“The Word of the Cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” – 1 Cor. 1:18
I know that
there are all kinds of religions in the world – Islam, Mormonism, Hinduism,
Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Paganism, Atheism, and many more.
But in a
sense, you can say that there are only two religions in the world:
1. The religion of the Cross and 2. Everything
else
Only at the
cross does God give Himself to die for you – to save you from sin
and to reconcile you to Himself.
Every other
religion boils down to you doing what needs to be done so that, maybe, you
might receive life after death, some kind of glory, maybe forgiveness, or maybe
you make God happy and He’ll bless you.
For the vast
majority of people in the world, religion is a kind of spiritual accounting
ledger.
-
Debits
and credits
-
Good
deeds and bad – and in the end you hope for more good than bad!
o
Vikings
– Die in battle – Valhalla – which is not heaven
o
Islam
– Die in jihad
o
No
Certainty
o
This
is also why I generally don’t like eulogies or open mics at funerals!
The message
of the cross is different!
-
Jesus
o
God
comes to us – becomes one of us!
o
He
does this specifically to seek and save the lost
§ Lost? Harsh!
§ Bible says that apart from Jesus all
people are spiritually dead, blind & hostile to God
§ Lost our true way – the way we were
created for!
§ We were made for truth, love, and
holiness
o
He
died and rose for you
§ There are other “gods” who die and
rise
· Osirus – most famous
· Odin – World-tree for 3 days
· Neither was “for you!”
§ Charlie Kirk
· 5 Words – Jesus died for your sins
· 4 Words – Jesus took my place
· 3 Words – Him for me
· 2 Words – Substitutionary Atonement
· 1 Word – Grace!
So often
people imagine God with a ledger book – and we Christians do this too! As if He
is counting our sins and balancing them against our good deeds.
-
If
such a book exists – your page is stamped with the cross.
-
“Paid
in Full” Written in Jesus’ blood.
This means
that you are free because of the Cross
-
No
mere decoration, the cross is a declaration of God’s love and salvation for
Jesus’ sake!
But what
about all the good deeds we’re supposed to do?
-
Feed
the poor
-
Kind
to strangers
-
Fight
for justice
-
Protect
the vulnerable … Don’t kick cats
Yes! Do
those things! But don’t do them because you have to! Do them
because you are free!
“If I’m free,
can’t I choose not to do those things? Can’t I choose to disobey God?”
-
Sure.
But when you know the love of God revealed in the cross why would you want to?
-
Having
received this salvation you start to ask yourself – “What kind of person do I
want to be?”
o
Fall
short but Forgiven
-
So
often we want the recipe, the prescription, the steps, the list of things to do
so that we will be what we want to be – A child of God, holy, a good Christian,
you name it.
o
Start
with the cross.
o
From
there flows the love, forgiveness, and new life that empowers
§ Devotion and love of God’s Word
§ Love of the Sacraments and Worship –
Jesus meets you with His gifts!
§ Life to live, declaring the deeds of
your Savior who has called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
o
And
you will be driven back to the cross over and over again
§ Makes sense! Jesus is the Alpha and
Omega
§ Synecdoche – Beginning, End, and
everything in between!
o
All
about Jesus crucified and raised for you. Or we could say, “it’s all about the
cross.
Many see the
cross as folly in this world – “You gotta do something to be saved.”
The cross is
the wisdom and power of God – “He has done this to save you!”
That is the
foundation for your life. Go in the power of the cross! Amen.
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