THE POWER OF THE CROSS
OUTLINE
1. SINS
2. SICKNESS
3. SCOURGE
4. SORROWS
5. SATAN
6. SHAME
7. SCARCITY
THE MESSAGE
THE POWER OF THE CROSS
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1.SINS
We must have total faith and confidence in the power of the blood of Jesus to wash away all our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness . When we repent of our sins and confess them the Lord is faithful to forgive us. We can then come to the presence of God with boldness as we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. We need not feel unworthy to receive the blessings of God as we have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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ISAIAH 53:5
" But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. "
I JOHN 1:7-9
" But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
HEBREWS 10:19-23
" Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. "
COLOSSIANS 2:13-14
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
EPHESIANS 1:7
" In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace "
1 JOHN 3:21-22
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
2.SICKNESS
We must have total faith and confidence in the stripes that Jesus endured to heal our sicknessess.When we beleive with all our heart that Jesus carried our infirmities and diseases we would be able to offer the prayer of faith that would heal the sick.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MATTHEW 8:16-17
" When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."
JAMES 5:14-15
Is any one of you sick ? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
MATTHEW 4:23-24
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.
PSALM 103:3
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
3.SCOURGE
We must have total faith that Jesus took the scourge of curses of mankind upon himself and became a curse for us.Therefore we can be absolutely sure that it is the will of God that all who accept Christ in their hearts live under His blessings. We need not live under the bondage of curses and experience continuous failure and loss and frustration in our lives. We can come to the cross and receive complete deliverance from all curses and live in the full blessings of God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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GALATIANS 3:13-14
" Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."
ISAIAH 61:9
Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed."
4.SORROWS
We must have total faith that Jesus carried our sorrows and our griefs. When we are in sorrow we can come to the cross and receive comfort and healing for our broken hearts. Jesus invites all who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him and receive rest and peace. The Lord will turn our sorrows into joy.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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ISAIAH 53:4
" Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. "
Psalms 147 : 3
" He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. "
ISAIAH 61:3
and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
JOHN 16:20
Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
5.SATAN
We must have total faith and confidence in the victory of Christ over satan on the cross when we face the attacks of the enemy. We should not allow fear and anxiety to overwhelm us in times of battle. With the shield of faith we can extinguish all the arrows of the evil one. When we resist the devil with this confidence , he will flee from us.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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COLOSSIANS 2:15
" And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
REVELATION 12:11
" They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. "
EPHESIANS 6:16
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
JAMES 4:7
" Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. "
I PETER 5:8-9
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. "
6.SHAME
We must have total faith that Jesus will deliver us from shame and humiliation before others. Jesus suffered humiliation during the cross .He was mocked and ridiculed that he saved others but could not save himself. But God has highly exalted Christ above everyone else. Thus honour was bestowed after the humiliation at the cross. When we humble ourselves like Jesus and submit to the will of God , the Lord will exalt us and deliver us from shame and humiliation.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Philippians 2:5-11
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
ISAIAH 61:7
Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
7.SCARCITY
We must have total faith that Jesus will deliver us from scarcity and lack . The Lord who was willing to give His Son for us will surely give us everything else that we need. He will supply all our need according to His riches in glory. We can trust in Him at all times to meet the needs we face in life . He sacrificed His riches in order to bring blessings and prosperity in our lives. The Lord who takes care of the birds and the flowers will surely take care of us. We must seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness .We must allow the Lord to rule over our lives and He will meet every need in our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Romans 8:32
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
2 Corinthians 8:9
" For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. "
Matthew 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
PHILIPPIANS 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
PSALM 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
PSALM 34:8-10
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
CONCLUSION
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The Lord Jesus has taught us the importance of faith when we want to receive the blessings of God. He promised that we will receive the blessings of God according to our faith. Faith is being sure of what we hope for even before we see it. Our spiritual activities done without this living faith would only be dead works which would not bring any blessings in our life. We must allow our minds to be renewed with the truths of the Word of God in order to experience a transformation in our lives. Our thinking must be free of doubt and unbelief. Instead our thoughts must be filled with faith in the promises of God. We must discern the Lord’s body when we take part in the Holy Communion. We must understand the significance of the death of Christ on the cross and beleive in the blessings that He has provided for us through His sacrificial death. Then we can experience the power of God when we take part in the Holy Communion.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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HEBREWS 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
HEBREWS 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
JAMES 1:5-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
JAMES 2:19-20
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ?
1 JOHN 5:4
for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
MATTHEW 9:29
Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you";
ROMANS 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
MATTHEW 26:26-28
" While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. "
I CORINTHIANS 11:23-30
" For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. "
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