The Beauty and Power of the Cross

Today we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry as he arrives in Jerusalem to the praises of His people.  They shout “Hosanna, Hosanna! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”  The people were thrilled.  Their deliverer has come.  But by the end of the week, these same people would change their tune.  Rather than shout “Hosanna, Hosanna,” they would cry out, “Crucify, crucify him!”  During that week Jesus would weep over Jerusalem, drive out those who were defiling God’s house of prayer and teach on the Great Commandment.  He’d confound the religious authorities, be anointed in Bethany and wash the feet of his disciples.  He’d be betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter.  He’d be falsely arrested and tried.  He’d be brought before Herod and delivered to Pilate.  He’d be beaten with the cat of nine tails and a crown of thorns would be thrust in his head.  He’d be mocked and spit upon.  And he’d be condemned to be crucified and forced to carry his own cross.  And then he’d be nailed to the cross and publicly humiliated as he suffered and died for all mankind.

Luke describes his crucifixion in Luke 23:  When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.

³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

⁴⁴ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵ for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.⁴⁶ Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

This is just one of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death on the cross.  In this account we are spared the gory details of a Roman execution.  An execution that maximized pain, humiliation and suffering.  But what we do see are three insults thrown at Jesus, each one mocking Jesus as Savior and King.  First, the religious rulers: “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”  Next, the Roman soldiers: “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” Finally, the criminal on the cross: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”  How ironic.  They had no idea that their taunting of Jesus to save himself was ignorant to why Jesus hung on that cross. For as he took their insults he died on that cross as the Savior of the World.  As the Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Today I want to take a few minutes and have us focus on the cross of Jesus Christ.  The emblem of suffering and shame, the place of God’s greatest gift – our salvation. As we walk into Passion Week and look forward to Resurrection Sunday, we must not miss the beauty and power of the cross.  For what Jesus did for all mankind on that cross changed everything for us.  First of all,

The Cross is a Place of Substitution The one thing we often forget is that the cross first and foremost is a place of judgment.  Jesus went to the cross for us to take our place and receive in himself the judgement we all deserve.

Why?  Because all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  As James writes: whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. James 2:10  So when we fail to love our neighbor when they’re in need, we fall short of God’s perfect law.  When we fail to seek what is best for our spouse, we break the law of love.  When we lose our temper, judge our neighbor, or  withhold the good we know we should do, we fail to live according to God’s perfect will.  As a result God’s Word declares that no one is righteous in God’s eyes.  And no amount of good works or moral behavior on our part can remove our guilt.  So we had a problem.  And out of God’s love, He chose to remedy our problem by sending His Son to take our place and the punishment we deserved.

Paul describes God’s gift of a substitution this way, For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. Romans 8:3

God did for us what we could not do for ourselves by sending Jesus to the cross. God provided the offering for our sin, Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.   He is God’s perfect substitute because He lived a sinless life.  And because He went to the cross to take our judgment, His death made it possible for you to be forgiven.  Therefore, the cross isn’t just a place of substitution, it’s a place of mercy.  And that’s good news.  For now, when you put your faith in Jesus, God removes the record of your sin forever, and God declares, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Romans 8:1

Why? Because Jesus took upon himself the condemnation for our sins on that cross: He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

The cross is a place of substitution – Jesus took your place on the cross – and God now gives mercy for anyone who believes.  That’s the beauty and power of the cross.

The Cross is a Place of Satisfaction  When Jesus took your place on the cross and God poured out His wrath upon sin, the result of his death meant that the justice of God was satisfied.  Sometimes we are tempted to think that God didn’t need to send Jesus to the cross.  That all He has to do is overlook our sin and forgive us.  But if God were to do that, He would not be God.  God must always act consistently with His character or He would not be God.  And God is just.  As Moses proclaimed, He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He. Deuteronomy 32:4  So since God is just in all His ways, He can’t overlook some evil and judge the rest.  God must treat all evil with the same degree of justice.  And the truth is – our sin is evil.

The reason our sin is evil, is that when chose to sin, we willingly defy the will of God.  We thumb our nose at God’s perfect will and consider our own will as superior to His.  When we do this, we offend our God who is perfect in His goodness by not trusting that He is good.  And this evil provokes God to anger.  John R.W. Stott explains it this way: “God is never provoked without reason.  It is evil alone which provokes him, and necessarily so since God must be and behave like God.  If evil did not provoke him to anger he would forfeit our respect, for he would no longer be God.”

Therefore God cannot overlook sin. His divine nature demands satisfaction for sin.  So on the cross, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Again this is good news for us. For the cross is not just a place of satisfaction, but again it is a place of mercy.  Paul describes our need of mercy in Ephesians 2:1-5, As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.  But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  God couldn’t overlook our sin.  His justice demanded that our sin be atoned for.  So God poured out His wrath against our evil upon Jesus on the cross.  And now God’s Word declares this truth about Jesus: He is the atoning sacrificefor our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2

That’s the beauty and power of the cross.  Jesus took the punishment we deserved so God’s wrath for our sin could be satisfied.  Now instead of punishing you for your sin, God can forgive you for your sin.  The cross is a place of satisfaction.  And because God is satisfied with Jesus’ sacrifice you can rest in His forgiveness. And that’s good news. That’s the beauty and power of the cross.  It is full of God’s mercy and grace to us in Jesus.

Now, there’s no way I could exhaust the mercy and grace of God in the cross in one message, so I will conclude with one more truth about the power of the cross for those who believe, and that is this:

The Cross is a Place of Ransom   A ransom is the price paid to free those enslaved by sin.  And Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” John 8:33

In other words, sin makes slaves of us all.  Sin holds us captive, so we do the things we don’t want to do.  For example, say you tend to lose your temper once in a while.  When you unleash your anger, your outburst causes trouble, and sometimes it hurts the ones you love.  When you see the effect of your anger, you repent.  You decide to get better control of yourself and determine not to say those hurtful words or your harsh actions.  And for a time you succeed.  But then along comes something or someone to provoke you and before you know it you lash out again leaving a trail of hurt and disappointment.  Do you see what’s happening? You’re not free.  As far as anger is concerned you are a slave.  And this is true not just of anger, but of any sin.

But the good news is this: Jesus came to set you free at the cross.  The cross is a place of ransom.  And Jesus gave himself as the ransom, as the price to set you free!  For he said: “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 10:45

So when Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price to set you free.  And the price He paid was the blood He shed for you.  Peter said it this way: For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were purchased from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19

That’s the power of the cross.  Not only are we no longer condemned, but we are no longer slaves to sin.  That is why the cross is such a beautiful place for us.  For not only did Jesus pay the price for our freedom, He purchased out of the marketplace of sin  so He could bring us back into a relationship of love with the very One who created us.

After all, it is God who created you. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He  made you in His own image.  He made you to know Him and enjoy His presence forever.   But because your sin turned you away from Him and left your guilty and enslaved from the life, He intended for you – God sent His Son to the cross to pay the price of redeeming you.  And when Jesus uttered His final words: “It is finished” he used the marketplace term for redemption, tetelastai, the debt is paid in full.

That’s the beauty and power of the cross.  God sent to us the perfect offering for our sin – Jesus the sinless One; who became sin for us, to take our place, to receive our penalty, to remove God’s wrath and to set us free.  And the good news is that God did this all for you out of His love for you.

He took the punishment

He removed the wrath

He paid it all

O the beauty and power of the cross.  O the mercy and grace of God.  Our world needed a Savior.  So God sent us His Son to Save us.  Have you received the salvation Jesus secured for you on the cross?   If not, this is how God’s Word says you can trust in Him and be saved: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-10,13

That’s the beauty and the power of the cross.  Let’s pray.