The Cross

Introduction

Logos & icons game…

The most effective logos and icons are those that we can recognize without any words.

How about this one: ((show the cross))

When a person sees the cross, what does it stand for?

The cross is one of the most easily recognizable icons that people immediately recognize as representing Christianity.

But too few realize the true significance of the cross.

I would even argue that many Christians don’t always consider the full significance of the cross.

This morning I want to direct our attention on the cross of Christ and see why the cross matters so much.

Body: Matthew 27:32-50

There is far too much in this text to cover in one sermon. So instead of looking at all the individual details this morning, we are going to focus in on two things: what crucifixion was and why Jesus crucifixion was like no other in the history of the world.

What was crucifixion all about?

Crucifixion was a brutal form of capital punishment, employed by many ancient cultures, including the Romans.

There were multiple reasons it was so brutal:

First, it was incredibly painful…

((How someone dies…))

The word excruciating comes from the Latin word which means “to crucify.”

Second, it was done in a public was to humiliate the convicted person and to send a warning to everyone else…

Third, for a Jew is was especially humiliating (naked; cursed)

What as different about Jesus crucifixion?

One of the fascinating things about Matthew’s Gospel is found in verse 35:

The crucifixion itself is rather understated…

Jesus crucifixion was more than physical, emotional, and social. More than anything, Jesus crucifixion was spiritual.

Make no mistake:

It was physically brutal (as all crucifixion were…and Jesus didn’t even drink the typical pain killing agents);

It was emotionally brutal (as He was mocked by almost everyone and abandoned by most of His followers)

It was socially brutal (as He was treated like a common criminal and ridiculed publically)

But the worst of it is the spiritual brutality.

Look at verse 46…

This is from Psalm 22…why is Jesus saying this here?

Jesus is feeling the weight of divine abandonment here. He has become the embodiment of sin, and thus He is detestable to God.

Consider this: Jesus at every point in His life experienced nothing but the most humanly perfect fellowship with the Father. Now, for the first time He no longer felt that fellowship.

Jesus was experiencing hell…

While we might be tempted to liken this to losing a loved one, I don’t believe that even scratches the surface of the agony this separation brings to Jesus. I don’t believe it’s possible for us to ever understand it. Thank God for that! This kind of agony would kill us.

Timothy Keller: “The physical pain was nothing compared to the spiritual experience of cosmic abandonment. Christianity alone among the world religions claims that God became uniquely and fully human in Jesus Christ and therefore knows firsthand despair, rejection, loneliness, poverty, bereavement, torture, and imprisonment. On the Cross he went beyond even the worst human suffering and experienced cosmic rejection and pain that exceeds ours as infinitely as his knowledge and power exceeds ours.”

So What?

Life’s Most Important Question: Why does the cross of Christ matter so much?

The cross of Christ is the greatest display of God’s love.

In taking on flesh and laying aside certain aspects of His divinity, Christ was able to suffer like us; not to just know about suffering, but actually experience it.

Illustration: Reading about something vs. experiencing it yourself

Amazing Race...

Why did Jesus do this?

Romans 5:8–9 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

William Dembski: “…the only way to tell how much one person loves another is by what that person is willing to endure for the other.”

How much does God love us? He gave us an incomparable gift in Jesus atoning work on the cross! As the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus loves as God the Father loves and became the very embodiment of sin for unworthy, but beloved people, such as us.

So, while the world sees an instrument of death in the cross or simply a symbol of Christianity, as Christians we see the cross and we ought to see a symbol of the deep, deep love of the Triune God for us.

The cross of Christ brought about our only source of salvation.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

I’ve been fascinated to watch the reactions this week to Trump’s tariffs. Some people I trust highly are claiming this is an apocalyptic decision and will destroy our economy. Others that I trust are saying it’s going to be a boon for the United States. I honestly have no idea.

But, what I find really interesting was well stated by a pastor friend of mine on Facebook: “If your peace disappears every time the stock market dips or a tariff hits the news...maybe it wasn’t peace from God to begin with. Trust in Christ, not the Dow.”

For many people today the source of their salvation is earthly and the source of their wishful thinking is in Heaven.

Whether it’s finances, job security, housing security, safety, health, happiness, sexual fulfillment, relationships, etc, the vast majority of people today in the Western world find their real salvation in things that are tied directly to the earth. Or, as you’ve often heard me say, “comfort, leisure, safety, and pleasure.”

Guess what? None of that can actually save you. And none of that can bring Heaven’s peace to your restless heart.

It may for a time, but long-term, it will not.

The only really source of salvation was won for us on the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The cross of Christ should cause us to hate sin.

When we read or listen to any of the accounts of Jesus crucifixion, it should be heavy on our hearts. It should hurt. Our salvation cost a lot.

When The Passion of the Christ first came out...

Christ’s suffering should stir up emotions in us. And one of those emotions is to hate that which brought all of this about: sin.

Unfortunately, I’m not alone when I admit that I hate the fact that I love my sin as much as I do. If I didn’t, it would be easier to resist.

I hate prune juice...

I hate the song Last Christmas by Wham...

I hate Star Wars: The Last Jedi...

My point is, I find it very easy to avoid those things I hate. But, I don’t find it easy to avoid my sins. I hate the fact that I love them, but I clearly do by my behavior.

The cross of Christ ought to spur on more hatred for our sin.

The cross of Christ is our greatest source of thankfulness.

When we think about what we are thankful for, we don’t often think about the cross.

And honestly, the cross itself isn’t something we should be thankful for. It’s an inanimate, ugly item.

But, when we consider what was done on the cross, then we can find our true source of thankfulness.

How many of us are thankful that we are saved?

How many of us think we deserve to be saved?

A big part of our thankfulness stems for the fact that we don’t deserve salvation, could never earn it, and it’s simply the amazing grace of God that He saves any of us.

This Easter season, take time to consider how thankful you are for what Jesus has done for you on the cross.

Are you living like you are thankful?

Are you sharing the Gospel like you are thankful for it?

Are you able to find joy in the midst of hardships because you have something amazing to be thankful for?

You do! The cross of Christ!