Open The Accessibility Toolbar

It’s About the Cross

By:Pastor Rick Smith

In Mark 15:22-39 is the account in the gospel of Mark that tells us about the crucifixion of Jesus. Everyone who has put there trust in Jesus loves the cross. That has got to be strange to those who don’t know Jesus. I mean, think about it. This cross is not jewelry, but an instrument of execution, an instrument of torture. It was designed to inflict the most suffering for the longest time possible. Why would anyone wear a cross around their neck? And why would we sing with such love about “the old rugged cross” considering the suffering, pain, and shame that Jesus endured there? This is my answer. Everything comes together at the cross: sin, judgment, and death along with forgiveness, love, righteousness, and eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

Why John 3:16? It’s about the cross. Much of the Old Testament prophecies tell us about the crucifixion of Jesus. The earliest prophecy was actually a curse against the serpent, against Satan. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15). But there are other prophecies and shadows of the cross. One is the story of Abraham offering of Isaac (Genesis 22) foreshadowing the cross. Psalm 22 pictures the crucifixion and contains the cry of Jesus from the cross: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). Daniel prophecies that the Messiah (Jesus) would be cut off (Daniel 9:26). And Isaiah 53:7 prophesied that Jesus would be offered as the Passover Lamb. And Isaiah tells us that God shall see the “travail” of the Messiah’s soul and shall be satisfied (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus death on the cross satisfied God’s righteous judgment.

My friends, it is about the cross. Everything Jesus did was leading to the cross. Every miracle that Jesus did brought Him one step closer to the cross. The devil was raging against everything that Jesus did, but God the Father repeatedly said, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.” Jesus prophesied of His death, particularly His death on the cross, even calling His disciples to take up the cross and follow Him (Mark 8:32). On three major occasions Jesus told His disciples that He was going to die (Mark 8:31-38; 9:30-32; 10:32-34). Jesus was born to die on the cross. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came to die on the cross. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus life and ministry was all about the cross.

My friends, our only hope is the cross. The hymn Before the Throne has this line: “Because the sinless Savior died, My sinful soul is counted free, For God the just is satisfied To look on him and pardon me…” God loved us so much that He gave us His Lamb, the Lamb of God—Jesus, to die in our place. We deserved – and still deserve – to go to hell, but John 3:16 is in effect. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures. Jesus paid the debt that I cannot pay. Jesus took my place in the judgment of God. In Ralph Carmichael ’s song When I Think of the Cross, the chorus reads, “Just to think of the cross Moves me now The nails in His hands His bleeding brow To think of the cross Moves me now It should have been me, It should have been me, Instead I am free, I am free!”

There are some things that cannot be understood from a distance. God says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4:8). And you cannot draw near to God until you come to the cross and leave your sins there and take up the cross and follow Jesus. Sin has you, but Jesus defeated sin, death, and hell at the cross. It’s about the cross. It’s about your sin. It’s about Jesus dying for you to give you a new life. You can have a new life because Jesus took your place on the cross.

If you have any questions, we invite you to visit with us this Sunday. Worship at 10:50 A.M. We are located at 711 West Washington Ave. Check our sermon videos on Youtube @ricksmith2541. Send comments and prayer requests to prayerlinecmbc@gmail.com.

Rick Smith is the Pastor at Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Artesia.