One of the golden strands of teaching that binds the first page of Scripture with the last and runs through every page is the theology of the cross. This is the thing in the mind of God that is completely backward to the natural mind - God accomplishes his greatest work, the salvation of sinners, through extreme suffering and death. This sermon is about growing our love for the cross - both Jesus' cross and ours - that we might continue to take up our cross, follow him, and find true and everlasting life.