Up to a certain point in history, the
cross was looked on with fright, shuddering fear,
a horrible instrument of human torture and human
suffering.
But the time came when almost overnight that
cross was changed.
Came a thing of power, a thing of
beauty, lifts people, exhausts people.
What changed the cross?
Greatest miracle in the history of the Christian
faith.
People say, well, Jesus of Nazareth died on
that cross.
Good man.
But worlds and worlds of good people had
been nailed to the cross.
Prophets, priests had been nailed to the cross.
Didn't change the cross.
But the time came when something changed that
cross.
The miracle of our Christian faith.
What was it?
Let's go back again to the declaration that
a lot of us get the idea, the
devil raised Christ to the cross.
No he didn't.
Jesus fought, literally fought, to finish his journey,
which was to end that cross.
Thus it must be.
You remember in Hebrews, 7th verse of the
5th chapter, and I never try to quote
that.
I always try to read it.
I could quote it.
Who in the days of his flesh, talking
about Christ, when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with strong crying and tears, now
this is the garden of Gethsemane scene, with
strong crying and tears unto him that was
able to save him from death, and was
heard in that he feared, or as the
American Revised puts it, having been heard for
his godly fear.
Now, angels came and strengthened Jesus.
Otherwise he would have died there of a
broken heart.
In fact, he died of a broken heart.
When they shoved the spear in his side,
nailed to the cross, there gushed forth water
and blood, evidence that he died of a
broken heart.
But Jesus would have died there in the
garden of Gethsemane, if angels had not come
to strengthen him, that he might end his
journey at the cross.
What force, what power wrought the miracle of
a changed cross?
There's only one explanation, and that is the
declaration of Paul that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world to himself.
In other words, when the blood of Christ
flowed down over that rugged piece of wood,
it was the blood of God.
No other blood could have wrought the miracle
of that transformation.