www.thetfordcountry.com Richard Thetford
The Cross of Christ
1 Corinthians 2:1-2
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with Excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
There is no exaggeration when I say that the death of Jesus on the cross is the pivotal point in the
history of mankind.
The Bible shows us that the cross of Christ is the “heart” of the gospel.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Our relationship to the Christ of the cross determines our eternal destiny.
Without the cross, Jesus is not the Christ and the gospel is not good news
Luke 24:25-27
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning him.
We need to appreciate the importance of the cross in the scheme of redemption.
We need to see more clearly how central the cross is to our salvation!
The Necessity of the Cross
Our salvation could not have been made possible without the cross.
It was necessary; first of all, that it did for us what we could never have done for ourselves.
Romans 5:6
6 for when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Jesus drank the cup of His suffering
It was not possible for it to be any other way for our sins to be forgiven.
Matthew 26:39
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Matthew 26:42
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
Hebrews 5:7-9
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
The Death of the Cross
Christ defeated death by dying for us
By submitting to death and then being resurrected, Jesus conquered the power of death
Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
2 Timothy 1:10
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
Irony of the highest order
Jesus gave us glory by submitting to shame and gave us victory by submitting to defeat.
He gave us life by submitting to death!
With NO sins of His own, Jesus accepted the penalty of death for our sins
He substituted Himself for US.
2 Corinthians 5:21
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.
That is why the cross is the death of fear by the death of Christ
Hebrews 2:14-15
14 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;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
The Blood of the Cross
The blood that Jesus shed on the cross cleanses us from sin.
It is a principle as old as the earth
That: “life is in the blood.”
Leviticus 17:14
For blood is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof:
The requirement that “the wages of sin is death” means when sin has been committed,
Death must occur to satisfy the demands of justice,
A life must be taken to atone for sin.
To say that life must be taken is to say that blood must be shed to atone for sin.
The animal sacrifices of the O/T were pointing to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ
The shedding of His blood truly atoned for the sins of all mankind!
Hebrews 9:11-12
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 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.
The blood of Christ, and only His blood, cleanses the stain of sin from our soul
Revelation 1:5
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,
The song “Nothing but the Blood: Page 376
“What can wash away my sin?”
“Nothing but the blood of Jesus”.
The Love of the Cross
God’s love for us is shown by the gift of His Son.
The fact that God gave His Son for us because He loved us is the most obvious fact in the N/T.
John 3:14-17
14 and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, which he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
1 John 4:7-11 (KJV)
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (or atonement) for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Going to the cross obviously required love on Jesus’ part also.
John 10:17-18
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
When we think seriously about the cross,
Surely we must be moved by it, to give ourselves back to God in love.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
14 For the love of Christ constrained us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 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.
This verse is SO important
1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.
The cross will cause us not only to love the Lord, but also to love His people.
1 John 4:10-11
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
The cross will cause us to be faithfully obedient to the Lord.
Christ died for US that we might live for Him!
John 14:15 (KJV)
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The Preaching of the Cross
We should want to share the message of the cross with everyone!
The preaching of the gospel is the preaching of the cross.
Second time we looked at this scripture
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The preaching of the cross is a proclamation that Jesus is Lord and Christ
It announces the conditions of acceptance of the gospel of Christ.
Acts 2:36-39
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
It is the cross – and only the cross – by which Jesus “draws” men to Him.
John 12:32
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Our gratitude will cause us to preach the cross of Jesus!
Demon– possessed man
Mark 5:19
Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them the great things the Lord has done for you, and has had compassion on you.
Gratitude
The Cross of Christ – Our concluding remarks
Romans 6:3-4
3 Know ye not, that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The Cross of Christ - Invitation
We should live as Paul described:
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
The Cross of Christ XXX