Now you’d think that after 2000 years the message of the cross
would be settled in the minds of every believer. And yet, as is the case with the things of
God, it seems like the more you dig, the more you find. That’s what we began doing again last Sunday
as we turned to Colossians 2 and read Paul’s take on the cross.
I’ve been preaching at Hebron now for over 20 years. That’s more than 20 holy weeks. I preached through the Gospel of John, the
seven last sayings of Christ from the cross, the books of Galatians, Ephesians,
etc. The cross has been the topic for
scores of messages; and yet, as I mentioned last week, nearly all of the time
it was the secondary consequence of the cross that captured our attention.
Perhaps it is shocking to you to consider that your
salvation (and mine) is a side benefit of the cross of Jesus Christ, but it
is. The primary purpose of the cross is
seen in Jesus’ final prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane – the glory of
God. He says, “Father, the hour has
come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…” (John 17:1) And the reason that the glory of God is His focus
is because it is the glory of God that has been preeminent from before the
creation. It’s the glory of God that
Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, assails so vehemently from the moment he wills
his own will. It is the glory of God
that stands behind all that God has done and will ever do. As the Westminster divines put it – “the
chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
So here, writing from Roman imprisonment, Paul says, “And
you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made
alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling
the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the
cross. He disarmed the rulers and
authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
We began digging into these words last week, but because of
the tyranny of time, we were unable to unpack it fully. That’s why this Sunday - Palm Sunday and next
Sunday - Easter we will be at it again.
There is so much here that is unfamiliar to many believers because
they’ve always had a self focus when it comes to the cross. The vindication of God’s own glory is a
bigger story. It is this story that will
occupy us long after we have slipped the surly bonds of earth and gazed upon
our Lord.
In preparation for Sunday you may do well to review the
points from last week by checking out the podcast at hebrononline.org. Remember we looked at Paul’s CLAIM in verses
13-14(a), his CONVICTION in II Corinthians 5:21, his CONTENTION in Galatians
3:13, and his CONCLUSION in Isaiah 53:10a.
You may also consider the following questions.
1.
Spurgeon once said, “It is pride that makes the boaster
a beast and an angel a devil.” What does
he mean?
2.
How are Satan’s methods an attack on God’s character?
3.
What does Paul mean in verse 14(b) when he says, “This
he set aside, nailing it to the cross?”
What is “this”?
4.
What causes God to set aside the demands of His law?
5.
How is humility at the core of all Jesus is and does
throughout His life and ministry?
6.
Looking at Philippians 2:5-11, our companion text for
Sunday, how many ways can you find that Jesus humbled Himself?
7.
Compare and contrast Isaiah 14:13-14 with Philippians
2:7-8.
8.
What does Paul mean when he says in verse 15(a) that at
the cross God disarmed the rulers and authorities?
9.
How does God strip them?
10. What
does 15(b) mean? We will cover this in
detail on Easter Sunday.
See you on Palm Sunday!
