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Page Two: “Nailed To The Cross” 4/7/13
  Now turn with me in your Bible to the Gospel of Matthew at chapter six. Matthew 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

  Here’s the LORD’s prayer. The LORD teaches here that when it comes to debts, it’s the sins, that need to be forgiven. Your sins are your spiritual debts.

  The third Scripture I want you to look with me is Matthew chapter eighteen.
Matthew 18:23 “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. (24) And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
(25) But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
(26) The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
(27) Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.”

  You see, the LORD often uses the concept of debt to teach us the power of forgiveness. In forgiveness God cancels our debts, the debts of our sins. When we forgive others, we also are “forgiving their debts against us.”

 First, then, the LORD uses the concept of debt to teach forgiveness.
 Second, the nails. What was nailed to the cross?

Turn back with me to Colossians chapter two and verse thirteen. (13) “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (14) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;…”
  How many times have you heard it said that God did a tremendous work for us when Christ died on Calvary? All through the NT you will find the things that were accomplished at the cross. Here in Colossians chapter two you find another one of those glorious accomplishments.

  What was nailed to the cross?

  Let me just say a few things about this to encourage your soul. First, “nailing it to his cross” is a reference not to the physical cross and the nails that pierced the LORD’s hands. Rather it refers to the work that God did on our behalf when Jesus died there that day.

  Paul tells us that God did at least these three things for us on the day Jesus was crucified.

  1. He provided complete forgiveness for our sins. Colossians 2:13 “having forgiven you all trespasses.” 
  2. He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us.
    Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;…” 
  3. He triumphed over Satan and his dominion.
    Colossians     2:15 “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

  As you can see, a huge part of the work of the cross was our forgiveness. Forgiveness is simple beauty contrasted to the horrid ugliness of sin. Sin is a plague and forgiveness is the cure. Sin is spiritual rottenness and forgiveness is freshness and newness.

  And as to the defeat of Satan and his domain; folks, it took the combination of both the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus to decimate both the kingdom of darkness and its king.

But I want to say a word about this line in verse fourteen “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;…”