THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS

We need to come to a point where every time we preach the word of God, whether for 5 minutes or 5 hours, we will not finish talking until we have brought men to the point of Calvary. If we give faulty gospel to men, we will raise faulty combats. And because they have faulty foundation, 20 years in church will not make them any different.  Intellectualism only obscures the cross to the detriment of the hearers. The preaching of the cross is the point at which authentic power
is released in to the life of people; whereas, the devil tries to paint the cross as if it is a problem. Like if someone has a difficult marriage, he wants to settle with his wife and it is proving unsolvable; when we want to counsel the person sometimes we say “that is the cross you have to carry or your wife is your cross”. That is a wrong impression of the cross. The cross is not a problematic marriage. The cross, even though there was a lot of suffering with Jesus, it is not the suffering that is the essence of the cross. Sometimes, when we want to preach about the cross, we would say you have to suffer trials and tribulation and that is an error. The cross is an instrument of Glory. The cross is wisdom of God, a secret wisdom. When you come to talk about the cross, you will see men of old see the cross as an instrument of glory. The gospel will not be completely preached if the cross does not take a center stage in our presentation

For several preachers, they think that preaching the cross is old fashioned. They feel that it will bring people into bondage and extreme poverty. But the truth is, the cross was the place where the tyranny over mankind was destroyed. The cross was where the spirit of poverty was finished. It was the place where all the accusation the devil has accumulated was discarded.

It is the center of God's divine program. Everything in Genesis was looking forward to the cross. The cross is the reference point, where every co-ordinate emanates from. Anything that does not originate from the cross is not a genuine experience, not authentic. Any experience any man has and he could not trace it to the cross, is out of symmetry, it cannot fit into the divine plan. The laws of Moses, all covenant, all terminated at the cross. Satan lost his power to accuse punish and subdue. That is why he is not at ease for us to preach the cross, because that was where he lost it all. When people come with one suggestion to you because you have problems, they will say you need special prayers but they forget the cross. If there is one thing that the devil regretted is crucifying the Lord of lords.

The wisdom we speak is a mystery which God ordained before the world unto our glory. The cross was not an afterthought or a mistake. It was a divine plan. And because it was in God’s plan, there are so many pictures of it in the Old Testament. We cannot bring men to experience the glory, if they will not experience the cross. You can counsel a man from a sinful habit for 10 years and it will bring an endless sacrifice; but bring that man to the cross, and let him see something finished, you will find a man who is free.

How men can be born of the spirit cannot be answered unless you turn men to the cross. The exchange of old nature for a new life only became possible at the cross. A convert ought not to stay in your church for two weeks before he can understand the transaction that took place at the cross because it is central to his new life. If he is going to draw the graph of his life, it must be drawn from that origin. Some people believe that to be a Christian, they have to fast twice a week. The truth of the matter is that; prayer, fasting and even fellowship are not the basis for our deliverance. Nobody is saved by coming to fellowship. Nobody is saved because he is praying; nobody is saved because of excessive fasting. Some people also feel that holiness has to do with the way you laugh. If you laugh with your mouth too broad, you will lose your sanctification immediately. They believe that excitement is emotional and when you move to that ream of emotion, you will lose your sanctification. You can be serious, prayerful, and looking spiritual but you are not free. But when you see the cross, you are free!