Sermon Date: 2009/4/10

DATE: 2009/4/10
Good Friday Evening Service
SERMON: Meaning of the Cross
講道題目: 十字架的意義
For a long time in Christian history there was a quest to define the meaning of the Cross.
I. So there arose the traditional theories of the atonement.
(1) There was the ransom theory (suggested by early church fathers like Irenaeus, Origen, Augustine, and others), which held that the death of Jesus was a payment to Satan to obtain the release of mankind from hell, where man was sentenced for the sin of Adam.
(2) In the eleven century Anselm, in his satisfaction theory, the first systematic theological statement of the atonement, interpreted that Christ’s death met God’s requirements of punishment of man for his sins.
(3) There was also the moral influence theory (suggested by Abelard), which said that Christ’s death moves man to moral transformation, thus making him acceptable to God.
(4) A more modern view of the Cross is that Christ’s suffering reveals the suffering God experiences because of the sins of the world.
(5) Preceding all of these ideas is Paul’s declaration, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (II Cor. 5:19). Paul stressed not how or why but what God had worked through Christ, acknowledging the overwhelming place of the Cross in the work of Christ: “”May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal. 6:14)
II. We should always be seeking to find the meaning of the Cross, and we should appreciate and apply the rich insights about the Cross which our fathers in the faith have passed on to us. But the need now is not so much for the defining of the meaning of the Cross as it is for the understanding and accepting the meaning of the Cross.
(1) The Cross means that Jesus is greater than all the powers that oppose him. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (I Cor.1:18)
(2) The Cross made it forever clear that we are precious to Christ. God so loves us that he gave his only begotten son to us. (John 3:16)
(3) The Cross tells us the principle of sacrifice. The role of suffering is the means by which Christ manifests his dedication to save us. Thus He furthered the Kingdom of God in the world.
Amen
Synopsis
For a long time in Christian history there was a quest to define the meaning of the Cross.
I. So there arose the traditional theories of the atonement.
(1) There was the ransom theory
(2) There was the satisfaction theory
(3) There was the moral influence theory
(4) There was the suffering God theory
(5) Paul’s declaration, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” precedes all the theories.
II. But the need now is not so much for the defining of the meaning of the Cross as it is for the understanding and accepting the meaning of the Cross.
(1) The Cross means that Jesus is greater than all the powers that oppose him
(2) The Cross made it forever clear that we are precious to Christ.
(3) By his sacrifice Jesus furthered the Kingdom of God in the world.
讲道大纲
自基督教历史开始以来，人不断的寻求十字架的定义。
甲． 於是开始了古典的赎罪论
（1） 付赎金的理论
（2） 满足神要求的理论
（3） 道德感动人的理论
（4） 上帝受苦的理论
（5） 保罗说：神在基督里，使世界与祂复和。
乙． 今天我们应少谈十字架的定义，而多谈明白和接受十字架的意思。
（1） 十字架表示耶稣胜过一切对抗祂的权力。
（2） 十字架清楚的告诉我们，在神的眼中，我们非常宝贵。
（3） 藉着基督的牺牲，把天国带到人间。
Pastoral Prayer:
Let us pray, brothers and sisters, for the holy church of God throughout the world that God may guide it and gather it together so that we may worship God in peace and tranquility.
Almighty and eternal God, you have shown your glory to all nations in Jesus Christ. Guide the work of the church. Help it to persevere in faith, to proclaim your name, and to offer salvation to people everywhere.
Let us pray for our pastors and other lay ministers, for all servants of the church, and for all the people of God.
Almighty and eternal God, your Spirit guides the church and makes it holy. Strengthen and uphold our pastors and our leaders; keep them in health and safety for the good of the church, and help each of us to do faithfully the work to which you have called us.
Let us pray for those preparing for baptism, that God may make them responsive to God’s love and give them new life in Jesus Christ.
Almighty and eternal God, you continually bless the church with new members. Increase the faith and understanding of those preparing for baptism. Give them a new birth as your children. Keep them in the faith and communion of your holy church.
Let us pray for those who do not believe in Christ, that the light of the Holy Spirit may show them the way of salvation.
Almighty and eternal God, enable those who do not acknowledge Christ to receive the truth of the gospel. Help us, your people, to grow in love for one another, to grasp more fully the mystery of your Godhead, and so to become more perfect witness of your love in the sight of all people.
Let us pray for those who do not believe in God, that they may find the God who is the author and goal of our existence.
Almighty and eternal God, you created humanity so that all might long to know you and have peace in you. Grant that, in spite of the hurtful things that stand in their way, all may recognize in the lives of Christians the tokens of your love and mercy and gladly acknowledge you as the one true God of us all.
Let us pray that the almighty and merciful God may heal the sick, comfort the dying, give safety to travelers, free those unjustly deprived of liberty, and rid the world of falsehood, hunger, and disease.
Almighty and eternal God, you give strength to the weary and new courage to those who have lost heart. Hear the prayers of all who call on you in any trouble that they may have the joy of receiving your help in their need. We ask this through Christ our Savior. Amen.