His Cross

His Cross
“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17 English Standard Version
Sin may be temporarily pleasurable, but it is eternally fatal. The fruit of sin is described as poisonous and bitter (Deut 29:18 ESV). Jeremiah describes the un-regenerated heart as “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (17:9). From man’s heart comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness (Mark 7:21-22). Even if you’ve lived an overall moral life, we have all inherited tendencies of evil from the first man Adam, who sinned against God (Romans 5:12). It may be hard to accept, but man’s heart is diseased by sin and is in desperate need of restoration.
So we look to the Cross. Crucifixion was one of the most cruel and barbarous forms of death known to mankind. Yet it is precisely what the Father chose to redeem mankind’s sinful heart. Following his trial before the Jewish and Roman authorities, Christ was led forth for crucifixion. Before being crucified, he was scourged. They bent him over and tied him to a post, while the Roman soldier applied blow after blow on his bared back with a lash intertwined with pieces of bone or steel.
They affixed him to the cross, nailing and tying his hands and feet to the wood. They hung him up for all to see. The abnormal position of the body was a cause of even greater suffering for those who were crucified. The slightest movement brought on additional torture. Medical studies suggest that when a person is suspended by two hands, the blood sinks rapidly into the lower extremities of the body. Within six to twelve minutes the blood pressure has dropped to half, while the pulse has doubled. Death during crucifixion is usually due to heart failure, which generally would take two or three days. Death was hastened by breaking the victim’s legs. “But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs” (John 19:33).
In order to justify the horrors of crucifixion, one would have to assume that Jesus’ crimes were so heinous, obscene, and reprehensible to deserve such a cruel form of punishment. But the Prophet Isaiah says that “he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (53:5, emphasis added). God the Father would only accept the sacrifice of the sinless Lamb of God in order to redeem mankind.
Oh, the grace that conquers the power of sin! No amount of good deeds or charity can make things right with God; only the grace given to followers of Christ triumphs over sin and death!
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Join Pastor Steve for a special Passion Week Teleconference Wednesday, April 20th and Thursday, April 21st at 7:30PM. Call 1-218-632-9407, use access code: 7832

Be Blessed,
Katishia Gallishaw
Revival Time Internet Ministries