The Cross
The cross turns death to life and turns wounds into scars.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ~1 Peter 2:24
The cross separates us from the power of sin.
The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ~Romans 6: 10-12
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 6:20-23
The cross turns His punishment into our peace.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ~Isaiah 53:5
The cross sets us free.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ~Galatians 2:20
The cross delivers us from death and gives us life.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ~Colossians 3:1-5
At the cross we exchange Masters, from self to Jesus Christ.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ~Matthew 16:25
Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ~Romans 6:13
The cross leads us home.
For You were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
~1 Peter 2:25
The cross makes us heirs with Christ.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ~Romans 8 12-14
The cross produces in us a heart overflowing with gratitude.
And through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. ~ Colossians 1:20 NLT
The cross is Christ's sacrifice for our victory!
In Jesus Christ on the Cross there is refuge; there is safety; there is shelter; and all the power of sin upon our track cannot reach us when we have taken shelter under the Cross that atones for our sins.
- A. C. Dixon
In order to experience the power of the cross, we must come to Him with all of our sin, struggle and hurt. We must surrender at the foot of the cross and lay our lives down. In the act of laying it all down, we find a life worth living.
The enemy of your soul will do anything and everything to hide the truth from you; the truth of who God is and His unconditional love for you. He would love to convince you that the cost of surrender to Christ is too great; that the taste of sin is far sweeter than the taste of victory; that the trappings of sin are far better than a life of freedom. He would love you to believe that you are too far gone or could never measure up. He is the father of lies. He flaunts his imitations of God's best all over the place. But, they are just that, cheap imitations. Imitations of our Perfect God's design. Imitations that will rob, steal and destroy you. Run! Run to the cross and grab on to the victory it has for you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, Thank you for the cross and the obedient life of Jesus. Thank you that the cross means victory and freedom for those who surrender to You. Give us fresh eyes to see the power of the cross more clearly this Holy Week. We run to You for refuge and safety. Be our shelter from the storms of life and fill our hearts with the hope of heaven this Easter. In Jesus Name
