1990 SINGLE SERMONS
THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS
DR. JIM DIXON
COMMUNION SUNDAY
MATTHEW 26:26-29, 1 PETER 2:19-25
AUGUST 19, 1990
During the 1930’s, during the Great Depression, a Missouri man named John Griffith was in charge of a railroad drawbridge on the Mississippi River. In the summer of 1937, John Griffith invited his son to spend the day with him at work. His son was eight years old. His son’s name was Greg. Greg was excited to spend the day with his father at work. He was fascinated by the drawbridge. He wanted to know everything about it, everything about his father’s job. It was about noon of that day when John Griffith raised the drawbridge so the ships could pass by on the Mississippi. Then he sat down on the observation deck with his son and they had lunch together, and they rarely had the opportunity to have lunch together. Greg had many questions for his dad and the time passed quickly.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of a train approaching. John Griffith looked down on his watch and saw that it was 1:07. The Memphis Express was racing towards that drawbridge. He ran from the observation deck up to the control tower to pull the lever that would lower the drawbridge for the train. Before pulling the lever, he looked down to make sure that no ships were beneath. When he looked down, his heart jumped into his throat as he saw that his son had fallen from the observation deck down into a region where the great gears were that moved the drawbridge. His son had caught the cuff of his pant between two of the gears, and he was struggling to pull himself free.
John Griffith knew that if he lowered the drawbridge, his son would be crushed. He knew if he didn’t lower the drawbridge, the Memphis Express would crash and 400 lives would be snuffed out instantly. There was no time. He knew what he had to do, had to do what no man should ever have to do. He had to sacrifice his son. In a moment of horror, he buried his head in his left arm while with his right arm, he pulled that lever. He later testified that in the subsequent moments as he was watching the Memphis Express go by window after window, he saw men in there reading newspapers, women, finely dressed, sipping cups of coffee and children with long spoons digging into bowls of ice cream. They didn’t know. They couldn’t know the sacrifice he had just made. He said they would probably most of them never know that he had sacrificed his son that they might live. The story is absolutely true. It happened that way in the summer of 1937. The story’s utterly tragic and yet it provides an example of what our father in heaven has done for us. He gave His Son, He sacrificed His son that we might live.
We live in a world where most people do not care and the train of life just races by. Many people in this world hardly think of calvary. Some have never yet heard the message. But as Christians, as believers in Jesus Christ, the Father never wants us to forget the sacrifice that was made. “Do this in remembrance of me.” As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do proclaim the meaning of the Lord’s death until he comes again. What does the cross mean to you? We’ve heard the story so often, maybe it’s lost impact for you. What does the cross mean to you?
Is it just a piece of jewelry? A symbol that is placed on churches? Most of you are sitting in seats where you can see the cross behind me this morning. What does that cross mean to you? The next five minutes, I would like to suggest that above all else, the cross should mean two things to you. First of all, the cross speaks of the love of God. Whenever you see the cross, whenever you think of the cross, you should think of the love of God.
In the city of London, England, at St. Paul’s Cathedral, there’s a life size crucifix. A crucifix is, of course, a cross with the image of Christ upon it, Christ in agony. Beneath that life size crucifix in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, these words are inscribed: This is how much God so loved the world.
You see, when you look at the cross, you must think of the love of God. In the Middle Ages, it was a common thing for ministers and priests in the midst of darkened sanctuaries, to light a candle and take the candle up to the crucifix, let its light shine on the crown of thorns, let its light shine on the nail-pierced hands and on the nail-pierced feet, and on the side where the sword was thrust and blood and water had poured out. Then the minister, the priest would turn back to the congregation and simply say, “God is love.” That’s what the cross tells us. Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he laid down his life for his friends. You are my friends.” The Bible says, “In this is love. Not that we loved God, but God loved us and gave His Son to be the expiation for our sins.”
Some of you don’t feel loved, and I know there are some of you in this congregation who are rejected at birth. Your parents didn’t want you. Some of you don’t even know why. Some of you have been passed from foster home to foster home and you’ve always felt rejected. Some of you feel rejected today. You feel like you’re an intrusion in the lives of people when you’re with them and you don’t really feel loved. You see, the cross of Christ is a message that someone loves you, loves you enough to die for you. That someone is Jesus Christ. When you embrace His love and you begin to experience His love, you begin to be able to love others. God loved the world so much He gave his only Son, and whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life. When you look at the cross, when you think of the cross, think of the love of God.
Secondly, and finally, when you look at the cross, when you think of the cross, think of the power of God, the love of God and the power of God. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, “The cross of Christ is foolishness to those who do not believe, but for those who believe the cross of Christ is the power of God.” When Jesus Christ died on calvary, when He cried out “It is finished” and He gave up His spirit and He drew his last breath, in that moment the Bible tells us the earth shook and the rock split. The sun would not give its light and the power of God was manifested. The curtain, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the holy place in the Jerusalem temple was split in two. The curtain was split asunder. That curtain that separated the presence of God from the priesthood, separated the Holy of Holies from the holy place. Only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies and he but once a year. That curtain was split in two. That curtain that separated a holy God from sinful men, that curtain was shattered by the power of God because the cross has the power, through faith in Christ, to forgive your sin and restore you to eternal fellowship with the Father. Only the cross has that power.
You see, you can go and see a counselor. You can go to a psychologist or a psychiatrist and you can try to get rid of your guilt. You can go year after year, all the years of your life, and you’ll never get rid of your guilt. That counselor might be able to help you get rid of false guilt, but he’ll never help you get rid of true guilt. Only the cross has the power to do that. You can go to Mecca, you can circle the Kaaba. You can kiss the black stone that allegedly fell from heaven as Muslims often do. You can kiss the belly of Buddha as Buddhists often do. You can spend hours every day in introspective meditation and live a life of self-denial and lie on a bed of nails as Hindus often do. None of these things have power to forgive sin, only the cross of Christ. You can bathe in the sacred waters of the world, from the sacred spring at Lourdes to the River Jordan, but only the cross of Christ has the power to wash you inside, only the cross.
You can give sacrificially to charity and you can live a life of good works, but it won’t atone or make up for a single sin. Only the cross of Christ has the power to forgive sin. So, when you think of the cross, think of the love of God and the power of God, the power to forgive sin and give eternal life. On this communion Sunday, as the bread and the cup are passed, don’t take, don’t partake unless you really believe in the one who died there. Unless you really believe in Him as Lord and Savior, and you embrace His love and you seek His power, power even to forgive sin.
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.
That’s the hope of every Christian, and I trust and pray that that’s your hope today. If you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we invite you to partake of the bread and cup with us this morning. Let’s look to the Lord with a word of prayer.