The Way of the Cross
Gods master plan to reconcile humanity
Recap:
The inauguration of Christ:
Isaiah. 9:6-7
6 “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His
shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the
throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from
that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
In birth, Jesus fulfilled the required prophecies for him to be the Messiah.
He was of the lineage of Abraham (Gen 17:7) and David (Isa 9:7) and he was raised in Galilee etc…
This was verified by heaven evidenced by the Shepherds account.
Luke 2:13-14 (the shepherds encounter)
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and
saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
His life and ministry:
The Jews expected a conquering King as the fulfillment of all the prophecy
Psalm 9:7–10
“The Lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you”.
Isaiah 11:4
4 He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
“I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (Isaiah 22:22).
What he taught:
The Beatitudes:
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Psalm 14:2–3 (ESV)
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
And in order to bring us back to him he died for our sins:
Isaiah 53:5-6
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
When he died and rose again
he did two things, he brought the holy spirit and left for us a way……
That is the way of the cross!
Matthew 16:24-25
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life[g] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
We have to die continually, daily hourly, to the things we want, our desires and submit them to the scriptures.
That is the way of the cross.
We must strive to be:
Poor in spirit
Those who mourn
Meek
Hungry and thirsty for righteousness
Merciful
Pure in heart
Peacemakers
https://www.jesusfilm.org/blog/old-testament-prophecies/
https://www.foi.org/2021/04/01/the-messiah-who-was-israel-expecting/
