The cross

Very few people today think of the cross as being an altar, but to us that believe that Jesus was the Son of God that’s just what it was.

On our modern day Palm Sunday, some 2000 years ago, Jesus made a triumphful entry into Jerusalem. (Matt 21:1-11) This journey was triumphful because this was the day that was given for the Nation of Jews was to accept Jesus as their Messiah and King.   (Matt21:2-5, Zech 9:9) He was entering the capital of the Jews to take his place as king If they would accept him as being the chosen and appointed one. This palm Sunday was the day set aside, by law, to choose the lamb without blemish. This was the day the preist were to choose Christ as that lamb of sacriface.

A very large number of people gathered at the Mount of Olives with him to usher him into the city. He fulfilled His prophesied journey by instructing two disciples to go and bring a donkey to ride. As they began their final leg into Jerusalem, the throng of people began to worship him as the new King of Israel. They began giving him the ‘red carpet treatment’ that is, they started to lay out their coats on the road so that there was a layer of protection on the ground to prevent the King from getting dirty or dusty. When they ran out of coats, they began breaking palm fronds and laid them out in the road. (hence Palm Sunday)  The praise grew louder and louder. The Pharisee went out to meet the crowd to see for themselves the reason for the noise.

Imagine their surprise when all they saw was a poor carpenter riding on a donkey.

The people were chanting, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matt 21:9)  Just as was prophesied in Psalm 118:26. However, in the very next verse Psalm 118:27, it is said that the sacrifice is bound to the horns of the altar. In fact, if Abraham and Isaac was a picture of the sacrifice of Christ then I would venture to say that it was in Gods perfect will that Jesus be accepted as The King of Kings, be worshiped and prepared for sacrifice. And that He be willing to be bound to the horns of the altar as the perfect sacrifice during this Passover time. So, when Jesus entered the temple His expectation was of seeing the people and priest preparing for the coronation of The King.  Instead, He saw people turning the work of God into a way of profiting off of people worshipping God. Jesus cleaned house. (Matt21:12) Gods’ perfect will was not fulfilled in the way Christ was to be sacrificed. Jesus, obedient to His Father, prepared for His death in the manner that was chosen by man. (Phil 2:6-8) Death by the cross as was prophesied by Isaiah chapter 53.

Prior to His death, man could not recognize the Messiah as being the one that was discussed in this chapter of Isaiah. (Isa 52:13) But after the work of the cross is realized we can thank God for the cross and the death of Christ because His death restored our relationship with our father and put us back into the same type fellowship that Adam had with him. (Rom 5:19; I Cor 15:3-4) When Adam, through free choice chose to follow Satan, he gave to Satan what God had given him. (Gen 1:26, Gen 3:16-19; Rom 5:12)  He gave Satan ruling authority over the earth that God had given in trust to man. Satan is now called the prince of power (Eph 2:2) because now man has no choice but to sin and serve Satan. Man is even born into sin and therefore already guilty from birth. (Rom 4:15; 5:12)

Man owes a debt to God for his transgression and that debt is death through an eternal separation from God. (Rom 5:23, 8) In fact man is born going to hell. (John 3:17, 18) He has to do nothing to get there. When Adam sinned all man was given a natural tendency to fulfill the lust of the flesh before considering God. (Eph 4:22) And The Law of God reveals to sinful man that he cannot serve a God that is so perfect in every way. (Gal 3:19-22)  The only way for man to be reconciled to God was for God to redeem man by paying the price that man could not afford to pay for his transgression (Rom 5:12). When man attempted to pay the price he discovered that mans soul was still destined to hell. The price due was all man had. Ultimately, Mans focus should not be on what man does that gets him to hell; but, it’s on who he believes that saves him from hell.

So God sent his only begotten, perfect son that had never sinned (I John 3:9), to pay the price for us so that we could be reconciled to God. (II Cor 5:18, 19, 20; Eph 2:11-22) Man in his sin could only buy one life and the cost was that entire life. So that he ended up with nothing but being separated from God. Jesus, however was God and was free from sin. In this freedom, He could pay the price of sin for all people and He chose to do so when he freely allowed man to torture and crucify Him on the cross.(Rom 5:8)  Gods’ perfect will was that Jesus be sacrificed on the altar. His perfect will wasn’t fulfilled with the death of Christ on the cross. But His perfect will didn’t have to be fulfilled because He gives man the ability to make his own decisions. (I Cor 6:12; 8:9; Gal 5:1, 13) And in those free choices man makes, we find Gods permissive will being obeyed.

The Cross was chosen over the Altar.

It is only when a sinful man recognizes and accepts Jesus Christ as the Son of God, believes that Jesus paid the price for Mans transgressions and believes that Jesus is his Lord and Savior that Man is finally released from the power that Satan and sin has over him. (Rom 8:1, 2)

When man accepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior he is given a new ability. (Col 3:10) Man is no longer in slavery to sin. Man is able to choose in every decision whether he will put faith in, and trust The Holy Spirit, or follow after Satan in his daily living. (Rom 6:22) To place faith in Jesus is to be set free from sin (Gal 3:23-29; 4:13), but to follow your own way through your own understanding is to follow Satan. Man doesn’t follow Satan by choice as it sounds, but simply by default. That is, if man chooses to not believe on Jesus then he defaults to following Satan. (John 3:17, 18)  And it is not that man puts faith in Jesus because he is known to be a great man. Instead, man puts faith in Jesus because He believes on him as being The Son of God that died for his salvation. Faith on Jesus brings freedom. (John 3:16) With this freedom comes a new nature from God. (II Cor 5:17; I Cor 8:13)

 

In past times men had to go against his own nature to keep the law. Today, believers keep the law through the faith of Christ. It is not that man can easily keep the law but, when man fellowships with God the law is kept as a by-product of the relationship. In times past when man was commanded to keep the Sabbath holy man went to the temple to worship God in the Holy of Holies on the appointed day of worship. That day was the Sabbath Day and was set apart by God as a holy day. Today, the Holy Spirit is not in the Holy of Holies but, in the hearts of believers everywhere. When Christ was on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn as The Holy Spirit left that old residence. (I Cor 3:16) The house of God is no longer the temple but, the true believer. And this changes the way man worships as well. (Col 2:16;      I Cor 3:16)

Jesus’ life is not a pattern for us as Christians to follow as we would follow another after the flesh. (II Cor 5:16) For, Jesus was a Jew and was bound to the Laws and customs of the Jewish religion. He is our savior not our example on how to live a Christian life in the flesh. We cannot follow his example in the flesh and become another savior; instead, we are placed in Christ and He in us so we can be reconciled to God. (II Cor 5:18-20)  It is the apostle Paul, the first Christian, that is to be our example. (Not an example in action, but an example in faith, believing on Jesus.) (Phi 3:17) We are to be an example of spiritual walk to those we lead to Jesus and treat them as our children in the faith assisting them in their spiritual growth. (I Tim 1:16; Gal 4:19; I Cor 4:16; I Cor 11:1; Phi 3:17)

Now when God looks upon a redeemed sinner, He sees His Son Jesus. (Rom 8:1-11) God judges the men and nations that have not accepted His Son Jesus based on their refusal to believe in Jesus. Believing mans sins are hidden from God by the Blood shed by Jesus during His crucifixion. When God looks on a believer, all He sees is Jesus. (I Cor 1:18, 21-31; Gal 2:20) God does not judge believers because God has given to his Son the position of judge to all that profess belief on Him. (John5:22) (II Cor 5:10) And He will judge us based on our works.

That is,

Jesus Died For Us, So We Could Live And Be Reconciled To God.

(Gal 6:14-18; Col 2-3:17; Rom 12-14; I Cor 10:1-13; Rom 6)

First comes Death, Then Judgment.

Did We Put Our Faith And Trust On Him

Or Did He Die In Vein So We Could Abuse His Grace.