Lesson 2 Washing at the Cross
Questions 3 and 4
The thing I want you to know in this lesson is that God has given us a heart-changing, life-transforming way to be genuinely free, centered in His Son Jesus, and I'm excited to share it with you.
Today we are going to discuss the first of three foundational principles to freedom. This principle is first in importance (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), for without it, there is no real hope of lasting freedom.
Washing at the Cross
This first principle is "Washing at the Cross." King David prayed to be cleansed from his defilement, to be washed and made new. And David's prayer was ultimately answered years later when Jesus Christ came to this earth, took David's sin upon Himself, and died under the penalty of it, thereby providing a cleansing fountain that removes sin.
What I want us to understand in this lesson is that when we first see the cross of Jesus and believe that He is dying for our sins, we are washed and saved (Titus 3:5) for eternity (John 3:16); and yet coming to the cross is not merely for salvation; it is not a one-time event. It is to happen daily! (Luke 9:23)
And it's possible that you and I remained trapped in substance abuse because we were walking around dirty and defiled, not knowing how to be cleansed. The world teaches us that if we abstain from certain behaviors, we are "clean." We have all heard (or maybe said ourselves) things like "I have been clean for 90 days". This mistaken understanding leaves us in our guilt and shame, yet still trying to work our way free by mustering up the willpower to stop the unwanted behavior. But this is not God's way of cleansing and freeing us, which is why so many of us repeatedly "fall off the wagon."
The Fountain in Zechariah
Let's look at a passage of Scripture today that shows the real function of the cross:
On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. 2 “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.
Zechariah 13:1-2 NIV
Question 3. According to Zechariah 13:1-2 NIV, what is it that would cleanse people from impurity and remove idolatry from the land?
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THE TIMING OF THE FOUNTAIN
Zechariah was written around 500 B.C. to the people of Judah who had returned from 70 years of exile in Babylon but notice how our passage points forward to a certain "day" when a fountain would be opened.
Reading in context, we see that "day" is defined in Zechariah 12:10. It was a "day" when "an only child" would be "pierced," which is a reference to God giving His "only Son" (John 3:16) to come to this world and suffer on a cross, be pierced in His hands and feet and side for the forgiveness of our sins.
And so, this certain "day" was when an "only child" would be "pierced," and His piercing would open a fountain.
Zechariah gives further evidence as to the timing of this only child that would be pierced and provide a fountain of cleansing:
"Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!" declares the Lord Almighty. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones."
Zechariah 13:7 NIV
Here we see that someone would strike the shepherd, the only child would be pierced, and a fountain would be opened. Jesus, the "Great Shepherd of the sheep" (Hebrews 13:20), God's only Son, was struck down and pierced, hung on a cross, there to die for us (see Matthew 26:31).
Now, let's notice what the opening of that fountain would accomplish.
Question 4. According to Zechariah 13:1-2 NIV, what things would happen when God opened a fountain?
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