The Standard of the Cross
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· 60 viewsViewing the cross as the standard of living set by Christ
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Today is what we in the western hemisphere call Good Friday, the anniversary of the historical event of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Unfortunately somewhere in the past 2000 plus years of celebrating this day we began to limit the work of Christ on the cross to the doctrinal boundaries of salvation
Now don’t get me wrong, the cross is about salvation and the Bible speaks very clearly to that, but a quick read of the New Testament and we can see that the early church learned how to live “in light” of the cross and not merely as a result of it
What do i mean by that? Well by what was written by Paul and the other apostles it becomes clear to us that the cross wasn’t just about getting saved but that the cross set the standard by which the Christian was expected to live
That’s why Christ said that anyone who wants to follow Him must “take up his cross daily” and why Paul said in
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
The cross has to be more than just a historical reality for us, it has to be a personal, daily reality, Calvary must be the standard by which we live our lives each and every day
So let me take a few minutes and show you how, as Christians, we are expected to “pick up our cross” and what it means to be “crucified with Christ”
First Calvary sets the standard for how we ought to love
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Those were the words of Jesus in and the in fulfilling this He demonstrated for us what that love ought to look like
It is a love that loves the undeserving
Jesus was hated by those for whom He was dying, He was mocked, beaten, spit upon and treated with a greater depth of cruelty than any of us could imagine, yet in the midst of it all He prayed for their forgiveness
Christ’s example to us leaves no room for grudges or hatred of any kind towards anyone
2. It is a love that turns the other cheek and repays harm with good
When Peter wanted to make this point in his first epistle he used the cross as his example
For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
“He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “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.”
1 Peter 2:19-24
3. It is a love that defeats evil
The kind of love that Christ demonstrated on Calvary is not a weak or defeated love but it demonstrates that when we refuse to let evil reign and we respond with love, evil is disarmed and beaten
Evil doesn’t know how to handle it or what to do when we respond to it with love
Secondly Calvary set the standard for suffering in our lives
This is what Paul said about it in his letter to the Philippians
I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Paul said ‘I want to respond to suffering the way that Christ responded to suffering as demonstrated by the cross
On the cross Christ set the standard for enduring suffering
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:
The author of Hebrews tells us that when we are becoming weary of the suffering, when we’re not sure we can continue on or if it’s even worth it, in those moments he says, ‘Remember what Christ went through’
He says to keep it in mind so can can keep going knowing that it is worth it
2. On the cross Christ set the limit for suffering
If we continue in the very next verse says,
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
For 2000 years Christians have suffered many atrocities in persecutions, facing the lions in the Colosseum, being used as human torches, stoned, beaten and so on
How did they endure it? They kept their eyes on Christ knowing that He endured far more than they were
If we are to truly cling to that old rugged cross as the song writer said, we cannot let go because of suffering until we have suffered more than He suffered (which is never)
3. On the cross Christ revealed that there’s victory in suffering
We’ve changed that theology a bit today to say that there’s victory in spite of suffering but that subtle change makes a huge difference
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
:2-4
The victory is produced because of the suffering and not in spite of it which is the only way that James and Paul and Peter and others could rejoice when they were found “worthy to suffer”
Thirdly the cross set the standard for service
Once again we go back to the words of Christ Himself who said that if we are going to be disciples of Him there was only one way to do that and it is to deny our self, take up our cross on a daily basis and follow Him
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 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.”
Jesus said that His level of service would take him all the way to Calvary and that is the level of service to others that we need to be dedicated to
Listen to how Paul described it in
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
“A living sacrifice” what an awesome illustration of how we are to take up the cross daily, to live in the service of others in complete humility
Fi
The fourth and final point that I want to touch on this morning is that the cross set the standard for glory in our lives
We already read which told us that Jesus endured the cross in order to gain the glory that would be His because of it
Paul said in
Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,
Galatians 6:4
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Until we have learned to crucify and put to death the old self the only thing that we can glory in is “self”
That’s who we are as humans, the way we were born
But when we crucify that old person and are reborn in Christ, it is the cross of Christ that becomes our boast, our greatest treasure
For Christ His greatest glory was not found in raising the dead or feeding the multitudes but in following the will of God up the hill of Golgotha
The cross becomes the measure of value for everything
In that passage we just read by Paul he said that the world was crucified to him
the world was no longer his treasure nor did it contain his treasure
To Christ the cross was more valuable than the praise of man, or any and all that this world has to offer
If we are to be crucified with Christ we have to learn to have the same attitude as He did and value the cross upon which WE are crucified more than anything that this world can give to us
The cross of Christ was so much more than a means to an end in bringing salvation to the world
The cross was a demonstration by God of the standard that He expects from each of us who would call Him Father by the grace of His Son Jesus Christ
Let’s pray