Don't Forget the Cross

Post date: May 21, 2015 12:09:49 AM

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?”  (John 11: 25-26)  

There are some tenants of the Christian faith that can be difficult for a non-believer to comprehend. God addressed this issue when he inspired the Apostle Paul to write; (1 Corinthians 2: 12) “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is of God: that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God.” God is a Spirit. (John 4:34) We are natural. We teach in the strength of human wisdom. God teaches with heavenly wisdom through His Spirit by “…comparing spiritual things with spiritual…” (1 Corinthians 2:13) At Pentecost the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit fulfilled Jesus’ promise to his disciples that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and endued with power from Heaven.  ...So Jesus said unto them, “You shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized with you will be baptized.” (Mark 10: 39)

“...Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

God has a holy sinless nature. Man has an unholy, sinful nature. Christ was conceived in holiness; birthed by a woman and fathered by the Holy Spirit. To Mary, a virgin birth seemed unimaginable but to “God nothing shall be impossible.”(Luke 1: 36)  Despite the threat of death, rejection and personal hardship Mary courageously entrusted her personal welfare to God when she believed His Word and consented to His proposal of a divine conception. (Luke 1: 38) “And Mary said, Behold the maidservant of the Lord; Let it be to me according to your word.”

 “…And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed life into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2: 7)

When God formed man He created a three part being having a body, a soul and a spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5: 23) Jesus was sent by God from heaven to be mankind’s living example of how one should live out their time on earth. The book of Luke records that the child Jesus “…grew, and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40)   As a young adult“…Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”(Luke 2:52)  Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus remained in control of his emotions, exercised his will by submitting himself to God. Through a meaningful prayer life he kept himself ever mindful of God, His Father. Jesus’ earthly ministry was initiated by the baptism of the Spirit and was characterized by His sensitivity toward the promptings and leading of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:8 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.  

How do you perceive the cross? To the Romans it was as an instrument of death. For the Jews it was a painful reminder of Roman occupation. To me, it is the symbol of hope. In Luke 22: 42 Jesus prayed “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Jesus’ absolute surrender of self, His total trust in His Fathers’ word and His unceasing love for mankind carried Him willingly to the cross where this unlikely, blood-soaked instrument of Roman aggression became the symbol of eternal salvation.

 “My brothers, you descendants' of Abraham's family, and others who fear God, to us the message of salvation has been sent. Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead;” (Acts 13: 26-30)

The Apostle Paul reasoned with those persons who in the first century were preaching there was no resurrection of the dead. He said; “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have died in Christ have perished.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-18) If Christ has not risen we are without hope destined for the grave. When Jesus appeared to the disciples following His resurrection they were startled. Jesus said to them; “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

John 3: 2-3…This man came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

The doctrine of the rebirth can be easily misinterpreted. Jesus referred to a spiritual rebirth when he said to a religious leader; “Except a man be born of the spirit (anew, from above) he cannot see (perceive or experience) the kingdom of God.” God is a spirit who inhabits a supernatural kingdom. In order to experience the kingdom of God in its fullness it must first be seen through the eyes of the spirit before it can be seized by faith.

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?”  (John 11: 25-26)