The power of Christian living is to live with your heart and soul fixed on the crosswork of Christ constantly. There's the victory ground for the Christian. Don't talk about principles. Don't talk about rules and regulations. Don't talk about some steps that you can take to get the victory in your life. Your victory comes from Jesus' victory at Calvary. And the life that you now live is by the faith of the Son of God. Now that the faith of the Son of God is the whole scope of the gospel. Welcome to Let the Bible Speak. This is Pastor Ian Golliher. Today we're going to the cross of Calvary and we're looking for the power of that cross. It is without question that the message of a crucified Savior The man, Jesus Christ, kneeled to a Roman gibbet upon the hill called Calvary, has been the most attracting power in all of the world. What happened there? who was that that died on that tree that has changed the world that has brought christianity to be the dominant religion of the world that turned the roman empire on its head and called many to faith in the Lord Jesus, made them willing disciples, even martyrs unto death. There is tremendous power and victory in the cross of the Lord Jesus. And Christians today need to rejoice in that. And if you're not a Christian, you need the Lord. you need to know the power that is in the cross of calvary and that is our message today as we go to the pulpit as we bring the message on the cross of calvary i hope that today this word i am crucified with christ nevertheless i live yet not i but christ liveth in me And the life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Now, I hope you notice that we're not preaching principles. We're not preaching seven steps to self-help. This is rather the death of the supernatural Savior who provides supernatural power for broken sinners, those that are under the guilt and condemnation of Adam, to be lifted out of the pit of sin into new life and one day heaven itself. This is the gospel that we take delight in preaching. So, pray that God will lead you into this power of the cross of Calvary and save your soul. Stay tuned as we let the Bible speak today on the cross, the power of God. Tonight we come to look at the power of the cross. What a scope of work. There was a definite power exerted that day at Calvary when our Lord Jesus offered up himself as a sacrifice to the Father. Through the week we have been looking at Jesus Satisfies, Jesus is All-Sufficient, Jesus is Sinless, and Jesus is Full of Sympathy. Tonight we must stand at the cross and look at the man who offered up himself as our substitute, as our sacrifice. The power exerted in those three hours of darkness from noon to mid-afternoon when it was recorded that men said from various parts of the known world, God must be suffering. And such was the transaction of redemption carried out between our Lord Jesus and his Father that the world was shut out in darkness, and men were quaking, wondering what was happening. No one could enter into that transaction, but the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. I want you to look at Hebrews 9 and verse 14, and I want you to see that the Trinity was fully involved in that transaction of redemption. Hebrews 9 and verse 14, how much more shall the blood of Christ, there's the second person of the Trinity. who through the eternal Spirit, there's this third person of the Trinity, offered himself without spot to God. There is the first person of the Trinity. Someone asked in my student years, it was Reverend James Beggs was asked by a bunch of young ministers that gathered around at a week of prayer, and they asked, can we have any hope that those who do not believe in the Trinity preach the gospel?" And his answer was clearly an absolute no. Our gospel is a Trinitarian gospel. It's planned by the Father, it is carried out by the Son, and it is applied to your heart and mine by the work of God the Holy Spirit. That day at Calvary was the crisis of the world. And what our Lord Jesus accomplished during those three hours from noon to 3 p.m. at Passover, 33 A.D., was the great turning point of all world history. The Lord himself proclaimed in the loudest of terms from the cross, It is finished. Just one word in the Greek, teleo. And so a work was done, finished, absolutely over, a work that would endure for time and for eternity. Now what was finished? Redemption, the transaction, of our Lord Jesus purchasing sinners by His own blood and sufferings, and paying the justice of God, taking the wrath of God, turning away God's offense, reconciling sinful men, women, and young people, and bringing us to be at one with God. But that death has had a far-reaching impact, like the ripples of a stone cast into still waters that ripple out from that very first splash. The cross of Christ was more like a tsunami that has hit the world and covered it in mighty power. Its impact was heavenward. I've spoken of that. Its impact was also hellward. because Satan was defeated at the cross. Colossians 2.15 says, having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them. So the impact was heavenward, it was hellward, it was also earthward. This world that came under the curse, this world that is groaning in pain, and all the misery and the anguish and even the volcanoes and all the disruptions of this world, plagues, pestilence, and the death that has come upon the whole creation. The earth is groaning until the day of redemption, when our Lord shall come and he will create a new heaven and a new earth. But that work was done. at Calvary. The work was also man-ward. Christ's death holds back God's wrath upon the sinful world. When you read the newspapers and learn of the wicked, diabolical lives of nations and peoples We wonder why does God not just wipe the earth clean? It is the work of atonement of our Lord Jesus that is daily holding back the dam of God's wrath. All men are already under God's wrath, and the dam may break, but it is the transaction of Christ and his purposes in the earth that is holding back that wrath. until the day when the Lord Jesus comes. But the impact is also in believers, Christians, those who bow the knee to the Lord Jesus, those who are brought to faith to consider the man of Calvary, and they put their trust in his blood, in his death. And this is our focus tonight. What is the power of the cross in the life of a believer? You tell me tonight, I'm a believer. I have trusted the Lord Jesus. I believe what he did on the cross was for me. Now we ask, what difference does it make? What is the impact, the power of the cross in the life of a believer? If you're taking notes tonight, I want to give you the outline at the outset. It might help. The cross is the starting line for our new birth, regeneration. Two, the cross is the baseline to live by faith. And three, the cross is the power line to die to the world. and to live out our repentance from the world. Now, I know you're saying, this is going to take all night. Three such major points. They are major, but isn't that good? Isn't it good that it makes the world of difference, that the power of the cross can change your life so mightily? The first one then, it is the starting line for our new birth and our regeneration. Tonight we're going to merge two texts. One is Galatians 6.14, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me. and I unto the world. The other verse is the one we read in Galatians 2 verse 20, which says, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. There's the starting line of regeneration. When you come to the cross, When you believe in the redeeming work of our Lord Jesus on that middle tree at Calvary, you are born again. You receive the life of Christ in you. Did you ever read John 3 in the perspective of God, the Lord's answer to Nicodemus, the man to whom the Lord said, you must be born again so frequently? And he had all kinds of questions. How can that be? And so on. What was the Lord's answer to Nicodemus about being born again? He said in 3 John 3.14, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. And then you have John 3.15 and 16, God so loved the world. The Lord Jesus really pointed him to his death, his cross work. And souls are born again. They receive the life of the Lord Jesus in them by faith in the crosswork of the Lord Jesus, so that we can say, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. and this happens when you are united to the Lord Jesus. This truth of the believer's union with the Lord Jesus is the very essence of our gospel. When Jesus died, I died, and if I by faith am united to the Lord Jesus in his death, I am also united to him in life and on that resurrection day. What a great hope we have. What a tremendous gospel we have. Some people want to skip the cross and go straight to the experience of the new birth. You probably know churches and ministries that want to be preaching all about experience, all about the feeling religion, but they don't point people firstly to the cross. If you've never come as a sinner to Calvary, you're not saved. You're not born again. You have none of the life of Christ in you. It's at the cross where we begin. when we come as a sinner to Jesus. And then the life of the Son of God flows into your life, and you begin to live as a Christian. Now this is very far-reaching. There is no true religion in your soul if you are not a believer in the cross work of Calvary. There are some people who've got very airy-fairy notions about, oh, I love Jesus, and they can make trite statements about their experience of Jesus, but it's not man's imagination of some Jesus. It's the man of Calvary. whom we have learned this week is God Supernatural, who offered up his sinless body and his sinless blood to purchase the gift of the Holy Spirit. to dwell in your heart, and the Holy Spirit doesn't come into a filthy house. Your body becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost, but he's going to cleanse the house, and he's going to make you clean by the power of his precious blood. Number two, we will know the power of the cross as the baseline to live by faith. Now we're going to Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, and the life that I now live, ah, that's really where the rubber meets the road for the child of God, for the one who has professed faith in the Lord Jesus. You say you're a Christian, the life that you now live, what's the difference? I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. The power of Christian living is to live with your heart and soul fixed on the crosswork of Christ constantly. There's the victory ground for the Christian. Don't talk about principles. Don't talk about rules and regulations. Don't talk about some steps that you can take to get the victory in your life. Your victory comes from Jesus' victory at Calvary. And the life that you now live is by the faith of the Son of God. Now that the faith of the Son of God is the whole scope of the gospel. It's the A to Z of what our Lord Jesus did from the cradle to the cross. The total sum of all that he is to his people as their Redeemer. And you're victorious. You're Christian living. Get the victory by focusing, believing, resting in the whole sum of what the Lord Jesus did at the cross. Now this manner of living, that's what we're talking about now, how to live as a Christian, how to live in victory, how to get victory over the world. These texts talk about being crucified by Christ to overcome the world. This is greatly displayed for us in the Old Testament way of worship by daily sacrifices, the morning and evening sacrifice. And for years and decades and centuries, the Old Testament people were in elementary school, and they were learning principles, truths, how to walk with God. The morning sacrifice and the evening sacrifice. To walk with God, you need a Redeemer, and you need to be resting and trusting in his work that is done and done for you. Now when we move to the New Testament, we see that the early church in Acts chapter 2, that they were continually worshiping, praising, and breaking bread. Now that breaking of bread is our communion feast, and Christians are to regularly remember the death of the Lord Jesus. Why do we do this over and over? It's how we live as a Christian. It's how we get strength, nourishment, and power to overcome the world. As you read on through the epistles, you'll see that every one of the apostles were totally committed to preaching Christ crucified. Constantly that is repeated. Paul's ministry, Peter's ministry, John's ministry. We could take time to see how, well, that's when I should take time. 1 Peter 1 verse 16. I'm just going to give you one major example, but you'll see this in many places in the New Testament. 1 Peter 1 verse 16. Here is the Lord's command to us, be ye holy for I am holy. That's Christian living. That's where you're at and I'm at tomorrow morning, Monday morning. We're going to be going into our different walks of life. And the Lord commands that we be a holy people like him. That's a high standard. That's a powerfully high standard for us, to be holy as the Lord is holy. How are we possibly to do it? And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work past the time of your sojourning here in fear, there's godly living, the fear of God. knowing that God notes and judges every word, every act, every deed. And then verse 18, for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation, received by the tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ." Now, as we mentioned at some point this week, in all Bible study, why did the Lord said this, what did it mean, and why here in this context? He just said, be holy for I am holy. And then he moved on to speak about the precious blood of Christ. There is our victory. The precious blood of Christ. I know in this pulpit the blood of Christ is preached. I know it's prayed over in the public meetings. But let me ask you, in your home, is there prayer on a daily basis pleading the victory of the blood of the Lord Jesus. Fathers and husbands, as you lead your family in prayer in the home, Is this the basis on which you cry to God for help and victory in your family? You have children going out to school, and dear knows the temptations that they're going to face, the horrible things they're going to hear and see. What is going to protect The people of God. The blood of Jesus. Precious blood. It's unique. There's nothing like this. But it's the secret to Christian life. There's a sweet and blessed story of a Christ who came from glory just to rescue me from sin and misery. He in loving kindness sought me and from sin and shame has brought me up. ♪ Alleluia, Jesus ransomed me ♪ ♪ Alleluia, what a Savior who can take a poor lost sinner ♪ Today we have been mentioning the power of the cross. It's real, my friend. I want you to know that from the depths of my heart. For 47 years, I have been preaching this gospel of the cross. Almost 50 years, I have been trusting in the Lord Jesus as my Lord and my Savior. And I assure you there is life-changing power in the cross of Calvary. I can remember learning at first of how Jesus loved me and died for me upon that cross. It had a profound impact upon me. But it was not until I called on the Lord to save me that the work was done. That's the hour that the miracle of salvation took place. When I called on the Lord Jesus, the Christ of Calvary, to save my soul and to give me the gift of eternal life. Then the miracle happened. Now, I believe the Lord was preparing my heart, enlightening me, and showing me the way. But it was not until that hour I called that I was really saved. And you too must call upon the name of the Lord. It's not enough just to know about Him, or even to take certain interest in the one who died on the cross at Calvary. You must come by faith, believing, trusting. Faith is the outstretched hand pleading for the gift of God. And when you take that gift, you are wonderfully saved. And then you will begin to know the power that changes lives, that will change you and make you a new creature. All things will pass away. Behold, all things will become. Thank you for joining with us. If I can be of any help make sure you be in touch and of course go to our website ltbs.ca. This broadcast comes to you today from the Free Presbyterian Church in Cloverdale located at 187 90 58th Avenue Surrey at the corner of 188th Street and 58th Avenue. On our website you can find gospel articles links to our sermons and our Gospel booklet called A New Beginning. There you can find a link to our Sunday services that are broadcast online. For all this information please go to our website at cloverdalefpc.ca. You're warmly invited to attend any of our Sunday services at 10.30am and 6pm to meet with us as we worship God and to hear the preaching of His precious Word. We also meet for Bible study and prayer at 7.30pm every Wednesday evening. Our Sunday School for Children and Adult Bible Class meet every Lord's Day from September to June at 9.30am. You can contact us using our office number which is 604 576 1091. Alternatively, you can email me at pastor.cloverdalefpc at gmail.com. Again, for all this information, please go to our website at cloverdalefpc.ca. Our burden is that you will hear and understand the gospel that will lead you to know the Lord Jesus Christ and his great salvation. This is Pastor Andrew Fitton. Thank you for listening today, and be sure to listen Monday to Friday at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. and on Sundays at 9.30 a.m. on this station for full or church service as we worship the Lord through the ministry of His Word.