Perspectives of the Cross
Symbols are powerful. We protest over them. We get angry, proud, or even scared when certain symbols are displayed. They’re often at the heart of our most heated debates about who we are, either as people, a faith, or as a nation.
The cross is a symbol, but it’s so much more. It changed everything. It changed the course of lives and whole generations. The entire population of Earth tells time differently because of what happened on the cross.
So, what does “the cross” mean to you? Have you ever stopped and wondered how an ancient torture device somehow became a symbol of hope and grace? The whole point of the crucifixion was to make a spectacle out of what might happen if you defied Roman rule, and yet Jesus’ cross somehow made a spectacle of death itself.
Join us for this six-week series as we seek to dig deeper into the meaning of the cross, not just as a symbol but as a pathway toward the redemption of all things.
The Power of the Cross | Perspectives of the Cross | Week 1
Kailey Newkirk
Week 1 of 6
February 18, 2024
Can humans keep from sinning? No, but the cross imputes the righteousness of Christ to us as a covering. The cross satisfies God’s demand for obedience. The cross is the ultimate defeat of Satan. The cross is the solution to sin in this world. The cross is where we find freedom not just from the penalty of sin but the power of sin that has kept us from following in Jesus’ footsteps for far too long.
Uncommon Righteousness of Jesus | Perspectives of the Cross | Week 2
Johnny Outing
Week 2 of 6
February 25, 2024
People are capable of acting with morality on their own, but that “morality” can only take you so far. Jesus lived a life of uncommon morality. His righteousness transcended anything humanity had seen before and gifted us right standing with God. Through the cross, we no longer live striving. Instead, we become the “salt of the earth” and the “light on the hill.”
We’ve Been Restored | Perspectives of the Cross | Week 3
Michael Hinton
Week 3 of 6
March 3, 2024
Since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the garden, humanity has been a “race of rebels” cursed by our own disobedience. But just as sin came into the world through one man’s disobedience, through one man’s obedience, we’ve been restored. Through one tree, we were cursed, but through this new tree, the cross of Christ, we’re given eternal life.
And the truth is: Christ has defeated our enemy | Perspectives of the Cross | Week 4
Katie Holland
Week 4 of 6
March 10, 2024
No matter how much we despise our enemies on this earth, we have one that’s even worse. And that enemy isn’t fought with swords or armies. That enemy is fought with truth. And the truth is: Christ has defeated our enemy, and we share in that victory.
Because of the cross | Perspectives of the Cross | Week 5
Kailey Newkirk
Week 5 of 6
March 17, 2024
No matter how much we despise our enemies on this earth, we have one that’s even worse. And that enemy isn’t fought with swords or armies. That enemy is fought with truth. And the truth is: Christ has defeated our enemy, and we share in that victory.
What we could never do | Perspectives of the Cross | Week 6
Michael Hinton
Week 6 of 6
March 24, 2024
God initially gave Moses the commandments to make people aware of their wrongdoing, but all those who live under the law are also subject to the consequences of breaking it. When Jesus went to the cross, he bore the punishment that we deserved. Now that we are in Christ, we no longer live under the law but under grace.
