Sunday Worship Service Sermon (3-24-2024)
The
Cross of Jesus
(Isaiah
53:1-2, Mark 14:22-25)
1.
For
all Christians, the Feast is an important day to commemorate and give thanks
for the amazing things God has done for our salvation. Today is one of them,
Palm/Passion Sunday. Palm/Passion Sunday is a day to remember, give thanks and
rejoice for the day when the righteous Jesus went to the cross to become a
ransom sacrifice and provide us with salvation. That is why God said through
the prophet Zechariah, ‘Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion!' and ‘Shout,
Daughter of Jerusalem!’ (Zechariah 9:9)
2.
We
read two texts on this Palm Sunday morning. The first text contains the words
spoken through the prophet Isaiah 700 years before God sent the Messiah Jesus
to the world for our salvation. Let's read verses 5-6 again; “But
he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and
the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
What
came to mind for you and I when we heard these words? What do these words mean to
you? You and I probably each thought: 'Ah, Jesus came ‘to die’ to save me, a
sinner!' 'Ah, Jesus suffered on the cross on my behalf to save me, a sinner!'
Yes.
These words, spoken by God through the prophet Isaiah, inform us that the
Messiah whom God sent for our salvation came to the world to become a
substitute sacrifice for our salvation. This is a word that teaches us what the
cross of Jesus is. These words teach us what the Messiah, who came to the world
for our salvation, did for us. In this way, Jesus, the righteous King, had his
hands and feet pierced with nails for our transgressions. His side was pierced
with a spear. His head was pierced with a crown made of thorns. His whole body
was crushed because of our iniquities (verse 5). In order to break down the
wall of sin between us and God and give us God's peace, Jesus accepted the
terrible punishment for our sins on our behalf.
He accepted the punishment that we, sinners, deserved from God. Jesus
was wounded all over his body to heal us from illness, suffering, and trials
(verse 5). The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
(verse 6). Jesus was oppressed and afflicted to cleanse our sins. But He did
not open His mouth (verse 7). Jesus endured because he had a sacred sense of
responsibility and mission that ‘I must bear this cross’ so that all mankind
can be forgiven and saved. He endured it because His love for saving everyone
in the world was greater. He endured until the end because He loved us. Jesus
was mocked and insulted. However, even in the midst of this suffering, Jesus
prayed ‘Father, forgive their sins.’ (Luke 23:34). This is the cross of Jesus.
This is what Jesus did when he came into the world for our salvation. God
wanted Jesus to become a ransom sacrifice to save us, who were doomed to
eternal destruction because of our transgressions. God wanted Jesus to take
upon Himself our sins so that He could justify many people. God's love for us
and Jesus' grace are truly amazing. The love of this cross transformed ‘a world
full of despair into hope.’ The grace of this cross transformed us from those
who were doomed to eternal death into those who enjoy eternal life with God.
In
1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul said that the cross of Jesus (in other words, Christ)
is the power of God and wisdom of God that saves us.
Do
you believe this? ‘He was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities. The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us
all.' Do you truly believe what Jesus did for our salvation? It
is a blessing to fully believe in our hearts what Jesus did for our salvation.
It is a great gift from God to truly believe in our hearts what Jesus did for
our salvation. It is the heart given by the Holy Spirit. People who believe
this truth believe in Jesus as their savior. That person lives righteously.
That person lives loving Jesus and his neighbors. That person lives for Jesus.
That person preaches Christ to people. Because he knows that it is because of
our transgressions that Jesus was pierced.
Even
on the night Jesus was arrested, while eating the Passover meal with his
disciples, Jesus told them about his atoning death on the cross. In other
words, the night before Jesus was crucified, Jesus taught his disciples (and us
today) what the cross was. That is found in the second text.
The
night before he was crucified, Jesus shared the Passover meal with his
disciples. Passover is the largest Jewish holiday to remember and give thanks
to God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt after 430 years of slavery in
Egypt. They celebrate Passover every year on the first day of the first month
according to their calendar. And at Passover, they eat the bread made without
yeast (it is called the suffering bread), wine, bitter herbs, and the main
dish, lamb meat.
While
they were eating, Jesus gave the bread to
his disciples saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’ In other words, He said
this bread symbolizes my suffering. The bread they shared with Jesus was
the unleavened bread of suffering that the Jews ate during the Exodus. The
night before he was crucified, Jesus took this bread, gave thanks, and
distributed it to his disciples, saying, ‘This is my body,’ and telling them,
‘Take and eat.’ He said that this bread of suffering
symbolizes the suffering of Jesus, and this bread is my body that suffered to
save you. Jesus said that this bread became
a substitutionary offering on the cross and was a ‘torn body, a wounded body, a
scourged body, a body pierced by nails, spears and thorns, a body that was
killed on the cross, a body that was punished for sin on our behalf.’ And
he said, ‘Take this and eat it.’ Then he took the cup, and
when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and said, "This is my
blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many". And they all drank from it.
Why
did Jesus do this that day? Jesus’ answer to this is found in
verse 25. Jesus' answer to why he carries the cross is found in verse 25.
Let me read verse 25: "I tell you the truth, I will not
drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the
kingdom of God."
The
important word here is ‘God or the kingdom of God.’ Adam and Eve sinned against
God and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Because of this, humans could no
longer enjoy the grace of God's presence. And God placed a flaming sword there
to prevent Adam and Eve from entering the place where they had lived and
fellowshipped with God (Genesis 3:24). This means that no sinful human being
can be close to God anymore. However,
by becoming a substitutionary sacrifice for our salvation on this cross, Jesus
justified us as sinners and brought us all to God. This means that through
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, Jesus will take us to the King’s Supper
(to the heavenly banquet). This means that through the sacrifice of the
cross, Jesus will take us to God so that we can live in His presence. This shows
God’s great love and His amazing grace. This means that Jesus
will take us, who were kicked out of the Garden of Eden due to human sins and
could not go to God because the fiery sword blocked us, to God through the
sacrifice of the cross. This means that
through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our salvation, He will take us to the
banquet of God’s kingdom. This means that through Jesus’
sacrifice on the cross, we will become saved children of God and people of
God’s kingdom. This means that Jesus will take us to the kingdom of God
(into the arms of God the Father) through his sacrifice on the cross. This
is the promise of ‘our salvation’ through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The
cross of Jesus truly shows the amazing love of God and the wisdom of God who
gave great hope to mankind. God allowed the righteous
Jesus to become a substitutionary sacrifice on the cross so that sinners could
return to God's embrace and live with God. And God allows
whoever believes in this Jesus and what Jesus did for our salvation to be
justified and live in the presence of God. There is no love greater than
this. There is no greater love than the love in which the righteous Jesus
sacrificed himself to save sinners. So, Paul said that the cross of Jesus is
the power of God and wisdom of God to save us.
3.
So,
what should we do in front of Jesus’ cross of love which He bore for our
salvation?
Jesus
said, ‘Take this (Jesus’ body and blood) and eat it.’ (Mark 14:22)
Here,
‘take this and eat’ means ‘believe in and enjoy Jesus and what he has done
for our salvation.’ We are justified, gain eternal life, and begin life
with God when we believe in what Jesus has done for our salvation. Also, we
will receive God and the kingdom of God when we believe in what Jesus has done
for our salvation. Afterwards, we will participate in the banquet of God’s
kingdom. And when we believe in what Jesus did for our salvation, we
live a happy life because of Jesus. This is why it is important to believe
in Jesus and what He did for our salvation. I hope that we will become happy
believers who believe in Jesus and give thanks every day for the grace and love
of Jesus who saved us through His sacrifice on the cross. Amen!
