Introduction:
If someone were to ask you, “What’s the most important part of Christianity?”, how would you answer that? Obviously, everything in the Bible matters, but among all the do’s and don’ts and shoulds and should nots, what is at the heart of it all? What do we tell people around us who have all but given up on Chris¬tianity…, Who want to believe but can’t decide what actually is worth be¬lieving, Who want to see some¬thing relevant and alive in the church today, but far too often see only the remains of a vibrant church that used to be.
So, what is the part that really matters? There’s an old cliché that people sometimes use to describe what happens when someone has a focus on the non-essentials — thee say, “The operation was a success, but the patient died.” And I think the same thing can happen when we get off-focus in our religion. We can have a wonderful church program, with an emphasis on a high standard of morals and true doctrine and great traditions, and still miss the mark in our religion. Because all of those things, as important as they may be, don’t belong at the center. But if that’s the case, then what does? What is the part that really matters? I’m confident that the apostle Paul would point us to the cross.
In I Corinthians chapter 2, Paul said, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (I Corinthians 2:1-2). God’s Word Translation says, “While I was with you, I decided to deal with only one subject – Jesus Christ, who was crucified.” (I Corinthians 2:2, GW). And it’s not that Paul didn’t ever talk about anything else but the cross. But he wanted them to know that the cross of Jesus Christ was constantly at the center of his message. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul defines for us here what the gospel is and I think we need to be reminded. Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and that’s what we need to do.
But what is the gospel? I’m sure you know that the word “gospel” means “good news”, but what is the good news? Paul tells us here exactly what the good news is. He says, “When I came to you, I preached the gospel, and here’s what I preached – That Jesus Christ died for our sins, That He was buried, and That He was raised on the third day.” Family, that is what the gospel is, and if you’re not sharing that message with people, then you’re not sharing the gospel.
Paul goes one step further, though. He says that when he preached about the death and resurrection of Jesus, he was preaching “what was most important”. Paul says, “Of all the things that I preached about, of all the things I talked about when I was with you, this is the most important. This is what belongs at the center of our faith. This is the part that really matters – Jesus died on a cross and He rose again on the third day.” So, this mornings question that screams to be answered is…
What happened on the cross that makes the cross such a big deal?
I. THE CROSS, WHERE GOD’S HOLINESS MEETS GOD’S INFINITE LOVE
A. The Pivotal Moment
In the grand narrative of God’s redemptive plan, there’s a pivotal moment that serves as the climax of the story – the cross. This singular event in history encapsulates the very heart of God's character, revealing both His fierce holiness and His endless love for humanity. As we approach the cross, we’re reminded of a promise made long ago in Genesis 3:15, where God foretold of One who would crush the serpent’s head. This was not a reactionary plan, but rather a demonstration of God’s omniscience and His commitment to redeem His creation, even before sin entered the world.
B. This brings us to a fundamental truth:
The cross reveals both the holiness of God and the severity of sin. God’s holiness is not just a lofty attribute; it’s the very core of His being. It sets Him apart, making Him utterly different from anything in creation. This holiness cannot coexist with sin – they are fundamentally incompatible.
Sin, defined simply as anything we think, say, or do that goes against God's will, creates a barrier between us and our Creator. It’s a rejection of God’s perfect will, His way of doing things. The Bible gives us a vivid picture of God’s response to sin in Revelation 3:16, where lukewarm faith is described as something God will “I will vomit you out of My mouth.” This imagery conveys the utter revulsion God feels towards sin and half-hearted devotion.
Yet, herein lies the beautiful paradox of the cross. While it demonstrates God’s uncompromising holiness, it simultaneously reveals His infinite love. God’s fierce holiness operates from a place of boundless love. These are not contradictory attributes, but two sides of the same coin.
Consider a parent’s love for their child. True love does not mean allowing harmful behavior to continue unchecked. Rather, it involves correction, guidance, and sometimes even discipline. In the same way, God’s love for us is so great that He refuses to leave us in our sin. He takes it seriously – deadly seriously – because He knows the destruction it brings to our lives and our relationship with Him.
C. This is where the cross becomes the ultimate expression of both God's holiness and His love.
In sending His Son to die for us, God demonstrated the lengths He would go to restore the relationship broken by sin. As we read in 1 John 4:10, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” The events surrounding the crucifixion paint a vivid picture of this cosmic drama unfolding. Matthew 27:45-54 describes how darkness fell over the land, the earth shook, and the temple curtain was torn in two. These were not mere coincidences, but powerful symbols of the spiritual realities taking place. The darkness symbolized the weight of sin being placed on Jesus, while the torn curtain represented the new access to God made possible through Christ’s sacrifice.
In His final moments, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). This heart-wrenching cry gives us a glimpse into the depth of what Christ endured on our behalf. He who knew no sin became sin for us, experiencing the full weight of God’s judgment so that we wouldn’t have to.
But the story does not end there. With His final breath, Jesus declared, τετέλεσται (tetelestai); “It is finished” (John 19:30). This was not a cry of defeat, but a triumphant proclamation that the work of redemption was complete. The debt of sin was paid in full.
We need to see the death on the cross to remind us of how horrible our sin is. God hates my sin so much that He sent His Son to die in my place. “For our sake He [God] made Him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The cross shows us how terrible sin is, and yet at the same time how great God’s love is!
II. THE CROSS, WE BECOME HEIRS WITH CHRIST, ADOPTED INTO GOD’S FAMILY
A. The cross shows us God’s clearest revelation of Himself.
Too often, we approach Scripture as a divine encyclopedia. If I want to know what the Bible says about pride, marriage, suffering, or angels, I simply open my Bible, highlight a number of verses and suddenly I know what the Bible says about a given subject. But, if we are not careful, that can be a misguided approach. It’s true that the entire Bible is God’s special revelation to man, but the purpose and climax of scripture is the Creator’s redemption of a lost humanity. The cross stands as the central message of Scripture and is itself a divine act of revelation. We see God most clearly through the lens of the cross. The cross reveals God’s sovereignty, His providence, benevolence, justice, power, holiness, mercy, glory, and victory. Any study of God, would be incomplete without a study of the cross, because it is in the cross that God has made Himself known. He is a loving Father who wants to adopt us…
B. Through faith in Christ, we're not just forgiven, we're given a new standing before God.
This truth should revolutionize how we view ourselves and how we live our lives. We are no longer defined by our failures or our sin, but by our identity in Christ. We are loved, accepted, and declared righteous because of what Jesus has done for us.
However, this does not mean life will be easy or problem-free. Jesus Himself warned that following Him would involve persecution and difficulties. But we face these challenges from a place of security, knowing that nothing can separate us from God’s love.
C. The cross is the standard of what it means to be a Christian.
In Matthew 16, Jesus said that He must go to the cross. But, then, in verse 24, He said that “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” This is not simply talking about everyday trials; Everyone endures these. He is talking about being willing to endure hardships for HIM. These are voluntary trials. The earliest Christians faced these trials willingly.
Jesus had not been crucified yet on the Roman cross, but He uses the term “cross” possibility even foreshadowing His death. And the people knew about crosses; about crucifixion. They hadn’t yet seen Jesus die on the cross, nor had they yet seen the Fall of Jerusalem where1,000s were crucified, but the Romans had used the practice of crucifixion for centuries. So, the people of Israel knew about the cross, and they knew what “taking up a cross” meant. To “take up your cross” meant to HEAD TOWARDS CERTAIN DEATH.
The New Testament uses this idea repeatedly that we must take up our cross. The idea is to give up yourself, EVEN UNTO DEATH, as if you are carrying a cross to your crucifixion. Being willing to even die for the sake of our faith in Christ. But that LOSS will lead to our ETERNAL GAIN. That is what Jesus says next in Matthew 16:25… “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
So, for Jesus, Christianity is summarized in the cross. A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ who has counted the cost, picked up their cross, and died with their Savior. Christians are described as having crucified the flesh (Galatians 5:24), who have died to their sins (Romans 6:2), and are living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).
The assessment of Jesus’ death on the cross by the religious leaders was correct. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day, in their mockery, unknowingly spoke a profound truth when they taunted, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself!” (Matthew 27:42). Their words, meant to ridicule, actually highlighted the very essence of Christ’s mission. Jesus could not save Himself if He was to save others. His inability to come down from the cross was not due to physical constraints, but rather His unwavering commitment to fulfill the Father’s will.
The only saving Christ is a dying one.
The only living Christian is a crucified one.
Conclusion:
It is not an exaggeration to say that everything that we are and everything that we do as Christians is done because of the cross. The songs that we sing, the prayers that we pray, the observance of the Lord’s Supper — all of this relates to the cross. And none of it has any meaning apart from the cross.
The cross stands as an eternal reminder of God’s holiness and His love. It challenges us to take sin seriously, recognizing its destructive power in our lives. At the same time, it invites us to embrace the overwhelming love of a God who would go to such lengths to restore us to Himself.
Isaac Watts’ wrote these words:
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it Lord that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my Lord
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His love.
As we reflect on the cross, we are called to respond. Have we truly grasped the magnitude of what Christ has done for us? Have we surrendered our lives fully to Him, acknowledging Him as both Lord and Savior? Have you truly seen the cross and understood how important it is.
