Luke
23:44-48 - It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole
land until the ninth hour, for the sun had stopped shin-ing. And, the curtain
of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into
your hands I commit my spirit”. When he had said this, he breathed his last”…
Mark 15:39 “When the centurion who stood there in front of Jesus heard his cry,
and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”… Luke 23:48
“When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took
place, they beat their breasts and went away”…Matt. 27:57 “As evening
approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself
become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus body, and
Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a
clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb. He rolled a big stone in
front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.”
Comment; At
this point in time and at this point in the lives of those who were there, the
Cross was a symbol of death. To the disciples, the Cross was the
realization of the death of their leader… To many today, the Cross is still a
symbol of the death of Jesus… However, as we will see, the Cross was soon to
become a symbol of life, and so, our viewpoint all depends on which side of
Easter you are living on!
In Matthew 19 we have the story of the rich
man who came to Jesus and asked; “What must I do to get eternal life?” And
Jesus replied; “Sell all that you have, give to the poor, and come follow me.”
It goes on to say that the rich man “went away sad because he had great
wealth”. He was unwilling to give up anything …especially his wealth…to gain
salvation and eternal life. There are those today as well who stand before the
Cross and are unwilling to give up anything in their lives in order to gain
eternal life. Listen, If you are on the Easter side of the Cross, you don’t
have to give up anything!…You get something! You get Jesus! You get your name
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life! You get a new life! You get a new attitude!
You get a clean slate! You get forgiveness! And, you get right with God and He
will work with you to take away all those things in your life that are killing
you!!! You don’t have to give up anything!
So, anger, fear, hatred, doubt, sorrow,
grief, indecision, lost hope and death… these were just a few of the emotions
and actions that were on the “Good Friday” side of the Cross… I don’t have to
tell you that there are many people today still living on that side of Easter.
How sad it really is, if we only see the Cross as the place where Jesus died.
Well, what about the emotions and actions
after the Cross? What about the Easter side of Calvary? “Why do you look for the living among the
dead?” said the angel, “He is not here! He has risen!” … Then it says “they
remembered his words, how the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of
sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again”… Matthew 28
says that the women “hurried away from the tomb, filled with joy!”… John 20
says that when the Lord appeared to his disciples in the upper room, and showed
them his hands and his side, “the disciples were overjoyed!” In Acts 1 - before His ascension, Jesus gives
his disciples a mission to accomplish… Only a fool would believe that they
would give their lives for a lie…. Or that we would have what we have today,
some 2000 years later, if it were based on a lie.
Peter, who three times denied even knowing
Christ, now stands with boldness and preaches to the people saying; “God has
raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to the fact…Therefore, let
all Israel be assured of this, God made this Jesus whom you crucified, both
Lord and Christ!…
Paul, who was living to persecute
Christians on the Good Friday side of the Cross… when he was brought to the
Easter side of the Cross, said “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes!”
The people cried out in Acts 2:37 - “What
shall we do?” “Repent and be baptized” said Peter, “in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins”….
On this side of the Cross, there is
forgiveness! On this side of the Cross there is victory! On this side of the
Cross there is eternal life! And, death becomes nothing more than a step into
glory! Because, on this side of the Cross there is LIFE! … And, finally, on
this side of the Cross, there is assurance… John says “I write these things to
you who believe, so that you will KNOW that you have eternal life”…”I tell you
the truth, whoever hears my word, and believes in him who sent me, has eternal
life, and will not be condemned; says Jesus… And, listen to this; “He has
crossed over from death unto life!”
On one side of the Cross there is death… On the other side of the Cross
there is life… Those who believe have “crossed over from death unto life!”
On which side of Easter do you live? Are
you living with anger, fear, grief, sorrow, sin and the consequences of
sin?…With no real hope for today much less tomorrow?… To you, Jesus says
“Come”…” Cross over!”
“Come unto me all who are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest”
“Come before the throne of Grace with
confidence, that we may
receive grace and find mercy in our time
of need”.
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