The Cross

The Cross
I have been asking God to show me more about the cross. When I take communion it’s supposed to be a reminder of what Jesus did on the cross, but mostly it’s just a time where I would feel guilty of my sin and ask him to forgive me. A solemn time. A time of grieving over my sin. I have felt for years that I was missing something. That if it was such a big deal that Jesus died for me, why was my life not reflecting that it was a big deal. I didn’t even really understand what it meant that my sin was “taken away”.
I am studying Exodus in my women’s bible study and we just finished studying the tabernacle. I made some powerful realizations through this study.
1. In the Old Testament, sin was never taken away. It was just covered up. Like a band aid. The priest would sacrifice an animal to atone for our sin, but it could not take away a guilty conscience. It could not change hearts and minds. Amazingly, the cross makes it possible to not just cover our sin, but take it completely away. Forgotten! It’s not just this mystical belief, but a spiritual reality. I wonder if it is also a physical reality as well.
So all the times I was beating myself up for my sin, I was rejecting Jesus and his finished work on the cross. He didn’t die so I would live in fear, guilt and shame. He didn’t die to cover up my sin. His blood on the cross poured out of his dying body and drowned my sin, never to be remembered again!
2. Jesus can change hearts and minds. Because of the cross, I can have a new heart and a new mind. So the sin that I’m entangled in can not only be removed, but my heart and mind can be healed. He wrote his law on our hearts and minds to that we would know Him and hear from him and fall in love with Him. Not so we could bang each other over the head with “shoulds” and “should nots”. If you have a way of thinking that is not from God- He can literally change your mind. If your heart is broken from someone else sinning against you- He can literally heal your heart so the pain is gone! The trick is allowing Him to do the changing. WE want to be in control of our lives…..BIG mistake!
3. Jesus took ALL punishment on himself at the cross. SO you know about all the killing and God’s anger over the Israelites sin. He struck his people with plagues, killed some of them and wanted to wipe them out more than once. Well, imagine ALL that anger and punishment that you and I deserve being placed on one man. We deserve death for the sin we have willingly done. But Jesus took it ALL on himself. Why? It is for freedom that He has set us free! Did you get that? Jesus took ALL our punishment! Do realize what that means? We will never have to experience punishment! NEVER! We may experience consequences, but never will we be punished. Jesus was punished for us.
My conclusion is that Jesus’ death on the cross was so that I could live life in freedom! So every time I choose to not forgive myself or others, every time I beat myself over the head with my sin, every time I live in fear, I’m disrespecting what Jesus did on the cross for me. I’m saying to him, “it’s not good enough”. That I’m not worth it.
I am astounded at how much I’ve been missing by not fully accepting this amazing gift. I want the abundant life Jesus died for. Now communion is a celebration. A time to not hang my head in guilt, but the raise my eyes to Him and praise Him for my freedom! I want more! Do you?