The power of the cross changes the past and redirects the future. It gives us confidence that we are of value, as well as matter and accepted by the One who matters most. It's not for the deserving, but for the undeserving, not for the obedient but for the disobedient, not for the just but for the unjust and not for His friends but for His enemies.
Jesus's death on the cross changed the wrong perspective about the cross from an abominable place that usually takes the life of criminals or punishes the worst of crimes to a place that helps sinners receive eternal life!
The cross was invented by the Barbarians and was taken over by both the Romans and Greeks. It was a humiliating form of executing the worst of criminals. It is possibly the harshest way of execution that was ever used. Anyone that died on the cross was like a curse for the Jews because it was seen as "hang on the tree judgement" the Bible talks about.
“If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Deuteronomy 21:22-23
As Christians, the symbol of the cross should remind us of what Jesus went through, on His way to Calvary and at Calvary's Hill! The cross reveals to us the grievousness of our sins and the unparalleled love of God towards us. If not for the love of God, there was nothing we could have done to save ourselves.
More importantly, we must look deeper and closer at the Savior of the cross; the one who is the reason that the cross became the powerful point to our salvation. Without Him on the cross, it would have been a powerless and ordinary log of woods put together.
Even though the death of Jesus was by human sin which was carried out by Judas Iscariot who sold Him, the leaders of the Jews who spearheaded the killing, down to the soldier who sink the nails through His hands and feet, He went to the cross voluntarily, obediently and our sin took Him there. You can also see it this way, God the Father gave Him up and He accepted by giving Himself up, to die for us.
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John10:18
The power of the cross has cleansed us of our sins and led us to salvation. Jesus has given us salvation and made it available to many who will come to Him as their Lord and personal Saviour. The power of the cross proves that Christ died for our sins. Our sins were obstacles that prevented us from accessing the Almighty God. So, Christ removed our sins so we could also have eternal life in us.
The life of Christ impacted the world, the death of Christ reconciled it, and His resurrection gave us victory over the devil and conquered the sin that separates us from the almighty God. If we want evidence of God's love we should look first at the cross where He offered His son as a sacrifice for our sins and gave us salvation.
In the Old Testament, a lamb that was pure and unblemished had to be presented and sacrificed for the shedding of blood to atone for sins. This action had to be done every year in addition to the blood of bulls and goats. The blood from these animals' sacrifices could only cover the sins of the people for some time but could not take it away. "But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins." Hebrews 10:3-4
At the cross, Jesus became the perfect lamb that was the substitute for all mankind because He was the only one that could keep all of God’s laws perfectly. The cross was regarded as a place where criminals were executed and nobody could identify themselves with it before the death of Christ as we see today that people hang its symbol on their necks, in their cars and in their homes.
Jesus's mission on the cross made it the centre of our salvation and the demonstration of God's power! The power of the cross got into action while Jesus was still hanging on the cross and rescued one of the criminals who was on his way to hell! The other criminal blasphemed Jesus and told him to save Himself and save them if He is the Christ
"Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39:43
The two criminals on the cross with Jesus is a good description of the two groups of people in the world today, those who rejected Christ and those who received Him into their hearts! Those who received Christ can come before God in right standing, knowing full well that they couldn’t keep the law but their faith, hope and future rest in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who has done it on their behalf.
PRAYER
"The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’ (Amen)