[1 Cor 1:23-24] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. [1 Cor 1:18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. [Eph 2:16] And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: [Col 1:20] And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. [Gal 2:20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. What is the greatest, most significant event in the history of the universe? The Big Bang? The appearance of God Almighty in human flesh at Bethlehem? As momentous as these were, they cannot equal what happened on that cross atop Mount Calvary about 30 AD. During those three hours from noon to 3 pm, while darkness shrouded the whole earth, the sinless Lamb of God bore the crushing weight of the sins of the world. [Psa 85:10] ‘Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other’. It was the transaction of the ages, ordained from eternity past. The Lord Jesus Christ was the ‘Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’ Imagine the interest of the angelic hosts as they gazed upon the scene! Holy messengers of God on one side of the conflict, and fallen angels on the other. I wonder when the powers of darkness first realized the mistake they had made. I Cor 2:8 says that if any of the ‘princes of this world’ had known the consequences, they would not have slain the Lord of Glory. Because that transaction sealed their doom, as it provided redemption for mankind. [Col 2:14-15] ‘Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it [the cross]’. It was not just the crucifixion that made the cross the triumph that it was, however, but also the resurrection from the grave that followed. That was the proof of God’s satisfaction with the sacrifice, the provision of a living Savior, and the basis of the Christian’s hope of a new glorified body The diagram shows that for the believer who stands firmly on the truth of the gospel, the cross is a fence between him and the enemies on the right. But one must understand the facts before he can appropriate all the benefits of the cross. Many people wear ornamental replicas of the cross. It is not ornaments, but the facts -- and faith in the facts -- that provide deliverance from the curse of the enemies listed in the picture. That’s why when Paul went to Corinth, he was determined to preach nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. So what are the important truths regarding the cross? The most basic fact is that the Lord ‘bore our sins in his own body on the tree’ (1 Pet 2:24). Last week someone told me that Jesus died only to provide an example of a sacrificial life. It’s unfortunate that so many have that misunderstanding. The Word of God plainly says: [Rom 5:10] ‘...we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son...’, and [Rom 3:24-25a] ‘Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood’. A propitiation -- it satisfied the righteousness and justice of a holy God -- so that God’s righteousness and forgiveness, His mercy and truth, could coexist (Psa 85:10). As the hymn below says, ‘O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet,O trysting place where Heaven’s love and Heaven’s justice meet!’ Justification removed the guilt of sin, the first item listed in the diagram, from all that have trusted in the Lord Jesus. But the removal of the guilt did not remove the power of sin. The source of sin had to be dealt with also. Here’s how -- crucifixion (our crucifixion): [Rom 6:6] ‘Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin’. Note that Paul emphasized that we need to know the truth in order for it to do us any good. We need to know that we were identified with the Lord in His death. Then by faith we can appropriate the value of the cross in breaking the power of sin. The next thing that the cross sets us free from is the law: [Rom 7:4] ‘Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God’. When we died with the Lord Jesus on the cross, we died with Him to the bondage of the law. We are now joined to the Lord, and free from the law, praise God!
Posted on: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 23:51:45 +0000
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