THE POWER OF THE CROSS

Romans 1:16 (NIV) — 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

On Friday, we talked about the shame, the humiliation, the nakedness

At the Cross Jesus took the curse

At the Cross Jesus was opening the door of heaven to us

Mark 15:38 (NIV) — 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

The Power of the Cross reconciles humanity with our heavenly Father

John 12:32 (NIV) — 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

All men here means those who come to him, believing

Some will not receive Jesus, but to those who do, they will receive the power, authority, the right to become children of God and to exercise and demonstrate the authority of a child of God

1 Corinthians 1:17–18 (NIV) — 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Cor 2:4-5 “and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

The Cross is the symbol of our union with Christ, so that because of the cross we have a new life

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Romans 6:4 “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Galatians 5:24 “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Galatians 6:14 “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Satan wants us to be afraid that God can not help us Spiritually and practically in our life

There are four areas in which we need to see the finished work of Christ: forgiveness, provision, victory and healing.

The Power of the Cross to forgive

Self-condemnation is a common feature of our human experience. Many Christian believers suffer from condemnation of spirit. The reality of daily failures in our walk with God, and the pressure of our interaction with other people every day often lead to feelings of unworthiness and inadequacy. Forgiveness is a fact from God's point of view. In Christ, He has covered all our sins and when we come to Him in repentance and confession He never fails to cleanse us and give us that sense of freedom and freshness which is our right, through the death of our Saviour. But the devil never likes to leave it there. He loves to play on our feelings of weakness and tries to lead us back into condemnation and bondage within our hearts. This is where we need to receive our forgiveness. Satan tries to convince us that, in some way, we need to pay for our sins. But this is a total contradiction to the teaching of Scripture and to the work of Calvary. Jesus has met all our debt and we need to receive our forgiveness in Him (I John 1:7-9). We have a Saviour who is at the moment speaking to the Father on our behalf. As we open our mouths and ask forgiveness, He is naming our names before our heavenly Father.

The Power of the Cross to provide

The devil doesn't mind us believing in God, as long as He is a God who does nothing. Satan's aim is to break the relationship of trust in God which the Holy Spirit brings to life when we are born again through His power. It is by the Spirit that we know God as our Father, and it is through Him that we come to God our Father in simple trust and faith (Romans 8:15-16). "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things" (Romans 8:32). Every time we struggle with a sense of need we should come back to Calvary. After Jesus every other provision is only a footnote! All we ever need is included in Him, and through faith in Him we know that release of His provision into our lives day by day.

The Power of the Cross for Victory

In His death, Jesus accomplished victory for us over sin, death, the world and the power of Satan, the great enemies that haunt the footsteps of every human being. Satan continually tries to bring us into defeat and weakness through these means. We need to be clear about our victory in Jesus, so that we can overcome Satan in his attacks upon our lives. Jesus has won for us victory over sin and death (Romans 5:12, 15). The two great weapons of Satan, guilt and fear, are thus rendered useless in the life of the Christian who stands on the finished work of the cross. Jesus has won for us victory over the world. The world is that satanic system of evil which has permeated God's order and the society of mankind, which leads men and women into darkness and away from God. But because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, in which He overcame the principles and powers of this dark world, we can share His victory in the present power of the Holy Spirit (I John 5:4-5). He has won for us victory over Satan. The cross was, in fact, the cataclysmic battle between the power of God and the power of Satan. Everything that flows to us out of the cross, does so because Jesus won the victory. That victory was not won in some dark and secret comer but in a public arena for all to see. When Jesus cried out, "It is finished.'; He was not crying out in weakness or despair, but proclaiming publicly the mighty victory of God. In Jesus, God has overcome all the powers of darkness so that they no longer pose a threat to those who stand in faith in Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:13-16).

The Power of the Cross for Healing

The universal gift that comes to mankind from the cross is the gift of salvation in the sense of forgiveness of sins. However, the cross of Calvary is also the basis for every other provision the Father can and will give us according to His will. This includes healing. There are factors which control whether these provisions will be given in every case, e.g. when we need to exercise more faith, or when our lives inhibit the Father from being as generous as He wants to be. There are also other hidden factors. However, this should not stop us praying in faith or asking the Father for help in every time of need. We can trust the Lord but we cannot manipulate Him (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Three major facts show that healing of the body is an integral part of the Father's purpose in the work of Calvary.

· God has established the principle of healing in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died bruised and broken but He was raised healed and whole.

· The Scriptures clearly witness to the inclusion of physical healing as a part of the work of Calvary (Romans 8:11). Jesus died, not only to bear our sins, but to carry our sorrows and take up our infirmities (Isaiah 5 3:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24). Jesus died, not only to save our souls, but our whole man: spirit, soul and body.

· The direct testimony of healing today in the power of the Holy Spirit: God's purpose is that we should live now in the goodness and power of eternal life. There is no such thing as an unhealed believer!

The fact is that the cross was the decisive encounter in the battle between good and evil. There Satan was finally stripped of his power and his fate was conclusively sealed. Yet there is still a war going on! Similarly the decisive work has been accomplished for our healing but we are not yet fully healed. Every miracle of God's grace is a miracle of promise. It is a type or pointer to what will fully pertain when Jesus comes in His Kingdom glory. The fact that the battle is won and yet not over does not inhibit us from engaging in spiritual warfare at every level today. Rather, it should stimulate us. So it is with the question of healing, for surely this is part of the battle! We should not be inhibited from praying just because we realise that everything is not yet perfect.