THE LEFTWARD DIRECTION OF THE CROSS (3 OF 4)
by Tony Nester
Scripture: Luke 23:32-43
This content is part of a series.
The Leftward Direction of the Cross (3 of 4)
Series: The Four Directions of the Cross
Tony Nester
Luke 23:32-43
These past two Sundays I have asked you to look with me at the vertical directions of the Cross. First, Jesus' dive into the depths of sin and God-forsakenness, and secondly, Jesus' ascent into Heaven's Glory where He sits at the right hand of the Father.
The Apostle Paul said that we who believe in Jesus are so united with him through the Holy Spirit that we are crucified with him.
''I have been crucified with Christ. I died and yet I live. The life I now live is Christ living in me.'' (Galatians 2:20)
So in being joined with Christ, we go where the Cross points us.
The Cross sends us downward to deal with our sin. We are directed to be ruthlessly honest about our sin, and then to hand it over to Jesus, who takes it from us and bears it away.
But the Cross is about more than sin and forgiveness. The Cross sends us upward. Through the Cross we are joined with Christ in his ascent into Heaven's Glory. We are changed ''from glory unto glory'' (2 Corinthians 3:18) as the Scripture says. We are not only justified; we are sanctified. Heaven is operating in us now by faith in our Crucified and Risen Lord. This is why the Scripture says that we who believe in Jesus have eternal life NOW. That is the vertical dimension of the Cross: down into sin and up into glory.
Today I want to turn to the horizontal movement of the Cross.
Jesus was crucified between two criminals, one on his left and the other on his right. We don't know the details of their crimes. Some Bible scholars say they were thieves who stole in secret, others say they were bandits who brazenly robbed people in the light of day, and others think these criminals were revolutionaries who had tried to terrorize or overthrow their Roman oppressors.
Each man looked at Jesus, one from Jesus' left side and the other from right. And whatever their crime, they reacted diff ...
Series: The Four Directions of the Cross
Tony Nester
Luke 23:32-43
These past two Sundays I have asked you to look with me at the vertical directions of the Cross. First, Jesus' dive into the depths of sin and God-forsakenness, and secondly, Jesus' ascent into Heaven's Glory where He sits at the right hand of the Father.
The Apostle Paul said that we who believe in Jesus are so united with him through the Holy Spirit that we are crucified with him.
''I have been crucified with Christ. I died and yet I live. The life I now live is Christ living in me.'' (Galatians 2:20)
So in being joined with Christ, we go where the Cross points us.
The Cross sends us downward to deal with our sin. We are directed to be ruthlessly honest about our sin, and then to hand it over to Jesus, who takes it from us and bears it away.
But the Cross is about more than sin and forgiveness. The Cross sends us upward. Through the Cross we are joined with Christ in his ascent into Heaven's Glory. We are changed ''from glory unto glory'' (2 Corinthians 3:18) as the Scripture says. We are not only justified; we are sanctified. Heaven is operating in us now by faith in our Crucified and Risen Lord. This is why the Scripture says that we who believe in Jesus have eternal life NOW. That is the vertical dimension of the Cross: down into sin and up into glory.
Today I want to turn to the horizontal movement of the Cross.
Jesus was crucified between two criminals, one on his left and the other on his right. We don't know the details of their crimes. Some Bible scholars say they were thieves who stole in secret, others say they were bandits who brazenly robbed people in the light of day, and others think these criminals were revolutionaries who had tried to terrorize or overthrow their Roman oppressors.
Each man looked at Jesus, one from Jesus' left side and the other from right. And whatever their crime, they reacted diff ...
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