The most grievous action in history was the murder of Jesus. The horror of the cross could only be transformed by the love of God – that the cross of Christ would serve as our guiding light.
Observations:
- “Lifted up” references the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the ascension
- The cross of Christ is where satan loses his authority over the nations
- It’s at the cross that Jesus is truly revealed
Conclusions:
- The cross is our centripetal center-point
- The cross is for you
- The cross is the illumination of God’s answer for sin
Application:
- Lift high the cross of Christ as a light to lead you…
– In your relationship with the world – God’s will over your own
– In your relationship with the others – God’s answer over your own
– In your relationship with God – God’s family over your own
Colossians 2:15
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Hebrews 2:14
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.”
John 8:28
“So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.”
Mark 15:37-39
“With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
Isaiah 52:13-15
“See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness— so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.”
John 3:14-15
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Galatians 3:13
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
1 John 1:5-7
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
1 Thessalonians 5:4-6
“But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.”