Read the Sign!
Today’s Verse:
And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus Of Nazareth The King Of The Jews. ~John 19:19
In our modern day society, signage is a very important communication tool. In order to get a driver’s license, an applicant must be knowledgeable of traffic signs. We rely on signage to find our entrance and exits. Signage is a means of advertising a product or service. People who are hearing impaired rely on “signing” as a way of communicating. Traffic signage is universal in shapes and colors to help everyone be familiar with the requirements for stopping, yielding, railroad crossing, etc. This morning, we are considering a sign that demands our attention
We see the identification.
“And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus Of Nazareth The King Of The Jews.” Hanging on that cross was the holy, sinless Son of God! There on that cross, that sign identified Jesus of Nazareth, but the Jews would not accept that He was the Christ, the Anointed One from Heaven, Who came to die for their sins. There the Son of God gave His life as a ransom for many. The crowd wanted a criminal released instead of Christ. That sign identified him as the King Who was rejected, the Savior they would not believe in, and the King they refused to acknowledge.
We see the indemnification.
There on that cross, Jesus suffered, bled, and died for every sinner. It was there He tasted death for every man. It was there He washed away our sins in His own blood. On that cross was the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. It was there on that cross that God commendeth His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. There Jesus, the Just, died for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. While the mocking crowd despised the sign that identified Jesus, the payment for sin would be paid in full for every sinner.
We see the incrimination.
The cross that Jesus was nailed to paid in full every sinner’s sin debt. However, that cross also incriminates every sinner who refuses to believe in Jesus death for the payment of his sin. Instead of salvation, it accuses every Christ-rejecter of being unbelieving and hardened. Just as running a stop sign or red light incriminates us of not obeying the posted law, a sinner’s rejection of Christ as Savior is knowingly ignoring the posting that he needs to be saved. That sign points at every Christ-rejecting sinner as guilty for rejecting his opportunity for salvation.
We see the implication.
Everyone who passed that sign would have to decide to believe or not believe that Jesus was the Savior of the world. Believing in Jesus as Savior also implied the need to live for him as well. “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again,” II Cor. 5:15. Faith in Christ for salvation implies a commitment going forward of a life set apart for the glory of God. It implies that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service, Romans 12:1.
Read the sign! Jesus took your place on that cross! Jesus is more than the King of the Jews: He desires to be King over every area of your life. He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God.
Have a Christ-honoring God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Acts 14-15