The 1^st Midweek Lenten Meditation

SERMON

Text: Acts 2:22-26

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the LORD always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh will also rest in hope."

In Christ Jesus, Whose blessed death we commemorate this Lenten Season, dear fellow redeemed:

The apostle Paul described the substance of his ministry by saying, “We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews, a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Crucifixion—death upon a cross, in the Roman world was the ultimate punishment of crime. It was a gruesome death inflicted on Rome’s enemies and those who violated her laws. This evening and for the next six weeks in our Lenten services we will consider the "Meaning of the Cross" as it relates to the death of Jesus Christ. We will discover that meaning by reviewing portions of sermons preached by the apostles and recorded in the Book of Acts. This evening, as we consider a portion of the Apostle Peter’s Pentecost sermon, we will discover perhaps surprisingly, that THE CROSS MEANS SUCCESS!

It is rather easy to see how the cross means sorrow, or even how the cross means love. Isaac Watts immortalized those thoughts in his hymn, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Watts wrote, “See, from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down.” It would hardly seem proper to replace one of those two words, love or sorrow, with the word success! Success and death on the cross hardly seem synonymous. That is perhaps why many people simply fail to comprehend Jesus’ redemptive work and, consequently, view Jesus’ sufferings and death as signs of the ultimate failure of Jesus to bring about the moral and spiritual reforms he advocated. Yet as we shall see, Peter understood and proclaimed on that first Pentecost that THE CROSS indeed MEANS SUCCESS!

I.

First of all, because Jesus died on the cross according to God’s plan! The events of Jesus’ life and, in particular, those surrounding His death were still very much on the popular mind that Pentecost morning when Peter preached the sermon containing the words of our text. As the topic was discussed, no doubt, fingers were pointed in many different directions to assess guilt. Some probably placed the blame on Pilate and the Romans, while others no doubt bitterly blamed the chief priests and the scribes. Still others probably remembered the Jewish crowd, who placed the responsibility for His blood upon themselves and upon their children (cf. Matthew 27:25). What was seemingly clear to everyone, however, was that the cross meant failure—a failure in morality, a failure in leadership, and ultimately the failure of Jesus. The reality of the situation, however, is quite different!

The responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion lies not with one man and the soldiers under his command. Nor does it lie with the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day, or with one group of unbelieving Jews. Rather, it lies with all people. We are all responsible for the death of Christ, for we all have sinned and Christ died to take away the sins of us all! Therefore, when Peter says in our text, “you have taken (Jesus) by lawless hands, have crucified and put (Him) to death,” he speaks in reality of our responsibility and guilt. However, Peter’s words immediately preceding this accusation are very instructive, for they counter the notion that the cross meant failure for Jesus. Peter says concerning Jesus that He was “delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God.” While we all must bear the responsibility for Jesus’ death in view of our sins, God caused our failures to result in success for Jesus died on the cross according to God’s plan!

This truth is so very clear in Scripture. The first gospel promise stated concerning Satan and the promised Christ, “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15). There would be a battle—the Christ would suffer, but ultimately prevail! When Simeon picked up the baby Jesus in the temple, he stated that Jesus would be “a sign which will be spoken against” and that a “a sword would pierce through to your (Mary’s) own soul” (Luke 2:34-35). John the Baptizer identified Jesus at the beginning of His ministry as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)—lambs died as sacrificial animals! Jesus likewise said during His ministry, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Clearly, while Jesus’ death on the cross came as a result of mankind’s sin, it nonetheless meant the success of God’s plan of redemption!

II.

Secondly, THE CROSS MEANS SUCCESS because death, the result of the cross, could not hold Jesus! Having convicted his listeners of their sin and responsibility for Jesus’ death, Peter informed them of Jesus’ resurrection. He stated triumphantly, “God raised (Jesus) up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” Death, which one dictionary defines as "the permanent ending of life," is in reality a "separation." Death separates us from the gift of life. It causes an unnatural separation between our bodies and souls. Eternal death separates man—his body and soul—from God, his Creator and Redeemer. While physical death can and does appear to dominate mankind, for it is the inevitable consequence of sin, it was no match for Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ is the omnipotent Son of God, by Whom all things were made and upon Whom all things depend (cf. Colossians 1:16-17). Satan no doubt rejoiced as Jesus gave up His Spirit on Calvary’s cross, but his jubilation was short-lived. The writer to the Hebrews tells us, “Inasmuch as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). The death Jesus suffered on the cross was not a sign that He had failed—no, not at all. Jesus rather used this weapon of Satan to destroy the power of Satan himself! This, in turn, means that THE CROSS MEANS SUCCESS for you and for me. Earlier the writer to the Hebrews states, “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (2:9). Paul, understanding this great truth, was able to proclaim, “Death is swallowed up in victory…thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54,57).

III.

Finally, THE CROSS MEANS SUCCESS, because in view of the cross we can rejoice in the loving presence of our Savior God! Peter concludes this portion of his sermon with a quotation from the words of David from Psalm 16. He writes, “For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the LORD always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh will also rest in hope.’” Sin separates us from our God, but Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross removes sin and allows us to remain close to our God once again. David understood this concept one thousand years before Jesus’ passion, even though he was unaware of the actual historic details. He knew that a Savior would come from among his descendants. He knew that this Savior would deal with his problem of sin and so enable him to be right with his God. David, who as king of God’s Old Testament people, understood the importance of allies standing by his side. In unity there was strength. How much more so was that not the case when David knew God was at his side? It was the Lord, after all, who had given Goliath into his hands. It was the Lord, who had preserved him time and time from his enemies. Consequently, he could and did rejoice. He wrote between 75-100 of the Psalms in praise of his God. He was able to rest in the midst of the challenges of his life, knowing that his hope lay solidly in the hands of a God who would not and could not fail him.

Even so, THE CROSS MEANS SUCCESS for you and for me. We, too, can rejoice in the loving presence of our Savior God! Our sins have been paid for and removed. We can rest securely in the arms of our Savior, Who urges us to ask and promises to give (cf. Matthew 7:7); Who commands us to call upon Him and promises to deliver (cf. Psalm 50:15). The cross, far from spelling out failure, means the successful fulfillment of God’s plan for our redemption; the successful defeat of Satan and death by our victorious Savior; and the joy of success we experience as God’s blessed children and heirs of eternal salvation!

May we ever rejoice in the fact that THE CROSS MEANS SUCCESS! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting