Notes from the sermon, The Significance of the Cross (audio) -
The cross is only as significant as it is necessary – we need to accurately see our sin and the holy God’s response to our sin. We have retitled sin, using terms like disorder, dysfunction, acting out, alternative lifestyle instead of sin, selfishness, rebellion, promiscuity and homosexuality. We also try to lessen the weight of our sin by comparing it to worse sinners. These things lessen the significance of the cross in our day to day lives.The soul that sins, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.
(Eze 18:20 MKJV)Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments. For this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether evil.
(Ecc 12:13-14 MKJV)on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
(Rom 2:16 ESV)Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
(1Co 6:9-10 MKJV)But I will tell you what will happen to cowards and to everyone who is unfaithful or dirty-minded or who murders or is sexually immoral or uses witchcraft or worships idols or tells lies. They will be thrown into that lake of fire and burning sulfur. This is the second death.
(Rev 21:8 CEV)Looking at how inclusive God’s list of sin is, the cross becomes very significant. And time does not erase it. C.S. Lewis said, “We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. I have heard others and I have heard myself recounting cruelties and falsehoods committed in my boyhood as if they were no concern of the present speaker, and even with laughter. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or the guilt of sin.”
What is God’s response to sin? WRATH. Dictionary: Intense anger, rage, fury, any action carried out in great anger, especially punishment.
God is jealous, and Jehovah revenges; Jehovah revenges and is a possessor of wrath. Jehovah takes vengeance against His foes, and He keeps wrath against His enemies. Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power. And He does not by any means acquit the guilty. Jehovah has His way in the tempest and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon withers. The mountains quake from Him, and the hills melt, and the earth is lifted up from before Him; even the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before His fury? And who can stand up in the heat of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken down because of Him.
(Nah 1:2-6 MKJV
Imagine the Son of God nailed to the cross – in light of his power and his holiness, his wrath for sin, how merciful is God? The physical part of the crucifixion is the easy part. The hard part is that while he was on the cross it was the wrath of God being poured out on Him.
And if you will not for all of this listen to Me, but will walk contrary to Me, then I will walk contrary to you also in fury. And I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
(Lev 26:27-28 MKJV)And I will also deal with fury; My eye shall not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.
(Eze 8:18 MKJV)But according to your hardness and your impenitent heart, do you treasure up wrath for yourself in a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each according to his works;
(Rom 2:5-6 MKJV)The bible says more about the wrath of God than it does about the love of God. – A.W. Pink
Hell is the wrath of God poured out over time. It is eternal fury poured on finite beings for eternity. Consider the cross – the wrath of God poured out in an instant, the eternal wrath poured out on an eternal being. If what the bible says about sin and God’s response to sin is accurate, how significant was the cross in human history? Resurrection is only good news after you’ve embraced the bad news of death.
The bad news, not of Jesus’ death, but of my own. By realistically seeing that my own death (not the physical death, but the eternal death, damnation, separation from God) will and must happen except for the cross.
