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Why The Man On The Cross?
Contributed by M. K. Mathews on Oct 29, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon based on the present culture in India, here now people are running behind "human gods". And many asking questions like "why this man on the cross?".
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God’s Plan:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have an everlasting life” (John 3:16).
The above verse deserves to be decorated with jewels as it is one of the diamond verse in the Bible, which contains more than 31,000 verses. Whosoever believes in God’s only one son (Jesus Christ); every human being, male or female, white or black, rich or poor, master or slave, literate or illiterate; will not be perish but be saved for an eternal life. This is God’s eternal plan and desire for the lost humanity. In order to fulfill this plan He in His great love gave His begotten son as a sin offering for us. The next question that pops up in our mind, what made God love human beings so much? Yes, my friend, there is a reason for this, there is a reason!
In the beginning it was the most powerful Almighty God who decorated the formless and void earth into a beautiful world with greenery and with various kinds of living creatures; animals, birds, beasts, insects and fishes; by His word. Then as the crown of His creations, He created man with His OWN hands and in His OWN image and He breathed His OWN life into his nostrils and gave him the authority to reign over the whole earth. Gracious and loving God used to spent time with man and sought fellowship with man in every evening. It is significant to note that it was not man, but God came to man and sought the fellowship with him.
But the disobedience(sin) of man took him away from his sweet fellowship with God and compelled him to hide. This gap led man to do sin continuously and to commit dangerous crimes in its increased and various forms. God’s heart was grieved over the pathetic state of the creation that He had made in his own image (man). In His everlasting love He decided to restore man with His fellowship. This is why God sent His begotten son to the world to restore our friendship with God. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved”(John 3:17). Wow! How comforting is this wonderful care and concern of God. (We hear about many deities who came to destroy the wicked(sinners) and to deliver the righteous. But here is a loving and caring God, who came to seek and save the sinners/wicked). How beautiful is the divine provision for the salvation of man!
From the pre-historic time, man, who fled from the presence of God, tried to make for himself many deities/images especially related to natural powers because he was afraid of nature’s devastating scenes. In history we even read about an “unknown god” whom people worshipped in some places (Acts 17:23). The tradition of worshiping practice of human now gradually snatched by to ‘man-made idols‘ and to today’s ‘self proclaimed human gods’. Bible foretold that: “Although they (men) claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:23).
The word of God clearly teaches: “all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “For as through the disobedience of one man(Adam) many (whole humanity) turned sinners...”(Romans 5: 19). “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6: 23). It is true that medicines are of no use after death. But there is a medicine for death. That medicine is none but LIFE!
All human are born through sin and they live for a short while and then die. How can this sinful man become a ‘God’? Can a “sinful god” provide Salvation for another sinful man? Can a blind guide another blind? Can a sense–less idol made of mud, stone, steel, gold etc by ‘sinful hands’ of a ‘sinful man’ provide salvation to a man who is born in sin? The religious scholars of all times and in all places declare in one accord, “who can forgive sins, but God alone”(Mark 2:7).
How must be a God be?
Friends, what are the powers/attributes and qualities of a powerful God? How should he/she be? God must be omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, holy (sinless) and eternal. God’s omnipotence is revealed in his powerful work of creation. He created the whole universe by the power of His word(Genesis 1). Scientists are still trying hard to unveil the mystery of His creation. Countless books written on this topic but still no satisfactory explanation received to the questions related to creation.
God is omniscient. He who knows all the languages of the world. He knows Hindi, English, Mongolian, Bengali, French, African, Marathi etc. How many languages do the so called man made ‘human gods’ of India knows? How can a person claim to be a God unless he possesses knowledge about everything? Man cannot be God if He is not omnipresent. God can hear the prayer of a person praying in Delhi and can answer his prayer by doing miracles at Denmark.