The Cross: The Purpose of God

1. The Cross: The Purpose of God Series: Truth, Judgment and Eternity John 12:23-33

2. Life Purposes • Men and women find many purposes in life. • Some people find a life purpose in the work which they pursue. • Some people find purpose in their past-times and hobbies. • Some find purpose in their families and love ones. • Some find purpose in volunteering their time to help others. • You know what, all these things are really good and healthy life purposes.

3. Life Purposes • The ancient Greek Philosophers Plato and Aristotle had a life purpose of teaching, but when they died, death got in the way of their life purpose. • Anybody today who is pursuing a life purpose of some kind is going to find death to be a hindrance and a spanner in the works. • Death cut off the life purpose of Muhammad, death cut off the life purpose of Buddha. • But to Jesus, death was the fulfillment of His life purpose, it was His reason for coming.

4. Tragedy or Victory • 1Corinthians 1:18 “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.” • To the worldly minded person who has not comprehended the theology behind the cross, it would seem like the cross was the ultimate tragedy. • You know what, if the ministry of Christ ended at the cross, and He died and stayed dead, yes it would be a great tragedy.

5. Tragedy or Victory • But anyone who knows and understands the message of the Gospel find that the ministry of Christ did not end there, but in a sense began, as when He was witnessed alive on that first Easter morning, the followers of Christ were overjoyed, for they saw the prophecy of Isaiah 25:8 fulfilled “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” • 1Corinthians 15:5-7 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

6. The Cross • Someone once said that Jesus came to pay a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. • He knew that no matter how good or righteous or how many sacrifices we were to make, we could never be made holy enough to stand before a holy God. • The only way for humanity to come before a Holy God and be cleared of all sin and stand holy before Him, is not by our deeds, but by the one holy and righteous sacrifice made for us by Christ.

7. Not by Works • Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no-one can boast.” • Our good works have nothing to do with getting into Heaven, we can only enter into Heaven in the name of Jesus Christ. • John 3:17-18 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

8. The Power of His Name • If a billionaire went to his bank in which he had deposited 1 billion dollars, could he access 1 million dollars for personal use? • Why? • If any of us went to our personal bank and wanted to access 1 million dollars for personal use, could we? • Why? • Now what about if the millionaire wrote us a cheque for a million dollars in his name, could we access the million dollars for personal use? • Why? • This is an analogy of why we can’t get into heaven in our own name, but must use the name of the One who paid for our redemption.

9. The Resurrection • If their was no resurrection I would not be a Christian. • If Christ died and stayed dead, then we have a smorgasbord of self proclaimed Messiahs to choose from, who fit this description. • But what makes Christianity unique and supported Jesus’ claims to be the Son of God and Saviour of the World, was His resurrection from the dead. • If the disciples did not see Jesus alive, then they would have most certainly not have died a martyrs death as a witness of His resurrection.

10. The Resurrection • 1Corithians 15:21-22 “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” • Salvation has come through Jesus Christ and the resurrection is the backbone of the faith. • Michael Green said, “Christianity does not hold the resurrection to be one among the many tenets of belief. Without faith in the resurrection there would be no Christianity at all. • If you can disprove the resurrection, you can dispose of Christianity. • To date, the resurrection is a historical fact and the central event in the history of the world.

11. The Ascension • Acts 1:6-9 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

12. The Ascension • Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” • He is the way, meaning a path we are to take. • He is the truth, meaning that He Himself is the embodiment of all truth and is the reason for our existence. • And He is the life, meaning there is no life outside of Christ. • The ascension of Jesus Christ to Heaven was not only the completion of His ministry on earth, and the soon beginning of the ministry of the Holy Spirit on earth, but it also is the hope of all of our future departures from this earth, that we will follow in His steps and ascend also to be with Him forever.

13. I Am the Resurrection • John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” • This question has been asked for generations upon generations: “Do You Believe This?” • We’ve got to ask ourselves that question daily, because if Jesus is truly the resurrection and the life, then we have some serious decisions to make and roads to take.

14. The Narrow Road • Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” • The multitudes are walking upon the wide road that leads to destruction, but the narrow road that leads to life is only found by the few who desire the truth and live for truth. • The real truth seekers on this planet will inevitably find the Embodiment of Truth in the person of Jesus Christ.

15. His Substitutionary Sacrifice Doctor Peter Hammond wrote: • He became like us - that we might become like Him. • He was rejected - that we might be accepted. • He was condemned - that we might be forgiven. • He was punished - that we might be pardoned. • He suffered - that we might be strengthened. • He was whipped - that we might healed. • He was hated - that we might be loved. • He was crucified - that we might be justified. • He was tortured - that we might be comforted. • He died - that we might live. • He endured what we deserve - that we might enjoy what only He deserves.