God’s Story: The Cross
Pastor Tim's sermon focuses on the significance of the cross in Christianity. He explains that the cross addresses the problem of humanity's sin in relation to God's perfection, illustrating this with analogies of a courtroom and a tuning fork. The sermon highlights God's perfect justice and perfect love, demonstrated through Jesus' sacrifice. The central theme is the resolution of the conflict between God's holiness and humanity's imperfection achieved through Jesus' death and resurrection. The message emphasizes the importance of contemplating this sacrifice to understand the depth of Christian faith.
Deep Dive Podcast
The Story of God and the Cross: A Study Guide
Quiz
Instructions: Answer each question in 2-3 sentences.
What are the three reasons Pastor Tim gives for studying God's story?
According to Pastor Tim, what is the “problem” that the cross is meant to solve?
How does Pastor Tim describe the perfection of God? Give at least two examples from scripture that he mentions.
What does Pastor Tim mean by the phrase “I’m not as bad as?” Why is this problematic?
Describe the “tiger feeding” story. What was the point of telling it?
According to Romans 3, what is the state of humanity?
Explain the tuning fork analogy used in the lecture.
How is the courtroom analogy used to describe the cross?
According to the lecture, what does Jesus gain and lose in the cross?
What are the encouragement and caution regarding the gospel offered at the end of the lecture?
Quiz Answer Key
The three reasons are: to understand the Bible's storyline, to see how different parts fit together, and to address the philosophical question of the good life. He argues that the Christian faith provides an answer to this question of the good life.
The cross is meant to solve the problem of our sin and how it relates to God's perfection. It addresses the broken relationship between imperfect humanity and a perfect God.
God is described as perfect, without sin, error, or anything less than beautiful. He is perfectly just. Scripture examples include Matthew, where Jesus says, "Be perfect, as your father in heaven is perfect," and Psalm 18:30, which states, "As for God, his way is perfect."
The phrase refers to comparing oneself to others to feel better, which shifts the focus from our relationship with God. It is problematic because the standard is how we relate to God and not other people.
The “tiger feeding” story recounts when Pastor Tim got angry about missing the tiger feeding, crumpled a map, and snapped at his wife, demonstrating his brokenness and the ways it can manifest even over inconsequential things. The point of the story is to illustrate how our own imperfections manifest in our reactions and attitudes.
Romans 3 describes the state of humanity as unrighteous, not understanding or seeking God, worthless, and prone to evil and deceit. It suggests that all of humanity is in need of redemption and reconciliation with God.
The tuning fork analogy suggests that when everything is set right, anything not in perfect pitch with God will be unable to exist in God's presence. It also suggests that God is perfect and unapproachable.
The courtroom analogy illustrates God’s perfect justice and love: the judge represents God, the accused is humanity, and the judge's son is Jesus who takes the punishment so that the accused can receive mercy while still fulfilling justice.
In the cross, Jesus loses his status, becomes an outcast, and takes responsibility for sin. Jesus also endures death. As a result, He gains the ability to offer the righteousness and the adoption as a beloved child of God to humans.
The encouragement is to realize the gospel is the A to Z of Christian faith, not just the ABCs. The caution is that busyness can cause people to not regularly ponder the truths of the gospel and its profound implications.
Essay Questions
Instructions: Answer each of these questions with a clear thesis statement and supporting evidence from the source material.
Discuss the role of "perfection" as it relates to both God and humanity in this lecture. How does the concept of God's perfection complicate humanity's relationship with him, and how does the cross address this complication?
Analyze Pastor Tim's use of the "good idea fairy" analogy and his friend Deb's question, "What's the problem we're trying to solve?" How does this help him frame his discussion of the cross? How is this effective (or not) for teaching?
Using examples from the lecture, explain how Pastor Tim emphasizes the human experience of brokenness and the need for reconciliation. How does he bridge the gap between his audience’s lived experiences and the abstract theology of the cross?
Explore the connection between justice and mercy in the context of the cross as described by Pastor Tim. How are these two seemingly contradictory attributes reconciled in his view of the Christian faith?
Pastor Tim concludes his lecture by discussing the importance of regularly pondering the cross. Analyze his arguments for this practice, and consider why he believes busyness is a threat to this practice.
Glossary of Key Terms
Covenant: A promise or agreement, particularly between God and a group of people (in this case, Israel), signifying a special relationship and commitment.
Creation: Refers to the act of God making the universe and everything in it, establishing his power and sovereignty.
The Cross: Symbolically, it is the central event of the Christian faith, where Jesus was crucified. Theologically it is seen as the act of reconciliation between God and humanity, where sin was addressed, justice was served, and love was extended.
Curse: In the context of the lecture, the brokenness and suffering of the world resulting from humanity's rejection of God.
Good Idea Fairy: An analogy used by Pastor Tim to represent the tendency to get sidetracked by secondary issues, losing focus on the core problem.
Gospel: The good news of the Christian faith centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, offering reconciliation with God and eternal life.
Holiness: The state of being morally perfect and set apart, especially in reference to God's divine nature.
Justice: The quality of being fair and equitable; in this context, God’s requirement that wrongdoing be addressed.
Mercy: Compassion and forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish.
Perfection: The state of being without fault or deficiency; used to describe the nature of God and the ideal that humanity is called to pursue.
Reconciliation: The restoration of friendly relations between God and humanity, made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Redemption: The act of being saved from sin, error, or evil; in this case, the process through which Jesus' sacrifice frees people from sin.
Sin: Actions or thoughts that violate the moral law of God; represents humanity's brokenness and separation from God.
