THE CROSS OF JESUS
PERSPECTIVES ON THE CROSS - THE ANSWER TO FUTILITY - 1 March 2026
The answer to futility. The cross of Jesus..
March 1st 2026
Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Romans 8:21-23 21 that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
Frustration is part of life, at both ends…etc.. dilemas and frustrations everywhere we look.
1 Cor 3:18-20 18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”[a]; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
Psalm 94:11 11 The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile.
The ground is where we stand in awe of the sacrifice our saviour and lord, jesus made for us, because he loves us and showers his grace and mercy upon us.
The ground is level at the cross.
The ground where we come, broken, lost, in need of grace, forgiveness and mercy….
The ground where we are healed, where we are forgiven, where we are saved.
The ground where we are told all have fallen short of the glory of god, all are in need of salvation, for God so loved us all that he gave his son Jesus as an atoning sacrifice.
The ground is where we meet our neighbours, our family our friends.
The ground is where people from all nations on earth, all political persuasions, all religions.. can come ..
The ground is level at the cross.
Two types before of LEVEL…tools.. Spirit and Laser.
LASER. light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
LIGHT… Travels in a straight line, illuminates the darkness… see where this is going, the ground is level at the cross because Jesus is the Light of the world, Light that shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it
Jesus is the light, of the world, His sacrifice, love and grace have made the ground of the cross… The Ground is LEVEL at the cross.
SPIRIT level..
The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, present in Jesus then given to us to continue the work of Levelling the ground around us, by giving hope and purpose to others that only come through a relationship with Jesus.
when we experience frustration, or feel a sense of futility of the inequity and unfairness of this world, or if we have been in our minds or hearts part of creating uneven ground for others…
The Ground is LEVEL at the Cross…
The CROSS
The cross is the symbol of Christianity, recognisable wherever you may be in the world.
The Cross of Jesus… After the resurrection of Jesus.. paul said “we preach one thing, one thing only, Christ and Christ Crucified”
Not just a place where he died.. not just a way romans dispatched criminals… but the central place of Christianity..
To understand this, understand what happened that day on calvary… what was the cross all about…
Has to start with who we are, we are all sinners. We have all disobeyed God our father, we have all treated our fellow man poorly, we are by nature, sinful people..
We live in a fallen world, out of balance with God, living in a disconnected state of futility… nature and us.. this separates us
The cross is the only way for us to be reconciled, re connected with God..this is the only place this can happen
The cross is the essential and central point of our Christian faith.
The cross is where we our separation from God, all of mankind… is dealt with once and for all
The cross is where our futility, the frustration of life, the sense of lack of purpose is dealt with.
Most of all, it’s a place of peace, of surrender, of grace…why…because The Ground is Level at the Cross..
because the ground is Level at the CROSS..
NOTES AND QUESTIONS FOR BIBLE STUDY
WEEK 3 The Cross - The answer to futility Sunday 1 March 2026
BIBLE STUDY NOTES.
What is the most futile/pointless thing you have ever done?
Sin has brought with it futility...Futility with creation (physical order)
Read Genesis 1:31 and Romans 8:22-23 and list the ways creation is not being what it should be.
Identify the primary causes for this futility.
Consider:
1.Direct result of our activities: Deforestation, climate change, waste, mining
2.When nature is cruel, for example, cat playing with a mouse, because of change
and decay. Read Romans 8:23.
CEB Cranfield says,
“We may think of the whole magnificent theatre of the universe
together with all its splendid properties and all the chorus of sub-human life,
created to glorify God but unable to do so fully, so long as man the chief actor in
the drama of God’s praise fails to contribute his rational part.” So long as the
human race fails to glorify God the universe will lack its intended perfection.
Until Creation is redeemed - frustration and decay are bound with all existence.
FF Bruce says,
“Here it is not simply subjection to futility but positive hostility that is
implied on the part of the created universe. The universe has been involved in
conflict with its Creator, and needs to be reconciled to him: the conflict must be
replaced by peace. This peace has been made through Christ, by the shedding of
his lifeblood on the cross
Read Romans 8:20-21; Colossians 1:20, 23,27; Titus 3:7. Is the futility of creation
inevitable or can we anticipate things improving? Discuss
For Paul – through the Cross – whatever was wrong in the hostile created order, has
now been put right by Christ’s atoning work.
As sure as Christ was raised from the dead, we know that Creation itself will one day
fully display the glory of God.
What do you think this might look like? What would be different?
The Futility of Life (the non-physical world)
Read 1 Corinthians 3:18-20. What futility do you see or experience in your own life
and circumstances? Consider work, recreation, family, community, media, etc.
This is the consequence of trying to do life without God... But “the fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom”. How does “the fear of the Lord” make life less futile?
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-23, Ephesians 4:17-18, 1 Peter 18-19. Leon Morris states,
“If Christ paid such a price it is nonsense to say that those for whom he paid it live only
futile lives.”
How has the Crucified Christ redeemed you from a futile existence?
How could that be evident through you in this frustrating and futile world?
