A SERMON
This is “my” sermon, one I have preached, taught, and carried with me for many years, and you are completely free to use it in any way that will further the cause of Christ—preach it, teach it, pass it out in Bible classes, or adapt it for your own ministry. Nothing any of us produce is totally original; this sermon has been used by others besides me, and I have gladly drawn from the work and wisdom of faithful men before me. We are all on the same team, working for the greatest cause in the world.
I have not built many structured sermons in a long while—I usually prefer to stand up and simply speak from the overflow—but I’m easing back into preparing outlines and sermons some too because I want to help people however I can. As I write more, I will share them. I wrote this particular sermon a long time ago and it has helped a lot of people in a lot of places.
WHAT MAKES YOU KNEEL AT THE CROSS?
By Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
INTRODUCTION
The message of the Gospel centers upon one sacred place—the cross of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1–4). Everything a Christian possesses—every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3)—flows from that one moment where heaven’s love met earth’s sin. Paul declared that he would glory in nothing except the cross of Christ, “by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). At the foot of the cross, all boasting dies. Salvation leaves no room for pride (Rom. 3:27; Eph. 2:8–9); the forgiven can only confess, “My hope is in Jesus.”
The Gospel is not the story of what man has done for God—it is the story of what God has done for man. From Eden’s first promise (Gen. 3:15), through Calvary’s fulfillment, to the triumphant scenes of Revelation, Scripture bends toward one theme: the cross. “But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
The question is no longer, “What will God do?” He has already done it. The real question is: “How will I respond?”
Will I bow in trusting obedience, or will I turn away in pride? Will I embrace His love, or will I bear my own guilt? Everything in Christianity begins—and ends—at the cross of Christ.
Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). That truth is not merely a doctrine; it is a Person—bleeding, suffering, dying—to purchase our freedom. Only when we grasp the cost of Calvary will we ever understand the privilege of discipleship. Like Isaiah, forgiven and overwhelmed, we will say, “Here am I—send me” (Isa. 6:1–8).
There is an old song that says, “Kneel at the Cross.” But what makes a person kneel there? What draws the heart down in surrender? In this series we consider three truths that bring a soul to its knees:
The King Who Was Led There
The Words That Were Said There
The Blood That Was Shed There
Each of these will lead a humble heart back to Calvary—and down to its knees.
THE KING WHO WAS LED THERE
(Matthew 27:31, 37–44)
“And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified… And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Jesus was—and is—the King of the Jews. Yet He was not the King many expected. They wanted a political liberator, a warrior who would crush Rome and restore David’s throne. Instead, they received a humble Servant who “came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10), who came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).
Their dreams of earthly glory shattered when Jesus died. They said, almost in despair, “We had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). The message of a crucified Messiah became a stumbling block (1 Cor. 1:23). They could not conceive of a King whose throne was a cross.
Before we judge them, we must examine ourselves. The Jesus of Scripture and the Jesus of our imagination are not always the same. We sometimes fashion a Christ who looks like us, thinks like us, and approves of us—rather than conforming ourselves to the Christ of the Gospels. But the real Jesus—He dines with outcasts, welcomes sinners, touches lepers, and rebukes the self-righteous. Many rejected Him because He did not fit their expectations. We must ensure we do not do the same.
Jesus is a King—but not the kind the world crowns. He spoke often of peace, not revolution (Eph. 2:17). He promised peace: “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). He produced peace “through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:20). He personified peace—for “He Himself is our peace” (Eph. 2:14).
The world seeks kings who conquer by force; Jesus conquers by love. He pleads, “Come to Me” (Matt. 11:28). Imagine that—a King who pleads. A King on a cross.
To the world, the cross is foolishness; but to the saved, it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18). When we behold this King—stripped, beaten, mocked, and crucified—not for crimes He committed, but for sins we committed (Luke 23:41), our knees bend almost instinctively.
The King humbled Himself (Phil. 2:6–8). He left heaven’s glory, entered Bethlehem’s barn (2 Cor. 8:9), and died our death. When you realize that the King of kings died for you, you will indeed kneel at the cross.
THE WORDS THAT WERE SAID THERE
(Matthew 27:45–50)
From the cross, Jesus uttered seven sacred sayings—each a window into His heart.
He prayed for His executioners: “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).
He saved a dying thief: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
He cared for His mother: “Woman, behold your son” (John 19:26).
He thirsted (John 19:28).
He yielded His spirit in faith (Luke 23:46).
He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
But the most sobering cry was this:
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46)
For three hours—from noon until three—darkness covered the land (Matt. 27:45). God turned His face away as His Son bore the full weight of sin. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21). He “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24). Never in all eternity had the Son been separated from the Father (John 17:5). But on the cross, for our sakes, He was.
Observe three things about this moment:
The Meaning of the Separation
God darkened the sky to declare to the world: This is a holy moment. The Lamb of God was bearing the wrath of God.
The Moment of the Separation
Jesus cried out at the ninth hour—at the height of His suffering—when human comfort had vanished and divine fellowship withdrew.
The Misunderstanding of the Separation
Those nearby said, “He is calling Elijah” (Matt. 27:47). They misunderstood entirely. Many still misunderstand today. To understand this cry is to admit responsibility—our sins caused it (Isa. 53:4–12). That realization alone brings a sinner to his knees.
THE BLOOD THAT WAS SHED THERE
(Matthew 27:51–54)
When Jesus died, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51). That veil—sixty feet high—barred all but one man (the high priest) from the Holy of Holies, the symbolic dwelling place of God.
When Christ died, God tore that veil from top to bottom. Man did not tear it; God did. The barrier was removed by the only One who could remove it.
Hebrews says:
“We can boldly enter the Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus… by His death He opened a new and living way through the curtain” (Heb. 10:19–23).
The blood of Jesus reconciled us to God.
Sin separated us (Isa. 59:2).
The cross brought us back (Eph. 2:16).
We were far off—His blood brought us near (Eph. 2:13).
We were guilty—His blood justified us (Rom. 5:9).
He made us (John 1:3).
Then He bought us (Acts 20:28).
When you realize that the precious blood of the perfect Lamb of God was shed for you, you will kneel at Calvary.
CONCLUSION
The cross is the center of Christianity. Without it, we are nothing. Without gratitude for it, we will do nothing. May we never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God grant us wisdom to recognize where the power is (Rom. 1:16), and grace to bow in humble obedience.
And may every heart reading these words kneel at the foot of the cross—where sinners are forgiven, where peace is purchased, and where the King of kings opened the way home.
