The southern news., 1944-03-18

The crucifixion of Christ brings us
to that darkest of all days in the his
tory of the world, when wicked men
with cruel hearts and hands cruci
fed the loving Son of God. But,
thanks be to God, it was also the
day when bright hope shone forth
for sinful humanity, for in His death
Christ bore our sins upon the tree,
the veil was rent, the old sacrifices
were set aside, and the new and
living way" was opened into the
''holiest by the blood of Jesus"
Heb. 10:20).
The cross is not just an ornament
to decorate the steeple of a church,
or to adorn man. 1t speaks of the
black horror of the cry, MY God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?" But it also tells of our God,
who $50 loved the world that he
gave his only begotten Son" as its
Redeemer.
What does Calvary mean to us?
1t means that
1. The Saviour Died So We Could
, Live wv. 22-2D.
The details of and circumstances
surrounding the crucifxion are Of
deep interest to every Christian. We
stand with Luther and weep as we
see Christ's unspeakable agony, not
only of body but of spirit. and we
cry, For me, for mel" How can
any believer contemplate the cross
and withhold self, substance, or
service from Christ?
There would be less careless, self
ish living if we would go often to the
story of the death of Christ and rec
ognize the loving, sacrifcial devo-
ton of Christ.
Equally heart-searching is the
message of the cross to the unbeliev-
er. He knows he is sinner (Rom.
1929; he knows that ''the wages of
sin is death" (Rom. 6:23), and he
knows that neither is there saliva
ton in any other, for there is none
other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be
saved" (Acts 4:12). Here at the
cross he meets that one who his
own self bare our sins in his own
body on the tree, that we, being
dead to sins, should live unto right
eousness: by whose stripes ye were
healed" Il Pet. 2:24.
Note the difference between the
two thieves who were hanged with
Jesus. for it is the difference be-
tween those who face Christ in our
day. One rallied on Him duke %:
39), while the other. repentant, had
faith that looked all the way into
Paradise duke 23:43).
II. The Son Was FOrsaken So We
Could Be Accepted wv. 29-36).
Awful was the railing and mock
ing which our Lord endured on the
cross. It must have made His de-
voted, loving heart well-nigh break
as He saw the scorn of the very
ones He died to save.
Yet it was as nothing compared
to that moment when He who knew
no sin "Was made sin for u.s. uI
Cor. SID. Bearing the awful load
of the sin of the world He knew the
bitter agony of being forsaken by
the Father. He turned His head
away and we hear that saddest of
all cries, MY God, my God. why
hast thou forsaken me?"
We cannot fathom the full mean
ing of that hour, we dare not attempt
to explain it, we can only accept it
and thank God that because He did
become sin for US we may be made
the righteousness of God in him"
Q1 Cor. 5:2D. He died that we
might live. He was forsaken that
we might be accepted in" Him
"the beloved" (Eph. 1:6).
After the darkness, however.
comes the light. He died not as a
martyr, vanquished gladiator de-
feated in battle; no, there was VIC
tory.
III. The Veil Was Rent So We
Could Enter wv. 37-39).
The death of Jesus was not the
pitiful weakening of human mar
tyr. Here was the Son of God, cry
ing with loud voice ". 80, giving
up His spirit to the Father duke
27:46), declaring that the work of
redemption was finished"
AS a visible indication of that
fact, and as a declaration that the
old dispensation of law had given
place to the new dispensation of
grace, God tore the temple veil in
twain. Only He could have done it.
No man could have torn this sixty
foot long, twenty-foot wide, and inch
thick curtain, and note that it was
torn from top to bottom. This was
the act of God. This veil had hung
in the temple to keep all but the
high priest out Of the Holy of Ho-
lies, and he entered with fear and
trembling but once a year as the
representative of the people.
Now all this is changed. We have
now. "brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus, by a new and living way.
which he hath consecrated for us.
through the vell."
Therefore, ''let us draw near with
true heart and full assurance of
faith" (Heb. 10: 1929.