Sermon Tone Analysis

Portraits of The Cross     *How to Paint*       21st May 06 

 

*1 Co 11:29-32----*For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

For this reason many /are/ weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

The church is weak, sick and many are dying or dead – not just physically but spiritually!

It is a truth that cannot be denied – and in our sickness we are /unable to judge ourselves and therefore unable to receive the Lord’s correction/ – I truly believe many of those who think they are safe and saved will be condemned with the world.

We must discern the Lord’s Body.

I am deeply troubled by this and cannot escape it – the Holy Spirit compelling me – ( why I am shut away, distracted) –

 

*Mt 25:31-46----*“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides /his/ sheep from the goats.

And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I /was/ naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed /You,/ or thirsty and give /You/ drink?

When did we see You a stranger and take /You/ in, or naked and clothe /You?/

Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did /it/ to one of the least of these My brethren, you did /it/ to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do /it/ to one of the least of these, you did not do /it/ to Me.’

And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

This is the reality of discerning or not discerning the Lord’s Body – they all called Him Lord, all knew who He was, all thought they were *righteous and following* – and they were all together until the time Jesus divided them – they were all part of the church, worshipping and singing and attending – do you know they all looked after their families and taught them to follow what they believed was right!

In their own eyes they saw themselves safe, holy and not of the world!

This is the W.O.G. – the very words of Jesus – they didn’t know until it was too late – “/When Lord?

When did I feed You?/” -- asked the righteous – because it was not a performance or an act it was a life of faith in Him – crucified with Christ – it was not done for notice or good works or recognition – it was LOVE for God and neighbours – “/But I never saw You hungry or thirsty Lord/” cried those as they plummeted into everlasting punishment.

*We must discern the Lord’s Body*.

/We believe this whole venture we are on is God leading us, and we often state we just don’t want to do what we have always done – we are all dissatisfied with the powerlessness and hopelessness of the church *as we have allowed it to become* – we are all desperate for something that glorifies God – that restores glory to the Name of Our Lord – that brings Reverence and Holy Fear --- we have called that revival – and of course it is/ ----

 

But I have found myself thinking -- /Everything necessary for us to know God and the Fear of God was done at the Cross/ – it was complete and needs nothing added to it.

I am not sure we have ever really comprehended the Cross in all it’s fullness and therefore have never been able to fully apprehend it either – we seek a revival – but with our theology of easy believism have we ever had that vival~/Life to be revived too?  *Surely revival is a return to something we once had*!!

But has the church in our age really had what we KNOW is missing?

We have had gifts and the Charismatic awakening and Pentecostalism – we have had the most amazing Grace of God in the outpouring from 94-2000 – but can you see that all of this has been given to us by God, Grace upon Grace that we might come to this point of desperation for God Himself – for Christ – O I think so – I see everything as the outworking of the Providence of our Holy God ---

 

Please don’t give in now when we need to persevere and support one another and allow the testing and trials of God to *produce* in us!

*Jas 1:2-3----*My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

These testings and trials *PRODUCE *– and maybe, if we will allow, they will lead us into Godly sorrow – for ourselves, the church, the nation ---

*2 Co 7:10-11----*For godly sorrow *produces* repentance /leading/ to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, /what/ clearing /of yourselves,/ /what/ indignation, /what/ fear, /what/ vehement desire, /what/ zeal, /what/ vindication!

In all /things/ you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

So I ask you to enter in with me to this time of seeking to Discern the Lord’s Body – I am going to share with you, as much as I am able, the things the Holy Spirit is teaching me –  they are deeply affecting me – just simple things about the Cross – I want to give a few *Portraits of the Cross* – and my request of you is that you truly take your part of the responsibility to listen, hear, receive and pray these things in.

Firstly, I think most of us see the crucifixion as an historical event – long past.

We believe it of course, it is the basis of our very faith and Christian belief – but it’s like we stand a long way off and see it from a distance, /down through the ages/ – as an established finished and complete work.

*And it is* – but I want to invite you to try and go right up close with me and try and see it a little differently perhaps – to try and identify how it applies to us now ----

 

*Ga 4:4-5----*But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

*Ro 15:4----*For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

*1 Co 10:11----*Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

God who is from everlasting to everlasting Eternal God, unrestrained by time or anything from out of His own creation, knows the beginning from the end – there is nothing hidden from Him – and He is perfect in everything He does – God doesn’t make mistakes – it is impossible for Him to fail or change His mind – we might not understand – but He alone is the pre-existent One – the only wise God and Creator – and in His Divine wisdom and plan He chose for Jesus –

 

His Son to come to earth at exactly the right moment – although it was 2000 years ago it was still the best possible time for God, for those alive then, */and for us now/*!

It was the perfect time to fulfill God’s perfectly unfolding plan.

*It was the fullness of time*!

– Think if Jesus had come now – if this was the time – there would have been no Crucifixion, the trial would have lasted years, no public humiliation, no violence – the people would have prevented the necessary plan of God!

 

Crucifixion was a barbaric and most horrible form of torture and death – so ghastly that the Romans wouldn’t even crucify any of their own except the few most vile evil men.

It was only used in a very brief period of history.

Yet it was the perfect tool for Christ the Messiah the Saviour of the world – public, horrible, curse bringing, pain inducing, humiliation and degradation and shame – it was the very tool of execution that would enable the fulfilling of hundreds of years of prophesy to be fulfilled.

It could not have happened at any other time – it was the time perfect to bring about the salvation of ALL mankind!!

And so when we read about it, look at it and meditate upon it, we must learn to look beyond history alone – and see it as representative of all mankind, the characters that play the roles could have been you and me – when we look at them we must look to see ourselves portrayed there.

It is historical fact – but it is also eternally significant –

* *

*1 Co 15:21-22----*For since by man /came/ death, by Man also /came/ the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

*Ec 1:9-10----*That which has been /is/ what will be, That which /is/ done is what will be done, And /there is/ nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this /is/ new”?

It has already been in ancient times before us.

It’s like we were there in Adam as it were – everything in the W.O.G. is as relevant to us today as if we had actually been there as participants – in fact in one sense we were – Christ died for us – for */all /*who will come to God through Him.

We are not divorced from the historical reality of the Cross otherwise it would have no power for us to believe – it was an eternal event began in a temporal time – it reaches out for 2000 years and we need to reach out and touch it!!

At the same time the scriptures were closed up – complete, finished the Holy Spirit using those men who were alive and witnesses to record what He desired.

They were sealed never to be added to.

-- So everything that is written is sufficient for us to know all things concerning God and Christ.

And all the things written were written for OUR LEARNING – they are examples to us –

 

If you like when we read the NT accounts we can place ourselves in the place of those who were actually there as if we were there ourselves.

We can, in prayer and by the Holy Ghost allow the scriptures to become to us the living Word of God as relevant now as if we were walking along with Christ Himself : ----

 

*Heb 4:11-13----*Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

For the word of God /is/ living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things /are/ naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we /must give/ account.

*2 Ti 3:16-17----*All Scripture /is/ given by inspiration of God, and /is/ profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Apostle Paul – like us, was not one who walked with Jesus physically and yet he was found by Christ and found Christ – he boldly declares in the Holy Ghost – *Imitate me as I also imitate Christ*!  -- yet he said this : ----

* *

*1 Co 1:20-25----*Where /is/ the wise?

Where /is/ the scribe?

Where /is/ the disputer of this age?

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

*Ga 6:14----*But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Christ the Cross and the Crucifixion – and all that that is and means and how we embrace it – I truly don’t think we know any more – the church does not understand the Cross ---

 

Why are we here as a group of people – what is our vision?

What is our purpose?

What is this all about?

-------- I was inspired by this thought at a pastors meeting on Friday morning – ( Fletch)

I think it is very relevant to us right now ----

 

*Hab 2:1-2----*I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.

*Hab 2:1-2----*I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost.

There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.

Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.

Climb my watchtower – stand at the guardpost – there I wait to see how the Lord is going to answer my complaint – my complaint is my vision --- your complaint is your vision – it is the thing that compels and motivates and drives up to the watchtower to cry out to God and wait for His answer – if you look at your complaint you will find your motivation and vision –

 

My complaint is very clear and defined – it is the lack of Reverence for God – the Hallowing of His Name – it is the lack of holiness in the Church – the fear of God – because that is the beginning and I truly don’t think we have begun – that is, The Church in NZ, because there is no fear of God before our eyes!!! – I want to tremble at His word! – My vision is that we can truly say “I have been crucified with Christ – it is not longer I who live but Christ who lives in Me!!”

 

It is my complaint before God – it is my motivation, my every waking thought – it is why we are here in this little room, cramped and waiting --- we must Discern the Lord’s Body from the Cross

 

What is your complaint?

– what is motivating your vision?

Criticisms and personal failures?

We must set out vision high --- that’s what I am all about – I have made my complaint before the Lord and he has answered me – I am trying to write the answer plainly so that a RUNNER – or Runners can carry the message to others.

---

 

We must glory in the Cross – will you be runners with my complaint.