AT THE CROSS

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed."

Isaiah 53:3-5

Isaiah’s prophesy of the Messiah’s suffering and death is echoed in the moving song, "Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed" (At The Cross). This inspiring song reminds us of Jesus' death on the cross for sinners. We all, like sheep, have gone astray and have turned away from God to our own way of sin. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our sins have separated us from God and brought death to our souls (Isa. 59:1-2, Rom. 3:23, Jas. 1:14-15, 1 Jn. 1:8-10). 

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2).

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

"But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death" (James 1:14-15).

I. JESUS' SACRIFICIAL DEATH FOR SINNERS:

Our Lord and Savior had to die because we are sinners. He sent His Son in the form of a man to suffer, be humiliated, and put to death by His own creatures to save us. And though we are like worms (Job 25:6, Psa. 22:6) before the Almighty and Righteous God and without hope because of our sins, our Creator still loves us enormously and gives us a second chance.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God... " (John 3:16-21). 

• The precious blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin:

Our High Priest offered Himself, His blood to cleanse us from our sins (make us pure. His body needed to be slain. His blood ransomed us to God. He is our Passover Lamb who sacrificed Himself and provides us eternal redemption with His own blood.

"And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'  11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'" (Rev. 5:6-12) 

• He is our High Priest who entered once for all into the Most Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus securing that eternal redemption for us:

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Heb. 9:11-14).

• Our Passover Lamb was able to do this only because He was willing to suffer for our sins, being put to death on a Roman cross: 

And even though He was righteous (without sin), He died for the unrighteous to reconcile and bring us back to God. Our sins are a wall of separation between our Father and us (1 Pet. 3:18). His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and priesthood in heaven were all essential to reconcile us to our Father in heaven. Indeed, it is by God’s Grace that Jesus died for us. Jesus' death on that cruel cross was God's ultimate expression of love for us, the sinners (Rom. 5:8; 1 Jn. 3:16, 4:8-10). Thus, we are saved by Grace through faith in Christ, for we cannot do anything to save ourselves (Eph. 2:8-9, Tit. 2:11). We glory on the cross because of Jesus' enormous sacrifice for us.

"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal. 6:14). 

Although we are saved by Grace, God's mercy, that does not take away our need and responsibility to obey God's commands because God’s Grace is conditional.

• Jesus, our righteous Maker, left heaven's glory to come to this sinful earth:

"Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:5-11). 

Furthermore, He lived a life full of suffering and temptation, just like us but without sin. Becoming our merciful and faithful High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses (Heb. 2:17-18, 4:15). Because of all that our Savior did for us, dying a cruel and awful death full of pain, He made redemption possible.

"For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt. 26:28). 

• He died to make propitiation for our sins:

"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). 

The sun hid its face in darkness and refused to shine because of such atonement (Mt. 27:45). All of this must compel us to mourn with godly sorrow, for Jesus suffered and died for our sins (Matt. 5:4, 2 Cor. 7:10). Godly sorrow produces true repentance that leads to obedience to Christ (Lk. 13:5, Acts 17:30-31, Acts 2:38, Heb. 5:8-9).

CONCLUSION:

Jesus’ sacrificial death demands that we sacrifice and give ourselves completely to Him all the days of our life here on earth.

"Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt. 16:24-25).

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). 

Only when we obey the Gospel of our Lord and Savior can our new life begin where the old man dies, and the new man in Christ Jesus is born.

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:3-11). 

May we be grateful for all God's wonderful gifts and blessings made possible because of what our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, did for us "At The Cross." I hope this song moves you the way it moves me!!

Alas, and did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die;

Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I?

Was it for crimes that I have done, He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity, grace unknown! And love beyond degree.

Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in,

When Christ, the mighty Maker, died For man the creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears;

Dissolve my heart in thankfulness And melt mine eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe:

Here, Lord, I give myself away, ‘Tis all that I can do.

The chorus,

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away,

It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day.

Luci