One Cross [symbol Of Our Sin]; One Man [god’s Sacrifice] And A World That Was Changed Forever

1. ONE CROSS [symbol of our sin]:

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the message of the CROSS is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

• Growing up I saw different perspectives of the cross of Christ.

• For certain denominations it was a kind of fascination and looked up to be an idol.

• Many wore miniatures of it as earring, finger rings, around their neck and even some around their waists. Used in fashion and designer clothing today.

• One could see it on church steeples, inside homes and on bumper stickers on and inside cars as hangings in order to profess Christ.

• The bad guys in eastern movies had it around their necks and this saddened me a lot.

• For the Jews, Greeks, Romans and Gentiles it was a sign of weakness. Even today …

• Constantine used it for the first time on his Kingdom’s flag.

• Many European countries did the same and slowly it became the emblem of the Crusades against non-Christians.

• There is a gentleman on television who carries it around the world to proclaim Christ.

• Many in the world today have seen it but do not even know what it represents.

• Today we will see what the CROSS of Christ really means and what it represents and how do we respond to it OR How are we supposed to respond to it?

It is derived from the Latin word CRUX. In the Greek language it is STAUROS, but sometimes we find the word SKOLOPS used as its Greek equivalent. The historical writers, who transferred the events of Roman history into the Greek language, make use of these two words.

What did the Cross symbolize?

• Symbol of pain, distress and burden-bearing

• Symbolizes rejection

• Symbolizes suffering and humiliation

• Symbolized a curse

• Turned the curse upon us into a blessing (Galatians 3)

• Doctrine of the Atonement (Pauline theology)

• Symbolizes death and God’s saving power

• Expresses the bond of unity between the Jew and the Gentile (Ephesians 2)

• Expresses the bond believer and Christ (Ephesians 2)

• Symbolizes love and God’s grace (John 3: 16)

• Symbolizes Sanctification (Galatians 4)

• Symbolizes Christ’s victory over death

What was the purpose of the Cross?

• Hang our BURDENS on the Cross

• Hang our SHAME on the Cross

• Hang our SIN on the Cross

2. ONE MAN [God’s sacrifice]:

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in appearance as A MAN, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the DEATH OF THE CROSS.”

Jesus Christ appeared to other people just as any other man. This was another aspect of His humility. There were no visual clues in His "appearance" that He was either sinless or divine. In fact Isaiah tells us in 53:2-3 that “He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Jesus further "humbled Himself by becoming obedient" to His Father's will, "to the point of" laying down His life in "death." Beyond that, He was willing to undergo “death on a cross,” by crucifixion, a form of execution that was without equal in its pain and humiliation.

All these centuries the cross has been a sacred symbol for Christians but during the time of Paul it provoked horror and loathe. The Phoenicians and Persians practiced crucifixion before the Greeks and Romans adopted it. It was a form of execution from which Roman citizens were exempt. Only the worst criminals among the slaves and foreigners underwent crucifixion. Hanging on a tree was a sign to the Jews that the person disgraced in this way was under "the curse of God" (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13). The advance on Christ's example, in this verse, is the extent to which He was willing to go in humble submissiveness - in obedience to His Father's will. All believers should be willing to do the same (v. 5).

He who stooped so low in His humility was elevated to the highest possible place of honor by the Father. Here Paul turns to the glorification of our Lord by the Father, due to His humility and obedience. As a result of our Lord’s humility and obedience, God highly exalted Him, giving to Him a name above every name. He who dwelt among men, and who was rejected and crucified by men; is the one to whom every knee will someday bow. Every tongue will confess Him to be Lord of all. It does not seem to be only men who will acknowledge Him as Lord, either. Every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will confess that He is Lord - all of this achieving what our Lord intended, the glory of God the Father.