What Jesus Accomplished on the Cross

Easter – 2020 – What Jesus Accomplished on the Cross

Subject – Looking at What the Cross and Resurrection Meant

by Rick Welborne

1 Corinthians 1:17‑18 (NKJV) 

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

–Today I want to talk to you about the amazing sacrifice and the extra-ordinary power of the cross on which Jesus gave His life.

–Paul says something very interesting...this message of the cross is foolishness to the world but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Promise - Prize - Process

–Let me establish this from the very beginning:

1. Jesus went to the cross to save others not Himself!

Matthew 27:35‑43 (NKJV) 

35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." 

36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 

37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 

39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 

40 and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 

41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 

42 "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 

43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' " 

–They put over His head...This is Jesus...the King of the Jews...Can I declare to you today that He is not only the King of the Jews but He is the King of kings & the Lord of lords...

–If you are the Son of God come down from the cross..."He saved others; Himself He cannot save.”

–Let me state clearly to you today that He could have saved Himself if that had been His intention...He could have slipped thru the crowd like He had done so many times. 

--He could have called 12 legions of angels to defend Him, and also all He had to do was speak the word...Are you Jesus...I am He...they all fell to the ground.

–The chief priest, the scribes, and the elders said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.” He could have saved Himself but He came not to save Himself but to save others – the world.

2. Jesus went to the cross to reveal God’s secret wisdom!

1 Corinthians 2:1‑8 (NIV) 

1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 

2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 

3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 

4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 

5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. 

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 

7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 

8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

–So many today have such superior wisdom because they have found a single truth in God’s Word and have made it the entirety of God’s Word...out of balance.

–Paul said let me sum up for you what I know...sum up for you my wisdom...For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 

–Paul did not come in pride and arrogance...he came in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. What a difference in what we get so much of today.

–Can I declare to you today God’s secret wisdom (Paul liked revealing God’s secrets – contentment) and His wonderful sacrifice and power...It was in the cross...it was on the cross...It was Jesus crucified.

–Paul said that is enough...Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That is more than enough!

–How authoritative was this extra-ordinary sacrifice and incomparable power...8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

–If they had known the unselfish love through Jesus’ sacrifice and the redemptive power thru the cross they would not have nailed Him there.

–Jesus declared it on the cross...Too late boys...It is Finished it is done...I have paid the price for all those who will come to God!  Look at your neighbor...It is finished!

3. What we do with this revelation and power found in the cross of Christ is of most importance. 

Hebrews 12:1‑3 (NIV) 

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 

2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

–What do we do with this revelation?  We stop being entangled with this world, stop willful sinning (presuming on God’s grace), and let us run after Him with all our hearts!

–We fix our eyes on Jesus...why?  So many are focused on COVID 19 but Jesus for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

–Since thru the cross God has made a way of escape for us...let us take it!

Theodore the Studite (9^th Century) sermon -The Precious and life giving cross of Christ.. He compares the tree that Jesus died on to the tree in the garden (Genesis).

Theodore - How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste.  

–The fruit of this tree (the cross) is not death but life, not darkness but light.  

–This tree (the cross) does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return.

–This was the tree on which Christ, like a king on a chariot, destroyed the devil, the lord of death, and freed the human race from his tyranny.  

–This was the tree (cross) upon which the Lord like a brave warrior wounded in hands, feet, and side, healed the wounds of sin that the evil serpent had inflicted on us.  

–A tree once caused our death, but now a tree brings life. Once deceived by a tree, we have now repelled the cunning serpent by a tree. What an astonishing transformation!  

–That death should become life, that decay should become immortality, that shame should become glory!  

–Well might the holy apostle exclaim: Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  

–Though the rulers of this world did not see the significance of the cross God had been revealing it since the beginning.

1Cor. 2:8 (NIV)

8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

--Theodore points out the types and figures of the cross of Christ: “Was it not the wood of a tree that enabled Noah, at God’s command, to escape the destruction of the flood.  

--And surely the rod of Moses prefigured the cross when it changed water into blood, swallowed up false serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians, divided the sea at one stroke and then restored the waters to their normal course, drowning the enemy and saving God’s own people!  

--Aaron’s rod, which blossomed in one day in proof of his priesthood, was another figure of the cross, and did not Abraham foreshadow the cross when he bound his sound Isaac and placed him on the pile of wood?

1 Peter 1:18‑21 (NLT) 

18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 

19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 

20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days. 

21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. 

–God knew from the beginning that He would give His Son Jesus on the cross for us. This is glorious sacrifice personified.

--How do I identify with Christ’s extra-ordinary sacrifice and the power of the cross? We talked about this last week.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) 

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

–Before I received Christ and surrendered my life to Him...I believed in Him, I believed He died and rose again but I could not make the connection of how that could help me.

–I knew I was lost...that was obvious...I was convinced I could not live for God so why even try. The night I gave my life to Christ, I had already told God I wouldn’t be back.

--Life Church, please do not ever forget the battle going on in the hearts of those who come our way. Prayer team, they may be at the brink of life or death. 

--Years ago we had one of those services where Holy Spirit just took over. I gave an altar call and people responded. As we worshiped, God said for me to give another altar call. People responded. 

--God’s presence was so strong! Again God said give another altar call. Someone else came. I’m thinking it is time to continue with the Word or something but He says give another altar call.

--I told God because He didn’t remember, we had already given three altar calls. He said give another one. Someone is here in despair and today is life or death for them. I repeated what God said to me to the people.

--A lady (a guest) screams from the anguish of her heart. She comes and gives her heart to the Lord. Her husband comes later. After a time of prayer, I asked the lady if she wants to share.

--She said, I woke up this morning with plans of committing suicide and felt something in me telling me to come to this church. If nothing happened I was going to end my life this afternoon. Something happened!

--God totally transformed their lives and their marriage. I saw her ten years after that day in a restaurant and without provocation she grabs me and shouts…We are still living for Jesus! She found hope in Jesus!

Colossians 1:27 (NIV) 

27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

–The amazing sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the extra-ordinary power of the cross has introduced to me (Christ in me, the hope of glory!) He is the hope of this world.