The cross of Christ – by which we mean his suffering, and death, and resurrection – is a topic packed with significance. Without the cross, there would be no Christianity. No forgiveness of sins, no eternal life, no hope for the future, no power for this present life. The cross is more than a symbol; it is the central reality of the Christian faith. It is also what makes Christianity unique. In no other major religion do you have anything like this story, of a god who became a man, was put to death and then rose from the dead. Buddhists and Confucians acknowledge the death of their founders, but make no claim that they rose again. Moslems believe that Mohammed never died, but was carried up to heaven on the back of a white horse. Only in Christianity do you have God taking upon himself full humanity, being born as an infant and living to adulthood, being executed as a criminal and buried, only to be resurrected, bodily, three days later. Who would have imagined such a thing? Who could have dreamed up such an incredible story? No one. In fact, the world finds the whole thing quite preposterous. As Paul writes in First Corinthians:
"[T]he message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. . . Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength." -- 1 Corinthians 1:18, 22-25
The cross is what defines Christianity, it is what distinguishes our faith from every other system of belief. And so my goal this morning is not to unpack the meaning of the cross in any kind of comprehensive way. That would take a lifetime. Instead, I want to focus in on just one aspect of our faith which is clearly revealed in the cross, and that is the love of God.
The Bible teaches that the cross of Christ is the supreme revelation of God’s love for his people.
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." -- John 15:13
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -- Romans 5:8
Now, Jesus performed many good works during his time on earth. In fact, this was his primary occupation. Acts 10:38 tells us that he "went around doing good". He healed numerous people of sickness and disease, even giving sight to the blind and raising the dead to life. As a result, his reputation as a healer grew so great that wherever he went, people crowded around him, clamoring for his attention, hoping desperately for a cure – and they usually received it. Those who were oppressed and tormented by evil spirits, he released from bondage. On more than one occasion, he provided food for thousands of hungry people. And throughout his ministry, He showed great kindness to those who were held in low esteem, people on the margins of society – children, women, tax collectors, lepers, Samaritans, prostitutes, the poor and powerless. But according to the Bible, it was not any of the things he did in life that most fully revealed his love, but what he did in his death.
Why is that? Why would the death of Christ demonstrate love more than all the good things he did during his life? I can think of three reasons. First, when you give your life for someone, it’s the greatest gift possible, because you are giving all you have. There’s nothing left. Take organ donation as an example. Occasionally you hear of someone donating a kidney to a family member. Recently, I read of someone donating a kidney to a stranger, which is even more amazing. Either way, it’s an act of selfless love, choosing to undergo the pain and risk of surgery; allowing doctors to remove a healthy, functioning part of your body and give it to someone else. Knowing that if you have kidney problems in the future, you’ll need a transplant yourself. And doing all of this for no personal benefit whatsoever, because there is really no upside to losing a kidney. The benefit is all to the recipient. However, I’ve never heard of a living donor volunteering to give their heart for a heart transplant. Why? Because the operation would kill the donor. But that’s exactly what Jesus did when he gave his life for us, he gave all that he had to save us, even his own life. He held nothing back. You’ll sometimes hear of rich people giving away large sums of money. A couple of years ago, Bill Gates and his wife set up a charitable foundation to distribute some of their wealth to various causes. In the last couple of years, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has donated over four billion dollars to fund things like health care, and education, and libraries. Pretty impressive. But put that in perspective. The Gates’ are worth somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty billion. So these gifts, as generous and substantial as they are, don’t even put a dent in their net worth. They still have plenty more where that came from. By contrast, when someone gives all that they possess, even their life, it signifies a far greater love. The wealthiest man on earth, lying on his deathbed, would happily give up all his riches, all his possessions, all his gold and silver and jewels, if he could purchase just one more year of life. As Satan said to God, when they were arguing over Job’s integrity, "A man will give all he has for his own life." (Job 2:4). Our life is the most precious thing we have, because when that’s gone, nothing else we own is of any use to us. Giving away our life is giving away everything we have, or hope to have, in this world.
It shouldn’t surprise us that, as disciples of Christ, we are to make the same sacrifice he did. Most of us won’t be called on literally to give our lives for another person. Although that isn’t out of the question. Some professions, such as firefighter or police officer, involve risking one’s life for the sake of others. Someday one of our members, or perhaps one of our children, may be called to go as a missionary to a country where Christians are being persecuted and killed for their faith. But the kind of sacrificial giving most of us will be called on to do involves giving up our rights. Giving up "title" to our possessions. Holding everything we have with an open hand, being willing for God to take it away, being ready to offer it up for his use whenever He may require it. Are you willing to do that? It’s one thing, here in America, to say that you would give your life for Christ, when the likelihood of martyrdom is quite small. It’s another thing altogether to give up your financial security for Christ. Or to give up your career for Christ. Or to risk your health for Christ. Or to give up your home, or car, or savings for Christ. Do you really hold everything with an open hand? Are you truly willing to surrender anything that God may ask? Is it really available to Christ for his use? What did Jesus say?
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. . . In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." -- Luke 14:25-27, 33
The cross is a symbol of death. And so when Christ says we must "carry our cross," he means that we should live as people who have died to this world, as people whose treasures are not here, but stored up in the world to come. Living as people who have no rights, no possessions, no ownership of anything. Not that we should immediately sell everything we have and give it away. But we are to maintain a mindset that everything we have belongs to God, and is available for his use at any time, without hesitation or complaint. Everything we have is his. Not ten percent, not twenty or even thirty percent, but all of it. That’s what Christ gave for us; everything. Can we give any less for him?
Another reason that Christ’s death was such an amazing act of love is that he gave his life for his enemies. Not just family members, or close friends. He gave his life for those who hated him.
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -- Romans 5:6-8
"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" -- Colossians 1:21-22
Christ didn’t give his life for us after we had repented and asked forgiveness. He didn’t wait until after we started to seek him. But while we were still "ungodly sinners," going our own way, rejecting his authority, ignoring his teachings, showing contempt for his love and mercy. Can you imagine doing that? It would be one thing to give your life for one of your children, or a husband or wife, or for someone in the church body, or even for a stranger. To give your life for any of those would be an act of great love. But for an enemy? That’s something else entirely. That kind of love is beyond the ability of this world to comprehend. And yet, that’s the kind of love that Christ calls us to:
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. . . . If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners’ do that. . . But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." -- Luke 6:27-35
In other words, if all you do is love your family and friends, and do good things for them, and treat them with kindness and respect, then you’re no better than the person who stays home on Sunday morning and reads the paper. You don’t have to be a follower of Christ to love your children. You don’t have to be a Christian to love loveable people. Everybody does that. But if you love hateful people, spiteful people, disagreeable people, then you’re acting like Jesus. Let’s make this practical. Who are your "enemies"? And don’t tell me that everybody loves you, because even the most charming, pleasant, inoffensive person in this room will sooner or later encounter someone who dislikes them for no good reason; someone who just hates them to stay in practice. It may be because of the way you talk, or the political views you hold, or because you remind them of their first husband. But every one of us is going to come across people who choose to make themselves our enemies. It may be an angry neighbor. It may be an obnoxious boss or unpleasant co-workers. It may even be a family member who treats you like an enemy -- a son or daughter, a wife or husband.
When this happens, what do you do? Well, first attempt to reconcile. Confess your own fault. Make amends. But ultimately, realize that some people cannot be won over. They are going to be your enemies until God changes their hearts, or until they die. Sometimes it’s difficult to say which of those alternatives you would prefer. You may not be able to make them love you. But you are responsible for loving them and doing good to them, no matter how mean, or nasty, or unfair, or disagreeable, or offensive they may be. When we were Christ’s enemies, he loved us enough to give his life for us. In the same way, he calls us to love and do good to our enemies.
As an example, you may have seen news stories this week about President Bush’s pick to be Surgeon General, a man from Arizona named Richard Carmona. He has been a green beret, a trauma surgeon, a part-time policeman and SWAT team member. One of the exploits he is known for is an incident that happened 2 1/2 years ago. He had stopped to give assistance at a traffic accident. As it turned out, one of the men involved was a murderer who was holding a woman hostage. A gun battle erupted, the man fired on Dr. Carmona and grazed his head with a bullet, and he returned fire, fatally wounding the criminal. But the most amazing thing is what happened next. When the shooter went down, Dr. Carmona immediately went to his side and started CPR to try and save his life.
Would you do that? Would you try to save the life of someone who had just tried to kill you? Hopefully, none of us will ever be involved in that kind of situation. But you will encounter people who are attacking you in many other ways. You will encounter malice, and slander, and hatred, and rejection. And when that happens, you have to decide: Will you respond in kind? Will you return insult for insult, wrong for wrong, angry word for angry word? Or will you follow the example of Christ, and instead return love, and kindness, and generosity, and grace? That’s the way of the cross. When people mistreat you, will you give them what you think they deserve? Or will you give them what Christ gave you – undeserved grace and mercy? Listen to what Paul tells us:
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." -- Ephesians 4:32
The person who refuses to forgive others, who holds a grudge, who nurses resentments toward those who have hurt them – that person has either never experienced the love of Christ, or doesn’t appreciate how much God had to forgive in their life. Because the more you understand your own sin, and how much you have been forgiven, the more willing you will be to extend forgiveness to others – even to those who don’t deserve it or seek it.
The third thing that makes Christ’s death on the cross such a magnificent display of pure love is that it was completely voluntary. No one compelled him; he did it of his own free will.
"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." -- John 10:17-18
Perhaps you were under the impression that Jesus was arrested and taken before Pilate against his will; that he was whipped, and tortured, and nailed to a cross because he couldn’t escape. But nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus was completely in control at every point. He made that clear when he was arrested. His disciples tried to resist, but Jesus rebuked them, saying:
"Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" -- Matthew 26:53-54
In the same way, our love and service to one another, if it is to be Christlike love and service, must be voluntary. That means it’s illegitimate for me as your pastor to try and compel you, or pressure you, or manipulate you, into serving or giving. I can tell you what the Scriptures teach, and I can make clear what our obligations are as followers of Christ. But true, sacrificial service needs to come from a willing heart. As Paul writes of giving,
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." -- 2 Corinthians 9:7
The flip side of this principle is that if you find yourself serving grudgingly or resentfully, then something’s wrong. If you are doing all kinds of good things, but it’s out of a sense of obligation and duty rather than out of love, then your heart isn’t right, and God isn’t pleased. Listen to what Paul wrote in his famous chapter on love, First Corinthians Thirteen:
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Think of all the things you do in the church, for instance. Singing on the worship team, setting up chairs, serving in the nursery, teaching the children, giving. If you’re doing those things for any other reason than love – love for Christ and love for his people – then it counts for exactly nothing. If your motivation is pride, or self-righteousness, or a desire to impress other people, then from a spiritual point of view, it’s worthless. What God cares about is our heart. If our works are voluntary, heartfelt expressions of love, then good. That’s imitating Christ. But if they proceed from some other motive, we might as well not bother. The way of the cross is the way of loving service and sacrifice. Not a works-based self-righteousness. Not a grudging, complaining, resentful, unwilling "service". Love gives and serves and sacrifices freely, and gladly, and willingly, and joyfully. If someone is serving out of love, then the very last thing you will hear come out of their mouth is complaining about how others aren’t doing their share. They couldn’t care less about what other people are doing. All they know is that they are grateful for the opportunity to show love to Christ by their own acts of service. Again, as Paul puts it in Second Corinthians chapter five:
"For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." -- 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
His love compels us. Nothing else. Our only motivation, our only desire, is to serve and please him.
In closing, where do we get the power to love as Christ did? Where do we get the power to give ourselves completely to God, holding nothing back? Where do we get the power to love unlovely people, even our enemies? Where do we get the power to give and serve willingly and gladly? It all comes from the risen Christ. Because just as his death was a demonstration of his love, so also his resurrection was a demonstration of his power, power that is available to us through his Spirit. Listen to Paul again, as he issues this passionate call to a no-holds-barred, sold-out discipleship:
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."
-- Philippians 3:7-12
Did you catch that? "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection." The power of God that raised Christ from the grave is stronger than death, stronger than sin, stronger than the devil, stronger than fear or hatred, stronger than pain or sorrow. And amazingly, it lives within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is take hold of it, appropriate it by prayer and faith, and we will have the power we need to love as Christ loved.
(For an .rtf file of this and other sermons, see www.journeychurchonline.org/messages.htm)
