The Cross Leads To Salvation Series

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION

RECAP OF LESSONS IN SERIES

- The Cross is a Foolish Message (1 Corinthians – message is foolish to a world that is perishing)

- The Cross Gives Us Endurance (we run this race in this world and are able to overcome obstacles, fear, weariness)

- The Cross Has Enemies (With tears we say this. How do we treat enemies? With love. We pray for them.)

- The Cross We Take Up (as disciples, if we follow Christ, we take up our own cross and follow Jesus)

- The Cross Brings Friends and Family Together

- The Cross is Powerful (its message is power in the way that God shows his might in the events surrounding the crucifixion)

- The Sign of the Cross (the sign over Jesus’ head was offensive to the Jewish leaders because it proclaimed that Yahweh was hanging on the cross)

- Today – the Cross Leads to Salvation

FORGIVING A FRIEND

Forgiveness is not always an easy thing to give. We have places in our lives where someone has done wrong to us and we struggle with the way we are called to forgive, yet having a distrust still in our minds.

When I was a student in college, I was struggling to figure out my place in this world. What my role would be in a career. Even with a degree, I wasn’t sure what it would look like to have a job pursuing my degree. Would I truly be able to find a church to minister? Would I need to find something outside my degree area?

On campus, the job of Resident Director of Dorm Life was opening up. The old dorm director was leaving that role to another and wouldn’t be living there anymore. So, as a young resident assistant, I threw my hat into the ring. I knew the job and knew I could handle it.

I wasn’t the only one with this idea. They probably got dozens of applicants for this job. One of which was a friend of mine. His name is Darren. He was a fellow member of the same social service club on campus, Kingsmen. He was one of the students I was directly in charge of during pledge week. So we knew each other well.

Well, word was getting around campus about the different people who had applied. And with that word comes rumors and other gossip about who would be best for that role, especially, if as a student you were going to have to listen to their direction and rules of the dorm. A rumor had gotten around back to me that Darren had been telling people that as for my candidacy, I was not a responsible person and shouldn’t be Dorm Supervisor. When I heard about this I kind of laughed at first. I was a part of a lot of different on campus activities and was leading some as well. To be considered unreliable and irresponsible was not true. And everyone knew that. But to hear that a friend was going around and saying this was heart-breaking. It hurt my feelings that he would say this and if he believed it, that’s even more heart-breaking.

At first, I laughed. Then I got kind of angry about it. But after a bit, I realized that maybe it wasn’t true. And after even more reflection, I realized that so many people were after this job, that it was silly for me to believe that I had a shot anyway. On top of this, I determined that I wasn’t going to worry about what someone had said – true or not – because I knew that the responsible and reliable thing to do would be to forgive Darren.

I knew we would eventually run into each other. But in my heart, I had already forgiven him. Whether he said it or not.

We did run into each other on the way to something happening across campus. As we approached each other, he started to say that the rumor wasn’t true and I stopped him and put my arm around him and said, “Don’t worry about it. I’m your friend and I don’t care if you said it or not. I’ve already moved on.”

In our lesson today, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross provides the forgiveness we need. On the Cross of Christ, we will explore this idea that The Cross Leads to Salvation.

READ PASSAGE: ACTS 2:36-42

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.