“The Business of the Cross”
(Special thanks to Dr. Kent R. Hunter with David L. Bahn, Confessions of a Church Growth Enthusiast, (Corunna, IN: Church Growth Center, 1997 for many of the insights of this message)
Romans 3:21-25a
3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (22) This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (25a) God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.
INTRODUCTION: Two sides of the cross.
All of my life has been spent in the Northern Hemisphere of planet earth. I always figured, though I never gave it much thought, that water always went down the drain the same way. From those who have lived in the Southern Hemisphere of our great planet, I am told the water swirls down in the opposite direction. This due to a phenomenon called Coriolis, the centrifugal force of the spin of the earth. Now I knew that when it is winter here, it was summer in Australia, but I guess I never realized that people in the Southern Hemisphere see a different sky at night, with a whole different set of stars.
For most of my life, I have seen the cross from only one side. It is an important side, it is the side of the suffering of the cross:
Suffering: Paul says, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!” -- Philippians 2:8. Jesus suffered the worst, so that my sins and your sins might be forgiven, and that we might have life with God. This is an important side of the cross, because it is the heart of what we believe and what makes us Christ Lutheran Church.
Yet, there is a second side of the cross. I guess I had missed it because it looks from Jesus viewpoint, and all to often I get caught up in my own. This second side is:
Seeking: Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” -- John 12:32. Folks, this is the heart and soul of outreach. This is why we are still on this planet. God’s desire is not only to bring you to a faith relationship with Him through the cross of Jesus Christ, but also to bring others. Today we look at the cross from Jesus’ view of our world, we want to look at:
The Business of the Cross
The business of the cross is built on 4 key concepts:
CONCEPT 1. The purpose of the cross is SALVATION. Paul says, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 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.”-- 1 Corinthians 1:17-18
Paul Loetz took a bad fall that left him with a punctured lung, broken ribs, and internal bruising. Lying in an emergency room, barely conscious, he probably thought things couldn’t get much worse. But they did.
As he looked up from his hospital bed, the two doctors responsible for his care began arguing over who would get to put a tube into his crushed chest. The argument became a shoving match and one doctor threatened to have the other removed by security.
“Please, somebody save my life,” Loetz pleaded as doctors fought over him.
The two doctors were debating procedure. While they were debating two other physicians assumed responsibility for the patient and saved his life.
The purpose of the cross is salvation. This is why Jesus came. This is what we remember this Lenten season.
CONCEPT 2. The ultimate goal of the cross is FORGIVENESS. As Paul said, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” -- Romans 3:23-24
On Good Friday, when Jesus died, there were 3 crosses on the hill. One man summed up what those crosses stand for by saying. One cross portrays a thief dying in sin. The other thief’s cross shows a thief dying to sin. The center cross speaks of the Redeemer dying for sin.
On this Ash Wednesday, we offer the opportunity to place ashes on our forehead in the sign of the cross, a reminder that the business of the cross is forgiveness. Jesus Christ has paid the price for us.
CONCEPT 3. The result of the cross is LIFE. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” -- John 10:10b-11
Some years ago a two-ton truck fell on a man in Williamsburg, Kentucky, while he was working underneath it. The heavy truck was gradually crushing the life out of him when his four-year-old son came to the rescue. The child liked to play with a jack and the father had earlier taught him how to use it, so the child placed the jack under the truck, lifted if off his father’s body, and saved his life.
When the load of life is crushing the life out of us, Jesus comes to lift the load and give us life. The result of the cross is the gift of life we have from God.
CONCEPT 4. The business of the cross is MISSION. “Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’” -- John 20:21-23
The story is told of a man walking the beach at dawn, who noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Catching up with the youth, he asked what he was doing. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun.
“But the beach goes on for miles, and there are millions of starfish,” countered the other man. “How can your effort make any difference?”
The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to safety in the waves. “It makes a difference to this one,” he said.
The business of the cross is mission. With all the billions of people in the history of our world, you and I and each of us gathered here today matter to God. The business of the cross is mission. God reaches out to us, but God also desires to reach out through us to touch the lives of others.
Salvation, forgiveness, life and mission is all part of the seeking side of the cross. Seeking the lost and finding them is the business of the cross, it is also to be the business of Christians. What then does the Business of the cross mean to you and to me?
The Business of the Cross means ...
1. I am saved to SERVE. Jesus gives His life’s purpose and the theme of the Gospel of Mark, when he says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” -- Mark 10:45
As some wise person has said, “Life is a lot like tennis -- the one who can serve best seldom loses.” God does not save us for merely our own benefit or to only meet our needs. God reaches out to people from the cross like you and me, so that we can reach out to others. I am saved to serve. I don’t earn my way to heave by what I do, but by what I do I want to respond to the love of God.
The business of the cross means: 2. My PURPOSE in life must reflect God’s PURPOSE. Peter declares about Jesus, “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” -- Acts 2:23-24
One of the reference points of London is the Charring Cross. It is near the geographical center of the city and serves as a navigational tool for those confused by the streets.
A policeman one day found a little girl who was lost in London. Between sobs and tears, she explained she didn’t know her way home. He asked her if she knew her address. She didn’t. He asked her phone number, she didn’t know that either. But when he asked her what she knew, suddenly her face lit up.
“I know the Cross,” she said, “show me the Cross and I can find my way home from there.”
When we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We are praying to have the cross revealed in our lives. We are praying that my purpose in life will reflect God’s purpose.
The business of the cross means: 3. Jesus’ call to take up the cross is a call to not only DENY myself, but to SAVE others. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” -- Luke 9:23-24
What do you think of when you think of the cross? When I think of the cross I think of Jesus’ arms outstretched in love. I think of my need for him. I think of how great His love is for me, and what an awesome gift He gives in giving up His life for me.
When I think of the cross I think of the need for Christians and churches and yes, for our church, to open our arms and to seek His lost children and call them home. There are two sides of the cross. One is suffering, the awesome price Christ has paid. The other side is seeking, it is God on a mission to share His incredible love for people like you and me.
CONCLUSION: The paradox of the cross.
The cross is a symbol of death. It is one of the most awful ways used in history to kill people, and to kill them with great and long lasting pain. The paradox of the cross is that, for Christians, the cross is a symbol of life. We believe that from death came life, and from the world’s worst came God’s best.
At the cross we see suffering for us, but let us not miss the mission side of the cross -- God seeking for us, and seeking until He find us. And let us not forget God calls us to join Him on the same mission to seek and to save the lost -- that’s the business we are in! Amen.
