"THE ENDURING MESSAGE OF THE
CROSS!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte
ISAIAH 53:1-12
A man and his son had a severe falling out. The son had shamed himself,
his home and the family name. He had engaged in immoral, illegal and disastrous
activities and had been found out. The father pleaded with him to turn
from these foolish and evil pursuits but the boy insisted on living his
life his way and with a curse and a vow never to return, he bolted from
the home and his father's love. Now, the father had not ceased to love
the son; his love was undiminished, untarnished, unchanged and unending.
But he hated with a passion the decadent things that stood between his
son and his love. He hated those sins as any father hates the ravaging
disease in the body of his child. Sin in our lives is an odious thing;
it is a ravaging disease of soul that will destroy us. Sin of which we
have not repented and been forgiven, stands between us and the love of
our Father. Isaiah wrote: "But your iniquities have separated you from
your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not
hear." Isaiah 59:2 (NIV).
The cross happened because of our sin! The cross makes a statement about
sin and salvation. The cross makes a declaration about God, His righteousness
and His love. Hear the enduring message of the cross.
THE CROSS TELLS US OF GOD'S
HATRED OF SIN:
Oh, how God hates sin! The Bible makes that so plain:
"See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling
down on the heads of the wicked." Jeremiah
23:19 (NIV).
"The soul who sins is the one who will die." Ezekiel
18:4 (NIV).
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness
and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness," Romans
1:18 (NIV).
Verse 5 reminds
us prophetically that on the cross Jesus was pierced for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities, chastened for our well-being and scourged -
because of God's utter hatred of sin.
God has not gone soft on sin. He describes sin in terms that clearly indicate
that he hates it. In texts too numerous to read here's what God says about
sin: Sin is:
Abomination.
Vile.
Despicable.
Detestable.
Abhorrent.
Contemptible.
Though society today condones, overlooks, winks at and even encourages
sin, don't be deceived. God hates it. Paul puts it like this: "Let no one
deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes
on those who are disobedient." Ephesians
5:6 (NIV).
That's how God feels about sin. And that's how the father felt about the
sin that had ruined the life of his son.
The son left and it broke his father's heart but the father couldn't just
let him go. He prayed and longed and searched for his son. He followed
up every lead, he tried every thread of information he came across. After
diligent inquiry and after employing every resource he could afford, he
found the street where the boy reportedly lived. He hastened to that street
in a far off city to attempt to find and restore his son. The cross speaks
of God's relentless and zealous desire to seek and to save alienated man.
Hear the enduring message of the cross.
THE CROSS TELLS US OF GOD'S
SACRIFICIAL LOVE:
Look again at the text: Verses
4-7, 10. All that because He loved us sacrificially!
God hates sin, but He sacrificially loves sinners. The Bible is crystal
clear on that point:
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ
died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man,
though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates
his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us." Romans 5:6-8 (NIV).
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His
Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1
John 4:10 (NIV).
Name one person who would love you that much! Perhaps your parents, or
your spouse, maybe siblings or a really, really good friend. But can you
name one with whom you have been an enemy? Can you name one you have treated
with shame and contempt? I think not!
But God loves you like that! And that's love! That's love! I have a picture
at home. On it the words, "I asked Jesus, 'How much do you love me?' And
He said, 'This much!' and He stretched out His arms and died!" That's love
that searches until it finds, and gives until it dies.
The father loved his son with that kind of unquenched love and went to
find him. When the old man got to the city where his son lived, he was
exhausted. He hadn't slept or eaten well since his son left home. He had
depleted his resources. He had to sleep on the streets since he had no
money left for lodging. He met a street musician and told him his story.
He asked if the musician knew the old hymn, "Come Home!" which had been
a favorite of the boy years before. The musician, moved by the man's plight,
agreed to help. They walked down street after street, the musician playing,
the old man singing, "Come home, come home! Ye who are weary, come home!
Come home!" The man kept singing, searching, longing, praying. He represents
God's relentless quest for the lost. Hear the enduring message of the cross.
THE CROSS TELLS US HOW FAR GOD WOULD GO TO SAVE US:
Look again at verse 10.
Notice: The Lord was pleased to crust Him, and He rendered Himself a guilt
offering!
How far was He willing to go? Far enough to crush His son and put Him to
grief; Far enough to see His Son offer Himself as a guilt offering! Far
enough to see His Son
The guiltless die for the guilty!
The Prince of heaven sacrificed for the lowest of earth!
The holy Lord of eternity crushed for the unholy rebels of the world!
The Sinless become sin that the sinful might become the righteousness of
God in Him!
The Shepherd lay down His life for the errant sheep!
How far would He go? What would He endure? The cross!
The cross consisted of a stake and a crossbeam. A pin was sometimes driven
into the stake to serve as a seat to give partial support to the body of
the condemned. Usually the victim had been mercilessly scourged prior to
being nailed to the cross. Nails would be driven through the hands and,
sometimes, the feet. The cross would be elevated and jarred into the ground,
tearing the flesh of the crucified and racking his body with untold pain.
Victims sometimes lived for two or three days but this was determined by
the presence or absence of the seat because a person suspended by his hands
lost blood pressure quickly, and the pulse rate increased rapidly unless
he could find some relief by supporting his weight on the seat. If not,
total collapse through insufficient blood circulation to the brain and
heart would follow quickly. When it was desired to bring the suffering
to an end, the victim's legs would be broken below the knee to prevent
him lifting up to ease his weight and loss of circulation was accentuated.
The unnatural position made every movement anguish. The body throbbed with
incessant pain. Increasing the bodily torture was the burning thirst and
the inescapable prospect of death.
Jesus endured all that for six long hours before He considered that His
suffering was adequate and He cried out, "It is finished!" "Into Your hands
I commit My spirit!" All that to show how far He'd go.
He went as far as He had to go in order to do what He chose to do: make
a way of salvation and forgiveness for all who turn from sin and to His
Son.
The old man was willing to go as far as he had to in order to restore his
son. He and the musician slowly wandered down one street after another,
taking this last slight prospect of finding the errant son who had no use
for him. And did the father find the son? Were they reunited? Was there
a happy ending to this story? Well, it depends upon you - for you are the
son. You are the one for whom the Father has gone to such lengths. You
are the one for whom the Father has sought. Outside of Christ you are separated
and lost. But, if you hear His gracious call: "Come home!" you will be
restored, reunited, reconciled, redeemed. Why live in the dark streets
of a far city when you can live in the Father's house? Why wander away
in alienation when you can be welcomed home? Why stay in the world far
away when the Father is calling, "Come home!"? Do you see Him seeking?
Do you hear Him calling? Do you sense His love for you? Then, you who are
weary - come home!