The Cross

Intro

“Others” Poem

Divide students into groups of 2-3 and give each a copy of the poem “Others” by C. D. Meigs.

Discussion

What is the main message of this poem? ( Care about others more than yourself.)

How does the third stanza explain the gospel? (It refers to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.)

What motto does the writer want for his life? (To live for others like Jesus did.)

Lesson

Rejected and Mocked

Jesus truly did live for other people.

Think of this: If God is truly perfect in all His ways, then He doesn’t have to do anything at all to make things better for Him.

So when He decided to come down here and do all that He did in the flesh… all of that could only be for US.

As a matter of fact, every word of interaction between God and people… every word in the Bible was given for US.

There’s no logical reason for God to do all of these things He does other than that He truly love us.

But what did Jesus get for the love He expressed? REJECTION.

The sting of rejection is a painful emotion everyone feels at some point in life. Often it is experienced unjustly when others place self-interest over the needs and concerns of others. If you have ever suffered in that way, you are not alone.

Jesus ministered to the Jewish nation by performing miracles and teaching about the kingdom of God. He healed their sick, raised their dead, and fed thousands.

For these acts of mercy, He was betrayed by both the religious elite and even one of His own handpicked followers.

Imagine the sting Jesus must have felt as the Roman ruler Pontius Pilate asked the crowd observing the trial, “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” only to hear them cry out, “Let him be crucified” (Matthew 27:22).

For the Roman soldiers, this trial must have served as a means of entertainment, a diversion from the boredom of their job.

The entire unit was called together into the common hall for the spectacle.

Totally oblivious to their role in fulfilling Old Testament prophecy, they decided to have fun at the condemned man’s expense. They mocked the one who would soon die for their sin.

Matthew 27:29 NLT

They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!”

With all of this going on, Jesus refused to save Himself.

At any moment, Jesus could have called an army of angels to His defense.

Without even snapping His fingers, Jesus could have wiped the Roman Empire off the face of the map.

He could have caused the surface of the earth to open, swallowing up His accusers and revealing a glimpse of His power.

Yet Jesus chose to endure the shame and suffering of the cross for one specific purpose: so we could be saved and in covenant with Him.

The Infallible Word

Have you ever encountered a person who claimed the Bible was written by men and therefore is full of errors?

How would you respond to someone who doesn’t believe the Bible is the Word of God?

A few things to think about: one way to display the accuracy of the Bible is to consider the many examples of facts about Creation, which have been scientifically proven.

The circulation of blood throughout the body.

Leviticus 17:14 NLT

The life of every creature is in its blood. That is why I have said to the people of Israel, ‘You must never eat or drink blood, for the life of any creature is in its blood.’ So whoever consumes blood will be cut off from the community.

The complex nature of the water cycle.

Job 36:27–28 NKJV

For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist, Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man.

The presence of ocean currents.

Psalm 8:8 NLT

the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.

For sure, actual people penned the individual books of the Bible… but we know that it was God who was the true Author:

2 Peter 1:21 NKJV

for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Truly, the person who claims they “know” that the Bible is just something written by people a long time ago… people who say that are very often just believing that as their way out of facing the truths that the Word of God speaks.

It’s a lot easier to just say that this Book isn’t the Word of God than it is to believe it and allow it to change you.

What we believe… what we KNOW is that the Bible is infallible. This means that Scripture is incapable of error or falsehood in what it affirms — that it cannot deceive, mislead, or fail in its purpose. Why? It is God’s Word. And God is not a man that He should lie.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the life of Jesus is found in the number of prophecies He fulfilled.

The Old Testament contains over three hundred prophecies about Jesus. Many have already been fulfilled, but some refer to His second coming.

Approximately thirty of these prophecies were fulfilled during the final twenty-four hours of Jesus’ life.

I’m just going to give you a few:

Forsaken by His disciples.

Zechariah 13:7 NKJV

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.

Mark 14:50 NKJV

Then they all forsook Him and fled.

Accused by false witnesses.

Psalm 35:11 KJV 1900

False witnesses did rise up; They laid to my charge things that I knew not.

Matthew 26:59–61 NKJV

Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”

Struck on the face.

Micah 5:1 NKJV

Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; He has laid siege against us; They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

Matthew 26:67 NKJV

Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands,

Spit on.

Isaiah 50:6 NKJV

I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

Matthew 26:67 KJV 1900

Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

Crucified with thieves.

Isaiah 53:12 NLT

I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Matthew 27:38 NKJV

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

We could go on and on and on… but the Bible confirms itself. Check this out…

This might be the most amazing data picture you see in a lifetime! It shows the 63,779 cross-references in the Bible.

The white bars along the bottom represent each Bible chapter, Gen. 1 - Rev. 22.

The line's color shows the reference's distance from the other. A cross-reference is a scripture that references another scripture.

Had the Bible been written by one person or at one time this would still be amazing…however, the Bible was written by 40 authors over the span of 1500 years on 3 different continents. It’s hard to stand against that!!!

The Bible is complex, diverse, and intricate, and yet it has one unified message: God lovingly is redeeming all who believe!

The Power of Atonement

If challenged to summarize the purpose of the cross in a single word, one excellent response would be atonement.

To atone is to make amends or pay the penalty for wrongdoing. It has also been described as the way by which we can once again be at one with God: “at-one-ment.”

The gospel consists of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Without His death, there would be no burial. Without His death, resurrection would be impossible.

That is why the cross serves as a focal point for disciples of Jesus Christ. This event, which occurred close to two thousand years ago, still determines our destiny if we apply its victory to our lives.

When the soldiers tired of their mocking, they laid the heavy timber cross over Jesus’ shoulders and led Him through the mob-crowded streets to a rocky hill just beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

They drove nails through Jesus’ hands and feet. His tattered body was torn by the downward force of the cross being dropped into place.

Jesus was suspended between earth and Heaven to suffer and die, a process which sometimes took days to accomplish.

Crucifixion was a torturous death, so horrible that one of the chief benefits of being a Roman citizen was exemption from this form of execution.

The word excruciating was coined because of the cross, literally meaning, “out of the cross.”

While Jesus hung on the cross awaiting certain death, onlookers mocked Him, and one of the two thieves hanging on each side of Him tried to provoke Him.

Roman soldiers offered Jesus a mixture of vinegar and gall to drink, which He refused.

In complete ignorance of their role in fulfilling prophecy, soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothing. They should have read Psalm 22.

They followed Pilate’s order to identify the crime for which Jesus was being executed by nailing a placard above His head.

Matthew 27:35–37 NLT

After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Details in Scripture show that Jesus’ atonement was for everyone.

Jesus refused the vinegar mixed with gall because no pain relief would be allowed to interfere with His willingness to suffer everything necessary for our complete restoration.

The identification of Jesus as the King of the Jews was written in all three languages most likely to be spoken by those who passed by, ensuring all would be given the opportunity to know who He was.

Furthermore, the Bible records “from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45). The Jewish morning began at 6:00 AM, so it appears there was a solar eclipse from noon until 3:00 PM as the earth responded to the final hours experienced by its Creator manifest in the flesh.

During the ninth hour (about 3:00 PM local time), Jesus spoke His last words before His resurrection, crying out, “It is finished.” He then “gave up the ghost” and died.

He didn’t simply faint from low blood and then wake up later, as many believers of Islam will say.

Jesus died. His dead body lay in the tomb for three days and nights. He gave everything He could for us to have the opportunity to be at one with God. “At-one-ment”

Conclusion

Blessed by the Cross

Because Jesus completed everything He came to do, the blessings we receive of Him are complete.

There is no problem He cannot solve.

There is no disease He cannot heal.

There is no person too far away that He cannot save.

Without Jesus’ death, none of that would be possible.

We’re going to cover His resurrection next week, but the the cross is so powerful and can’t be moved past to quickly! He died, and for us it meant everything.

Misunderstood

You guys know who Vincent van Gogh is, right?

Many picture “The Starry Night” which he painted while he was in a mental health hospital.

Others recall how he cut off part of his ear and nearly died.

Surprisingly, van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime, despite creating over two thousand, many which changed modern art.

Jesus is often misunderstood. The Bible declares the cross of Jesus is foolishness to those who do not believe, but for us, it’s a masterpiece painted in His precious blood.

One Roman soldier saw the sky darken, felt the earth shake, and realized this was no ordinary man. He even confessed Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54).

There are people all around us like the Roman soldier. They see the power of the cross, and you might be the one God uses to show them and lead them into covenant.

Prayer

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