The Power and Healing of the Cross 3/28/2021 11:30 AM

what a tremendous presence of god is here right now [Music] this month we've been focusing on the central message of the cross the cross was not a disaster to god's plan it was his focal point it was not the end it was a beginning what satan thought was a conclusion was god's premise the lamb slain from the foundation of the world amen we're gonna explore the cross a little more today first corinthians chapter 1 what tremendous worship and singing when you came in today you were offered a cup a communion cup if you did not receive a communion cup and there's a wafer and a small amount of grape juice in there would you please raise your hand our ushers are watching now and uh we have a few here if our ushers could quickly come just keep your hand up i'm going to proceed if you'll hold your hand up until the ushers wait on you i appreciate our tremendous ushers and everyone who serves in ministry ready to minister when you leave today there will be receptacles in the back of the church these same communion trays will be there and you can discard your cup there and it's good to see everyone here and if i can't see but you but you can see me that means you're watching online and we're glad to have you online today and it's also good for the first time in several weeks due to surgery to have our pastors prayer partner leader one of our trustee board members brother walker so good to see you here today brother wayne walker god bless you so glad you were able to come thank you everyone first corinthians chapter 1 verse 21 hold up your hand if you didn't get communion we're still give you one more chance that's it first corinthians 1 21 for after that in wisdom or in the wisdom of god the world by wisdom knew not god it pleased god by the foolishness of preaching to save them to believe 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 i'd like to speak today on the power and wisdom of the cross you may be seated the cross of jesus christ is always baffled the unsaved church unsafe people of the world not unsaved church to the non-christian mind it is the most foolish idea that's ever been propagated in world history a misunderstood cross has been maligned mischaracterized as a myth even a hoax they were afraid it was going to be a hoax foisted upon the people of their day jesus was just a man they say so why won't he go away after all it's been 2 000 years you would think we'd be rid of him now but no one would be interested in a man who died on the cross two thousand years ago and yet around the world today two billion people claim to be followers of jesus christ he's still around he's very much alive and i shouldn't say this now but he said i am he that was dead but i am a lie forevermore amen i have the keys of death in hell well the bible said this is our text that those of us who are called both jews and greeks christ the power of god and the wisdom of god we preach jesus christ crucified but the bible said in verse 23 that to the jews it was a stumbling block and to the greeks or non-jews it was just foolishness so i want you to think about this today why did the jews as a nation not every individual but why did they nationally stumble at the cross and why did the greeks consider the cross foolishness and how is the cross both the power of god and the wisdom of god so i'm going to go to the church in corinth for a little while today to discuss these people and what was going on in their head the corinthian christians were entangled to debate over their favorite spiritual leader paul told them you need to speak the same thing there should be no divisions among you you should be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment but i've been told by those from the house of chloe a reputable source that there's contentions among you because you've got these factions there in corinth and some of you say i'm i'm a paul others say i like apollos he's an orator some of you say i like cephas he's my favorite preacher he's bold and brash at times and then some of you just go all the way say well i'm of christ paul said is christ divided did paul was paul crucified for you were you baptized in the name of paul how absurd he shouldn't just be your favorite preacher but the church will never find unity based on a personality because we're all drawn to different types of ministry and god gave us the diversity of ministry for that reason so paul rebuked these immature believers for their focus on preachers and told them that all these ministers were ministers of christ that they preached jesus and the focus was on to be on him and not them not paul not apollos none of them but in verse 18 he said for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness but to unto us who are saved it is the power of god verse 21 for after that in the wisdom of god the world by wisdom knew not god it pleased god by the foolishness of preaching now it doesn't say foolish preaching although you may think i've done some of that along the way but it is the foolishness of the thing preached the cross but god chose by that to save them that believe so we need to remember that eloquent oratory will never save a single soul church programs will never deliver a person from bondage amen but it is a power of the cross of jesus christ that will pull a person out of sin and deliver them from darkness set them free from addictions and make them a child of god now i know there are some pretty crosses in the world beautiful ornate crosses some people wear them as jewelry but the cross was not pretty it was ugly it was gory it was repulsive cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree but we were saved by that blood that was shed on that old rugged cross by jesus christ and so today in 2021 there is no sophisticated source of salvation amen god chose by what is perceived as foolishness the preaching of the cross to save them that believed amen and you'll never get too sophisticated too successful to be saved by anything else but by the sacrificial death of jesus christ on the cross to those of us who believe it is the power of god and it is the wisdom of god amen not intended to be pretty it was intended to be powerful and i want to just throw a couple of things in to just remember that you should avoid a church that avoids the cross and you should avoid a church that avoids the outcome of the cross which was the day of pentecost when the holy ghost was given and people spoke in tongues for the very first time that was just as foolish to them as the cross was but it is the power of god that takes up residence in our lives amen our subject is the power and wisdom of the cross that's what verse 24 of first corinthians says the jews perceive the cross as powerless the greeks fancied the cross as foolishness rather than giving them signs and wisdom that they demanded the lord gave them weakness and folly now what was the jews problem why why did they stumble over the cross because they saw it was powerless you see when they understood that this messiah that had come to them has was rejected crucified they saw that as failure death after all is the ultimate weakness for a person you have lost all power and to the unbelieving jews the cross was anything but power to them messiah meant power splendor triumph they saw his second return they did not see his first coming they saw him coming with clouds of glory and great power they saw him setting up a kingdom but they missed what the bible said that he would come be the lamb of god who would take away the sins of the world so to them crucifixion meant weakness humiliation defeat the bible is clear that the jews as a nation stumbled over the cross and in the ministries of ministry of jesus the jews the bible said over and over required a sign they wanted to seek power they wanted to see jesus do a trick for them on at least five occasions in the gospel writings they asked jesus to show them a sign in john 21 the writer john said of jesus's ministry that he did so many things that the world itself cannot contain the books that should be written it wasn't because jesus never worked a miracle that he never cast out the devil that he never raised the dead it's just that their appetite for signs was always more because they lacked sincerity they were seeking a sign they were not seeking a savior they asked jesus to show them a sign and if he would they would believe now just kind of mind-boggling to me but in john chapter 6 jesus said work miracles and then no he worked miracles of healing and then he fed 5 000 men plus women and children with a little lads lunch and it was right after that that they said show us a sign and we will believe they said our fathers ate manna in the wilderness that bread that came down from heaven angels food and so what do you got jesus what are you going to do to top that because that's our national heritage and these same people that had seen all of these miracles and had witnessed the feeding of 5 000 men plus women and children asked him to show them a sign in matthew 12 they asked again we would see a sign from the master and jesus said you'll get one sign it is a sign of jonah the prophet because just like he was in the heart of the in the belly of the whale three days and nights then you're going to see that sign and he was speaking of his death now jesus performed many miracles to authenticate his identity in matthew mark luke and john those four gospels there are at least 34 distinct miracles recorded and many of them were mass miracles where all of them were healed hundreds of people were healed at one time and by the way i just want to remind you that that healing is still available today in this church service before you go home that he can heal you and deliver you and he can save you we don't need just to have church today or play church we need to see the power of god demonstrated today amen and i'll give you a sneak preview amen today you'll see it in an article this release but on easter sunday i want to preach on the power of the resurrection because i'm believing that next sunday and today the holy ghost is going to be poured out and people are going to experience the same power that brought jesus out of the grave amen amen the church has to be filled with that kind of power many miracles mass healings and and then jesus fulfills so many old testament prophecies whether you see distinct prophecies or illusions to his ministry scores and scores hundreds of old testament prophecies and the jews knew their old testament bible but they still missed their messiah it was not that he did not authenticate himself it was not that he did not fulfill their prophecies that were in their bible it was because of their insincerity because they did not want to believe they could not believe their eyes were closed to truth they stopped up their own ears to hear what the bible taught at the end of the book of acts as the church dispensation turns toward the gentiles the apostle paul says of the jews well spoke isaiah the prophet about you that hearing you will hear and not understand and seeing you will see but not perceive let me pause and just say that this is one of the most scary things about having information and knowing what god has revealed in his word and by his spirit that we could have eyes but not see that we could have ears but not here but we would become callous and professional christians and not sincere and know jesus christ we don't need to think that our christian pedigree is any better than their jewish pedigree because jesus said if these do not cry out then the stones will cry out he will find somebody who will praise him he will serve him paul said his people is wax gross their ears are dull of hearing their eyes have they closed that they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and should be converted and i should heal them the jews would have readily welcomed a political leader a military victory over rome who conquered all their enemies but why they did not welcome what they did not welcome was a savior who would save them from their sins and their heart and hearts caused them to stumble at the cross to think that it was powerless and they missed the sacrificial lamb of god the bible said repeatedly that the jews stumbled at the stumbling stone isaiah wrote about this in isaiah chapter 8 that jesus would be their messiah a stone of stumbling and a rock of a fence they would come to him but they would be offended by him they would stumble over his reality over his ministry over the way that he would come they would not perceive him as a suffering servant they would only receive him as a conquering king isaiah said many among them will stumble and fall and be broken and snared and taken because of their insincerity the apostle peter preached about this in acts chapter 4 that jesus was the stone in the building of of their religious temple that was set aside by you builders you're trying to build a man-made religion and jesus doesn't fit where you want him to fit he fits at the head of the corner as the reference point as the beginning of everything and i'll throw this in for good measure if you try to make jesus fit into your life he will make you miserable he will make you miserable because he doesn't fit as somebody you just celebrate on easter sunday on any sunday he is the lord of your life or he will be an outcast from your life you've got to make him everything or he will eventually become nothing the bible said that the stone that they rejected has become the head of the corner we should never forget that when we start moving him down the line of the priorities of our life because in all things he should have the preeminence in our lives matthew 13 they were offended at him matthew 15 the disciples came to jesus and do you know that the pharisees are offended at you i guess he was supposed to be worried about that i don't know they're offended at you and after they heard this hard saying and instead of repenting they just resented jesus as an intrusion into their religious system more baffling to me is that even on the cross jesus is hanging there dying people are walking by they're reviling him they're wagging their heads and they're saying you said you could destroy the temple and in three days raise it up save yourself if you're the son of god come down from the cross and the chief priests the same ones who condemned him to die who wanted him to die came to the cross and mocked him with the scribes the theologians and the elders of israel and they said these words he saved others himself he cannot save if he be the king of israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him seriously you've had every opportunity to believe him and now you want him to do one more trick for you and then you'll believe him you want him to speak to you one more time do one more miracle give you one more dream show up in your life we've heard enough we know enough to be safe forever and to be lost forever they did not mean it [Applause] and they said he trusted in god let him deliver him now if he'll have him for he said that he was the son of god if he's god's son why won't god claim him now wouldn't it have been incredible to them jesus hanging on the cross close to death the crucifixion usually lasted days that's why the roman soldiers broke the legs of the thieves on either side of jesus when they came to jesus he was dead already they insured it with a spear thrust in his side and blood and water came out jesus said they did not take my life from me i lay it down of myself he gave up the ghost the bible said they did not take his life but what would it have been to them them walking by reviling him let him save himself let him come down from the cross and we'll believe if you're god and you want them to believe why don't you accommodate them what if what if jesus would have just floated off the cross bleeding nails just and this landed right in front of everybody there would have been this incredible revival everybody would have believed sorry once the eyes are closed and once the ears are deafened there's nothing that god can do to prove himself to you the jews sought a sign when they should have been seeking a savior and the bible said they stumbled at the cross of jesus christ the jews stumbled because it was powerless they seek a sign the greeks the non-jews the philosophical world they rejected the cross because they said it was foolishness and they lived to seek wisdom human wisdom read acts chapter 17 when paul goes to athens the city of athens in greece mars hill he encounters the philosophers at the hill of ariel pegas a place where they discuss philosophy and he talks to him about the resurrection of the dead and they called him a babbler someone who had accumulated a little philosophy from here and there and they rejected him largely not everyone but they rejected him largely because they were looking they lived the bible said in acts 17 to either hear or tell some new thing they didn't live to embrace truth or to be saved just to discover another new idea and the cross to them was foolishness first corinthians 12 23 that last phrase unto the greeks it was pure foolishness now foolishness we may think that's foolish but if you study this word pernicious superstition utter foolishness worse than what you would call folly that word means madness this is this is complete madness this has no transcendental wisdom at all this idea of the cross is crazy now we've been around worshipping jesus as christians for 19 centuries we grew up on the cross the cross has been embraced by christianity for millennial 2 000 years but in first century corinth the cross was curse the cross was death the cross was weakness and that greek influence on them made them wonder what sense does the cross really make that a man would die now die alone that they understood death and they understood capital punishment many people died on crosses the romans had perfected what they had originally found about crucifixion but the corinthian christians probably if you went to a church service with them not many of them were singing i will cling to the old rugged cross they were struggling with the cross the jews said that it is weakness and the greek said it is foolishness and paul wrote this because they needed to see the cross in a brand new light because the god of this world paul would write in second corinthians blinds the minds of people so they cannot see so here are these greeks big deal no big deal for a man to die death sentence what about a man being martyred for a cause in which he believed that people died for causes they believed in in that day what about a revolutionary that would lay down his life they could understand that even martyrdom they could grasp but the real issue that was foolishness to the greeks was the idea that another person could die in your place and that their death could pay the penalty for your sins that seem like utter foolishness to them they're reasoning that there is no logical connection between my sin and his sacrifice how can these ever come together now you may think because you're a christian that you get this but think about it for a minute suppose you committed a murder capital murder first degree murder you went to trial you're convicted you're sentenced to capital punishment you're going to die electric chair gas chamber lethal injection some countries hanging beheading you're going to die and you're the criminal you're convicted you're sentenced and you deserve it and in the courtroom while the judge is issuing the sentence someone walks in the room and gets everybody's attention and says judge judge i love this person i don't want them to die i'm going to the electric chair for them i'm going to the gas chamber go ahead and inject me i'm going to die in their place they would never allow that because that person is not guilty but in god's plan it was the innocent for the guilty it was a sinless for the sinful and the greeks could not wrap their brain around the lamb of god that was slain from the foundation of the world but this is the incredible unfathomable wisdom of the cross that we could not save ourselves that all the thousands and tens of thousands of sacrifices leading up to calvary the cross they can roll sins ahead that never satisfy the wrath of god against sin that god sending his son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin became the perfect sacrifice but it points all the way back to the garden of eden adam and eve's sin god does not kill adam and eve he kills innocent animals their blood is shed the skins of those animals become an adequate covering for adam and eve and we see all the way back in the first sin the first sacrifice the principle of substitution that the innocent takes the place of the guilty and the sinless dies for the sinner and then god covers those sins in the same way that he covers our sins with the righteousness of god we are clothed with the righteousness of god and what was foolishness to the greeks was the wisdom of god from the foundation of the world we are sanctified by the offering of the body of jesus christ once for all and for all mankind and for all times the cross of jesus christ was the wisdom of god that made no sense to an unregenerate person and it was also the power of god let me revisit this idea of the power of god because on the cross god conquered death by his death he defeated the devil at his weakness one writer said that calvary was like judo where a fighter uses his opponent's strength against himself that by death the bible said he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil jesus is hanging on the cross he says i thirst he says my god my god why hast thou forsaken me seven sayings from the cross but ultimately he says and the bible tells us that he cries with the loud voice it is finished if you're dying the blood has slipped out of your body you're thirsty you're god forsaken it's very difficult to cry with the loud voice but in the original language it is megaphone like a megaphone that jesus in his death just said let me set the record straight that this is not defeat this is victory this is the power and the wisdom of the cross it is finished paid in full it's an accounting term that every debt is paid every sin is covered by the blood of jesus christ on the cross why don't we thank the lord right now for the wisdom for the power of the cross of jesus christ amen paul wrote to timothy his son in the gospel he said do not be ashamed of the testimony of our lord or for me as prisoner share with me in the sufferings he said the lord saved us and he called us with the holy calling according to his purpose it was before time began but he said now god almighty it's been revealed in the last time by the appearing of our savior jesus christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel that's an incredible verse of scripture 2 timothy 1 and 10. the cross of jesus christ was the ultimate demonstration of the power and the wisdom of god and what may some may think is the foolishness of preaching if you believe it is the power of god and it is a wisdom of god but here we are today two thousand years later we believe that that same blood has power today and we say it is efficacious it's still effective to work today so it doesn't matter the sins you brought into this room or you have in your life it doesn't matter the addictions that you cannot break on your own it doesn't matter the struggles you're having with other people cross of jesus christ made it possible for us to correct the vertical relationship with god and our horizontal relationships with people that i preached about last sunday he demolished that middle wall of partition that separated us so today regardless of your condition at this moment the power of the gospel can change you before you walk out the door today that's why we are not ashamed of the gospel of christ for it is the power of god unto salvation to everyone who believes whether you're a jew or whether you're a greek the death burial and resurrection praise god the power and the wisdom of the cross in our church we embrace the cross we celebrate the cross and today we're going to receive communion the lord's supper to commemorate the sacrificial death of jesus christ on the cross when you come to the cross it's a humbling experience because you rely solely on what jesus did for you and nothing you've done for yourself god determined to not be dictated by human terms by human reasoning he defies the expectations of the jews and of the greeks he causes them to shell their standards to swallow their pride to either accept or reject god for who he chose himself to be and not what we want him to be and if we are saved it will be because of the power and the wisdom of the cross the night that jesus was betrayed he gathered his disciples in an upper room he shared a meal with them the last supper he washed their feet to show his humility that he came to be a servant and then on that night he instituted this communion supper of the lord's supper the bible said while they were eating he he took bread and he broke it he blessed it and he broke it and he gave it to them and he told him take this and eat it this is my body it's symbolic of my body paul would add my broken body and then he took the cup the fruit of the vine grape juice that we use and he told them to drink all of it he said this is the new testament the new covenant in my blood this is a new arrangement that god is making with man that you can now be right with god by faith in what jesus christ did on the cross my blood can save your soul so today we're going to partake of these very simple elements it's pretty amazing how powerful yet how simple these symbols are the unadorned cross of jesus christ the unleavened bread is a symbol of the broken body of jesus and the juice that we use the fruit of the vine is symbolic of the shed blood of jesus christ the apostle paul wrote about this and i want us to take a moment to pray before we receive communion today but paul said there there's a way you need to do this and if you i want to take just a minute or two to walk through what paul said first corinthians 11 27 whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the lord unworthily with the flippant disrespectful attitude with unrepentant attitude shall be guilty of the body and blood of the lord but he said let a man examine himself that means look in your soul and if there's anything between you and god repent of it today and if there's anything between you and anybody else confess it today make it right today because if you do not paul said you eat and drink damnation to yourself not discerning the lord's body because of this paul said in the corinthian church there are many people who were weak who were sick and who had prematurely died literal death but he said when we're chastened of the lord that we will not be condemned with the world so here's the way this works you either judge yourself and turn to god from your sins and make peace with god or then we or we suffer condemnation with the rest of the world but communion is this reminder of the blood of jesus christ and his broken body if you don't mind just remove that top tab that holds this bread microscopically thin i might add praise god the lord said take eat this is my body which is broken for you this do in remembrance of me i just want you to hold this and i want us to pray i want you to ask god to make sure that your heart is right with him right now lord come o lord in this solemnity of this moment thank you for your broken body thank you for your shed blood i ask you lord to create in me a clean heart and renew in me a right spirit i pray lord that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart would be acceptable in your sight we know lord that the wages of sin is death but the gift of god is eternal life so today lord we confess our sins forgive us lord god of attitudes spirits words actions deeds lord ungodly appearance the way we present ourselves to the world as your ambassadors cleanse us lord from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit help us lord be healed of every broken relationship we can come to this moment knowing god that we've made peace with god and as much as it is in our power we've made peace with our fellow man or woman jesus would you take this symbol of the broken body of jesus christ and let's eat it together now would you thank the lord for his broken body thorns in his head nails in his hands and feet flesh ripped from his back by a whip spear thrust in his side breaking the skin releasing the blood thank you jesus now would you please take this cup i'm not moving fast right now because i want the weight of this moment to settle in our spirit this cup is the new testament in my blood this do you as often as you drink it in remembrance of me would you close your eyes just before we drink this would you visualize jesus christ on the cross the most gruesome picture you've ever seen of him his visage was marred there was no beauty that we should desire him his blood spilling out of his body falling on the ground shed for the sins of the world lord we cherish the old rugged cross we embrace the sacrifice you gave for us now would you please drink of this cup the bible causes the cup of the lord and as often as you drink it you show the lord's death till he come again let's thank the lord for his sacrificial death on the cross would you thank him again lift up your voice to him now i love you jesus i give you thanks today o lord god thank you jesus if you're able would you please stand hallelujah paul said because you've eaten and drink of the cup of the lord unworthily there are many in that city of corinth that church there had weakness sickness and death but what if they had examined themselves and allowed the lord to chasten the them of that is that there would be strength and healing and life and in atlanta west we don't just look down and examine ourselves but we look up to the salvation that was provided for us by the cross and we embrace healing amen and we embrace strength and we embrace life so right now as we're praying would you believe the lord to come into your body right now and heal you because you pray that the lord would come into your emotions and heal you but you pray that the lord would forgive you right now [Music] jesus i come in the power of your name and we ask you lord god as hearts are lifted up to you throughout the power of the blood of jesus christ grant healing unto life thank you lord for with your stripes we are healed we believe it now in jesus name that's it receive it now reach up to the lord reach out to him now jesus why don't you thank you for healing thank him for what he's done in your life right now [Music] hallelujah that's it let there be a celebration in this house right now in jesus name [Music] that's it thank you for your healing you may not feel healing but thank you for healing thank you for wholeness thank him god has not given us the spirit of fear but a power of love of a sound mind let god heal your mind today in jesus name we pray against fear we pray against depression in the name of jesus christ the despair of this world we have hope in you lord we look forward to your coming of god amen we're going to sing in just a moment i feel that there's a drawing of the lord if you would like to come for healing if you like to come for salvation if you would like to come for strength i've been seeing this as the foot of the cross our altar area a place where we can come that is level ground we're all the same here in the eyes of jesus christ amen brothers and sisters in god if you'd like to come for prayer step out from where you are come to this altar today and let the lord minister to you healing forgiveness peace the power of the holy ghost if you've never been baptized in jesus name let someone know that today we will baptize you in the name of jesus if you're watching online email us at connect at awpc we'll arrange for it any day of the week any time of the day amen you're welcome to come right now to the altar to pray that's right amen [Music] right where you are now would you turn your robe into a prayer room and let jesus touch you right now [Music] jesus give us wash me why thank you [Music] brought jesus from the darkness into glorious [Music] thank you jesus life [Music] you took my place laid inside my tomb of sin [Music] you were buried for three days [Music] been transformed [Music] thank you [Music] thank you jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] there is nothing [Music] [Applause] [Music] through there is nothing stronger [Music] jesus [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] uh [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you jesus [Music] thank you jesus [Applause] [Music] you have saved my life brought me from the darkness into [Music] glorious you jesus [Music] thank you jesus he has watched me why [Applause] [Music] away my sins nothing but the blood of jesus and what can make use [Music] [Laughter] [Music] is [Music] i know [Music] amen let's take some time to celebrate the power of the blood in our lives amen let's see [Music] power [Applause] thank you [Applause] thank you [Applause] now let's lift up our voices and thank the lord but the voice of triumph at the cross is the finished work sin is defeated death is subpoenaed satan is defeated heaven is our destiny we thank you jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh hallelujah hallelujah give some glory to the lord we've all come to church when we leave let's go be the church in the world let's have a tremendous easter weekend but the power of the holy ghost falling on people that are lost amen worship a while fellowship a while make it a great week