The Wondrous Cross

Matthew 27:1-2, Acts 20:22-24, Galatians 6:14

Jesus was bound with shackles and led to Jerusalem where he bore our sins...Paul was bound by the Spirit and led to Jerusalem where he bore witness of Jesus and the cross.

.....Most of us will never know what it’s like to be bound with shackles...But may the Lord bind all of us with His Spirit. Paul didn’t know what awaited him in Jerusalem. All he knew was that he must go. GO...the call of every believer. We don’t know what awaits us...but still we go bound by the Holy Spirit.

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

When I survey the wondrous cross I see Sin, Surrender, and Salvation. Sin...because Jesus died for my sin...and the sin of all who would ever believe. He was the final and complete sacrifice for sin. Surrender...because Jesus surrendered to the cross and the humiliation and mocking that accompanied it. He willingly went to the cross and surrendered to the Father’s will saying, “Not my will but Thine.” Salvation...because Jesus purchased my salvation on the cross. My sin debt was cancelled and salvation was purchased ourtright – paid in full for every person who would ever believe.

• The Cross was always calling Jesus. Matt. 27:1-2 Whether he was healing a cripple or multiplying bread, above the noise of the crowds, He could hear the Cross calling. He was born to die. He was sent to suffer. He was on a mission to redeem. He was sent to save. Hundreds of miles from home, He could still hear the call of the cross. Jesus never got too comfortable because He knew He wouldn’t be here long. The cross kept tugging at His heart.
• The Cross was calling Paul. Acts 20:22-14 After his Damascus Road experience, Paul never felt at home in this world. He was always in a strait between going and staying. The Cross was calling him to a better place. He was imprisoned, beaten, shipwrecked, and left for dead. He was hated and despised. Yet Paul traveled on with the Gospel. An easy out was to take his life. Instead of giving in to weakness and compromise, he lived with urgency knowing he wasn’t guaranteed another day. The cross called him to go on...then Jesus called him home.
• The Cross is calling all believers. Gal. 6:14 In this world where the voice of God is often drowned out by cries against the government, and cries for equal rights, and cries against higher prices, and cries for change in Washington...can any of us hear the Call of the Cross? The Call to follow Jesus... The Call to believe... For us today, the call of the cross thunders out across continents...crossing racial and ethnic barriers. The call of the Cross in America drowns out political rhetoric and nay-sayers. The Cross calls believers to follow Christ...to love Christ...to surrender to Christ!

We sing the old hymn, "To the old rugged cross I will ever be true..." But what does that mean? Does it mean we’ll wear a gold cross around our neck? Or that we’ll give up something for lent? Or that we’ll wear a Christian T-shirt? Could it possibly mean Loyalty? We believe what happened on the cross is our only hope for salvation...and on that belief we rest our case and rest our faith. In whatever situation we find ourselves, we will be Christian! Jesus set the standard.....

1- The Cross was calling Jesus to Finish. Finish what? Finish God’s plan of salvation. God so loved the world before Jesus ever went to the cross...But he demonstrated His love by sending Jesus to the cross. God did more than express His love...He exemplified it. He did more than declare it...He demonstrated it.
.....The finish line is the public’s view of winning or losing. When the runner crosses the line before the rest of the runners, he’s declared the winner. Confetti flies through the air...Sports Illustrated decides on the cover shot...and Nike offers a contract. .....That’s not the finish Jesus was called to. There was no confetti in the air when Jesus died. There was weeping...tears of sadness and some, tears of joy. He finished...and he finished well.
(a) He Fulfilled the Law Which Was Given to Moses. Matt 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” ...Jesus was and is the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. The law became a tutor...teaching God’s people the way of righteousness. They could never obtain righteousness on their own...so Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin that we might be made the righteousness of God. Jesus fulfilled every demand of the Law and thus is the only one who can take away our sin.
(b) He Finished God’s Plan of Salvation. John 17:4 “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” ....If there is a “plan of salvation” Jesus finished it. We are complete in Him. Everything Jesus was predestined to do...he did it. Now we place our faith in Him alone.

2- The Cross was calling Paul to Follow. Follow where? Follow wherever God led Him. Paul had been blinded by the brightness of God’s power while traveling the Damascus Road. But when his eyes were opened, immediately he began to preach the Gospel. Paul’s calling was to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. That is, God sent him to take the Gospel to non-Jews. That is...us. That is why the word whosoever means just what it says. Whosoever believes will be saved. It is still the message of
the cross that changes lives.
In Acts 20:22-24, Paul (a) Realized there was Trouble ahead. He knew imprisonment awaited him, but still he went. He was “bound” to go. His heart had been arrested by the Spirit. And (b) was Ready to Testify to the Gospel of the Grace of God. His story was the story of Grace. He had no other message. The Gospel of the Grace of God is...Jesus.

3- The Cross is calling us to Faith. Faith in Who? Faith in Almighty God that He will do what He said...that He will keep His promise. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for
and the evidence of things not seen.” What is it we hope for...and what is it we hope to see?
(a.) Faith is the Substance of what we hope for... Substance means the “support beams.” Faith supports all we hope for in Christ. Without faith we have no hope.
(b.) Faith is the Evidence of what we’ve never seen... Evidence simply means “proof.” For all those things we have never seen and can’t seem to understand...our faith is our proof.
Hebrews 12:1-2 “....let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
...The Wondrous Cross...
Wondrous in Love – Wondrous in Grace – Wondrous in Salvation.
Trust...believe...and follow.