“The Love of the Cross”(Luke 23:39-46 )

Today’s message is very basic and I will make it easy.  Let me ask you one thing.  Does our salvation come by our righteous actions or by God’s grace?  Yes! It is by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).  What is the difference between Christians’ and non-believers’ views when they look at people?  The non-believers look at the appearance of a man and usually judge right away (looks good or ugly, has knowledge or not, etc,).  But Christians look at an individual’s faith.  It says in 1 Samuel 16:7B, “For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”  God looks at a man to see whether he serves God or other gods and if he believes in Jesus or not.  I would like to think about how and why God bestowed the hand of salvation to mankind and what kind of love He gave for that salvation.  I pray that the prompting of the Holy Spirit be upon your hearts.

 

First, let’s think about how and why God bestowed the hand of salvation.  Why did God bestow the hand of salvation?  It is because His life is in us.  When man was created God breathed life and created man in His image.  Since God breathed the life and put His image in man, God’s love for man is great.  For example, the mother’s love for her child is great, why?  It is because she shared her life, blood, and meat with her child.  So a mother’s love for her child is great, as she loves her child as her own life.  God’s love for humankind is like this.  ‚How does He save man?  He saves man by the sacrifice of Himself.  “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).  “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20A).  According to God’s word, because we have sinned, Jesus died instead of us, to save us.  Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  Yes, how did He save us?  He saved us by His death.

 

Secondly, let’s think about how the love is that saves us.  We can think at once, through the four gospels, which were written about the life of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).  They contain His life and death for humankind.  When we read the biographies of those who are famous in the world, the contents are mostly their boasts; where they were born, what family they were from, and what they did in a prideful manner.  They write only good things in so many pages leaving out the bad things.  There is no mention about their death, if there is, it is short. 

However, as we read the four gospels they are written largely about the last few days of Jesus.  In this we see they are written telling about the death of Jesus on the cross.  In verse 34A of today’s text, we see the death of Jesus.  He says, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”  Jesus never said anything in His defense nor avoided the trials.  He died only for sinners and came to see the lonely and sick and to comfort the people who were alienated.  This is the love of Jesus that God has for us.  At this point, we need to think about ourselves.  I don’t know how we all have lived, some people try their best to show the love of Jesus, but some other people only love those who love them and love those who benefit them.  We see the faith of Steven, who walked before us and the faith of St. Paul, who had beautiful faith.  I believe we need to examine our rough life before God in comparison to them.  For example, I read this story in a book and it touched my heart.  It was during the Korean War on June 25^th.  Four of the seven elders who served Bong San Church in Hwang-Hae province were martyred.  One of the four elders was named Kang Duck-Gi and was martyred in the cruelest way. 

The communists tied him to a tree and plucked out his two eyes.  As he was suffering, with blood and tears flowing, he crawled in to the church and as he prayed he said, “Father, please forgive their sin against you, they don’t know what they are doing.”  Then the communists came and shot him to death as he suffered and prayed.  So this elder left his painful body and was taken silently in to the bosom of God.  However, a few days later the army marched onward and those communists who did not run away quickly were caught.  The young men of the village wanted the communists killed just like elder Kang.  As they tied them up to the tree and were about to pluck out their eyes, the son of elder Kang saw this and with passionate tears said, “I can not let my father’s holy martyrdom be in vain, please release them.”  This is the love of Jesus blossoming so that in this moment it became fruit.  When this kind of the love of Christ is in us we are a new creation and made new and created for new works.

 

Thirdly, let’s think about where this love of Jesus leads us.  We need wisdom and discernment in our life of faith.  And we also need to know where the love of Christ and the meaning of the cross lead us.  At this time, as I mention some denomination or some individual, it is not to abuse them or to slander them.  They are free to go the way they want to in following their form of faith.  But we should reflect on what they do.  There are so many preachers in the world, but their preaching can be put in to two different categories.  A preaching which induces people to belong to this world.  ‚A preaching which strives to lead and guide people to Jesus and God’s kingdom.  The first means that if you believe in Jesus then you will prosper and get well and will get the gift of healing.  It focuses on the physical things and that the person will be prosperous.  So we see many people following this faith, which is built on things of this world instead of on Jesus Christ.  So it makes the merit of the cross dim and causes people not to see the way of salvation. 

In this aspect, we need to have discernment and wisdom.  Where does Jesus lead us?  He leads us to the kingdom of God.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has put eternity in their hearts.”  God’s chosen people are to follow wherever Jesus leads.  The kingdom of our Lord is not of this world.  What did Jesus say before Pilate at the time He was going to the cross? (John 18:36~)  “Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”  And John 18:37B says, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.”  In these words, where does the Lord lead us?  Yes! He leads us in the truth, Jesus’ love, and God’s eternal kingdom.  He leads us in the way of salvation.  We see in Revelation Chapter 19 that it says that Jesus Christ is our bridegroom and we are to be His bride before God in the future. 
The apostle John heard a loud voice as a great multitude in heaven, saying salvation, glory, honor, and power belong to God (Revelation 19:1).  And he saw that God is almighty and reigns over us as King, in the world of God (Revelation 19:6-8).  And he saw that we are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).  After that we are to praise God in His everlasting world and forget about this world’s suffering, sadness, crying, and death, which has long ago passed, but in God’s world we will praise Him forever and ever. 

I finish preaching.  Beloved saints! Where does the love of the cross of Jesus Christ lead us?  It leads us to God’s eternal world.  I bless you in the name of our Lord that you become blessed saints who must not be led by the things of this world, but led to eternal God and His kingdom.

By: Rev. Samuel K Choi