Lead Me To The Cross
The Cross is the starting point of true faith, where seekers become believers and believers become disciples. At the Cross, salvation breaks sin’s power, but it also demands surrender of our life exchanged for Christ’s. It is both cleansing and commissioning, calling us to do the Father’s will. Salvation isn’t the end, it’s the beginning of discipleship and mission. In the end, only one question matters, Did we do His will?
Introduction
The Cross of Jesus is the starting point of every Christian. It isn’t our personal curiosity or thoughts or theological studies, it isn’t our parent’s belief / faith systems, it isn’t our church teachings or traditions. It is only and only the Cross of Jesus – that stands undisputed as the banner of identity for anyone who calls themselves a Christian. Everything of our faith journey begins from that place – from the foot of the Cross!
Acts 4:12 says “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
We haven’t truly begun in our faith journey if we have not been found at the Cross first. Everything that comes before that – thoughts, wonderings, analysing, discussions, attending church to understand and learn more etc comes under the bracket of ‘seeking’. That’s the stage of being a SEEKER, looking and analysing the Cross from afar, before coming to a personal revelation/ encounter with the Cross!
At The Cross
What is it that happens at the Cross – that makes it so big and monumental?
Let’s have a few answers.
1.
There is healing that happens – sometimes both physical and emotional.
Cleansing that happens – mentally and emotionally. Whether it’s from guilt or shame.
Both these aspects are often encompassed in the actual event that happens which is called SALVATION.
Salvation – is a broad spiritual term implying a deliverance from the power and penalty of sin.
[Power of sin - is a hold of something evil over our lives which we just can’t seem to shake off. It is beyond us. It is compelling and often manifests in the form of generational curses, diseases, addictions of various kinds, selfish greed, rage that is uncontrollable etc. Penalty - is the dire consequence of indulging and partnering in sin! It is inescapable and this knowing results in people trying various things to fix the soul – all kinds of meditations, chants, rituals, penance etc]
This breaks at the Cross! Because a superior power, that is higher than the power of sin, intervenes in your personal situation, takes your penalty - allowing you to go free. That is Jesus – who settles your accounts on your behalf! That is why we say/sing – our slates have been wiped clean by the blood of Jesus!
At this stage, we have moved from being a seeker and have become a believer! Because we have personally tasted a forgiveness we never deserved and have come to understand and believe that there is One who died in our place – who is called Jesus!
2.
There is however, another HUGE part of what happens at the Cross that believers miss or dismiss entirely! Salvation is just the first part – it is only the entrance into the real thing.
The Cross is the place where we become ‘undone’. There is a divine exchange - Not just healing for our sickness and forgiveness for our sin – but HIS LIFE FOR OURS! Quite literally.
My Life – which is all about: my dreams and ambitions, desires and wants.
His Life – which is all about: doing the will of His Father & His Father’s Kingdom.
THESE ARE EXCHANGED!
Which means that at the Cross, your life becomes all about doing the will of the Father and He takes up all your guilt, sin AND your ambitions and future plans!
The Cross is the place of turnarounds. From a former way of life to a new purpose and goal. At the Cross we are being redeemed and saved from sin and bondage SO THAT we are free to - DO HIS WILL!
This is the stage when we move from being mere believers to being His disciples!
3.
At the Cross - There is both a Cleansing and a Call! It is a meeting place for a divine send-off! (aka ‘commissioning’). This is the pattern of the Kingdom.
Isaiah 6 talks about the prophet Isaiah being cleansed and then it talks about his commissioning. We might argue and say the Cross hadn’t happened then, yet the Bible in John 12:41 says that Isaiah beheld Jesus’ glory. It was Jesus Isaiah met that day! And he was ‘undone’!
Zechariah 3:1-7 we see the same pattern, the high priest Joshua being cleansed and given clean clothes and then given charge of God’s house. That was his commissioning.
In the New Testament, Saul beheld the risen Jesus, and he was blinded for 3 days – it was a cleansing of his vision, his heart which was consumed by an unrighteous zeal. As the scales fell off his eyes, he was sent, consumed by a holy zeal! Saul was ‘undone’, he had become Paul and was commissioned.
Apostle Thomas, same pattern. His unbelief was cured the day he encountered the risen Jesus and he came on his knees saying, “My Lord and My God” (John 20:28). He was commissioned and came to India!
Add your name to the list. If you say that you have been indeed saved by the Cross of Jesus and are a believer in Him – Where have you been sent to? What is your call?
4.
The 3 big mistakes that so many in the Church make is:
To think and believe that: now that I have been saved and have found Jesus, He will work for me – establishing my desires and ambitions! NO! It is the other way-round! It was YOU and I who were purchased by Him! That makes you and me – His slaves. (And yet He chooses to call us ‘friend’. John 15:15) It is not Him, but you and I that are called to work for Him! He is not just Saviour, He is LORD! Your Lord. My Lord.
To try ‘work for God’ without having ever met Him, without having ever known Him personally, without receiving His salvation. We cannot by-pass the person of God and then try and work for Him! Such a service isn’t received by the Lord – it is us trying to earn our righteousness. There is nothing that makes us righteous except the blood of Jesus! Period.
To receive salvation and stop there - dismissing / ignoring the Call that comes with it.
Let’s read Matthew 21: 28-32
The reason why Jesus asked the question in verse 31 is because there were many who refused to do what the Father wanted. Here in this context, it is directed towards the Pharisees who refused to do the will of God, being adamant on their own ways.
There is accountability and judgement for what was to be done and was never done. The Father in heaven will take into account everything for which His own son’s blood was shed.
Conclusion
To those who are at the first stage – seekers, I’d suggest – begin to pray earnestly to Jesus and ask for an encounter. Ask that you want to be shown who He is. Ask for a revelation. Without which, everything will always remain at the level of theory and knowledge. Jesus calls us into a blazing, adventurous life with Him!
To those at the second stage – believers, I’d urge – lay down your ambitions in exchange for a divine infilling of His will and passion! This is true surrender. We are not Pharisees who saw Jesus and yet missed Him completely! We are not called to be believers. We are called to be His disciples.
To those at the third stage – disciples, I exhort you to continually remember the words of our Lord in Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go and make disciples of all the nations, [a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” You have been commissioned. May the Lamb receive His reward in you.
There is a time coming when all work will cease. The time will be up. All our spiritual gifts – prophecy, healing, teaching etc are all mere tools that aid our work. Those who had the gift to teach were meant to teach. Did they teach about the ways of the Lord? Those who had the gift of prophecy, were meant to prophesy. Did they lead the way by prophesying? Those who had the gift to preach were meant to preach. Did they preach about the Kingdom?
It was never about you. It was always about Him!
In the end the only question that would matter is - Did we do His will?
________________________________________________________________________
Background
Kainos Church India, Bengaluru led by Ps. Manoj and Lincy Iype is a gathering open to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church is ideally located for believers in the Koramangala, HSR Layout, Agara, Sarjapur Road, Bellandur areas of Bengaluru and our Church Service in English starts at 10am on Sundays.
These notes are from the Sunday Sermon held on 19th July 2026
