The Power and Purpose of the Cross (The Cross Speaks)

In the room. I am asked if I was Greek, this will be my birthday. Cuz apparently in the Greek Orthodox Church you celebrate your birthday on the same side that I see David stay. So I'm going to clean that. Why Conway must have a birthday. You remember when you were born again? Cuz that's a different birth date. That you were physically falling on the earth. Your mom remembers at your dad. Probably remembers that. But when were you born in? And can you remember that Eastern, you tired? Do you celebrate it to? Something to go and do a little research and think about in March reconsidering and thinking, and exploring the cross the cross speaks. We celebrate communion already this morning. I want to explore as we have two. Oldest are what it means. Thank you for like to pray for us. We on the holiday was if I could come down and kill him. When we spend some time with Alex and Nina, and I'll go do to Varys in Alex. Used to be in this group. Here used to go to Windsor boys school as a child and used to walk past the Catholic church. And outside the Catholic church was a crucifix Jesus hanging on the cross. And I remember, his mom's had one guy. He said, please let him down. He looked at the Statue of the coast looks like Jesus, hang in there, it's not the reality of the pain that was in the sculpture of Jesus hanging on the cross. And has a little boy, his responses please. Let him down. Please free him from his suffering. But you know, he didn't go to the Cross because of punishment and I'm going to explore that today near The Cross is not something insignificant, the cross is Central to our fight, many of you will wear across in different ways and there's some interesting rules about what you're allowed to wear crosses in different places. To know what, I'm going to wear one anyway, and I'm not going to worry about because I'm not because of a role. I'm going to wear across if I want to wear a cross. The closest Central. It's not peripheral. It's not just the decoration is not just a piece of jewelry. It's a moment in history that sense from before to Afters, without the cross, there is no forgiveness. Without the cross that are, you know, reconciliation with God. Without the cross, there is no transformation us. I'm without the cross. What is the point of church?

I might even go to sleep without the cross. They would be no church. The Crawfish, the cross is both power and purpose. It wasn't just something that happened. God had a plan. We're going to explore some of that of the next few weeks. Power that redeems on purpose, that redefines 1 Corinthians 1:18 size base, 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, what the world sees when they read those kind of scriptures

But Heaven, declares power. The power of the Cross Papa to forgive power to justify. Actors at the Crossing was no signal. It was judged.

We all do things wrong. If I asked everybody to put their hand up, when he's done something wrong this week, most of us would put our hands up and some of us would say, but I don't want to put behind. But I know it's still done wrong and we don't get it. All right, with none of us. Apply for, if you looking for the perfect Church, please don't join it cuz you'll spoil it.

Jesus did not die as a tragic example. but as a willing substitute for you, and for me, In one pizza 224 so since he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross so that we might die and live for righteousness. By his wounds, we have been healed. This is the Divine exchange. This is what went on at the cross, Allison. Laid on him. He's white chesnes credited to us.

The cross, settles our standing before God.

I remember reading the Old Testament, no one can see God and live.

I'm in the reading of. So how can we come into the presence of God be coming to the presence of God because of Christ, the cross settles are standing before God striving to learn what Christ has already secured more.

We need to stop striving to earn what Christ has already secured.

We live from acceptance, not for it. The acceptance is already that the cross was not a private thing, the scriptures. When what if you read The Greatest Story, Ever Told a wonderful, I'm still reading it through the second time now and some of the same if you just get into anything.

I just imagine people looking out for the crosses, that friend, that cycle, that teacher hanging there. It was no, the private defeat, it was a public victory. Colossians 2:14 and 15 having cancel the charge of our legal indebtedness. He is taking it away now, using it to the cross and having some housing authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. The when the enemy's accusation when was the enemy's weapon was accusation. Call yourself King of the Jews was mad about him on the cross.

But the accusation requires on pipe, eat that, and the debt has been paid at the cross that was cancelled. I know there are people in the room who have had money issues at different times in their lives that at some point that that has been canceled. Do you know what the Liberty that brings to someone who's lived under the music? That is it's really pressing. It keeps you awake at night gives you nightmares but that was cancelled. Shame was silenced. Fear is confronted. So I wanted to try and prepare him and encourage you by saying we do not live under condemnation.

And sometimes people will suck to. You is a British thing will say Hi. How are you? And sometimes our response is not too bad under the circumstances. What are we doing? When we say those kind of things I'm saying change your languages. Think about some of the things that we say what we actually is under the circumstances.

Okay, I mean we might still want to acknowledge the circumstance of nice, not put ourselves under the circumstances through the circumstances. For we stand in Freedom, secured by priced.

the cross does not merely change all legal status, it reshapes in a life and I will put a little brackets in that if we will let it Elsa and pots of all the light is sometimes we kind of hold on to

Sometimes when I was a little child, a voice would come upstairs for my mom, her name is James. You say, what are you doing? What are you doing? And sometimes I'll be doing something, I shouldn't be doing. until the stars become the little voice saying nothing,

Jesus Cesar.

It reshapes are in a life. Galatians, 2:20. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Consequently the cross confronts, some things are the cost crossed confronts our pride.

The cross confronts, L self-sufficiency are independent so I can do it.

There are many talk to me, come to the end of oxtails. What was it called when I am pool. Then I am rich when I am weak. Then I am strong. We come to the end of all. So we have to lean on somebody else. So lean on God, The cross confronts of Pride. Isle self-sufficiency ego.

Or independence from God.

Nothing resist surrender. More than us. Independence or selfishness. Yeah, transformation begins, when we come to the end of ourselves.

Daily discipleship means daily surrender. Spiritual maturity grows when we yield ourselves to him. What is the purpose of this cross? That we're exploring to dye it reveals the character and the night of God it reveals. He's hot for us in Romans 5:8. But God demonstrates his own love for us. In this whilst we were still sinners Christ died for us. Then wait till he got to know us. He died for us anyway. He paid the price for you and me. I Calvary. Justice was upheld. Mercy was extended. Love was and continues to be demonstrated. If we understand the heart of God, we look to the cross. I'm such a nice listing in those history on one of those who listen later. Let's keep on keeping the cross central. It's a gruesome story. The sacrifice that God sent his one and only son that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

The cross does not create just Christians in isolation it helps to create church and church is Community Feed ins to 14 to 16. For he himself is our peace. Its purpose was to create in himself. One new Humanity, thus making peace and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross. The church is a cross-shaped community, Unity is not optional. If we have a disagreement a brother with the sister we need to work on it. Matthew very clearly says go to someone Festival. If I want to hear you take somebody else with you if not get others. Involved Rudy simple principle. Unity is not optional. We need to work at it. It's not easy either. Is it all the time? We have different perspectives. One of my favorite questions is a cultural issue and I look out across our congregation and think I'd look at the flags around the room and think those are the nation's retouch. Slice of the nations are represented in this room actually won't start remember I'll do it. If your flag is not hanging up in this room. This Sunday, let us know cuz we got in this morning to go through a little bit of what my identified. All the flags that we've got and if we haven't got a flag, we will buy a fly, have another string of lights. Because we are at church of many nations and we talked to many night so I stop people from Turkey, Rune, South Africa, and Italy already on Facebook. When I was connecting a disappointing, Unity is normal. Humidity is not negotiable, and love needs to be a burden and they will know, we are Christians by our love by love and they'll know we are Christians by our love. The cross was to establish a new way of living it. Redefines grapes. There are books out there which are not Christian books that talk about servant leadership. I found it in the Bible, the principle of servant leadership illustrated by Jesus. The cross defines greatness, and leadership in Mark 10:45. Even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many power services at the cross Authority, was sacrificed at the cross leadership nails. The cross becomes our patent apartment for family, living being sacrificial at home and we live in the world. Now where lots of people would say it's my rights to have a b c. I remember sitting in my friend's house in there they go, six children, Christian family and when you've got a large family, I don't know what families you can, but you often have chose a different people different. The matter how old you are.

And I was sitting with the family with having dinner and it was till I'm in the account, under the name of the fourth daughter for the 4th. It was her job to do the washing-up.

She sat there and she said, I don't want to do the washing-up, it's my write notes to do the washing up.

The plates just like to buy one of the other children, took the plates into the kitchen and I sat in the kitchen to get some other stuff in the afternoon and we came to the evening. I'm finally starting to sit down at the table. Play some put out in the table. Empty bottles were put out in the table and then mom came in. She said he's my right. So there's nothing for today this evening and some of the children we've got to eat.

I'm so one of the children said all help wash up if I can have some dinner and she prepared some dinner but she was just making a point and sometimes we need to remember. But the thing is for the greater good, for the good of the family, for the good of the community, for the good of our planet, for the good of the church, sometimes we end up making a sacrifice for a great Earth Goods.

The cross appears to be weakness yet. It is strength. The cross appears to be a loss yet. It is a game because the cross is a, the body was laid in the two, but the tomb is empty too, he is risen and the cross appears to be defeat and yet it is Victory. 2 Corinthians 13, verse 44 to be store. He was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Looks like surrender before. It looks like success. I'll say that again because I think this is something we probably need to linger into each other. A distractions like this would say things like The Darkest Night comes before the dawn. Didn't somebody famous want to say that Dodge strategy often looks like surrender before? It looks like success. The kingdom is not 3/4, but through Facebook nuts. So, what is our response to the cross? The cross Des Moines more than The cross the mountains more than admiration, the cross bowls for surrender. Luke 9:23 says this, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. We believe the cross. We receive its Grace. We live the cotton of the Cross and we Proclaim and declare its message. If ice is a check to see if we are to flourish and God is blessing us in godey's, opening doors and stuff is happening, and that's exciting. We must move. We must not move beyond the cross. Notes movie on the cross. We must move deeper into the cross.

I did put a video off and I'm not going to play it but I will share it on the WhatsApp group. It was a video that I found called The Sounds of the cross. Just think about an eye-opening habit into a piece of wood.

some of the sounds around the cross, when not present, And I'm not going to Black tonight, but I will share cuz I think sometimes it's good to think about things in a different way because the power to go power of God is revealed in sacrifice in this sacrifice his son Jesus. And the purpose of God is fulfilled in all surrender to him. The power and purpose of the cross.

I want everybody just to close your eyes lose this thing. I knows this thing like that just close your eyes and I'd like you to picture a cross. Whatever you'll cross, is a wooden Cross or sustained crossers, a metal bus, the outside of Chip and she's on somebody's neck is something your mom. Gave you, whatever you would you just picture across

An instrument of torture. Romans wanted to show that power. In Jesus's time like public demonstration by something painful and visible.

But don't go to allow his son Jesus to three days to die on the cross for you. And me, the price has been paid. It doesn't matter. How much Euro I have been? The price at the cross was paid for you and me. I'm not something we need to continue to live with his daughter. One-time Transit is a one-time transaction in eternity. Before us. We need to leave the reality of that everyday. Cuz I don't know about you but I seen sometimes I do things. I shouldn't do. I do things that don't glorify. God. I have to come back to him. I Repent, I turn from that thing so I got I'm sorry, forgive me. And that is possible because of the cross, the price was paid at the cross. Jesus, stood in your place.

And that empty crosses your body was taken down and put into Josie's too. It all seemed like it was ended. What a great loss. A great man gone. Then on the third day, the stone was rolled away the empty too and Merry Christ out to him and see what have you done with the body of My Savior. My Teacher. And what was the reply? He's not here. He is risen. So we believe in a resurrected Christ and he's still alive today by his Spirit seated at the right hand of the father. Please do not just something that happened in history, but the reality of it lives with us to die. So I'm just going to pause and I'm going to encourage you to look at the cross, whatever cross you're looking at. And if there is something that you need to bring to the foot of the cross because for you, the price has not yet been paid. Sometimes we give old buy something this week and I'm going to press in this morning. I just say, if it's something that you've been holding onto, you will not like, I like on forgive this person for that. Maybe it's time to bring it to the foot of the cross on the leave it at today.

Something encourage you to do that. I'm going to leave a bit of silence, and then, if you've done that, I'm not going to ask you anything. I'm going to pray for you. I'm just, I just like you as a declaration if I put across just to stand where you are. If I piss on you that's just you saying God I'm hyper. Listen to cross. I am leaving it here.

and if maybe this is the first time you've heard this kind of message How do you say I can so many bad things? But there's no one that could pay the price for the things I like them. Whether if you listening online, bring us up, leave a message, give us a ring, you back and just how the price that was paid. Pair is complete and sufficient for all. What is the good people for or am I including that matters? Including that people who've done horrible things to other people.

Is Christ died for all as the scripture. I read this morning.

Maybe if you open the room in this, the first time, do you want to respond to this again? Please, come to the front office. I was coming over tonight. We make another type of somebody love to demonstrate to you. Just how the price has been paid at the cross.

I'm going to do the night, she sees in a few moments and then we got to come back to Bush it to close out all service. But before I do,