THE CROSS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 30, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE CROSS!

Memory verse: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5 vs 8.)

READ: Isaiah 53 vs 3 - 9:

53:3: He is despised and rejected by men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteemed Him.

53:4: Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

53:5: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

53:6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

I53:7: He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

53:8: He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken.

53:9: And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. 

INTIMATION:

The cross was planned before the creation; 

“… the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13 vs 8). The Lamb—Jesus—was foreordained before creation to be crucified for the sins of man (See Isaiah 53). In the Old Testament, people offered animals as sacrifices for their sins. Here, the sinless Servant of the Lord offers Himself for our sins. He is the lamb offered for the sins of all people (John 1 vs 29; Revelation 5 vs 6 - 14). The Messiah suffered for our sake, bearing our sins to make us acceptable to God. 

The righteous Servant shall justify many before God, and this tells us the enormous family of believers who will become right with God, not by their own works, but by the Messiah’s great work on the cross. They are justified because they have claimed Christ, the righteous Servant, as their Savior and Lord (see Romans 10 vs 9; Second Corinthians 5 bs 21). Their life of sin is stripped away, and they are clothed with Christ’s goodness (Ephesians 4 vs 22 - 24). 

The events of the cross were foretold (Ps 22). Jesus would crush Satan (Genesis 3 vs 15). He would suffer for our sins (Isaiah 53). The accounts and the events of the cross were documented in the Bible (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; and John 19). Jesus died before witnesses (Acts 26 vs 26). His death gave witness to His Sonship; “Now when the centurion and those who were with him guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and those things that were happening, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27 vs 54). 

The purpose of the cross is (1) To take away sins; “The next day John saw Jesus coming to him. And he said “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1 vs 29; Hebrews 2 vs 9). (2) To bear our sins in His body (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21; First Peter 2 vs 5 - 8). (3) To save us from our sins (Matthew 1 vs 20 - 21). (4) To wash us of our sins (First John 1 vs 7; Rev 1 vs 5). (5) To reveal God’s grace; “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2 vs 11).

(6) To redeem us; “who gave Himself for us so that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a special people who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2 vs 14). (7) To reconcile us to God through Jesus (Romans 5 vs 8 - 10; Ephesians 2 vs 14 - 16). (8) To establish a covenant; “For this is My blood of the covenant that is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26 vs 28). To purchase the church; “Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that He has purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20 vs 28). 

The effects of the cross are (1) It is the power of God to salvation (First Corinthians 1 vs 18 - 24). (2) Christians boast in the cross (Galatians 6 vs 14). (3) Christians preach the cross (First Corinthians 2 vs 2). (4) Because of Jesus’ cross, Christians bear their own cross (Matthew 10 vs 38; 16 vs 24 - 25; Luke 9 vs 24; Galatians 2 vs 20; 5 vs 24; 6 vs 14).

His salvational work for man was specific, and definitely carried out. Though many rejected Him, it was their grief and pains that He bore. He took up the burdens of our grief and carried them away. Those who rejected Jesus, accused Him of being from Baalzebal, and thus stricken by God for assuming to be the Son of God (see Mark 14 vs 61 - 64; Luke 22 vs 37). Jesus willingly died (John 3 vs 14 - 16; 8 vs 28; 10 vs 18). He was cursed for our sake (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21; Galatians 3 vs 13). He endured the cross for the joy after it (Hebrews 12 vs 2). He humbled Himself to a death on the cross (Philippians 2 vs 5 - 8).

He fell into the hands of wicked men, and subsequently was crucified for the sins of men. His death was not an accident, or unplanned by God. It was for this very purpose that Jesus came to the world. He was crucified before the world was created. He was bruised through crucifixion, but in being bruised, He crushed the head of Satan (Genesis 3 vs 15). 

The world has wondered off into sin. The cross, therefore, was by grace, for there was no one who was righteous, and thus, deserving of the forgiveness of God. As with the spirit of idolatry, so is man in everything. He seeks to do only that which is right in his own eyes. He thus turns to satisfying the lust of the eyes and flesh, while following after the pride of life. Since sin is against God, then God had to be incarnate in order to be the sacrificial lamb to bear the sins of men. 

Jesus took Himself to the cross. He had the power to lay down His own life for our sins (John 10 vs 17 - 18). He had the power to take it up again. When it was time for His death, He didn’t open His mouth in order to defend His innocence. He allowed Satan to work in men in order to take Himself to the cross. He was the sacrificial lamb of God. 

God willed the cross  for the sake of those who would believe. The Father allowed His Son to go through the humiliation of the suffering for the sake of those who would be drawn to the cross. Christians are the seed of the Servant. We are the seed because we have believed and obeyed the gospel of His death and resurrection (Romans 6 vs 3 - 6). Jesus is now reigning at the right hand of God, and continues to prosper as people are obedient to the gospel. 

God foreordained that the “recorded saints” (the church) would be destined to eternal salvation (Ephesians 1 vs 4 - 11). The church is predestined to eternal glory. Those who free-morally choose to be a part of the church by obedience to the gospel are destined to heaven (See Romana 8 vs 28 - 30). One is, therefore, destined to heaven when he or she makes a free-moral decision to become a part of the group that a destined to heaven.

What can we say to such love? How will we respond to Him? One can only marvel at the love of Jesus for His creation because of His foreknowledge of the cross even before the incarnation. Those who choose to submit to the Lamb, and thus, be cleansed by the blood of Jesus, are written in the Book of Life. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You Oh Lord for this supreme sacrifice on the cross. Though the events of the cross are inexplicable but they are undeniable. I will never take the gifts of salvation and privilege of sonship for granted all the days of my life. Give me the grace to serve You acceptably and willingly out of my love for You in response to Your love for me and the extent You went to save me, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!