The Greatest Love

The Greatest Love
The Revelation of the Cross — Session 2
Colossians 2:13b - 14
Introduction
The Chronicles of Narnia are a series of novels that tell the story of siblings who discover a new world where they experience amazing adventures and receive powerful lessons. What is fascinating is how they enter this unknown world: through a wardrobe. Discovering the wardrobe and stepping through it opens the door to a totally new world.
Similarly, the cross of Christ ( the sacrifice Jesus made for us ) is the door that enables us to receive ALL we need. We could say that the heart of a believer truly begins to beat once they encounter Christ crucified.
Knowing Jesus
The book of Acts tells the story of a man who was spiritually dead.  He did not believe in Jesus and devoted himself to persecuting and imprisoning Christians. His life changed completely when he encountered the One who shed every last drop of His blood for him.
"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' He replied. 'Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do'"
— Acts 9:3-6
Just as Paul's spiritual eyes were opened, your eyes will also be opened to know the Author of Life. Just one second gazing upon His beauty, and you will be transformed for all eternity.
Knowing Christ Crucified
Although Paul did not know Jesus as the other apostles did, he was able to have a revelation of the cross. He knew Christ Crucified.
Colossians 2:14–15
The cross is not just an event in history. It is an eternal occurrence, within reach of all those who are willing, and with the power to save completely those who believe in Jesus.
Eternal
The cross reveals God’s plan beyond time
Accessible
Within reach of all who are willing to believe
Transforming
It saves completely and changes the heart
The Foundation
"God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross." — Colossians 2:13b-14
God made you alive with Christ
You were dead in sin, but He gave you new life.
He forgave us all our sins
Every sin, past, present, and future, completely forgiven.
He canceled our debt, took it away, and nailed it to the cross
The record of our legal indebtedness was completely wiped out and permanently dealt with at Calvary.
The cross of Christ is the door that enables us to receive ALL we need.
The Power Is in the Blood
"For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
— Matthew 26:28
The cross works because of the blood. It is not the wood of the cross that saves. It is the precious, sinless blood of Jesus Christ poured out upon it. The blood speaks, cleanses, and covers. It is the seal of a new and better covenant, purchased at the cost of God's own Son.
The Seven Times Jesus Shed His Blood
The Bible speaks of 7 times when Jesus shed His blood for us. None of those outpourings was a coincidence. Each one had been established with a specific purpose by the Father, because of His love for us.
1
Blood like drops of sweat
Faithfulness (Gethsemane)
2
Blood from His face
Identity
3
Blood from His head
Conquest (crown of thorns)
4
Blood from His back
Redemption (scourging)
5
Blood from His hands
Productivity & Anointing
6
Blood from His feet
Purpose
7
Blood from His side
A New Heart (All for Love)
Point 1 of 7
1. Gethsemane — Faithfulness
"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."
— Luke 22:44
The Wound
The first outpouring happened in Gethsemane, where Jesus sweat large drops of blood because of His agony. That was where Judas betrayed his Teacher, and where Jesus faithfully agreed to do the will of the Father. This first outpouring speaks to us of faithfulness.
The Restoration
The blood that was shed as drops of sweat has the power to heal every wound caused by betrayal and to give us a faithful heart.
Point 2 of 7
2. His Face — Identity
"I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting."
— Isaiah 50:6
The second outpouring took place when the Roman soldiers struck Jesus' face and brutally pulled out His beard. His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being (Isaiah 52:14). 
We were all created in the image and likeness of God, and the face represents the identity of a person. Jesus allowed His face to be disfigured so that we would no longer live with a wrong identity or low self-esteem.
The blood shed from Jesus' face has the power to restore our identity and help us overcome any problems in the area of self-esteem.
Point 3 of 7
3. His Head — Conquest
The Crown of Thorns
"…and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head… 'Hail, king of the Jews!' they said."
— Matthew 27:29
Jesus shed blood for the third time when the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and forced it upon His head, beating Him violently with a staff. In the Bible, thorns represent lack, ruin, and the curse that came upon mankind because of our rebellion.
Victory Over the Curse
Jesus destroyed all ruin when He shed blood in this way, so that we would not have to suffer the consequences of the curse. The blood Jesus shed from His head has the power to destroy every curse and to make us conquerors, prepared to overcome every challenge.
Point 4 of 7
4. His Back — Redemption
"I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting."
— Isaiah 50:6
Blood was shed for the fourth time when the Romans whipped Jesus' back with the cat o' nine tails. The sentence given to a prisoner was 39 lashes — a physical punishment almost impossible to bear. Jesus voluntarily surrendered His body and endured the beatings because of His love for us. This outpouring speaks of redemption, because Jesus received the punishment for our sins so that we would not have to.
It is no coincidence that all diseases branch from 39 roots; the Word says that by His wounds we are healed — we are redeemed from sickness.
The blood shed from His back has the power to redeem us from the power of the enemy and to heal evake 
Point 5 of 7
5. His Hands — Productivity & Anointing
"When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals — one on his right, the other on his left."
— Luke 23:33
The Wound
Blood was shed for the fifth time when the soldiers nailed Jesus' hands to the cross. Our hands enable us to work — diligent hands are synonymous with productivity. The enemy sought to stop His ministry by pinning His hands in place.
The Victory
But Jesus' hands were special: they healed the sick, delivered the oppressed, and gave sight to the blind. He surrendered His hands so that each one of us could receive His anointing and become productive. The blood shed from His hands has the power to make us productive and activate the gifts God has given us to help others: giving, working, healing, delivering, envisioning, and more.
Point 6 of 7
6. His Feet — Purpose
"When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals — one on his right, the other on his left."
— Luke 23:33
The sixth outpouring took place when the soldiers nailed Jesus' feet to the cross. Our feet allow us to stand firm where we are or to move to the right place. Jesus tirelessly walked through many cities, fulfilling the purpose God had entrusted to Him.
The only way a person can breathe on the cross is by supporting the weight of their body on their pierced feet — which is extremely painful. Jesus voluntarily endured all that pain so that each of us could recover our purpose and find the right path. God did not create us to wander aimlessly through life — He created us to fulfill an incredibly important mission.
The blood shed from His feet allows us to find the right path and to fulfill the purpose for which we were created.
7. His Side — 
A New Heart
All for Love
"Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."
— John 19:34
The last outpouring took place when a spear pierced Jesus' side, making His heart explode. Blood and water flowed out — Jesus shed every last drop of His blood for us.
Jesus' heart exploded so that we could have a heart according to God's own, but also as the expression of the greatest love. Jesus gave everything for love!
The blood from His side has the power to give us a new heart and allows us to experience the fullness of the love of God.
The Maximum Expression of Love
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
— Romans 3:23
The cross is the maximum expression of love. Today we have the opportunity to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for us and to receive all His goodness.
Receive the revelation
Of the cross
Accept the sacrifice
Of Jesus
Experience the divine exchange
That took place on the cross
Feel the fullness
Of the love of God
Because of the Cross
The story does not end in darkness. Because of the cross, everything changed. Every condition that defined humanity without Christ has been reversed by the blood of Jesus. This is the gospel — not merely good news, but the greatest news ever proclaimed.
Forgiven
Every sin — past, present, and future — covered by His blood
Healed
Wholeness in body, mind, and spirit through His stripes
Restored
Identity, purpose, and relationship with God renewed
Victorious
More than conquerors through Him who loved us
The Cross Is Power
"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
— Galatians 6:14
Paul had every earthly credential to boast in — yet he chose one thing alone: the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross is not a relic of the past. It is the living, active power of God operating in every believer's life today. We do not merely remember the cross — we live in its power every single day.
The Cross Is Not Defeat
It Is VICTORY.
The cross that the world saw as the end of a story was, in truth, the beginning of the greatest story ever told. The tomb is empty. The chains are broken. Death has been swallowed up in victory. He is risen — and because He lives, we live also.
Romans 8:37 — "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."