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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Eric Nelson

Jesus’ Cross

Dear God in heaven, I thank you for this opportunity.

I pray each person will understand the Bible more, will understand Jesus more.

And that as we consider Jesus' cross, that Jesus will truly be uplifted here.

I'd like to begin with a story that I thank Don McIntosh for providing.

This is from a book called On a Hill Too Far Away.

In old Greenwich, Connecticut stands a church with a cross in it.

Now unlike most churches whose cross is adorned the front wall behind the preacher, in this church the cross stands bolted down into the concrete floor not more than 3 feet from where the preacher stands.

Its positioning defies reason and Art and convention.

No architect in his right mind would have designed such a placement.

The preacher's words have to pass through it.

The congregation's eyes always have it somewhere in view, so that even when they look away it is still there, burned on the back of their retina.

It is a sturdy wooden cross, 10 feet tall.

The crossbar is set high on the vertical beam, so high it seems out of proportion compared to other more proportionate crosses and other more proportionate churches.

It is made of raw, untreated wood, And when you see it up close, you think of splinters, of something hard, immovable.

It is set deep in the concrete floor as well as bolted to it.

The old Greenwich Cross has to be reckoned with.

Weddings, funerals, concerts, baptisms, dedications, prayer meetings, weekly church services.

Are the bride and groom going to stand on either side of it?

What if the bride's dress gets caught on a splinter?

Every event that takes place in this church has to accommodate this cross in some way.

It cannot be moved easily like the pulpit or like the platform chairs of a communion table.

It's almost as if the church was built around the cross, as if it were the first thing down before the walls went up and the roof went on.

Something tells me that's the way it should be.

Now the cross means many different things to many different people.

Could I ask a deacon to get me a glass of water and possibly some Kleenex as well?

To sinners, the cross means such things as forgiveness, salvation, justification, the way to God.

And the Bible spends a lot of time on these themes.

The amazing love of God for a world that did not love Him, Romans 5 verse 8.

Now in case there is someone here who has not yet accepted Christ as their personal Savior, let me briefly say that you will never find true peace, true joy, true love until you come face to face with the cross of Christ.

I can tell you the experience will be uncomfortable.

The cross teaches us things about ourselves that we'd rather not know.

It tells us not only what our sins are, it shows us our sins, but it shows us at the same time what the penalty for sin is.

But if you would be saved, you must continue to look.

You must continue to look to Jesus until some small conception of His love for you brings your hate for Him into correct focus.

Continue to look until some small understanding of His enormous sacrifice brings your selfishness into correct focus.

And then accept Christ's assessment of you and say, Lord, save me, I can't do anything about myself.

The Bible spends much time on these themes, and as previously stated, we're going to study them throughout eternity.

But the Bible also presents another side of the cross which we're going to examine today.

What does the cross mean for Christians, persons who have already accepted Christ's sacrifice?

And I know that that includes a majority of this group.

What does the cross mean for those people Paul had the nerve to call saints?

I suggest to you this morning there are only 2 options for you when confronted with the cross of Christ.

You can use the cross or be used by the cross.

Go with me in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 6 verse 4 through 6.

Now notice this passage is not talking about non-believers or unbelievers or even baby Christians.

This passage is talking about persons with extensive knowledge and the things of God, persons with a special baptism of the Holy Spirit and power in the Christian walk.

Hebrews 6 verse 4 through 6, It is impossible for those who are once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, if they shall follow away to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame." So if these persons fall away from their experience, they use the cross to crucify Christ afresh today and put him to an open shame in front of the world.

There are many texts in the New Testament which describe what Christians should do with the cross of Christ.

We can go to Romans 6, 6, Galatians 5, 24, but the most famous is Galatians 2, 20.

Many of us probably have this text memorized.

Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." This is the positive side.

This is what Christians are supposed to do with the cross of Christ.

They're supposed to be used by the cross.

To kill people, to crucify people, to execute people.

Somehow, this experience of crucifixion with Christ leads to power in the resurrected life of the Christian, the life lived by faith, the life lived by the faith of the Son of God.

Even before the literal event itself, This concept was so important that Jesus was teaching his disciples about it, even before he'd been crucified.

Jesus speaking, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Now don't let people reinterpret this for you into a 21st century mindset and talk about things such as bearing burdens and yoking up with Christ.

Those are true concepts and that may be connected to this passage in some way, but look at the immediate context.

In verse 22, Jesus is talking about someone's death.

Whose death is Jesus talking about in verse 24?

Verse 23 is talking about carrying your cross after Christ to die.

Now we could spend a lot of time talking about the theological concept of the spiritual death to self, denying yourself, the new birth, etc.

I want to simply look to Jesus' cross and learn instructions from Him.

Without minimizing His sacrifice, this morning let's consider His example.

Instead of putting ourselves in the crowd as angry sinners calling for Christ's death.

Let's follow His instructions in Luke 9.23 and follow Him, carrying our crosses behind Him.

We're going to look at 5 short vignettes in the Passion of Christ and consider His example for us.

Now, as you're reading that passage over, let me give you the context.

Jesus is preparing to preach the greatest sermon series ever.

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Jesus’ Cross

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