The Power of the Cross

INTRODUCTION

Topics that could have been covered:

The people (Simon, The Criminals, The Soldiers, Mary & John)

The Elements (The nails, Jesus Robe, The Sign on the Cross, The Cross itself)

The statements of Jesus on the Cross (All 7 of them)

But, the message of the cross has always come down to Christ blood shed for the redemption of our sins and reconciliation unto our heavenly Father. That is the power of the cross.

The Blood Speaks

Genesis 4:9–11 “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”

Hebrews 12:24 “and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

Abel's blood spoke of vengeance and accusation; Christ blood speaks of redemption, salvation, justification, deliverance, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

The Blood is Life

Leviticus 17:11 “‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’”

Deuteronomy 12:23–24 ““Only be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. “You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.”

John 6:55–58 ““For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”” ““He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”

John 6:53 “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.”

Christs blood poured out satisfied God’s righteousness enacting a new covenant, that brought life to us.

The Blood Gives Healing, Freedom, & Deliverance

Revelation 12:11 ““And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

Isaiah 53:4–5 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

Hebrews 9:14 “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Ephesians 1:7 “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins” (NLT).

The Blood Redeems, Justifies and reconciles

Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”

Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

1 John 1:7 “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Matthew 26:28 “for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

1 Peter 1:18–19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

The Abraham Covenant and The Passover typology Examples

In Abraham God walked between two halves of cows and goats as a covenant between Him and Abraham. He did not have Abraham walk through it because it was a covenant that was eternal that only God was bound to keep for Abraham, and not Abraham to God. It is a type of what Christ blood sacrifice and covenant would between us today and God. Genesis 15:8–21

Genesis 15:8–21 NASB95

He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?” So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

With the Passover God has the people put the blood of a specific animal over the doorpost of their homes in order to prevent the death angel from taking their firstborn sons. This animal must be unblemished, one-year of age, male, either sheep or goat. There was specific instructions on eating the animal and what to eat and not eat. Eating the blood was forbidden. Through this God was showing how Christ blood would be a perfect atonement and lead us toward freedom from slavery. (Exodus 12:1-28; Exodus 12:43-13:16)

The Blood gives us complete Access to the Throne of God

Hebrews 12:18–24 “For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

Hebrews 4:15–16 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 10:19–20 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,”

Luke 23:44–45 “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two.”

What is it that you need to bring boldly to the cross and leave there? That the Blood of Christ has taken care of that you may still be carrying?