"To stand at the foot of the cross is to witness the purpose for which God created the world." The cross is a wonder unfathomable. Time cannot contain its reach. No heart can endure its weight. And yet it is the center of everything. It cannot be passed over. Pastor and author Erwin W. Lutzer believes that the better we grasp what the cross meant to Christ, the better we grasp what it should mean to us. To do this, Lutzer examines Jesus’ cries from the cross. Search with him and see how God’s love and justice meet. Know the weight of sin and the power of redemption. Look upon Jesus in His weakness, obedience, sorrow, and compassion. Let the scandal of the cross give you pause. The cross deserves our attention. Journey forth into the heart of Jesus, that your own heart may be shaped to His.

As death approaches, the human heart speaks its greatest words of love to those it holds most dear. So it was with Jesus who in His final hours gave us seven last "words" rich with spiritual meaning for every human soul. For the first time ever, Archbishop Fulton Sheen's complete writings and reflections on Christ's last words have been compiled into this one book. Sheen shows how the seven words are, in fact, a full catechism on the spiritual life. From them, you'll learn the secrets to living the Beatitudes, ways to avoid the deadly vices of anger, envy, lust, and pride, and how to cultivate the heavenly virtues of fortitude, prudence, justice, and charity. Few books are such an inspiring call to sanctity, and few books are such a spiritual powerhouse. With Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen as your guide, you'll also learn: Why, during His Passion, Jesus never proclaimed his innocence. Why Jesus appealed to His Father to forgive, but did not Himself forgive directly. What Jesus' third word from the Cross says about lust. Why, like Jesus, the most innocent among us must suffer. Why darkness covered the earth after Jesus spoke his fourth word. The seven words spoken unto Jesus while He hung on the Cross and what they reveal about the impact of Christ's Passion on your soul. What the Passion says about judging others (and why it's an assault against hope). How the conversion of the good thief is the key to the conversion of our modern world. Why you and I can sin a thousand times and be forgiven, and the angels who have sinned but once are eternally unforgiven. How envy becomes the denial of all justice and love. The difference between the virtue of hope and the emotion of hope.

After Erwin Lutzer, senior pastor of the Moody Church, and his wife, Rebecca, realized that memorizing Scripture has nearly become a lost pursuit today, they decided to create this practical, relevant resource filled with powerful verses and insightful explanations to help stimulate a spiritual hunger in readers’ own lives. With more than 35 topics and questions for reflection and further study, readers will discover how God’s Word will: sustain them in times of need comfort them in seasons of sorrow strengthen their hearts in times and areas of weakness direct their steps and decisions toward God’s will These handpicked verses provide a foundation of wisdom and hope to show readers who God is and what He has done for them, as well as who they are and how they can successfully live the Christian life.

Written by Rev. A. G. Sertillanges, this acclaimed devotional classic gives you vivid and dramatic details not included in the Gospel.

Last words are always important. The cross is widely misunderstood in the present day; many in the world are deeply offended by its powerful truth. Erwin Lutzer, pastor of the Moody Church, gently leads readers on a journey into the heart of Christ to help them grasp what Christ Himself wants us to know. Jesus was not silent on the cross. Come turn your attention to His cries and be utterly changed.

Guli Francis-Dehqani was born in Isfahan, Iran, to a family who were part of the tiny Anglican Church established by 19th century missionaries. Her father, a Muslim convert, became the first indigenous Persian bishop. As the Islamic Revolution of 1979 swept across the country, church properties were raided, confiscated or closed down. Guli’s father was briefly imprisoned before surviving an attack on his life, which injured his wife. Soon after, whilst he was out of the country for meetings, Guli’s 24 year-old brother, Bahram, a university teacher in Tehran, was murdered. No one was ever brought to justice and the family were advised to leave Iran. Guli was 14. They eventually settled in England with refugee status. Drawing on the riches of Persian culture and her own dramatic experience of loss of a homeland, Guli offers memorable and perceptive reflections on Jesus’ seven final sayings from the cross, opening up for Western readers fresh and arresting insights from a Middle Eastern perspective.

The cry of Jesus on the cross described in the gospels of Mark and Matthew was a wail of pain and abandonment. Many Christians have been scandalized by it. On one hand it is an expression of the humanity of Jesus, while at the same time it links him with his Jewish heritage and the rich imagery of the psalms. Italian theologian Gerard Rosse has examined the many meanings of Jesus' cry. He first considers the historical question - whether these were truly the words of Jesus. If we assume that they are, what do the words mean? Was it merely a cry of despair, or does it reveal something of the relationship between Jesus and the One called Abba? Theologically, what light does it cast on the inner life of the Trinity? Rosse also considers the reality of abandonment in the world today and what the outcry of Jesus reveals about our solidarity with all abandoned people.