Why the Cross
Easter 2019
We live in a depraved and desperate world that desperately needs Jesus
So what was God trying to tell us in the suffering and Death of Jesus???? The events surrounding the last 24 hours of Jesus’s life on earth speaks of the brokenness of humanity. Each person taking part in the tragedy of Jesus’s death is a reflection of that brokenness.
· The disciples fell asleep; they fled in fear as Jesus was arrested.
· Judas betrayed Him, and Peter denied Him.
· The Pharisees and religious leaders plotted to kill Him,
· The crowded wanted violence versus a messiah of Love.
· The governor tried to satisfy the crowd even when he knew it was wrong
· And the soldiers took delight in the torture and dehumanizing of an innocent man.
What humanity did when God walked this earth is a look in the soul of all of us.
· We are meant to find ourselves in this story and to be moved in the tragedy of it all.
· We are meant to realize that there is something deeply wrong with us all, that we are broken and in desperate need of forgiveness!
· The suffering and death of Jesus are intended to be a mirror for us all to look into; a reminder of the jealousy, pettiness, self-centeredness, spiritual blindness, and darkness that lurks in us all.
· The accounts are meant to move us to repentance.
Why the Cross? Because we needed a savior
The bible talks a lot about humans and the state we are in
Romans 3:10–12 (ESV)
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
Isaiah 64:6 (NLT)
6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
Romans 3:23 (NLT)
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
I know what you're going to say:
· I am a good person
· I give to charity
· I work hard
· I provide for my family
· I make it to church “most” Sundays
· I read my bible occasionally
· I am not like those “other” people
There is a problem with every statement I just made, it is the Letter “I”
· You see you can’t do anything
· You can’t fix yourself
Psalm 51:5 (NLT)
5 For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
· You were born in Sin
I'll prove it to you!
Commandment 1: You shall have no other gods before Me.
· I bet you have a functional God
o Money
o Job
o Kids
o You put something before God, I guarantee it
Matthew 6:24 (NLT)
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
Commandment 2: You shall not make idols.
· Your TV
· Your house
· Your Job
· Your favorite Nascar driver
· Think about it we put all kinds of Idols before God!
Why Jesus? (in rides the savior)
Romans 6:23 (NLT)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
· Because God is Just, and a price has to be paid for sin
· And that price is Death
But because God's character is to Love
· He gave you a way out!
· And Jesus is that way out
So what did Jesus do to pay the debt
· He lived a perfect sinless life
· He lived just like us all
· He was tempted in every way
· He died a horrible death (that we should have died)
· And because He was sinless He rose on the third day
· He sacrificed His life for us all
· And He paid your debt to bring you to right standing with the Father
· On the cross Jesus said
John 19:30 (NLT)
30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!”Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.
· And He meant it
· The gap that was created between us and God, because of our sins, our transgressions, is gone
· Jesus built the bridge that allowed us to once again be in a personal relationship with God
In a nutshell
(the Great Exchange)
Penal: Jesus’s death paid the penalty for the sins of His people. God punished Him as if He were guilty of their sins.
Substitutionary: On the cross, Jesus stood in our place. He was a substitute. He suffered so that we wouldn’t. He was punished so that we would be healed and reconciled to God. He was counted guilty so that we would be counted righteous.
Atonement: Jesus poured out His life as an offering for sin. He atoned for our sin, covering it over and making us at one with God. Where there was hostility, now there is peace. In His substitutionary death, Jesus fully satisfied the demands of God’s justice so that all who turn to Him in faith are counted righteous in God’s sight, accepted by God, reconciled to God, and given eternal life.
· Imagine it this way
· He took all your guilt
· All your shame
· Everyone’s
· And took on to Himself
· So, we can stand before God
· Clean
· Spotless
· Blameless
So Why? Because God Loves us! He is the perfect Dad
We are also meant to see the sacrificial love of the one who suffered for us, as well as His determination to save us from ourselves.
· He hangs on the cross as if to say “do you see the extent the Father has gone to show you His love”.
· Do you understand that I have come to show a love so deep that it is willing to suffer, even die for you!
Jesus demonstrates a love that refuses to give up or give in, He is willing to love us even when we don’t love Him or even like Him. He is determined to bring us back in right relationship with God no matter what the cost!!
Ro 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jn 3:16 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.
· Sacrificial love transforms Lives!
· It turns enemies into friends,
· Turns guilt into repentance and melts hearts of stone.
· The world is changed by demonstrations of true sacrificial love and selfless acts of service.
We are to look at the cross and say I have to strive to live more like Jesus, to be worthy of His sacrifice! We are meant to be changed by the events of the cross and in turn to practice the same sacrificial love demonstrated by Jesus toward others. As each new follower of Jesus shows that same sacrificial love to the world lives will change and the world will be transformed!!
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