The Importance of the Cross
God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise! 1 Cor
We must be last in order to be first. (Matt
One must lose his life in order to save it. (Matt
It’s by the poverty of Christ that we’re made rich. (2 Cor 8:9)
We must be brought down before we can be lifted up. (Jas 4:10)
It’s in our weakness that we are made strong. (2 Cor
It’s by death that we have life (2 Cor 7:3)
The
importance of death.
We’re reconciled to God by Christ’s death. (Rom
We’ve been baptized into his death. (Rom 6:3-4)
We’ve been planted in the likeness of his death. (Rom 6:5)
In communion we do show the Lord’s death till he come. (1
Cor
The
method of execution.
We’ve been reconciled into one body by the cross. (Eph 2:16)
We’ve been made at peace with God through the blood of his
cross (
It was to the cross that the handwriting of ordinances that
were against us were nailed (
It is the preaching of the cross that is the power of God to
us that believe.
(1 Cor
Paul understood, as we must understand, that the cross is not only atoning, but exemplary.
Romans 6:5
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Galatians 6:14
14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
2 Corinthians 1:9
9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
2 Corinthians 4:11
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
1 Corinthians 15:31
31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Philippians 3:10
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Galatians 5:24
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Galatians 2:20
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
God desires us to be…
Foolish enough to depend on Him for wisdom;
Weak enough to be empowered with His strength;
Base enough to have no honor, but God’s honor;
Despised enough to be kept in the dust at His feet;
Nothing enough for God to be everything!
He accomplishes all
this by the cross.
Spurgeon said that there are no crown wearers up there that
were not cross-bearers down here. Can you imagine the thoughts and reactions
that the disciples must have had to Christ’s statement: If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow me. They’re ready to reign from twelve thrones over the house of
Bible teacher L. E. Maxwell puts it this way:
“From the heights of glory Christ descended, from the Godhead to manhood. As a man, He descended to a servant. From life, He descended to death. From a common death, He descended to that of a criminal. And having plumbed the depths, he is highly exalted or ‘exalted with all exaltation.’ His exaltation is measured by His humiliation. His ascent is but His ‘descent reversed.’ And ours will be the same.”