The Cross That Brought You Near to God

The cross is the greatest demonstration of God's love and the foundation of our salvation. In this message from Matthew 27, Pastor Chris Teien explains how Jesus' sacrifice reveals the seriousness of sin, provides our rescue, and opens the way for every believer to draw near to God.

Jesus willingly gave His life so that we could be forgiven, adopted into God's family, and enjoy a personal relationship with Him. Because of the cross, those who trust in Christ are no longer separated from God but are welcomed into His presence through grace.

In This Message: 

1. The Cross Reveals the Weight of Sin

Jesus bore the full weight of humanity's sin as He hung on the cross. His suffering reminds us that sin is far more serious than we often realize and that only Christ could pay its penalty. (Matthew 27:45-46; Amos 8:9)

2. The Cross Enabled Jesus to Rescue You

Jesus willingly gave His life in our place, becoming the perfect sacrifice for sin. Through His death, God offers forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life to everyone who believes in Christ. (Matthew 27:46-50; Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18)

3. The Cross Invites You to Come Near

When the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, God opened the way for believers to come directly into His presence through Jesus Christ. We no longer need an earthly mediator because Christ is our perfect High Priest. (Matthew 27:51-54; Hebrews 10:19-22; Ephesians 2:13)

Takeaway

Don't carry the weight of your sin any longer. Trust in Jesus Christ, draw near to God through His sacrifice, and live each day in the freedom and hope He has provided.

Illustrations

• The darkness that covered the land demonstrates the weight of God's judgment as Jesus bore the sins of the world.

• The torn temple curtain illustrates that Christ removed the barrier separating sinful people from a holy God.

• The Roman centurion's confession reminds us that even those who witnessed the crucifixion recognized Jesus as the Son of God.

Key Quotes

"The cross reveals the weight of sin."

"Jesus gave His life so you could be brought near to God."

"We don't need another priest because Jesus is our perfect High Priest."

Search Topics

Matthew 27, the cross, crucifixion, Good Friday, Jesus Christ, forgiveness, salvation, grace, drawing near to God, Pastor Chris Teien

Full Episode & Transcript:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285086/episodes/18961500

26.0403der Sacrifice in Action: How the Cross Sets You Free

Helping you apply God's Word and follow Jesus in everyday life. Learn more at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.church  Find episode transcripts at Well.faith 

Transcript

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Chris T 0:16

I don't know if you have a favorite part of the Gospels of the Easter story. But I do know that when you take like a harmony of the Gospels and you can read the gospel accounts in order as you read through, there's just so much wonderful information about what went on. But the most amazing thing of what went on is that perfect Jesus, who was sinless in every way, who showed us how to live, who taught us how to live, who did nothing wrong, purposefully went to the cross to pay for our sins so that we could be made right. And in his righteousness, we are able to be assured heaven. We are able to be adopted as children of God. We are able to receive the Holy Spirit and at least one spiritual gift or more to serve him and to make a difference here in the world. And the world is a crazy place. If you watch the news, it's always some tragedy, some difficulty, something to cause fear or yeah, just a lot of hard stuff. But we have eternal hope. We know that this world is not all that there is. We know that beyond this, that we will spend, those of us who know Christ as our Lord and Savior, will spend eternity in his presence. Spend eternity as he works out his perfect plan. And there are just so many good things ahead. And while we're here, we're supposed to go make converts, supposed to make disciples, supposed to build his kingdom here, supposed to make a difference in the world. And as we do that, there's great reward. One of the biggest rewards is joy. It might cost us a lot, but on the other hand, Jesus gave everything for us to be able to even have the opportunity. And that is so exciting. So we're going to be in the Matthew chapter, hang on a second. Matthew chapter 27. I ribboned my Bible on the wrong page. I have it on here anyway. Matthew chapter 27 and verse 45. So, number one, the cross reveals the weight of sin. Sin is a big deal to God. It is easy for us to get used to sin, dismiss sin, see other people sin and say, oh, it doesn't really matter. We just get culturally used to all sorts of different kinds of sin. Sin that we hear on the radio or we see in the movies or on TV or just around, and we don't think much of it. We think it's none of our business and it doesn't really matter. But when you really think about sin and its effects on relationships, its effects on family, its effects on just even workplaces and communities, it is a serious disease. And Jesus went to the cross purposefully to pay for sin. But he didn't just go to pay for sin. There was a moment here where he has to take on the sin of the world, the weight of sin. He literally takes upon himself, again, he's perfect, he's righteous, he's pure, he's never done anything sinful. He takes upon himself our sin. And it's a serious thing. It affects the weather, it affects the earth, it affects all sorts of stuff. And if you read in Matthew chapter 27, there's just some mysteries in this chapter, and you're like, I didn't even know what to do with that, but it's what is reported. And that is what was paid, what it cost to pay for our freedom. So the verse says, From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over all the land. And that was actually prophesied in Amos 8:9. In that day says the sovereign Lord, I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth while it is still day. God's judgment being poured out, the weight of sin being dealt with. Not just one person's sin, not just one generation's sin, but the sin of all people of all time, which was an amazing, amazing sacrifice. But Jesus, God in the flesh, is the one who made it. Jesus is the one who saw it through. Jesus is the one who made sure that it happened. And he's going to lay down his life. He's going to take up his life at just the right time. But I wonder, do you see sin the way that God sees sin? Does sin concern you as much as it concerns God? Is it possible that there's some type of sin in your life that's getting in the way of all that God could do through you? Maybe today is a good day when we go to communion to confess that sin. Or maybe today is the day that it'd be right to get right with God, to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, to be forgiven of your sin. Those would be good things. So number two, the cross enabled Jesus to rescue you. The cross enabled Jesus to rescue you. So it was what was needed at the time. And in the fullness of time, God sent Jesus. And things worked out just the way they needed to. If you've ever seen reenactments of Jesus' crucifixion, I've watched the Passion of the Christ once in my life. I think that would probably be all I need to watch that. But to just think of all that Jesus suffered and endured for us. Verse 46. About three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eli, Eli, Lemma Saktapani, Sabactani, which means my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And two things are going on there. One, Jesus feels so alone. Jesus feels that God has turned his face because he's taken upon all of this sin, all of this difficulty. Romans 6.23 says the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And sin is a serious thing. Sin is a thing that needs to be dealt with. Sin is a thing that needs to be taken care of, but there's no way we can take care of it on our own. We can't pay enough. We can't do enough. We can't act good enough. Sin is a serious thing. And Jesus feels forsaken. But it's interesting in Psalm 22, 1 that it says, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me so far from my cries of anguish? And some people would say, Oh, Jesus is slick. Here, Jesus has read all of the scriptures and he's just got a list of all the things that he wants to just cover and make sure he gets those prophecies done. But there's no way that even if he had a list, that he could make sure that the Romans' response, the Pharisees' response, the people's responses would do all that was required to do. So Jesus came, he's working out his plan, it's working out just as it's supposed to, and it's going to be the most wonderful day ever for us. And that's why, like the video said, that's why it's called Good Friday. Because it was a terrible day, but it was very good for us. And it was very good for God because he loves us so much that he sent his only son so that we could believe in him and be saved. And those are good things. Passage continues, verse 47. When some of those standing there heard this, they said, He's calling Elijah. And immediately one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. And the rest said, Now let's leave him alone and let's see if Elijah comes to save him. And so people are mocking him. People are wondering what's happening here. The guy that could do miracles, the guy that in earlier in the week rode into town like he was gonna be a king, is now on the cross and he can't get himself down, and the people are confused. The people don't understand. Even the disciples are confused, and Jesus is enduring all of this. I don't know, you know, in your own pride what type of things maybe you've had to endure because you, you know, had a position or you were something. And this isn't even close to Jesus, but there was a time where I had a job in a company, and I purposefully, purposefully took a lesser, way lesser job in the company so I could finish Bible college. And so I was good with it because it worked out, the pay was the same, my schedule was good, I could do Bible college, I could be the volunteer youth pastor and still provide for my family. And everything about it was good until somebody asked me to do something I did not like to do that I did not have to do when I had that higher position, and it just bugged me so much. I'm like, wait, do you have any idea of who I was? But this is Jesus. And he, in his mind, is probably like, they have no idea who I am, but it doesn't make him angry, it doesn't make him prideful, it doesn't do any of that. It breaks his heart. He weeps for them, he cares for them, he hopes that they will understand the message and that they will receive him as their Lord and Savior and get saved. Second Corinthians 5 21 says, God made him, Jesus who had no sin, to be sinned for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God, so that we might become righteous, so that we might live out God's plan and God's ways with our days here and for all eternity. And verse 50 says, When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. He gave up his spirit. It shocked people that Jesus just decided when he was done. And he cried out and he died. And he was in control of that. Some people think, oh, the Pharisees and the Romans, they're so terrible. They took Jesus' life, but no, Jesus gave his life. Nobody took Jesus' life, Jesus was in full control. And Isaiah 53, 6 says, We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned our own way, and the Lord has laid on him, on Jesus, the iniquity, the sin of us all. Jesus gave up his spirit. Peter comments on this. He writes, For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body, but made alive in the spirit. Jesus Christ suffered once, so it was 2,000 years ago, but it still matters today. It is still an effective sacrifice. It still works to credit our sin account. And it is Jesus is still working. Jesus is still waiting for more people to get saved. Jesus is still waiting for the gospel to be spread around the earth and for all people to hear. So someday he'll return. But right now, just think about as we tell people about Jesus, who might come to Jesus. I get excited about this. I think if Jesus waits, if he doesn't come back now, I might be able to meet a new grandchild or a great grandchild or a new friend or somebody that's going to get saved and then may be able to spend eternity with them. The longer Jesus waits to come back, the more people have an opportunity to get saved, and the more opportunities we have to tell people about Jesus. We're not trying to fix ourselves. We realize that when we come to Jesus, then he starts to fix us. We know that we struggle with sin, but as the Holy Spirit works in our life, as we confess those sins, as we pray through that stuff, Jesus can help us to live a life that is more righteous. I hope that you can look back on your life and say, Well, I'm better. I'm doing better. I don't have those sins anymore that I struggled with in the past. But the cool thing is, is the closer you get to God, the more he works on the stuff. He starts with actions and then maybe he moves to motivations and attitudes, but he wants us to make us more and more like Jesus. And that is a good thing. Number three, the cross invites you to come near. The cross invites you to come near. This is one of my favorite parts of this whole story. So I wish it would have been caught on video somewhere. I really like it. Verse 51. At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn into from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split. So in the temple, the Holy of Holies was separated by this really big curtain. So the Holy of Holies was the high priest went in there once a year on the Day of Atonement, and this curtain was huge. Some Bible commentators say, you know, maybe it was 60 feet high and 30 feet wide and several inches thick and super heavy. So it's not like, you know, some vandal got up there and ripped the thing. And it separated all the people and the priests at the time from the Holy of Holies, which was like a 30 by 30 foot room. And so that's where God was said he dwelt. And so people realized that. And so the priests at the time would represent the people to God. The priests would hear the sin and offer the sacrifices. The priests would hear the message and tell the people. And so there was this division between the priests and the people. If you wanted to get close to God, you had to go through the priests. But then when Jesus died on the cross, God split that curtain from the top down, signifying that you and I can have direct access to God. That you and I might benefit from a pastor, but we don't need a priest because Jesus is our high priest. So we can go directly into the presence of the Lord ourselves. And that is one thing worth celebrating. That is one thing to be excited about. And we don't have to have anybody offer sacrifices on our behalf because Jesus was the ultimate ultimate sacrifice. And Hebrews 10, verse 19 says, Dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's most holy place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the most holy place. That is so exciting. That is so exciting that you and I, we can take our needs directly to Jesus. We can confess the sins that we're dealing with directly to Jesus. We can tell him of our struggles, of our difficulties, of our hopes, of our dreams, of the things that we would love to do for him, with him, if he would enable us and empower us. That curtain mattered. That was a big deal, and it's a big deal in this story. So I've checked Bible commentaries, I've looked for extra biblical resources. Josephus doesn't have a clue. Nobody has a clue of what really went on here, but the scripture reports, Matthew reports, the tombs broke open, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. Next verse. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. What did they do? It's like, we just buried Uncle Lloyd, and now he's here. Did he just say, hey, I want to tell you Jesus, Jesus has broken the curse of death. Jesus is going to teach us a new way so we can have eternal life, believe in Jesus, and then they disappeared. They went to a great heavenly party? Or did they stick around and say, hey, I want my stuff back? It's in the scripture, and we take it at face value. And it's very interesting. But it does prove that Jesus has broken the power of death and his resurrection of matters. So the Roman guard, the centurion, saw the earthquake and all that had happened. They were terrified and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God. Surely he was the Son of God. Do you believe that? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Have you come to a point in your life where you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Maybe today would be the day. You know, we all struggle struggle with sin. Sin separates us from God. Sin brings us guilt and shame. And if we die in our sins, we will never be able to spend eternity with Jesus. And some people think, well, if I just work good enough, if I do good enough, but Ephesians 2 says, Ephesians 2.8 says by grace you've been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves. It's the gift of God, not by works, so that no one boasts. No one can boast. What I love about that is again, it's all about this humility thing. When you and I get to spend eternity in Jesus' presence, we aren't going to be like some people on some TV show or whatever, or we were the champions. It's like we were the only winners. Oh, we did so great. We'd be like, I didn't, I don't deserve to be here. So I was not, I'm not good enough to be here. Jesus knows exactly who I am and why I would be disqualified, but he paid the price. He has made it so that I can be saved by his grace through faith. Acts 3.19 says, Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. So repent doesn't mean to clean yourself up. Repent means to turn. Want to turn from your sinful ways and turn to follow Jesus. So it doesn't even mean that you have to clean everything up. It means that you're going to place your trust and your faith in Jesus and have a desire to stop running from God and start running to God. And we would love to help you with that. So the resurrection is one of the most important things in the gospel story. And knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him is important. And finally, Romans 10 9 says, if you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved. For it's with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it's with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. We're gonna, after we watch this video, we're gonna take communion. And you can't take communion here with us if you're if you haven't received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you're not a born-again believer, don't take communion, just let it pass by. If you're part of another church or whatever, that doesn't matter to us. You need to be in Christ. You need to take communion in a worthy manner. You need to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. And maybe, maybe even a simple prayer to invite Jesus into your life would be good. Something like, Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and I acknowledge that you died on the cross, you paid for my sin, and you rose again and you're alive today. Jesus, please come into my life and save me. Make me the person you created me to be. I want to follow you in Jesus' name. Amen. Something like that. And if you did that, if you have come into a relationship with Christ, we want to do everything we can to help you start growing in that relationship with Christ. Ephesians 2.13. But now in Christ Jesus, you who are once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Well, we have a moment, a few moments to pray, to talk to Jesus, to thank him, maybe confess, maybe profess, maybe just praise. Luke 22, 19. He took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, This cup is a new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. So during this time of contemplation, they'll sing. And then we'll take, I'll come back up, I'll pray, and we'll take the communion elements together. We have so much to be thankful for, so much to remember, so much to celebrate. Jesus has done so much. You know, there's no guarantee that as time goes on that we'll always be able to meet like this, that we'll always be able to tell people about our faith in Jesus. I'm wondering if our how to find God New Testament might become illegal in Canada because of a page in there that talks about the importance of a biblical sexuality. And so things are changing. But then again, as we are faithful to tell others about Jesus, as we are faithful to turn the cultural tide and turn people towards Christ, maybe the whole mindset of our nation will change. Maybe the world will experience revival. Never, never think you're defeated when we watch that video. People crying because Jesus, Jesus in their eyes, had died. He was dead. But he's coming back. He knew it. He told them that, but they didn't understand. And so we know that we are on the winning team. And when we take communion, we celebrate that. Jesus, I thank you so much that we can gather in this place. And I thank you that this bread represents your body. That was crushed, that was pierced for our transgressions. Jesus, we thank you that this cup represents your blood that was shed for our sins. Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins. And it was the perfect sacrifice, an only once needed sacrifice. And we need to appropriate that. We need to understand that. We need to celebrate that. So, Jesus, we thank you. And we take the bread and we eat it. Jesus, thank you. And we drink the cup as Jesus instructed. And remember Jesus' perfect sacrifice. Jesus, I thank you so much that we were able to gather and remember you. Lord, I pray for those who might listen or watch that they too would be encouraged to grow in their faith. Jesus, we thank you for everything that you've done, everything that you're doing, and everything that you're going to do in the lives of those who are faithful in Jesus' name.