Title Except for the Cross
Contents
except for the cross
“But I have nothing to boast about except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Please pay attention to the word never. It's not a common thing to say. It emphasizes that there is nothing to boast about except the cross of Jesus Christ. What I am proud of is that there is only one cross. It also contains a strong will to boast only of the cross. From now on, we too should not boast of worldly things, but rather boast only of the cross of Jesus Christ.
Then, we want to receive grace about what the cross of Jesus Christ meant to the Apostle Paul, so that he could only live by the cross, and what the cross really meant for us.
1. The cross of Jesus Christ is a reminder of God's great love.
Let's read Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
2. The power of God is revealed through the cross of Jesus Christ.
The cross of Jesus Christ shows the power of God to wash away all human sins. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” The cross is the power of God. Just as the venom of a viper was healed when the Israelites looked up at the copper serpent hung high on a pole in the wilderness, so even a person who is afflicted with a vicious sin will look forward to the cross of Jesus Christ standing tall on Golgotha Hill with faith. Those who see can be cleansed from all the sickness of sin. You can become a new person. This is the power of God revealed through the cross of Jesus Christ.
What kind of person was the apostle Paul originally? He was a man who blasphemed and persecuted the Church of God. He was a man who tried to catch people who believed in Jesus. According to his own words, he was the chief among sinners. Paul was completely changed. became an apostle of Christ. I became a person who took up the cross and decided to die for the cross. How the heck could such a terrific thing be possible? Is it possible by personal discipline, by works of the law, by ethical teaching? It's not like that. It is impossible for a person to repent and repent and become a new person except for the power of God revealed on the cross.
3. The cross of Jesus Christ has a strong attraction.
The cross of Jesus has a pulling power. So, historically, millions of people have been moved to come to Jesus through the cross of Jesus Christ. In John 12:32, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to me.” Jesus said that he would bring many people to Jesus by carrying the cross. As he said, many people came to the Lord. Just as there is a strong attraction in the cross of Jesus Christ, the same attraction, or attraction, is created in all Christians who love Jesus, boast of the cross, and believe in Jesus while holding on to the cross.
If you have a strong magnet here, if you put a nail under it, the magnet will attract you. But if you put a nail under it again, it will stick too. Why? This is because the first nail is affected by the magnet, and the nail also has a pulling force. Likewise, true Christians also have a pulling power. We should have the power of attraction and the amazing power to lead others to the Lord. Do you have this kind of attraction? If you do not have such strength, you must reflect on whether you are properly united with Jesus Christ. When you evangelize with a heart that wants to evangelize others and a heart of pity, there will be amazing works of expanding the kingdom of God through you.
I hope that you will be able to evangelize one person by the end of June by making the decision to evangelize one soul. I hope that you will be proud of the cross of Jesus, love and spread the message of the cross with joy.