I was in London upon a day and standing in
Charing Cross. Years and years ago, the beloved wife of the king died
away and away from London. And as he brought tenderly, lovingly her body
back to the great city, wherever her body rested in the long journey,
the king built a little chapel. And he called it always by some kind of
a cross, as the ‘King’s Cross’ as ‘Charing Cross.’
I was standing at Charing Cross in London, and
my fellow minister by my side said, “Let me tell you a story that
happened here.” He said, “There was a little girl in the city who lost
her way, just wandered away. And the child was in the streets of London,
crying heartbrokenly, hideously. She had lost her was. And an English
bobby, an English policeman, saw the child wandering, crying. He stopped
her and asked her why, and the child said she was lost, and she didn’t
know how to find her way home. And the bobby said to the little
brokenhearted girl, “Don’t cry, and you sit down here by my side, and
we’ll find where you live, where home is.” So the bobby sat on the curb
of the street, and the little brokenhearted girl sat by his side. And he
said, “Now, I’m going to ask you some places in London, and you tell me
if you recognize any of them:
Piccadilly Circus?”
“No,” said the little girl.
“Oxford Street?”
“No,” said the child.
Regent Street?”
“No,” said the child.
“Whitehall?”
“No.”
“Westminister?”
“No.”
“Charing – Charing Cross?”
“Ah,” said the little girl in her tears, “yes,
yes, yes. Take me down to the cross, and I can find my way home from
there.” Oh, how true for all humanity, for all mankind, for our homes
and our lives. “Take me down to the cross, and I can find my home from
there.”
Author Unknown
Introduction:
What do you think of when you see a sign of
the cross? Do you think of the death penalty, of capital punishment?
Currently, twenty-seven states still use the death penalty for
certain crimes. Lethal injection is the most common form of
execution, but other forms may also be used: electrocution, lethal
gas, hanging, nitrogen hypoxia, and firing squad.
In the Roman world of the 1st
century, crucifixion was the primary means of execution for certain
crimes, especially violent ones. It was a shameful death but also a
horrible one. So why would the apostle Paul write the following:
But God forbid that I should boast
except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has
been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14
It is the answer to that question to which
we turn our attention.
The Cross As An
Object of Glorying:
·
11See with what large letters
I have written to you with my own hand! 12As
many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel
you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the
cross of Christ. 13For not even those
who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you
circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14But
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Galatians 6:11-14
Paul
makes a contrast between those who gloried in the flesh, who boasted of
physical things, and his humble spirit, which would only boast in the
cross of Christ. They are motivated by selfish desires. Paul is most
proud of the cross because it is the ground of his salvation and the
object of his hopes.
·
Paul would glory in nothing else except the cross. He had
many reasons to boat – his background.
4though I also might have confidence in the flesh.
If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5circumcised the eighth day, of the
stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews;
concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6concerning
zeal, persecuting the church; concerning righteousness which is in the
law blameless.
7But what things were gain to me, these I have
counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I
also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:4-8.
But it
was the cross that released Paul from the guilt and bondage of sin.
I
have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians
2:20.
Today
we should not boast of our wealth, pedigree, education, abilities but in
the cross of Christ.
·
Paul encourages us to think less of self and more of
Christ. Proud and worldly hearts are content with just enough religion
to help them keep up a good show. The more we focus on the cross, the
less appeal the work will have to us.
For
in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything,
but a new creation. Galatians 6:15
For
we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in
Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:3
To
Paul, the cross represented Christ’s sufferings and death as well as
salvation. The insignia of our faith is not two tablets of stone, not a
sword or a star or a lampstand, but a crude, rugged cross.
·
For Paul and us, there were many reasons to glory in the
cross: It signified the love Him who suffered there; the innocent who
died for the guilty; reconciliation made with God; the law of God was
fulfilled; a decisive victory over the Lord’s enemies and ours.
The Cross As An
Instrument of Death
·
The cross was an extremely cruel instrument of execution.
It was reserved for felons, criminals, murderers, resurrectionists.
·
Paul said that by the cross, the world had been crucified
to him. What did he mean? The world no longer had power over him. It and
all it represents was dead to him. The cross had set him free from the
world, and he was no longer captured by the world. He no longer had a
compelling interest in it.
And
those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires. Galatians 5:24
·
All Paul wanted was Jesus. Is that enough for you? Are you
captured by some desire or passion? Is some sin your master? Are you
controlled by it? If there is, it will destroy you!
To
crucify it, we must replace it with something we love more. We must love
Christ so much it displaces our love for sin. Love is a very powerful
force.
So
Paul informs us we must put to death worldly pursuits, cares, and
enjoyments of the flesh. We must cease to be influenced by the world or
let it determine our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had
pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:12
·
The apostle Paul also says in our text that he had been
crucified to the world. He was “dead” to the world. He and us are
citizens of God’s Kingdom. Our hope is not in our country, culture,
society, race, ethnicity, or lineage. Our hope is not in capitalism or
socialism, or democracy. All that really matters is Jesus and Him
crucified. We glory in His cross.
Invitation
The cross is the symbol
of our redemption. It is a display of God’s love for us. There is no
Christianity without the cross. Paul is most proud of the cross. It is
what he glories. And so should we.
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