Good morning, everybody. I'm going to move away from the book of Genesis today because I've been preaching on Genesis. I will continue when we come back after the break. But I thought it appropriate to deal with the cross this morning because as we look forward to Easter and we're going to work around the things of Easter, the cross is central and the resurrection. Somebody says without the resurrection Christianity is all a shell. And so as we focus on that period of our Christian calendar, maybe be fully aware that somebody said to me, why are Christians always so holy during Easter? But the rest of the year, they live different lives. And so, I want to focus on the cross this morning. I'm going to, just for structural purposes, I'm going to use one verse from 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18 as my primary text, but then refer to Colossians chapter 2. 13 to 15 and then also look at Galatians chapter 6 verse 14. So if you have your Bibles, those are the passages I will be going to and just looking at what the Lord is saying to us. And to give you a structure, I always think on alliteration whenever I preach and sometimes I think my alliteration could be in another direction but I want to speak this morning. The title of the message is The Power of the Cross and it's found in 1 Corinthians 1 verse 18 and the three areas of consideration is the offense of the cross, It's the offering of the cross and it's the obligation of the cross. So if you are going to preach the sermon or use something, I've taken thought from various quotes, various writers and so as we look at the power of the cross, in terms of the offense, the offering and the obligation. But let's pause for a word of prayer. Lord as we look at your word this morning, that you come and speak to our hearts and Lord God the Holy Spirit make clear to us your word and Lord that we leave this place practically in getting engaged with your word. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight. In Jesus Holy and Master's name we pray. Amen. Colossians I mean 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18 says The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved. And there's the ongoing imperative and verb there, it is the power of God. And I want to focus on that primary text, but use Galatians 6.14 and also Colossians 2.14, 2.13-15. 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. One writer has put it this way, that when we speak about the cross, we are exposed not only to the human elements, but we are exposed to the shame of its nakedness. For the Jews, and the three references that they make in terms of the people here, It's the Jews, it's the Romans and it's the Gentiles. To the Jews they were looking for something supernatural. Under Roman occupation they couldn't control neither their own economy and their own destination. So what did the Jews demand in 1 Corinthians 1-22? They were looking for miraculous signs. The Greeks on the other hand They were looking for proof of a different kind. They were the intellectuals of our day. And Acts chapter 17 verse 21 says, very important, they spend their time talking about nothing else but about the latest ideas. That was the Greeks. To the Gentiles, the cross is foolishness. It's a stumbling block to the Jews. and to the Greeks it is foolishness this morning. Where is the wisdom in dying in a God-forsaken death like the cross? And so as we ponder these opening remarks, I want to look this morning at something that is very pertinent this morning, is the offense of the cross. Oregon The Christian theologian makes this quote, he says, death of the cross to the Jews and to the Romans and to the Gentiles. The cross was foolishness. It was an abomination. It was something that was not in part of their thinking. And I want to look at these three groups of people first when we look at the offense of the cross. To the Romans it was an abomination. To them it was a brutal means of execution. There was no place for sentimentality to the Romans. It was the most gruesome imaginable Marcus Tullius Cicero makes this quote, he says, it is the most cruel and disgusting punishment. It was associated with torture, with bleeding, with nakedness and agony. It was designed, and this was the important part of his quote, he said, it was designed to kill not only after the victim, had endured maximum possible suffering, but it was designed to become extremely painful. The cross was meant for criminals. But I like what Edward Bruce wrote. He says, to die by crucifixion was to plumb into the lowest depths of disgrace. It was a punishment reserved for those who were deemed unfit to live. It was a punishment for those who were subhuman. So when we look at the Romans this morning, and we look at how they viewed the cross, to them it was an offence. Therefore, they refused, and we can read this in some of the history, they refused for any Roman citizen to be crucified. no matter what the crime. So to the Roman this was an offense, it was foolishness. Cicero claimed it is a crime to put a Roman citizen in chains. It is an enormity to flog one, sheer murder to slay one. What then shall I say of crucifixion? It is impossible to find a word for such an abomination. that the very mention of the cross be far removed not only from the Roman citizen's body, but from his mind, his eyes, his ears. Therefore Romans held the cross in complete derision. To the Romans this was foolishness, but to the Jews the cross was a curse. According to Hebrew law, Any man who was crucified was under a divine curse. The Torah says if a man is guilty of a capital offense, it is to put him to death and his body to be hung on a tree. He must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day because anyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. And we can find that in Deuteronomy chapter 21 verse 22 to 23. This is the reason why Jews, the curse of the cross explains why Jesus was crucified outside of Jerusalem. and not in the place or the sacred city of Jerusalem. This was an offense. It was a curse to the Jews and to the Gentiles. The cross is foolishness. This morning my brothers, Jesus himself scorned the cross. It says Jesus is the only one, sorry, who did not scorn the cross. He's the only person who did not find the cross offensive. It says in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2, Jesus who endured the cross, scorned in his shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. When we look at the offense of the cross to the Romans, to the Jews, and to the Gentiles, this was taboo. But to Christ, he endured the cross. He scorned his shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. This morning as we ponder our period and we go to our churches over the Easter weekend and we look at Christ and how he viewed the cross, we did not see it as an offense. But he scorned the shame and he was nailed to the cross and sits down at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for you and me. So this morning as we think of the offence, let us be mindful of the verse, the message of the cross is foolishness to them who are perishing. Romans, the Jews, the Gentiles who do not want to make a commitment to Christ. But the verse goes on further and it says, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. And I want to look at the second thing, not only is the cross an offense to these three groups of people, but the offering of the cross. It's a cancellation of our death. Colossians chapter 2 verse 13 to 15 says, And you who were dead in your trespasses and the circumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions by cancelling the record of death that stood against us with its legal demands. that he set aside, nailing it to the cross. And so when we look at Colossians chapter 2, I want to look at the offering this morning of the cross. There are three things that is very important regarding the offering of the cross. First of all, Jesus acknowledges When you look at Roman custom, they had to drive every nail through the wrists and heels and bones of the victim in Acts chapter 2 verse 23. But Jesus, after being raised from the dead, went to the disciples and showed them his nail scarred hands. John chapter 20 verse 25 to 22 to 27. The announcement by the Governing Himself prepared and fastened in Scripture on the cross. It says, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. John chapter 19 verse 19. That was a public demonstration, a public spectacle of God's doing on sending His Son to be our propitiation for our sins. And what does Colossians then teach us this morning when we look at the offering? First of all, It teaches us that there is a cancellation of the death. When he was written to, when he was nailed to the cross there was a written code. This was like a personal autograph and somebody has put it this way. It says in the world of finance it referred to a certificate of death signed by the debtor. But J.V. Lightfoot puts it this way. It was a note of obligation. It was an I.O.U. that the written code called Nail to the Cross was a cancellation of our debt. We deserved to die, but he took our place instead. The written code also is a record of the infinite death we owe to God because we have broken the law. Romans 3 verse 23 says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But not only was the death, it was a certificate of death or the written code, but it was a cancellation of death. When Christ was nailed to the cross, all our sins were forgiven. The word in the original text means to blot out, to wipe away. What we speak of the cancellation of death in Colossians 2 verse 13 to 14 is that we blotted out our sins and our transgressions and we have new life in Christ. We all know the story so well of Horatia Spafford, Horatia G. Spafford, after losing his four daughters at sea and then boarded another ship. And as he passed the place where his daughters were drowned, his wife survived. He penned the words that we so glibly sing and we know so well. It is well with my soul. But these are some of the words that I think we can take cognizance when we think our death has been not only cancelled, but He's paid the debt for us. My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross. And I bade no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. This morning, not only was the cross an offence to the Greeks and to the Jews and to the Gentiles, but this morning we can look at the offering of the cross that cancelled out debt and bade it in full. But not only was the death cancelled but verse 15 says he made a public spectacle of that. And verse 15 I think we need to read it again and it's so pertinent at this point. Verse 15 says, he disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumph over them. What does this actually say to us? When Christ made a public spectacle, the Puritan Matthew Henry puts it this way. The devil and all its powers of hell were conquered in this hour. by the dying Redeemer. This morning we sang Our Redeemer. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was an exhibition of God's victory over Satan. So when we look at the cross this morning and we look at the offerings, how death has been cancelled, nailed to the cross. But he made an open spectacle of the enemy. Somebody has put it this way, he says the cross is God's victory parade. Dying on the cross for you and for me is an example that we should, as Jewish people, look at what He has done and then live a life that is pleasing to Him. The offence to the Romans and to the Jews and to the Gentiles, the cross was too taboo. But to Christ, He disarmed the authorities by being nailed to the cross. When you look at the offering, now death has been cancelled. And he made a public spectacle of the enemy. But I think the crux of this verse lies in the latter part of this verse of 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18. It says, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us, you and me. who are being saved. It is the power of God. I want to focus on two things in that latter part of that verse. The first thing that I want to focus on is that to us who are being saved, the message of the cross is the message of salvation. And this morning as we ponder this thought We need to understand that it's the power of salvation. That we need to take this thought over the Easter weekend. I was engaged with an American over last week Friday. A missionary couple visited us at our home. We had supper together. And they were speaking about the whole idea of that the gospel has become so confined to Christians in the church. It's the power of salvation. And we need to take this message during the Easter period, not only to those who come to church, outside of the realms of church, and tell them that without Christ they have no life. And so we need to, our obligation this morning is to make sure that that cross, so it's a power of salvation. And there are examples in the New and Old Testament of people who've been miraculously saved. But the verse also says something that I think is very pertinent. It says, to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. I want to focus on not only the idea of salvation, but the idea of sanctification. And it simply means, for us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Holy living is something that we cannot negotiate. Holy living is something that God has bestowed upon us. Paul writes in Hebrews in Galatians 6 verse 14, he says, May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Galatians 6.14 In the Old Testament in Jeremiah 9 verse 23 it says boasting is prohibited. Boasting is never attractive in Philippians chapter 3 where Paul says all of these credentials that I have, everything that God has bestowed upon me, I count them as done for the sake of Jesus Christ. to Paul, he never boasted except in the cross of Christ. And our obligation this morning is not only because it is the power of salvation, but it's the power of sanctification. So that we boast in the cross by living a life that is pleasing and that God is well pleased with us. The power of love this morning His view in human terms of ignorance by the power of God's love is demonstrated by his precious gift. John chapter 3 verse 16. It's a costly gift, an obligation this morning as we live holy lives that we look at this love of Christ demonstrated in no uncertain terms. But it's also the power of wisdom. The wisdom of forgiveness, that by naming Him by God, dying on the cross for us, we are totally forgiven. This is where God's wisdom comes in. It is settled on the cross. It's a sacrificial death and it has unlimited power. So this morning as we ponder those few thoughts and we look at the power of the cross this morning to the Jews it's a stumbling block, to the Greeks it's an abomination, to the Gentiles it's foolishness, but to us it's the power of God unto salvation. May we then take this message to those that we meet during this Easter weekend and beyond and tell them there's a Saviour who's our Redeemer and He lives within us. Amen.