The Power of the Cross

I'm going to go to Galatians chapter 6. Read one verse of scripture today to us. It's Palm Sunday. If you don't know what that means, we reference that it's about this time, heading into Easter, where Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, riding on the donkey, with those casting down palm branches and their coats, proclaiming who he was. We began into this Holy Week, and so many things to talk about, to teach about, to preach about. As I was working on this today, I felt very strongly to talk about the power of the cross. The power of the cross.

Galatians 6 — Paul writing here — says, verse 14: "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." We're only a week away from celebrating Easter Sunday, celebrating our risen Savior, celebrating the fact that there's an empty tomb — the single greatest event that took place in human history. But before there was an empty tomb, there was a cross. The cross is central. It is the symbolic image of Christianity. This singular act that lies at the heart of the gospel is the crucifixion. The cross is an instrument of death. The crucifixion is the means by which that death was executed. The cross stands as the ultimate power of the legal system of the day, and the crucifixion stands for the final point in which the law can touch human life.

Jesus Christ submitted himself to the cross. He submitted himself to the crucifixion. On that cross, God's divine statement against sin: sin could do no harm to him no more. Sin could demand no more. Sin could take him no further than to crucify him on that cross. And it was on the cross, and it was by the crucifixion, the God's anger was spent, that sin's penalty was satisfied, and Satan's power was cashed in. I'm preaching about the power of the cross.

My brother is not here today — his family's got some sickness in his home — but he's a lineman for Middle Tennessee Electric. And if you talk to him about his job, you won't talk too long to — he'll come up and bring about the importance and mentioning being and having a ground when he works. When he talks about the ground, he's not speaking about the physical ground, but he's talking about how you can ground the current to complete the circuit. Because in that electrical circuit, at ground is the is is is an infinite source or a sink for the charge to go to. It can absorb the power that is there. And without it is potential for death.

I bring that up for this reason: the cross serves as the absorption of the wrath of God against sin, in the same way that you need a ground and that electrical current to absorb the power that is there. The cross served, and was capable and able, to absorb that wrath of God that was being poured out. God's anger was not lessened by the cross because of his own flesh. Instead, it struck with the full weight and force of his authority.

Isaiah 53, verse 3, says: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces for him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." By whom was Jesus smitten and strict? By God himself. That's why we must regard sin with such hatred in our lives, as we live in this world today. God did not soften that blow just because he was on the cross, but he understood full well that the authority must come down. And simultane, sin has a penalty a tied to it. And he took on what belonged not to him, but to you and I. He took on the penalty of our sin, boring those things on that cross himself.

There is power in that cross, ladies and gentlemen. It was not the decree of Pilate. It was not the betrayal of Judas. It was not the malice of the priests of the brutality of Rome that drove Jesus to that cross. It was God who orchestrated all of these things together in his divine plan, so that you and I might have redemption, that you and I might be able to work our way back into a right standing relationship with him. That's why he did it. It's love. It's love. If you've ever wanted to know what love defined was, it's pictured in a cross, that our divine Savior and creator took our place on that cross. The power of the cross has not lost anything that it has ever had. It is still there, so that you and I have the ability to live a victorious, overcoming life in this world we live in.

Back to Isaiah 53, verse 5, says: "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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." If you subtract the cross from Christianity, you render it null and void. If you eliminate the crucifixion from the cross, you reduce Christianity to an ineffective religion, no better than any other pagan faith that is out there. Ultimately, the cross and the crucifixion were about the holiness of our God. It was the only way. It was the only pathway to God, that he could realize our position and our relationship, and cause there to be a restoration to take place. Thank God for the cross. Thank God we're going to celebrate an empty tomb next Sunday. But I'm thankful that there was a cross that my God died on, that gave me an opportunity to be restored back into a relationship.

Something happened on that cross that had repercussions from heaven all the way through hell. Colossians 2:13 says: "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all the trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of the ordinance that were against us, which were contrary to us, and he took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. Having spoiled" — having spoiled, having ruined, having derailed — "principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphanting over them all."

I like the way the Living Bible says it. It reads this way: "You were dead in sin, and your sinful desires were not yet cut away. Then he gave you a share in the very life of Christ, for he forgave all your sins. He blotted out the charges proven against you, the list of his commandments which you had not obeyed. He took the list of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to his cross. And the way God took away Satan's power to accuse you of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ'triumphant victory on the cross. Because your sins have been taken away, ladies and gentlemen, there is power in the cross."

I'm preaching about a cross that was there, that provided a way back from whatever you got yourself entangled with. Oh, anybody thankful for the cross of Calvary? Anybody thankful for the cross of Calvary? Oh, hallelujah. Thank you, God, for that victory.

What I want to do today is to show you the importance of that crucifixion. I'm gonna go ahead and start my message now. That was just a thought I had earlier. And like any good preacher, I'm gonna bring you three points, because that's, you know, divine, if it's got three points in a message. Three important truths for us here today. Truth number one, and showing you why the cross is important: life is busy. I don't run into anyone who says, "Man, I got all the time in the world. My schedule is completely clear." Now, everybody I talk to is busy, busy. I feel like for the church, busy is the new bad. Somehow the enemy has figured this out, that we learn to avoid the big gross sins, but he can be just as effective if he can make you busy. He can accomplish the exact same thing he's intended from the very beginning: to get you to fall out of a relationship with God by making you busy. Because even in the busy of church work, you can fall away from God. We live in a busy world. We live in a fast-paced

world. All of the things that we have into our life, the things that have come about just in my 46 years of living — I think about the convenience that has come into our world. From from the day we got our first microwave at home, I remember that. I remember us all standing around and watching microwave popcorn happen. What a miracle that was. We never seen that before. But all the things that come about in life to make us have more time — we have no more time than we ever had. A matter of fact, I'm convinced we have less time through these conveniences.

The power of the cross is evident from the very start, even in our busy life. The very first victory that we see there at Calvary — Pastor Wesley talked about on Wednesday night — when there was a fellow, or fellow sufferer, there on the street who asked for forgiveness and was granted. From the From the very moment that that cross was erected, it was already working out victory. The next victory was the centurion who was compelled to confess, "Surely this was the Son of God." What am I talking about? The power of the cross was already started. The death of Jesus Christ was the greatest achievement that was ever accomplished in this world. Its influence and results are far reaching to the uttermost parts of heaven, earth, and hell.

Let me show you through scripture just a few things that we have victory over because of that cross. Romans chapter 3, verse 20 — Paul writing to the church in Rome — says: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." He goes on later to talk about, "I wouldn't even know what bad was, had the law not told me what sin was." But Paul further goes on in Galatians chapter 2, verse 16, says: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith of Jesus Christ, even when we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Paul is explaining: the law could never save you. The law was never intended to save you. The law was meant to bring you back into an order where you could have an opportunity to live life correctly. There is no benefit, as it pertains to salvation, to the observance of the Mosaic law. The Mosaic law did not have salvation in it. But Jesus Christ crucified made salvation available to everyone. It was his plan from the beginning. He was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Our God didn't have to come up with a plan B just because Adam and Eve messed up. He already had a divine order set up, so that you and I would have a pathway back once we fell out of relationship.

We have victory, ladies and gentlemen, over sin. Hebrews 9:26: "For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Paul talking to to to the church of Corinth in First Corinthians 15:56: "This thing of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God" — thanks be to God, thanks be to God — "which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." You see, it was the cross that destroyed sin in principle and in practice. The cross showed the path to destroy sin in a practical aspect in the life that you and I live. The victory is there if we will avail ourselves of it. If we remind ourselves every day that the price has already been paid, then if I find myself entangled in sin, it is me who found me. I got into it myself. But even if I find myself chained down by addictions and cares of this world, victory has already been purchased. My way out has already been purchased. All I need to do is remind myself every day: I don't have to live there. I don't have to be that. That doesn't matter what I'm in. I know what I can be, because of Calvary.

Oh, do not allow the enemy to make you feel as if you have no choice in the matter. You can choose victory every morning. You can choose victory every morning. His mercies are new every day. Every day I get up and draw breath, I got a new mercy in my life, which means I have a new chance and a new opportunity to live a victorious life. I can't undo anything I did yesterday. I can't go back and correct any mistake was there. But I can choose in this moment that I'm going to live a victorious life, starting now, starting now. Oh, I wish somebody grabbed a hold of what I'm preaching today. I don't care what you did last night. Right now you're in the house of God, and I'm here to remind you: victory belongs to you. Oh, I wish somebody would agree with me. I was — somebody get just a little bit excited that I don't have to be bound by any of that stuff, because of Calvary, because of that cross, I have the power to live an overcoming life.

Not only that — not only do I have victory over sin, but I have victory over death. Old timers, you say, "Got the victory." You got the victory. See, we have nothing to fear. I'm gonna say that again. I'm gonna come over here. I hope you guys do better than they did. We have nothing to fear, for my end has already been decided. Hey, if you get anxious and don't like going, then just flip to the back. We win. We win. That's what Calvary means. That's why we celebrate next Sunday: there's an empty tomb, which means we win. Oh, I know I still got to make it down here, but I make it with a little victory in my pocket. Y'all said that — y'all getting carried away.

Victory over death. The writer of Hebrew says this way, Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14: "for as much 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." Who got destroyed? Who got — who, who — who lost? Do you see it right there? Why do you let him talk to you? Why do you let him convince you that you're defeated? Hey, this is the forever settled Word of God, forever. It's not going to change, and it declares he's defeated. So next time he comes stomping around your way, trying to convince you you're never going to make it, how about you just open up the Word and read back to him what has already been declared? "No, sir. No, Sarah. I'm victorious. It is you, devil, that are defeated. It is you. I don't have to listen to you. And if you're going to start talking, I'm going to start reading where you're going."

I wish somebody grabbed a hold of the power of the cross today. Quit listening to all them lies. Read the truth back to him: you're defeated. Paul said to Timothy in Second Timothy 1:10: "But is now manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Is our philosophy about death — what should it be? If we're to take the Word of God that there to it, to as it is spoke, there is nothing for you to be afraid of. Why then will you let fear you? What is the absolute worst thing that they can do in this world to punish you? The death penalty. He's already been taken care of. He defeated death. You, as a Christian, don't have anything to worry about. As Bishop used to say: "You threatened to kill me? You're threatening me with heaven." Okay. Oh, you didn't get it. Didn't get — Sister Nancy, we need to do that skit again. You need to come up here. Okay, I'm ready. I'm ready. What are you gonna — okay, I'm just gonna get there a little early. It's all right. I'll put a casserole in.

Speaking of which — sidebar note, let me get on my meddling post here just a minute. My wife showed me pictures of the ladies' breakfast yesterday. Oh my — Michael and I were

talking, we have declared that the ladies should prepare breakfast for the men's breakfast. Yeah, because I love him when he cooks, but it don't look like that. Man, that was nice. All right, game on. Let's go back.

When you go to a saints funeral, that's why it's always a celebration. Hey, do you understand I'm talking about a no-lose situation here? You don't lose. Oh, you may think you've lost a few things down here, just because something didn't work out quite the way you wanted it to work out, but your eternity has already been secured for you. It only requires the obedience and acceptance on your part. Why would you let him put you in a corner? You flip the script on him. You have the Word. You have the truth. You have the ability to say, "Devil, you're a liar." Do what Jesus said: "Get thee behind me." I don't have time to put up with that foolishness right now. I got too much living to do. Oh, I wish somebody would understand what I just said. I got too much living to do.

You know what else you have victory over? Yeah: victory over the devil's works. First John 3, verse 8: "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" — who? Oh man, there's another one right there. I'm telling you, you need to put him in his place. I'm giving you what you need. Remind him: defeated, defeated, defeated. O devil, oh devil, you're defeated. You don't even have to shout it. You can just simply breathe it out loud, because it does not negate the truth of the matter, that he's defeated.

What is the works of the devil? Deception — now, we would agree with that. I got one for you. Ready? You ready? Look at your neighbor, say, "Hang on, this might hurt." Accusations — and put your toes back out, I'm gonna get on again. Trials, temptations, irritations — the those are referred to as fiery darts, King James language. See, we have the victory over his works in our lives, if you'll accept it. Why, why are you messing with that stuff? Why are you getting entangled with it? You don't have to. Calvary — the cross — gave you the ability to live an overcoming life. Why are you going back and getting in that mess? You have the ability to live a victorious life. The devil is a liar. You're not defeated. The only way you're defeated is if you accept the defeat. I'm telling you, it's already been done. It's already been signed. It's already been been purchased. You can't even undo it if you wanted to.

You know what else you have victory over? Satan himself. Yeah. Wait — it got set up in the beginning. Genesis chapter 3, verse number 15: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel." But then if you go to the back of the book — we went from the front, let's go to the back — Revelation chapter 12, verse number 10: "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused him before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of the testimony." They overcame him. Him who? The devil. The devil, you lose. Devil, you lose. You lose, you lose, you lose. You can't beat me. Some of y'all need to drag your testimony out of the closet and start proclaiming it again, because the book says, by the blood in your testimony — don't underestimate the power of the blood of Jesus. And don't you dare underestimate your testimony. You don't have to be drug out of a a drug house or overcome alcoholism. He does all that stuff. But you can just simply say, "He's kept his hand on me my whole life." That's a powerful testimony. There's not a qualification. It says the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Whatever he's done for you, tell somebody. Tell somebody. Tell somebody. Every time you give the devil a black eye, he cannot deny what God has already done. The cross brought that into victory.

You know what else you have victory over? All your enemies. John 12:30: "Jesus answer, said, The voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now's the judgment of the world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out." Who's that? The devil. Well, it's a bad day for him today, in it. "And if I be lifted up" — now, I know sometimes preachers and people, praise leaders, will say that it doesn't have anything to do with us praising. He's talking about being lifted up on that cross. "If I be lifted up, I will draw him in unto me." Then he says, signifying what death — shall lift it up, lifted up. The power of the cross. The power of what he did. All men are drawn. All men are drawn, for either grace or judgment, that you can t you can't even be here that he didn't draw you. That's what the Word of God says: except the Spirit draw. It's not an accident as you hear. You may think it's an accident. It's not an accident. He knew you were going to be here, and he knew what was going to be preached. He knew where you're at, what you're going through, and he knew somebody today needed to learn to stand up and be bold, looking the enemy in the face, and tell him, "You're defeated. I'm not defeated." Oh, I may not look like I got it all together, but what I do have is victory on my side. What I do have is a cross that took the penalty of all the stupid mistakes I made in my life. And I'm choosing today that I'm going to live victorious from this moment forth, because of his death, burial, and resurrection. It qualifies him to do what he does. The shadow of the cross stretches from the beginning of creation to the end of time. With that much victory, surely there's enough victory for you today. I don't care what you do. I don't care how long the list is. I don't care all the accusations against you. I don't care how many other people that you owe something to. I'm here to tell you: there's enough victory in that cross to cover everything you think disqualifies you.

All right. That was point one. Point number two: the world is crucified to us. You need to know today that the only way we can survive in this world is if we consider it crucified us. I don't know how much worse you need it to be. I don't know how much more it needs to slide off the rails for you to be convinced we're in a bad way. In the book of Daniel chapter one, we find an example of some men who realized that this world was crucified to them: Daniel, Hananiah, Michelle, Azariah. You probably know them as Shadrach and Benny. They refused to eat the king's meat. They refused to bow down to the king's idol. Now, it was more than just proclaiming it, because the test came. Ladies and gentlemen, it's going to come. It's going to come. I'm telling you, it's going to come. Now, victory's coming, and we're seeing a wonderful opportunity in season in this church: lives being changed, people being baptized, we've been filled with his Spirit. I love it. I'm — tons of stuff that'll make me preach myself right out of this place. I love it. I love it. I love it. I look at your name and say, "Pastor loves it." I love it. But there's going to be some times coming, and it's gonna be more than just wearing a t-shirt that says you're a Christian, the more the bumper sticker you slap on your car. It's gonna come down: where are you gonna be? For the three of them, it came in chapter 3, verse 15: "Now if you be ready, that at what time you hear the sound of the corn and the flute, the heart, the sacrament of sultry, the dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made, well. But if you worship not" — say, uh oh — "you shall be cast that same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that

God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" But I love — somebody's got their mind made up, that I win no matter what, because this these boys said, "We win no matter what." look Look, verse 16: "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he would deliver us out of that hand, O king." Okay, that's one thing to say that, but it's another thing to have this attitude, verse number 18: "But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, no worse of the golden image which thou has set up." Because this world is crucified to me.

Um, some of y'all letting yourselves get so pushed around by this culture. It should be dead to you. It should be dead. You should — no, no. If it goes contrary to the Word of God, then no. No, no. I don't care what the latest fad is. No, I will not bow down. I will not serve, but if not — I need some "but if not" Christians. I need some "but if not" members at Center Point who want to say, "Hey, it don't matter how — God is able. Yes, God is. He has not lost a lick of his power, and victory has already been purchased. But if it doesn't happen today, I'm still not going to bow." They stood their ground, and what they found out was, in the middle of that fiery furnace, God was right there with them. And when they came out, they didn't even have a scent of anything that was burnt on them. I'm telling you, he has the ability, because victory has already been — there is power in the cross. With God, all things are possible to them that believe. Do you believe? Do you — look at your neighbor, say, "Do you believe?" Oh, you better be answering right.

Number three: we are crucified to the world. Second Corinthians 6:17: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." But the conversation is not over, because it still goes on into 17, verse number one: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." See, we crucify ourself by saying no to the flesh. We crucify ourselves by submitting our egos to the will of God. We, we crucify ourselves by imposing spiritual disciplines on ourselves. We crucify ourselves by continually having a repentant heart before him. We crucify ourselves not by blaming God when we're attacked, but understanding that in most all those cases, it has to do with me.

As I bring this to a close today — in fact, the musicians can come — God's desire was not just to remind you of the victory, but for someone to receive that victory today, here. It's Palm Sunday, but just because it's Palm Sunday doesn't mean we have to wait to Easter Sunday. Oh, we're going to celebrate an empty tomb, but I'm here today to tell you about a victory that happened on a cross. When he uttered those words, "It is finished," what he was saying was, the penalty has been paid in full, and you cannot take that away.

A human being has the ability — as sad as it is, this reality — but, but, but a human being can take their own life. There, there are multiple methods, and I don't have to go on all this. We, we're all adults, for the most part, in this room. We understand that that is a possibility, that human beings can do it in a variety of ways. But did you ever wonder why Jesus Christ used none of those methods to take his own life? He ever stopped to ponder this for a minute? Because we can't — it's a sad thing, and some of your lives have been affected by that — but a person can take their own life. Then why why was it that that the Savior of the world didn't choose any of those means? Instead, what he chose was to be crucified. He chose an act that had to be carried out by at least one other person. For how does one crucify themselves? I mean, as disturbing as the thought is, you could nail your feet, and you could get one hand, but you still have one free. So it at least takes one other person to make the crucifixion possible. You see, you'always be tempted to assign blame to someone else for the pain and suffering. And in one sense of the word, you'll always be correct: it takes someone else. So the real issue always comes back to the intent and purpose of the heart.

You see, crucifixion, ladies and gentlemen, had everything to do with submission. Crucifixion had everything to do with obedience. So what he did was, he showed you and I the ultimate sign of submission and obedience is here. He didn't do anything, or he doesn't ask us to do anything, that he has not already done. As we read in the Bible when it says, "If any man wants to come after me, let him take up his cross." If you're going to be victorious in this life, according to the Word of God, you will live a life of submission and obedience. And here's the deal — it's gonna be honest, kind of — you guys been around here, I love all y'all, but I'm a transparent guy. Sometimes I wonder why any — some of y'all are or even here, because if you don't like submission and obedience, you're gonna hate heaven. You're gonna hate heaven. See, when you're truly submitted and you're truly obedient, it's not something that is a burden you carry, but you understand the freedom it gives, is that I'm submitted to a God who has purchased me. And all the things that I thought were going to bring me joy and happiness simply enslaved me. And God, in his divine wisdom, understood this and says, "No, no, that's not — come over here. Take my yoke upon you, for my way is easy, my burden is light." And for some, we fight the flesh, and the flesh says, "No, don't do that." But I'm gonna tell you, your flesh isn't going — not to heaven. The Word of God says no flesh will glory in his presence. You will take on a heavenly body. Flesh isn't going. Look at your neighbor and say, "I don't know if you know this, but flesh is not going." So why would you listen to something that's not going?

I want to proclaim to you this as I end. But God's getting ready to move. I don't proclaim to you that the crucifixion is not about death. Crucifixion's about life. It's about life. My last verse for you, Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: in the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Somebody today somebody today needs to live in victory. Look, you ve been you've been so tangled by all this other stuff. I'm here to tell you: it s it's your choice to make. The price has already been paid. Everything has been fulfilled for you to be redeemed. I'm just simply asking: do you receive it today? Will you buy your heads with me? Holy God, in this most special of moments in this service today, as your Spirit is drawing men, God, I pray that fear and doubt be gone from this room, in Jesus' name. Lord, I pray right now for there to be transparency in our own eyes, so we can see where we are. God, I pray any, any, anything that is keeping us from living in full victory, you would make that be aware, so that we could work through it. God, I know your desires for us all to go. You paid the price for every man, every woman. You paid the penalty for those sins. And I pray, God, that we would have enough faith to trust in you, to live in victory, starting now. Now, in Jesus' name, this altar is open. If you need victory in your life, I invite you to come. If you want to check and make sure you're living in victory, I invite you to come. If you want to celebrate the victory you have, I invite you to come. It's prayer time. It's time for us to spend a few minutes with him, celebrating what he did at Calvary and the power of the cross.