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EASTER (1) – The Cross

folder_openEaster and Passover

From the time Adam and Eve refused to accept God’s rulership and ate the fruit of the wrong tree, the whole of humanity has been under the power of sin. The consequence of sin is total separation from God (Genesis 3:23-24).

On the cross Jesus took the full weight of sin for every human being that had ever lived, and will ever live. In that moment, Jesus died spiritually as He was made sin for us. In other words, He experienced the consequence of sin – absolute and complete separation from God the Father. God withdrew His life from Jesus, just has He had withdrawn the presence of His life-giving Spirit from Adam and Eve. This spiritual death was so crushing, that Jesus cried out and physically died.

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” …And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.
Matthew 27:45-52 (NIV)

Jesus took our broken relationship with the Father onto Himself. Yet God the Father never turned away from what was happening (Psalm 22:24). He was fully engaged in all that took place. It’s incredible to think that God Himself planned that He would go through this painful event, even before creation. But the purpose of this incredible and selfless act was not only to set the whole of humanity free from the power of sin, but to bring us into full and complete relationship with Him (Colossians 2:13-15).

Following Jesus into Death

We have been gloriously set free by God’s amazing act of selfless love and mercy on our behalf, in order to showcase His love and mercy, and bring glory to Him. In order to do this, we have to make the deliberate choice to follow the same pathway Jesus established – and that’s the way of the cross. It’s the pathway of humble repentance, laying down our lives and giving up our rights, to serve our almighty and glorious Lord.

Now, as we each continue to daily take up our cross and die to self (Matthew 16:24) we are choosing to keep following Jesus, to stay closely connected to our loving God, and align ourselves with His Kingdom.  We are following the path Jesus took – the way of humility and the cross (Philippians 2:5-8).

Yet Jesus’ death on the cross was only the beginning. His selfless act not only brought us into personal relationship with God, but He opened a pathway for an entirely new people, a new family, to be joined to the heart of God. This new people, profoundly and intimately connected to God, continue to showcase God’s Kingdom on the earth. This new people includes you and me.

Following Jesus into Life

The reason Jesus died, rose and ascended was therefore to create a new people who would follow Him in death to self, and on into a brand new life in the Spirit. We are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6-7). We have been gloriously set free by God’s incredible act of selfless love and mercy on our behalf, to be His people, and together, to showcase His love and mercy, and bring glory to Him.

In the natural realm, Jesus’ death on the cross was a horrific experience. Jesus suffered and died horribly. He felt sin’s broken relationship with God. But something tremendously glorious was happening in the spiritual realm, and nothing will ever be the same. In the next post we continue on the story, and explore the resurrection – both Jesus’ resurrection and our resurrection to new life.

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