1 Cor. 1:18-20             "Cross Purposes" 

For example, the Muslims recognize Jesus as a great prophet.  They even acknowledge that He was born of a virgin and ascended into heaven.  Yet Mohammed, though lacking such characteristics, still is regarded as their greatest prophet.

The Jews have gained a greater admiration of Jesus in recent times, viewing Him as a Great Reformer within Judaism.  But they conclude that His followers mistakenly began to worship Him, thereby establishing a new religion-something they say He didn't want.

The Hindus regard Jesus as a virtuous man.  Like Ghandi, many are drawn to Him because of His compassion for others.

The Buddhists point out the striking similarities between Jesus and Buddha. One teacher of their faith even maintains that Buddha and Jesus are brothers who taught that the highest form of human understanding is universal love.

However, it is the central element in the Christian view of Jesus that creates the stumbling block for all other religions: His violent death on a cruel cross of shame.

A Buddhist leader writes, "Clearly, the cross is what separates the Christ of Christianity from every other Jesus.  In Judaism there is no precedent for a Messiah who dies, much less as a criminal as Jesus did.  In Islam, the story of Jesus' death is rejected as an affront to Allah himself.  Hindus can accept only a Jesus who passes into peaceful samadhi, a yogi who escapes the degradation of death.  (And) The figure of the crucified Christ is a very painful image to me.  It does not contain joy or peace, and this does not do justice to Jesus.  There is, in short, no room in other religions for a Christ who experiences the full burden of mortal existence-and hence there is no reason to believe in him as the divine Son whom the Father resurrects from the dead."

  Paul put it this way," We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles" (1 Cor. 1:23).  So you see, Christ's shameful death on the cross is utterly unique to Christianity.  Christians celebrate, lift high, even glory in the cross.  From the second century onward, the cross for Christians has been drawn, painted, and engraved as the central symbol of the faith-many of us even make the sign of the cross in tribute to the One who died for us.  .The significance of the cross, essentially, is seen as God's power to overcome suffering and death.  The cross is God's supreme instrument in redeeming fallen Man (men/women).

Therefore, the horror of the cross has become the identifying mark for Believers.  We should glory, exult, & rejoice in the cross. 

You see God's solution to the problem of suffering and evil is not to eliminate it, nor to be insulated from it.  God's solution to the problem of suffering and evil is to participate in it and transform it into the redemption of Mankind.  .In the cross God takes terrible tragedy and turns it into triumph!  In the cross God takes a loss and turns it into a lesson for life!  In the cross God takes pain and turns it into something promising!

Through Christ's suffering on the cross, God took onto Himself the very pain and curse of humanity.  Consequently, through the cross God declared His love to all persons-the benefit of which falls forever upon those who adhere to Him.

God overcame evil not through passive resignation or brute strength, not through coy coercion, or a dazzling display of force.  God overcame evil by the power of suffering love.  So you see, God uses suffering redemptively to accomplish His will and purpose in this world.

A woman once approached a pastor at a summer conference to say, "Just a few weeks ago, my husband and I made a compost pile.  We put all sorts of garbage in it-cracked eggshells, darkened banana peels, piles of rotten leaves and grass-you name it.  We mixed it all together and then covered it up.  And when you go near it now, believe me, your nose knows it's there!

But next spring when we use it in our garden, what's decaying garbage now will be pure gold.  That compost will be so much better than any fertilizer we can buy at a store." Then she continued, "There has been lots of garbage in my life-rotten things done to me and rotten things I've done in response.  For years I refused to deal with the garbage, but several years ago when my life began to unravel I was forced to.  Thank God for that.  As a result, He has worked to bring so much healing and restoration in my life."

 "But while all this has been going on, I have often found myself thinking, 'I can't wait until this is finally over.  I'll be so glad when I can put all the garbage behind me and never have to think about it again.  Maybe I'll even be able to pretend it never happened.'

 "Then as we were making the compost pile, the Lord spoke to me:  'All your life you've run from your garbage.  Now even though you're finally dealing with it and receiving healing, you're still wanting to run from it.  But don't you see?  I not only want to heal and free you from the effects of the garbage in your life; I want to use your garbage.  Like the garbage in your compost pile, if you'll let me, I'll turn it into gold--pure gold.  .Justoffer it to Me.'"

  This friends is the message of the cross that has practical lasting effects. Oh sure, we know that through the cross we receive eternal salvation.  Our sins are forgiven and we are united spiritually with our Savior.  .But the full message of the cross is that it offers healing and wholeness even for the garbage of our lives!

The Cross As Power:

In the 2nd verse of "In the Cross of Christ I Glory," we sing, "When the woes of life o'ertake me, hopes deceive, and fears annoy, Never shall the cross forsake me:  Lo!  It glows with peace and joy."

Better yet, Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me."

Now of course, our Lord was referring to being willing to suffer as He Himself suffered for the cause of the Gospel.  But I believe the cross is there for our healing and wholeness, as well.  The cross of Christ provides "the power made perfect in weakness."  The death of Christ was seen as weakness by many, but that weakness became the demonstration of the power of God.

As a result of that power, Paul had a transformation.  His weakness, a thorn in the flesh-something he had trouble coping with--gave him something to boast about.  In 2 Cor. 12:9, he writes, The Lord said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  .He goes on to say, "That is why.I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).

In the magazine, "Today's Christian Woman," someone wrote how a Sunday school teacher used to add her favorite hymn to the lesson each Sunday.  It was, "Oh, the Consecrated Cross I Bear."  One Sunday, a concerned mother questioned the teacher about a song her child said she'd learned in class.

Her daughter had been singing, "Oh, the constipated, cross-eyed ear!"  .that's weakness if I've ever seen it!

Well, if Paul can delight in the weaknesses that came to him because of the strength of the cross, why can't we?  .This is why I ask, is it possible for us to view our weaknesses the way Paul views his thorn?

You see, with respect to that thorn, scholars aren't sure what it actually was.  It could have been a physical infirmity such as bad eyesight, or epilepsy; he could have even been a cripple.  It could have been a speech impediment or a besetting sin or temptation.  Some scholars even say that it could have been a person-someone who proved to be his Real PAIN in the flesh for Paul!

So then, why aren't we able to apply what Paul says to the various kinds of 'thorns or pains' in our own lives?  Why can't we realize in weakness, God's strength is seen.  Instead of praying and asking God to remove it from us, we ought to be seeing God's perfect strength in it.

Now, at the beginning of a healing process, our number one task is to embrace the pain.  We have to confront the truth.  We must come to terms with the havoc our hurts have brought to our lives.  Many times we are called to analyze the frustration.  We must ask how it came, where it came from, and what brought it about.  By doing so, we begin to get a better grasp on it.  We begin to understand it.  And understanding or knowledge is often the origin of healing

This is where far too many of us get stuck.  I tend to think we are like pigs (or we actually became pigs like Father Ralph challenged us to be on March 7th). We simply enjoy wallowing in the mud and mess of our lives.  We have little pity parties, where we bemoan what's happening to us.  We cry the blues and thereby forever carry the burden with us. We constantly remind ourselves of the hurt we carry.  .When we do this, we will never get over the suffering.  We will never be free from the frustration.  We will never know peace amid the pain.  . Someone wrote, "We live in a world full of people struggling to be, or at least to appear strong, in order not to be weak; and we follow a gospel, which says that when I am weak, then I am strong.  And this gospel is the only thing that brings healing."

So, there soon comes a time in the healing process where we must face our wounds not as enemies, but as friends.  That is, we have to recognize their evil intent and actually come to glory in them for what they produce in us, and what they release through us.  They produce weakness, but they release strength-God's strength.

In my own life, I have found that when hurts plague me.  When I am bothered to no end by some anxiety.  When I can't get the burden out of my mind, and I take it to the cross-and leave it there-"Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Calvary, Calvary; Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very near."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, "The heaviest end of the cross lies ever on (Christ's) shoulders.  If He bids us carry a burden, He carries it also."

What BURDEN are you carrying?  Should He shoulder it for you?  It's about time you give it to Him, and Leave It There!