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When Peter first met Christ, Jesus changed his name. God knew where he came from, where he was, and by grace and the power of the cross, what Peter would one day be. Peter learned to believe God and step out on the promises of God. None of the disciples had greater events transpire in their lives around the crucifixion than Peter. Imagine the impact on Peter as Christ turned to look at him following his betrayal. Peter turned away from the light into the darkness to weep, but the Lord was not finished with him. Upon His resurrection, the Lord specifically sent a message to Peter that there was still a ministry for him. Thank God that He will work in us to comfort, correct, cleanse, and change us, then send us out to continue His work. Peter never got over the cross. He wrote some of the most tender passages of the Bible, as he challenged us to desire the milk of the Word to grow and to cast our cares on Christ. Peter knew that as the devil desired to have him, Christ was interceding for him. We too can take comfort in this truth.
We see the love of God not in the roses, flowers, and trees, but in the cross of Christ. The cross was not an accident, but a fulfillment of Scripture. Christ knew as He went to the cross that He was in the will of the Father. The cross was the mission of his ministry. It was His purpose to fulfill the Father’s mission. The cross was the message of his ministry, and throughout his time with his disciples, He preached the cross. The cross was also the memorial of His ministry. It speaks of God’s love, faithfulness, mercy, and forgiveness. The cross speaks of God’s wrath on sin, and of God’s holiness. Because of the cross, we must praise God, proclaim his power, put Christ first, and have a greater hatred for the sin that placed Christ on the cross.
Immediately after the crucifixion, many things continued as usual. The Romans were still in charge. Preparations for the Passover went on. But because of the cross, we see a change in these two men. They were religious men. They were also rich men. Their method of discipleship before the cross was in secret. Both held prominent positions and did not want to identify with Christ in the open. The cross gave them a mission and changed their perspective. They became bold to take a stand and openly beg for the body of Jesus, thus identifying themselves with him. By so doing, they fulfilled the prophecy that Christ would be buried with the rich in his death. I Corinthians 2:5 holds a key for all disciples. Our faith must stand in the power of God so that in our weakness His power can be revealed in us.
As we think of the power of the gospel, we must not stop at the cross, but remember that the whole message includes the resurrection. Remember that the full story of Christ’s love and sacrifice gives us our motivation for ministry. When we think of Mary Magdalene and the other ladies who approached the empty tomb, we must remember their past. These were ladies who had been helped by the Lord in some way, and in return for his ministry they loved Him, followed Him, and ministered to His earthly needs. They watched His death from afar, fearful perhaps of associating too closely. But, their relationship with Christ did not end at the cross! Christ had a future for them as well. As He met them in the garden, His message was for them to “come and see; then go and tell.” The resurrection changed them and the other disciples from worriers into warriors, from fearful to fighters, from doubtful to daring, and from weak to bold witnesses.
As Christ hung on the cross he spoke seven sayings that give us a glimpse into the heart of God. The place from which Christ said these words is important. It was not a place of comfort, but crushing anguish; not a place of royalty but wretchedness; not from a palace but a cross. These words were spoken not to a multitude who magnified him but to enemies who mocked him. The words Christ spoke on the cross include the power to provide pardon, and because of Christ’s forgiveness, we too can forgive others. His words promised eternal life to the vilest of sinners, thereby giving us assurance. He spoke peace in the midst of Mary’s pain as she watched the sword pierce His side. We too can leave our burdens at the cross and accept His peace. Christ was our sinless yet selfless substitute, who was forsaken of His father that we need never be forsaken. His words of thirst prove that He can sympathize in our suffering. His victory cry of “It is finished!” settled our sin debt.
Paul’s fierce devotion to Calvary is evident throughout the book of Galatians. To him, the cross represented not object or symbol of worship but a doctrine to change His life. We too must be consumed with understanding Christ’s love for us, for when we take our eyes off of the cross we will back away from our commitment to Christ. The book of Galatians shows us that the cross
Cancels our sin,
Reveals his love,
Offers divine blessings,
Satisfies our souls, and
Separates us from the world through sanctification.
To enjoy the benefits of this doctrine we must participate, first by believing and accepting salvation, and then by counting ourselves dead to sin and choosing to follow Christ in the process of sanctification. We must come to the place where we know that God Himself is enough for us. When we have a right view of the cross we can rest in the providence, security, and love of our eternal God.
We must realize the awesome responsibility we have to preach on the cross. We have a responsibility to preach with Holy Spirit preparation, purpose, and power. The cross will influence us to have a powerful Commitment to preaching the gospel. There are many distractions in ministry, but preaching is still vital. The cross provides a powerful Redemptive theme for our preaching. It is the central doctrine of the Bible. The cross gives us powerful and bold Oratory in our preaching, as we reveal Christ to sinners, reveal His power to the saints, and remind us of His sacrifice. The cross gives us powerful Sermon content. We must focus not on the act of preaching, but on the content. A message that is not Christ-centered will inevitably be human-centered. The cross gives us powerful Scriptural truth. The measuring stick to evaluate the power of your preaching and ministry is the blood-stained cross of Christ. We must preach with purpose on the power of the cross of Christ.
The book of Colossians only uses the word “cross” twice, yet the shadow of the cross covers the entire book and the entire Bible. The cross is our path to peace. The road to reconciliation begins with a problem: there is a broken relationship that has caused enmity and war. The plan for the problem is the cross. The purpose of the cross is to bring peace. The cross is also the foundation of forgiveness for all past and future sin. Christ nailed to the cross the law which condemned us, and, in dying, he fulfilled the law. When Christ arose, the law did not; it remains nailed to the cross, never to condemn us again. We must tell others of the peace and forgiveness found only in the cross.
Paul in writing to the Ephesians mentions their past. Their world was divided between Jew and Gentile, and as Gentiles, they were far off, at enmity physically, ceremonially, and spiritually with the Jew and with God. Yet now all of this was in their past. The cross provided peace and bridged the gap between God and man and between man and man. We must remember that we too were sinners, reflect on our attitudes towards others, and rejoice that Christ has brought all together in peace.
The cross gives the power for effective ministry in the local church. As we think of Corinth, we are reminded who Paul was. He witnessed Stephen’s death and was used by God for missions even before his own salvation. We also think of who Paul became. The cross made a difference in his life, and he was a chosen vessel to bear its message to the Gentiles. We also see how Paul served the Corinthians. He went to them and ministered to them for a year and a half as he nurtured and grounded them. Making converts is only part of the commission; it also includes making disciples. The cross provides power for preventive and corrective discipline. We must be willing to confront the problems in the church. In application, we should remember who we were before the cross, what we became at the cross, and that God has us here to serve Him because of the cross.
Without the cross, there would have been no resurrection, no ascension, and no coming of the Holy Spirit, so everything we see recorded in the book of Acts is a direct result of the cross. The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples, but never spoke of himself, only of Christ. This message is effective when it is propagated. Peter’s message at Pentecost mentioned almost every doctrine of Christ. Three thousand were converted, and all of them were baptized and all continued steadfastly. Stephen had no way of knowing how his message would work in the heart of Saul. We must preach Christ and allow the power of the cross to work in the lives of those who hear. When people are drawn to Christ they find redemption and then can go on their way rejoicing.
The cross is about our salvation and our sanctification. Therefore, its message is about transformation. The book of Romans was written in what could be considered a pre-Christian world and our post-Christian world today is no different. Chapters 12-16 give us several transformational truths. We must not think highly of ourselves, but soberly as Christ does. We must recognize our place in the body of Christ and realize that we are individual members whose actions can have a ripple effect on others. We must realize that God has given us a gift not for ourselves or others, but for him. Don’t worry what others think of your gift–just please God with it. We must serve others. We must remember that vengeance is coming and God is just. We must be transformed by renewing, refreshing, and reviving our minds daily.
The book of Hebrews reminds us that we are in a race. God designed the course as a marathon. Christ’s course began in heaven, brought him to earth, and eventually took him to the cross, but there is joy in knowing it did not end at the cross. He crossed over the finish line to complete his race on streets of gold! God determines the conditions of the course. We must endure, press on, and continue. We must not resent, avoid, bypass, or become bitter at obstacles placed in our path. Remember that God dispenses the rewards at the end of the race. Great joy comes in the face of trials if we endure.
The cross must influence who we are as disciples of Christ today. In Luke 14 Christ tells the story of a supper that was offered. As a great multitude began to follow Him, Christ made three negative statements to thin the crowd and determine who would be true followers. The cross must influence who we are as servants. He stated that one cannot be his disciple without leaving family, bearing a cross, and forsaking all. Each of these statements requires a status with the Lord. How do we make a deliberate decision? How do we prevent a divided devotion? How do we avoid dereliction of our duty? To be followers of Christ we must realize that Christ has a cross for us that is individualized and personalized. He wants us to carry his cross, not as an object of ornamentation, but as an invitation to die with Him. He wants us to follow him with our cross. We must bear the cross He has given with honor, and remember that His cross was far more difficult than ours.
