Easter-The Cross

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We have to back up a little bit and explain something here.

The world is broken - and everything in it

Just watch the news for any length of time. Go on social media. It seems like everything is on fire nowadays. Sure, there’s some good stuff - but there’s plenty of bad stuff.

But if we’re honest with ourselves - the bad stuff isn’t just out there. WE have bad things in us. WE struggle with making the right choices.

And the problem we have within us is a very big problem. Much bigger than we understand.

So hold onto that thought.

Matthew 27:32–43 NIV

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

To his enemies, this was the ultimate display of their power. Jesus challenged their authority, so they had him killed.

To Jesus, this was the ultimate display of HIS love and power. He came to earth to die for our sins, and nothing was going to sway him from that path.

The BIG problem is our separation from God

God is eternal, perfect, and powerful. We are weak, temporary, and broken. The problems in our selves, they cut us off completely from God. From the one we were created to be with.

And here we have this event. A crucifixion.

Matthew 27:45–46 NIV

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

The Cross is the turning point of history

I’ve heard lots of explanations of this verse, but my understanding: Jesus is quoting scripture. He’s quoting the first line of Psalm 22.

And it’s a powerful one.

Tell me if this doesn’t sound familiar.

Psalm 22:7–8 NIV

All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

Jesus is saying - don’t you understand what’s happening now? God predicted this thousands of years ago. Don’t you see?

But this Psalm ends in a spectacular way.

Psalm 22:23–24 NIV

You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

Psalm 22:27–31 NIV

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

So here is this event. This point in time where God reaches directly into the world - and He wins.

In fact, in a moment of suffering, it may seem that God is gone - but in fact, God has won.

And it’s not a minor victory, either. God doesn’t simply bring relief for his suffering servant. It affects the whole world. One end to the other.

And the bible says - at this time, in this moment, everyone will be drawn back to God.

And the rally cry of all generations will be -

He has done it! He has beaten suffering. He has beaten death itself!

Paul in colossians explains a bit more of the signficance of the event.

Colossians 2:13–15 NIV

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

At the cross, we move from death to life.

See, our problems, they have a consequence. The bible calls the evil side of our nature sin.

And the problem is, it’s not a scale. It’s not bad behaviour weighed against good, and the heavier one winning out. Sin is poison - and even a little is fatal.

Romans 6:23 NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul says - when we have evil, what we earn from it is death.

When we accept God’s gift for us - what we freely receive is life. And eternal life.

The problem is - we can’t just give up our sins, our evil nature. It’s not in our power. The bad side of us has racked up a terrible debt.

At the cross, we move from debt to freedom

1 Peter 2:24 NIV

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

See, if the wage of sin is death - that means we’re all owed death.

But Jesus on the cross - he took that debt on himself. He himself never sinned - but he died accepting the consequence for all our sins.

So now, where we once owed a debt too great for us to pay - now we are completely free.

But here’s the thing. Our nature is still broken. The world is still falling apart. And while Jesus cleared the way back to God for us, so that we could have a relationship with him again - what do we need to do?

At the cross, we move from victims to victors

Romans 8:37–39 NIV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We don’t have to be victims to our nature and to the state of the world. Paul here says we are ‘more than conquerors’.

But the key component is this - ‘through him who loved us.’ And paul goes on to assure us - absolutely nothing can separate us from that love.

There is the key to the cross.

Jesus loved us, and he died for us, so that we could be with him in victory and eternity

And all we have to do is accept the gift.