“The Story of the Cross” Part 2 Canon Graeme W interton at Holy Trinity Kew - Advent Sunday - 27th. Nov. 2016
He came to give his life a ransom for many
Matthew 24:36-44 1. Today’s Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent warns us to be ready for the sudden unexpected appearance of the Messiah when he fulfills his promise to establish God’s Kingdom and bring earth to the end of its allotted time. 2. Last week we explored the reason why the Church Fathers made a practice of pointing to the cross by inference and interruption as a way of reminding us that nothing is more important than the cross, and we were led to understand that the cross is the preeminent theme of the Church overshadowing every other consideration. Our Lord’s challenge to take up the cross is personal and can never be overlooked. We concluded by saying. ‘When people take up the cross they discover that The cross becomes the passage from death to life. Like Jesus we are asked to choose the cross, for unless we do we can never expect to achieve the crown. And so today we will follow the lead of the Church Fathers and continue the Story of the Cross as a natural prerequisite for personal partcipation in the life of the Kingdom when Christ returns. 3. How does the Cross of Christ touch our lives today? St Paul explained what God did through the cross: 'God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them '. 'Christ gave himself to redeem the whole human race; it is the proof at the right time 'that God wants everyone to be saved, 1 Tim 2:6 People of our time have great difficulty with these statements. Most of us are so locked into the humanist mindset of our society that we just can’t comprehend how it can apply to us personally. We naturally ask — “How can it be possible for something which took place 2000 years ago apply to me now, let alone how can I experience the power of his death and resurrection?” Our logic asks, “after all, many sins have been committed long after his death - what about them?”
4. So, ‘how does the death of Christ touch our lives today?’ IN THREE ways First, The Cross of Christ is eternal! In the mind of the Living God, for whom time does not exist, the death of Christ prevails for the entire human race. It affects every person from all of time past present and the future. The cross stands as a sentinel untouched by time. The cross is ever present in the eternal now. The death of Jesus was an event of eternity; an eternal pivotal point which we can only locate in human time. Look beyond the physical events of Calvary, and the human viewpoint, and see the cross intersecting space, time and eternity. From this stand point, the death of Jesus is constant in the presence of the Father. When we speak of the Lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world we are standing in eternity where he ever lives to make intercession for the sins of the
whole world. 5. Secondly, the death of Christ touches our lives by establishing a new
relationship with God. Scripture states that "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Friendship replaces estrangement. When Christ died on the cross he removed the cause of alienation between God and humanity. Through the death of Christ on the cross reconciliation is accomplished. God forgives sin, cleanses and renews the divine image in all who trust him to do so. And there’s the rub - in all who trust him and receive the reconciliation. Christ’s sacrifice is available for everyone. However, forgiveness must be apropriated personally. Appropriation is a very big issue for a person to deal with. It demands deliberate choice By way of example; there are numerous stories of people who have lived frugal lives at the poverty level. and then for their exectors to discover a substantial regular provison of funds to an account that had never been activated - either from ignorance or by deliberate choice. A provision which had never been appropriated.
6. The Third way the death of Christ impacts us is by a constant process of radical renewal of the inner life. Jesus said: If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and will take up residence with him. [ Jn. 14:23 Mounce] The Holy Spirit is resident in the life of people who believe and commit themselves to trust and receive the reconciliation Jesus achieved at the cross. For them Jesus is Lord. He lives within them. They are, as St Paul says, baptised into his death and resurrection. Paul is speaking of complete surrender to the will and purpose of God. Page 2
Paul goes so far as to say "I am Crucified with Christ" because he had chosen to surrender his entire being to the fulfillment of the purposes of God. In his commitment to Jesus he then went further and spoke of being buried with Christ in baptism. It means the same thing, complete surrender of the self to God. 7. Of course it is what Jesus did - He surrendered completely to the
will of God – every day of his life, and supremely on the cross.
Jesus always was in tune with the will of the Father and lived the purpose of God out in every way. God was in him and he was in God - the harmony and unity was complete. Jesus was identified in God 8. Identification with Jesus is the true meaning of the Cross for Christians. Most of us have become so familiar with the story that we are in danger of allowing it to become a ritual of observance without any real connection to our daily lives.The most important issue you and I must grasp is the gigantic single fact at the heart and centre of our Faith.- Christ has died, Christ is risen and that Christ lives in my life because he died for me, in my place and for my eternal salvation. To be a Christian means choosing to belong to Jesus! People who belong to Jesus are people who have chosen to live in identification with the life and purpose of God – inwardly as well as outwardly. They are new people with a new orientation, they are members of new eternal international nation which is founded in the blood and sacrifice of the cross and sealed in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. 9. You may well ask, “however does all this relate to Advent Sunday?” In every possible way, for Advent is only significant if it is grounded in expectation. Jesus was particularly careful to make sure we understood the importance of the connection between our particpation in the life of the Kingdom of God in the present and our participation in the eternal kingdom to come. Be always on the watch, and pray . .that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. He taught us to pray your kingdom Come . St. James was well aware of the connection: They will say, 'Where is this coming he promised? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
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10. How very wise of the Church Fathers to focus upon the Cross.
When we began this morning I said that the Story of the Cross isa prerequisite for personal partcipation in the life of the Kingdom when Christ returns. We have come to understand four incontrovertible facts today:
1. The Cross stands for every one, forever. 2. The Cross is the means of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. 3. The Cross opens the way for the Holy Spirit to live in our lives. 4. The Cross is the guarantee of membership in the Kingdom of God. 11. One important question: ● “Where do you stand in relation to the Christ of the cross? His sacrifice is available for everyone. However, only you can appropriate forgiveness for yourself. It must be apropriated personally. Think again of our Lord’s stern reminder: "lf anyone would follow me, they must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. When people embrace the cross it becomes the path from death to life and a guarantee of membership in the Kngdom of God as we look in anticipation and hope for his return. When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home – what joy shall fill my heart! then shall I bow in humble adoration and there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
Advent Sunday - 27th. Nov. 2016 \
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