The Cross Confronts Our Sin-Lent Series

Isaiah 53:5; “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” 

1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his woulds you have been healed.” 

Jesus, why do I keep living in my sin? I don’t want to, I ache to be free and live for You. Don’t let me rush past the Cross Lord; show me the weight of what You carried for me, awaken a spirit within me Lord and help me feel the seriousness of sin without slipping into shame. I want to see clearly Lord, I want to live free of this burden. Thank You for taking it for me Lord. I am laying it down and picking up Your righteousness today. I receive Your blessing Lord. 

Romans chapter 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” The Cross does two things at once:

Anything we turn to for relief, identity, or escape can quietly replace dependence on Him and becomes an idol and sin in our lives. The Cross gently but firmly says: “Come back.” 

Father, I do not take the cross lightly. I know it cost You everything Jesus. Forgive me for being complacent and living in compromise. Where I’ve treated sin lightly Lord, convict me. Where I’ve excused patterns, strengthen my resolve. I bring my habits to the Cross. My cravings. My compromises. My hidden things. I lay them down at Your feet Lord. Thank You that confrontation and conviction are not rejection. Thank You that the Cross is proof of love. I surrender again, over and over Lord. I love You so much. Amen.

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Hey there friend, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late twenties and struggled for years to get it off. Seven years ago, I found a basic system that worked and has helped me lose 90 of those pounds. I’ve been working with women in online fitness and nutrition ever since to break chains of diet culture, embrace their bodies and fueling instead of dieting. 

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Transcript

Thank you for coming back to this Lent Series. So we've talked about the wilderness, we've talked about sorrow versus shame. Now we find ourselves at the cross, because Lent is not just about discipline, it's not about what we give up.

It's not even about repentance. Lent is about remembering what our sin actually costs. And we cannot take this conversation lightly.

The cross confronts us, not for shame, but to wake us up to what this life is really about. Are you sick of trying diet after diet and not losing weight? Are you tired of doubting your ability to actually lose weight in a healthy way?

Do you wish you could find a laid out for you plan that will help you stay accountable to your goals? Hey friends, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late 20s and struggled for years to get it off.

So grab your pre-workout and let's chat. If you've noticed, I haven't talked about weight loss this season of Lent, because that's not where we are.

Yes, I want to invite you to the Biblical Weight Loss Framework because I know it's going to change your life and give you a godly approach to weight loss. But we're not talking about this Lent season because it's not what it's about.

If you're fasting sugar like me, great, maybe you're dropping a couple pounds, but I really don't care. I want you to see this time as connection to God.

We live in a culture that minimizes sin. We call it struggles, personality. Oh, it's just a weakness.

It's just how I am. But when we get in the Word, which I hope you're doing every single day, the Cross reveals something very different. Isaiah 53.5 says, but he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.

He was beaten so that we could be whole. He was whipped so that we could be healed. Pierced, crushed, beaten, whipped.

This is not casual language. Your sin is not light. It required blood, Jesus' blood, God's son.

God that manifested himself into a human being, or as my old pastor said, God in Abad, on a criminal's cross. The perfect lamb sacrifice on our behalf, because he knew that we couldn't do it on our own. It was not going to work any other way.

And listen, this isn't about legalism today, but that should feel very heavy. Jesus took on every sin that every person ever created had ever or would ever commit. How many times a day do you sin?

I sin a lot through the day. I find myself constantly repenting. If we picture Jesus maybe being stabbed every time we sin, do you think it would change our approach?

Do you think it would help us to have that visual representation of him going to the cross for us?

And then we think about all the other people in the world who continue to fall and fail and do the wrong things every day and every time he's being pierced for our transgressions. Without the cross, nothing else matters.

And Lent prepares our hearts for Easter, hopefully, by slowing us down long enough to feel that weight. Lent isn't about you fasting sugar. Nobody cares.

It's not about you. It's what about what Jesus did for us on that cross.

This episode is not to shame you, not to give you a legalistic approach, but there is heaviness to it. There's weight to it. Our weight, your sin, my sin, the sins of the world, believers and unbelievers alike.

And it is really easy to point out the lost people in the world. But don't be pulling a plank out of anyone else's eye until you confront the plank in your own eye. Your only job in this life is to live for Jesus and let him work out the rest.

I believe it's his hope that when we can see the cross clearly and the heaviness and weight of it, that you stop flirting with your sin that nailed him there.

The cross that Jesus hung on, it confronts our casual compromise and the normal ungodly habits that we so often justify. Music with inappropriate language, TV with sex scenes of people that aren't married, garbage, garbage in, garbage out.

It's easy to say Jesus died for the world. It's a heck of a lot harder to say Jesus died for my pride. Jesus died for my hidden habits, for my selfishness, for my ego, for my bitterness.

Jesus died for my gluttony, for my control, for my gambling habit, for my adultery. Jesus died for my overspending. He died for my gossip.

He died for my slander. He died for my anger. He died for my rebellion.

He died for my addiction to alcohol. What did he die for you for? What sin do you continue to live in every day?

He went for us knowing that we were going to struggle. He died for all of it in hopes that we would repent and turn our lives to him.

When I sat down this week and wrote down all of the idols and distractions in my life, I wake up every morning and pray. I'm distracted in my prayer. I pray the same things over and over.

I repent for the same things over and over. I think you must get so tired of me because I get tired of myself. But he doesn't.

He gently reminds us that his sacrifice was enough. He just needs us to surrender. He just needs us to feel the craving and bow our head in that moment and say, God, give me what I need.

1 Peter 2.24 says, He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed. So powerful.

So that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. To die to sins and live for righteousness, not so that we keep on living in them. Friend, if you have not named your sins and your distractions out loud, do it right now.

Do it right now. My phone, gluttony, ego, pride, my weight, the scale, my fitness tracker, TV, our new house, our tax return, my marriage, my body. That's 12 I just listed in two seconds.

If I sat down and kept going, I could keep going. I don't want to keep living in them. And if you're here listening, I know that you don't either, but we have to name them so that the enemy doesn't have control over us anymore.

We lay them down, Jesus, at your holy feet. We nail them to the cross. And we pray yet again, not just to repent, but to change us.

God, change us. The enemy in our flesh no longer have a hold on us in this life. Why do I keep living in my sin, Lord?

I don't want to. I ache to be free of it. I don't want to rush past the cross, Lord.

Show me the way to what you carried for me. Awaken a spirit within me. Lord, help me feel the seriousness of my sin without slipping into shame.

I want to see clearly, Lord. I want to live free of this burden. Thank you for taking it on for me.

I'm laying it down and I'm picking up your righteousness right now today. I receive this blessing, Jesus. Amen.

Holy conviction says that sin is deadly, grace is costly, and love is sacrificial. In Paul's letter to the Romans chapter 5 verse 8, he says, But God showed us his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

While we were still sinners, what does that tell us? That tells us that the cross does two things simultaneously. It exposes our sin, yet at the same time proves God's love.

We're more sinful than we think. It's so easy to point out the sins of others, but when we really start to look inside and pray that Psalm 139, 23, and 24 prayer, we're more sinful than we realize, but we're more loved than we can imagine.

Because while we were still in our sin, he died for us. Both are true. And owning this truth is going to help us lay down our flesh and pick up our cross.

Anything, anything we turn to for relief, identity, or escape, will replace quiet dependence on him. And it becomes an idol in sin in our lives. And the cross gently but firmly says to come back.

Father, I do not take the cross lightly. I know it cost you everything. Forgive me for being complacent in living in compromise, Lord.

Where I've treated sin lightly, Jesus convict me. Where I've excused patterns strengthen my resolve. I bring my habits to you, my cravings, my compromises, my hidden things.

I lay them down at your feet, Lord. Thank you that confrontation and conviction are not shameful. Thank you that the cross is proof of your unending love.

I surrender again. Over and over, Lord, I love you so much. Amen.

So what does the cross do? What does it not do? The cross invites us to surrender.

Not, I'll hate myself into holiness or legalism, but I'll remember the cross and walk differently because God calls me to righteousness. Not to earn the cross. You have that anyway, but because you want to live for him.

I want to die to my flesh. I want to make disciples as the world calls me to. I want to live for him alone.

Repentance is fueled by gratitude. When you understand what it costs him, obedience becomes worship and the only way to live, not because we're perfect, but because the cross is that we don't have to be. He is, and that is more than enough.

So as we draw closer and closer to Easter, let us slow down long enough to stand at the cross, to confront the sins that so easily entangles us, and let us stand firm in the Holy Spirit conviction and in God's righteousness.

Because Lent isn't about you, it's about what he did for you. That should be enough to lay down yourself righteousness and pick up his righteousness because of his sacrifice. But remember, my friends, the cross is not the end of the story.

Sunday is coming, but we're not quite there yet. God bless. Hey, sis, I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

If so, would you take 30 seconds and share it with a friend? Also, please leave a quick review for the show on Apple Podcasts. It lights me up to know this podcast is helping you.

Okay, it's time to go make a protein shake and get my sweat on. No more standing in the kitchen waiting for motivation to appear. I will meet you back here for another episode.

God bless.