Would you turn with me to John
chapter 19. Andy Davis will be speaking for
us tonight, so everybody remember him. John chapter 19. I have entitled this message, What I
See in the Cross of Christ. I am speaking this morning as
a witness. I am testifying to you what I
see. Not second-hand information,
but what I see, what I've seen, and what I know. In John chapter 19, beginning
in verse 16, delivered he him, Pilate delivered
the Lord Jesus, therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him
away. The reason that Pilate delivered
him to them was because he was delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. Because God spared not his
own son, but delivered him up for us all. Because he was delivered
for our offenses and raised again for our justification. That's
why Pilate delivered him. Remember, Pilate had no power
at all. Pilate was a pawn in God's hand
doing God's will. Look back in verse 10. Then saith
Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not
that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release
thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldst have no power at all against
me, except it were given thee from above. Therefore, he that
delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. Now, back in verse
16, Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him
away. He didn't have to be drug along. He wasn't forced. He went willingly. He said, no
man takes my life from me. I have power to lay it down.
I have power to take it up. This commandment have I received
of my father. He was led away because he permitted
himself to be led away, he went willingly, carrying his own cross,
the instrument of his death. And evidently, his body beaten
to a pulp as he was carrying his cross, he fell beneath the
load, and they had to put it upon Simon, the Cyranian outside
of Jerusalem. But they led him away to Calvary,
verse 17. And he, bearing his cross, went
forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called
in the Hebrew Golgotha. This was the place of execution
where the Roman prisoners were executed. Verse 18 says where
they crucified him. And two other with him on either
side, one and Jesus in the midst. Now, at this time. They ripped
the Lord's clothes off. And they gambled for his robe.
You remember that. He's buck naked. With nothing on him, but a crown
of thorns. and they throw him down on that
cross and they take nails and they drive those nails through
his hands and through his feet to fasten him to that cross and
then they lift that cross up into the air with him nailed
to it and drop it in the stand And there he hangs. Matthew's account says in Matthew
chapter 27, verse 36, that after crucifying him and casting lots
for his clothing, sitting down, they watched him there. They sit down and gaze up at
the cross. where the Lord was nailed to. Hold your finger in John 19 and
turn to Lamentations chapter 1. That's right after the book
of Jeremiah. Lamentations chapter 1. Verse 11. Lamentations, chapter 1, verse
11. And her people sigh. They seek
bread. They've given their pleasant
things for me to relieve the soul. See, O Lord, and consider,
for I am become vile. And that's exactly what took
place on the cross. These are the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ. How do you say that? Well, let's go on reading.
Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see
if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto
me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. Now, that's the Lord Jesus speaking
from the cross. And he asks this question, is
it nothing to you? All ye that pass by. Now, what is the cross of the
Lord Jesus Christ to you? You have an opinion. Everybody
in this room has an opinion. It may be it's nothing to you.
That's what the Lord said to these people. Is it nothing to
you, all ye that pass by? But you have an opinion. What do you see? Sitting down, they watched him
there. Well, I say this reverently,
I hope. I want to sit down there with
them. And I want to tell you what I see. And as I said, I'm
speaking as a witness. I'm speaking as someone who has
seen something. What do I see? Now, I'm going to tell you what
I see from three scriptures. Now, what I see is what the Word
of God actually teaches. It isn't just a man's opinion.
What I see, what I'm going to testify from, I'm going to give
three different scriptures for this testimony, this witnessing. Now, there are a lot of things
that I could say that I see that are very true. When I see the
Lord Jesus Christ, when I read of the Lord Jesus Christ hanging
on that tree and I, in spirit, sit down there with Him and watch
Him as He's hanging from the cross, I could say that I see
the true sinfulness of humanity in crucifying their maker. And I'd be telling the truth,
wouldn't I? I could say I see the purpose
of God coming to pass, because Christ is called in Revelation
13, the land slain from the foundation of the world. This has always
been God's purpose, and it's God's purpose coming to pass.
I could say, I see the scriptures being fulfilled. And indeed,
that's true. How many times do we read during
the account of the death of our Lord? These things happen that
the scriptures might be fulfilled. It's almost like. Everybody,
everything everybody did, they looked up what we're supposed
to do next. OK, here, we'll do it now. They didn't do it. They
did what they wanted to do. But everything that happened
happened that the scriptures might be fulfilled. I could. say that I see every
attribute of God magnified. You see, the cross of the Lord
Jesus Christ, that one hanging on the cross, that's God's purpose
to manifest himself and every attribute of God. If you want
to know who God really is, if you want to know what God's really
like, the only way you and I are going to know is with some understanding
of the cross. There's no knowledge of God,
and I mean saving knowledge, we actually know Him. There's
no knowledge of God apart from the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But in the cross, He makes Himself known. I see all of his attributes. I see his holiness, his hatred
of sin. I see his sovereignty, his purpose
coming to pass. I see his justice, how he will
not let sin go unpunished. When it's found on his son, he
punishes him. I see his power and authority
in being able to take my sin and make it a Christ's. and making
Christ's righteousness mine. I see that. I see his wisdom
in making a way to be just and yet justify the ungodly. We see
who God is in the cross. But I want to tell you what I
see from three different scriptures. Would you turn back to 1 Corinthians
chapter 1? Verse 17, For Christ sent me, not to baptize, but to preach
the gospel, not with wisdom lest the cross of Christ should be
made of none effect." Now Paul says, Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach, to declare the gospel. Now, I heard someone
recently use this passage of scripture to demonstrate how
baptism really wasn't important. Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel. Now, is Paul saying baptism is
not important? Not at all. Baptism is my confession
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That person who says baptism
is unimportant is no different than that person who says getting
married is not important. It's just a ceremony. You just
live together without the ceremony. Baptism is kind of like the marriage
ceremony. It doesn't cause you to love.
It doesn't bring you together, but it's your Confession of your
love and your commitment all the way to the end. That's what
baptism is. I'm confessing that when Jesus
Christ lived, I lived. When he died, I died. That's
my sin payment. When he was raised, I was raised.
I confess that this is my only hope. Baptism. What baptism represents? Not the act of baptism doesn't
save anybody, any more than dunking down water saves anybody. That's
safe. But it's what it represents. Whoso believeth and is baptized,
the same shall be saved. Baptism's important, but Paul
says, I didn't come to baptize folks. He didn't say that's unimportant.
He didn't say, I'm indifferent about results. You know, I want
people to believe, don't you? Wouldn't you love it if in the
Lord's providence he made it to where there's thousands of
people coming to Dodger Oak Grace Church that believe the gospel?
Not just a crowd as such, but I mean, wouldn't it be wonderful
if the Lord made it to where there's thousands of people that
really believe the gospel and rejoice in the gospel? I'm not
indifferent about results. I want to see folks believe.
But Paul says, Christ didn't send me about results. He sent
me to preach the gospel. to declare the gospel. And I
love the way he says, not with wisdom of words. Not with wisdom
of words. Now, what do you talk about wisdom
of words? Wisdom of words is what men do. They use different
words, different ways to package the gospel to make it more appealing.
That's wisdom of words. Let's present it in this light
and people will be more likely to believe. Let's kind of bring
it in the back doors. It's wisdom of words. By God's grace, I'm not going
to preach the gospel with wisdom of words. I'm going to declare
the gospel. That's what you want, isn't it?
You don't want wisdom of words from some idiot like me. You
want the truth. That's what you want, the truth.
The Bible is God's infallible word. Somebody says prove it
to me. I don't feel you need to. I know it is. I'm speaking
as a witness. I know it's the word of God.
God is, as the Bible declares Him to be, God is absolutely
sovereign in control of everything. Men are, as the Bible declares
Him to be, dead in sins without the ability to save themselves,
totally and completely depraved. I'm not going to try to light
wash that or try to say it in a way that maybe it will make
it more appealing. How do you say that to make it appealing? I don't know
how you do it. Men are dead in sin. That's it.
I'm not trying to make that appeal, but I want to tell the truth.
If God leaves me and you to ourselves, we'll go to hell. That's what
that means. If God leaves us to ourselves, we'll go to hell.
But thank God, God, before time began, elected a people to be
saved. That's what the Bible teaches.
He chose who would be saved before time began. Christ came as a
representative for those people and accomplished their salvation.
When He said it is finished, their salvation was finished.
God the Holy Spirit's grace is irresistible and invincible. I've heard people say, well,
I don't like that word irresistible. I do. I do. I think that's a
good word. His grace is irresistible. If
He wants you, He's going to have you. And every one of those people
that God elected, Christ died for, and God the Holy Spirit
invincibly calls will persevere all the way to the end. Now,
I'm not going to try to I'm not going to try to cover that. Why
would I cover that up? That's good news. That's glorious. Preach the gospel
not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be
made of none effect. We're not trying to package or
market the gospel. No life comes from a neutered
gospel. And that's what happens when
we preach the gospel with wisdom of words. It becomes of no effect. No life, no spiritual birth comes
from a neutered gospel. We preach the gospel in its naked
simplicity. Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the
cross of Christ should be made of none effect. Verse 18. For
the preaching. Now that word preaching there,
is the word that is quite often translated word. The word, the
doctrine, the preaching of the cross. The preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness. Well, I don't believe this. But
unto us which are saved, it The preaching of the cross, the doctrine
of the cross, what the cross actually says. It tells us the
truth concerning who we are. It tells us the truth concerning
who God is, and it tells us the truth regarding salvation, salvation
by what Christ did. The preaching of the cross is
to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved,
it is the what? Power. of God. Look down in verse 22 of the
same chapter. For we preach Christ crucified
unto the Jews, the religious fellows. It's a stumbling block.
They say, well, if you preach that free grace, I'll leave people
to sin. Unto the Greeks, it's foolish. Do you expect me to
believe that God became a man and was nailed to a cross? I
don't believe anything like that. But unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, both the religious and irreligious. Christ,
the power of God and the wisdom of God. Now, in seeing, I'm telling
you, like I said, oh, may God give me the grace to speak as
a witness. In preaching Christ, I see that
one hanging on a cross. I see the power of God. In seeing that one nailed to
a cross, seemingly so helpless, if there's ever a time you see
human weakness, it's right there, isn't it? I mean, what? He's
nailed to a cross. And you say, seeing that one
nailed to a cross, you see the very power of God? Yes, I do. What do I mean by that? Or what
does the Bible mean? What does the Bible mean by that?
The power of Christ, the power of God. Well, you think of the
power of God. That means omnipotence. Power
belongeth unto the Lord. The fact that you're breathing
right now is because of His power, you know that. But I'm talking
about omnipotence, the power which only God can do. Now, there's
three things that only the power of God can do. Really, only the
power of God can do anything. I realize that any power you
have is because He gave it to you. The power men have, God
gave it to them. But when I'm talking about the
power of God, there's only three things that only the omnipotence can
do. That's almighty power is what
that means. First, only God can create something
from nothing. Isn't that so? When God created, there was nothing.
He willed it to be, and it was. Like me. Like was. He creates
something from nothing. Only God can do that. The Lord
Jesus Christ did it when he walked upon the earth. Remember when
he brought bread into existence that was not there before? Only
God can do that. Secondly, only God has the power
to make something nothing. As I understand it, matter. That's what the universe is made
of. Matter never goes out of existence. It may change forms. You set a log on fire, it turns
to ash, the energy goes somewhere else. A bird dies 5,000 years
ago. It's matter still here with us.
It's organic matter. It doesn't leave. It's always
here. They say matter is eternal in the sense that you can't make
matter to not be anymore. Only God can take something and
make it not to be. And only God, thirdly, only God
can take something and make it to be what it actually was not. And our Lord demonstrated this
when He changed water into wine. That water, all it was was water.
And He made it into wine. It was made to be what it was
not before. Only God can do that. Now, that's
the power of God. Now, when I view, when I see
the cross, I see, as Paul said, the power of God. First of all, I see how He can
make something from nothing. And that nothing is me. There's
nothing in me I don't have the potential to be righteous. I
don't have the potential to be holy. I don't have the potential
to stand before God perfect in His sight. I can't. Nothing. I'm nothing. I cannot be perfect before God. I cannot be sinless before God.
I cannot be righteous before God. I don't have the potential
for any of this. I can't do it. Which I can say about everything. Nothing. Nothing in me. But on the cross, He made me
to be something. The scripture says in 1 Corinthians
1.30, He is made unto us. wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption I made in the cross. Now, he's talking about him making
something from nothing. Me standing before God and God saying, there's
a wise man. There's a righteous man. There's
a holy man. There's a redeemed, delivered
man. On the cross, he made me to be. He created something. He made
me something from nothing because it didn't have anything to do
with me. There was no cooperation involved. It wasn't anything
I did. He did it. He said it is finished. And I was made what I'm not. Only the power of God can do
that. You know, the power of God through the cross and understand
this about the cross. The cross isn't a means to an
end. The cross is the end. It is the end. His cross accomplished
this. Now I see the mighty power of
God creating something from nothing. Can you see that? Can you see
that in the cross? Now secondly, only the power
of God can take something and make it to not be. Only the power of God can do
that. He can take something and make it to not be anymore. He
can destroy matter as it were. My sin is most real. It's most real. The sin that
has passed in my mind since I've been in this place this morning
is most real. The sins that I've committed,
most of which I don't even know I've committed, are most real. There's no denying them. They're
here. And yet. The Bible tells me. In Colossians chapter one, verse
22. That everybody he died for stands
before him. Holy. And unblameable. And unapprovable in his sight. Now how can that be, my sins
being most real? How can it be that I stand before
God as holy and unblameable and unreprovable? Is that real? How can that be? Because He made
my sins to not be. That's what took place. He was
manifested to take away our sins. You know, in the Old Testament
illustration, the sins of God's people were
laid on that scapegoat, and it was driven into the... it was
led by a fit man into the wilderness, and you just saw it no more.
And you know what? It was gone. It didn't come back. It was gone. Now, that represents
my sin has been taken away. It's gone to this extent. It's
no more. It's no more. Only the power
of God could do that. And that's what I see in the
cross. My sin was put away to where it's no more. And thirdly,
I see the power of God in making something into something else.
That water was made wine. I made holy. Turn to Hebrews
chapter 10. Verse 10, By the witch will, by God's will,
we are sanctified, holy, through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. And now I am, and every believer
is, a holy brethren. partakers of the heavenly calling. That's what he did on the cross.
He made me to be what I was not. Now, so what do I see in the
cross of the Lord Jesus Christ? First, I see the power of God. You see that? The power of God
in that one hanging on the cross. Now look in chapter two, first
Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 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. For I determined Not to know
anything among you. Save Jesus Christ. And him crucified. Now in that in that one seeing
that one hanging on a cross. You embrace my heart to see preaching
the cross and I know there People, it's nothing to you. It's nothing
to you. When I think of what it is to
God, and it's the way I am by nature, but it's something to
God and it's something to every believer. You can write that
down. Now, in seeing this one hanging
on a cross, I see the only message to preach. Paul said, I determine not to
know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Any message that does not have
the cross as its sum and substance, the cross as the whole counsel
of God, is a mistake in its conception and a crime in its delivery. Do you believe that? This is
the only message to bring. And any message, I don't care
what the subject is, what scripture you're coming from, any message
that does not have the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ as its
sum and its substance is a mistake, is error in its conception and
a crime in its delivery. Look in verse three, the first
Corinthians two. Here's why I determined not to
know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Paul said, I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much
trembling. And my speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom. I wasn't trying
to package the gospel and try to bring it in the back door
and trying to make it look better by these enticing words, but
in demonstration of the spirit and of power that your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Now, in. The cross. Of the Lord Jesus Christ, I see
the only message to preach, it's all that's needed. I love what
Charles Spurgeon said, one of the best things I've ever heard
him say. He said, if we confine ourself. To preaching nothing
but the cross. And never saying anything else
about anything else. It would be a widening rather
than a narrowing of our ministry. I say amen to that. If you ever
see the glory of the cross, you'll understand it. Now, if you don't
see the glory of the cross, that won't make any sense to you.
But if you ever see the glory of the cross, that's all you
want to hear. And here's the third thing I
see. Would you turn to Galatians chapter six? Paul says in verse 14, But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And look back
up in verse 12. This is a description of those
who do not preach the cross in its naked simplicity. They add
things to it. They take things away from it.
They strip the guts out of it. Verse 12 says as many as desire
to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised
only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of
Christ. For neither they themselves who
are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised
that they may glory in your flesh. Now, these fellows, they claim
to be gospel preachers, but they say you need to be circumcised.
They say the cross is not enough. You need something else to make
you a little bit more saved. Maybe the cross will save you,
but you'll be more saved if you do this. You'll be more pleasing
to God. You'll be more acceptable to God. They're adding something
to the cross. Now, He says the reason they
do this is because they don't want to suffer persecution for
the cross of Christ. Look back in Galatians chapter
five, verse 10. Or verse 11, I'm sorry. And I, brethren,
if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution?
You see, if you add one thing to the cross, you won't suffer
persecution. People will be pleased with what
you got to say. But he says, then is the offense of the cross
ceased. Now, remember this. If I preach
in such a way as the natural man is not offended, I've not
preached the gospel of Christ. You see, the gospel is offensive
to the natural man. It offends men's pride. It says
you don't have anything to be proud about. It offends men's
sense of righteousness. It says you don't have any. It
offends men's sense of personal rights. It says you don't have
any. You sinned. It offends men's wisdom. It says you can't understand
this or know this, but by the revelation of God, the gospel
is a message that's offensive to the natural man. It always
has been. It is now. It always will be. That's the
offense of the cross. Now, he says these fellows, they
constrain you to be circumcised to keep from suffering persecution
for the cross of Christ. He says the things they tell
you to do, they don't do. They themselves who are circumcised,
for neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law,
but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
Look how I've influenced this person for good. See what I've
done. Verse 14, Paul says, but God forbid that I should glory.
And that word glory is have confidence in, rejoice in, find comfort
in, find consolation in. God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. God forbid that
I should glory and hope and have confidence in anything. I don't
have confidence in my preaching. I don't have confidence in my
faith. I don't have confidence in anything that has anything
to do with me. I really don't. I don't trust myself. You know,
he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool, the scripture says.
I don't trust in myself. By God's grace, I don't. Here's
the one thing I have confidence in. Here's the only thing I have
confidence in. When He said, it is finished. All that God requires of me,
I have. Nothing else is needed. It's
finished. It's finished. Believe his words,
because he said it is finished near, so near to God, nearer
I cannot be. Dear, so dear to God, dearer
I cannot be. In the person of his dear son,
I'm as near and I'm as dear to God as he. It is finished. Let's go on reading, verse 14.
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me. Did you
catch that? He's talking about the cross of Christ, and he does
not say by which the world is crucified to me, but by whom
the world is crucified unto me. You see, you can't separate the
cross of Christ and the person of Christ. When you preach the
person of Christ, you preach the cross of Christ. And when
you preach the cross of Christ, you preach the person of Christ.
By whom? Now, by whom, Paul says, I only
glory the cross by whom the world is crucified unto me. And I'll
tell you what, I see such glory in the cross
of the Lord Jesus Christ, that this world is nothing more than
a crucified thing. Everything that men are grasping
for, I see is of no more value than a crucified thing. And the
world sees me in the same light. I'm crucified to the world. The
world's not going to have much to do with somebody who glories
in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what I see. I'm bearing testimony to this. In the cross of Christ, I see
the power of God. You see the power of God in the
cross? In the cross of Christ, I see the only message to preach.
And I see the only thing, the only one I can glory in. Now let me close with going back
to John 19. What do you see? When you see that one hanging
on the tree, sitting down, they watched Him there. What do you
see as you sit down with Him? Sitting down, they watched Him
there. Verse 18, where they crucified Him and two other with Him on
either side, one and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a
title and put it on the cross. And the writing was, Jesus, of
Nazareth, the king of the Jews. This title then read, many of
the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was not of
the city. It was written in Hebrew and
Greek and Latin, the language of the religious, the language
of the intellectual and the language of the common man. And all three
were given the same message, the King of the Jews. Then said the chief priest of
the Jews to Pilate, write not the King of the Jews, but that
he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, what I've written
stays written. What I've written, I've written.
You know what I see? When I see the cross of the Lord
Jesus Christ, I see the King of kings. I don't see a helpless victim
feeling sorry for him. I see the King of kings. He lived as a king. He died as
a king. Death couldn't even come until
he gave it permission. And that one, I'm like that thief. That thief saw him. Right beside
him, he saw everything that took place. He saw him in his seeming
weakness and helplessness. And he said, Lord. Somebody once
said that's the greatest instance of faith in all the Word of God. He looked at him and he said,
Lord, you're a king. You're going to come back in
your kingdom. You're not going to be unsuccessful. Whatever
you do must take place. Lord, remember me when you come
into your kingdom. I see the king. Let's pray.