The Ultimate Discovery
The sermon explores the profound significance of the cross as the ultimate revelation of God's sacrificial love and its implications for our lives.
Selwyn Hughes preaches about the profound significance of the cross, emphasizing how it reveals God's sacrificial love and willingness to take on the suffering caused by sin. He contrasts this with the perspectives of leaders from other religions who struggle to comprehend a God who would stoop to suffer for His creation. The message of the cross demonstrates God's redemptive love at the core of the universe, a discovery unparalleled in earth or heaven.
Text
"... when the centurion ... saw how he died, he said, 'Surely this man was the Son of God!' " (v. 39)
For reading & meditation:
Mark 15:16-39
I cannot believe that God would write a law of "saving by sacrifice" within our hearts and evade it Himself. The psalmist asks: "Does he who formed the eye not see?" (Ps. 94:9). And Browning said: "He that created love, shall He not love?" We might add: "He that created sacrificial love, shall He not sacrifice"? The old Chinese scholar was right who, after listening for the first time to a missionary telling the story of the loving sacrifice of God through His Son on the cross, turned to one of his pupils and said: "Didn't I tell you there ought to be a God like that?" The leaders of the world's religions stumble over this. A leading Muslim said recently during a television debate: "A God who would stoop and suffer is not perfect." And a Hindu commented: "If Brahman would suffer He would be unhappy, and if He were unhappy He would be imperfect, and if He were imperfect He would not be God." The cross spells out the message that God is prepared to take into Himself the suffering caused by sin and, indeed, to take on Himself the very sins of the ones He created. No other religion can conceive of such a thing. The cross raised on Calvary is but a reflection of an inner cross lying in the heart of God. Through it we see that at the center of the universe is redeeming love. No greater discovery could be made or will be made than that - in earth or in heaven. It is the ultimate in discoveries.
O Father, I see that if self-giving love is the meaning behind the cross, and the meaning of the universe, then it must be the meaning behind my life too. May the cross work itself out in all my relationships from this day forward. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Sermon Outline
- I points: - The significance of the centurion's declaration - Understanding sacrificial love - The uniqueness of God's love compared to other religions
- II points: - The message of the cross - God's willingness to bear suffering - The reflection of God's love in the cross
- III points: - The centrality of redeeming love in the universe - The implications of self-giving love for personal relationships - The call to live out the meaning of the cross
Key Quotes
“Surely this man was the Son of God!” — Selwyn Hughes
“The cross spells out the message that God is prepared to take into Himself the suffering caused by sin.” — Selwyn Hughes
“At the center of the universe is redeeming love.” — Selwyn Hughes
Application Points
- Reflect on how the meaning of the cross can transform your relationships.
- Consider the depth of God's love and how it calls you to live a life of self-giving.
- Embrace the ultimate discovery of God's redeeming love in your daily life.