We believe in Jesus Christ… who was crucifed, died and was buried. He desended to the dead.

HOOK –

If there is one symbol that fully represents Christianity, what do you think it would it be? The cross of course. But if you take a step back and really ponder that, it’s quite unsettling. Crosses are very domesticated in our culture. Celebrities wear million-dollar gold encrusted cross necklaces. Cross icons are used for traffic signs. Christians use decorative crosses for wall art. Stone crosses are used to mark graves and makeshift cross memorials are on the side of the road to show where a loved one died. Crosses are everywhere around us, so much so that we don’t even consider how bizarre it is.

To really understand the concept of a cross, we have to consider an equivalent and step out of our culture for a moment. The cross was divisive instrument of execution. What would that be today? Maybe an electric chair or a firing squad or hangman noose or another form of torture. Just put that in context. Could you imagine entering a city where everyone was wearing million-dollar gold electric chairs? Or statues of firing squads were placed around town? Or people decorating their homes with nooses? That would be very strange and uncomfortable. But do you realize that’s what the cross is. It’s not domestic art, it’s a tool of terror!

Now when you think of branding for an organization, you want to choose something attractive that represents you, right? The logo should tell the story! Well, if we made up this whole thing called Christianity, why would anyone in their right mind choose a cross? Unless it really happened. And that cross fully tells the story. In fact, people from every ethnicity, nationality and language have chosen the cross as the symbol of their lives! Christians have been making the sign of the cross, wearing crosses, singing about crosses, and celebrating the cross!

And even in the ancient explanation of the Christian Message: which is the Apostles Creed: the cross plays a front and center role. From the earliest days of the church, Christians have boldly exalted the cross: We believe in Jesus Christ… who was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead.”

And it is interesting all four Gospels which tell us the life of Jesus, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John all focus on the cross. Only two speak about his birth. But all four speak about his death. And John’s Gospel focuses half of the book on the crucifixion of Jesus.

So today I want to do the same and explain the nature of crucifixion. I want to answer 3 important questions: What happened? Why did it happen? How do we respond?

BOOK – What Happened at the Cross?

I know some of us may be too familiar with the cross, so we need to know the horror of it. But before we jump into this, you must realize this is all historical. This isn’t fiction or from my imagination. These things really happened. Jesus was truly crucified.

But before He was crucified, John says, “They took Jesus, and had him scourged”. A professional executioner would be in charge of that. He would take a handle that had many straps of leather with metal ball at the end that would beat the flesh of the man. Sometimes there were hooks attached to the end, made of bone or metal. And they would hook into the man’s neck and back and shoulders, and legs. Then the executioner would take a pull back at the straps, which would rip the flesh off the man’s body. This was so horrendous that it was common for some to die before they even made it to their crucifixion.

It was only after this, when He would be bleeding profusely, that they led Jesus to the cross. Crucifixion was invented by the Persians, 500 hundred years beforeJesus. And it continued for a millennium. It was the most despicable, disgusting and dishonorable way to die. The Romans reserved crucifixion for only its worst criminals. The Jews saw the cross as a curse as Deuteronomy 21:22-23 says “Anyone who is hung on a tree is cursed of God.”

But to really understand the cross is to be horrified. You see, even the word “excruciating” was invented to describe crucifixion. This is what happened to Jesus:

By the time Jesus was given the cross, He already was bloodied from being beaten all night and scourged. His nose and mouth were bleeding. His eyes would have been swollen. They had ripped his beard out, which was a sign of disgrace for a man in that culture. Then the bloodied disfigured appalling Jesus was given his cross to carry on a long track out of the city. It would have been a used one weighing about 100 pounds. It was made out of rough wood with splinters rubbing against Jesus’ exposed back.

Around 9am, they took Jesus to the place of His crucifixion, a hill top outside of Jerusalem. There, they stripped him naked in front of everyone, they put a crown of thorns on him. The crowd mocked him as if he was nothing but a joke. Then the soldiers forced this shell-shocked man to lay on a cross. Then they stretched this carpenter out on hard wood, and He who himself had driven many nails in wood, had railroad-like spikes five to seven inches in length, were driven through his wrist and through his feet. Jesus was nailed to the cross.

There would have been a pre-carved hole in the ground to hold the cross upright. With him anchored to it, the cross was lifted up and shoved forward and then fell into the ground. You can imagine how traumatizing this was to His body as Jesus convulsed on the cross.

The Romans would crucify face forward and sometimes even at eye level so everyone could mock and spit at the victims. At this point, men would completely lose control of their bodily functions. Everything would be dripping off the man’s body, all of his fluids, urine, feces, blood, tears and sweat in a little pile on the ground under his dying body.

What made crucifixion so truly excruciatingly was that it was a very slow painful death by asphyxiation. As Jesus was on the cross, His body weight caused him to slump and slouch, which meant He would strain to fill up His lungs with air, pulling up on the nails in his wrists. This would then make Him start chocking as He was straining to inhale and exhale air.

Men would pass in and out of consciousness for days in the sun and at night. These dehydrated and traumatized bodies would continue losing blood, just sweating profusely. If strong enough, some would try to simply die by intentionally slouching on the cross to lose their breath and die. But then the Romans built a little seat on the wood under the man so he couldn’t do that. But then When the Romans finally wanted their victims to die, they broke the victim’s legs so they could no longer push themselves up and all the body weight would be hanging by the arms. This was horrible!

Jesus was in this condition for 6 hours, flanked on both sides by thieves. He was crucified at 9am, out in the open at the busiest part of the day. He ached on the cross in the morning, and then in the baking sun during the afternoon. Then came an eerie darkness all around, that put everyone on edge. After three more hours on the cross, shortly after 3pm, Jesus gasped hoarsely for a drink. The wine mixture they shoved into his mouth seems to have moistened his mouth just enough to say one final word, “It is finished”. Then, Jesus died.

To confirm He was dead, a Roman soldier “pierced his side with a spear”, rupturing his heart sack, and out came blood and water. His body was a bloodied, naked, fleshless mess that was unrecognizable. He was completely disfigured.

He was taken down from the cross by his devastated family and friends. Then some men stepped forward to claim the corpse. They were secret disciples of his, members of the Jewish Sanhedrin: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. They quickly wrapped Jesus’s body in probably 70 pounds of sheets and buried him in a borrowed, cave-like tomb. Evening was falling and they had no time to fully clean it with spices. But witnesses were there: Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses walked with them, carefully noting the tomb’s location. The Roman Governor Pilate ordered the tomb to be stamped, sealed and guarded. A great stone was rolled over the entrance of the tomb and guards were stationed. There, the body lay. Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead.” It was truly finished.

LOOK – Why was the cross necessary?

Now, I know some of you at this point are wondering why this was necessary? Why do we have to talk so much about blood, violence and death? Why did Jesus have to die? The cross is very controversial indeed. There are many different opinions about it. You might be thinking about this yourself: Did is accomplish anything?

I understand this tension. I felt it myself. I grew up as an agnostic and never fully understood the whole cross thing myself. I would see signs that said “Jesus Saves” but I didn’t understand what that meant. I played soccer, was He just a good goalie? I didn’t ask him to save me or even die for me! When I reluctantly went to see the film Passion of the Christ, it was my first exposure to the cross of Christ. The film accurately portrayed what happened. And it was so bad and wrong and unjust. It was disorienting to watch. All my injustice buttons were pressed. This shouldn’t have happened, I thought! It’s wrong. But I didn’t realize fully the reason behind it all. I didn’t realize the violence of the cross was due to the violence around us.

You see, to truly understand what was occurring on that cross beam, we have to look away from the disfigured Jesus and look at ourselves. Here’s the thing, it’s obvious that the cross was unjust because the world around us is full of injustice, and you and I are the unjust ones.

You might disagree with that. You might think you’re a pretty good and just person. Let’s just take a moment and consider it. Let’s compare ourselves not with each other, but God and His standard in the 10 Commandments:

1. YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. Is God first in your life? Do you love God above all else? Have you loved God with all your heart? If not, you have committed the oldest sin: idolatry. 2. YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF ANY GRAVEN IMAGE. Have you made a god to suit yourself, either with our hands or with our mind? Have you made a god in your mind that you're comfortable with, that doesn’t challenge or confront you?

3. YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN. Have you ever taken God's name in vain, using it flippantly, like "OMG," or in place of a four-letter word to express disgust? 4. REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY. Even though God gives you the gift of life, do you give Him one day in seven? 5. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER. Have you always honored your parents implicitly, treating them in a way that's pleasing to God 6. YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. Have you ever murdered someone? Jesus warns that if we are angry at someone we are in danger of judgment, and that "whoever hates his brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15). Have you broken this Commandment by harboring anger or hatred toward someone? 7. YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. Have you kept your body and eyes pure? Who of us can say that we are pure of heart? Jesus warned, "Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). God has seen every thought you have had and every sin you have ever committed. 8. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL. Have you ever taken something that didn't belong to you, regardless of its value? It might be stealing an answer on a test, taking a pen from work, even keeping extra change that you know isn't rightfully yours. 9. YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS. Have you ever told a lie? Then that would make you a liar. You may not think deceitfulness is a serious sin, but God does. 10. YOU SHALL NOT COVET. Have you ever coveted (jealously desired) anything that belongs to another person?

Who of us can say we are not guilty of breaking these Commandments? We have All sinned, and you only have to break one law to be guilty. The Bible warns, "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). Do you feel the weight of that?

Now that might sound offensive and ludicrous to you, but do you see how far-reaching sin is? Sin is not just breaking divine rules and doing bad things, but it is also the making of good things into ultimate things. This has personal, social and cosmic ramifications. Sin seeks to establish our sense of self by making something more important than God. How do you seek to justify your existence? Fulfilling your duty to family? Giving service to society? Your achievements and social status? Talents or relationships? You see when this happens, sin manifests in a variety of ways. It destroys us personally as any identity not based on God will lead to some addiction. It destroys us socially because when anything but God is our highest love, it begins to deeply fragment society. It destroys us cosmically because when we determine to serve ourselves instead of God, the entire created world breaks.

You see all of us are in a terrible predicament. We are all guilty and probably feel quite exposed right now. And we can’t expect God to just overlook our sins. Just imagine you were guilty of terrible crimes and in a courtroom where you said to the Judge, “I am guilty, but I believe you are a good man and will just forgive my crimes,"... the judge would probably respond, "You are right... I am a good man, and because of my goodness, I am going to see that justice is served and you are punished for your crimes."

Then you are standing in front of that judge, guilty and a despondent of the horrible punishment you will be sentenced to. All the evidence has been presented and there is no doubt about your guilt. The judge is about to pass sentence . . . he lifts his gavel… when all of a sudden, someone you don't even know steps in and pays the fine for you. Justice has been served, the law has been satisfied, and you are now free to go. The one who paid your fine just showed how much he cares for you. His substutitionary payment was evidence of his love.

In the book A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Darnay is a French aristocrat during the French Revolution. He is imprisoned and sentenced to die by guillotine. Nearing his execution day, another man who had loved his wife, Sydney Carton visits him and offers to exchange places. Charles refused but Sydney drugs him and smuggles him out, so he can take his place. That last night in the prison, a young seamstress condemned to die starts chatting with who she thought was Charles. When she realizes that is not him, she’s shocked and asks, “Are you dying for him?” Sydney responds, “And his wife and child. Hush! Yes.” Then she confesses how scared she is facing death. She was sinking under the weight of her trial. Her strength is giving out. She asks to hold his hand at the execution. When the time comes, they die hand in hand. She was struck by his substitutionary sacrifice, and she kept her eyes on him the entire time.

TOOK – How do we respond?

And my friends, that is exactly what God did, 2,000 years ago. He sent His Son, Jesus of Nazareth, to pay your death penalty in your place. Jesus lived the life you have not lived, and Jesus died the death that you deserve. Jesus died on the cross on your behalf, so that you could live. You are guilty; He paid the fine. It is that simple. Now, how do we respond?

This is why Jesus had to die. God couldn’t just forgive us. Any type of forgiveness requires someone bearing a cost instead of making a wrongdoer bear it. The only way to forgive is to absorb the debt of sin yourself. Every time you forgive you go through a death. Everyone who forgives must bear the other person’s sin. And on that cross, Jesus was visibly bearing the very sins that He would forgive. You see, the cross was necessary in order for God to forgive us. Someone will pay for your sins; it will either be Jesus, or it will be yourself. Will you ask for His forgiveness?

But it is also out of pure love that Jesus went to the cross. Any committed love to anyone else is a form of substitutionary sacrifice. The Lord is a God of Love who personally got involved in our suffering, oppression, grief, weakness, and pain. That’s real, costly, committed love! In the book “Cross of Christ”, John Stott describes this love: “The essence of sin is we human beings substituting ourselves for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for us. We… put ourselves where only God deserves to be; God… puts Himself where we deserve to be.” Will you receive His love?

And it is in that moment, where Jesus died the death we should have died, that He cried out the 3 most important words in human history: IT IS FINISHED! You know why it’s so important? Because it reverberates through all human history.

Over the law that Jesus lived perfectly, and which condemns us: with nothing left incomplete, He looked at the law and said: It is finished.

Over Satan and demons whom the Father had promised Eve that someone would tread on the serpent’s head, Jesus faced the darkness that engulfs us and said: it is finished.

Over the cup of judgement reserved for us, Jesus put the cup to His lips and drank the consuming fire of judgment, almighty anger, and God’s wrath against sin. He drank until He was spent, then set it aside and said: It is finished!

Over the sinfulness of His people and for the salvation of His people, Jesus the Groom gave Himself away for His Bride, Jesus the Shepherd laid down His life for His Sheep. Jesus the Priest offered Himself on the altar for His people. In the anguish of His own soul, Jesus paid the price for our salvation and over all of our sins, He yelled: It Is Finished!

Now here’s my question for you: As we survey the wondrous cross today, what do you see? Do you see the Savior’s finished work for you? Or do you see a work nearly finished? Do you see glory? Or do you just see unnecessary gore?

It was no small thing for Jesus to die for His people. The only thing that would satisfy the demands of God’s Law was the shed blood of the sinless Son of God. That’s love! Jesus suffered unspeakable agony, so that anyone who would receive Him would not have to be punished for their sins. His sacrificial death means that you no longer need to be in debt to the Law, and God can now grant you everlasting life if you receive the gospel. What should you then do? Simply repent (turn from your sins) and believe (put your trust) in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Those aren’t two steps you have to work on to save yourself. Those are two sides of the same coin when you start to treasure Christ above all else, and it is something that must take place every day. In fact, the German Reformer Martin Luther began his 95 Thesis, which launched the Reformation, with these words: "Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” It’s a daily thing. But it’s also a Cross-centered thing.

You see repenting and believing Jesus means to treasure His cross and center your life on that cross. When I first became a Christian, the first verse I memorized has become the most important to my life: 1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” For 17 years I’ve been aiming to see all of life from the lens of Christ and Him crucified. I want the same for you! Which is why one of the 3 core values of this church is being Gospel-Shaped!

This means memorizing the gospel. Every morning, we wake up dazed and gloomy or happy and with a list of things to do. In either condition we need to remember the gospel truth about God and ourselves… Remind yourself of this daily: I am accepted by the Father, because of Jesus.

Living the Cross-Centered life also means learning how to pray the gospel. That means practically walking through the gospel in prayer: Thank the Father for who He is, confess sins and thank Jesus for the cross, then ask the Spirit to help you resist sin.

Learn how to sing the gospel. Make cross-centered worship a regular part of your daily routine. This is one reason our worship team is trying to walk us through the gospel every week in songs and the order of songs.

If you are a follower of Christ, review regularly how the gospel has changed you. Remember where you once were, how Jesus redeemed you and how He has been restoring you since then. This is one reason we love sharing testimonies: to give witness to the gospel in each other’s life! Memorizing the gospel, singing the gospel, praying the gospel and reviewing the gospel in your life are all ways to live the Cross-centered life of repentance.

You see, when you truly survey the wondrous cross, you will be pained by guilt, your heart will be broken for love, and you be compelled to believe He did this for you. And at that moment, you will turn from everything else. You will repent and believe. You see if you don’t live for Jesus, you will live for something else. If you live for a career or relationship, they will eventually fail you, but they can’t die to forgive you. Only Jesus can save you, and if you fail Him, He is the only one that can forgive you. Nothing else and no one else can die for your sins. It will either be yourself or Jesus. Who do you choose today?

There really is but one symbol that fully represents Christianity. It’s the cross of Christ! That evil device of torture can become the most prized treasure in the world for you, it can represent your salvation. There is but also one phrase that fully represent the gospel: it’s the very words of Jesus that can be the sweetest saying to your ears: It is finished! Amen