| Introduction The cross saves us and keeps us saved. The cross redeems us from the bondage of sin and from the wrath of God. The cross brings us to the family of God. At the shadow of the cross marriages are joyful, children grow to serve their Lord. Near the cross, sinful people are able to die to self and live for Christ and for others. I. What's at the Center of Your Life? A. What's really the main thing in your life? B. What defines you? II. The Essential: God sent his Son to the cross to bear his wrath for sinners like you and me. 1 Cor. 15:3-4 – For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… A. Paul is pointing to the one truth that should define our lives. B. In the midst of all the things that go one in our lives, one overarching truth should motivate all we do: Christ died for our sins. C. That is what the cross stands for. III. Our Constant Danger A. We are in constant danger of forgetting about the cross. B. Every day, we all face the temptation to move away from the gospel, to let it drop from our hands and hearts. IV. We Never Move On A. Maybe you are wondering: I can see how the cross is important for my salvation; but now that I am saved shouldn't we move on to more mature matters of living? B. The answer is NO, we never move on. V. When we center our lives on the cross grace becomes more and more amazing. A. Do you continue to find your salvation an incredible miracle as your remember the judgment you genuinely deserve? B. Are you amazed by the power of the gospel, over and over? VI. One Practical Application: How Does This Reality Impact Our Suffering? A. God's experience of suffering took place in the life and death of Jesus Christ. B. Our God always understands our suffering, for at Calvary, he knew suffering that infinitely exceeds anything we will ever encounter. VII. Dark Hours A. The cross is the greatest encouragement and the greatest motivation for everything God has called us to do and experience in life. B. In Christ's darkest our, we can recognize his love for us, Mk. 15:34. C. Because of his love for us in his darkest hour, we can receive his care for us in our darkest hour, whatever that hour may be. D. The dark times of temptation, trial, and hardship are inevitable for us and for everyone we love. VIII. Incomparable Source A. As we look to the cross and Gethsemane for this preparation, we need to make a distinction: our suffering does not truly compare to Christ's. B. We have never been, and will never be abandoned by God. C. Christ's suffering becomes the highest and best source of comfort in our own distress. IX. Always Enough A. In Luke 22:43, we read that at the close of Jesus's agony in Gethsemane, God sent an angel to Jesus to strengthen him. B. In our own depths of suffering, the Father doesn't send an angel. C. He sends the Savior. D. In our trials, we are given comfort and strength by Jesus himself. E. Regardless of how dark a day becomes, regardless of the severity of the anguish we are experiencing, he is always present… and that is sufficient. F. The one at God's right hand, the one who on this earth suffered so uniquely, is the one who "always lives to make intercession for us" (Heb. 7:25). Conclusion And, Christian, this is your Savior and you know him through the cross. http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-cross-mark-1432-42-1516-39.html | |||
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Friday, May 10, 2013
The Cross - Mark 14:32-42; 15:16-39
