Passion Fuel I

Revelation of the Cross and the Grave



If we can get a revelation of the cross and the grave, and know what it means for us today, it will add fuel to our passion. As was mentioned previously, Jesus’ Passion was displayed mostly in His suffering and death on the cross. Many of us tend to think of passion as an enthusiasm that propels us to accomplish a task or reach a goal. It is more than that. It is a strong desire that must be fulfilled, even in the face of suffering and death. Jesus’ strong desire was for His bride and to redeem the human race from their slavery to sin. His passion was to replace sin with righteousness.

Rom 5:17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) NKJV

Though sin is described as an act of disobedience or rebellion, it is also a condition or the state of lost humanity. In the same way, righteousness is often thought of as doing right, but it is also a condition, a position, a righteous standing. When the first man Adam entered into sin, all who were born of Adam were born into a condition or a position of sin. When the second Adam (Jesus) came into the earth, He brought in righteousness. Now, all who are born of God are declared righteous, not because of an act they performed, but by receiving the gift of His righteousness by faith.

Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, which included an abundance of grace. The payment He made for us on the cross surpassed our sin debt; it included an added deposit into our righteousness account, so to speak. His payment on the cross far exceeded the payment of the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant. They were a prophetic picture of what was to come in Christ’s sacrifice. Every year these sacrifices had to be renewed because they contained no extra deposit of grace for future needs. Those who offered those sacrifices were not freed from sin’s power, neither were their consciences cleared of guilt and shame. The enmity, or animosity, that existed between God and man was not destroyed. They could not enter His holy presence: that was reserved for the high priest and only once a year.

But now we are declared righteous through the blood of Christ. We can enter into His presence any time through that blood. We have been set free from the power of sin; our consciences are freed from guilt and shame. The payment of the cross contained, as it were, an overpayment that is available to us to draw upon in time of need. Just imagine someone who was so deeply in debt financially, with no possible way out, yet someone stepped in to pay their debt. That would be wonderful: words could not describe it. But, realistically, if that person is left without a positive balance in his account, it would be next to impossible for him to stay out of debt. He would have to borrow some operating capital, or something to live on, until he could produce income greater than his needs.
Using finances as an illustration: imagine a sinner having his sin debt paid in full, but without an extra deposit to his favor. If he has been given no power over sin, how will he remain free? The grace that is added to us by the payment of the cross is the good news of the Gospel of Christ. Grace is not only being set free from past debt, but it is also the power to remain free. We can spend grace like money to remain free of debt, but we must spent it wisely and not on our own lusts, or we will revert back to slavery and debt.

Grace is in the Cross
We can not exhaust God’s supply of grace but we can loose access to it. This is why an understanding of the cross is important. When Jesus said that we are to deny ourselves, take up the cross daily and follow Him, He was connecting us to His grace. We maintain our access to His grace through the cross. Grace is in the overpayment of the cross. The payment of old was a “just enough” payment. The animal sacrifices of the law were just enough to forgive sin, and save a soul, but not enough to overcome the power of sin, shame and guilt or to declare one righteous.

The grace of the cross was not intended for us to spend solely on ourselves. When we sin, His grace is there for us to be quickly restored, but it is also intended that we spend it on others. Many believers are walking in the realm of law instead of grace. Just because we live in the dispensation of grace does not mean we automatically enjoy the privileges of grace. Again we must stay connected to grace by the cross. The cross was a payment that exceeded the payment of the law. The law included forgiveness, with no added blessing or favor. If I forgive someone who wronged me, but do not extend favor and blessing to them, I avoid the cross and remain on legal terms. Their debt is canceled but there is still shame and guilt in my consciousness. Extending the grace of the cross is to bless those who curse you and to do good to those who misuse you and falsely accuse you. To give a gift beyond forgiveness to those who wrong you, is extending the cross.

This will be a test of our passion to see if it compares to that of Jesus. It is one thing to release someone from their debt but another to give them an additional blessing of favor, a gift they do not deserve. Another element of the cross is that it destroyed the enmity, or animosity, that existed between man and God. We who were enemies of God were brought back into right relationship with Him through the blood of the cross. When we go beyond releasing someone from a debt, by extending unmerited favor to them, we add to our account as well. We receive what we give away and with the same measure. Will we use the just enough measure (law) or the more than enough, running over measure, (grace)?

Luke 6:37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." NKJV

Jesus extended grace to us through His cross. It was an overpayment in that it went beyond the payment of animal blood required by the law. It contained an abundance added to our righteousness account. We are justified by faith as we believe the word and act on it.

I have a personal testimony that may help illustrate this point. Many years ago I experienced several unfair business practices concerning some vehicles I had purchased. After being burned a few times, I decided not to ever trust car dealers again and to only buy from private parties. In my mind, I was protecting myself from being further taken advantage of. It was not a matter of new or used: I had had a bad experience with the new truck I bought as well. I was only trying to save myself more grief. Little did I realize at that time that I had made a vow based on my experience with a few and had included them all. I did not understand the implications of making a judgment against all auto dealers. I took, as it were, a legal stance against them and sentenced them all to life without the possibility of my business. I knew as a Christian that I had to forgive them but that did not mean I had to trust them.

Many years later the Lord helped me to see what I had done. Sentencing them to life did not really affect them, but it did me. Though I had forgiven and released them from any wrong, I had not extended the grace of the cross to them. I was the one who was suffering from my own judgment. I sentenced myself to a life of having to fix and repair old cars. Thankfully that sentence was shortened by many years as I came to understand what I had done. My desire to protect myself was, in effect, saving my own life rather than taking up the cross.

Jesus said in Mark 8:34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save. it NKJV

I had always applied this scripture to those who would not surrender their lives to Christ. Since I had given my life to Christ many years prior, I did not conceive of this verse having any application to my business dealings. We are to apply the cross to every area of our lives. It is not just a two thousand year old happening; the cross is a daily event for us. I had not seen the connection at all, but God showed me that I was saving my life and not applying the cross. Though I had forgiven or released them from a debt to me, I had not gone beyond that to pray for them or bless them in any way. In other words, I had not extended the grace of the cross to them. I was using, as it were, the old law system to get justice for myself. The new justice system requires me to lose my life, giving more than forgiveness to someone who did not deserve anything.

I came to the realization that the judgment and sentence I had handed down to them was also my sentence. I had reverted to the legal method of dealing with injustice rather than the cross. I had used the legal measure rather than the overflowing measure of New Covenant grace. The measure I used toward others became the one I was measured by. In effect, I had fallen from grace and had gone back to the inferiority of the law system. Those who used the law as their standard of justice were not freed from the power of sin nor were the guilt and shame removed from their consciousness. Enmity also continued to separate relationships. I found that these truths applied not only in my relationship with God, but with my relationships horizontally as well.

Because of my judgment of car dealers, I could not set foot on a car lot, or talk to a salesman, for fear of stirring up old memories or anger. I did not realize that I was experiencing what the bible refers to as the enmity that existed between two parties who have been at odds with one another. I also found that my conscience was not cleared of the offence of feeling abused by them. God showed me that my life experience was due to my legal stance of self protection. I needed to take up my cross and apply it to this situation. God said to me one day “I want you to go buy a vehicle from those who wronged you.” I understood that in doing so I would be returning good for evil and blessing those who did not deserve it. As I obeyed the Lord in this, something broke loose within me. I was freed from all the guilt and offence, even the animosity that existed for years was gone. I was free to talk to car salesmen and even buy without prejudice or fear of being taken advantage of. This whole thing was more for my freedom than anything else.

I was reconnected to God’s grace supply as a result of dropping the legal measure I had used toward them; instead I used a heaped up and overflowing faith measure to bless them. The term “fallen from grace” has often been used in reference to a Christian who has grievously sinned. Paul used it speaking to the Galatians who had been convinced they needed to keep the Law of Moses and include circumcision as a requirement for salvation. Paul reminded them of the weakness and inferiority of the law in comparison to the new way of grace through faith. We can not be justified or remain guilt free through the law, only through faith. We are only justified by faith in the work of the cross and that is demonstrated through the overflowing measure of grace.

The suffering of Christ, mentally, emotionally and physically, for our debt, was more than any of us could bear. He then added to that enough favor for us to live freely the rest of eternity? It is easy to misinterpret the intentions of God in this. He is not providing a way for us to live irresponsibly but to empower us to increase in grace as seed sown. Here again we see the cross depicted. Grace abounds toward us as we extend it to others: we reap what we sow.

John 12:23 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. NKJV

The cross leads to the grave. Jesus was sown as seed that fell into the ground, producing much grain. He loved not His own life but gave it up that He might reproduce and bring many sons into glory. Jesus faced the suffering of the cross to purchase saving grace for us. He took on our enemy, the grave, and won the victory. If we take up our cross, we will also lay down our lives as seed that reproduces after its kind.

2 Tim 2:11This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. NKJV

Our destiny is to rule and reign with Him forever. Our passion will be fueled by a determination to take up the cross daily and extend its benefits to those who do not deserve it. Extending a more than enough blessing of favor and grace to others will insure that we maintain our own connection to grace. As we love not our own temporary life but put eternal values first, we will be fruitful and multiply as seed overcoming the grave.