"Then delivered he
Him therefore unto them to be crucified. And
they took Jesus, and leg Him away. And He bearing His
cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull,
which is called in the Hebrew Golgatha: Where they
crucified Him, and two other with Him, on either side one,
and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title, and
put it on the cross. And the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth
the King of the Jews." (John 19:16-19)
St. Paul wrote, "the preaching of the
cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which
are SAVED, it is the power of God." (I Cor. 1:18)
The irony is that mankind has - by and large
- rejected the Gospel of Christ because of it s simplicity,
and in its place substituted an alternate gospel which is
powerless because it is not based in truth and
righteousness. The great apostle fully understood
this.
He stated, "For the Jews require a
sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach
Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and
unto the Greeks foolishness:
"But unto them which are called both
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom
of God." (1 Cor. 1:22-23) Again St. Paul declared,
"For I determined not to know anything among you, save
(except) Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." (1
Cor. 2:2)
PREACHING OF THE
CROSS WAS CENTRAL
TO ST. PAUL
To the Jews who were tempted to discard the
simplicity of the gospel for "law-keeping" he
writes, "Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen
from grace."
"For we through the Spirit wait for the
hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ
neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision;
but faith which worketh by love." (Ga. 5:4-6)
His argument was that if we trust in the
works of the law - like circumcision - we have then made the
"work of Christ on the cross of no effect" and,
"Christ shall profit you nothing." He speaks of
the "offense of the cross" which he had to
suffer because of embracing the truth. (Gal. 5:11; 6:12) It
cost Paul everything to serve Christ.
"But God forbid that I should glory,
save *(except) in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the
world." (Gal. 6:14)
The bottom line is that rituals, ceremonies,
keeping of laws and following traditions do not save souls
or change lives. The Bible says, "For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor
uncircumcision but a new creature." (Gal. 6:15)
The Bible says, "Therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2
Cor. 5:17)
St. Paul gloried in THE CROSS OF CHRIST,
because only through His substitionary, all-atoning death
for the sins of the world is there redemption for fallen
man! That is why the apostle declared, "For I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power
of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek (heathen)." (Rom.
1:16)
The Bible says, "Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But
made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And
being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
"Where for God also hath highly exalted
Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:5-11)
In this treatise, I wish to share the
teaching of God about the cross and the blood of
Jesus. I will answer the question, "What does God
say about the cross and what does the Cross of Christ teach
us"? The Cross of Christ teaches us five things:
-
What does God
think about our sins?
-
How much God loves
us
-
The doctrine of
substitution
-
Christ's victor
over Satan
-
The Value of an
eternal soul
#1 - The Cross
Teaches Us What God Thinks of Our Sins
The Bible warns:
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezek.
18:4,20)
God had warned Adam
and Eve about the sin of disobedience and the awful
consequences of such an act. He stated unequivocally,
"...of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely
eat: But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eaat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die." (lit. heb. - in
dying thou shalt die). (Genesis 2:16-17)
God's command was definite and irrevocable -
"You can enjoy this beautiful garden forever,
providing you obey My commands and keep them. If you
do not, you will begin to die and eventually return to the
ground out of which you came."
Please note: Ever since that fateful day,
every baby has been born with death in their mortal bodies.
When our first parents sinned, they threw
the entire human race into turmoil and jeopardy. Human
kind was cascaded into physical as well as eternal death.
In His great mercy, God came searching for
Adam and Eve in order to redeem them. He asked Adam
& Eve the big question - 'WHY?' Then He passed
judgment upon them and the earth, because of their rebellion
and sin.
"And the Lord God said unto the woman,
"What is this that thou hast done?"
And the woman said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I
did eat." And the Lord God said unto the
serpent, "Because thou hast done this, thou art
cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;
upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all
the days of thy life:
"And I will put enmity between thee
and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto
the woman He said, I will gratly multiply thy
sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth
children; and thy desire shall be thy husband, and he shall
rule over thee."
"And unto Adam He said, "Because
thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast
eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou
shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in
sorrow thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns
also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou
shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread, til thou return unto the ground; for
out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust
shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:13-19)
GOD PRONOUNCED A CURE
UPON THE SERPENT. It would lose its ability to
walk and would have to crawl and eat dust. Scientists
now believe that at one time serpents walked upright.
He would put enmity between the human race and
serpents. In a USA survey it states that 98% of
Americans hate snakes more than any other animal.
That enmity was a type of pre-picture of the
battle pitting Satan and his minions against God and His
children.
Then God dropped a bombshell. He
revealed a great truth hidden from before the foundations of
the world. He would send a
redeemer!
This was the first mention of the Coming
Messiah! His own Son would be incarnated
(become a man) in order to suffer, bleed and die to save
us. He would redeem the human race through the
sacrificial death of His Son, on the Cross. As a type
of that ultimate sacrifice, God killed an innocent animal
shedding its blood, to atone for Adam and Eve's sins.
And from the skins, He made clothes to cover them;
GOD PRONOUNCED A
CURSE UPON THE WOMAN
And
unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow
and thy conception: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth
children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he
shall rule over thee."
During
my world travels, I have observed how men treat their
wives. In most pagan cultures, wives are like a piece
of property. They are inferior to men and cannot even
eat with their husbands or sons. And females are often
aborted before birth, due to their little value!
Ungodly, chauvinistic, over sexed men often marry four wives
or more. (I once met a Muslim man in Kenya who had 65
wives.) Often such a man is able to accuse his wife -
rightly or wrongly and have her put to death on false
charges. Or divorce her on the spot!
It
is not uncommon for mothers to choke their young daughters
to death, because of the unjust Hindu caste system
which would bankrupt a poor family with several daughters.
Only
Jesus Christ gives women liberty through the glorious gospel
which was purchased by His shed blood. Only the gospel
sets women free.
Among
all the world's religions, only Christianity treats women
with respect and honor, as a special creation of God,
through the New Birth!
"For
ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male or
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal.
3:26-28)
GOD
PRONOUNCED A CURSE UPON THE GROUND
"And
unto Adam He said, "Because thou hast hearkened unto
the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which
I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed
is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it
all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it
bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the
field;" (Genesis 3:17-18)
Because
of Adam's sin, there would be a curse upon the ground.
Man would not enjoy the fruit of his work. Thorns and
thistles would come forth to plague him as he tilled the
earth to eke out a living. "In sorrow shalt
thou eat of it all the days of thy life."
THEN
GOD PRONOUNCED A CURSE UPON MAN
"In
the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, til thou return
unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Gen.
3: 17-19)
Man,
who was created for immortality would die and return to the
dust. God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden
and kept its gates guarded with a flaming cherubim, lest man
would enter the Garden and eat the fruit of the TREE OF LIFE
and live forever in their sins. Thus, He salvaged the
human race from being lost forever with the same fate as
Satan, the liar.
CAIN
& ABEL - THEY BOTH KNEW THE RULES
After
these traumatic experiences, Cain & Abel were born to
them. One day the two sons came with an offering unto
the Lord. They both knew the rules. There is no
doubt that Almighty God had communicated to their parents
what was required of them.
SINCE
THE 'FALL', every man had to bring a sacrifice to atone for
his sins. And the sacrifice had to be like the original one
which God himself killed, to atone for the sins of Adam and
Eve.
The
truth is that 'sin' is so terrible that a life had to be
taken and innocent blood shed in order for it to be
forgiven. The blood had to be innocent - not
contaminated by man's sinful nature - so God used a lamb
from the flocks to provide the sacrifice, until "the
fullness of time" when he would sacrifice His own Son -
as the Pascal lamb - To die as the Lamb of God for the sins
of the world.
That
is why God accepted the sacrifice of Abel - the firstling of
his flocks - and rejected the offering of Cain - the fruit
of the ground. Cain is a type of the pagan
religions as well as modernists who seek to
please God with their own kind of offering, rather than
following God's prescribed ways. This is a classic
example of 'SALVATION THROUGH GOOD WORKS' rather than by
grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ
on Golgatha's Hill.
Ever
since the fall, God has demanded a blood sacrifice in order
to forgive the sins of fallen man. All the patriarchs
built alters and sacrificed unto the Lord. Then came
the sacrificial system.
God
instituted the 'sacrificial system' under Moses - the great
Jewish prophet and law giver - so that He coul dhae
fellowship with His people and forgive them for their
continual sinning. This continued for 2,000 years
until Jesus came to pay the supreme price and redeem us all
from the curse of the law and the power of the 'wicked one'!
The
Bibe says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeh on a tree:"
(Galations 3:13)
It
is estimated that each year on 'THE GREAT DAY OF ATONEMENT'
during the reign of Solomon, that 500,000 lambs were
sacrificed. History confirms that the blood flowed in
a stream, across the Kidron Valley for days, after that
event. When Jesus hung on Golgatha's Hill dying upon 'The
Cursed Tree', an estimated 250,000 lambs died on the
alters of the temple in Jerusalem. And every lamb,
goat, bullock or red heifer that was slain under Jewish Law
pointed to Jesus of Nazareth, God's own Lamb.
The
law stated, "Without the shedding of blood, there is
no remission for sin", (Hebrews 9:22) and "It
is the blood that maketh atonement for sin." (Lev.
17:11) And St. John declares, "If we walk in the
light as He is in the light we have fellowship one
with the other and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son
cleanseth us from all sins." (I John 1:7)
The
Bible says, "And from Jesus Christ...that loved us and
washed us from our sins in His won blood." (Rev. 1:5)
My
precious friend, the cross of Christ delivers a powerful
message to this world. The cross teaches us what God
thinks about our sin. He hates our sins. They
are a stench in His nostrils and an abomination in His
sight.
From
God's word we learn the awful truth about sin, and its
eternal consequences.
God
had to send His Son to die the awful death of the cross -
meeting the demands of Divine Justice - in order to redeem
us and purchase our freedom from the chains of satanic
bondage and hell forever.
The
Bible says, "All have sinned and come short of the
glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "The wages of
sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
#2
- The Cross Teaches us how much God loves us
Martin
Luther called John 3:16, "a miniature Bible".
It is the central verse of the New Testament.
Jesus
said, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
St.
John, overwhelmed by God's great love, exclaimed, "We
love Him because He first loved us." (I John 4:19)
What
an enormous subject that brings up. We love Him
because...There are so many reasons why we love God and St.
John's explanation is a good place to start. WE LOVE
HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US! Then, we must ask
ourselves: "Why does He love us? How does He show His
love to us?"
God's
love is magnanimous, beneficent and all
encompassing. It is an ocean divine reaching out in
every directoon of His great universe, touching things that
touch people - saving, healing, sustaining, providing and
ever loving everyone unconditionally. Hallelujah!
The
hymn writer, anointed by God, wrote:
"Oh
love of God, so rich and pure
So measureless and strong
It shall forevermore endure
The saints and angels song.
Could
we with ink the ocean fill
And were the sky of parchment made
And every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To
write to love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
And could the scroll contain the whole
Would stretch from sky to sky!"
The
premier reason for us to love God, is that He first reached
down to us. The Bible says, "While we were yet
sinners, Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6)
St.
Paul writes, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He
became poor that ye through His poverty might become
rich." (2 Cor. 8:9)
About
20 years ago while studying the dictionary, I came across
the word 'apodictic' taken from the Greek 'apodeiktikos'
which mean "EVIDENT BEYOND CONTRADICTIONS". It
also conveys the meaning: "incontestable because
demonstrated and demonstrable; necessarily true or logically
certain and proving fully."
Immediately,
I knew that that words belongs only to God, for who else can
guarantee anything to be "evident beyond
contradictions?
Certainly,
man in his unregenerate state is unbelievable inconsistent,
changeable and vulnerable to moral corruptions.
The
Bible says, "The heart is deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked: Who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9)
The
power of God is apodictic - 'evident beyond
contradictions'. The wisdom of God, the peace of God,
the joy and mercy of God is apodictic.
Who
can deny that the Love of God is apodictic - evident beyond
contradictions? Even the hardest sinner and cruelest skeptic
and unbeliever cannot contradict God's love, mercy, grace
and compassion - CALVARY PROVES GOD'S LOVE.
Who
else, but our Heavenly Father, would send His own Son to die
upon a rugged cross - as a common criminal between two
thieves - to rescue the world that had gone mad through
unbelief, rebellion, fear and evil?
The
Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His
Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world
through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)
St.Paul
tells it like it really is! "He that spared not His
own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not
with Him also freely give us all things." (Romans
8:32)
The
world was hopelessly lost in sin, degradation and death
through Adam's transgression. Then, Almighty God acted out
of love, compassion and mercy to save us. He sent His one
and only Son down to this earth to be incarnated (God
became flesh) so that He could shed His pure and perfect
blood as a ransom or penalty for our sinfulness.
This
is without doubt one of the greatest scriptures in teh
entire Bible because it speaks of our Saviour. Who
died willingly and gladly for our sins so that we could be
saved.
The
Bible says, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
(perfecter) of our faith; Who for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is
set down at the right hand of the throne of God.' (Heb.
12:3)
GOD
SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON
God
gave His best when He offered up His own Son as a ransom
price for a world which needed to be redeemed from the curse
of the law and the world's greatest terrorist, Satan
himself. God the Father went all the way. He
spared NOTHING - but rather gave all for us!~
He
delivered up His OWN SON into the hands of murderers to be
verbally abused, spit upon, blasphemed, mocked, physically
assaulted and finally crucified as a common criminal in
order to purchase our redemption.
The
prophet declared that the face (visage) of the Messiah
(Jesus) would be "marred more than any man, and his
form (body) more than the sons of men." (Isaiah 52:14)
"He
is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from
him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely
He hath borne our grief (sickness), and carried our sorrows
(pains); yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and
afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our
peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are
healed."
(Isaiah 5: 3-5)
The
Bible says, "When the fullness of time was come, God
sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to
redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive
the adoption of sins." (Gal. 4:4)
An
old adage says: "To sin is human but to forgive is
divine!" It takes the grace of God to forgive
those who have wronged you, even when they repent and ask
for forgiveness.
As
Jesus hung on the cross under the greatest spiritual
pressure, taunted and mocked by His enemies, He cried out to
His Father for mercy for those who had place Him
there. His prayer was, "Father forgive them,
for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
Now
is the time for reconciliation. We must forgive one
another - as Jesus Christ did - and love one another.
There is no time to waste. Now is the accepted
time. Now is the tiem to repent and turn back to God.
The
Bible says, "And all things are of God, Who hath
reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to
us the ministry of reconciliation. Now then we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by
us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled
to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him."(2 Cor. 5:18-21)
What
is so amazing is that God Himself initiated the plan of
salvation, which included the death of His Son. St.
Paul declared that Jesus of Nazareth was delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God to be crucified.
(Acts 2:23)
The
prophet Isaiah stated that God, "..laid upon Him
(Jesus) the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)
"Surely
He bath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we
did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted."
(Isaiah 53:4)
Almighty
God - in His great love for us - SMOTE HIS OWN SON and put
Him to grief in order to save us. That blows one away.
I can't understand God's great love for a world that
rejected Him. How can anyone understand such
love. It is indeed, "Past finding out."
His
grace, mercy and love is holy and divine and too wonderful
for me to comprehend. Martin Luther stated that
it will take all eternity for us to understand such things
as... "grace and gospel.."
The
Bible says, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His
(Jesus Christ) soul an offering for sin..." (Isaiah
53:10)
The
Romans didn't kill Jesus. It wasn't the Jews who put
him to death. It was God Almighty - our Heavenly
Father - who freely offered his own Son for the sins of the
world. No one will ever be able to understand God's
love. All we have to do is accept His offer of mercy
to us, and receive His pardon and forgiveness, and
thankfulness.
#3
- THE CROSS TEACHES US THE DOCTRINE OF SUBSTITUTION
The
third great truth that the Cross of Christ teaches us is
'The Doctrine of Substitution' - one dying for another.
This
song says it all:
"I
should have been crucified
I should have suffered and bled and died.
I should have hung on the cross for disgrace,
But, Jesus, God's Son took my place.
The Bible says, "For
when we were yet without strength, in due time, CHRIST DIED
FOR THE UNGODLY. For scarcely for a righteous man will
one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die."
"But God commended
His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
CHRIST DIED FOR US. More man then, being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
Him."
"For if, when we were
sinners, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His
life." (Romans 5:6-10)
St. Paul lays out the
"DOCTRINE OF SUBSTITUTION" so clearly in this
scripture: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all
man, for that all have sinned." (verse 12)
"But not as the
offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the
offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God,
and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ,
hath abandoned unto many. And not as it was by one
that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to
condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto
justification."
JESUS
TASTED DEATH FOR US ALL
"For if by one man's
offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by
the offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free
gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
"For as by one
man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover,
the law entered, that the offence might abound. But
where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin
hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our
Lord." (Romans 5:15-21)
The Bible says:
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the
gospel...how that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He
rose again the third day according to the scriptures. (I
Cor. 15:1-4)
Martin Luther was consumed
by the gospel of Christ. He stated, "I live as
though Jesus Christ died yesterday, arose today and is
coming again tomorrow." This is the message of
the gospel - Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again
for my justification - Praise the Lord.
The Bible says,
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His
own blood He entered in once into the Holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us."
"How much more shall
the blood of Christ, Who through the Eternal Spirit offered
Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the Living God?" (Hebrews 9:12-14)
By offering Himself in our
place, Jesus Christ bore our condemnation, and paid the
penalty for our sins releasing us from all the guilt and
God's judgment against us.
The Bible says, "...when
He (Jesus) had by Himself purged our sins sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on High." (Hebrews 1:3)
St. Paul declared,
"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we
thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
And that He died for all, that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for
them and rose again." (2 Cor. 5:14-15)
Again he challenges the
Church: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ," "Who
dies for us, that, whither we wake or sleep, we should live
together with Him." (I Thess. 5:9-10)
A
SAD & MOVING STORY
A very touching human
interest story has come down to us from the tragic "American
Civil War'. A number of southern soldiers had
infiltrated the Union Army as spies and were found
out. They were sentenced to death by firing squad.
Just as the commanding
officer ordered his men to take aim at the little white
patch over each condemned man's heart, a shout rang out, "Hold
your fire, don't shoot".
A young man emerged from
the woods shouting and waving his arms frantically.
Approaching the commanding officer, the young man confessed
that he also was a rebel soldier and had been hiding in the
woods.
Then pointing to an older
man he pleaded for his release saying, "We are from the
same town in the south. He has a family of four
children and I am not married. Please allow me to die
in his place. Let me exchange places with him.
Because of the courage and
compassion displayed by the young "reb soldier"
his wish was granted. The older soldier was
released and told to return to his loved ones. The
young man was blind folded, his hands tied and together with
the other condemned men was executed.
After burying the
infiltrators, the Union soldiers moved on, but early the
next morning the freed soldier returned with a horse and
space. He dug up his comrade's body and took it back
to the Southern USA, where they had a proper Church funeral.
A little cross was erected
as a memorial over his grave, complete with the fallen
soldier's name, rank and these words: "HE TOOK MY
PLACE, HE DIED FOR ME", with the freed man's name and
signature below, for everyone to read.
This story reminds me of
what Jesus did for us on Golgathz's Hill. "He
took my place, He died for me."
#4
- THE CROSS TEACHES CHRIST'S VICTORY OVER SATAN
The fourth lesson the
cross teaches us is that Jesus Christ's death has liberated
us from satanic bondage.
When Jesus walked among
men, He healed the sick and cast out unclean spirits from
them who were bound by the Evil One. The Bible says, "How
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power
who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed
of the devil." (Acts 10:38)
The literal greek states
that Jesus healed all who "were under the domination
or lordship of Satan."
Again Jesus testified,
"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient
(necessary, advantageous) for you that I go away: for if I
go not away, the Comforter (Divine Helper) will not come
unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you."
"And when He is
come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe
not on Me; Of righteousness because I go to My Father, and
ye see Me no more;"
"Of judgment,
because the prince of this world is judged." (John
16:7-11) The Amplified Bible states that Satan, the prince
of this world is already judged and the Holy Spirit has come
to "demonstrate to the world, Christ's victory over
Satan."
What a great truth - The
Holy Spirit has been sent to "DEMONSTRATE TO THE WORLD,
CHRIST'S VICTORY OVER SATAN"
When Jesus died on
Calvary's cross, He defeated Satan totally, and the Holy
Spirit's major task is to demonstrate to the world, Christ's
victory over Satan.
How does He do that? By
empowering Christ's body - the Church - to do the same works
which Jesus did before His death and glorious resurrection.
-
When souls are saved
because of our preaching and the Holy Spirit's
convicting power, He is demonstrating to the world, 'Christ's
Victory over Satan'.
-
When the sick and
diseased are healed miraculously by the Word of God in
the Name of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit raises
them up to health and strength, He is demonstrating to
the world, 'Christ's Victory over Satan."
-
When unclean spirits
are discerned and cast out of the "tormented
ones" in Jesus' all powerful Name, the Holy Spirit
is "demonstrating to the world, Christ's victory
over Satan"!
WHY
IS THIS IMPORTANT ?
Christ's victory and
Satan's defeat has to be heralded in all three worlds so
that EVERY ANGELIC BEING, SATANIC FORCE & HUMAN BEING
will know that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.
St. Paul wrote, "And
being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and
given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name
of Jesus every knees should bow, of things in heaven and
things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:8-11)
To the Colossians he
wrote, "And having spoiled principalities and
powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them
in it." (Col. 2:14)
During that era, when a
king returned from a great victory, his subjects would line
the streets of their capital city to shout his praises and
welcome him and his fighting legions home.
As the CONQUERING KING
drove his chariot down the main street, the defeated enemy
king would be paraded before the people, chained, stripped
of his armor and running behind the chariot.
The defeated king's armor
and crown were placed in the triumphant king's chariot and
often displayed for the people to see. It was a
glorious moment for the conqueror but one of humiliation for
the loser.
St. Paul draws this
analogy. Jesus, the conquering king has defeated
Satan, stripped him of all his weapons and power and
rendered him ineffective in chains.
The Norwegian Bible says,
that Jesus has disarmed him and the literal Greek
gives us the inference that "he is naked."
Jesus made a show of them (all demon powers) openly.
What does that mean?
Satan has been defeated by Jesus Christ for everyone to
behold, in three worlds. The host of Heaven saw it,
the demonic powers of Hell witnessed Christ's victory and
the Holy Spirit has been sent to demonstrate to the world
(so every human being might know) that Satan is defeated.
TETELESTAI:
IT IS FINISHED
"When Jesus therefore
had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He
bowed His head and gave up the ghost." (John 19:30)
When Jesus cried "IT
IS FINISHED", He was declaring our Liberty. He
had purchased our complete salvation by His suffering and
death on Calvary! Jesus spoke in Greek when He made
that statement.
The words, "IT IS
FINISHED" in the Greek is "tetelestai", taken
from the verb "teleo", have 3 essential meanings:
-
"To bring to an
end, finish or complete something". Jesus had
finished His work, having met the demands of divine
justice."
-
He had completed His
mission. Redemption was now a reality.
-
He had also brought to
an end the 'devil's dynasty of terror'. He
had shed His precious blood for the sins of the
world. A fountain of blood had been opened
"for sin and uncleanness." (Zach.
13:1) Jesus had broken Satan's strangle-hold upon
the human race.
St. John wrote, "For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the devil."
(I John 3:8)
The Bible declares,
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh
and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same;
that through death He might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver
them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15)
Through His vicarious
death on the cross, Jesus destroyed Satan and his evil power
over humanity. That spells:
CHRIST'S
VICTORY, SATAN'S DEFEAT AND OUR LIBERTY
2. "To carry
out, accomplish, perform, fulfill." Salvation
is now complete; nothing needs to be added: "For by
grace are ye saved through faith." (Eph. 2:8-10)
He was saying, "My blood is flowing, sins can now be
washed away and sicknesses healed...because God's great
salvation is now optional."
Jesus fulfilled 332
prophetic scriptures referring to the 'Coming Messiah'.
Among these were 61 major prophecies, and Jesus fulfilled
them all.
According
to the scientific - Law of Probabilities - Dr. Peter
Stoner has proven conclusively that, for any other man to
fulfill just 8 of the major prophecies which Jesus
fulfilled, he would have only one chance in 10 to the 17th
power~ That is 10 with 17 zeros after it.
(1,000,000,000,000,000,000)
In
order for us to understand the magnitude of that figure, Dr.
Stoner calculated that it would be necessary to cover the
face of Texas with American silver dollars two feet
deep. Out of those millions of silver dollars, only
one would be marked with an X. All would then be
vigorously stirred together.
A
man would be blind folded and told, "You may walk
across the State and dig as much as you like, but the first
silver dollar you pick up must have the X on it."
Jesus
performed and executed to the letter every demand of the
law. He fulfilled every messianic prophecy. No
other person could come close to doing that. He
stated, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law,
or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfill." (Matthew 5:17)
3.
"To pay what is owed." We were guilty of
sin. Our future was doomed for "the scripture
hath concluded all under sin." (Gal. 3:22) The Bible
says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory
of God." (Romans 3:23)
God's Word
declared, "For the wages of sin is death; But the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
(Romans 6:23)
No wonder
the apostle states, "Thanks be unto God for His
unspeakable gift." (2 Cor. 9:15)
Jesus paid
the awful cost of redemption. The Bible says,
"How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through
the Eternal Spirit offered Himself to God, purge your
conscience from dead works." (Hebrews 9:14)
"Forasmuch
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers; But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot." (I Peter 1:18-19)
St. Paul
declared, "For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
which are God's." (I Cor. 6:20)
The Bible
says, "The Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth
us from all sin." (I John 1:7)
"That
the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the
Spirit through faith." (Gal. 3:13-14)
"And
you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven
you all trespasses. Blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances which was contrary to us, and took it out of the
way, nailing it to His cross." (Col. 2:13-14)
The
statement of guilt, shame and debt has been removed by the
victorious death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The
Norwegian Bible states, "The letter of debt" was
nailed to His cross.
The
statement that declared me bankrupt, guilty, doomed to
sinful behavior, sickness, fear, death and eternal damnation
has been laid on Jesus Christ and nailed to his cross.
I am now free, Hallelujah!
"Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that
hangeth on a tree:" (Gal. 3:13)
"He
that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth
from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God
was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the
devil." (I John 3:8)
No.
5 THE CROSS TEACHES US THE VALUE OF AN ETERNAL SOUL
Jesus
stated, "What shall it profit a man, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark
8:36-37)
Our Lord declared, "For the Son of man is come
to SEEK and to SAVE that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)
Jesus
portrayed Himself as the "GOOD SHEPHERD" who left
the 99 sheep - who were safe - and went out into the dark
night to rescue the ONE LOST SHEEP.
He declared
that He was the "GOOD SHEPHERD" who would give His
life for his sheep! "Then said Jesus unto them
again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door
of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are thieves
and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am
the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved,
and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
JESUS
IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Our
Lord stated, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal,
and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might
have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd
giveth his life for the sheep."
"But
he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the
sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep,
and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth
the sheep not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd,
and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father
knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my
life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are
not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall
hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one
shepherd."
"Therefore
doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I
might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I
lay it down of Myself. I have poewr to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of My Father." (John
10:7-18)
The Bible says, "Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends." (John 15:13)
Jesus laid down His life
for us and the cross teaches us how much value God
puts upon one individual soul. He loves us and gave
Himself for us individually. We are worth more to Him
than 'all the riches and wealth of this world.'
Don't forget it my
friend...Your soul is priceless in the sight of God.
That is why Jesus gave his life for you and me. And
thats what the cross teaches us.
During his European
crusades, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte gathered his leading
generals and officers into his war room. Spreading out the
map of Europe, Napoleon pointed toward the British Isles -
which were colored in red - and stated emphatically, "If
it wasn't for that little red spot I could rule the
world."
The British Isles stood in
the way of Napoleon's dream of conquering Europe and the
world. He was conquered by the British at the 'Battle
of Waterloo.' The little red spot, the British Isles
had defeated Napoleon Bonaparte.
It is not unreasonable to
think that one day Satan gathered all of his leading demons
into his war room and spreading out the map of the world and
pointing to Golgotha exclaimed, "If it wasn't for
this little red spot, I could rule the world."
The blood of Jesus Christ,
shed on Golgotha's Hill - effectively crippled Satan and
took from him the power and ability to run roughshod over
God's people.
He no longer has any
jurisdiction over those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord
and Saviour and trust in his precious blood for eternal
life. What a marvelous fact.
The blood of Jesus Christ,
shed for us all on Golgotha, has purchased our eternal
salvation.
#1
WE RECEIVE FORGIVENESS of OUR SINS THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"In Whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace."
#2
WE RECEIVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"Forasmuch
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers;
"But
the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot." (I Peter 1:18-19)
"Take
heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over
the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed
the church of God, which he hath purchased with His own
blood." (Acts 20:28)
#3
WE RECEIVE CLEANSING FROM SIN THROUGH THE BLOOD
"But
if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, And the blood of Jesus Christ
His Son cleanseth us from all sins." (I John 1:7)
#4
WE ARE LOOSED FROM OUR SINS THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"And
from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of
the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from
our sins in His own blood." (Rev. 1:5)
#5
WE ARE JUSTIFIED THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"Much
more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through him." (Rom. 5:9)
"Being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is
in Jesus Christ: Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through Faith in His blood, to declare the
righteousness for the remission of sins, that are passed,
through the forbearance of God." (Rom. 3:24-25)
#6
WE RECEIVE PEACE THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"And
having made peace through the death of His cross, by Him to
receive all things unto himself;" (Col. 1:20)
#7
WE RECEIVE ACCESS TO THE FATHER THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath
consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His
flesh;" (Heb. 10:19-20)
#8
WE RECEIVE DIVINE HEALING THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"But
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon
Him; and with His stripes we are healed." (Is.
53:5)
"Who
His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that
we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by Whose stripes ye are healed."
(1 Peter 2:24)
#9
WE RECEIVE VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"And
they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony." (Rev. 12:11)
#10
WE ARE SANCTIFIED THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"Wherefore
Jesus also, that He might sanctify His people with His own
blood, suffered without the gate." (Hebrews 13:12)
#11
WE RECEIVE A CLEAR (PURGED) CONSCIENCE THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"How
much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the Eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience (mind) from dead works, to serve the Living
God?" (Hebrews 9:14)
#12
WE RECEIVE ETERNAL GLORY THROUGH HIS BLOOD
"These
are they which came out of great tribulation, and hav washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb. Therefore are they before the Throne of God, and
serve Him day and night in His temple; and He that sitteth
on the throne shall dwell among them...
"For
the Lamb Which is in the midst of the throne shall feed
them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water:
and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes."
(Rev. 7:14-17)
IN
CONCLUSION
There is no
grander story told and no theme as sublime as the gospel of
Jesus Christ, which is the true account of God's great love
reaching down to sinful man.
The Gospel
of the grace of God is the greatest of all offers - Sins
forgiven,
fellowship with God restored and Eternal Life given to all
who trust in the merits of Jesus Christ's shed blood on
Calvary and His glorious resurrection from the dead.
He
awaits your cry for mercy my friend. He awaits your
decision to forsake your sins and walk out of Satan's prison
house into the freedom of God's presence.
The
Bible says, "Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the
Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21)
And
Jesus has promised: "Him that cometh unto Me I will in
no wise cast out."
(John 6:37)
