There Is Still A Piece of Wood
1 Peter 2:24
Tyler Barrett; NorthGate Assembly; 7/26/2020
1 Peter 2:24: “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross {Willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice}, so that we might die to sin {becoming immune from penalty and power of sin} and live for righteousness; for by His wounds you {who believe} have been healed.”
This morning, I am preaching on the subject “There Is Still a Piece of Wood”.
Wood is the trunks or main stems of trees as suitable for architectural and other purposes. The hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub and lying beneath the bark.
We use wood for all sorts of purposes. We use it to build homes, we use it for fuel to a fire, we use it to make weapons, furniture, paper, and other hobbies.
Today, we are going to see that there is an important message in God’s word, concerning the wood.
Genesis 6:14: “Make thee an ark of gopher wood…”
God spoke to Noah and told him to make an ark out of wood. God was sick and tired of the sin and decay in the world. He had plans on flooding the entire planet- whipping humanity off the face of the earth.
But for Noah and his family, the wood was a sign of salvation (#1). The wood would be used to build a massive ark- which would take Noah more than 100 years to build.
For the entire 40 days and 40 nights that Noah and his family were on that piece of wood- it would be a consistent reminder of the salvation of God.
Exodus 14:16: “But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”
Moses was leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt. They came to the red sea. A sea in front of them and an army behind them.
God told Moses to stretch out his piece of wood (rod) over that red sea. When he stretched out that wooden rod over the red sea, the waters split. The wood was a sign of victory (#2).
The wood was a sign of victory over the adversary. The wood was a sign of victory over Pharaoh and his army. The wood was a sign of victory over the hard place.
Exodus 30:1: “And thou shall make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.”
When God was giving the instructions of the Tabernacle, one of the furnishings was an altar of incense. This altar was made from wood. The wood was a sign of prayer (#3).
The priest would stop off at the altar of incense to make prayer on behalf of the people. The wood in this instance meant that prayer was being made on behalf of the people.
Exodus 25:10: “And they shall make an ark of shittim wood…”
As God continued giving instructions of the Tabernacle and its furnishing… the climax of the furnishings was the Ark of Covenant. Which was made from wood and covered in gold. This wood was a sign of the presence of God (#4).
When the people saw this piece of wood, called the Ark of Covenant, they knew the presence of the Lord was with them- it was a sign. It was a sign that where they were- God was present.
2 Kings 6:6: “The man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron (axe head) float.”
The people along with Elisha were cutting down some trees to make beams. These beams were going to be used to enlarge their living place. As they were cutting the axe head flew off the pole and landed in the Jordan river.
God told them to take a stick throw it into the water. When they took the stick and threw it into the water, the Bible says that the axe head floated to the top. The wood was a sign of recovery (#5).
By throwing the wood in to the water, it caused that which was lost to come up. It was a sign that when you are following the Lord, listening to His voice, and obeying His ways... then you will recovery some stuff along that way.
I could give many more examples of wood in the scripture and what it represents, but I want us to zoom in and speak about a piece of wood…. Called the Cross of Calvary!
1 Corinthians 1:17-18: “For Christ did not send me [as an apostle] to baptize, but [commissioned and empowered me] to preach the good news [of salvation]—not with clever and eloquent speech [as an orator], so that the cross of Christ would not be made ineffective [deprived of its saving power]. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God.
The world doesn’t understand the preaching or the message of the cross! The world doesn’t understand the love that was carried out that day! The world mocks and laughs at us!
But I want to tell you in here today, “I STILL BELIEVE IN A HILL CALLED MOUNT CALVARY”.
The preaching of the cross may be foolish to some, but for me and you- the redeemed of the Lord- it is power!
It was that event more than 2,000 years ago that altered the futures for every person who places their faith in the one who died there that day!
It may be a strange message to some, but it’s my message! It might be a shocking message to others, but it’s my message!
For on that day, Jesus was scourged, He was beaten, He was spit upon, the beard was plucked from His face, He was mocked, He was stripped of His clothes, and He was nailed to an old rugged cross!
It’s my message because, the Bible says in Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved!”
But it was that moment on the cross, that provided my salvation, John 10:28 I give them eternal life and they shall never perish!
But it was that moment on the cross, that provided my victory, Ephesians 2:1-7: “ And you [He made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God]. 3 Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by the sinful self], indulging the desires of human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind]. 4 But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment). 6 And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus, 7 [and He did this] so that in the ages to come He might [clearly] show the immeasurable and unsurpassed riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus [by providing for our redemption].”
Satan probably was rejoicing when Jesus cried out, It Is Finish, but the devil didn’t know that Jesus wasn’t planning to stay dead! Jesus didn’t shout I was finished- But said IT IS FINISHED!!!
I have some news today for every saved person in this room and those watching online…..
Satan is defeated. He may try to keep you from God. He may try to roar like a lion, but when Christ said, It is finished, HE MEANT IT! The enemy has been defeated, because the grave could not hold Christ down!!
THANK GOD THAT THERE IS STILL A PIECE OF WOOD!
It is through the cross that sin dies!
Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace!”
It is through the cross that victory is realized, that life is gained, that peace is experienced, that love is felt, that joy is everlasting, and that my hope is sealed!
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, 2 [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].”
THANK GOD THAT THERE IS STILL A PIECE OF WOOD!
THANK GOD FOR CALVARY!
THANK GOD FOR THE OLD RUGGED CROSS
THANK GOD THAT FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST ONE DAY WE WILL EXCHANGE OUR OLD WORDLY BODIES FOR HEAVENLY BEAUTY!
THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME- WE ARE JUST PASSING THROUGH- ONE DAY WE SHALL BE LIKE JESUS!
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
As the old song says, “These are they who have come out of great tribulation, They have washed their robes In the blood of the Lamb, They have gone through much sorrow into great jubilation, They're redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.”
In the midst of all the crazy stuff that is happening in this world, the Lord has sent me by here today, with the gospel message that THERE IS STILL A PIECE OF WOOD!
Every tear you cried was nailed to the cross
Every pain you endured was nailed to the cross
Every struggle you faced was nailed to the cross
Every ounce of depression you dealt with was nailed to the cross
Every sickness you experienced was nailed to the cross
Every addiction you were in bondage to was nailed to the cross
Every sin you have every committed was nailed to the cross
Every abusive situation you went through was nailed to the cross
Every loss you faced was nailed to the cross
And I have news for you in here today!
THERE IS STILL A PIECE OF WOOD!
THE POWER IS NOT IN THE WOOD, BUT THE POWER IS IN THE ONE WHO WAS ON THE WOOD- JESUS CHRIST!
JESUS CHRIST CAN STILL HEAL, HE IS STILL THE ONLY WAY TO SALVATION, HE IS STILL THE ONE WHO ANSWERS PRAYER, JESUS IS STILL THE ONE WHO PROVIDES YOU WITH VICTORY, JESUS IS STILL THE ONE WHO SUPPLIES YOU WITH HIS PRESENCE, AND JESUS IS STILL THE ONE THAT WILL CAUSE YOU TO RECOVER ALL THAT YOU HAVE LOST!!!
THANK GOD FOR THE CROSS!
(AMEN)
