“THE CROSS WAS ENOUGH” Mark 15
FBCF – 4/10/22
Jon Daniels
INTRO – “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
This is what we are going to do today. We are going to survey the cross. To survey something means to view it in detail, to inspect it, examine it, or appraise it to determine its value.
There’s no way for us to completely understand or comprehend the immense value of the cross.
- “The cross is the focal point of the Christian faith. Without the cross…the Gospel of salvation is an empty hope.” (James Montgomery Boice)
It’s just hard for us to state how wonderful, how awesome, how necessary the cross was & is to us. Thousands & thousands of sermons have been preached about the cross by thousands & thousands of preachers & evangelists. My father-in-law carried a small cross in his pocket every day & gave them away to people everywhere. We’ve sung hundreds of hymns – “The Old Rugged Cross,” “At the Cross,” “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross,” “The Way of the Cross Leads Home.” Chris Tomlin released a worship song a few years ago that had this in it:
"Be lifted higher than all you've overcome
Your name be louder than any other song
There is no power that can come against your love
The cross was enough, The cross was enough"
("Jesus, Son of God" by Chris Tomlin)
Today, we proclaim that the cross was enough – enough for our salvation, our redemption, our rescue from sin, for payment of our sin debt.
EXPLANATION – Mark 15
The events in Mark 15 took place on Good Friday. Some people wonder why this day is called “Good Friday.” Certainly, the things that the Jewish religious leaders & the Roman authorities did to Jesus were not good.
- The arrest & trial of Jesus was definitely not good. The Jewish leaders showed their immense hatred of Jesus by disregarding many of their own laws in their haste to get him crucified. Trials weren’t supposed to be held at night – theirs was before dawn. They had no authority to execute anyone – they had Jesus killed. The accused was supposed to have counsel/representation – Jesus had none.
- The Roman trials were also a sham. They accused Jesus of inciting a riot, telling people not to pay taxes, claiming to be king. Had him openly ridiculed, scourged, humiliated.
- There were no good things done by the Jews or Romans that would cause us to say it was a Good Friday.
The Good comes from the plan of God. The YouVersion app’s Verse of the Day on Thu was Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That’s the GOOD in Good Friday!
- God’s good plan was accomplished.
- God’s good salvation is offered to us.
- God’s good love for us was on full display for all the world.
APPLICATION – Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins through His death on the cross. So, let’s live for Him!
5 succinct statements about the cross – The cross was:
C – CRUEL – Crucifixion was one of the most cruel & brutal forms of execution known to man at the time of Jesus. Been around for centuries before then, but the Romans perfected it.
- Description of process
Word “excruciating” lit means “out of the cross,” & actually was derived from Roman crucifixion.
R – REQUIRED – Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? It was required to fulfill God’s eternal plan for our salvation. There was simply no other way. We may not understand it completely, but we must never call God into question. Scripture makes it clear that His ways are not our ways, & His thoughts are not our thoughts – they are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8). We are also reminded in Deuteronomy 32:4 – “He is the Rock. His work is perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is faithful, without sin.” (TLB) His plan is perfect, just, & fair. And Jesus’ death & resurrection provide the ONLY entrance into heaven & eternal life.
God is a perfectly holy God & cannot let sin go unpunished. Only the perfect Son of God could pay the price & undergo the punishment that WE deserved. So the cross was required for our:
- Redemption – “to buy out” – We were slaves to sin before we were saved. God purchased – “bought out” – our freedom from sin & hell on the cross.
- Reconciliation – Our sin alienates us from God & causes us to be separated from Him. Romans 5:10 – “…while we were his enemies, Christ reconciled us to God by dying for us…” (Phillips)
- Release – Prior to our salvation, we were prisoners of Satan, held in sin & bound for hell. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, we are released from Satan’s jail cell & set free to live for Christ & go to heaven.
O – OVERWHELMING – It was definitely overwhelming in its cruelty & its agony. But for us, we celebrate that the cross is an overwhelming:
- Display of victory – Jesus’ death & resurrection are massive displays of victory over Satan & sin. It promises us that we can live in victory, too, b/c “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet!” (Romans 16:20)
- Display of truth – Prophecy after prophecy was fulfilled at the cross, displaying the unchanging truth of God. His plans will not be altered or thwarted by Satan!
- Display of love – John 15:13 sums it up perfectly: “Greater love has no man…”
S – SACRIFICIAL – The requirement for forgiveness of sins has always been a sacrifice. All of the OT sacrifices were displays of repentance from sin & faith in the future sacrifice that would bear the penalty for their sins. And in Jesus, God provided that perfect & final “once for all” sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. The sacrifice of Jesus is better than the OT sacrifices because Jesus’ sacrifice did what those sacrifices could never do—make forgiveness of sins possible, once & for all, with a sacrifice that is never to be repeated. When He said, “It is finished,” He meant, “The sacrifice is complete. The price has been paid. Salvation has been purchased. God’s plan is accomplished.”
S – SUFFICIENT – Our good works won’t get us into heaven. Our church membership won’t get us into heaven. Religious activity won’t get us into heaven. Only the cross is sufficient to get us into heaven.
“The Man on the middle cross said I could come.” (Alistair Begg video clip)
CONCLUSION/TAKEAWAYS
Come to the cross!
