SONGS WE SING: “THE OLD RUGGED CROSS”
Romans 5:1-11
#theoldruggedcross
INTRODUCTION… Funeral this past week (p)
Some of you may know, but some may not, that I am on a short list for a few of the funeral homes around the area for emergencies or when a family has lost a loved one and the family is not religious, but they are religious enough to think they need a minister at a funeral. I do my best to match the funeral to the person who died. One funeral home in particular seems to like how I do things and how I treat the families.
They called at the end of last week and I had a funeral on Monday of this week. I called and talked with the family, but they did not want to meet in person to discuss the funeral; so we just talked on the phone a bit and made a brief plan. They mentioned they would choose a song or two perhaps to put in the service. No problem. I get there on Monday, all is well. I meet them in person during the viewing. The service went just fine.
I mention all of this because of their choice of one of the songs. From what I could tell and what I was told, they are not Christians. The widow said they believed in God… of course… but never went to church ever. The song in the middle of the funeral service, probably at the moment when people are most thoughtful and impacted by death, they play ‘The Old Rugged Cross.’ I didn’t know what songs they were going to play, but it struck me that these folks who don’t go to church hired me because they didn’t know any ministers… choose ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ for a meaningful song at a funeral. It struck me as odd. It also struck me as important.
The Old Rugged Cross was written and first sung on January 12, 1913 by George Bennard at a revival meeting at the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagon Michigan. The song has 4 verses and a chorus and can be found in our hymnal on page 317. It can also be found in most other hymnals as well.
SERMON SERIES FOCUS
This morning we are continuing a sermon series called: “The Songs We Sing.” We are just about done with this focus on worship. Next week is our last week where we focus on the song that you all voted on. I decided to go with the popular vote on this and so next week we will focus on our last song. We are focusing on songs because part of worshipping God is singing. It is! That is not all worship is, but singing is part of it. Music and poetry and instruments and emotions are part of worship.
The meaning of the New Testament Greek word most often translated “worship” means “to fall down before” or “bow down before.” We saw that in action last week when we looked at Revelation 4 in how the 24 elders fell before God in the Apostle John’s vision of heaven. The English word “worship” also comes from “worth-ship” meaning we show how much something is worth to us. Worship is an attitude of our spirit. Worship is an internal state of being and an outward expression that can be done regardless of place or situation. Worship is a spiritual attitude when we are by ourselves and a spiritual attitude we can have when we are with other people. Both are true.
The nature of Christian worship is from the inside out and has two equally important parts. We must worship, according to Jesus in John 4:23-24, “in spirit and in truth.” Worshiping in spirit has nothing to do with our physical posture, but our innermost being. Our innermost self is energized pointing towards God to focus on Him. Worshiping also requires a mind centered on Truth. Worship is an expression from the depths of our hearts toward a God Who is understood through His Word.
Christian worship is a way to honor, praise, and give thanks to God. It is also a way to cry out, lament, and be angry with God. It can include singing, listening to music, reading scripture, listening to Scripture, praying by yourself, praying with others, meditation on the Bible, giving offerings, listening to a sermon, and participating in ordinances like communion.
Part of worshipping God is singing. It matters how and why we sing. The words we say matter. The most important part of worship is that we focus on God in spirit (in our hearts) and in truth (in our minds.)
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” / TRANSITION
The song we are peeking in on today is what we in the biz call a “diamond certified classic.” The classic was written in 1913 and is such an impressive song that even non-Christians play it at funerals because it is meaningful. Most importantly this classic hymn, which was played first with a guitar by the way, focuses us on the death of Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus is the central thought, intention, and focus of this song. The death of Jesus is a worthy topic for a worship song because the death of Jesus is central to our faith.
This morning we are going to focus on the words of the hymn. Words matter. What we sing to God matters. The words that come out of our mouths matter and all the more when we are directing our words to God. This hymn is a great example of a song that we should slow down and ponder what we are saying and singing to Almighty YHWH God. What do the verses of the song say?
VERSE 1
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” LYRICS
“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.”
The song sets the scene for us referring to Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19 where we have the crucifixion recorded. At a place outside Jerusalem, called Golgotha or ‘the Place of the Skull’ Jesus was nailed to a construction of wood called a cross and left to die. Immediately I wonder why the cross is referred to as an “emblem of suffering and shame?” Should we say that?
The cross is an emblem of suffering because the cross was a method of execution. Crucifixion as the Romans did it included flogging to soften up the person, a position on the cross of wood to make it hard to breathe or to put strain on the heart, create shock and blood loss, and then respiratory failure leading to death.
The flogging, or scourging, was a brutal act that caused severe trauma to the nerves, muscles, and skin, potentially leading to rib fractures and bruises. They usually used long poles or whips with pieces of bone or metal in them to do the flogging. Not only that, Jesus had desert thorns pressed into His skull in the shape of a crown which would have added pain and blood loss.
The position hanging on the cross, with arms outstretched and nailed, would have made breathing increasingly difficult, especially as the body became fatigued. The nail through the feet would have meant that the person had to push up on the nails in order to take a breath.
The flogging and the position on the cross would have caused significant blood loss, leading to hypovolemic shock, where the body's blood volume is severely reduced. The results of hypovolemic shock among other things are bluish lips and nails, pale skin, trouble breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dry mouth, sweating, seizures, and overall organ failure.
The combination of the flogging, the position on the cross, and the blood loss would have led to respiratory failure, as the body struggled to breathe and the lungs failed. The cross is an emblem of suffering because Jesus suffered.
READ HEBREWS 13:12 (ESV)
“So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood.”
READ 1 PETER 2:23 (ESV)
“When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him Who judges justly.”
The question I asked about this first verse of ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ is a two-part question. Why is the cross an “emblem of suffering and shame?” Should we say that the cross represents shame?
The cross is an emblem of shame for two reasons. First, Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, and John 19:24 all tell us that the soldiers who crucified Jesus played games of casting lots for “His garments.” If the soldiers had Jesus’ garments, what was Jesus wearing? Nothing. We don’t normally think of this, but Jesus was naked on the cross. Nakedness is a shameful thing in the Bible. Even today most people wear clothes because nakedness is not normal.
By the way, I looked it up and the American Association of Nude Recreation reports 30,000 members participating in “wholesome nudity” so this is not common. Most everyone everywhere wears clothes.
Secondly, the Bible itself tells us that the cross was filled with shame.
READ HEBREWS 12:2 (ESV)
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
From nakedness to taking on our sin on the cross, the crucifixion of Jesus was an event of shame. When we think about the shame of the cross, the shame that Jesus bears is not actually His. That is the tragedy of the whole deal. Jesus is not hanging naked on the cross because of anything He ever did. Jesus hung naked on the cross because of everything you and I have done and will do.
Jesus endured suffering and shame and death not because of Himself!
Jesus endured suffering and shame because of us!
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” LYRICS
“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.”
VERSE 2
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” LYRICS
“O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me; for the dear Lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dark Calvary.”
Right away we have to define a confusing word before we go any further. When George Bennard uses the word “attraction” he is not trying to say that Jesus is in some kind of theme park. This is not a fun place in any way shape or form. Actually, that is not at all the word that needs to be defined. The word that needs to be defined is “calvary.” The word is “CAL-vah-ree” not CAV-all-ree” which are two very different things. CAVALRY is a bunch of soldiers on horseback coming to save the day in battle. CALVARY refers to the place outside Jerusalem called Golgotha, which means "place of the skull" in Aramaic where Jesus was killed. The Latin word for skull is "calvaria.” Over time that word morphed into a place name used by Christians refer to the site of the crucifixion. Calvary means “place of the skull.” Oddly though, if you think about it, Jesus was the cavalry on calvary for you and me.
The part of this verse that I noticed was the adjective of the word calvary. The word is “dark.” Why is the word “dark used there?” The word dark is used there because in Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, and Luke 23:44 the Gospels tell us that there was an unusual darkness while Jesus was on the cross.
READ MATTHEW 27:45 (ESV)
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.”
The sixth hour according to Jesus’ watch was noon. The ninth hour according to Jesus’ watch was three o’clock. This means that at the time when the sun should have been at its highest and as light was at its most intense, darkness covered the land. What does this mean? This means it was dark and not light in the middle of the day. How it happened doesn’t really matter. It is the ‘why’ that usually peaks my interest. Why was it dark when Jesus was crucified?
I happen to think that creation itself was reacting to the spiritual battle that was raging around Jesus. It could have been a miracle or an eclipse or super heavy cloud cover or anything… but the fact that it happened at the same time as Jesus was dying shows us that this is a time of significance. Jesus is taking on the sin of the world and soaking in all of our guilt. Creation reacted. Creation also reacted a few verses later (Matthew 27:51-53) when He died and there was an earthquake and “saints who had fallen asleep” came back to life. It's almost like… “creation cries… holy” (see last week’s sermon).
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” LYRICS
“O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me; for the dear Lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dark Calvary.”
VERSE 3
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” LYRICS
“In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, a wondrous beauty I see, for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, to pardon and sanctify me.”
I am not trying to win you over with my use of ‘twas, but we do see a significant word used in this third verse of ‘Old Rugged Cross’ even as most of the words in this verse are important. Blood. Divine. Wondrous. Suffered. Died. Pardon. Sanctify. All of those words are important.
The word that jumps out at me leading me to a Bible passage that we will read in a few minutes (because yes, this is a sermon), is the word “sanctify.” ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ ties together the idea of our sanctification with the divine blood of Jesus shed on the cross. This is a correct thought! You and I are sanctified because of what Jesus did on the cross. What does that word “sanctify” mean?
In the passage we will read in a few minutes (Romans 5:1–11), sanctification is described as:
“we have peace with God” (verse 1)
“obtained access into grace” (verse 2)
“God's love poured into our hearts” (verse 5)
“being saved from the wrath of God” (verse 9)
“reconciliation” (verses 10-11)
All of those phrases mean sanctification. Those are the results of faith in Christ for us. Sanctification is the result of believing in what Jesus did on the old rugged cross. Jesus died for us allowing us to have the freedom to be sanctified.
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” LYRICS
“In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, a wondrous beauty I see, for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, to pardon and sanctify me.”
VERSE 4
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” LYRICS
“To that old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear; then He'll call me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I'll share.”
The last verse of ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ leads us to think about the impact the death of Jesus has upon us who sing about it. These actions, re-actions, and results are important as we think about Jesus on the cross.
This verse calls us to faithfulness. When you and I realize what Jesus has done for us, it calls us to be faithful to Him. His death is a call for loyalty for anyone who believes in God. One result of contemplating the cross of Christ and understanding what He did for us is to ever be true to Him. Lifelong faithfulness. Solid believing loyalty.
This verse calls us to recognize that it is our shame and reproach that put Jesus on the cross. We should not act as though we are perfect or have no need of a Savior, but in view of what Jesus did for us on the cross, you and I must acknowledge that we put Him there! We were not physically there, but our sin drove the nails. We bear that.
This verse calls us to hope because Jesus is not dead and gone, but rather He rose and will come again and take us to be with Him. Jesus’ story did not end at the cross. Jesus’ story did not end at His death. Jesus’ story did not end in the tomb. Jesus’ story is not completed yet and will only be complete when He returns in the clouds and we join Him!
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” LYRICS
“To that old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear; then He'll call me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I'll share.”
TRANSITION
As we close today, I would like to close by reading the words of ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ one more time and then read a passage of Scripture which shares many of the aspects of the song. All that we have talked about today helps us understand what we are about to read in Romans 5:1-11.
SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” LYRICS
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me; for the dear Lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dark Calvary.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, a wondrous beauty I see, for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, to pardon and sanctify me.
To that old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear; then He'll call me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I'll share.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.
READ ROMANS 5:1-11 (ESV)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received reconciliation.
PRAYER
INVITATION
Earlier I mentioned in Romans 5:
“we have peace with God” (verse 1)
We have “obtained access into grace” (verse 2)
We have “God's love poured into our hearts” (verse 5)
We are “being saved from the wrath of God” (verse 9)
We have “reconciliation” (verses 10-11)
None of that comes by way of our good works, our effort, or the quality of the kind of people we are. All of that only comes by way of accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. We must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and by believing in Him we have life in His Name. It is only because of what Jesus did on the old rugged cross that we have salvation. If you don’t know Jesus, I would love to talk about Him with you!
