The Cross: A Divine Necessity for Redemption

"Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, and at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which is translated, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' Some of those who stood by when they heard that said, 'Look, He’s calling for Elijah.'" [00:00:28]

"Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. So when the centurion who stood opposite Him saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this man was the Son of God.' There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less, and of Joses, and Salome." [00:01:20]

"Our Father and our God, there is no more important, no more unfathomable treasure for us to contemplate than the meaning of the cross. And so we pray that in this hour, you would lend your help to us who are your frail creatures, give us insight into the meaning and the significance of our Savior’s death, for we ask it in His name, Amen." [00:02:26]

"Paul announced that he was determined to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified. That is, Paul’s focus was on the cross, and of course, that statement was something of hyperbole, which is a literary form of exaggeration in order to make a point. But really, it’s not too far as an exaggeration." [00:03:54]

"When we talk about the satisfaction substitutionary view of the atonement, we’re trying to answer the question, what really happened there on the cross? And one of the questions that attends that question is the question, was Jesus’ death on the cross really necessary at all?" [00:06:34]

"The reason why an atonement was necessary, dear friends, is because God is just, because God is righteous, and because God is holy. But we’ve lost sight of the character of God in our age. We conceive of God as some celestial grandfather, a cosmic bellhop who is on duty 24/7 to give us all of our needs." [00:09:11]

"One of the major themes in the New Testament is the theme of reconciliation. The Christ is the reconciliation for us, and one of the things, of course, that is absolutely necessary for reconciliation to take place anywhere is a previous estrangement, because parties that are not estranged have no need of reconciliation." [00:16:06]

"Another dimension about which the New Testament describes the cross, the atonement, is the dimension of ransom. Earlier in our study of Mark’s gospel, we read where Jesus said that He did not come into the world to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." [00:18:28]

"There is a ransom paid, dear friends, but it’s not paid to Satan; it’s paid to the Father. A debt has been incurred to Him that has to be paid. Now, quickly, we think of the New Testament speaking that we are debtors to God, and not only are we mildly in debt, but that we are hopelessly in debt." [00:20:18]

"With God, we have a moral debt, and even when His Son pays the debt as our substitute, when He pays the debt vicariously, the Father does not have to accept it. The fact that the debt is paid means that justice is satisfied. The fact that the Father accepts the payment expresses His mercy and His grace." [00:24:23]

"Paul said you are not your own. You don’t own yourself. You’ve been bought. You’ve been purchased. Paul said you’ve been bought with a price, and the price tag is the blood of Christ. Finally, my friend John Guest once preached a sermon on the blood of Jesus." [00:27:18]

"The New Testament tells us that in God’s eye, at the top of the cross was not simply the accusation written by Pilate but the words, 'It is paid,' appear on that cross. God is satisfied, propitiation, our sins are removed, expiation. As I told you before, every time you come down that aisle, look at that cross." [00:29:13]