Sermon Central
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The Magnetism Of The Cross
Contributed by Dr. Casey Adams on Oct 9, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: This message helps hearers understand how attractive the draw is to Christ through his sacrifice.
I. "AND IF I BE LIFTED UP FROM THE EARTH, WILL DRAW ALL MEN UNTO ME"
A. A more unlikely prophecy than this was ever addressed to human ears:
1. When the words were spoken it might well seem that the ministry of Jesus had ended in failure
2. He had proclaimed His divine message, and it had fallen by enlarge on deaf ears
3. He had performed mighty deeds, and they only credited Him with the help of
Beelzebub
B. What greater thing would He do:
1. To change unbelief into faith?
2. To transmute indifference into devotion and hatred into love?
II. THE MAGNETISM OF THE CROSS
A. The great paradox of the ages:
1. "A stumbling block to the Jews" - I Cor. 1:23; Gal. 5:11
2. "And unto the Greeks foolishness" - I Cor. 1:23; 2:14; Acts 26:24
3. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, "Christ the power of God,
and the wisdom of God" - I Cor. 1:24,30
B. The great mystery of the cross:
1. It's tragedy - the sufferings and the death of Christ arrest our attention and claim our
deep sympathy as the most tragic event in history
2. Upon this earth there appeared once a teacher who proclaimed divine and human
love; He devoted His time and energy to alleviate the suffering of men; He exposed sin and pointed out God's remedy for sin; yet, He was rejected of men, and nailed to the despised cross of Calvary!
3. This and this alone, must be the magnetism of the universe in all eternity
C. The discovery of the cross:
1. The sufferings and death of Christ have taken their place in history as the occasion
and means of a stupendous discovery
2. The cross of Calvary stands out memorable as the spot on which the human mind
became assured of the certainty of the most sublime and important of all-religious
truths seen by men and angels
3. And that sublime truth is that "God is love"; never, never did the love of God shine
brighter than when the Son of God hung on that shameful cross of Calvary
III. LET US IN CLOSING NOTE HOW THE DEATH OF CHRIST SERVES AS A REVELATION OF THE LOVE OF GOD
A. In the first place:
1. We can read the mind of the giver in the nature of His gift
2. Consider the gift of God in the person of His only begotten Son – John 3:16
3. Note the nature of that gift; it was holy, undefiled, without spot - Heb. 7:26
4. Note the measure of the Divine gift - the depth it measured "For He hath made Him
to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" - 2 Cor. 5:21
