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Transcript of The Power of the Cross eBook
A PUBLICATION OF NEW VISION
CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
How to experience God’s power even when
you feel weak and powerless.
The Power of the Cross
How to experience God’s power even when
you feel weak and powerless.
© 2014 by Jason Matters & New Vision Church of the Nazarene
Bible references indicated by (NIV) are taken from the 2011 edition of The Holy Bible, New International Version. Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Bible references indicated by (GNT) are taken from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
This work was originally produced for the Good Friday worship service at New Vision Church of the Nazarene on April 18, 2014.
Special thanks to Larry Stock, whose God-inspired ideas lead to the outline and ideas found here. Special thanks also to Beth Ivers, whose creativity and eye for a good story lead to a great conclusion and application. Further thanks to Rob Ivers for designing the graphic found on the front cover.
Special thanks to all of the volunteers at New Vision Church who really make the ministry happen! New Vision Church of the Nazarene 100 S. Sunrise Dr., Raymore, MO 64083 www.newvisionchurch.com [email protected] 816.348.0303
CHAPTER ONE
Weakness or Power?
For the message of the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the
power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)
Weakness or Power?
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)
It is a well-documented historic reality that a religious teacher named Jesus, hailing
from the town of Nazareth, died on the cross in approximately 33 CE. For many, this
is merely historical reality. But for so many Christians, it is more. It is a meaningful,
powerful event stirring emotions from deep within. This historical reality provides
meaning and purpose for their lives. This event strengthens and even empowers them
to live the life they have dreamed. For them, the cross represents power.
You may think that dying on a cross doesn’t seem powerful, but weak. You would be
in good company. Speaking to the people of his day, the Apostle Paul said,
22Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling
block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than human
wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
1 Corinthians 1:22-25 (NIV)
In the Jewish view of the world, from which Christianity arose, there were two groups
of people: Jews and non-Jews (also called the Gentiles, or as here, the Greeks).
Writing to a very diverse and cosmopolitan crowd in the ancient city of Corinth, Paul
recognized the cultural disdain for the cross. To the Greeks, whom he perceived as
pursuers of wisdom and knowledge, the idea of the Son of God dying on a cross was
ignorance and foolishness. To the Jews, whom Paul perceived as pursuers of power, a
crucified Messiah indicated failure and weakness.
Cicero, a Roman statesman, described crucifixion as "the most cruel and disgusting
penalty" (Verrem 2:5.165) and "the most extreme penalty" (Verrem 2:5.168). Another
Roman, Julius Paulus, put crucifixion at the top of the list of the worst capital
punishments and listed death by burning as more preferable. Usually prohibited for
Roman citizens, crucifixion was commonly reserved for slaves and foreigners.
Ancient historians regularly described mass crucifixions of groups who rebelled
against Roman rule, a stern warning to onlookers who might be tempted to lead a
similar revolt. When allowed, the crucified person was stripped naked in order to
maximize the humiliation. Crucifixion was just as much about insult as it was injury.
Lenny Bruce, an author known for satire, obscenity and controversy, wrote about the
crucifixion, “If Jesus had been killed twenty years ago, Catholic school children would
be wearing little electric chairs around their necks instead of crosses.”
Indeed, it is difficult to imagine that crucifixion represented anything other than
weakness.
The Bible tells us that Jesus hung on the cross from 9 in the morning until 3 in the
afternoon. 6 hours. 3,600 minutes of pain, suffering and insult. In this short book
we will examine those hours on the cross and the love that lead to it.
I hope you will agree that Jesus was doing something powerful on the cross, and he was full of power even while suffering and dying.
CHAPTER TWO
Insults & Mocking
Those who passed by hurled insults at
him, shaking their heads and saying . . .
“come down from the cross and save
yourself!”
Mark 15:29a & 30 (NIV)
Insults & Mocking
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying . . .
“come down from the cross and save yourself !”
Mark 15:29a & 30 (NIV)
It is 10:00 AM. Jesus has been hanging on a cross or an hour.
Earlier in the day, the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, attempted to sway the crowd
in Jesus’ favor in order to release the one he knew was innocent. Stirred up by their
leaders, the crowd chanted, demanding his crucifixion. Pilate relented and sent Jesus
to his death. A short while later, as he hung on a cross outside the city, suffering and
struggling for each breath, the crowds gawked and hurled their insults at him. We
read this: in Luke 23:35-37 & 39 (NIV)
35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let
him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, “If you are
the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save
yourself and us!”
The rulers, the soldiers, the crowd and even a fellow condemned join the chorus of
insulters.
We can’t blame them. From their vantage point, he was a failure. The cross meant
humiliation and weakness. To those who hoped Jesus would be their political
Messiah, he was a defeated would-be king. After all, for those who tried to overthrow
the Roman government, the cross was a sign that Rome was powerful and that they
were weak and not-powerful.
But then we read this: “
40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same
sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done
nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:40-43 (NIV)
Paradise? Today? What was Jesus thinking? It sounds as if Jesus was looking forward
to something, not regretting something. It sounds as if Jesus saw his death as
something good, and not as if he was dying as a failure. It almost sounds as he is
making promises and offering hope, as if he is still holding onto some power that is
not just for this life.
Powerless people usually feel hopeless. Albert Camus wrote that, “A man devoid of
hope and conscious of being so has ceased to belong to the future.” Even while
suffering and dying what many saw as the death of hope, Jesus looked to the future!
Jesus was full of hope, because Jesus was doing something powerful on the
cross, and he was full of power even while suffering and dying.
CHAPTER THREE
Spikes & Beams
But he was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was on him, and by his wounds
we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
Spikes & Beams
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are
healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
11:00 AM Two hours, hanging from two nails- one in each wrist.
The Romans were not the first to employ crucifixion as a method of capital
punishment, but they perfected it to maximize pain and suffering for as long as
possible.
Before being thrown onto a wooden beam, the condemned was lead to the flogging
post, where the Roman soldiers inflicted as much pain as possible with whips, rods,
and the classic “cat of nine tails,” a whip modified to include pieces of glass, rock or
metal on the ends. With each forceful blow, the skin was ripped open and nerves
were stimulated to produce sharp pain. Many never made it to the cross, as the
flogging was so brutal. The Romans understood death, though, and knew how to
stop before killing a man, thereby prolonging the suffering.
After the flogging, the condemned man usually carried his own cross to the
designated crucifixion site outside the city walls. Since the weight of the entire cross
was probably well over 300 pounds, he only carried the horizontal crossbar, which
weighed approximately 100 pounds.
The hands could be nailed or tied to the crossbar, but the Romans preferred nails.
Archaeologists discovered near Jerusalem the remains of a crucified body, and dated
it to the time of Jesus. The preserved remains revealed tapered iron spikes,
approximately 5 to 7 inches long, driven though the wrists rather than the palms. A
nail was also driven through the feet or ankle.
The physical effects of three nails caused more than a few puncture wounds. The
nails driven through the wrists would crush or sever the rather large nerve, producing
stabbing nerve pain flowing through each arm. Someone has compared the pain to
repeatedly whacking one’s funny-bone, resulting not in laughter but in tears and
anguish.
While on the cross, the condemned might survive for hours or even days. Breathing
was almost impossible. In order to exhale, the condemned had to raise his body by
putting all of his weight on his feet, supported only by the third iron spike in his feet
or ankles. Again, explosions of pain ripped through his legs as he gasped for air.
Eventually, the condemned lost the strength required to breath and usually died by
suffocation.
And so, for 6 hours, Jesus endured excruciating pain on the cross.
To add to the humiliation of the “would be king” we read that the soldiers placed a
crown on his head. But this was not of honoring gold, but of insulting thorns. And
with every breath and movement the thorns jammed into the thin and sensitive skin
on his head.
What power a man must have to endure so much pain. There was no weakness here.
This was not the death of a weak man. This was a man full of strength, for Jesus
was doing something powerful on the cross, and he was full of power even
while suffering and dying.
Detailed, formal information for this summary was provided by http://www.frugalsites.net/jesus/crucifixion.htm
CHAPTER FOUR
Why Did Jesus Die?
Greater love has no one than this: to lay
down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13 (NIV)
Why Did Jesus Die?
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13 (NIV)
12:00 PM Three Hours. A strange mid-day darkness covers the land.
“Jesus died for me…” Maybe we have heard it too many times. Or maybe you know
too many people who glibly proclaim, “Jesus died for me,” but then live their lives as
if it makes no difference, maybe even using his death as their “get out of jail free”
card, allowing them to sin even more. Maybe that is you.
Franciszek Gajowniczek knew it well and it changed his life. Gajowniczek
(pronounced guy-of-KNEE-check) was placed in the Nazi concentration camp at
Auschwitz. We don’t usually pair the words “death” and “grace” when we hear of
that terrible place known for its gas chambers disguised as shower houses. Over one
million prisoners died at Auschwitz, most of them Jews.
Imprisoned in the camp with Gajowniczek was a Franciscan priest named Maximiliam
Kolbe. A great mind, with two earned doctorates, Kolbe gave his life to serving God
through the church. While imprisoned at Auschwitz, Father Kolbe shared his food,
gave up his bunk, and prayed for his fellow prisoners.
On one unforgettable day in July, 1941, the prisoners were lined up. A prisoner had
escaped and they all knew the consequences and had witnessed the scene too many
times. Ten random numbers would be called, each identifying a prisoner. The ten
would be marched to a special fenced cell where the prisoners would live with no
food or water until they died. The tenth number called was Franciszek Gajowniczek.
He fell to the ground, sobbing. “My wife and my children,” he cried.
Then someone heard movement among the ranks of prisoners. Koble stepped
forward and asked to speak to the Commandant. Remarkably, his request was
granted.
“I want to die in his place. I have no family and I am old and weak. He is young and
strong.”
“Who are you?” the Commandant inquired?
“I am a Catholic priest.”
His request was granted and Father Kolbe was escorted to the doomed cell where he
and nine others waited out death by starvation. He continued to sing and pray,
outliving the others. He finally died when the camp doctor inserted a lethal injection
into his heart.
And Gajowniczek? Gajowniczek survived but his children did not. He later found
his wife and moved to a home in Poland. He cleared a special place in his back yard
where he set a rock. On the rock he affixed a brass plate with two words engraved on
it: Maximillian Kolbe.
The grace and new life that he experienced in a camp known for death changed his
future. He said this, “Because of Maximilian Kolbe, every breath that I take,
everything that I do, every single moment, is to me -like a gift.”
Gajowniczek had no doubt that he was alive because someone died for him!
The same is true for us. This is what we celebrate on Good Friday! We read this in
the Bible:
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very
rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to
die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.
Romans 5:8 (NIV)
We were sinners, enemies of God, and Jesus died for us! Jesus stepped out of the
ranks and said, “I will die for them!” That is love – a very powerful love! The power
of the cross is the unfathomable love of God – love that is powerful! Jesus was
doing something powerful on the cross, and he was full of power even while
suffering and dying.
Source: Max Lucado, Six Hours One Friday, and http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/08/how-to-really-live/
(Accessed 4/16/2014)
CHAPTER FIVE
Remember & Proclaim
For whenever you eat this bread and
drink this cup, you proclaim the
Lord’s death until he comes.
1 Corinthians 11:26 (NIV)
Remember & Proclaim
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
death until he comes.
1 Corinthians 11:26 (NIV)
1:00 PM Jesus is still suffering and the sky is still dark.
Jesus knew the power of what would happen on the cross. So, the night before he
was arrested, he celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples.
We read this:
23The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he
broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same
way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this,
whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1 Corinthians 11:23b-25 (NIV)
Using the traditional food of the yearly Passover feast, the unleavened bread and one
of the cups of wine, Jesus took the opportunity to offer his followers two symbols of
himself and his work on the cross. Taking simple bread, made with no leaven
(signifying the purity of his life), he abruptly ripped the loaf, signifying for them the
piercing of his body invoked during his crucifixion. He gave them some and they ate.
They ate, or consumed a bit of bread, but signified the receiving for themselves what
he did for them. And he told them to remember!
After the meal, he took a cup of wine and told them of the new covenant, one that
would fulfill the covenant with Moses and their ancestors. This covenant would be
sealed not with the blood of animals, but with the blood of Jesus to be spilled during
the ordeal of his death. Like the bread, he invited them to drink, to consume, to
receive into themselves the symbol of his blood. By drinking, they were accepting for
themselves the new covenant in Jesus. And he told them to remember. Jesus knew
that what was about to happen on the cross was so significant not only for them, but
for the world, that they should never forget!
Then he hinted that this simple ritual of bread and wine should be repeated, as often
as necessary. And with each celebration of remembrance, they would proclaim to
everyone watching that they are receivers of Jesus and participants in his covenant.
They would remind themselves and everyone else that Jesus’ death was significant and
life changing!
The death of Jesus – remember it, give thanks, and proclaim it! And celebrate his
power – for Jesus was doing something powerful on the cross, and he was full of power even while suffering and dying.
CHAPTER SIX
Still in Control
I am the good shepherd. The good
shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep.
John 10:11 (NIV)
Still in Control
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 (NIV)
2:00 PM Still dark. Still suffering. Nearing the end.
Jesus could have called on his Father and the angels to rescue him. Nails did not
hold him to the cross. Love kept him on the cross. While others saw him as defeated
by Roman power, Jesus was still in control.
Earlier in his ministry, Jesus reminded the disciples that he was always in control, no
matter what the circumstances might suggest. He told his followers,
10The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one
takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority
to take it up again.
John 10:17-18a (NIV)
During Jesus’ trial, Pilate, the Roman governor, interrogated Jesus privately. When
Jesus refused to answer his questions, Pilate said,
0 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or
to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.
John 19:10-11a (NIV)
Later in the hour, and nearing 3:00 PM, Jesus tells the crowd that he is thirsty. And
someone gets him something to drink! Even while dying a criminal’s death, he is still
calling the shots.
What kind of weakling, at the hour of his execution, commands the crowds? Jesus
was doing something powerful on the cross, and he was full of power even
while suffering and dying.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Power in Death
He did this so that through his death
he might destroy the Devil, who has
the power over death.
Hebrews 2:14b (GNT)
Power in Death
He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the
power over death.
Hebrews 2:14b (GNT)
3:00 PM His final minutes
Around 3:00 PM, Jesus spoke up one last time.
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”[e] When he had
said this, he breathed his last.
Luke 23:46 (NIV)
The one whom many regarded as weak and powerless, after enduring hours of
torture, chose the moment of his death. Jesus was doing something powerful on the cross, and
he was full of power even while suffering and dying.
The Bible then tells about several mysterious events that occurred moments within
his last breath. In addition to the darkness that already shrouded the land, there was
an earthquake. And it was no small tremor, but a quake strong enough to break open
the tombs of those long dead. If you want to read something really crazy, read
Matthew 27:51-53! Jesus’ death was so significant, even the earth felt it! All of
creation recognized the power of the moment.
But there was more. We also read that the veil in the temple in Jerusalem was torn.
Matthew notes that it was torn from top to bottom – indicating that it was not
undertaken by someone who snuck into the temple. This curtain was significant. It
separated the inside of the Jewish temple from the “most holy place,” the inner room
of inner rooms. Placed in the temple was the Ark of the Covenant, constructed
under the supervision of Moses. It was said to be God’s footstool on earth. While
the priests entered the temple daily to offer incense, candles and bread to the Lord,
only the high priest was allowed to pass through the curtain and enter the most holy
place once per year, on the Day of Atonement, while making atonement for the sins
of the people. The penalty for entering this special place at any other time was death.
It is said that the priest would tie a cord to his ankle before entering so that, in case he
was found unclean and struck dead, his colleagues would be able to retrieve his body
without entering the sacred room. At the time of Jesus’ death, the curtain was ripped.
The curtain that had previously represented humanities complete inability to
approach a holy God was now removed. Access to God was granted to all! The new
covenant was now in force.
But the darkness, earthquake and ripping veil were more than natural or earthly
effects. The moment of Jesus’ death revealed a spiritual battle between the forces of
God and the forces of evil. The Bible tells us of the spiritual significance of his
death.
14 Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them
and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil,
who has the power over death, 15 and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because
of their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14-15 (GNT)
Jesus was conquering death – and our fear of it! We no longer have to fear death!
Jesus was doing something powerful on the cross, and he was full of power
even as he died!
CHAPTER EIGHT
Changed Lives
For God so loved the world that he
gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)
Changed Lives
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)
The death of Jesus was so powerful that it affected the people who watched it.
Remember the guards who suggested that if he was the Messiah, he should save
himself? Seeing his death and the events surrounding it, he changed his mind, and we
read this,
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous
man.”
Luke 23:47 (NIV)
The very soldier who mocked him only a few hours earlier realized that he was the
Son of God and looked to God and praised him! And his life was changed!
Even the moment of his death was full of power – changing people’s lives! And the
reality of the death of Jesus has been changing lives ever since. The death of Jesus
has changed my life…and I hope he has yours. If not, he wants to. And when you
accept his death for you and all that implies, your life will be changed!
You may remember that the guards were not the only ones who mocked Jesus. The
crowd also jeered him and made fun of him. They saw a man on a cross, and they
saw weakness. To those who considered him an enemy, the saw him as weak on the
cross and saw themselves as powerful.
But at end of those 6 hours, they realized something. We read that,
48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their
breasts and went away.
Luke 23:48 (NIV)
The people who made fun of him walked away with pain, knowing they were on the
wrong side of this! They previously saw Jesus as weak, and themselves as strong.
They walked away seeing Jesus as strong, and themselves as weak
And that is right where God wants us. The dying thief admitted his helplessness and
was granted paradise only by grace. The repentant soldier was granted forgiveness
only by grace. And we really only experience grace as we admit our weaknesses and
find God’s strength.
The apostle Paul discovered this. After praying that God would deliver him from his
weakness, God said, “No,” and that “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a)
Paul concluded, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so
that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a (NIV))
Would you like to experience the power of the cross?
What is your weakness?
-Fear of what might happen to your job?
-Fear of what the doctor might tell you at your next appointment?
-Inability to keep up with your bills?
-Comparing yourself to others and never measuring up?
-Inability to receive God’s forgiveness and forgive yourself for something you
did long ago?
-A terminal illness or handicap that keeps you from carrying out your plans?
The possibilities are endless. I don’t have to list many more. You already know yours.
It has already flashed across your mind, causing your shoulders to slump and your
face to droop.
Jesus invites you to take your weaknesses, place them on the cross, and find God’s
strength in your weaknesses. Instead of praying for God to take it away, heal it, or fix
it, ask for his power to rest on you in spite of it. Claim his strength, no matter how
weak you feel!
You might even take a small slip of paper, write your weakness on it, fold it, and
physically hold it out to God. As you acknowledge your weakness, will you pray,
“Jesus, you were doing something powerful on the cross…and you were full of power
in this place of weakness. Take my weakness and surround me with your power.”
There is Power in the Cross of Jesus! Don’t forget it. And find your strength in his power! That is the power of the cross.
If you would like to know more about how Jesus Christ, his death, and
resurrection can change your life, please do not hesitate to contact the
church office and ask to speak to a pastor. You may call us at
816.348.0303 or email us at [email protected]
Jesus was doing something powerful on the
cross, and he was full of power even while
suffering and dying. “
”
If you were encouraged by this book, please let us know so that
we can continue to provide resources like this. You can reach
us by email at [email protected]
www.newvisionchurch.com