The centrality of the cross (The place of the overthrow of Satan)

Col 2:15 "He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."

The word disarm is a military word which means stripping off of the enemies’ armor after defeating him in battle. When a soldier is disarmed, it means his gun is taken away, the knife is taken, his protected jackets removed and so he no longer has powers. Through the cross, Jesus stripped Satan of his powers. What the world saw as the public humiliation of Jesus on the cross outside Jerusalem was actually the humiliation of Satan in the spiritual realm. Satan now has no power over those who determine to walk in the light (1 John 1:6-9, Rev 20:1-6).

Are you afraid of Death? Jesus disarmed Satan and his agents of the power of sin and death. Jesus freed those in slavery to the fear of death. Heb 2:14-15"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

Heb 10:9,20 :

“Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second.

vs 20: "by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,"

Jesus says He has come to do God’s will. To set away the old and bring a new way to go to God. The old ways was through sacrifices but the new way is through the body of Christ that was crucified. You can see why Jesus said break this temple and I will build it in 3 days. His body which is the temple, the new way to God. Verse 20 says the new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body.

·         The cross is the gateway to the heavenliest

·         Jesus is lifted up and he will draw sinners to the cross just as the bronze snake was lifted up for the sick.

Heb 9:27-28 “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Are you ready for His coming?

Shalom!

The centrality of the cross ( The place where the sinner is crucified)

Numbers 21:4-9. When the Israelite sinned against God and God sent venomous snakes amongst them, they asked Moses to pray that “The Lord would take away the snakes from among them”.

Why was there the venomous snakes amongst them? what was the cause of these snakes?

First thing we notice here is that they rebelled against God. They were impatient, they murmured against God and Moses.  Have you been murmuring against God and your pastor? Have you been impatient even in your troubles? Have you rebelled against God?

The snake came because of these sinful attitude. Walk in the will of God to find light!

Read Psalms 91 and you will know that God protects those who love Him.

·         Walk with God for your security. Assurance in the life of Job was based on his walk with God. The assurance of the Jews as they left Egypt was to walk with God.

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          What is wrong in the prayer request of the Jews to Moses? God wanted a permanent solution for their problem but they wanted a temporal solution. Will removing the snake from among them change their attitude? The snake came because they rebelled against God and murmured. They did not want to deal with this and repent but they wanted the snake away from them. The psalmist says a thousand will fall on your side, ten thousand will fall on your right hand but nothing will touch you. You will walk on snakes and scorpions but not hurt because God will send His angels to take care over you IF YOU LOVE HIM.

·         God wanted them to walk among snakes or troubles but be victorious, but they never understood. Are you in trouble? God may want you to walk through your troubles but be victorious. Yes, you are living in fornication, but you are praying that God should not bring beautiful ladies or handsome men around you. You missed the point. More beautiful ladies and handsome men will be born, many will be around you, what you need is for God to help you deal with that your sinful nature. That desire for women to whom you are not married. That desire for men to whom you are not married. You will continue to see more beautiful ladies and handsome men here in church and around town. Deal with your sin and crucify it at the cross.

Jesus Christ’s crucifixion is God’s power and wisdom (1 Cor 1:17). Do you want power? Go to the cross. You want wisdom from God? Go to the cross. Just as Moses raised the bronze snake for the people to look and be healed. Jesus Christ was crucified for us to look up to Him and be healed and live. This is the permanent solution which God has given us.

Col 2:13 says all our sins were forgiven even when we were sinners. Why are you praying for the same sin over and over? The Devil wants you to think you were not forgiven your sins. Are you sure? Are you realy sure? He wants you to doubt God’s word and what Jesus did at the cross.

Let’s read verse 14 of Colossians 2 "having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross". He cancelled the charges of our legal indebtedness. This debt that condemned us because the wages of sin is dead. And Jesus took it away and nailed it to the cross.

The Message Bible reads “the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross.” Our debts including charges where whipped away on the cross. He did not pay the debt without interest. He paid everything including interest whipping away what was written on the slate against us. The arrest warrant canceled. We are no longer going to die because of our sins because Jesus nailed it to the cross. Yes the debt was legal and the payment was complete and free for us.

Do you still think you can work and merit your salvation? Jesus paid it all and nailed it at the cross.  

·         Have you crucified the old man with him at the cross? (Romans 6:6, Gal 5:24)

·         Have you been crucified with Christ so that you no longer live but Christ living in you? Gal 2:20

·         Can you boast of the cross of Jesus Christ? Gal 6:14

The centrality of the Cross (the terminal point for sin and taking point of a new life)

       Colossian 2:11

Col 2:11 “In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ,..”  How did I find myself in Him? When was I circumcised in Him? How did this take place?

Circumcision is the cutting off of the male human foreskin. Medical science has shown that a child who is not circumcised is more susceptible to infections than the one circumcised. I remember in the village our mothers would talk of mbororo disease. In fact they meant venereal diseases which were rampant to mbororo people because their males are never circumcised. Medical science has proven that to be true. So physically, circumcision protects the child. The parallel in the spiritual realm is that we were circumcised in Christ and our protection is in Christ.

Isaiah 53:6 makes us know that our iniquity (singular) was laid on Christ. We became in union with Christ at the cross. That is where we find our union with Christ. We were all sinners and the wages of sin is death and nothing else. But God laid on Christ the iniquity of us all. Here the Bible is talking of iniquity not iniquities. Iniquities would mean sins, but iniquity (singular) here would mean the sinful nature. That producer of sin. God wanted to handle the problem from the root, destroying the base that it may be permanent. When Jesus Christ drank the cup at Gethsemane to take our sin to the cross, we were united in Him, he took everything to the cross. Col 2:11 makes us know that the sinful nature was put off when we were circumcised by Christ. It is not circumcision made by human hands.

How did He circumcise us? By immersion into Baptism. Verse 12 makes us know that it is in the burial through Baptism in Christ and the resurrection with Him through our faith in the working of God, who raised Jesus from the dead. Baptism in itself is an obedient response to the grace of God but salvation takes place in the spiritual realm where God washes away our sins in the cleansing blood of Jesus (Acts 22:16). There is no magic in the waters of baptism. No one merits salvation, but by God’s grace He pronounces one cleansed of sins bringing us into a covenant relationship with God.

Galatians 5:24 “ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” So in Christ we have crucified the sinful nature. So the flesh (that sinful nature) was taken away with its desires on the cross.

Do you understand what I mean?

·       That Hereditary curses were crucified at the cross?

·         Hereditary diseases were crucified at the cross (diabetes, cancer etc)

·         Inherited sin (idol worship, fornication etc) are crucified at the cross. Have you ever heard that people worship idols because they inherited from their parents? Have you ever heard that someone has the blood of fornication? That their family is a line of fornicators? Is it strange to hear me say they are inherited? No!

Only if you would come to the cross. The cross is the terminal point for the flesh (sinful nature). The cross is therefore a taking point of a new life in Christ Jesus. Why do you keep on casting and binding, losing ancestral chains when God tells you that he dealt with them long ago at the cross?  The Devil’s strategy is to keep you in doubt so that you do not apprehend the centrality of the cross and be freed.

1 Corinthians 15:45,49 makes us know that the first Adam became a living being and the last Adam , a life-giving spirit. We inherit life from Christ just as we inherited from Adam the sinful nature. Inherited sickness is gone and life inherited from Christ. Are you still afraid? Some Christians still say my sickness, my trouble , my my my... Christ dealt with it long ago. You have to believe and receive it. Remember, you must be in Christ.

Read: The centrality of the cross (the place where the sinner is crucified)

Shalom!

The cross: What is the cross?

When looking at this topic one needs to answer some questions that come to mind. What is the cross? What comes into your mind when you see the cross? Where is the cross used today? In cemetery, on coffins, in pharmacies, and in churches. What does it signify to you? When we talk on the centrality of the cross we mean the focal point. The cross is the focal point to Christian life.

Historically, as an instrument of death the cross was detested by the Jews. "Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree" (Gal 3:13; compare Dt 21:23), hence, it became a stumbling-block to them, for how could one accursed of God be their Messiah? This was regarded as the most horrible form of death. This punishment began by subjecting the sufferer to scourging. In the case of our Lord, however, his scourging was rather before the sentence was passed upon him, and was inflicted by Pilate for the purpose, probably, of exciting pity and procuring his escape from further punishment (Luke 23:22; John 19:1). The condemned one carried his own cross to the place of execution, which was outside the city, in some conspicuous place set apart for the purpose. Before the nailing to the cross took place, a medicated cup of vinegar mixed with gall and myrrh (the sopor) was given, for the purpose of deadening the pangs of the sufferer. Our Lord refused this cup, that his senses might be clear (Matt. 27:34). The spongeful of vinegar, sour wine, posca, the common drink of the Roman soldiers, which was put on a hyssop stalk and offered to our Lord in contemptuous pity (Matt. 27:48; Luke 23:36), he tasted to allay the agonies of his thirst (John 19:29). The accounts given of the crucifixion of our Lord are in entire agreement with the customs and practices of the Roman in such cases. He literally died of a broken heart, a ruptured heart, and hence the flowing of blood and water from the wound made by the soldier's spear (John 19:34).

If we want to grow in our love for God, which is the first and greatest commandment, then we must be growing to understand and appreciate the cross, which shows us His great love. If we want to grow in godliness, we must grow in understanding the significance of the cross, which confronts the most prevalent and insidious of all sins, namely, pride.

The cross is the place where all the wounds of sin are healed. If you suffer from emotional problems--guilt, anxiety, depression, anger, or whatever--there is healing in the cross of Christ. Keeping the cross of Christ central will protect you from the many winds of false doctrine blowing in our day. Satan hates the cross because it sealed his doom and he is relentless in his attacks to undermine and thwart the cross. Every cult or false teaching in some way diminishes the work of Christ on the cross and magnifies human ability.

1 Peter 2:24-25 makes us know that Through Christ’s death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin.