The Purpose Of The Cross

[Music] open your Bibles with me into first Corinthians in chapter 1 alright are y'all gonna be able to do that right here or I'm gonna have to wait until y'all get through just let me know okay all right let's be praying for this young brother that the Lord would touch his body [Music] while we were waiting for them to do that first Corinthians at chapter 1 verse 17 in verse 18 and I want you to know the prayer is longer than the sermon is going to be Reverend Thomas is candidate in for this church but I want him to know this church has a pastor he better move on down the road res Corinthians that chapter number 1 verse 17 and 18 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 for the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God thank you you may be seated the grass withers and the flower fades but the word of our God shall stand forever this morning I talked to us about the preaching of the Cross and in this worship I want to talk to us about the purpose of a cross on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross the emblem of suffering and shame but I loved that old cross where the dearest and the best for a world of lost sinner's was slain to the old rugged cross I will ever be true its shame and reproach gladly bear until he calls me someday to my home far away where his glory forever I will share so I'll cherish the old rugged cross till my trophies at last I lay down I will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it someday for a crown thank God for the cross thank God for Jesus suffering substitutionary vicarious sacrificial death on the cross to them who are perishing is foolishness the word foolishness in the text is the same word in the Greek for the world thinks we are morons for coming here every Sunday the world thinks we are crazy for trusting in a God that we have never seen for believing in a cross that we just heard about for shouting over a crucifixion and a resurrection that we just heard preached about but we are here this morning not because we are fools not because we are crazy not because we lost our senses we are here because the only thing that makes sense his Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me soon I couldn't make it in this life if I did not know that God cares for me I need somebody here who's been through the valley and the shadow of death I need one or two more witnesses who's had your back up against the wall and God provided just enough space between your back and the wall that you were able to come here this morning and testify that can nobody do me like Jesus I need one or two more witnesses who've cried in your midnight hour but God has dried your tears God has opened the door God has made a way God has been the provider he's been a keeper he's been a sustainer a sustainer he's been company for you whatever you need God's hand has provided you're not a fool you're not crazy you're not out of your mind the only thing that makes sense is if it had not been for the Lord who was on my side my enemy would have swallowed me up the preaching of the Cross is strange it's it's shocking but it's a simple story he died didn't he die but early Sunday morning he got up from the grave and brothers and sisters he he roles for sinners like you and I he died for sinners just like you and I God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died here is the here is the marvelous praiseworthy thing about Jesus and Christianity all of the other so-called religions of the world say to us that you need to get yourself together then come and meet us that's that's the that's the position of the Muslims that's that's the position of of all the other world religions that you have to do something in order to come over there and get with them and once you pull yourself up once you have enlightenment once you have seen the light once you have gotten it all together then come over here and meet us but the praiseworthy marvelous thing about Jesus and the Christian religion is he doesn't wait for you to get yourself together he comes even while you are in your sins and when you're in the ditch he gets in the ditch with you and not tell you pull yourself up but he gets in there and it helps you to stand on your feet and walks with you through your Christian journey that's what separates Jesus from all the other so-called religious leaders of the world he died not for a good man not for a righteous woman but he died for abject sinners like me and you and that won't mean much to you that won't mean much to you if you haven't seen much you can't shout much if you haven't seen much well some of them here got some skeletons in my closet some decisions we wish we hadn't made some words we wish we hadn't spoken and the Lord delivered us from that but here salvation is not just what God delivers you from salvation is also what God keeps you from let me see if I can help us some of us don't have the testimony of being on drugs and God delivered us come on help me preach a minute some of us our testimony it was ain't got nothing to do with jail it has nothing to do with being a prostitute but God kept you from those things you could have been in jail you could have been a prostitute you could have been outdoors and salvation is not just what he delivered you from but what he kept me from getting involved in and that's enough to shout right there because he didn't have to put his hands on you the preaching of the Cross is foolishness to them who are perishing it's foolishness to the people who are lost and brothers and sisters don't let lost people dictate your worldview [Applause] I tried to share that with the people who were here this morning here I'm standing on the banks safe and you in the river drowning and you're gonna give me advice no don't don't don't get your opinions from people who are lost don't look at the world through the eyes of people who are lost because the scripture says they are perishing they are they call us fools when they are perishing we are the only one who have a lifeboat they are perishing but they call us fools something ought to help me preach it the preaching of the Cross is foolishness to them who are perishing but to us who are saved it is the power of God let me talk to us a minute about the purpose of the Cross we've already looked at the preaching of the Cross but what is the purpose of the Cross the purpose of the cross brothers and sisters is about making a statement God once and forever made a statement at the cross in Christ's death on the cross God was able to declare boldly for all to see his boundless matchless love for the lost people in this world the cross is God's statement of love to the world in Deuteronomy he said I didn't choose you because you were the biggest I didn't choose you because you were the larger in number I just chose you because I love you in Jeremiah chapter 31 he says I've loved you with an everlasting love I wish I had a Bible reader he said I know the plans that I have for you plans to prosper you plans to give you a future and a hope you gonna help me preach this watch it he says no weapon formed against you shall be able to prosper you are more than a conqueror I'm persuaded that neither death nor life angels nor principalities things present or things to come nothing shall separate me from the love of God not because I've been so holy I need one or two more shouders I need one or two more believers in here this morning who know that you in here this morning not because of the good you did last week because some of us got some stuff in our past and I'm not talking about 30 years ago I'm not talking about 29 years ago 10 years ago we did some stuff last week that God should have cut us off but every time we sinned and went to the Father for mercy Jesus stood up at his right hand and said I know he's guilty of their crime but I already paid for anybody here know your sins been washed away anybody here know your name has been written in the Lamb's Book of Life God made a statement no matter what you've done I love you your sin is not greater than God's grace I've said this through our church and I think I need to say it again because it goes right here people despise you on speculation but God loves you with all the evidence people not even speaking to you all the stuff they heard about you and God knows everything about you and he's still opening doors so you think I'm gonna let you dictate for me how I praise God all that God has done for me all the doors God has opened all the ways that God has made I got close I can't even ran them all I've got blessings that I'm enjoying right now food that I can't even eat because God's been good to me and God knows everything about me [Applause] [Music] he's made a statement on Calvary then oh man the hot lowdown you've been there's room at the cross no matter how soiled you are no matter how dare did you are Isaiah said though your skin though your sins be as scarlet they can be white as snow though they be red as crimson God can make them like wool whoever you are no matter who you are where you've been what you've done God loves you that's the statement that God made on the cross but the purpose of the cross is not just about making a statement it's about providing salvation there is no other way to cleanse sin but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ I heard heard Oprah Winfrey say once there's a thousand ways to get to go norm is old there are not a thousand ways to get to go there's only one way to get to God you go help me preach this won't you now that's the foundation of our faith that's the bedrock of the Christian religion that the only way to get to God is through His Son Jesus Christ he says if you come in any other way I need a Bible reader you come in as a thief and a robber he says I am the way the truth the life no man comes to the Father but by me I am the door I am the water of life I am the resurrection and the life I am the door of the sheepfold I am the chief Shepherd who lays down his life for the Sheep I am nobody gets to God but through Jesus Christ hear me not through church membership because you can be a member of the church and never know Jesus Christ not by singing in the choir not by doing enough because when will you know that you've done enough it's not about what you do is about what God did did you get that it's not about what you do it's about what has already been done for you he died for your sins and that's enough to save you in the Old Testament there were bulls and goats bullocks on the altar lambs of consecration Rams without spot or blemish and their blood was shared continually 24-hours a day priests were in the temple sacrificing for the sins of the people but it covered their sin but it didn't take their sin away somebody ought to help me the blood of bulls and goats and and asses and and she coats and he all of that blood that was shed in the Old Testament system covered sin but it didn't wash it away 24 hours a day the priests around the clock were in the temple making sacrifices for the sins of the people and then once a year on the Day of Atonement he was dressed in his ceremonial ephod with bells on the tassels of his garment with a rope tied around his waist and he would go behind that veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the most holy only once a year and he made a sacrifice for the sins of the people and those barrels were on his castles in that a rope was around his waist so if he dropped dead behind the veil they could pull him out cuz nobody could go back there but the hard and he could only go once a year on the Day of Atonement but when Jesus died somebody ought to help me here the veil in the temple was ripped from the top to the bottom knocking out forever an intermediary between God and man and now we don't need a high priest because we already got one in the face in the person of Jesus Christ he died not to cover our sins but to wash our sins away I was sharing with the people who were here earlier that everything I listened to on television or everything I read I read with my homological eyeglasses on Judge Judy said have you put your listening ears on I always put my preaching ears on when I'm when I'm watching the news or watching television because everything I see read our here is sermon material I can use it because everything's physical has a spiritual reality I was listening to to Chuck Todd on MSNBC he's the host of Meet the Press and Chuck Todd was on MSNBC the other morning on Morning Joe and they were talking about that fool Donald Trump and Chuck Todd said that the Republican Party cannot decide whether or not Trump is a tattoo or a stain somebody didn't get that in a minute he said if he's a tattoo they're gonna have to live with it but if it's sustained here is the shower it can be washed away thank God the sins I committed the sins I am presently committed and the sins I will commit tomorrow it's not a tattoo but a stain and since it's a stain it can be washed away is there anybody here I said is there anybody here know God wash your sins away that's something to shout about not just on Sunday you got just a little gross but every time you think about how good god has been to you in spite of you Justin one - is this microphone all let me talk to somebody who know what I'm talking about I thank God that every sin I've ever committed he washed it in his blood every sin I'm committing right now of omission and Commission he took care of it on the cross and the sins that I'm gonna commit tomorrow Satan is gonna come before God and accuse me and Jesus will say I know he's guilty but I took care of that one Friday on the cross brothers and sisters it's not about these white neckties we have all it's not about that little white thing those sisters have on they're here today because you can have on a white necktie and have a black soul you can dress out on Sunday morning and be lost and on your way to hell you know what I don't want to happen to me you hear me you hear me good and I'm gonna be through here is what I don't want to happen to me I don't want to be the preacher who preaches so well that people don't ever want you to leave the pulpit but when they follow your home they wonder how you got in there in the first place [Applause] somebody missed that I don't want to be the preacher that preaches so well that people don't ever want you to leave the pulpit because they love your preaching but when they watch your life they wonder how you ever got a chance to preach in the first place [Applause] you know you know what my advice is to you brothers and sisters in Christ stop complaining that you're not where you think you ought to be just thank God that he let you be in the first place that's like that's like a player mad with the coach because you don't get in the game or because you're not playing the position you think you ought to be playing you ought to think the coach that you even in the game in the first place God didn't let you didn't have to let you get here this morning you're not here because you've been reading the Bible and exercising and dieting and keeping your weight down and making sure that you go to bed early at night cuz somebody who did all of that this morning didn't wake up but God woke you up and he woke you in your right mind and that's a reason for you to give God all your best having lujah I don't care who you sitting by I don't care what they say about you I don't care what anybody else thinks I woke up this moment with my mind stayed on Jesus he made a statement when he died for me and the purpose of the Cross was about my salvation but this last word and I'm through the cross is about defeating Satan is about making a statement is about providing salvation but the cross is about defeating Satan now hear me brothers and sisters Satan ain't got no beef with us Satan they're really concerned about us because he is the enemy of God and since God loves us Satan hates us he does not hate us because we pose any threat he hates us because he knows the fight is fixed let me see if I can help somebody let me see if I can help somebody who who always binding the devil you you you you bind the devil get behind me Satan I behind that sounds so spiritual you bind the devil and you got a fish emblem on the back of your car and you answer your phone praise the Lord and people ask you how you're doing you too blessed to be stressed and you blessed and highly favored and Satan is under my feet that sounds real good but Satan falls all on the floor in hell laughs and when you say that because you don't intimidate the devil you are no match for the devil because Satan has tripped up greater people than me and you I wish I had a witness here and here we have a shout comes in he thought he had Jesus I'm through now I'm through now but I heard my old preacher say Satan and and hail Satan and death had a conversation that's that's all colorful poetic preacher tone it's not in the Bible but it ought to be I heard my old preacher say this one time this this is a good place to put this he said Satan and death conversed over Jesus Satan said to death if I get him I need you to hold in that that's all poetic preacher tone not in the Bible but it ought to be in there Satan said I'm gonna get him on Friday I need you to hold him death said to Satan just do your job and I can do my job because I've held better men than him that that's old preacher tone he said I got Adam I still got Abraham I still got Moses I still got David you just do your job I still got Jeremiah Ezekiel still in the grave just do your job Friday I've got all the prophets I've got Ezekiel and Daniel Hosea and Amos Rebecca and Zephaniah Zachariah and Obadiah Malachi and Jonah you just do your job Friday and I'll take care of my end of the bargain that that's all poetic preacher talk and so Friday Satan did his job you gonna help me close this won't you Satan succeeded in getting Jesus crucified because he got in the heart of Judas one of Jesus closes followers he got in the heart of ki one of the chief priests he got in the hearts of the elders of the people Satan hardened their heart against Jesus and they turned him over to be crucified and so Friday the Sun refused to shine it got dark in the middle of the day and at the end of the day Friday Satan talks again to death and so preacher talk guess what my pastor said he said I got death I need you to do your job Beth said bring him here I told you I've got Abraham and Isaac Jacob and Daniel just just kill him on Friday and I will do my end of the bargain and sure enough Friday Satan did what he said he was going to do he died Jesus actually died he didn't faint he was not resuscitated in the damp coolness of the tomb he really died Satan had did his work they took his body down brought it to the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea now that Satan has dispatched his responsibility it's up to death now to do what he said he's going to do but something strange happened something different happened between Friday and before day's Sunday morning you're gonna help me close this want you all night Friday the grave was braggin on its new arrival Jesus is now in the grave and he stayed there all night Friday death kept his end of the bargain he stayed there all night Saturday night death had really done what he said he was going to do but before they in the morning Sunday morning I'm talking about something strange happened death couldn't hold him any longer because he is the son of God and God raised him from the dead death did what he was supposed to do on Friday but the grave almost kept up his head into the bargain but you know death can't hold Jesus because Jesus is the Son of God have a got a witness here the reason death can't hold him because he's the son of God is because Jesus did some things before he went in the grave that ought to help us to know who he really is He healed the sick he raised dead people he made blind people see he made lame people walk he made deaf people hear he made dumb people speak and if Jesus could do all of what I just mentioned the grave is not going to be able to hold him is there anybody here this morning who can help me testify not only did he do all of those things in the New Testament but you've got a testimony in your own life of what God has already done for you you don't know why you're still standing on your feet when all the devil has tried to do to knock you down but God's been faithful in your life he's opened doors that men have closed in your face and then he's opened doors that men thought you'd never be able to go through and here you are this morning which on testimony it was nobody but Jesus I need a show enough witness here who can help me give God your best hallelujah haven't had not been for the Lord who was on your side if the Lord kept you if the Lord made a way for you if God's been good to you if God wrote your name in the Lamb's Book of Life if you got a house to live in if you got clothes to wear if God saved it in spite of where you came from help me give God your best please don't like that you don't know who he is don't act like you don't know who kept you it was nobody but Jesus if the Lord been good to you why don't you grab somebody why don't you hug somebody tell them I never would have made it if it wasn't for the Lord I never would have come through if God didn't have his hands on me I wouldn't be the person I am if God hadn't smiled on me thank you Jesus he died didn't he die but brother on Sunday morning he got up let me get up with our power no he's alright [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] what is worth shouting a man is if you were the only person alive he would have died just for you God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died not for a good man not for a righteous man he he laid down his life for a wretched sinner like me I don't know why Jesus loves me I don't know why he cares I don't even know why he sacrificed his life oh but I'm glad so glad so glad that he did [Music]

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Id: r7aOcjokSM0

Length: 37min 15sec (2235 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 22 2018