I'm so glad you're all here this morning!
The other day, someone asked, "Pastor, why are you preaching about the Cross, it's not Easter?"
I'd just like to say the Cross, IS typically preached at Easter,
but is it's value and worth only for an Easter Sermon?
Or is it something we should be reminded of daily..
What Our Savior, Jesus Christ, did for ALL of us that day on Calvary, extends far beyond Easter ...
Jesus said:
"Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me,"
Luke 9:23
Should we then not consider, as we complain and grumble about our problems daily, asking for His blessings and provisions,
what He has ALREADY done for us?
If He never does another thing, He is worthy of our PRAISE!
Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!
I know many people, who have done something for others, who never let them forget it!
Yet Our Savior, never complains, He never says..."Hey, remember that day at Calvary? When I was crucified for YOU?" He never brings up the sacrifice He made for us!
He instead, has extended an open invitation to all, a gift!
That if we'll just accept what He did for us that day, we will have eternal life!
Should we then not take it upon ourselves, to be reminded of what the Cross means? To YOU and to Me?
Our salvation, our eternal destination!
And all the benefits that come with it?
Oh how we love benefits!
"Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:"
Psalms 103:2
Let me present the idea the Cross, is NOT just an Easter message..
But a daily message, of the LOVE Our Lord and Savior has for all of us!
And with that, I've called today's message:
The Value Of The Cross
There was an iron cross, stolen from a cemetery by common thieves, for the purposes of selling the iron by weight for money. The value of the metal was around only $50-100.
Seemingly embarrassed, the police said the 15-foot iron cross was worth nearly $15,000 due to the amount of work that had gone into its intricate decorations and that it would have sold well on the Christian Black Market!
The thieves, being completely ignorant of the true value of artwork, these common criminals with little wisdom missed out on what would possibly be the biggest payoff in their criminal career!
Unable to conduct their business legally, they missed out on the chance to make the biggest payoff of their busy, sneaky, greedy lives.
"Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him, no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”
But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed."
Luke 23:13-23
Jesus is the Light of Life – and His Light is the Life of men!
But people thought He came to condemn them.
People thought He was going to disturb their comfortable situations.
People thought Jesus came to steal the joy from life!
So they wrote Him off as useless...
They considered Jesus irrelevant to their busy lives.
He was inconvenient!
So they would prefer a murderer back on the streets.
And they KILLED Him!
When you think of those men, what do you see?
Do you see a wild bunch of wicked people?
Or do we see ourselves in that crowd?
How many of us have preferred darkness of this world to the Light of Jesus?
How many of us like to hide with our sins rather than expose and abandon them?
How many of us have cast off the call of Jesus because we thought
the cost of giving up the things we wanted to do was too great?
The sacrifice is just too much....
Everyone one of us put Jesus to death with our sins, but He is a God of second chances!
And Thank God!
Amen?
You see God's a God of mercy;
And God's a God of love.
Right now, He's gonna lend a helping hand from up above!
Praise the Lord!
He's the God of second chances!
You'll be floored how His love your life enhances!
You can be restored from your darkest circumstances!
Our God is a God of second chances!
Ain't it good to know a God who gives a second chance.
When death and destruction is your true inheritance!
So, if you say you're sorry for all the stuff you do
We know that He'll be ready with a second chance for you!
Praise the Lord!
He's the God of second chances!
You'll be floored how His love your life enhances!
You can be restored from your darkest circumstances!
Our God is a God of second chances!
Jesus has arisen to give us a second chance to receive Him!
Peter was approached and given three chances to confess Christ, for his three denials of Christ.
The eleven scattered disciples were shown forgiveness and compassion.
His resurrection proves that His promises were more than just empty words!
Jesus has arisen from the dead, and it is not His will for us to be happy for Him to have survived the disaster of the crucifixion. Jesus was meek, but He is not a weak!
Jesus was NOT resurrected so that we can rejoice over the idea He has survived some terrible accident!
Jesus wants us to be happy for ourselves!
Because in Him, we now have the chance to choose salvation and life in the power of Jesus Christ!
In closing...
Your life is quite comfortable, in darkness and full of private, personal things... secret things!
Things your spouse doesn't know! You boss doesn't know!
But Christ knows!
Yes, Jesus is back in your face!
And He's demanding a decision ... where are you going to choose to live? Heaven or Hell?
When Jesus shows up he will have a life changing impact in our lives. Once we’ve had an encounter with the Risen Savior, our lives will never be the same...
Do you see the Cross?
What do YOU see?
Do you still see it as the object of an Easter message?
Do you see a fashionable necklace?
Do you see a bumper sticker?
Or do you see light of His life?
And now may the the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Brian Monzon Ministries