
Many of the songs we sing are associated with the cross of Jesus.
And such ought to be the case
when we consider our standing before God is made possible because of
that great sacrifice. From
time to time we sing a song, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”.
It is a song that reminds us about the sacrifice Jesus made for
us. While we will not examine the specific message of this song today,
we do want to ask ourselves, “Do I survey the cross of Christ as I
should?”
1
Corinthians 2:1-5 – Paul sought to preach only Christ and Him crucified.
In Galatians 6:14 he stated, But God forbid that I should
boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world
has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
We understand that Paul was not
relishing that piece of wood, but rather he considered what happened on
that cross. And as
Christians, so should we. We need to understand the importance of the
cross of Christ. It is where
we our sins meet God’s grace and forgiveness.
The death, burial and resurrection are at the center of our faith
and hope beyond this life. And
the more we understand and appreciate His cross and its purpose, the
more devoted we will be to Him.
When we stop to consider, the Bible has a great deal to say about the
cross of Christ. Much more
than can be addressed in a single lesson, but today I want to notice
some things I see when I think about the cross of Jesus.
a.
God so loved – John 3:16
reminds succinctly tells us that God SO loved the world.
Romans 5:8 – God demonstrates his love to ward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.
b.
Jesus loved –John 15:13,
Romans 5:6-7, Philippians 2:5-8 – to fathom that Jesus left heaven to
come to this earth and die for our sins, is of such great magnitude.
c.
How do we respond to
this love? Interestingly, we are told what this ought to mean.
1 John 4:7-11 – we learn from this that we ought to love one
another, and we learn something about what the depth of that love ought
to include. John 13:34-35 –
speaks of the new commandment Jesus gives, “that you love one another”.
How, “As I have loved you…”
a.
Someone might ask, why
did God demand the cross of Jesus for the remission of our sins.
The simple answer is because of how terrible sin really is.
Man cannot fully comprehend that.
He sins regularly and often thinks of it as no big deal. He has a
tendency to categorize sins.
But we need to understand that from God’s viewpoint, sin is terrible –
the MOST terrible thing in this world.
i.
Sin separates us from God – Isaiah 59:2. Romans 6:23 – the wages of sin is death
(spiritual)
ii.
From the very beginning, after man sinned, the price was high
(Genesis 3). Someone might
ask what the big deal was about eating a piece of fruit.
It wasn’t the fruit, but the disobedience and sin that made it so
serious.
For that ONE sin – the world is cursed, man dies, and so many other
troubling things happen. While we
do not inherit the sins of Adam, we do inherit the consequences – and
that is the terrible, fallen world we are living in.
iii.
For forgiveness, God demanded sacrifice. Even
after the first sin, it is very likely blood was shed (God made animal
tunics to cover their nakedness - Genesis 3:21). The first recorded act
of worship that was acceptable to God was a firstborn of the flock
(Genesis 4:4). Then we read
of the history of animal sacrifice throughout the Law of Moses.
It was a tedious and serious business.
And it shows how God feels about sin, whether sins of commission
or omission.
iv.
For ultimate forgiveness, God demanded the ultimate sacrifice.
Animals would not do – Hebrews 10:4. The fact that Jesus, Himself
God, offered Himself shows its greatness.
Consider also that He left heaven to come to this earth (emptied
Himself – Philippians 2:5ff) and lived a perfect life so as to be the
necessary sacrifice.
And consider that for Him to be that acceptable sacrifice, He had to
live a sinless life and understand WHAT He was enduring for us.
And He did! In the
Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Let this cup pass from Me;
Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39).
1 Peter 2:24 says that He bore our sins in His own body; 2
Corinthians 5:21 – God made “Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God.”
The point being, Jesus paid the price for sin.
b.
This includes how
terrible MY sins are.
All of us need to understand
that we are sinners. Romans 3:23.
Jesus died for mankind, but that includes ME!
And we need to realize that whatever sins we are guilty of, it
required the sacrifice of Jesus on that cross so that MY sins could be
forgiven. Romans 5:6-8 –
Christ died for the ungodly.
1 John 3:5 notes that He was manifested to take away our sins.
That includes ME.
Paul in 1 Timothy 1:12-15 spoke of his unworthiness.
Hebrews 5:9, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey
Him.
a.
Understand that what
Jesus endured on that cross was not what we would describe as a typical
execution. Jesus was
tortured – having been beaten, humiliated and nailed to a cross – a form
of execution the Romans had perfected for insurrectionists and the
vilest of convicts. It was a
slow execution that involved severe cramping, breathing problems, severe
headaches and infected wounds.
That is what Jesus endured.
b.
Isaiah 53:5 – He was
wounded and bruised, Isaiah prophesied some 700 years before His coming.
Hebrews 12:3 describes His suffering as “hostilities” He endured for
sinners.
c.
How much are we willing
to endure for Him? 1 Peter
2:21-24 – to this we were called to follow His example.
Our willingness to suffer for Him is a theme of that letter.
a.
In the cross I see God’s
plan at work and executed.
From Genesis 3:15 we find the first prophecy where the seed of woman
would crush the head of the serpent (Satan).
Genesis 12:3- In the seed of Abraham, all nations would be blessed.
That was accomplished in Jesus primarily on the cross.
Acts 13:23 speaks of this promise as Paul is preaching in Antioch
of Pisidia.
Then throughout the Old Testament at various times we read about this
coming sacrifice (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, etc.)
Galatians 4:4-5 speaks of the fullness of the time – God sent forth His
Son. Much could be said
about this, but the point here is to understand that this was God’s plan
and it was being brought to its fulfillment.
b.
In this, I can also see
that if God could accomplish that, He can fulfill ALL of His promises.
2 Peter 3:9,13 tells us He is not
slack concerning His promise (in context, a promise that one day there
will be a judgment). He has
promised eternal life if we obey Him and remain faithful to Him – 1 John
2:25, And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
2 Corinthians 7:1, Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Hebrews 4:1, since a promise remains of entering that rest (heaven), let
us fear…
a.
1 Thessalonians 4:13,
Paul begins to address the resurrection by noting that we do not sorrow
as those who have no hope.
The truth is, as Christians, we live with hope in something
better than whatever this life offers.
b.
One of the wonderous
glories of the cross is the fact that it was NOT the end.
IN prophecy, as well as throughout the teachings of Jesus we find
glimpse of hope beyond the cross. There
were promises that Jesus would arise from the dead.
c.
This is also emphasized
throughout the New Testament that Jesus really did arise from the dead.
All 4 gospels devote concluding chapters to His resurrection.
The book of Acts contains many sermons in which the resurrection
of Jesus is emphasized.
It was a recurring message throughout the epistles.
Consider 1 Corinthians 15:19-20 – if in this life only… But now
Christ is risen from the dead…
1 Peter 1:3 – begotten us again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus.
d.
As I look at the
disappointment that is this world, I see the cross of Jesus and how
after that cross He arose, I see a hope that goes beyond this life.
And isn’t that why we are here?
Again, consider Hebrews 4:1
a.
Matthew 26:26-29 – Just
prior to His death Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.
b.
1 Corinthians 11:23-30 –
Paul elaborated about that occasion and emphasized its importance to us.
IT is a memorial of His death on the cross.
It serves as a proclamation of the Lord’s death till He returns.
We partake of the Lord’s supper to remind us why we are here, why
we live as we do, and the hope we have beyond this life.
c.
Acts 20:7, we follow the
example we have in the NT partaking each first day of the week, to
REMIND us of the cross of Christ.
IT keeps the significance of that cross continually before us.
a.
While we have alluded
this earlier, it bears mentioning that the forgiveness of our sins is
directly related to the cross of Christ.
God accepted His sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins
(Ephesians 1:7). In
instituting the Lord’s Supper, that is why Jesus said He shed His blood
(Matthew 26:28)
b.
But also consider Luke
23:34, as Jesus was being crucified, He prayed, “Father forgive them…”
That is but one example of the
greatness of His forgiveness.
c.
But here is the point.
We often struggle with forgiveness. Yet we must not forget that
we must forgive just as He did, even on that cross.
Ephesians 4:32 we read that we are to be forgiving one another, even as
God in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:13, even as Christ forgave you, so you must also do.
Matthew 6:15 – Jesus even taught that the way we forgive is how we will
be forgiven. Is there anyone
here who does not need to be forgiven of sins from time to time?
And
thus, we can see the wondrous cross of Jesus.
It is the at the center of our faith and it is something that
ought to continually be on our minds.
So what does the cross mean to you?
Jesus died so that your sins could be forgiven.
Have they been forgiven?
Have you obeyed the gospel?
Have you had your sins washed away (Acts 22:16, 2:38)?
If not, let us help you with that, even today.