The Cross the Way to God
Christ's human nature and life of submission to human conditions made it possible for him to come to God through the cross.
Andrew Murray emphasizes that Jesus, by taking on human nature, fully embraced the burdens of sin and weakness, demonstrating how a true man should live in obedience to God. He highlights Christ's growth in wisdom and stature, his experiences of temptation and suffering, and how these prepared him for the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. The cross, therefore, is presented as the only way for Jesus, as both man and Mediator, to reconcile humanity with God. This profound act of humility and obedience serves as a model for believers in their own spiritual journeys.
Text
When our blessed Lord took our human nature with all its burden of sin and curse, he submitted to all the conditions of our human feebleness, and gave himself to be and to do all that a true man needed to be and do as God's creature, and how a creature should act; that he might make it possible for us to live as a creature should; he humbled himself to live the life of a creature. He not only grew and became strong; he not only advanced in stature but in wisdom too, and in favour with God and man. Through his whole life there was a true human development.
In the gradual opening up to him of the will of God; in his learning obedience, and being made perfect through suffering; in his life of temptation and suffering; in his preparation for his final sacrifice; in all things he became like us. And so the cross was to him, as man and Mediator, the only path by which, in our nature, he could come to God.
(Excerpted from The Cross of Christ, pg. 67)
Sermon Outline
- The Human Nature of Christ
- The Development of Christ's Humanity
- The Cross as the Path to God
- The only path for Christ to come to God in human nature
- Learning obedience and perfection through suffering
Key Quotes
“He humbled himself to live the life of a creature.” — Andrew Murray
“And so the cross was to him, as man and Mediator, the only path by which, in our nature, he could come to God.” — Andrew Murray
Application Points
- We can learn from Christ's example of submission to human conditions and living a life of obedience to God.
- Suffering can be a means of growth and perfection in our lives, just as it was in Christ's life.
- The cross is the only path to God for us, just as it was for Christ in his human nature.