Consequences of the Cross
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Why is Easter special?
Why should I come to church?
There are times that our faith can have a morbid caste to it
This time of year in particular
Good Friday we remembered the death of Jesus
and we talked about the torture He went through
We have a lot of symbolism and jargon that talks about
blood and death
we ask “are you washed in the blood”
We talk about eating the flesh of Jesus
and drinking blood
Do you see how an outsider could become wary when they hear this kind of talk
I’m not saying we should stop, because it is in scripture
but do you see why someone might not want to come to church?
Easter is a celebration, good Friday and Lent are meant to be a period of mourning, and somber remembrance
Easter morning is when Jesus rose from the dead
the tomb was found empty
the power of sin and death was defeated
Mankind has been cursed since the beginning of creation when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
One of the first acts of God after the fall was to kill a lamb to create clothes for Adam and eve to cover up their naked ness
For Israel, Gods’ chosen people, to receive the forgiveness of sins,
there had to be the death and sacrifice of a lamb
Jesus’ death on the cross became that sacrifice for us so that we can become free from sin
Sometimes a sinner doesn’t think they need freedom
but we talk about freedom from guilt,
freedom from anxiety
You see, there is nothing you can do that will ever be good enough to earn your way into heaven
for some people that is a source of anxiety
or they straight up deny it and try anyway
or treat their faith as some form of karma
However, the fact that you cannot earn your way also frees you from the burden of trying to do enough
we can’t do enough
We celebrate the grace of God that he chose us,
loved us when we were still sinners
enough that he died for us on the cross
one of the most painful forms of execution in all of history
On top of that, he was scourged with a cat of nine tails before being crucified.
39 times the whip fell
39 times the barbs on that whip landed and tore his flesh
Jesus bled and died so that we might know life
and not just any life, but abundant life
blessed life
and by his stripes we are healed
All it takes is a belief in Jesus
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
I would rather people come to church drunk and hungover than to miss the fellowship of the saints
jesus himself said
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The cross of Christ is not only the foundation of our salvation
—it’s the catalyst for a radically transformed life.
DEMONSTRATION
picking up where we left off in our series in 1 peter
In 1 Peter 2:11–12
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
believers are reminded that because of the cross,
we are now “aliens and strangers” in this world,
called to abstain from sinful desires
and to live honorably among unbelievers.
This passage highlights the moral consequences of the cross:
a call to holiness, distinctiveness, and witness.
The cross separates us from our past
and sets us on a new path marked by godly conduct,
even in hostile environments.
Peter’s epistle weaves this truth throughout:
we are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ (1:18–21),
called to die to sin and live for righteousness (2:24),
and equipped to live for the will of God rather than human desires (4:1–2).
The believer’s life is now shaped by the cross
—a life that stands out,
speaks truth,
and brings glory to God
even when misunderstood or opposed.
As followers of Christ we are called to embrace the consequences of the cross
in our everyday conduct,
demonstrating the gospel through a lifestyle that is holy,
compelling,
and countercultural. ---
---
I. The Cross Changes Our Identity
I. The Cross Changes Our Identity
Text: 1 Peter 2:11
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles ...
We are no longer at home in this world
—our identity is now rooted in Christ.
Peter urges us to influence hostile unbelievers through our good behavior.
He says our behavior must reflect our true citizenship.
Our true citizenship is in heaven.
On earth, we are aliens with no legal rights.
In this world we are strangers
-temporary residents.
Whether we live in a democracy or under a dictator,
this world is not our home-
-we are just passing through.
We are citizens from another 'country.'
And our status on earth is that of aliens.
Our values,
hopes,
and dreams
are based on a foreign country called heaven.
Consequence: We live as strangers, not blending in but standing apart.
Supporting Scripture: 1 Peter 1:18–19
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
–
Redeemed from the empty way of life.
Application: Where do you still try to fit in where God calls you to stand out?
II. The Cross Calls Us to War Against Sin
II. The Cross Calls Us to War Against Sin
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Holiness is not optional—
it’s a consequence of Christ’s sacrifice.
Living as aliens on earth guides us to
"abstain from
The passions of the flesh
sinful [fleshly] desires, (1 Pet. 2:11).
The Greek word here for flesh or fleshly, is a form of sarx, flesh.
Abstaining from fleshly desires means turning away from evil desires of the flesh.
Some desires of the flesh are good.
We desire food to sustain and fuel our body
We desire sex because we are designed to be fruitful and multiply
we desire companionship because God designed us to be in community
But Peter guides us to turn away from fleshly desires that are sinful,
Desires that oppose God's rule and Lordship over our lives.
As always, Peter wants us to live holy lives,
as citizens of heaven,
and reject the unholy values and attitudes of a sinful world.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Many of these desires are corruptions of Godly desires
Think of a platter of food
Food is good, but picture this analogy by C.S. Lewis
C.S.Lewis
“You can get a large audience together for a strip-tease act-that is,
to watch a girl undress on the stage.
In today’s world, we just need to look at the staggering statistics on pornography uses
Now suppose you came to a country where you could fill a theatre
by simply bringing a covered plate on to the stage
and then slowly lifting the cover so as to let every one see,
just before the lights went out,
that it contained a mutton chop or a bit of bacon,
would you not think that in that country something had gone wrong with the appetite for food?”
(b) Some might respond that this is a sign of starvation
(i) But we’d then need to see if much food was actually consumed…
If the evidence showed that a good deal was being eaten,
then of course we should have to abandon the hypothesis of starvation and try to think of another one”
(iii) We know that appetites grow by indulgence
“Starving men may think much about food,
but so do gluttons;
This example was written in the 1940s,
and I think the imagery he writes about is reminiscent of food commercials
In some ways, his hypothetical example has become a reality
COMERCIAL?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44_MNHaSAno
think about how often one of these comercials and their subliminal messaging when you eat them?
coffee- the best part of waking up, is folgers in your cup
mcdonalds- ba da du du dum, I’m loving it
Frosted flakes- They’re more than good, THey’re great
Skittles- taste the rainbow
Our beliefs about food have been manipulated and corrupted
This corruption applies to all of the God given desires and turn them evil.
As citizens of the kingdom of God
we become strangers to this world
and we are admonished to abstain from the passions of the flesh
Those at home in the world follow and fulfill the evil desires of the flesh.
But citizens of heaven
-aliens on earth-
are led by the Spirit,
not the flesh.
The Bible explains that this is possible as we depend on and submit to the Holy Spirit.
Paul says
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
And in Romans 8, Paul emphasizes that the power of the Spirit makes it possible to abstain from the worldly,
deathly desires of the flesh (Rom. 8:1-17).
Both Peter and Paul explain that evil fleshly desires war against the believer's soul.
The Spirit and the flesh oppose each other (1 Pet. 2:11; Gal. 5:17).
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
The soul, or psyche, is our innermost being, will, and desires.
Those who follow the flesh allow it to conquer their own souls-
making the soul a prisoner of fleshly desires.
So as we abstain from fleshly desires,
we do ourselves a favor
-enabling our souls to win the battle against the flesh.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Application: What sinful desires are you actively resisting because of the cross?
III. The Cross Compels Us to Live Honorably Before the World
III. The Cross Compels Us to Live Honorably Before the World
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable...
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
...you were ransomed ... with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
Early Christians faced criticism and judgment from the world.
In the first and second century, unbelievers accused Christians of hating society.
This was a common charge against them by unbelievers.
Why? Because although the gospel is good news,
it offers no hope to those who reject Jesus.
And the gospel condemns sinful living.
So many unbelievers misinterpreted followers of Jesus.
This still happens today.
People misinterpreted holy living as hatred toward other people.
When believers do not participate in the things of the world,
it looks to some as if we hate unbelievers.
Also, unbelievers accuse Christians of harming family relationships,
for becoming a follower of Jesus often brings division into the home (Matt. 10:34-37).
We see that more dramatically in Muslim nations
I know a pastor who was officiating a wedding for his brother in law
and he was telling me that even though the relationship with his in-laws was good
he was not invited to the bachelor party
because they knew that he would not participate
They had plans to get drunk etc...
the early believers faced many of these same accusations from unbelievers.
It hurts when others speak evil of the good we do.
It is discouraging when people criticize our purest motives.
Yet this was the position many Christians were in when Peter wrote.
And it is the position many Christians are in today.
As we are faithful to Christ,
many misread or deliberately distort our motives and our actions.
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.
Live not for human desires, but for the will of God.
Application: Are your actions preaching louder than your words? ---
IV. The Cross Points Others to God Through Our Witness
IV. The Cross Points Others to God Through Our Witness
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
As we live as aliens, abstaining from fleshly desires,
there is a wonderful result.
Our accusers see our good deeds, and glorify God.
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Over time, godly living can transform our accusers into admirers of our Father.
Peter is saying that it is not enough to avoid evil behavior.
In addition, we must live such good lives that even our accusers become admirers.
That’s one of the consequences of the cross
Whatever we do, our lives should glorify our Heavenly Father.
Sometimes we fall short of this holy standard.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Let us live as holy aliens on earth,
abstaining from sinful fleshly desires,
so that through our daily good deeds our accusers
may be transformed into admirers of our Heavenly Father.
Application: Who is watching your life that might be led to God through your example? ---
LIVE YOUR LIFE SO THE PREACHER
WILL NOT BE
TEMPTED TO LIE AT YOUR FUNERAL!
Conclusion: The cross has consequences
—it redefines who we are, how we live,
and how we influence the world.
Call to action:
Embrace your identity,
wage war against sin in your life,
live with integrity,
and be a living testimony to the power of the cross.
Lord Jesus, I come to you a sinner.
Forgive me of the sins I have committed
I believe that you are the Son of God, the Saviour of the world.
I believe that You died on the cross for my sins
I believe that You rose from the dead the third day
Come into my heart, and make me new.
I receive You as my Lord and Saviour.
Now, help me to live for you the rest of this life.
Amen!
