This Is What God Is Like
From Cradle to Cross • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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We all carry around ideas, images, and experiences of God.
Some are beautiful
Some are painful
Some are confusing
Some have transformed our lives
But our picture of God should not be shaped primarily by our assumptions, experiences, or disappointments.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
And if you want to see the heart of God most clearly, look at Jesus on the CROSS.
PRAY
Context:
The Gospel according to Luke The Crucifixion: Jesus Completes His “Exodus” in Jerusalem (23:26–49)
Crucifixion has been described as the “most cruel and horrifying punishment.” Every totalitarian regime needs a terror apparatus, and crucifixion was just that for Rome, infamous alike for its infliction of pain and shame.
Crucifixion unleashed maximum cruelty on the lowest and most defenseless classes of society—slaves, violent criminals, and prisoners of war. To enhance the effect of crucifixion, victims were executed as public spectacles. A man named Quintillian wrote, “Whenever we crucify the guilty, the most crowded roads are chosen, where the most people can see and be moved by this fear.”
Men were normally crucified naked, as the gambling for Jesus’ clothes attests. Slave and lower-class women could also suffer the horrors of crucifixion.
Most crosses were probably near or slightly above eye-level. Moreover, under Roman practice the person crucified was denied burial, the corpse left on the cross as carrion for the birds or left to rot. In this way, the general populace was reminded of the fate of those who resisted the authority of the Roman Empire.
The Romans appear to have practiced a consistent form of crucifixion: It included a flogging beforehand; victims often carried the crossbeam to the place of crucifixion, where they were nailed to the cross with arms extended. Depending on the severity of flogging beforehand, some victims survived on crosses several days. Since no major arteries or organs were compromised, death came not by blood loss, but from shock, exhaustion, asphyxia, dehydration, heart failure, or a combination of the above.
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters Crucifixion
Content combined with resource above…
As we look at Jesus on the cross, pay attention to THREE THINGS:
How Jesus responds to His enemies
How Jesus responds to a dying criminal
How Jesus responds to the Father
In those THREE RESPONSES, we see the heart of God…
P. 721
32 Two other men, both criminals, — possibly violent robbers OR revolutionaries — were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, — other Gospels sometimes refer to this place as “Golgotha” // “Golgotha” means “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.
Jesus is surrounded by:
People mocking Him
People gambling for His clothes
Religious Leaders ridiculing Him
And in that moment, He chose to speak…
Not to argue
Not to defend
Not to beg
Not to condemn
Not to make threats
Not to get revenge
Jesus chose to speak words of FORGIVENESS.
On the cross, Jesus displays forgiveness.
HE RELEASED THE GUILTY FROM WHAT THEY DESERVED.
In this scenario (crucifixion of a “criminal”)…
Forgiveness was unusual…
Forgiveness was unexpected…
Forgiveness was the HEART OF GOD.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus on the cross.
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.” — MOCKING —
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.” — Even their offer of wine vinegar was part of their mockery. —
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. — It was customary to display the conviction … In this case, the “crime” is really a confession. As far as Rome was concerned, Jesus was crucified because He claimed to be the King —
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” — even dying, he rejected Jesus —
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.”
This second criminal has absolutely nothing to offer — not to Jesus and not to anyone else
He cannot come down from the cross and repair the damage he had done
He cannot perform enough good works
He cannot prove his repentance is sincere
He cannot promise Jesus a better tomorrow
He only has a CONFESSION and a REQUEST..
And Jesus chose to respond with GRACE — just like He had done over and over in Luke’s Gospel...
The sinful woman (Luke 7:36-50)
The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32)
Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
Jesus continually welcomes the people everyone else has written off…
He never waited for perfect people
He always moved toward broken people
On the cross, Jesus gives grace.
HE GAVE THE UNDESERVING WHAT THEY COULD NEVER EARN.
In this scenario (crucifixion of a “criminal”)…
Grace was unusual…
Grace was unexpected…
Grace was the HEART OF GOD.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus on the cross.
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. — The curtain was in the middle of the temple, keeping the people at a distance from God. When Jesus died, the barrier was ripped…His death INVITES ALL PEOPLE to have direct access to the Father — 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.
Notice Jesus’ final words…
Not “I give up”
Not “Help me”
Not “I made a mistake”
Jesus says… “FATHER…”
Even in suffering…
Even in darkness…
Even in death…
On the cross, Jesus entrusts Himself to the Father.
Everything around Jesus has changed.
His friends have scattered
His body is failing
Darkness has covered the land
Death is approaching
But one thing has not changed… Jesus still trusts the Father!
The Father is still trustworthy
The Father is still the King
The Father is still faithful
And so… On the cross, the heart of God is on full display!
FORGIVENESS
GRACE
A life of TRUST
INVITATION:
There’s an invitation in all of this…
Jesus’ death on the cross offers you FORGIVENESS…
Jesus offered you FORGIVENESS by taking the penalty for your SIN onto Himself on the cross
Jesus’ death on the cross offers you GRACE…
Jesus offered you GRACE and MERCY — even though you did NOTHING to deserve it
Jesus’ death on the cross offers you an INVITATION to TRUST Him with your life by surrendering your life to Him
If you would like to follow Jesus…
Publicly confess that you’re choosing to follow Jesus
Be baptized for forgiveness of sin and to receive the Holy Spirit
The cross is an INVITATION to receive forgiveness, grace, and a new life of trust.
But the cross is not ONLY something Jesus carried for us….
…the cross is also a way of life that He calls us to follow.
P. 707
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
The disciples heard those words LONG BEFORE Jesus went to the cross.
They didn’t know everything about Jesus’ cross yet — but they certainly knew what a cross meant
Our culture tends to view the cross as…
Jewelry
Wall decorations
Something beside a highway
Even more….we’ve actually adapted the phrase “carry your cross” to mean all kinds of things…
Difficult relationships — Dealing with a hard-to-get-along-with person is ok… “It’s just my cross to bear”
Health struggles — Managing ongoing physical pain, mental illness, or chronic conditions is ok… “It’s just my cross to bear”
Financial & Work pressures — Addressing long-term debt, tedious duties, miserable workplaces is ok… “It’s just my cross to bear”
But that’s not what the cross meant to the people listening in Luke 9. For them, the cross meant…
Death
Pain
Shame
Over time, this phrase has shifted from meaning “sacrificial devotion to Jesus’ Way” to referring to any stubborn, nagging frustration, whether big or small
But when we consider Jesus’ words in Luke 9 in the context of Jesus’ cross in Luke 23…
We learn that “Taking up my cross” means…
I surrender my demand for RETALIATION and I choose FORGIVENESS.
I surrender my “right” to DECIDE who deserves my love and I choose GRACE.
I surrender my illusion of CONTROL and I choose to TRUST the Father.
The cross is not only what Jesus did for you - it is the life Jesus calls you to live.
24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
Jesus offered a very clear choice to people:
We can spend our lives trying to save ourselves…
Protecting our rights
Judging other people
Fighting to remain in control
Or we can surrender our lives to Jesus and follow His way…
One way feels like control…but ultimately ends in loss.
The other way feels like loss…because it requires surrender — but it leads to eternal life in the presence of the Father.
The ONLY WAY to find your life is to place it completely into the hands of Jesus.
If you want to know what God Is like, look at Jesus on the cross.
There you will see the heart of God.
Forgiveness instead of retaliation
Grace for the undeserving
Trust in the Father
Look at Jesus on the cross…
and you will see hope for your future.
and you will see the heart of God.
CHURCH — Take up your cross, and let the world see God’s heart in you.
THREE NEXT STEPS:
1 - Release one person.
Ask yourself:
“Who am I still trying to make pay for what they did?”
Pray:
“Father, because You have forgiven me, I release my demand for retaliation. Help me begin choosing forgiveness.”
Then:
Take up your cross and display the FORGIVENESS of Jesus.
2 - Move toward one person.
Ask yourself:
“Who have I written off as undeserving of my attention, kindness, or love?”
Choose:
Send the message
Make the phone call
Offer encouragement
Meet a tangible need
Invite them to share a meal
Then:
Take up your cross and give the GRACE of Jesus.
3 - Surrender one thing.
Ask yourself:
“What am I desperately trying to control right now?”
Name it specifically:
Write it down
Pray Jesus’ words every day this week…
“Father, into your hands I commit _________.”
Then:
Take up your cross and ENTRUST yourself to the Father.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Before this message, what experiences or assumptions most shaped your picture of God? How does Jesus on the cross confirm or challenge that picture?
Who are you tempted to make “pay” for something they have done? What would releasing your demand for retaliation look like?
What makes forgiveness difficult for you: the depth of the hurt, the desire for justice, fear of being hurt again, or something else?
How can we distinguish genuine forgiveness from excusing harmful behavior, avoiding accountability, or restoring trust too quickly?
The criminal beside Jesus had nothing to offer except a confession and a request. Why can it be difficult to receive grace without trying to earn it?
Jesus continually moved toward people others had written off. Who are you tempted to consider undeserving of your attention, kindness, or love?
What is one tangible act of grace you could offer someone this week?
Jesus entrusted Himself to the Father even in suffering, darkness, and death. What situation is currently making it difficult for you to trust God?
What is the difference between trusting God and passively doing nothing? What faithful action might God still be asking you to take?
Complete this sentence and share it with someone else: “This week, I will take up my cross by __________.”
