Gospel Light
Statements like, Jesus died because He loves you, were not meant to make a sermon complete. The cross has little to no weight without explaining sin. In Jesus' experience, the cross was far more than an instrument of death; it was an incomprehensible means of suffering. If we could comprehend the extent to which God hates sin, and rebellion against His commands, such as the ten commandments, then we might get a hint as to how Christ suffered. We do not hate sin so much to keep us from ever sinning.
Whenever a believer evangelizes or a pastor preaches a sermon, no matter what the text, everyone must draw a straight line to the cross, as Spurgeon said. There is Christianity part from the person of Christ. Religions have their teachings, but Christianity is about a person, His divine attributes, righteous character, perfect motives and attitudes, and the believer's newfound identity in Him. The substitution gives the cross weight.
Modern Psychologists tell us there is only one more painful thing than the loss of a loved one - divorce. Death is an unwanted intruder into every person's life, and the pain it inflicts on those left behind cannot be calculated. Nonetheless, divorce is the pain that keeps on giving.
We can see God in all His amazing creations because He left a mark of Himself in all. For example, "For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh" Ephesians 5:31. God did not make man and woman on a whim; His intention was always to join Adam and Eve in matrimony and begin mankind. In the complete plan of God, He would reveal His attributes of grace, mercy, and forgiveness through their fall. Additionally, God's plan includes a bride for His Son.
"This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church" Ephesians 5:32. Verse thirty-two, when connected with verse thirty-one, reveals a one-flesh relationship between God's Son and those with whom He identifies in His sacrificial death. Christ took upon Himself the sins of those sovereignly chosen by the Father, and they take His righteousness. Therefore, those in Christ are viewed by the Father as He views His Son, and collectively as the church is Christ's bride.
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