Glorying in the Cross: True Righteousness and Freedom

Devotional

Day 1: Boasting in the Cross Alone

The cross of Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of our identity and worth. It addresses the deepest questions of our existence, such as how we can stand righteous before a holy God. By glorying only in the cross, we are liberated from the need to prove ourselves through human effort. This truth is transformative, as it shifts our focus from self-achievement to the finished work of Christ. The cross is not just a symbol of sacrifice but a declaration of our dependence on Christ for righteousness. [02:13]

Galatians 2:20 (ESV): "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you still trying to prove your worth through your own efforts? How can you begin to shift your focus to the cross and find your identity in Christ alone today?

Day 2: The Illusion of Self-Righteousness

The Theology of Glory, which relies on human strength and self-achievement, ultimately leads to frustration and spiritual emptiness. This approach is prevalent in our culture, often disguised as self-help or prosperity gospel. However, true righteousness cannot be attained through self-effort but only through the cross of Christ. The cross challenges our self-reliance and calls us to recognize our need for a Savior. It is through Christ's work, not our own, that we find fulfillment and peace. [13:26]

Isaiah 64:6 (ESV): "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."

Reflection: Identify a specific area where you rely on your own strength rather than God's grace. What steps can you take to surrender this area to Christ and trust in His righteousness?

Day 3: The Cross as the Remedy for Sin

The cross of Jesus Christ is God's solution to both unrighteousness and self-righteousness. It reveals our need for a Savior and provides the only true means of restoring what is missing in our hearts. The cross is not about self-improvement but about acknowledging our brokenness and dependence on Christ's finished work. By embracing the cross, we find true righteousness and healing, not by our works but by Christ's work in us. [35:03]

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV): "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."

Reflection: What is one area of brokenness in your life that you need to bring to the cross? How can you invite Christ's healing and righteousness into this area today?

Day 4: The Offense of the Cross

The Theology of the Cross is offensive because it challenges our self-reliance and calls us to die to self-merit. It confronts our pride and self-righteousness, inviting us to embrace humility and dependence on Christ. Through this death to self, we find true life and freedom in Christ. The cross is a stumbling block to those who rely on their own strength, but it is the power of God to those who believe. [37:13]

1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV): "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Reflection: In what ways does the message of the cross challenge your self-reliance? How can you embrace the humility and freedom that come from dying to self and living in Christ?

Day 5: Embracing the Cross for True Freedom

By embracing the cross, we move from being theologians of glory to theologians of the cross, finding our identity and worth in Christ alone. This shift brings true freedom and joy, as we rest in Christ's finished work. The cross invites us to let go of our striving and self-effort, and to find peace in the grace and love of God. As we embrace the cross, we experience the fullness of life that comes from living in Christ's righteousness. [41:06]

Colossians 3:3-4 (ESV): "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are striving for approval or success? How can you rest in the finished work of Christ and find true freedom and joy in Him today?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound and transformative concept of glorying only in the cross of Jesus Christ. This message is rooted in Galatians 6:14, which emphasizes that our only boast should be in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not just a theological stance but a life-altering truth that addresses the deepest questions of our existence. Many of us, like the young monk Martin Luther in 1518, grapple with feelings of inadequacy and a sense of incompleteness. These feelings stem from a fundamental question: How can we stand righteous before a holy God?

Luther's spiritual breakthrough was revolutionary, leading to the Reformation, which reawakened the simple gospel truth that we are justified by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. This truth is more significant than any scientific or psychological discovery. It challenges the prevalent Theology of Glory, which suggests that we can achieve righteousness through human effort, self-fulfillment, or moralism. This theology is pervasive in our culture, often masked as self-help or prosperity gospel, but it ultimately leaves us striving and unfulfilled.

In contrast, the Theology of the Cross invites us to die to self-merit and self-glory. It calls us to recognize our utter dependence on Christ's finished work on the cross. The cross is not about self-improvement but about acknowledging our brokenness and need for a Savior. It is through the cross that we find true righteousness, not by our works but by Christ's work in us. This theology is offensive to our self-righteousness, but it is the only path to true freedom and joy.

The cross attacks both unrighteousness and self-righteousness, revealing our need for Christ's perfect righteousness. It is not about what we can do but about what Christ has done. As we embrace this truth, we move from being theologians of glory to theologians of the cross, finding our identity and worth in Christ alone.

Key Takeaways

1. Righteousness:** The Theology of Glory, which relies on human strength and self-achievement, ultimately leads to frustration and spiritual emptiness. True righteousness cannot be attained through self-effort but only through the cross. [13:26]
3. The Cross as the Solution to Sin: The cross of Jesus Christ is God's attack on both unrighteousness and self-righteousness. It reveals our need for a Savior and provides the only true means of restoring what is missing in our hearts.

4. The Offense of the Cross: The Theology of the Cross is offensive because it challenges our self-reliance and calls us to die to self-merit. It is through this death that we find true life and freedom in Christ.

5. Embracing the Cross for True Freedom: By embracing the cross, we move from being theologians of glory to theologians of the cross, finding our identity and worth in Christ alone. This shift brings true freedom and joy, as we rest in Christ's finished work.

** [13:26]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:08] - Introduction and Prayer
[00:21] - The Afterglow of Easter
[01:19] - The Power of the Cross
[02:13] - Glory Only in the Cross
[02:30] - The Universal Question
[03:57] - Righteousness Before God
[05:32] - Martin Luther's Breakthrough
[07:01] - The Reformation's Impact
[08:08] - Two Types of Theologians
[09:07] - The Theology of Glory
[11:28] - The Pursuit of Glory
[13:26] - The Fallacy of Self-Righteousness
[19:06] - The Law and the Gospel
[31:45] - The Theology of the Cross
[37:13] - The Offense of the Cross
[41:06] - Invitation to Embrace the Cross

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Glory Only in the Cross

Bible Reading:
- Galatians 6:14
- Philippians 3:3
- Romans 5:20

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Observation Questions:

According to Galatians 6:14, what should be the only source of our boasting, and why is this significant? [02:13]
How does Philippians 3:3 describe the contrast between glorying in Christ and putting confidence in the flesh? [20:32]
In the sermon, what universal question did Martin Luther struggle with, and how did it lead to his spiritual breakthrough? [03:57]
What are the two types of theologians mentioned in the sermon, and how do they differ in their approach to righteousness? [08:23]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the concept of glorying only in the cross challenge the prevalent Theology of Glory in today's culture? [13:26]
What does the sermon suggest about the limitations of self-righteousness and human effort in achieving true righteousness? [15:45]
How does the cross serve as God's attack on both unrighteousness and self-righteousness, according to the sermon? [35:03]
Why might the Theology of the Cross be considered offensive, and what does it demand from believers? [37:13]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when you relied on your own efforts to achieve righteousness. How did that experience compare to relying on the cross of Christ? [15:45]
The sermon mentions the fallacy of self-righteousness. In what areas of your life might you be tempted to rely on self-achievement rather than Christ's finished work? [13:26]
How can you practically embrace the Theology of the Cross in your daily life, especially in moments of self-doubt or inadequacy? [41:06]
Consider the cultural messages of self-help and prosperity. How can you discern and resist these messages in favor of the gospel truth? [15:14]
The sermon describes the cross as a solution to sin. How can you remind yourself of this truth when facing personal struggles or temptations? [35:03]
How can you shift your identity and worth from being based on personal achievements to being rooted in Christ alone? [41:06]
What steps can you take this week to move from being a theologian of glory to a theologian of the cross, finding true freedom and joy in Christ? [41:06]

Sermon Clips

But God forbid that I should Glory only in the cross of Jesus Christ except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world some translations say I boast only in the cross others say I only glory in the cross. [00:02:11]

The fundamental question we are all asking is how can I arrive at the righteousness that will enable me to stand before a holy God what he's saying is that all these other questions are subsets of the deepest question that often times theologians and again everybody here is a theologian. [00:03:52]

This revolutionary idea that he proposed I would argue as the sing Single most important message even for this generation over 500 years later and he went to a city called heidleberg in Germany and there he met with his other monks there was about 30 young monks who were with them. [00:07:01]

Theology of Glory is someone who is is seeking Glory through human strength to enter back into the garden after the fall we came from Glory here's here's how it goes we came from Glory now we're temporarily derailed but we believe it's only a slight setback it's just a temporary inconvenience. [00:12:07]

Theologian of Glory believes all we need to answer this nagging question of what's wrong in the deepest recesses of my heart and life is positive reinforcement or bolstering a a sagging ego or or a constant voice surrounding us of optimism optimism you can get your glory back by believing in yourself. [00:13:56]

The danger we have in our life in our schools in our churches in our culture is that secondary thing such as optimism become primary and the primary thing becomes secondary and so the Theology of Glory becomes primary Even in our churches you can do it be better be stronger optimism cannot cure. [00:18:34]

The cross is dying to every form of self- Merit or of Glory aspiration or ever being thinking that it's possible to obtain it by self effort the cross puts those things to an end theologians of the Cross know that they can't be held by mere optimism by appeals to seek Glory or strength. [00:31:46]

The cross is the only true right mean means to restoring what is missing righteousness is found not in selfworth but through Christ's work in us the cross of Jesus Christ the cross the cross does not coddle false optimism uh but calls Sin Sin and cause sin to be put to death. [00:32:44]

The cross is actually God's attack on sin the cross is God's attack on sin two types of sin he attacks number one is unrighteousness U vile sins sexual immorality perversion murder divorce child abuse he attacks unrighteous Deeds of evil men and women the cross does that. [00:35:03]

The cross has a second attack that we don't like to hear about it's it's it's one that we want to close our ears to it's not the attack on unrighteousness but it's the attack on self-righteousness yeah it's and self-righteousness is more Insidious and more dangerous because it it it confuses us. [00:35:19]

Theology of the Cross is an offensive theology it offends the righteousness that we want in our own strength the confidence in the flesh it attacks us in saying we we're saying we can do it and the cross attacks us and says you cannot do it only Christ can do it through you. [00:37:13]

I want to give an invitation an invitation to to for for you to say I probably if I'm real honest with myself I probably walked in here and I'm not asking you whether you're a Christian or not but you're honestly assessing yourself I probably walked in here as a theologian of Glory. [00:41:06]

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Glorying in the Cross: True Righteousness and Freedom

Devotional

Day 1: Boasting in the Cross Alone

Day 2: The Illusion of Self-Righteousness

Day 3: The Cross as the Remedy for Sin

Day 4: The Offense of the Cross

Day 5: Embracing the Cross for True Freedom

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Glorying in the Cross: True Righteousness and Freedom

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