The Cross

Hebrews 12:1-2, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
As we look on the cross we can see many things and learn many lessons. What do we see when we look on the cross? Some see an instrument of death and dying. Others see a place of pain and suffering. The cross is so much more and has so many lessons for us to learn. From the cross we can learn how to endure injustice, and how to respond with goodness but this is just a small sampling of the lessons Jesus brings from the cross.
If we look on the cross with open minds and hearts we see far more than a suffering savior we see that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. We can see the cross was not an ending but a beginning on the way to a joyful coronation. We can see the cross as a vehicle Jesus used to defeat evil and death and give us life.
Jesus is the author and finisher of saving faith, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 Because of the work Jesus did on the cross is what transferred us from being dead to being alive. Because He put away our sin with His righteousness is the essence of where faith rest. True faith rest in a true reality, and there is no real salvation outside of Christ’s work on the cross. Jesus accomplished a great salvation for His people by the pain and suffering on the cross. Having attained this great purpose to free you and me from the bondage of sin and death He rose from the dead and took His place at the right hand of God where He sets as our intercessor and mediator. He is a righteous judge who knows the hearts of all who seek Him. He understands our need and feels our pain.
The cross is not to be worshiped it is to be experienced. Jesus used the cross to save all mankind. He hung between heaven and earth as an example and then defeated death on our behalf when He rose from the grave.
Let us look to the cross as a place of learning, a place where we can find peace and rest, and a place of power. Jesus is always there ready to take our hand and guide us. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.