“The government of Polish Prime Minister Jaruzelski had ordered crucifixes removed from classroom walls, just as they had been banned in factories, hospitals, and other public institutions. Catholic bishops attacked the ban that had stirred waves of anger and resentment all across Poland. Ultimately the government relented, insisting that the law remain on the books, but agreeing not to press for removal of the crucifixes, particularly in the schoolrooms.
But one zealous Communist school administrator in Garwolin decided that the law was the law. So one evening he had seven large crucifixes removed from lecture halls where they had hung since the school’s founding in the twenties. Days later, a group of parents entered the school and hung more crosses. The administrator promptly had these taken down as well.
The next day two-thirds of the school’s six hundred students staged a sit-in. When heavily armed riot police arrived, the students were forced into the streets. Then they marched, crucifixes held high, to a nearby church where they were joined by twenty-five hundred other students from nearby schools for a morning of prayer in support of the protest. Soldiers surrounded the church. But the pictures from inside of students holding crosses high above their heads flashed around the world. So did the words of the priest who delivered the message to the weeping congregation that morning. ‘There is no Poland without a cross’” (www.sermonillustrations.com).
The last several weeks I have been devoting a lot of my attention to the cross as it is the theme of our upcoming lectureship – “The Cross: Man’s Greatest Sin, God’s Greatest Gift.” While I have always been obviously impacted by the cross and its influence not only on my life but on society, recently I have been impressed even more by the sheer number of perspectives from which it can be discussed. What greater theme could we possibly get more benefit from discussing than the cross and what it should mean in our lives…
Title: The Story of the Cross
Main Point: Isn’t it amazing how that the single symbol in world history that has more unifying power has become such a factor of division! I guess that shouldn’t be that much of a surprise, though, considering that Jesus said He had not come to bring preace but a sword (Matthew 10:34). But such division only occurs because of the stubborn disbelief of so many in the world – they have missed the story of the cross (John 3:16). Many do not realize that while the cross had one purpose (the saving of man) He had three reasons for going to the cross and that is the story:
Discussion Points:
- Jesus Died Because of Me – 2 Corinthians 5:20-21. We must approach the subject of the cross with utter realism. It was sin that put Jesus on the cross, the sins of the world. But it is easy for us to sit back and bemoan the guilt of the world as the reason for the cross – but we must make it more personal. When Hebrews 10:2 says that “he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever” those are my sins. It was not just the cumulative sins of the entire world that put Him there; it was my sins. After all, one soul is so valuable to God that He would have died if it was was the only one in need. When God so loved the world that He gave His Son for the world, I was among that number – Jesus died because of me.
- Jesus Died For Me – Galatians 1:3-4. It is sad to consider the idea that shed blood is necessary for anyone’s good will; however, that is the reality of life. How much blood has been shed for the good of our nation? How many lives have been lost protecting our blessing of freedom? However, as great and noble as the cause of freedom is there has been blood shed for an even more noble cause – to redeem us of our sins. The end product of a sin-filled life is disastrous in every conceivable way. It separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and kills us spiritually (Romans 6:23). It will absolutely ruin our lives without prejudice – evident by so many Bible examples as well as experiences in our lives. However, Paul offered the fact that the death of Jesus purchased the church with the price of blood (Acts 20:28; Romans 3:23-25). Yes, Jesus died because of me, but in grace He was willing, too, to die for me.
- Jesus Died Instead of Me – Genesis 2:16-17. When God told Adam and Eve to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil He was not warning them of any poisonous effect. To eat this fruit was to betray the very law of God. It was sin and sin will kill us spiritually. However, God looked down from heaven upon man that had betrayed Him and determined to give “his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). For all intents and purposes our sin should have put us to death. But just as always the consequences of sin could be paid by another. The burnt sacrifices and offerings in the Old Testament were to provide an outlet for sin, shed blood covered their sins. The sacrifice of Jesus as our Passover Lamb completely redeems us. It purchases our souls from the condemnation of death. And so Jesus died not only because of me and for me, He died instead of me.
If you were to look at Rembrandt’s painting of The Three Crosses, your attention would be drawn first to the center cross on which Jesus died. Then as you would look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that cross, you’d be impressed by the various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes would drift to the edge of the painting and catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Art critics say this is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus to the cross.
-Andy Brewer