The Cross of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8)
-The world is pervaded by spiritual problems and mental illnesses. Especially, singers, actors, actresses, writers, directors, and leaders in the cultural industry take the lead in spreading the culture of darkness. If we don’t have the eyes of the Gospel, we cannot distinguish what is right or wrong. Satan has used cultures to deceive and destroy human beings from the beginning. In the end, many famous singers, actors, actresses, and celebrates committed suicide or died because of drug. We must see the scheme of Satan behind culture and the world.
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
-Today let us see the meaning and importance of the cross of Jesus Christ in the Bible.
1.Who is the Savior?
1)the qualification of the Savior
①The Savior must be the seed of the woman
-God promised the salvation through the offspring of the woman as soon as the Fall of Adam and Eve.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.
②The Savior must be born through Virgin birth
-God made prophet Isaiah prophesy the coming Messiah through Virgin birth.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
③In order to save human beings, the Savior must be incarnated
Philippians 2:5-7 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
④The Savior must die on the cross and resurrect
-In the Old Testament, the prophecies concerning the promised Messiah explain His death and resurrection for our salvation
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
⑤The Savior must not have original sin and live as sinless life
-In order to save sinners, the Savior must be sinless.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
2)The name of the Savior is Jesus
-Who is the Savior for sinners? Who can forgive our sins? Who can overcome the power of Satan? Who can make us meet God? Only Jesus Christ!
Matthew 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
2.God’s method to save us is the cross of Jesus Christ
1)Why must Jesus die?
-In order to save human beings, why must Jesus die? It is because of human sin.
Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-The result of sin is death (Gen.2:17). Therefore, spiritual death, separation from God, and physical death came upon human beings. From the Fall, people became the slaves sin, death, and Satan.
Heb. 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
2)Why must Jesus bleed on the cross?
-First of all, blood is connected to the life. Without blood, human beings cannot survive but die.
Lev. 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
Heb 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
-There are many methods of bleeding death like execution by beheading and stoning. Why must Jesus die on the cross?
Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”
-On the cross, Jesus completely took our sin, shame, and curses instead of us.
3)Don’t forget the grace of the cross of Jesus Christ
①All human beings are born with original sin
-Without exception, all human beings are descendants of Adam and sinners before God.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
②Because of sin, human beings were separated from the holy God.
Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hiddenHis face from you, So that He will not hear.
③Human beings live under death and power of Satan.
Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
-The devil has the power of death and reigns over unbelievers who are slaves of sin and death.
④Outside of Christ, there is no true hope
Ephesians 2:12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
⑤The death of Jesus Christ on the cross made us peace with God
Ephesians 2:13-14 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
-Only Jesus Christ is our peace to be with God.
⑥The death of Jesus Christ manifested the love of God for us
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
⑦Because Jesus had sufferings instead of us, we will live
Isaiah 53;5-6 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
-Jesus Christ took our sufferings and sin in the place of us through His cross.
3.What the children of God must boast
1)We should boast our God
Psalms 44:8 In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever.
-God is our spiritual Father, Creator, Protector, and Almighty One. Human beings were created to praise, enjoy, and glorify God.
2)We must boast the cross of Jesus Christ
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
-We as Christians and children of God have to boast our salvation in Jesus Christ.
3)We have to boast our weaknesses
2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
-Although we are weak and imperfect, God is perfect and strong. Our weaknesses are the best channel to experience the power of God in our lives. Pray for your weaknesses become the instruments to enjoy God’s power in your life.
Conclusion
1)Have the time to look unto only Jesus Christ!
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) 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.
-We have the time of spiritual concentration upon the covenant of Jesus Christ through the message of the Way of Salvation every single day.
