Friend, this is the way to find lasting freedom! It is to be cleansed and washed at the cross! And this is not a one-time event; no, we need to come to the cross daily, remembering our cleansing, experiencing anew the fresh love of God. And the good news is that this fountain is always flowing, always fresh, perfect for all who know their need for it.
How to Wash at the Cross
And so, now that we know where to wash, here’s how we wash at the cross: come to the cross with me and see Jesus stretched out on it, Roman soldiers pounding nails into His hands and feet, blood running down from Jesus’ wounds. Watch as they raise the cross and set it in the ground. There Jesus hangs in broad daylight between heaven and earth, being rejected by both God and man.
But this isn’t some random act of senseless violence. Jesus is being rejected so that you would be accepted. Jesus has taken your sin on Himself that you would be counted as righteous.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
No matter what you have done, no matter how long you’ve done it, through His death on the cross, Jesus undid it! God’s law charges you and me with sin, doing wrong things, failing to live up to God’s standard, but Jesus took those charges to Himself and canceled them for us:
“...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 2:14
As you look at Jesus hanging on the cross, blood pouring from His wounds, see Him as a fountain - a fountain for your cleansing that will remove idolatry and impurity from your life as it has done and continues to do in mine! Yes, every last ounce of sin, all the years of substance abuse we did, all of it is washed away at the cross. Do you see this fountain flowing? Do you believe Jesus’ blood is a flowing fountain designed to cleanse the impure, change our hearts and remove idolatry?
Do you know that your sin, all of it (past, present, and future), has been fully dealt with at the cross? It is true! Through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, He removed your guilt and shame. You experience this freedom when you believe the good news of the cross!
And think of this: if your guilt is gone, the “undertow” that keeps pulling you back into sin is gone! We will talk much more about this in the coming lessons of this course.
Friend, this is the first principle of freedom - washing at the cross. You won’t believe how clean, pure and free this makes us until you get in the habit of coming to the cross daily and often.
Washing at the cross is the very principle that brings about a heart change. We look at the cross, and we mourn over our sin, yet we’re filled with joy in the forgiveness and cleansing we experience through it. Yes, a heart change is inevitable at the cross!
Worship at the Cross
I’m looking forward to seeing you in the next lesson and sharing the second principle of freedom with you, as well as hearing from you as to what God is showing you in His Word and doing by His Spirit in your heart. But for now, please take the remainder of the time in this lesson to watch and listen to the song below, then answer the final question:
Question 8. What happens to sinners plunged beneath that flood?
I’m looking forward to seeing you in the next lesson and sharing the second principle of freedom with you.