The Word of the Cross

Jesus himself proclaims the meaning of his death by the prayers and declarations he made from his cross. These cries come from the depths of his love for the Father and for us, and they go to the depths of who we are and what we need to hear. Each of these cries will be the subject for a message in coming weeks. To begin this series, we need to ask if we are hearing what God is saying to us.

The Christian life is not lived on a level playing field. We encounter demons within and opponents around us. So, we need direct access to God's power to keep us going until we inherit eternal life. This power is not more demonstrations of God's saving presence. Nor is it suave explanations to assure that everything is reasonable. Nor is it powerful people who can do these things for us either. Paul says it is 'the cross of Christ', or 'the word of the cross', or 'Christ crucified' or Christ himself.

I urge us all to let God be to us all that he wants to be. The cross of his Son is the biggest rejection we could ever have because it is a judgement on all that we are of ourselves. But then, Christ, by his death, overcame sin and the world and every power that stands against us, so that we can live in love for God and our neighbour, and in full expectation of approval at the last day. By speaking this word to us, again and again, Christ himself is coming to us in power, and for our salvation.