The cross of Jesus is …
– the center of all we believe, the heart of all we experience with God, and the basis of all we love about our faith
– Jesus Christ did not come just to preach a gospel
– he came to die that there would be a gospel to preach
– the cross was the focal point of Jesus’ life and ministry
– everything Jesus said or did, centered around the cross
Jesus spoke of
– a baptism he must experience (Lu. 12:50)
– a goal he must reach (Lu. 13:33)
– a suffering through which he must pass (Lu. 24:7)
– an hour which would come (John 12:27)
– a cup he must drink (John 18:11)
– a work he must accomplish (John 19:30)
– a victory he would gain (John 12:31 32)
– and all these expressions spoke about his death on the cross
– he talked of laying down his life
– he talked of being lifted up to die
– there’s a lot of confusion about the cross
– some say the cross is just an allegory showing us how to live
– or, an illustration of how we should sacrifice ourselves for others
– but the cross is so much more
– here are seven basic facts, each of which is critical to our understanding of what happened the day Jesus was nailed to the cross
1. The Cross of Jesus was a Divine Provision
Why did Jesus die?
– was it because Judas betrayed him?
– was it because the Jewish chief priests turned against him?
– was it because Pilate didn’t have the courage to release him?
– were the Roman soldiers too strong for him to resist?
– was the mob too unruly?
– no, it wasn’t any of these
The idea of the cross started in heaven
– the cross was God’s plan, not man’s scheme
– long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem
– long before Jesus went to the temple as a 12 year old child
– long before he was baptized by John the Baptist
– before he healed anyone or preached a single sermon
– Jesus was destined to go to the cross
He was the Lamb, “slain before the foundation of the world”
– before time began, God so loved the world, he gave his one and only Son
– to Pilate, Jesus said, “For this reason I was born…”
– “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. . .”
The cross was not man’s idea
– men did not say, we need someone to die on a cross to save us
– men did not say, “Let’s crucify someone and offer his body to God as a sacrifice”
– rather the cross was God’s idea
– in love, he chose to send his Son into the world
– in love, he planned every detail of the cross
– from the beginning, the cross was God’s plan to provide salvation and forgiveness for everyone
– the cross was God’s way of mixing love and justice together
– the cross was a divine provision
– when man had no way of helping himself
– God provided the cross to bring us back to himself
2. The Cross Was Necessary
It was an absolutely necessary for Jesus to die
– not because he had sinned
– not because he had committed any crime
– the Bible says, “He knew no sin”
– they searched his life and couldn’t find a single fault
The cross was a necessity because of our sin
– man needed salvation and forgiveness
– man needed a way to heaven
– man needed someone to deal with the ongoing problem of sin inside him
– man needed someone to deal with the guilt of past sins
– man could not save himself
– man could not change his nature
– man by himself could not satisfy the demands of a holy God
So the cross of Jesus became a necessity
– animal sacrifices could not save a person
– man’s attempts at goodness totally failed
– it took the blood of Jesus to bring peace with God
There was no other way to salvation
– there is a necessity to the cross
– have you ever noticed how often the word “must” appears in scripture?
ACTS 4:12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
JOHN 3:14
“. . .the Son of Man must be lifted up.”
LUKE 24:7
“The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men.”
Christ’s incarnation, his birth in Bethlehem was not enough
– his teachings are not enough
– his miracles are not enough
– Jesus had to die… he had to pay the penalty for sin
– there was no other way
3. The Cross of Jesus was Voluntary
– Jesus was not a victim of the angry mob
– he wasn’t helpless when the Jewish authorities dragged him through the streets of Jerusalem
– he wasn’t helpless when the soldiers pounded the nails into him
– no one had power over his life
– the mob cried out to him, “Come down from the cross and save yourself”
– he could have come down from the cross at that moment had he chosen to
– he could have called thousands of angels to come to his assistance
– but that wasn’t his choice
Jesus Christ died as a volunteer on the cross
– he chose to offer his body as a sacrificial offering to Almighty God
Five times in John 10 alone, Jesus said he gave his life for his sheep
John 10:11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep
John 10:15
. . . I lay down my life for the sheep. . .
John 10:17 18
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.
What a demonstration of his love for us!
– he chose to endure the cross
– he chose to suffer and die
– he willingly offered himself as a sacrifice to God so we might be saved
– no wonder Paul wrote these words
Romans 5:6 8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus chose death
– his death was voluntary
4. The Cross of Jesus was Substitutionary
We know that Jesus did not die for the sin he had committed
– he died for our sin
– this is the whole theme of the Bible
– because we have sinned, we deserve God’s judgment
– God’s judgment for sin is death
– but when Jesus died, he died not for his sins, but for our sins
– he paid the penalty for our sins
“He paid a debt he did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away. . .”
when Jesus died, he died as my substitute
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Romans 4:25
He was delivered over to death for our sins. . .
Isaiah 53:4
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. . .”
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:6
We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
One fact is clear all through scripture
– Jesus died as our substitute
– he took our place
5. The Cross of Jesus is Sufficient
The cross of Jesus is sufficient
– it is adequate
– it meets all the requirements for salvation
a] it meets all the demands of God
God was offended by our sin
– God’s law was broken
– justice had to be satisfied
– the demands and requirements of the law had to be met
– God, the righteous judge could not wink at the law
When Jesus died for our sins, he meet all the demands of God
– sins penalty was fully paid
– God is just in forgiving us, because the penalty for sin was paid
b] it meets all of man’s needs
Everything a person needs for salvation is found in the cross
– everything you need to be right with God is in the cross
– all you need for forgiveness is in the cross
– all that you need to be rid of you guilt is there in the cross of Jesus
The cross is sufficient to meet your needs here and now
– the cross is sufficient to make you ready for eternity
The cross of Jesus is sufficient; you need nothing else
6. The Cross of Jesus is Complete
When Jesus died on the cross, he cried with a loud voice, “It is finished”
– everyone could hear him
– he wasn’t just saying he was experiencing physical death
– he was saying his sacrifice for sin was finished
– he had finished the work his Father had sent him to do
– the Old Testament system of sacrifices was finished
The price for sin had been paid in full
– there was nothing more needed to purchase salvation
– the work of redemption had been completed
– Jesus had paid it all
Some folk purchase things on credit
– they make a down payment and then pay monthly installments
– it seems they are never finished paying
Some people think that’s what Jesus did when he died on the cross
– they think he only made a down payment
– they think they must go on making the payments
– they think we make the payments by doing good deeds, paying our tithes and a whole host of others things
– But that’s not what happened
– Jesus paid the full price for our sins
– nothing can be added to that payment
– that payment brought clear title for our salvation to us
– Jesus paid it all
7. The Cross of Jesus is Practical
The cross is not just an historical fact
– the cross not only provides salvation for our souls
– when we make the cross our own, it has profound impact on our lives
– the cross can transform our lives
– it makes a difference in the way we live
– it cleans up our lives
– it changes the way we live
– it brings new love, new desires, new hope and new purpose
It’s humbling thing to realize that what happened on the cross had to happen for you
– it fills the heart with gratitude to know that Jesus chose to willingly to give his life for us
– it motivates us to do what’s right
But for the cross to have any benefit for us, we must receive the Christ of the cross
– we must receive the provisions of salvation
– we must make the cross personal
This we do by faith
– the cross is God’s provision
– it is God’s gift that we must receive that
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