Thankful For The Gift!
St. Augustine said, “First You Believe—Then You Understand!”
Tonight many of us believe what Jesus did for us on the Cross—but sometimes we can’t understand it or what it means for us!
Oswald Chambers said, "All of Heaven is very interested in the cross of Christ, All Hell is terribly afraid of the Cross--while men are the only beings who more or less ignore it’s meaning!
Tonight--we want to try to understand—what it means to us!
Marker—with a volunteer—(Have the People) name some sins to us—(Have a volunteer) write them on this wooden cross—all over the place! (If you need to—use the 10 commandments to get them started)
(Use a permanent marker and show after the person writing is seated how you can’t erase it)
Read—Col. 3:1-10
Col 3:1 Since you were brought back to life with Christ, focus on the things that are above-where Christ holds the highest position.
Col 3:2 Keep your mind on things above, not on worldly things.
Col 3:3 You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 Christ is your life. When he appears, then you, too, will appear with him in glory.
Col 3:5 Therefore, put to death whatever is worldly in you: your sexual sin, perversion, passion, lust, and greed (which is the same thing as worshiping wealth).
Col 3:6 It is because of these sins that God’s anger comes on those who refuse to obey him.
Col 3:7 You used to live that kind of sinful life.
Col 3:8 Also get rid of your anger, hot tempers, hatred, cursing, obscene language, and all similar sins.
Col 3:9 Don’t lie to each other. You’ve gotten rid of the person you used to be and the life you used to live,
Col 3:10 and you’ve become a new person. This new person is continually renewed in knowledge to be like its Creator.
The sin—the things written on the cross tonight---that are evident in our lives—each of us here tonight—Romans 3:23—are what put Christ on the Cross!
“The Cross was Crafted by You—Carried By Him!”
What a thought—we crafted—the cross because of our sins!
But He carried it for us!
Listen to what He did on the Cross for us!
Col 2:13 You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God’s people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.
Col 2:14 God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross.
Col 2:15 There Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let the whole world see them being led away as prisoners when he celebrated his victory.
I thank the Lord Tonight—that He carries the cross that we crafted and nailed our sins to the cross where He wiped them out......
Tonight—I wanna ask you as you look at the cross before you with all our sins written on it—are you thankful for what He did for you?
It’s like this gang—my son Brayden loves to play out in the sand box out back-
He often times would rub his face and mouth without remembering that the sand was all over his hands!
When I notice that he has that yucky sand all through his little mouth---I don’t leave it there for Him to deal with on his own!
I get water—and help him rinse the sand out of his mouth!
Jesus—didn’t leave us alone to deal with our sin--when He looked at us and saw the sin in our lives-He didn’t take water to clean us up—He spilled his blood—to clean up our sins!
St. Augustine said, “First You Believe—Then You Understand!”
Do you not only believe but understand tonight---what you have to be thankful for!
Close your eyes with me—and listen as I read what King David wrote to God—when He understood!
Psalm 51:7
(MSG) Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
(CEV) Wash me with hyssop until I am clean and whiter than snow.
Psa 51:9 Turn your eyes from my sin and cover my guilt.
Psa 51:10 Create pure thoughts in me and make me faithful again.
Psa 51:11 Don’t chase me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me.
Psa 51:12 Make me as happy as you did when you saved me; make me want to obey!
The Cross—it was crafted/ built by you—but carried to the hill at Calvary by Him—where He nailed these ugly sins to the cross once for all!
If you were to look at Rembrandt’s painting--The Three Crosses--First, your attnetion would be drawn to the cross in the middle--where Jesus was crucified--
Second things you would notice is the people that are standing all around the cross-- the ones that are crucifying an innocent man--you would see the looks on their faces--and through their actions you would note their approval of what was happening.
The third thing you would notice---is the shadow of a figure off to the one side of the painting--you could almost miss it. Art critics belive that this was Rembrandt’s potrayel of himself in the picture. He wa showing the viewers of his work that he felt he himself had a part in nailing Christ to the cross that day because of his sins!
We too--have apart in his being nailed to the cross at Calvary--The cross was crafted (built) by us--but carried by Him!
Are You thankful for Jesus and what He did on the Cross for you! Especially since we crafted the Cross!
Maybe--some of you listening to this message--have never accepted Jesus as your Savior--and after hearing and understanding what he did for you on the cross--You feel him tugging at your heart saying--take this gift--I will wash you and make you whiter than snow--
Pray the prayer of salvation with them!
(I then had each person come up to the cross we wrote the sins on earlier and put their finger on an ink pad--and stamp their finger print on the cross--acknowledging--to Christ that they crafted the cross--they built it with their own hands--so to speak!
Then they each took a nail back to their seats--where they sat and worshipped Christin song while thanking Him for the gift of salvation.
