The Neccesity of the Cross
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“In the Cross is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection against our enemies; in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit; in the Cross is excellence of virtue; in the Cross is perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross.”
― Thomas à Kempis, The Inner Life
“Do not try to make the gospel tasteful to carnal minds. Do not hide the offense of the cross, lest you make it of no effect.”
Charles Spurgion
What do we mean when we speak of the cross? Do we speak of the actual wooden beams and nails?
No, when we speak of the cross, we do not speak of the object itself, we speak of the finished work of Christ that was done on the cross.
To speak of the cross is to speak of the atonement, the preaching of the gospel.
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
The preaching of the cross is what we will do today.
There are some out there who do not believe that the cross, the sacrificial death of Jesus was even necessary.
Jesus Christ Himself would disagree.
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
The phrase “Ought not” is the greek word “Dei” and it means: Unavoidable.
The cross is unavoidable IF guilty sinners are to be reconciled to God.
Today i want to share a few reason why the cross is absolutely necessary.
1: The cross is necessary to communicate God’s character to us.
1: The cross is necessary to communicate God’s character to us.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
The cross show us just how great the love of God is.
That the Father would choose to have the holy and blameless Son suffer and die in the place of the guilty is truly amazing!
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
There are many things that i might doubt in my life.
I may doubt myself, i may doubt my marriage, i may doubt my calling and ministry...
But when it comes God’s love towards me - of that there is zero room for doubt.
2: The cross is necessary because it shows us what God thinks about sin.
2: The cross is necessary because it shows us what God thinks about sin.
We cannot know how evil sin is till we have seen its full consequence on the cross.
So often we are blind to certain things, not seeing how dangerous they are. The only way to cure that blindness is to be shows the consequences.
Young people who just get their drivers license and think they are invincible, take them to an accident scrap yard so they can see the cars ripped apart, smell the decaying blood and see the bits of human scalp still stuck in the windshield.
Smokers, just go take a day and volunteer at an oncology center, see how each breath is a fight for their life of stage 4 lung cancer.
So often its not until we see the consequences that we realise how dangerous it is.
The cross serves just such a purpose.
How bad is sin? Look at Jesus, back ripped open, beard ripped off, head bloodied from the beatings and crown of thorns.
Thats how bad it is.
13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
Look at the steps:
First the sinner is blind to their sin.
Next through the Law they are awakened to their sin.
Then by the gospel they are saved from their sin.
And its when we look at Jesus that we truly see how evil our sin is.
“Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.”
― John Stott
3: The cross is necessary because only it is powerful enough to capture our sinful hearts.
3: The cross is necessary because only it is powerful enough to capture our sinful hearts.
Paul puts it like this:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
That word Power is Dunamis and in this verse it speaks of “controlling influence”.
When a lost sinner, dead in their sins hears the gospel. It is only the cross, which displays the love of God, that can capture the heart and bring about Godly sorrow which leads to repentance.
This is why modern progressive churches are filled with false converts.
Things other than the cross are being used to try and make christians.
Most common is: The promise of prosperity.
“God is going to give you a breakthrough, God is cancelling all debts, God is going to make the devil repay what he has stolen, God is going breath new life into your marriage....”
The list of false influence goes on and on and on.
But the promise of prosperity absolutely fails because it cannot bring a sinner to true, broken hearted repentance, and before we forget:
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Listen: If you go to church motivated by what you can get from God you are deceived.
Every action of a born again christian is done not to receieve, but from a position of deep thankfulness because of what WE HAVE ALREADY received!
And what have we already received?
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
And perhaps the greatest summation and cause for rejoicing:
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Now does this mean that we cant come to God in anticipation of receiving from Him?
Of course it does not mean that:
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And having made requests God says:
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
There must be an expectation in the heart of the believer.
The problem is that in progressive churches the cross is no longer central, in some its not even in the perifial!
The central message is not the cross its comfort.
Conclusion:
The cross was not an accident. It was not an after thought. The cross was not an idea God came up with when Adam and Eve sinned.
The cross existed before you and me. Before Adam and Eve. It existed before God even said “let there be light”.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
The cross existed before the foundation of the world.