April 9,
2017 Palm Sunday: The Impact of the Cross
Series Theme Verse: Galatians 6:14 (NKJV) But
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ...
CONNECT: In the
Old Testament, the children of Israel would come every day, every week, every
month, and every year and offer different types of sacrifices. The only problem was that these sacrifices
would not take away their sin, only cover it.
In fact, they only reminded the people that they were always sinful,
they were not pure!
Hebrews 10:2–3 (NKJV)For
then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have
had no more consciousness of sins. 3But in those sacrifices there is
a reminder of sins every year.
TENSION: One of
the greatest barriers and hindrances in our lives is the consciousness of sins. The devil is 'real good' at reminding us of
all the times we have blown it! This
affects our prayer life, our boldness in witnessing, our authority and power
when dealing with evil spirits and evil people, our relationships. It gives us feelings of guilt and
unworthiness. It causes us to feel
inferior and either sink into depression or excessive coping mechanisms.
SOLUTION:
God has provided a way to deal with all of this: The
Cross!
Today, I do not have some new thing to tell you. I just want to share with you some old
truth. I want us to remember that Jesus
said:
John 8:32 (NKJV) And you shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free.”
MAIN
POINT: The Cross impacts five vital areas of our lives.
1. The
Cross wipes out sins.
Colossians 2:13–14 (NKJV) And
you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has
made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14having
wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was
contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way,
having nailed it to the cross.
1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for
righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
Those sins are not standing in your way any longer! When the devil comes to accuse you, just
remind him of that fact!
2. The
Cross wipes out sin.
John 1:29 (NKJV) The next day John
saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Romans 6:5–7 (NKJV) For if we have been
united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the
likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin
might be done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been
freed from sin.
Now, you may say that your body is very much alive! The truth is that the power of your old man, everything
you were in Adam, has no hold on you! No
chain forged in hell can bind you! The
devil cannot make you do anything!
3. The
Cross wipes away curses.
Galatians 3:13–14 (NKJV) Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for
it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14that the
blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might
receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Revelation 22:3 (NKJV) And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be
in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
People and demonic forces are constantly trying to curse you with the
words of their mouths, their attitudes, their expression of hate. But no curse
can come against you!
Proverbs 26:2 (NKJV) Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without
cause shall not alight.
4. The
Cross wipes out separation.
a.
Separation from God: Colossians
1:19–22 (NKJV) For it pleased the
Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21And you, who once were alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22in
the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and
above reproach in His sight—
Atonement, At-one-ment...
b. Separation from each other: Ephesians
2:16 (NKJV) and that He might
reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby
putting to death the enmity.
The Cross removes all racism. The ground is level at the Cross! Everyone is equal at the Cross!
5. The
Cross crushes our enemies.
Colossians 2:15 (NKJV) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing
over them in it (the Cross)!
(MSG) He
stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets!
Protoevangelion
- First Gospel
Genesis 3:15 (NKJV) “And I will put enmity (declare war) between you and the woman, and between
your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise
His heel.”
(NIV) Crush your head…
Satan’s head has
already been crushed! He is just
writhing in his death throes!
CONCLUSION
Three enemies:
world, flesh, devil. The Cross has dealt
with all three!
Galatians
6:14 (NKJV) But
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom (which) the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Romans
6:6–7 (NKJV) knowing
this, that our
old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done
away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For
he who has died has been freed from sin.
Genesis
3:15 (NIV) And I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
He will crush
your head, and you will strike His
heel.”
