Because of the Cross
Notes
Transcript
Preliminary:
Preliminary:
Read: 1 Cor 1:18
Read: 1 Cor 1:18
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Now, this verse begins with the word “for” which means it is connected with something that comes before which can be found in the previous verse lets read that:
17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
Paul declares that his main mission was not to baptize followers but to preach the Gospel
He summarizes what the “Gospel” is in two words in these two verses “the cross”
Paul says that his actions had a direct impact on how the Gospel was presented and he wanted to be sure that people understood that it was about the cross of Christ.
To those who don’t want to understand or who don’t want salvation preaching or talking about the Gospel or the Cross is just a waste of time its foolishness
But Paul says in contrast - “unto us which are saved it is the power of God”
Paul would write to the Romans:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
So why “The Cross” Because it is the power of God.
Only God could take such a cruel of death and turn it into a thing of glory and power
It's not the wooden beams
It’s not that it was a cross
It’s who was on the cross -
It’s about Who finished His work on the cross
It's about Him, Who CRIED OUT LOUDLY, “IT IS FINISHED” From the cross
This Only Begotten of the Father
This Second Adam from Above
This Only Savior went to the cross and bore my sin and shame.
This says Paul is the power of God
But what does that mean? Well I want to talk a little this morning from the thought with the Lord’s Help on”
BECAUSE OF THE CROSS!!!
BECAUSE OF THE CROSS!!!
G. Campbell Morgan said that “Every living experience of Christianity begins at the cross.”
Because of the Cross, We are Redeemed:
Because of the Cross, We are Redeemed:
We talk about Jesus being our redeemer - but what are we talking about?
To redeem means to buyback. What was Jesus buying Back? What was Jesus redeeming?
We were lost and ran away and Jesus - because of the Cross redeemed us back to Himself:
Listen to Colossians 1:19-22 “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:”
We owed a debt we couldn’t pay - there was no way we could ever pay -
Humanity often tries to pay it we are kind of like the Dog I read about recently:
He was a brilliant dog and he was sitting on the sidewalk at a streetvendor coffee shop near a college. He watched as students would walk up to the cart, hand the barista something green and then geta drink or food in return.
After watching for a while - the dog walked up to the vendor with some leaves in his mouth.”
So often that's what we do - we offer something that comes nowhere close to paying what we owe.
We try good works - Adam and Eve tried that - remember in the Garden of Eden after they ate the forbidden fruit - the first thing they noticed is that they were not clothed and they were ashamed and tried to fix it with good works of leaves. They sowed leaves together to try to cover it up and restore it - but God said “No that won’t do”
Sometimes we try to buy it with money - but that didn’t work for Judas did it? He tried to buy back his sin of betrayal but it wasn’t enough - he lost all hope and in despair went and hung himself.
Sometimes we try all kinds of things - but we can’t do it.
Perhaps if I illustrate what He did for us in Redemption like this -
We owed a huge debt - beyond calculation because of sin - original sin and committed sin - we can’t pay.
But Jesus went to the Cross and He paid as it were enough for everyone and when we come to God by faith and repent of our sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - the Father says - It’s taken care of - Because of the Cross
It’s not just that we are redeemed - but...
Because of the Cross, We are Reconciled:
Because of the Cross, We are Reconciled:
If we make sin only about the legal issue we have missed it - It’s about a broken relationship with God
The basic message of the Bible is this:
God made us to have a holy love relationship with us. But we blew it. We broke that relationship with God by our sins, and we separated ourselves from God.
A great gulf then came between us and God. The Bible calls that separation Death. In fact, if we die physically while being spiritually dead, we will forever be separated from God in a place called Hell. That is the bad news of the Bible.
The good news is that God loves us and doesn't want us to go to Hell (John 3:16).
So God the Father sent God the Son into the world to die on the cross and rise from the dead so that we could have our relationship to God restored.
Jesus became the bridge back to God. Now if we turn away from all our sins (Acts 3:19
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
and if we receive Christ into our heart and lives, trusting Him to forgive us (John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
then we will in a moment of time pass from death to life (we will cross the bridge).
We will enter into a relationship with God. And if we continue in that love relationship, we will go to Heaven to spend eternity in happy fellowship with God and with others who know God.
Could I ask you where you see yourself in this picture? Are you on the "God" side, are you on the left side running away from all of this, or are you on the edge ready to step over?
Where do you want to be?
Is there anything stopping you from stepping over right now?
Because of the Cross - we can be reconciled and restored to what God wants us to be -
Because of the Cross, We are Restored:
Because of the Cross, We are Restored:
Because of the Cross
The Broken can be mended - Even broken crayons still color - God can take your broken life and because of the cross color the Gospel. I’ve seen HIm do this over and over again.
The Dying can have eternal life
The Lost Likeness of God can be restored
The Empty can be filled
The weary find rest
Years ago, I read a story about a preacher. He was one of these liberals. He didn’t believe all of this book. He’d heard it when he was a boy, but he went off to school and got educated. And he was a nice man. He tried to do the best he could. He was a kind, compassionate man. He was in his study one day and there’s was a knock at the door. And there was a little girl there, a little street urchin. He invited her in. He said, “Young lady, what can I do for you?” She said, “I need your help.” He said, “All right. How can I help you, young lady?” She said, “I want you to come and, and help get mother in.” Well, he looked at her and figured her mother probably was an alcoholic out on the street somewhere and maybe in some gutter somewhere. And he said, “Well, where is your mother so we can help get her in?” “Well,” she said, “my mother’s in the hospital.” “Well,” he said, “I don’t understand. What do you mean, help get your mother in?” “Oh,” she said, “my mother is dying, and she sent me to find a preacher to help get her into heaven. And they told me you were a preacher, and I want you to help get my mother in.” He was a kind man, so he thought he would go and give this dying woman comfort. He got his hat and coat and went with that little girl to the hospital. And there was that woman in her emaciated body. She’d lived a vile life of sin and debauchery, was a woman of the streets. Now she was dying with a load of guilt upon her. She looked up into the face of that preacher and said, ah, “Sir, I’ve not lived as I ought to live. I’ve lived a life of sin and wretchedness. And now I am dying, and the doctors say there’s no way that I can live. And I’m not ready to meet God. Can you tell me how I can be ready to meet God?” And that liberal preacher who didn’t believe in the shed blood and the cross of Jesus Christ began to talk to her. He told her nice things about the Sermon on the Mount. He talked to her about the love of God. He talked to her about righteousness and purity and all of that. But she looked up in his face and said, ah, “Sir, you don’t understand. All that you’ve said may be well and good and that may be fine for people who can live like you can live and who have an opportunity. But I have not lived that way, and I don’t have a chance to live that way, and I am dying. Don’t you have a message for me?” And do you know what? It dawned him he had no message for her. He didn’t have anything to tell her. And then he remembered the story that his mother had told him when he was a little boy of the Son of God who took our sins upon Himself and carried those sins to the cross. And there in agony and blood stretched out and died and paid the sin debt. And he told her the story of Christ and His love. And that woman said, “That’s the story. That’s the message I need.” She prayed and asked Jesus Christ to come into her heart and was gloriously saved. That preacher later on told that story, and that’s how we know it. And as he was speaking to a great congregation, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know that day that woman got in and this preacher came in, too. This preacher came in, too.” Oh, my friend, there’s only one way.
I must needs go home by the way of the cross,
there’s no other way but this;
I shall n’er catch sight
of the gates of light
if the way of the cross I miss.
Someone put it like this: “God spreads grace like a 3-year-old spreads peanut butter, He gets that stuff on everything!”
I don’t know where you are this morning
But Because of the Cross, you can rejoice
Let the Redeemed say so - the scripture admonishes us
Because of the Cross, you can be redeemed, reconciled, restored
If you need that this morning I urge you as patiently and tenderly as I know how to come to Christ!
Let the work of the Cross do its work on you
Exchange your leaves for Love and Grace
It’s not difficult -Repent of your sins - you just simply stop going the way you are going and turn to Christ = confess or agree with Christ that you can’t do it on your own
Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved
Maybe this morning there is someone here who has been to the ross before - but it’s been a while and you just aren’t sure where you are with the Lord.
The word picture I gave before about the gulf you aren’t quite sure which side you are on - but you know you want to be on GOd’s side -
Let me encourage you this morning - God’s Grace is ready to be spread this morning - if you just come you will find He’s right where He was
Maybe someone needs to come to the Cross this morning -