Now, let's open our Bibles tonight
to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. There was an old-timer who wrote years and years ago that preachers ought to preach
occasionally as if We believe that everyone
present was hearing the gospel for the first time. That preachers ought to preach
occasionally as if we believe that everyone present was hearing
the gospel for the first time. Roland Hill, the great English
preacher, said every message that we preach ought to contain
ruin by the fall, redemption by the blood, and regeneration
by the Holy Spirit. And then Richard Baxter once
said, I preach as one who may never preach again. By the same
token, we all hear as one who may never hear again. He said,
I preach as a dying man to dying men. So my subject tonight is
the preaching of the cross. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 1,
verse 17. The Apostle Paul said in verse
17 of I Corinthians 1, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to
preach the gospel. Now, Paul is not belittling baptism. We know better than that. And
he's not discouraging obedience to this blessed ordinance. When
our Lord sent his apostles out to preach, he told them to go
and make disciples baptized people. And he said, go ye into all the
world and preach the gospel he that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. And Paul himself was baptized.
And he did himself baptize several people. If you look back a few
verses, he said in verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 1, is Christ divided? He was writing to some people
who were divided over allegiance to certain pastors and preachers.
He said, Was Christ crucified? Was Paul crucified for you? Were
you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none
of you but Crispus and Gaius. He did baptize them. Lest anyone
should say I baptized in mine own name, I also baptized the
household of Stephanus. So he did baptize some people.
He himself was baptized, and he baptized several people. But
Paul did the preaching, and those with him baptized those who professed
faith in Christ. But what he's saying here when
he says, Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel,
what he's saying is this. My chief and principal business
is not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. My chief and principal
business is to preach the gospel. And really, Almighty God can
bestow upon a man no greater honor, no greater privilege,
no more important task than to allow him to preach the gospel.
I told you some time ago about a great missionary to India,
Judson, who had a son. His name was Felix. And Felix
was brought up on the mission field and was himself a preacher
and a missionary of a sort. But Felix was a very intelligent
young man and well-known and well-liked. And he was made an
ambassador of his country. His country, the Queen or King
of England made him an ambassador. And he resigned from the mission
work and became an ambassador. And I know a lot of parents would
be greatly thrilled by that, that their son, introduced their
son as an ambassador of the crown. But Mr. Judson made this statement. He said, my son Felix has shriveled. My son Felix has shriveled from
a missionary to an ambassador. He's come down. So most of us
understand that for God to bestow upon a man this calling and this
privilege of preaching the gospel. There is no higher calling. Noah
was a preacher of righteousness, the Scripture says. Solomon.
Solomon identified himself this way. He said, I, Solomon, the
preacher, was king over Israel. What did he put first? His privilege
of preaching the gospel. I, Solomon, the preacher, was
king over Israel. John the Baptist, the greatest
man, Christ said, born of woman. That's some credential, isn't
it? The master of saints, none greater,
born of woman than John the Baptist. He was a preacher. And then when
it says, our Lord began his ministry, it says he began to preach. So
Paul says, God, my principal business and my main concern
and my chief calling is to preach the gospel, not to baptize or
to organize and so forth, but preach the gospel. And really,
God can give a community or a city no greater gift than to send
them a preacher of the gospel. I've just been preaching. the
last few days in a town, a city, a large city, a large metropolitan
area of several hundred thousand people, Columbus, Georgia, and
Phoenix City, Alabama, where the believers have no place to
go to hear consistently the Word of God preached. No place to
go to consistently hear the gospel. Some who do hear the gospel drive
for two hours on Sunday to hear the gospel. Did you ever notice
these questions in Romans 10? Turn over here just a moment.
Romans chapter 10. There are four questions asked
in Romans chapter 10. In verse 14, it says, How then shall they
call on him in whom they've not believed? How shall they call?
Second question is, How shall they believe in him of whom they've
not heard? The third question is, How shall
they hear? without a preacher. And the fourth
question is, how shall they preach? There are four questions that
are vital. How shall they call? How shall
they believe? How shall they hear? How shall
they preach? Well, whosoever shall call on
the name of the Lord for a right reason out of a right motive
Out of a sincere heart, as I read a while ago, David said, Lord,
hear me, I'm poor and needy. But how are they going to call
on one in whom they've not believed? And how are they going to believe
in one of whom they've not heard? And how are they going to hear?
How are those people down there going to hear without a preacher? And it all comes back to this,
how are they going to preach except God sends them? And Paul
says here in our text, God sent me. He didn't send me to baptize.
He sent me to preach the gospel. He sent me to you to preach the
gospel. What a blessing. How shall they
preach except they be sent? By the preaching of the Word,
men are saved. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save people. to save them. It's by preaching that not only
men are saved, but by preaching that faith comes. Faith comes
by hearing the Word of God. Not only that, but by preaching,
men are born again. He hath begotten us again of
His own will. He hath begotten us by what? The Word? We're born of the Spirit
and the Word of God. How vital it is. By preaching,
we grow in grace. Desire the sincere milk of the
Word that you may grow. By preaching, men are comforted. Paul said, comfort one another
with these words. By preaching, we have assurance. These things are written that
you might believe on the name of the Son of God and believing
you might have life through His name. How vital, how vital it
is to preach the gospel, to hear the gospel, to be under consistently
the preaching of the gospel. God sent me, he said. God sent me to preach the gospel. Now watch this next word. Not with wisdom of words, Not
with wisdom of words. John Gill said this, here's the
danger of wisdom of words. What do we mean wisdom of words?
Well, the so-called eloquence and so-called persuasiveness
and intellect or wisdom of the preacher. It's not the preacher,
his gifts, his wisdom, his oratory, his ability, his eloquence. It's
the message that saves. It's the gospel that saves. John Gill says, wisdom of words
does three things, attempts to do three things. One, wisdom
of words attempts to take away the offense of the cross. That's
the reason they use them. wisdom of words, to take away
the offense, to take the edge off the gospel, to take the sharpness
out of it. Wisdom of words takes the offense
out of the gospel. Secondly, wisdom of words attempts
to turn the mind to other things than Christ. Turn the mind to
other things. Thirdly, wisdom of words, now
watch this, tries to make the gospel acceptable to the natural
mind. And that's not possible because
the natural mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. So we must be careful. Christ
sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel. And that not
with wisdom of words. or with cleverness and intellectualism
lest the cross of Christ should be made of non-effect. We must be careful not to allow
this gospel to be pushed aside either by the messenger or by
his methods or by his manners or by his theatrics or by his
intellectualism or by his wisdom But he must preach it plainly
and clearly, the gospel. Now look at the next verse. What would you say is the most
distinctive word in the New Testament that identifies Jesus Christ? The most distinctive word that
identifies Christ, His glorious redemptive work, His gospel,
His blood and righteousness, what is the most distinctive
word in the New Testament that defines Christ and His personal
work? You know what it is? Cross. Exactly that. Cross. That's what
He said in verse 17, Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach
the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross, the cross. Christ should be made of non
effect verse 18 for the preaching of the cross the preaching of
the cross That word that is the most distinctive word Concerning
our Lord Jesus his personal work. It says he bearing his cross
went forward God forbid that I should glory save in the cross.
I The preaching of the cross. He
talks about the offense of the cross. The offenses in the cross. He reconciled both unto God in
one body by the cross. He says false preachers are enemies
of the cross. He says he made peace by the
blood of his cross. And Paul said, that's my preaching,
that's my gospel, the preaching of the cross. Now then, there
is only one of two attitudes that a man can take toward the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, only one of two attitudes. It says here, and it gives them
both right here, for the preaching, the preaching, the preaching
of the cross, And when we talk about His cross, we're talking
about His person and work, His justification, sanctification,
redemptive work. We're not talking about that
piece of wood on which He died. We're not talking about those
symbols that adorn the church buildings. We're talking about
justification by the blood. That's why we're talking about
the cross. The preaching of the cross is to them that are perishing
foolishness. But unto us who are being saved,
it's the power of God. They're just one of two attitudes
that a man can take toward the cross of Christ. It is either
a pack of foolishness, utter, absolute, sheer nonsense, or
it's the very power and wisdom of God. That's right. It is impossible
to be neutral regarding the death of Jesus Christ as reported in
the Scriptures. It's impossible, impossible,
impossible to be neutral. The preaching of the cross, the
preaching of justification by the sacrifice of Christ, the
preaching of sanctification through the blood and righteousness of
Christ is either a pack of foolishness or it's the power and wisdom
of God, one of them. If he's not God, he's an imposter. If he's not God, if he's not
the God-man, he's a blasphemer. Jesus of Nazareth, if he is not
the substitute for sinners, he's a blasphemer who deserved what
he suffered. If he's not God Almighty in human
flesh who redeemed his people by the sacrifice of himself,
He is a blasphemer and his soul, his body is in the grave and
his soul is in hell. Is that too strong? That's something. If a free and full redemption
is not ours by the blood of Jesus Christ crucified, the Bible is
a lie. Because that's the message of
the Scripture. That's right. That's the message
of the Scripture. If a free and full redemption
is not ours by the blood of Christ, the Bible is a lie, the gospel
is a hoax, the greatest hoax that has ever been put on mankind. The disciples are deceivers and
eternal life is impossible. And Paul said, we are of all
men, most miserable. Isn't that right? That's how
vital it is. You can't... To those who are
perishing, this is all a pack of foolishness, sheer nonsense.
But to us who are being saved, I'll tell you what it is. Listen.
The cross is the wisdom and power of God. It's death to the flesh
and life to the spirit. The cross is our Lord's humiliation
and our exaltation. The cross of Christ is justice. and yet mercy, righteousness
and grace. The cross condemns my sin and
pardons my iniquity. The cross is the loss of all
things and yet it's the greatest gain. The cross is weakness and strength. It is foolishness to the world
and wisdom to the believer. The cross is His greatest sorrow
and His greatest joy. The cross is His greatest shame
and His greatest glory. The cross is despair and hope. The cross is our condemnation
and our salvation. Turn to Acts 17, 31 and listen
to this. Acts 17, 31, because... I'll tell you why. Because... Almighty God at the point of
the day in which He's going to judge this world in righteousness
by that man, by that man, that man on the cross, whom He hath
ordained. Well, He hath given assurance
unto all men. This is our assurance, in that
He hath raised Him from the dead. The cross, the preaching of the
cross is unto them that are perishing utter, absolute foolishness. But to us, the preaching of the
cross, to us who are being saved, it's the wisdom and the power
and the glory of Almighty God. I want you to turn to Matthew
27. Look at a scripture over here, Matthew 27. Very interesting
Scripture. Matthew 27. I'm going to read
starting with verse 33. Matthew 27, 33. And when they
were come, and these are Romans and Jews
and religious people and worldly people and political leaders
and folks there from all nations, at the Passover in Jerusalem,
when they, this is they, Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Jews, the
Gentiles, everybody, all this crew, this is the whole world
of mankind and women here. And when they were come to a
place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of the skull,
they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gold. And when he
had tasted thereof, he would not drink. Somebody says the
gall was something they put in the vinegar to deaden the pain,
to give him a sedative, some kind of pain killer. The vinegar mingled with gall,
and he tasted it, would not drink, would not take anything to dull
the suffering for his people. And they crucified him. and parted
his garments, casting lots. They crucified him, parted his
garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken to the prophet. They parted my garments among
them upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down,
and sitting down, they watched him there. Now get the picture. All these folks, the religious,
the world, Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Jews, the Gentiles, motley
crew, leaders, princes, people of influence, power, riches,
poverty, all the way. Here they are. On this festive
occasion, they got this man, Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet,
the Christ. And they'd beaten him, plucked
out his beard and spat upon him and crowned him with thorns and
led him out there to that hill called Golgotha, made him carry
his own cross as he stumbled beneath the weight of it. And
then they nailed his hands to that tree and lifted it up and
dropped it in the hole, put the dirt around it, and then they
all sat down and watched him as he hung there on that cross. watched him. I wonder what they saw. I wonder
what they saw. I wonder what they heard. I wonder
what was going through their minds as they sat there and watched
him. Things going through their minds.
I'll tell you what I see as I sit here in my mind tonight and go
back to that hour and to that crucifixion. I tell you, I see
four things. I see man, and I hear him speak. I see sons of Adam. It doesn't matter who they are,
whether they're high up or low down, whether they're rich or
poor, learned or ignorant, religious or otherwise. I see man in general. I hear him speak. By means of
that cross, Almighty God has brought out for everybody to
see What man really is. You see it, Calvary, what people
really are. I know the counsel of God was
at work here. I know that. I understand that.
I understand that very well. It says here in turn to Acts
2. I know what it says here. The
counsel of God is at work in Acts chapter 2. The wrath of
man will praise the Lord. He said, favor I've raised you
up to get glory and you show my power. And Acts 2, 23 says, Acts 2, 23 says, Him, Jesus Christ,
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. I see that working. But here's, listen to this, you
have taken. And by wicked hands, you crucify. You did it. You did it. And when I sit down and see Him
there on that cross, it was man that built that cross.
It was man that nailed Him to that cross. It was man that dropped
that cross in that hole. It was man who sat there and
looked at Him and said, you saved others, yourself you can't save.
Come down to the cross, we'll believe you who you said you
are. You called on God, let's see if God will have you now.
That's man doing that. I know it was all in the counsel
and purpose of God. But that cross on that Golgotha's
hill, that place of the skull, interprets man, reveals man's
heart, draws away the mask of his religion. He was there in
Jerusalem for religious peace. reading His laws and standards
and ceremonies and going through His customs, traditions, practices. And this cross draws away the
mask of pretended religion and piety and reveals a soul full
of hatred for God and hatred for holiness and hatred for truth. Ah, people say, we don't hate
God. And what means that cross on
that hill? You put it there. What means that man on that cross? He hath done nothing amiss? He
went about doing good? What means that cross if you
don't hate truth and holiness and righteousness in God? Well,
you got no right to judge us! I don't judge anybody. But that
cross does. That cross judges all of Adam's
race. They said, crucify him. Let him die the death of death.
There was no death like crucifixion. The Jews did not crucify people,
they stoned them. The Romans crucified the outcasts
and these Jews said, take him and turn him over to the Romans
and let him crucify him. There is no death too horrible
for him. In that cross which man nailed
together, upon which they crucified the Son of God, the true nature
of man is revealed. And man's feelings toward God,
toward his authority, will not have this man reign over it.
Toward God's character of holiness and toward God's eternal, precious,
special love, man has a total, complete hatred. So don't talk
about how good we are, or how moral we are, or how we love
God. That cross interprets man. I hear man speak. I hear him,
don't you? I hear all of us. I hear our
voices. Crucify Him. What shall I do with Jesus, which
is called the Christ? Crucify Him! That's what you
can do with Him. Sitting down, they watched him. That thief saw that, he said,
he's God. He's God. Nobody else saw it.
Well, the centurion did. When it was all over, he said,
surely this man was the Son of God. Tell you the second thing
I see in that cross, I see God. I see God. I hear Him speak. My friends, the character of
God. People all around the world,
religious folks, are talking about how well they know God.
My God does this, and my God does that, and my God wouldn't
do this, and my God, and the Lord said to me, you know, who
is God? Where can a man really find out
who God is? Well, the heavens declare the
glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day to
day, every language, the message goes forth of God's wisdom and
power and greatness, yes? The covenant He made with Abraham,
when he stood out there that night, God said, look at the
stars. Count them. Okay, count them. So shall thy
seed be, of every nation, tribe, kindred, and tongue. The law
from Sinai's mountain with its roaring and thunder and lightning
and flashing lights and smoke declares the holiness of God. The incarnation of Jesus Christ
declares the peace and goodwill of God. But where can a man,
where can a woman go and sit down and learn the grace and
mercy and pardoning love of God. Where? One place. The cross. And I sit there and I see that
man on the tree. And I know who that is. That's
the Son of God. God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son. Gave Him to what? To this. Man
of sorrows, acquainted with grief, we hear as it were our faces
from him, despised and rejected, yet he was wounded for our transgression. God loved. Oh, God loved. At the cross, at the cross, that's
where I first saw the light of God's glory and holiness in the
face of Christ the crucified one. That's where I saw the light. You know, we sing these hymns
I guess I saw that today for the first time at the cross,
at the cross where I first saw the light. God who commanded light to shine
out of darkness, let there be light to shine in these hearts
to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of who? Christ crucified. That's where
I saw the light. That's when I saw the gospel.
When that old preacher came up here, Forty-four years ago, and
said He died on purpose. He died at the appointed time,
the appointed day, for the appointed people, and redeemed them on
purpose. That's where I saw the light.
And the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there! It was there, where? Sitting
down, they watched Him there! There. Sitting down, they watched Him
there on that ignominious, hateful, wretched Roman cross. Him, I
saw Him there. And now I'm happy. Old Simeon
held the child Jesus and said, I've seen thy salvation. I did
too when I went to the cross. I saw the love of God. I saw
the holiness of God. He spared not His own Son. I
saw the justice of God. He said, I'm a just God and a
Savior. Christ was crucified that God
may be just and holy and justify you and me. That's where mercy
and truth met together. That's where righteousness and
peace kissed each other. Sitting down there, I saw the
wisdom of God. Who would have ever come up with
this As the old parishioners used to say, this scheme. How
can God be just and justify? How can He be clean that's born
of a woman? How can He be righteous with
God? How can He be just with God? I'll tell you how. If God
will be pleased to send us a Redeemer, His Son, and put Him through
all that God demands and the justice of God demands. I see
God. I see God. I see the grace of
God. To the chief of sinners, all
sitting down and watching Him there, I see what we are, what we are. And I see who God is at the cross. That's where I saw the light.
That's exactly where I saw God. I saw God just and justified. And then third, I'll tell you
what else I saw. Sitting down there, I see and
I hear the law speak. I hear the law. Now, men think
God's law is too strict, is too severe. And some folks even hint
that Christ came down here to modify the law. to make it possible
for us to be saved by keeping a watered-down version of the
law, a modified interpretation of the law. The cross says, no!
The law is unchanged. That's why He's there. I know Christ said, I didn't
come to destroy the law, I didn't come to modify the law, I didn't
come to water down the law, I came to fulfill it. And in His sacrifice, in His
obedience, in His death, the law is abolished as a covenant
of works. The law is fulfilled in every
jot and tittle. The law is destroyed as a yoke
of bondage or a curse. But the law remains unchanged
in the hands of our Redeemer, who honored it, who fulfilled
it, who satisfied it, who established it. Paul said, we don't make
void the law, we establish it. That's right. The cross says the law is holy,
just, and good. The cross announces the power
of the law, the strictness of the law, the vengeance of the
law, because it exacted on Him all that the law required. You
know what somebody said? He who honored the law the most
is the very one the law refused. to let go. He wrote it. Now listen to me. Don't ever in any faintest imagination
ever think that the coming of Jesus Christ into this world
modified to any extent God's holiness, God's law. Not a bit. For he who wrote the law, he
who made the law, he whose the law was, he who honored it and
satisfied it and established it, is the very one the law wouldn't
let go when it got hold of him in our place. And it compelled
him to suffer as no man ever suffered. His vision was barred as no man. See that man on the cross? He's
bearing not his sins, our sins. And the law and justice of God
will not turn him loose, will not let him go until he's satisfied
by his death. Every jot and tittle, until he
can say before a holy God, it's finished. And the law let him go. And he
bowed his head and died. Justice turned him loose. But
not until it wrung from him ever a drop of his blood and made
his soul an offering for sin. I see sitting down, I see earth
rotten to the core. I see God merciful, gracious,
loving and forgiving. I see the law unbending, unyielding. God will judge every man according
to his works. See, the fourth thing I see,
I see the gospel. I see the gospel. The gospel
is the gospel of the cross. The gospel is the gospel of precious
blood. The gospel is the gospel of sacrifice,
substitution, and satisfaction. Oh yeah, that's where you learn
the gospel of the cross. When Joseph heard the angel's
announcement, call his name Jesus, he'll save his people from their
sins. That's good news. When the shepherds heard the
angel say, don't be afraid, we bring you good tidings of great
joy, unto you is born in the city of David a Savior, Christ
the Lord, that was good news. When John the Baptist, talking
to two of his disciples, pointed to that man and said, Behold
the Lamb of God taketh away the sin of the world. That was good
news. When the Lord declared at Nazareth in the synagogue
on that Sabbath day, This day is the scripture fulfilled in
your ears. That was good news. But not until that morning. when they nailed
Him to that cross. Not until that day when that
cross was lifted up between heaven and earth. Not until that day
when His blood poured from His wounds and dropped upon the sand. Not until that day when He cried
with a victorious cry that echoed through the whole universe, It's finished. Not until that
day was the good news really complete. The covenant ratified,
guaranteed, sealed, delivered. The debt paid, the reconciliation
sealed, the ransom accepted, and God's people taken to glory. That's good news. It's finished. Oh, what pleasure
do these blessed words afford? It's finished. Heavenly blessings
flow to me through Christ my Lord. It's finished. All the
types of the ceremonial law, it's finished, all that God promised. Saints, from this your comfort
draw. It's finished. Yes, indeed. Finished. It's finished. All I need, tell me, is it not? Cast your weary spirit down at
the precious Savior's feet. Rest in Him, in Him alone. It's finished. And my brethren,
we are complete. I see, I see at the cross where
I first saw the The burden of my heart rolled away. It was
there by faith I received my sight, spiritual sight. And I saw man. I saw myself. I saw God. I saw the law. And
I saw redemption. It's finished.