As they returned, my food is to do the will of him who sent me. And then in Jerusalem, he said to those who were listening, in John 5, 30, I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father. And then again in chapter 8 of John, verses 28 and 29, I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught me. I always do the things that are pleasing to him.
And so the Lord Jesus Christ carefully, purposefully, systematically, conscientiously saw that the scripture was fulfilled in his life, including his offering at the cross. The cross was the focal point. It was the climax, the purpose. of the Father's will in his coming. We see that in Luke chapter 22 when Jesus in the garden prays and he says, Not my will but thine be done. The cross was the will of his Father. The cross was
not an act of fate. Jesus did not look upon this as something that had to take place so let's get it over with. Nor was the cross an accident. something that got out of control and ended up in a sad death. But rather the cross was that which he pursued. He set his face as flint to go to Jerusalem, there to offer up himself for sin. This was the will of the Father from before creation. It says again in Luke chapter 22, Jesus says, The Son of Man is going as it has been
determined. And Peter gives us further insight. in chapter 1 of his first epistle, when he says, after talking about the blood of Christ offered as a lamb, for he was foreknown before the foundation of the world. And that word foreknown implies chosen, selected, elected. And that's why, again, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter said, this man delivered up by the determined
plan and foreknowledge of God. And so when we think about the cross of Jesus Christ, let's not think about something that was out of hand, an accident, nor let us think of it as simply fate playing out what had to be done. But rather it was the determined will of God that Jesus Christ, God the Son come in the flesh, should go to the cross and there bear your sins and mine. And so what was the cross to the Lord Jesus? It was the fulfilling. of his Father's will.
That was always his chief concern, that the will of the Father be done. Secondly, for Jesus, the cross was paying the price for sinners. He himself said, regarding the Son of Man's coming, that it was to give his life a ransom for many, Mark 10, 45. A ransom is a price. that is paid to recover a personal thing from one who is detaining
it or him. For example, in South America at the present time, the last I've heard, there is still a businessman who has been kidnapped by terrorists, and there are negotiations taking place between that band of terrorists and the man's family for his release. They are trying to work out the ransom, the price that must be paid. are detained by sin. We are captured by it. We are in bondage to it. We are slaves to sin. And the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross paid the price.
He paid the ransom for our release. His atonement provides payment for the sins of all men. There is merit in his death for every man who has ever lived or ever will live on the face of the earth. We can perhaps illustrate the merit of his death by this illustration. If a general is captured by the enemy army, it may be that that country would be willing to give a thousand soldiers for his release. Why is that so? Because of the
worth, the merit of that general. The Lord Jesus Christ died upon the cross, and he died for all men, and so great is his worth. So infinite is the merit of his death that it provides for the salvation of all men. It's sufficient for all, but it's efficient or applied only to those who personally trust him. as Savior and Lord. So as Jesus looked at the cross, it was with this attitude. He was paying the price for sinners. But folks, let's keep in mind that it was more
than a legal transaction. It was an act of supreme love. It was not something mechanical that he did, but rather it was a voluntary sacrifice because he so desperately loves every one of us. The third attitude that Jesus had toward the cross is that of providing the basis for the new covenant. God always deals with mankind on the basis of a covenant. He always has and he always will. Jesus said at that last supper with his disciples, this cup is the new covenant.
In my blood, that is established on my blood. He says, as Matthew records it, this is my blood of the covenant. Up to that time, mankind was related to God or could be related to God through the old covenant, as we call it now. That was the covenant of the law. And that covenant said, do this and you will live. The only problem is that Mankind cannot do it. They can't obey the law. But that was the basis of the law. Do this and live. God has provided something better for
us now, and that is the new covenant. It is a covenant established by grace. It is a covenant that provides free forgiveness of sins. And instead of saying do and live, It says, believe and live. In the first, God said essentially, if you will do this, then I will do that. In the second covenant, God says, I have done this. Now will you receive it? This new covenant is enforced today, and there's never going to be another covenant. It is the final covenant of God with mankind. It
is the consummating covenant. This new covenant established in Christ's blood assures the complete forgiveness and removal of sin. It is but ours to accept and receive this new covenant so that it can be made personally applicable to us. And so as Jesus died upon the cross, As he hung there in suffering and shame. It was so that he could provide the basis for the new covenant. So that's how Jesus saw his death. It was the fulfillment of the Father's will. It was the ransom price
for sinners. It was the basis for the new covenant. And so we have seen how the Jews looked at it. How the Romans saw it. How Pilate saw it. We've seen how the disciples looked at it. And how Jesus looked at it. I guess the final question is, how do you see it? What does it mean to you personally? Is it an unfortunate event in history as far as you're concerned? That is, you have sympathy for Jesus and what happened. You're
sorry that it took place. But that's all. Or do you look upon it as an insignificant event really, one that has no real relevance to you? Or perhaps do you see it as something for religious people to consider, but a matter that you have no time or interest in? The way that we must see it, if we would be saved, is that it is the sacrifice of the Son of God. for the sin of each of us. And going one step further, we must see it in terms of a personal faith. For it's insufficient
to say, Jesus died for me. We must therefore say, I receive him as my Savior and Lord. The cross is the focal point of all history and of your personal destiny. I suppose the final question that we would ask might be phrased as the songwriter did. What will you do with Jesus? Neutral you cannot be. Someday your heart will be asking, what will he do with me? Let's pray. Father, I pray that we may be able to see Calvary as you see it. I pray that in our minds we will
be led to Calvary today. And may our response be one of surrender, one of love, one of faith, as we recognize the supreme act of love which the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated to us and for us. In his name we pray. Amen. Let's close by singing one verse of number two.