Cross

Just as poison at the beginning of a stream contaminates the entire stream, so sin at the beginning of the human race contaminates us all. “All have sinned,” and that sin separates us from God. Actually God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He sent his Son to pay sin’s penalty by his death on the cross.

Have you seen the Lord’s salvation? Have you experienced the peace that Jesus brings? The little baby Simeon held, grew up and went to the cross to die for your sins. It is only through Jesus that we can have peace with God. I invite you to pray the following prayer and trust in Jesus today.

When God sent his Son into the world, he did not make it easy for the parents or the child. He stripped the Anointed One of every royal privilege. Already tagged as an illegitimate child, Jesus breathed his first breaths of air in a musty stable. Jesus learned obedience through suffering…all the way to the cross.

Jesus was born to unmarried parents and carried that stigma with Him for the rest of His life. Jesus was stripped of all royal privileges, all the way to the cross. Nate Saint, who gave his life for Christ as a missionary, said it this way: “If we could only grasp the significance of the Incarnation, the word sacrifice would disappear from our vocabulary.”

“The Lord saves.” That’s exactly what Jesus was sent to do. He would do great and powerful things. He would be God in the flesh, “the Son of the Most High.” He would rule as king and His kingdom would be an eternal one.

Jesus blesses the faithful. In the words of the writer to the Hebrews, Jesus commends those who are sure of what they hope for and certain of what they don’t see. Some of these faithful were men and women who lived before Jesus. People like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Rahab. They lived by faith even though the Gift had not been unwrapped.

Mission accomplished? Only the Father and His willing Son saw beyond what looked like a miserable ending. That day Jesus took on His most important work. On the cross, He took our sins and paid our penalty. Then He cried out one word, “Tetelestai,” which means “paid in full,” and died. Mission accomplished!

The resurrected Lord brings His cross-work to meet you wherever you are. Rich…and empty. Poor…and needy. Successful…and searching.  Fallen…and struggling to get up. Jesus meets you where you are and carries you all the way to eternity.

The work of Jesus on the cross was applied to this condemned man. All his sin was laid on Jesus, and he passed from death to life. Such is the power of grace. Such is the fullness of forgiveness.