The Offensive Demands of the Cross
By
Pastor M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
Matthew 16:24: 25 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it”.
Galatians 5:11 “And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offense of the cross ceased”
OPENING:- My assignment today is not to try to impress you with beautiful words or a ear catching title. It is not to make you feel all bubbly and tingly inside. It is not to build you help in some sense of self awareness that causes you think differently making it possible for you to have prosperity and success through the power of self awareness and positive thinking. However, my mission is to impart unto you the powerful, life-changing, convicting, unadulterated Word of God that will impact your life in such a way that it causes you to embrace God.
Many messages today don’t seem to bite, cut, pierce, divide, wound, slash and destroy, the carnal man that it once used to do. It doesn’t tear away the false foundations and strip away false hopes. There doesn’t seem to be a wounding of the consciences, a melting of the hardened hearted and a piercing of stubbornness in the sinner man that ultimately cause a person to cry out in godly sorrow and utter repentance, “What must I do to be saved”
Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.
Why is it that it’s not doing what is used to do, it’s not because the Word is changed, because we know that the Word is God – John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” the 14th verse says “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” – That’s Jesus and Hebrews 13 :8 says “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” Malachi 3:6 “For I [am] the LORD, I change not”. So we know that Jesus who is the Word manifested in flesh cannot change. So why then is it not doing what it once did.
There is a spirit sweeping through many churches today. This spirit that is operating in many of the churches is making the Cross of Christ made of none effect – 1 Corinthians 1:17. There are those that are taking away the preaching of the cross and replacing it with messages of prosperity, morality, ethics, positive thinking, self awareness, etc. And although those are good concepts if the Cross of Christ is not preached then what is the purpose of the Gospel at all. Too little is the threat of God’s Holy Law mentioned and the judgment to come expounded upon. God’s hatred of sin is over-looked and His sacrifice on the cross is pushed in the background. The necessity of being born again, baptized in Jesus name, filled with the Holy Ghost, taking up your cross, and denying yourself is replaced with philosophy, psychology, and people pleasing messages of self improvement and prosperity leaving the people asking for more and more of the same because there is no offense in those types of messages.
Because we have taken away the offensive demands of the Word and particularity the CROSS.
In taking away the offensiveness of preaching heart-repentance from sin and biblical justification by faith and the necessity of bowing to the Lordship of Christ, and in taking away the offensiveness of the message of the cross, we are destroying the foundation and making of no effect the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Cross.
Sadly many preachers seem to be more concerned with how many members they have in their churches instead of souls that are saved. Belonging to or going to a church doesn’t making you any more saved and on your way to heaven then sitting in your house makes you a home. There are those that feel if they preach the wrath of God against sin and talk about the demands of the cross that they will offend someone; therefore they preach sugarcoated messages and watered down sermons that give their churches a seek-friendly atmosphere.
However God has set me as the watchman over this church and He warned the watchman in Ezekiel 33:36-39 with a very serious warning – “But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked [man], thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul”.
The Bible says in Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD”. It seems as though this is happening today, the true convicting unadulterated Word of God is not being preached to the masses.
Someone might say I don’t think the Word of God should be offensive you drive people away from the church if you preach offensive sermons. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:1-7 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”.
We need to get back to preaching the unadulterated truth of the real Gospel and not this watered down, seeker friendly, soft, non-life-changing message. I’m not saying that we should purposely try to be offensive. We should never purposely offend anyone simply for the sake of being offensive or trying to conjure up a rude awakening by the methods of the flesh. We should be filled and dripping with the love of Christ when we share the Gospel, showing the blessed fruit of the Spirit, led by the Spirit speaking not as mere men and women, but as the oracles of God. We should actually go out of our way to ensure that the way we act and what we do doesn’t unnecessarily offend anyone so as not to put stumbling blocks in their way from accepting the Gospel. Paul said, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” 1 Cor. 9:22. No matter the amount of self-denial involved, Paul would go out of his way to make sure that the way he acted and what he did helped people to understand the Gospel, not push them further away from it. We must give honor to whom honor is due, and respect to all by all means as long as it doesn’t compromise the Gospel in any way. And while all this is certainly true, we have to check ourselves, because if the Gospel that we’re preaching isn’t offending anybody, it’s some heavy evidence that what we’re preaching isn’t the true, biblical Gospel of the cross.
Jesus in His messages caused people to not be e comfortable but to either change their way or turn away. For Example:- In Matthew 19:16-22 “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions”. This was a message of self denial that caused this man to be offended and turn away because he refused to deny himself the pleasure of this life.
Another Example is in John 6:53-60 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard [this], said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”.
Why did He do this? –Because He knew that all those who were given to Him by His Father would come to Him, hear from Him, accept His words, have their spiritual understanding opened, and believe in Him and be saved. So while the hypocrites and false followers are chased away by the preaching of hard truth, the genuine and true followers are edified by it and drawn closer to Him through it. Preaching the offense of the cross, the hard truth of the word of God has a way of leaving the true children of God in awe and edified in the inner man, since most of the “meat” of the Gospel that gives us the most strength is initially hard to digest for the natural man. Therefore, we must never take away any truth from it for the sake of making it acceptable to the carnal mind-set. If the true Gospel scares people off and offends hypocrites, let them go! It’s better to have God with us through the preaching of the true Gospel and the people against us then it is to have the people for us and God against us!
The message of the Bible especially the message of the Cross of Christ has teeth. It bites hard into the kingdom of darkness and pulls chunks from it wherever it came. The message wasn’t smooth and soft in order to suit the fancies of the religious majority. It was a sharp word that exalted Christ, lifted the cross up high, proclaimed total commitment to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
In our text the church at Galatia had been infiltrated with false teachers that come in and deceived the people by perverting the Gospel and watering it down with sugar-coated messages. They were preaching that in addition to believing in Christ, it’s necessary to be circumcised according to the Law of Moses. They were adding to the Gospel, changing the message to make it more acceptable. Paul said of them: “As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ” Galatians 6:12.
Paul’s Gospel exalted the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul preached salvation solely through the finished work of the cross, and preached abroad that those who are to be saved by grace must identify themselves with this bloody cross.
WATCH THIS:- If you go to church, pay your tithes, sing in the choir, are on the praise team, usher, and even carry the Pastor’s Bible and have not had an encounter with the Cross of Christ you are not saved and on your way to heaven. He preached that men need to believe in Christ, and that the result of believing is an identification with the cross.
Jesus said “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”. You will find that exact phrase 4 times in the 4 Gospels with only one difference and that is in Luke he adds the word daily.
Galatians 5:11 “And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offense of the cross ceased”
The offense of the cross and the demands the cross makes on us. Jesus said in Luke 7:23 “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” Jesus was letting the people know that the message of Him and the Cross was offensive; therefore, He pronounced a special blessing on all those who were able to receive it: It takes a special blessing not to be offended in the Cross of Christ. This must mean that most people, if they hear and understand the true Gospel, and see and hear the true Jesus, will in some measure be offended or will be unable to believe and be saved. This is quite the contrast to the lukewarm “gospel” we hear so often today, that offends nobody, that is easily embraced by the sinful multitudes who love to hear these ear tickling, ego boosting messages that don’t cause a change in their comfort zone or demand a dying out of self-centeredness. Instead allows complacency, never shaking a person to the very core causing them to search within themselves and ask the Prayer Request Jesus have mercy on me, forgive me of all my transgression and save me a sinner.
LET ME GET INTO THE OFFENSIVE DEMANDS OF THE CROSS!!!!!
In our comic strip that said “News: - Court says Cross can stay” The little girl asked her grandfather why do so many people find the cross offensive? The grandfather said “The cross is a symbol of Hope for those who believe there is life after death” The little girl thought about that answer and was dumb-founded so she said “Grandpa why do so many people find the cross offensive”.
Even though the cross is a symbol of Hope of those that believe in Christ Jesus, there are some demands that the cross stresses and it is those demands that the people find offensive.
Understand that the Cross unlike today was not a symbol of prosperity or some bling bling that you wore around your neck, but the cross was a mark of shame and ridicule. It stated that you are a curse of God. Deuteronomy 21:22-23 says “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged [is] accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance”. Galatians 3:13 reiterates this “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree”.
Because Man is God’s image - this is true also for the unrighteous. When we see an executed man hanging on the tree, we see the image of the Great King hanging there and that is blasphemous and accursed of God.
That is one of the reasons why when they were lynching black people they always hung them on a tree to symbolize that they were cursed.
THE OFFENSE OF THE CROSS is that the cross shows us that we are ACCURSED of God. Romans 3:23 says ” For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Sin causes us to be accursed and receive the wrath of God. Show the cross is offensive because it shows that we are deserving of the wrath of God and should cause us to say like the prodigal son Father I am not worthy to be called your son so make me as a servant!
The CROSS IS OFFENSIVE AND DEMANDS that we die out to self. The cross was a symbol of death. It said that the one carrying the cross was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death for a crime.
The OFFENSIVE DEMAND OF THE CROSS says I must die out to self-will, for not my will but His will be done.
The CROSS IS OFFENSIVE AND DEMANDS that we change our way of thinking. It is no longer I but He that is in me. The same mind that is in Christ Jesus is in me. Hebrews 12:2 says “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. Because I know that I know the joy that will come when I see His face I can endure the cross, despising the shame. Isaiah 64:4 & 1st Corinthians 2:9 says (with just a little differences) “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him”. Eventhough I was offended in the flesh by the demands of the cross I am willing to endure because He hath prepared for me something that I can’t even imagine.
THE CROSS IS OFFENSIVE AND DEMANDS that we act differently. Where is used to hate I now love. Where I used curse and fight I now witness and pray.
THE CROSS IS OFFENSIVE AND DEMANDS that we walk differently. I used to do whatever and go wherever I wanted, my flesh desired to go here so I went, but after my encounter with the cross my steps are order by the Lord, His word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
THE OFFENSIVE DEMANDS OF THE CROSS stresses that you and I know the price that was paid on the Cross. Jesus became a curse because He carried your and my sins, He suffered the wrath of God for you and me. He was bruised and stricken of men a man of sorrow acquainted with grief. He paid a debt He did not owe! Every time we look at the Cross is demands that we acknowledge that He paid a debt we could not pay.\
LET ME WRAP THIS UP:-
I’ve been talking about the Offensive Demands of the Cross, but let me just name some of the Blessings of the Cross.
BLESSINGS OF THE CROSS:-
The cross is the place of VICTORY – over Sin, Satan, and Death.
The cross is the place of RECONCILIATION – my status of a sinner has been changed.
The cross is the place of RESTORATION – brought back into a proper relationship with God.
The cross is the place my PROPITIATION has been established. Jesus’ death on the cross appeased the wrath of God against me.
The cross is the place where I have been FORGIVEN.
The cross is the place where I have been JUSTIFIED – made just like nothing has ever happened.
The cross is the place I have been REDEEMED.
The cross is the place where I have been SANCTIFIED.
The cross is the place where I have been QUICKENED with CHRIST JESUS. Made alive.
The cross is the place where I have been MADE A NEW CREATURE. Old things have passed away and behold all things have become new.
The cross is the place where I have been DELIVERED FROM DARKNESS.
The cross is the place where I receive POWER.
The cross is the place where I receive GRACE.
The cross is the place where I receive PEACE.
At the cross at the cross where I first saw the light and the burdens of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight and now I am Happy all the Day.
IN CLOSING:- Let me say that when Jesus died on Calvary there were 3 crosses on Calvary that day. 3 men died on 3 different crosses. But what is truly amazing is that there were 3 different deaths on those crosses that day.
1 man died in sin
1 died to sin
1 died for sin.
Jesus died for sin He was the only one that could do that.
One man died in sin he refused to acknowledge Jesus as his savior. So he died in sin lost at the cross, lost on the cross.
The other man died to sin and Jesus told him that today he would be with Him in Paradise.
You don’t have to die in sin, for that is why Jesus died to be our propitiation.
You must die to sin.
The cross demands that we die out to this world and to self.
Understand you cannot have a true encounter with the Cross and still be doing the same old thing you did before you encountered the cross. The cross demands a change.
The cross demands a new way of thinking, walking, talking, acting, and living.
In my final statement I want to say the words of that famous song
“THERE IS ROOM AT THE CROSS FOR YOU”.
The cross upon which Jesus died, Is a shelter in which we can hide;
And its grace so free is sufficient for me, And deep is its fountain as wide as the sea
There's room at the cross for you, There's room at the cross for you,
Tho millions have come, There's still room for one Yes, there's room at the cross for you.
Tho millions have found Him a friend, And have turned from the sins they have sinned,
The Savior still waits to open the gates And welcomes a sinner before it's too late.
There's room at the cross for you, There's room at the cross for you,
Tho millions have come, There's still room for one Yes, there's room at the cross for you.
The hand of my Savior is strong, And the love of my Savior is long;
Through sunshine or rain, through loss or in gain, The blood flows from Calvary to cleanse every stain.
There's room at the cross for you, There's room at the cross for you,
Tho millions have come, There's still room for one Yes, there's room at the cross for you.
Pastor M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
Apostolic Glorious Church.
