Thank you for listening to the Cultivating Growth Podcast, where each and every week we kind of pick a topic and we talk about how it is that we can grow in that specific topic. And so this week, John and I will be talking about the importance of cultivating the growth and specifically our appreciation for the cross.

It is in every way what the New Testament is about, Jesus and his sacrifice. It is in every single page, not just in the New Testament, but certainly pointed to from the pages of the Old Testament. The Old Testament is pointing to the cross. The New Testament is about the cross and the significance of it.

And so we're going to talk about really growing in our appreciation. Specifically of the cross. I'm looking forward to that conversation. So let's get right to it 

Jeremy you made mention of it as you were kicking us off today That really the entirety of the bible is pointing to this culminating event of jesus Sacrificing himself on the cross and and for us as christians  It is, uh, what our entire faith is centered around the belief that Jesus came to this earth, the son of God, and that he died on the cross.

And in doing so, he shed his blood so that we could be forgiven of our sins. And it, it really is everything to the Christian,  but I think sometimes there, there is a potential danger. That because it is such a focal point for us, that it can almost become a little bit  too easy to talk about nonchalantly, so to speak, where we don't necessarily always give it the reverence that we should.

And so I think it's important to take some time every now and then just to remind ourself. what the cross really is to us, why it's so significant, why it's so important. And I think in doing that, it not only strengthens our faith, but it also aids us when we go to talk to someone else about it, that I can articulate what the cross of Christ really means to me individually, because that's an important part of talking to someone else, as we've talked about last week and evangelizing.

It all really centers around this great sacrifice that was made on our behalf. And so we all have a responsibility to be ready and be able to talk about it and to articulate why it's so important to us.  I was trying earlier to, you know, kind of think about  parallels. You know, just in this world that would help us here, and  there are a couple of them that kind of gives us a little bit of insight, but the problem is, the ones that would give us the most insight, very few of us really experience.

And listen, you can read. Things, or you can watch documentaries, or you can maybe talk even to other people that, you know, have at some moment in their life where their, their life was in danger and someone else stepped in to save their life. that they, they did something heroic or, or something above and beyond, you know, to save your life.

Now, rarely, even more rare would you have in that instance, you know, someone giving their own life for you, but you know, even in the, even in the cases of when your life is saved, I mean, literally saved by someone else.  Even though that hasn't happened to me physically in that case, I can kind of start to grasp that there would be emotion involved with that, there would be a feeling involved with that, specifically with that person and what they had, what they did. 

And when we begin to, you know, paint those very big picture, you know, kinds of things, the reality even continues to be that that even pales in comparison to what Jesus has done for me. That physical life and the meaning that that have in regards to my understanding of what my spiritual life is and how Jesus not just, you know, pushed me out of the way of an Oncoming car he stepped in the way of the oncoming car.

And so it wouldn't strike me. And so, you know, when you begin to think about that, you know, it, it is, there is a temptation. I think you're right on. I mean, we'll full circle here. I don't want to feel like I'm kind of rambling here at the beginning, but I think you're right. There, there is a temptation that, you know, the cross seemingly is everywhere.

We talk about the cross so much. We, we take the Lord's supper every Sunday morning and we're thinking about the cross that you want to make sure that it isn't diminished.  I mean, that is the greatest of all fears, but that you keep a healthy appreciation for what the cross really, really means in your life.

You know, I was looking at Colossians chapter 2 earlier just in preparation for this. For this and that passage, I think helps me anyway, as I think about what the cross of Jesus did for me. And it reminds me just how significant it was. Paul there is writing to the Christians in Colossae and he, he's making the point there in verse 13, that you were dead in your trespasses.

That that's where. Christ found you, but then he goes on to say that he's wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. And so that's point number one in that passage that, that these trespasses that essentially we had committed that condemned us to death, Christ has taken I love the language.

He's taken it out of the way.  And nailed it to the cross. So he took all of that on himself so that I could be free of those things. That's what he did on the cross. So that's point number one, but then it goes on to say. He's also disarmed principalities and powers. He made a public spectacle of them  triumphing over them in it.

So in his death and on the cross, not only did he take away the trespasses that I had committed that condemned me to death, but he also disarmed principalities. Principalities and powers and made a spectacle of them. He embarrassed them by this victory that he achieved on the cross. And that is so counterintuitive to the way a lot of people obviously thought in that moment, they thought putting Christ on the cross was a victory for them.

They had finally beaten him, but, but Christ sees that. And certainly we see that now, as we have the whole picture in front of us, we see that that was actually the victory for Christ because in doing so he  And he disarmed these principalities and these powers of evil. I think one thing that really helps in our appreciation of the cross, or certainly growing in our appreciation of the cross, is to come to the realization of what happens without the cross.

You start to, you know, you start to think about it that way. Paul does that in the book of, when he writes the book of Romans, you know, a little bit, when he makes the point about the wages of sin, the wages of sin is death. It is very simple. People, you know, statement that, you know, is given there. And so you start to have an understanding that without the cross, there is no hope, right?

Without the cross, there is eternity in darkness. There is eternity in hell, eternity separated from God. Without the cross, there is sin and sadness, right? Without the cross, you have all these things. So if you're able to, you know, understand those, those realities with the cross, then  It helps with your appreciation, and to me that's, you know, Ephesians chapter one.

You may mention Colossians chapter two. Ephesians and Colossians are parallel books in a lot of ways.  And in Ephesians chapter one, you know, kind of the book opens with, you know, Paul saying, Hey, we need to be reminded of the appreciation that we need to have for Christ in general. But he lays out specifics and really alluding to the cross a couple of different times.

And when he says he also. All of these incredible blessings that you enjoy. He's writing to Christians there in Ephesus. But all of those incredible blessings that you enjoy, all of those blessings are in Christ. And he reminds him in verse 7 that in Him we have redemption through His blood. The forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.

That it is because of His grace and because of the blood spilt on the cross, certainly and easy, alluding to the cross itself, that without that We don't have forgiveness of sins. Without that, we have death, spiritually. Without that, and so, I think with that understanding, I think that's what Paul is doing here in Ephesians chapter 1, it helps us in our appreciation of what Jesus did for us.

And you know, to your point that you made kind of at the outset, where all of Scripture points us to the reality that you were just talking about, one of the things that the Old Testament does for us is it shows us that, um, Blood and death has always been a requirement for the remission of sins. God, God taught us that through the old law, when he demanded sacrifices as an atonement for sin, he began to shape within us an understanding of what sin costs.

And so then when we get to the Old Testament and we get to the story of Christ and we see what happens as he lives perfectly on this earth, blameless, spotless, and yet then offers himself as that perfect sacrifice. As the Hebrew writer in Hebrews chapter 9 will point out,  because of the perfection with which he lived his life, he was able to make that sacrifice once for all.

There's no longer a need for a continuation of sacrifices as there had been. Previously, and that, that's what Jesus and his sacrifice did for us. Uh, but, but understanding the old Testament allows Paul and the other writers and the new Testament to call upon our understanding of you guys know what the cost of sin is.

The old law taught you that, but now you see through Christ his sacrifice and the perfection of the Son of God dying on the cross and shedding his blood. He has now made that sacrifice once for all. It's the last one that ever has to be made. That, that in and of itself, if we have a full understanding and picture of, of throughout history, the cost of our sins, we now see the, the cross of Jesus. 

as that sacrifice that has put an end to all sacrifices. There's no longer a need for more sacrifices to be made because His blood so perfectly cleanses me of my sins. He is that perfect sacrifice that the whole world had been waiting for. Since the beginning of time, the whole world had been waiting for that sacrifice to be made, and that's what happened when Jesus died.

You know, I was thinking, You know, you made mention of  Having it or growing in our appreciation of the cross the impact that it can have Even when we talked about last week with our evangelism, and you know, that is a reality I mean probably we could have done, you know had this conversation Months ago because it is the foundation of so many different things I mean you think about the Lord's Supper, which is, you know given to us each and every week to Remember what Christ has done for us You Having an appreciation of the cross and growing in that, the impact that that would have just on the Lord's Supper each and every Lord's Day and the significance of that moment, right?

The significance of that moment. If I'm growing in my appreciation of the cross, that's the significance of that moment of partaking of the Lord's Supper becomes monumental. And, you know, everything is beautiful. building, you know, everything is building off of that. And I was thinking about it just with your mention of, you know, blood and that's what you see in the Old Testament.

That's why you have that incredible parallel from the Lord's Supper to the Passover and the Passover is exactly what we're talking about. It's pointing to an event where through blood there was saving fire. from death and the significance then that it had on those people. And you can read about in the book of Numbers,  you know, the thought process from the very first Passover.

I mean, the people who lived it in Egypt and the significance, and especially from the ones that weren't going to be able to participate and how. upset they were about that because of how real it was to them. That's what we have to do. If we're going to grow in our appreciation of the cross, we have to come to the understanding and make it personal to know that Jesus did this, yes, for the world, but specifically he did it for me.

Yeah, the two words that really stuck out to me there that you just used were making it real and making it personal. And, you know, that that is something that it sounds elementary and maybe it is. But it is something that we have to remind ourselves of. This really happened. You know, it's not, it's not some novel or made up story.

It's not a fiction story that's been written for us. I mean, this really happened. The Son of God died on the cross for my sins. And to remind myself of that, as elementary as that may sound, Yeah, I think it is really important. And in doing so, I think it helps the second point, which is to make it more personal.

Because I, I, I say out loud that he died for my sins. You know, it's true that he died for everybody's sins. That's true. And I'm thankful for that, but I'm thankful that he died for my sins. And I want to remind myself of that. I want to teach my children that I want to make sure that comes across in my preaching and my teaching.

Uh, that the cross of Jesus is something that should be ever present in our minds. It should be something that we talk about often. And it should be all of those things because it's so personal and it's so monumental in my life  That it is just always right there under the surface And and you know, I I Listen, I've been one to get emotional from time to time when preaching or teaching.

And certainly I think this is something that is worth getting emotional about sometimes. That when we really, really make the connection to what Christ did to our lives. Not only should it be something that we're appreciative of, but it should be something that elicits a level of emotion in us to think about what He did for us on that cross, because it truly is unlike anything else that's ever been done.

And God knows we need that. I think the Lord's Supper And, and what he has given to us in the pages of the New Testament of, of partaking in the Lord's Supper and bringing that to our mind each and every week showcases that this is something that God knows we need to have in the front of our mind, to never let it slip back into the middle or certainly into the back of our minds, that it needs to be something that is always in the front of our minds.

And God knows, he knows we need that. And now look at what he's done. He's done everything that he can to help us, to help us, to make sure it stays in the front of our minds. Yeah. Well, I referenced earlier a passage in Hebrews chapter nine, and we'll finish there today. The Hebrew writer, It talks a lot about Jesus and His sacrifice and, and what He did for us.

Uh, but I'll turn your attention to Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 12, and we'll close with this passage. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, He entered the most holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 

Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast, whatever platform you're listening, rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk again next week.