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THE POWER OF THE CROSS

In 2015, Christianity was declared as the most dominant religion on the Earth with over 2.3 billion people claiming to be Christians. One of the most popular symbols of contemporary Christianity is the cross. People wear gold crosses around their necks and claim that the cross is for good luck. For Catholics who observe Ash Wednesday, they go to church, visit the priest, and he puts a cross made of ash on their foreheads that they have to wear for the day. Churches have wooden crosses as decoration and crosses painted in stain glass windows. Even if you are not a Christian, you have seen a cross at some point and time in your life. The cross over the years has become commercialized and used for monetary and personal gain. Recently, it has even been dramatized and put on the big screen for movie lovers everywhere. Movies like "The Passion of the Christ" and "Son of God" have grossed millions of dollars worldwide, evoking feelings of sadness for some and joy for others.

Unfortunately, for many blood washed, saved, and sanctified believers, the POWER of the cross is not realized. We sing about the cross and testify about the power of the blood of Jesus, but we struggle with making the connection between God's sacrifice of sending His son to die for our sins with the grace He gives us to live as overcomers in our every day lives. We walk in failure and defeat at times. We struggle with the fight we get in our daily walk with God. We wrestle with putting our flesh under subjection in order to lead the lives God has called us to live. Some times, life is just a battle. What we fail to realize as Children of God is that Christ's sacrifice on the cross has given us the power to live above sin and shame. The same power that rested in Jesus when He resurrected from the dead is alive in us when we come face to face with the challenges of life.

When Jesus hung his head and declared, "It is finished," man's redemption was won and a new era was ushered in for every person who makes the decision to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In order to embrace the power of the cross there are a few things we must understand about the work that was done on the cross nearly 2,000 years ago. In today's lesson we will explore scripture to understand why God sent His son to die for our sins and how His sacrifice empowers every believer to live a victorious life, free of sin and shame. We can live everyday of our lives in victory, because Christ conquered death, hell, and the grave. Why live below that privilege when God has so much for each of us as His children?

UPCOMING EVENTS