Series: The Cross of Jesus – City Church of Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN
Romans 5:8, God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (NLT)
Who has ever measured the depth of God’s love? No one. It is immeasurable. If you asked God how great his love is, he would take you to Calvary. The love of God can only be measured by the cross of Jesus. It is there that God shows us the extent of his love.
Why is the cross, an instrument of execution, the symbol of the Christian faith? Answer: To show the dimension of God’s love.
THE BREADTH OF THE CROSS IS WIDE ENOUGH TO INCLUDE YOU
John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son and whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God’s love is wide enough for the whole world. You may occasionally be out of God’s will, but there is never a time when you are our of God’s heart. Many exclude, but Jesus includes. The posture of Jesus on the cross shows that he would rather die for you than to live in heaven without you.
THE LENGTH OF THE CROSS IS LONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT YOU
2 Corinthians 5:21, For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Jesus Christ.
The equation of the cross is captured in three truths:
1. God punishes sin.
2. God loves sinners.
3. God put our sin on his Son and punished it there.
THE DEPTH OF THE CROSS IS DEEP ENOUGH TO CHANGE YOU
Galatians 2:20, I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. His love will change us. By immersing ourselves in the depths of God’s love, we are changed.
THE HEIGHT OF THE CROSS IS HIGH ENOUGH TO LIFT YOU
John 12:32, And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself. The cross is God’s ladder to his home. The ladder is finished. It needs no work, no additional rungs. It needs only a step—a step of Faith
Ephesians 3:17-29, Take in with all the Christians the extravagant dimension of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb its depths! Rise to the heights! Love full lives in the fullness of God!
(Message)