“Christ
Redeems Our Souls Safely! (C.R.O.S.S)”
By Ramesh
C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard
March
20,
2008
Editors Note: The devotional has a background song by Carman called 'This
Blood' which can be heard if you use Internet
Explorer.
SCRIPTURE:
“And being found in appearance as a man, he
humbled himself and became obedient to death---even death on the cross!”
(Philippians 2:8)
EXPOSITION:
Observations:
I learned 3 things about Jesus from this verse:
1. Jesus was found in appearance as a man!
2. Jesus humbled himself!
3. Jesus became obedient to death---even death on the cross!
Interpretations:
I asked myself why is it mentioned that
Jesus was found in appearance as a man and the significance of that?
What came to my mind is that Jesus could have been found in
appearance as an angel or a bright light but Jesus chose to be found in
appearance as a man on earth. Jesus chose that because He was on mission
John 3:16 and wanted to relate to humanity to help humanity. Being like
a human gave him characteristics and DNA as humans but without the sin
of course because He was without sin. I found the significance of that
in the next thing Jesus did which was to humble himself as a human being
on earth!
I asked myself what does it mean to humble
himself?
What came to my mind is that though Jesus is God and has the
characteristics of divinity, He took on the role of a servant and
submitted Himself without utilizing His power to benefit Himself but
humanity. He stripped himself of any rights and did the unthinkable.
Around Passover time Jesus even stooped down to wash the disciples feet
as recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 13. What is more interesting
and so convicting is that Jesus also washed the feet of Judas Iscariot
who He knew was going to betray him within minutes. It is amazing though
Jesus was a King, Jesus humbled Himself to reach humanity.
I asked myself why he humbled himself?
What came to my mind is because Jesus loved humanity and wanted
to show what real love and real servant leadership is. For Jesus would
not have needed to be obedient to death as God in power but did the
unthinkable and displayed obedience to death as a humble servant without
exhibiting any rights for the sake of humanity.
I asked myself what did obedient to death mean?
The only way death could come in His life was if He gave the
permission for it to come. He willingly for the sake of the mission
John 3:14-17, allowed death to take hold of Him. What came to my mind is
the type of death He was obedient to.
I asked myself what kind of death is emphasized
and the significance of that?
I found it very interesting that the word EVEN stood out to
reveal the death Christ became obedient to, evidenced by
‘even death on the cross!’ It was not any
kind of death but seemed to emphasize a special kind of death by
revealing the cross. It is as if to point out that this type of death is
so horrible, scandalous, and excruciating to accept, yet Christ was
obedient to that type of death.
I asked myself why did it have to be this type of
death, death is death?
If Jesus wanted to be obedient to death, it did not have to be the
cross! He could have drank poison, allowed himself to be stoned to
death, beheaded, or hung and still come back to life but he decided to
be obedient to death on a cross!
Why? Why? Why?
So I started thinking about it and the reasons behind the cross. What
came to my mind is that the CROSS was used for these purposes:
1. For the most notorious criminals.
2. For the most cursed death.
3. For the most humiliating death.
4. For the most painful death.
Jesus wanted to go through this kind of death for the mission John
3:14-17.
How does Jesus' actions fit into the category for
the most notorious criminals?
Jesus took upon Himself to pay for all the crimes of mankind
which when added together become notorious. Jesus made it His mission to
be the sacrificial scapegoat for humanity. He did it willingly. Since
all crimes added together amount to notoriousness, this is the death
Jesus became obedient to for humanity. He was not silent but accepted
the penalty for all our crimes. When I say crimes, I am thinking about
all of the sins of humanity.
How does Jesus' dying fit into the category for
the most cursed death?
It was believed that only the worst people would die on the cross and
this was so. In essence, they were cursed for their crimes in life. Now,
Jesus comes into the picture and takes upon Himself the worst situations
mankind has committed and agrees to take the punishment of cursing
because He was on Mission 3:16. When we should be cursed forever, Jesus
intervenes. Jesus does not stop there but endures a humiliating death.
How does Jesus' actions fit into the category for
the most humiliating death?
When people were to die on the cross, they were stripped naked
and put on the cross. It was not a solitary event but people jeered and
cheered a person dying in their nakedness. This alone would be so
humiliating because you could not cover yourself even if you wanted to.
Now the King of kings and the Lord of lords is facing this kind of
humiliation to save humanity when Jesus did not have to but chose to go
to the cross.
In
addition, when a person is on the cross they lose a lot of blood and go
into shock. Sometimes it would be as if they were shivering so much and
cannot do anything about it. Usually when persons are injured, they are
given a lot of covering to keep them warm until help arrives. Not for
those dying a humiliating death on the cross. Jesus does not stop there
but goes through a painful death.
How does Jesus' actions fit into the category for
the most painful death and what is the significance of it?
When people were crucified, the pain was unbearable and there was
no anesthetic or morphine to keep the pain from not being experienced.
After being labeled notorious, cursed, and humiliated, they are now
placed HANDS STRETCHED and FEET TOGETHER as NAILS are POUNDED inside the
person.
Do you hear the screams and cries of pain with
every hit of the HAMMER as 3 nails are pounded into the flesh of the One
who did no wrong?
Other people at least committed crimes and had to face the
punishment. Jesus faced it for our sake. Yes, for our sake!
Can you even imagine the pain?
An injection cannot compare anywhere close to it and yet I am
afraid of needles. It is painful for me to prick my finger even when not
an ounce of blood is taken.
What about the cross?
Jesus could have died other ways but for His mission John
3:14-17, He kept the cross in mind. It is interesting that even before
He went to the cross, in one of His preaching sermons, He lets the
people know, “If you want to follow me, you must
deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me. Those who want to save
their life will lose it but those who are willing to give it up, will
save it.”
Now
Jesus picks up the cross and carries it until He can carry it no more
and Simon of Cyrene carries it the rest of the way to Golgotha.
What is the significance of the cross?
All the other types of death would not have fulfilled Jesus’
Mission 3:14-17 for humanity but the CROSS had unique reasons for
fulfilling that mission.
This is what came to my mind:
1. The blood flow because of the nails pounded in the left hand,
cleansed us of all the sins we have ever committed with our left hand.
2. The blood flow because of the nails pounded in the right hand,
cleansed us of all the sins we have ever committed with our right hand.
3. The blood flow because of the nails pounded into the legs, cleansed
us of all the sins we have ever committed with our legs.
4. The blood flow because of the thorns pounded into the head, cleansed
us of all the sins we have ever committed using our head.
5. The blood flow because of the spear to Jesus' side cleansed us of all
the sins we have ever committed with our heart! The heart is deceitful,
who can ever know it!
There
was so much blood that flowed when Jesus was crucified on Calvary for
you and me. It is His blood that cleanses humanity of their
unrighteousness as Jesus paid the ultimate price for our redemption. It
was at the Cross!
When Adam and Eve sinned, they realized their nakedness and tried to
hide it. They tried to hide it with fig leaves but God foreshadowed what
would come one day, as God provided clothing for them after killing
possibly a lamb so they could be covered. A lamb or another animal paid
the price so they could be covered after their sinfulness revealed their
nakedness.
On the cross, Jesus became naked when He took upon Himself our sins so
we could be clothed in His righteousness. He became the sacrificial Lamb
so we could be clothed in His righteousness without being naked in sin.
No other death would have involved nakedness.
I believe there is a deeper reason for death on the cross than those I
thought about above. When the Israelites were to escape the angel of
death, they were to put blood on the door post of their door. The blood
had to be from a sacrificed lamb. It is interesting that the blood used
to cover the door was placed in a horizontal and vertical way according
to Scripture: “Then they are to take some of the
blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses
where they eat the lambs.” (Exodus 12:7)
If you take the horizontal post (top) with blood on it and separate it
from the vertical post (sides) with blood on it, and put them together,
you get a bloody cross!
When the angel of death came during the night and saw blood on the top
and sides of the doorpost, judgment decided to Passover that particular
household where God’s people resided after they did what God told them
to.
In the same way, Jesus died on the cross for a reason. The bloody cross
is from the Lamb of God who sacrificed His life for humanity. It is
undefiled blood and the purest antidote for our virus sin. When we take
His cleansing blood and ask Him to cover us, we are covered by the blood
on the cross. The cross covers over our entire body with the blood on
it. So, you and I can be confident that He will cover you and me!
Now when God looks at us in His Holiness, He does not see sin anymore
but the blood of Christ covering over us and cleansing us of all sin.
Now God’s judgment will Passover us and we can be with Him in Eternity.
And so through the Cross, Jesus accomplished Mission 3:14-17 for
humanity. It is actually John 3:14-17 put to a mission. Honestly, it
only takes one drop of blood to wash us whiter than snow because that is
how powerful Christ's blood shed on the cross for you and me is!
All
the drops of blood were to save the entire human race that comes to Him!
There
is awesome song and video by Carmen called Mission 3:16 and 'This
Blood'! There are also wonderful songs by Steve Camp and Ray Boltz! The
background song will be 'This Blood' by Carman!
LIFE APPLICATION:
I ask you now dear friends, what does the
cross mean to you?
Dear friends, as Good Friday approaches, it is the cross Jesus
used to fulfill His mission for you and me. It is more than just a
symbol or jewelry to wear on your neck or a pin to put on. Just studying
this one verse I learned so much about the cross. Each time you come
across a cross, I hope you get a flashback of the
excruciating pain Jesus Christ went through to
rescue you and me as each nail was pounded
into Him! May that reminder, remind you how much Jesus loves you
that He endured the cross for you and me no
matter where you have been, where you are in
your life right now, or what you have done!
You can know you are never out of His love and out of His reach!
He loves you so much that if you were the only one living, Jesus would
have still died for your sin! Yes, He would have!
When we make a cross using our hands, it is not just a gesture but being
reminded of the One who endured it and the One who now covers us by His
blood because He loves us. But that is only one aspect of why Jesus
chose obedience to death-even death on the cross.
The other reason that came to my mind is a pathway. When we cross the
road, we are actually crossing a pathway to reach our destination.
Without a road or bridge or water we won’t be able to get to the other
side because they all serve as a pathway.
In the same way, I see the Cross as the only pathway to reach God. When
we look to the Cross of Christ, we are looking to the pathway that
serves as a bridge to reach our Heavenly Father. All other means and
pathways will not let us get across except the cross of Christ.
Courtesy: ChristianMedia UK
May you know how much you are loved by Jesus no matter what you have
done or no matter where you have been! He loves you so much that He paid
the price for you.
Now won’t you accept what He did for you and come
into His presence and give your life to Him so He can cover the virus of
sin with His blood cleansing us and making us clean?
He will give us a transfusion of change! Yes, He will my friend!
"Christ Redeems Our Souls Safely! (C.R.O.S.S)"/"What
does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you?
PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for
loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me.
You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled
yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you
for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can
be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge
that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway.
So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to
get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank
you for all that you have done for me. The cross is the place, a
wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank
you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the
wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the
cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us.
I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us.
Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love
you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that
you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to
live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I
can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me
Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my
prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and
strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and
Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen!
Friend, if you have prayed this
prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and
all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may
feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your
new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave
you nor forsake you! Amen!
Spend time in His word and let the Lord
speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out
the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through.
Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church
fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be
part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the
Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in
Bible Live Eternally!
Feel free to email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible,
pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My
number is 412-720-4579
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
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' I AM ' Series
Archives:
What kind of L.I.G.H.T do you follow? (Dec 13,
07, 10:09 a.m.)
"What kind of B.R.E.A.D do you eat?" (Dec 08,
07, 10:10 a.m.)
"Who is your S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D?"
(June 30,
06)
Gospel of Mark Archives:
Mark 1:1:
"What does the G.O.S.P.E.L mean to you?" (Jan
15, 08, 1:15 p.m.)
Mark 1:1-4: "How
seriously do you T.E.S.T.I.F.Y about prophesy?" (Jan
12, 08, 11:18 p.m.)
Mark 1:5-8:
"Who do you P.O.I.N.T to?" (Jan 16, 08,
8:48 a.m.)
Mark 1:9:
How will you take a S.T.A.N.D? (Jan 17, 08,
11:21 a.m.)
Mark 1:9-11:
"How is your loving P.R.A.I.S.E?" (Jan 18, 08,
8:53 a.m.)
Mark 1:12-13: "How
do you handle T.E.M.P.T.A.T.I.O.N?" (Jan 19,
08, 12:27 p.m.)
Mark 1:14-15:
How do you handle T.I.M.E given to you? (Jan
21, 08, 1:31 p.m.)
Mark 1:16-18:
"What kind of P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N are you in?" (Jan
26, 08, 10:22 a.m.)
Mark
1:19-20:
"Without having to P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.E, what should you do?"
(Jan 29, 08,
10:44 a.m.)
Mark
1:20-22:
"How do you rate in the B.U.S.I.N.E.S.S of Jesus?" (Jan
30, 08, 11:29 a.m.)
Mark
1:20-22:
"Whose T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S do you follow?" (Jan
31, 08, 11:52 a.m.)
Mark
1:23-28:
"What C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y are you facing today?" (Feb
01, 08, 10:35 a.m.)
Mark 4:3-20:
"What if Jesus talked F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L?" (Feb
02, 08, 10:35 a.m.)
Mark 1:29-31:
"Where do you need H.E.A.L.I.N.G?" (Feb 05,
08, 11:44 a.m.)
Mark 1:32-34:
"Where do you need an A.N.S.W.E.R?" (Feb 06,
08, 11:16 a.m.)
Mark 1:35-39:
"Where do you give your S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y time to the Lord?" (Feb
07, 08, 11:41 a.m.)
Mark 1:40-42:
"Where do you need to be C.L.E.A.N?" (Feb 09,
08, 11:00 a.m.)
Mark 1:43-45:
"What do your actions C.A.U.S.E?" (Feb 11, 08,
9:23 a.m.)
MARK CHAPTER 2:
Mark 2:1-2:
"What do you do with your P.O.P.U.L.A.R.I.T.Y?" (Feb
12, 08, 9:52 a.m.)
Mark 2:2-5:
"What kind of F.R.I.E.N.D are you?" (Feb
13, 08, 11:49 a.m.)
Mark 2:5-12:
"Where does P.A.R.A.L.Y.S.I.S take hold of you?" (Feb
15, 08, 7:42 a.m.)
Mark 2:5-12:
"What are you thinking in your M.I.N.D?" (Feb
16, 08, 11:08 a.m.)
Mark 2:5-12:
"What do you represent by your A.C.T.I.O.N.S?" (Feb
18, 08, 8:23 a.m.)
Mark 2:13-15:
"Where are you looking for A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E?" (Feb
19, 08, 11:22 a.m.)
Mark
2:15-17:
"Who do you I.N.V.I.T.E to Jesus?" (Feb 20,
08, 9:57 a.m.)
Mark
2:18-20:
"When do you F.A.S.T?" (Feb 21, 08,
9:32 a.m.)
Mark 2:21-22:
"How do you see your L.I.F.E?" (Feb 22, 08,
9:56 a.m.)
Mark 2:23-28:
"What kind of L.E.A.D.E.R will you be? (Feb
23, 08, 10:46 a.m.)
Mark 2:23-28:
"What does the S.A.B.B.A.T.H mean to you?" (Feb
25, 08, 10:46 a.m.)
CHAPTER 3:
Mark 3:1-6:"Whose
N.E.E.D.S do you meet?" (Feb 26, 08,
9:54 a.m.)
Mark 3:7-8:
"What is your I.M.P.A.C.T?" (Feb 27, 08,
8:17 a.m.)
Mark 3:9-11:
"What S.P.A.C.E do you give yourself?" (Feb
28, 08, 9:38 a.m.)
Mark 3:11-12:
"How do you fight E.V.I.L?" (Feb 29, 08,
9:11 a.m.)
Mark 3:13-16:
"What emphasis do you put on your R.E.L.A.T.I.O.N.S.H.I.P with Jesus?"
(March 01, 08, 9:29
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Mark 3:17-19:
"Where do you have your A.P.P.O.I.N.T.M.E.N.T in?" (March
03, 08, 9:49 a.m.)
Mark 3:20:
"Where do you G.A.T.H.E.R?" (March 04, 08,
12:07 p.m.)
Mark 3:21:
"How are your actions seen by your F.A.M.I.L.Y?" (March
05, 08, 10:24 a.m.)
Mark 3:22-27:
"How do you handle S.L.A.N.D.E.R?" (March 06,
08, 7:57 a.m.)
Mark 3:28-30:
"What is your V.I.E.W of Jesus?" (March 07, 08,
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Mark 3:31-34:
"What do you do with God's Will?" (March 08,
08, 8:45 a.m.)
CHAPTER 4:
Mark 4:1-20:
"What do P.A.R.A.B.L.E.S mean to you?" (March
10, 08, 7:15 a.m.)
Mark 4:1-20:
"What if Jesus talked F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L?" (Feb
02, 08, 10:35 a.m.)
Mark 4:1-20:
"Where are you in your W.A.L.K with the Lord?" (March
11, 08, 9:32 a.m.)
Audio:
"Where are you in your W.A.L.K with the Lord?" (March
11, 08, 11:05 a.m.)
Mark 4:21-23:
"What kind of L.A.M.P will you be?" (March 12,
08, 9:40 a.m.)
Audio:
"What do you C.O.N.C.E.A.L?" (March 14, 08,
10:11 a.m.)
"What do you C.O.N.C.E.A.L?" (March 14, 08,
8:52 a.m.)
John 12:12-15:
"How can you B.L.E.S.S the Lord?" (March 17,
08, 1:25 a.m.)
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