Look At The Violence Of The Cross | 1 John 4:10

SEE THE LIST HERE: https://beresolute.org/the-anatomical-and-physiological-details-of-death-by-crucifixion/ Listed [at the link above] are 55 incredible details about the crucifixion of Jesus. And today, I want to invite you to read through these details and take a long look at the violence of the cross. It seems that people today, at least in this country, have this growing aversion to violence. Most want to turn away from it or even deny it. Some even have trouble looking at the cross of Christ. I know believers, teachers, and theologians that suggest we should rethink the violence of the cross. But this is only because they have made a lot of wrong assumptions about total depravity, true love, and perfect justice. One of the wrong assumptions most make when they look at any act of violence is that someone genuinely innocent is on the receiving side of the act. That the victim was an innocent sufferer. And yes, sometimes people in this life will suffer the unrighteous actions of another person. But the Bible teaches that no one is innocent. No one. The great apostle Paul states in Romans 3:23: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." This means we are all complicit when it comes to sin and the suffering that goes with it. We are all guilty of crimes against God that result in suffering.  Jesus tried to explain this in the greatest sermon he ever preached. In Matthew 5, he states: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. — Matthew 5:21-22 His point is that mankind loves to draw lines on our acceptable limits of violence. We always draw them short of our guilt because we want to see ourselves as innocent. But we fail to realize that when we think, feel, or speak with violence, we are perpetuating violence. This means there is no such thing as an innocent sufferer. We have all murdered others with our thoughts, feelings, and words. And yet as soon as I say there is no such thing as an innocent sufferer, I, too, am wrong. Because there was one. And only one — Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21 reads: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. — 2 Corinthians 5:21 So today, as you read this long list of details about the crucifixion of Jesus, remember you are looking at the world's only truly innocent man. Watch him suffer. Look long at the violence of the cross. Experience the thoughts, feelings, words, and actions of sinful humanity that resulted in this act of brutality. And remember, our sin put him there. And then, after you have reflected on this for a while, transition to a new thought. The Bible teaches that at this moment in history, what we see transpire on the cross is not merely a deliberate act of human violence. Behind the mortal veil, God is orchestrating this moment. He is offering his sinless Son as a sacrifice to remove the sin that put Jesus there. He is using our sin as an instrument of love to heal the divide between Him and us. And that is what makes this moment so glorious. 1 John 4:10 reads: This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. — 1 John 4:10 (NLT) Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/ Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at: https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/ ________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Vince socially: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller