{"id":90863,"date":"2021-03-12T19:38:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-13T00:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/effects-of-the-cross\/"},"modified":"2023-10-07T16:17:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T20:17:10","slug":"effects-of-the-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/effects-of-the-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"Effects of the Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In our self-centered culture, we have made the Gospel self-centered.\nSomehow we believe that the reason God loves us is because we are lovable.  God is not glorified when I think He loves me\nbecause I\u2019m lovable. Rather, what makes the gospel beautiful is that because I\nam so unlovable, God still chooses to love me.  In that God is glorified!  \u201cBut\nGod shows his love for us in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us<\/strong>\u201d\nRomans 5:8<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin Luther once referred to the Gospel as a treasure chest.  Like opening a treasure chest and admiring its\nrubies, pearls and sapphires, handle carefully these Scriptures of great value.\nFeel the worth of Christ’s sacrifice today that will cause us to worship\ndeeply.  Treasure these ten Biblical\nreasons why Jesus came to die on the cross: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. He came to seek and to\nsave sinners.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the Son\nof Man came to seek and to save the lost.<\/strong>\u201d Luke 19:10<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m so glad God did not come for the elite or the popular or the wealthy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. He came to glorify His\nfather.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen Jesus\nhad spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, \u2018Father, the\nhour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have\ngiven him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have\ngiven him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and\nJesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished\nthe work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own\npresence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.<\/strong>\u2019\u201d  John 17:1-5<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus models to us how we should glorify God in our lives.  First, He teaches us to glorify God before we\nface difficulties. Are you and I looking to glorify God, even while going\nthrough hard and difficult seasons?  Second,\nHe glorified the Father with the time He had on the earth.  Notice what He says in this prayer, \u201c\u2026having accomplished\nthe work that you gave me to do.<\/strong>\u201d Can we say this about our\nlives?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. He came to cancel our\nrecord of debt.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy\ncanceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He\ndisarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing\nover them in him.<\/strong>\u201d Colossians 2:14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you realize there is a \u201crecord of debt\u201d that \u201cstands against\u201d you?  Christ took that record of debt and nailed it\nto the cross! He canceled our debt of sin! Why did Jesus come to die? To not\nonly forgive our sins, but to completely take them away (John 1:29<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. He came to give power to\nthe Gospel.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the\nword of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being\nsaved it is the power of God.<\/strong>\u201d 1 Corinthians 1:18<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it not interesting that God would take the lowliest death of that day to\ndisplay His power? Does it not echo Isaiah 55:8<\/strong>, \u201cFor my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways\nmy ways, declares the Lord<\/strong>\u201d? Knowing that God chose the cross, for\nit was never Plan B\u2026it was plan A from the before the world was created: \u201c\u2026Belonging to the\nLamb that was slain from the creation of the world<\/strong>\u201d (Revelation 13:8<\/strong>).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. He came to heal us from\ndisease and sicknesses.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\nevening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out\nthe spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what\nwas spoken by the prophet Isaiah: \u201cHe took our illnesses and bore our diseases.<\/strong>\u201d\nMatthew 8:16-17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The calamity of sin was so great, that it brought sickness and death upon\nmankind. They are that closely related.  Now\ndoes that mean Christians won\u2019t struggle against sickness? No! Even Christians\nhave to fight against sickness. Why? Because we still live in a fallen world,\nwe feel the effects of sin and sickness both. But what it does mean is that\nbecause Christ not only died for our sins, but for our sickness, we can pray\nfor one another the Bible says that the prayer of faith can heal the sick (James 5:15<\/strong>).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. He came to destroy the\nworks of the devil and the power of death.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Since\ntherefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of\nthe same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power\nof death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death\nwere subject to lifelong slavery.<\/strong>\u201d Hebrews 2:14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now there is no need for me and you to fear death. Isn\u2019t that an audacious\nstatement? In my flesh, I fear death. But in my spirit and through faith, there\nis no need to fear. Why? Because Satan no longer has the \u201cpower of death.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. He came to take on our\nsin and to make us righteous.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor our\nsake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the\nrighteousness of God.<\/strong>\u201d 2 Corinthians 5:21<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to be righteous? It means to be a \u201cright standing\u201d before\nGod. Remember when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and what they did?\nThey hid from God. Sin causes us to hide. Righteousness means we can stand\nupright before a just and holy God. You and I could have never accomplished\nthis on our own. It is only through the work of Christ on the cross. So why did\nJesus come to die? To make us the righteousness of God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. He came to bring us peace.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut he was\npierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was\nthe chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.<\/strong>\u201d\nIsaiah 53:5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So many are not at peace with God, as a result they are not at peace with\nthemselves or at peace with others in their lives. One of the results of Christ\u2019s\ndeath is that it brought us peace with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. He came to reconcile us\nto God.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd might\nreconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the\nhostility.<\/strong>\u201d Ephesians 2:16<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Man still rebels against God. Man still refuses the terms of grace and the\nmercy God offers. It\u2019s the same pride, same rebellion, same sin that has\nplagued man for all of our history. Yet Christ came to kill the hostility\nbetween God and man and to reconcile us to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. He came to absorb the\nwrath of God.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn this is\nlove, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be\nthe propitiation for our sins.<\/strong>\u201d 1 John 4:10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible gives us a remarkable word\u2026propitiation. This word has an\nincredible meaning. It means that Christ became our substitute to absorb the\nwrath of God. God is angry with sin. It\u2019s against His very nature. John reminds\nus that if God kicked out 1\/3 of the Heavenly angels for sinning, what makes us\nthink He will look over our sin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Christ became the substitute for God\u2019s wrath. God did not waive His\nwrath\u2026He did not ignore it or pass over it. Christ took the very wrath of God\non the cross and like a sponge, absorbed the wrath meant for me and you. Let the\nthought that Christ took the anger of God over sin on our behalf wash over your\nheart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So for those who fear that God is angry with you\u2026He isn\u2019t!  For those who can\u2019t get past your past,\ndreading the day you will stand before God and worry that one day your past\nsins will catch up to you\u2026remember, Christ absorbed the wrath of God for you!\nHe became your propitiation\u2026your substitute…bore the cross intended for you:\n\u201cBlotting out\nthe handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,\nand took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross<\/strong>\u201d (Colossians 2:14<\/strong>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our self-centered culture, we have made the Gospel self-centered. Somehow we believe that the reason God loves us is because we are lovable.  God is not glorified when I think He loves me because I\u2019m lovable. Rather, what makes the gospel beautiful is that because I am so unlovable, God still chooses to love […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[526,535],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nEffects of the Cross - Grace Evangelical Free Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Effects of the Cross - Grace Evangelical Free Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In our self-centered culture, we have made the Gospel self-centered. Somehow we believe that the reason God loves us is because we are lovable.  God is not glorified when I think He loves me because I\u2019m lovable. 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