Thankful for the Cross
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Introduction
Introduction
I have a couple of crosses in my office. One is from David and Gretchen Lewis from a trip they went on brought this back for me. It has on it, “Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us; And He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand…He is risen!” This is a combination of and .
Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
I have another one that was made by Al Heinerman. I understand that it was made from the wood was repurposed from wood when the stage was redone here at the church. Gordon was kind enough to give me one. Both have great meaning to me in the relationships they represent as well what the cross stands for and means in my life.
You know, we could have had other symbols to represent our faith. We could have had a bucket of water. If you think about about it, Jesus turned water into wine as His first miracle. He walked on water. He even told the woman at the well that He was the Living Water.
We could use a simple towel as a symbol of our faith because Jesus used a towel to wash the feet of His disciples. He was wrapped in towels and linens when He was placed in the tomb.
We could use a grapevine as Jesus said that He was the vine and we are His branches.
We could use a lamp because Jesus said He was the light of the world and we also were to be that light.
We could have used a fish because Jesus called His first disciples and told them they would be a fisher of men.
But, as a symbol of our faith we have the cross.
Paul says in our text this morning that the cross has a message.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For us who are being saved, the cross is the power of God. It provides for us many thoughts but this morning we are going to look specifically at the symbol of the cross, the Savior of the Cross and the salvation of the cross.
Symbol of the Cross
Symbol of the Cross
So why the cross? What does it really mean?
The cross is the point where the promise and presence of God come together so we can experience Him fully. The cross is the transitional point of the Gospel and the crossroads where sin is transformed into grace.
The cross was used by the Romans as a humiliating form of execution for the worst of criminals. It was invented by Barbarians and taken over by both Romans and Greeks. It is probably the most cruel method of execution ever used. The victim would often suffer for days before dying. Cicero called it “a most cruel and disgusting punishment.” He goes on to say, “To bind a Roman citizen is a crime, to flog him is an abomination, to kill him is almost an act of murder: to crucify him is - what? There is no fitting word that can possibly describe so horrible a deed.”
For the Jews, any death like that was a curse. The cross was also referred to as a tree.
you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Deuteronomy
Because of what happened to Jesus on the cross, the cross itself became a symbol to remember. Perhaps you have seen our Catholic friends make the sign of the cross when they pray and they do this to remember the sacrifice that was made.
Tertullian, a North African lawyer, theologian and historian, wrote is 200 A.D.,
“At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at the table, when we light the lamps, when on the couch, when on the seat, in all ordinary actions of daily life, we should trace upon our forehead the sign of the cross.”
Church historian, Hippolytus, wrote is his APOSTOLIC TRADITION in AD 215, that in private prayer, “imitate Him (Christ) always, by signing thy forehead sincerely for this is the sign of His passion.”
Another church historian, Cyprian, reminded his people that were under severe persecution to use the symbol of the cross. He wrote, “Let us take also for protection of our head the helmet of salvation… that our brow may be fortified, so as to keep safe the sign of God.”
Richard Hooker, a 16th century Anglican theologian recognized the early church fathers in spite of tough persecution, “Chose rather the sign of the cross than any other outward mark, whereby the world might most easily discern always what they were.”
Constantine, the first emperor recorded to profess to be a Christian, claims to have seen a cross of light in the sky along with the words in hoc signo vinces, which was Latin for “conquer by this sign.” It was so real to him that he had crosses engraved on his battle shields.
Today, people wear them around their necks, they have them on their cars and hang them in their homes. The symbol of the cross that evolved from a gesture to a physical ornament has become a reminder Christianity and what took place on Calvary’s hill. However, we must look deeper and look closer at the Savior of the cross.
Savior of the Cross
Savior of the Cross
There is no question that in Paul’s statement in he is speaking about the cross which Jesus Christ suffered and died. it was the same Jesus that was born of a virgin, who lived on this earth fully as a man yet remained fully divine. He healed the sick, made the lame to walk, and caused the blind to see. He taught in the temple, on the hillside, and even standing in a boat. He revealed to the world the love of His heavenly Father. He proclaimed that He was the way, the truth and the life and no one could come to the Father but through Him (). He invested His life into 12 common men and sent them out to share with the world about who He claimed to be.
He knew He was going to die because of the the hostility of the Jewish leaders. He also knew what was written in the scriptures about him dying. He had resolved to do the Father’s will and become the salvation for all sinners. On more than one occasion He made statements like what is recorded in 0:45:
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark
What dominated the mind of Christ was not the living but the giving of His life.
It is in His dying that we see the sensation of the Savior of the cross. The Gospels point us to a chain of events that went from Judas to the priests, from the priests to Pilate, from Pilate to the soldiers who drove the nails into His hands and feet. They all were part of the greed, envy and fear that set into motion His untimely death. But that is not all that caused Christ to die. Although Jesus was brought to death by these human sins, He did not die a martyr. He went to the cross voluntarily, deliberately, and most of all, obediently.
Octavius Winslow wrote in 1857 this summary statement: “Who delivered Jesus to die? Not Judas for money; not Pilate for fear; not the Jews for envy; but the Father for love.”
In his classic book, The Cross of Christ, Dr. John Stott wrote: “On the human level, Judas gave Him up to the priests, who gave Him up to Pilate, who gave Him up to the soldiers, who crucified Him. But on the divine level, the Father gave Him up, and He gave Himself up, to die for us.”
The symbol of the cross held the Savior of the cross which had leads me to the salvation of the cross.
Salvation of the Cross
Salvation of the Cross
I want to study the symbol of the cross and the Savior of the cross because it has given me salvation. The more I study, the more I realize what Jesus has done for me. Paul expressed it in our text as, “to those being saved, it is the power of God.”
Let me explain it a more personal way for us.
The message of the cross means that Christ died for us.
As my Shepherd, He laid down His life for us.
John
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
He gave His body for us.
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans
and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
The message of the cross means that Christ died for us to bring us to God.
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
He did this that we might have salvation.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
He
The message of the cross is that Christ died for our sins.
Our sins were obstacles that prevented us from accessing a Holy God. So, Christ removed our sins so we could have the gift of life with Christ.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
The message of the cross means that Christ died our death. According to Scripture, death is the just reward for our sin.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We have made human death natural but in reality it is the punishment of wickedness entering into God’s world, which was not part of the original plan.
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
He did all of these things for us by giving Himself willingly on the cross. The life of Christ impacted the world, the death of Christ reconciled it, and the resurrection once and for all conquered the sin that separates us from a Holy God.
So why am I thankful for the cross?
The message of the cross is the power of God. By understanding the symbol of the cross, the Savior who died on the cross, and the salvation that comes from the cross, I have realized several things. First and foremost, my sin must be really horrible for all that to have happened for my redemption. Secondly, God’s love for me must wonderful and way beyond my comprehension to allow all that to happen for me. And thirdly, salvation is free because it was already purchased for me by the very expensive gift of the blood of Christ. There is nothing else we can do to pay for it.
Recognizing these truths, I will always, forevermore, be thankful for the cross. In this season of Thanksgiving, I am learning that everyday, every breath I take will be expressed with thanksliving.
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