Participants:
Series Code: TMC
Program Code: TMC000003A
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00:13 Heavenly Father, tonight as we look at the sacrifice
00:18 that Your Son, Jesus Christ, 00:23 made in our behalf 00:26 Lord, help us to understand. 00:30 May our minds be clear. 00:33 May they be open to the direction and guidance 00:38 of the Holy Spirit. 00:40 We pray, Lord, that we may see 00:44 all that was done upon the cross of Calvary 00:49 and that we might by faith reach out and take hold of 00:54 the provisions 00:56 and receive the gift of life eternal. 01:00 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 01:12 As Communism was coming to an end 01:16 I had the opportunity to visit a city 01:22 out on the outskirts of Russia 01:25 right almost to China: 01:26 a city by the name of Vladivostok. 01:29 Vladivostok is kind of the naval port for the Russian 01:34 fleet. A city of about 2 million people. 01:37 And I had the opportunity to go in there and spend 01:39 several weeks working to help establish Christianity 01:43 there in Vladivostok. 01:45 And so while I was there 01:47 I went out and walked through one of their cemeteries. 01:51 Their cemeteries are a little bit different than ours 01:55 in the fact that on the tomb- stones they have a picture 01:58 of the person who has died so when you look at it 02:00 you can tell who has passed away. 02:02 But I noticed that as I was looking there 02:06 that the tombstones that had been erected since the time that 02:10 Communism started... they were just very plain tombstones. 02:15 There was no symbolism of anything on them. 02:18 I got to looking, and the tombstones that had been erected 02:22 before Communism had come into being 02:27 had symbolism on them... or did have. 02:30 They had come in and they had chiseled off 02:33 every cross, every sign of Christianity at all. 02:37 You see, the cross... the cross is a symbol of hope. 02:42 They didn't want those people to understand 02:46 that the cross offered to any of them 02:48 anything more than Communism would offer. 02:50 And so they tried to do away with anything that represented 02:54 Christianity or offered to them any hope at all. 02:58 To you and I the cross is a symbol of salvation... 03:03 it's a symbol of hope. 03:04 It offers to us eternal life. 03:07 It offers to us something that you and I don't have 03:10 of ourselves. 03:13 The cross... today we see it on buildings, 03:18 on churches. We see it on books. 03:22 In fact, there is more jewelry 03:26 made in the symbol of a cross than any other thing. 03:29 Because people get a cross and to them it offers to them 03:33 life; it offers to them hope. It presents something. 03:39 Offers to them something that you can't have 03:43 any other way. 03:47 The Scripture has this to say about it: 04:04 Now to the person who doesn't know Jesus Christ, 04:07 who hasn't accepted Him, true enough, the cross probably 04:11 is foolishness to that person. 04:13 But to the individual that has reached out in faith 04:17 and accepted Christ 04:18 it is the power of God. 04:21 You know, we sing that song: "On a hill far away 04:26 stood an old rugged cross... 04:32 You see, the cross - to you and to me - 04:35 is a sign of hope. 04:38 It's a sign of eternal life. 04:41 It's a sign that God has done something special 04:44 for you and me. But that's not the way it was 04:47 in the days of Jesus Christ. 04:50 The cross was a symbol of torture. 04:54 It was a symbol of shame. 04:56 It was a symbol of someone who had been convicted 05:02 of a crime. And by the way, 05:06 the crucifixion didn't take place 05:10 out on a hill far away. 05:14 The crucifixion took place 05:17 right outside Jerusalem 05:19 right beside the street 05:23 so that as the people walked by they could see 05:27 those men hanging there, and it was a statement 05:31 that they were guilty. 05:33 That's what it was a statement of: that they were guilty. 05:36 It was a warning to anyone else who might think 05:39 of trying to do what these men had done. 05:43 And so you find the Scripture says that they were convicted 05:47 criminals. They had been tried and they had been convicted. 05:52 And so as they hung there on the cross 05:55 it was a statement of this. And thus it reads here 05:58 in Mark 15:28: 06:07 "He was numbered with the transgressors. " 06:10 So as people walked down the street they could see them 06:14 hanging there. That's the reason the Scripture 06:18 talking about the death of Jesus Christ 06:21 read this way: 06:49 They, walking down the street. There they hung: 06:52 a statement that they had been tried, convicted. 06:55 They were guilty. And they said: "If You're the Son of God, 06:58 come on down off the cross. " Even the religious leaders 07:02 of the day joined in. 07:04 Because it goes on in the Scripture and says: 07:30 They said: "If You're what You said You are, 07:33 come down off the cross... then we'll believe You. " 07:36 Tried... convicted for the crime 07:43 of claiming to be a King, 07:46 the Son of God, the Messiah, the Deliverer of Israel. 07:51 They hung Him on a cross. He died in shame. 07:58 In fact, in the book of Hebrews 12th chapter verse 2 08:02 it says: 08:17 So it says that He endured the cross, 08:21 despising the shame. 08:25 Do you understand what it means when it says: 08:27 "He endured the cross? " 08:29 Let me tonight tell you a little bit about 08:33 the crucifixion of Jesus. 08:35 Maybe you'll understand a little bit 08:39 of what He went through to save you... 08:42 to purchase your salvation. 08:45 You must understand 08:47 that Jesus is not like you and I. 08:50 You must understand that He had the ability to see it 08:55 before it happened. 08:58 He knew every character. 09:00 He knew that Judas was going to betray Him. 09:03 He knew everyone that would be there 09:06 involved in the crucifixion. 09:09 He knew all that before it happened. 09:11 So when He went to the Garden of Gethsemane, folks, 09:15 He's going there fully conscious 09:18 of what's about to take place. 09:21 He knows what's about to happen to Him! 09:26 He also knows that at this time now 09:30 all the sins of mankind 09:34 are being placed on Him. He knows that. 09:38 The Scripture says that He bore our sin, 09:42 so all the sins of the world are being poured upon Him. 09:46 He also understands that sin 09:49 is offensive not only to Him but to His Father. 09:55 Therefore He knows that as He bears all the sins of the world 10:00 that those sins are separating Himself from His Father. 10:05 And that's why He cries out: 10:07 "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? " 10:10 because He knows that's what's taking place. 10:14 Therefore, when He's there 10:17 He is under great psychological stress 10:22 like you and I can't understand 10:25 because He sees this all vividly before it takes place. 10:30 And that is why it says that He sweat 10:35 drops of blood. 10:38 You see, that is a condition - a medical condition - 10:42 called hematidrosis... what happens when a person 10:47 is under tremendous psychological stress. 10:51 Then a chemical is released 10:55 that breaks down some of the capillaries in the sweat gland 10:59 and it releases into it small amounts of blood 11:02 and it causes them to sweat blood. 11:06 But more than that hematidrosis 11:09 it also makes the skin extremely sensitive and fragile. 11:17 So He sweat drops of blood. 11:21 The mob comes and they take Him away 11:26 to a mockery of a trial. 11:30 And Pilate, Herod, trying to hope that some way 11:34 they might appease the crowd 11:37 have Him flogged. 11:41 You... Have you ever read about Roman flogging? 11:46 See, the art of Roman flogging, folks, 11:50 is to inflict upon that person 11:53 as much pain as possible 11:56 without killing them. 11:58 That's the art of it. 12:01 So by rights they're supposed to give them 39 stripes: 12:05 40 stripes save one. 12:11 But that all depends upon the soldier and how he's feeling. 12:16 The whip that they're going to use 12:19 is leather thongs. 12:22 In the end of them are steel balls 12:27 so that as they lay that whip across the back 12:30 of that individual 12:32 those steel balls bruise and make contusions. 12:37 And as they hit time and time again 12:41 they break open the skin. 12:44 In fact, it cuts... because in those thongs, 12:49 those leather thongs, are little pieces of bone. 12:53 And the art of flogging is not just to hit the person 12:57 but when you hit them to pull it so that those pieces of bone 13:01 cut every welt all the way down. 13:05 They're going to lay that across their back 13:09 from the back of the neck all the way down the back 13:13 across the buttocks and the lower legs 13:17 until that whole part is bloody and open. 13:21 I could describe to you what historians and people back 13:25 then told about Roman flogging and how it would even 13:28 lay open the spine. 13:31 When they do this 13:34 it causes a person to go into what is called 13:37 hypovolemic shock. 13:40 It's a Latin word that simply means 13:43 hypo means low; 13:46 volemic, vo, means volume; 13:49 lemic means blood. It just means the loss of a great lot 13:53 of blood. And so as the person is bleeding 13:56 and losing all this blood 13:58 it brings about several things in their life. 14:00 One: since they are losing so much blood 14:05 it causes the heart to beat faster 14:08 trying to take care of the situation since they're losing 14:12 so much blood. 14:15 Secondly: since they're losing so much fluid 14:20 their kidneys shut down 14:23 to save the loss of fluid. 14:28 Secondly: it causes them to be tremendously thirsty 14:32 and also it causes their blood pressure to drop 14:36 so drastically that they become very dizzy and faint. 14:40 Now you can begin to put together some of the things 14:43 that happened to Jesus. 14:45 Because you remember as they laid that cross on Him 14:48 and He's carrying it out to Golgotha 14:51 you remember He staggered and fell, 14:53 fainted, because He's in hypovolemic shock. 14:56 That's what's happening to Him. 14:59 Also that's why when He's hanging there on the cross 15:02 He cries out: "I thirst! " because He's lost so much fluid. 15:07 They're going to take Him to the cross. 15:12 And they laid Him out on the cross bar 15:18 and they're going to drive nails 15:20 through His hands. 15:25 Those nails are going to pierce a nerve in here 15:29 called the median nerve. 15:31 You know what that's like? 15:33 You ever hit your funny bone? 15:36 OK... that's the ulnar nerve. 15:39 It's like if you took that nerve 15:43 with a pair of pliers and twisted it. 15:46 That's what it'd be like to have a nail driven through that. 15:50 And then they're going to hoist Him up there on the cross 15:53 and then they're going to drive nails through His feet 15:56 to pin them to the cross... 15:58 and again, piercing the nerve. 16:01 I'm trying to get across to you when the Scripture says 16:04 that He "endured the cross" you get a little idea 16:07 of what He endured for you and for me. 16:09 This is what He's going through. 16:13 When they put Him on the cross 16:16 and they drop Him, that stretches His arms about 6". 16:23 That means both arms are going to become dislocated. 16:28 The moment He falls into that position 16:32 then all of a sudden the only way He can breathe 16:37 is inhale. 16:39 To be able to exhale 16:42 He has to push himself up with His feet 16:46 to be able to inhale air and then He can exhale 16:51 and thus rubbing His bloody back on the cross. 16:55 Strength giving away step by step. His heart is beating 16:59 much much faster because of the great amount of blood 17:04 that He's lost. And He's going to die of cardiac arrest. 17:10 That's why it says this in Scripture: 17:31 Why are they going to break their legs? 17:33 You see, that's the way they can breathe 17:37 because they're pulled down there and they can't breathe 17:39 unless they can push up with their legs. 17:41 And so if they came and took an iron 17:44 and broke their legs then they couldn't push up 17:47 and they would suffocate to death. 17:49 Hasten their death... that's what they're trying to do. 18:08 You see, Jesus didn't die 18:13 from necessarily the crucifixion. 18:15 He died from cardiac arrest. 18:19 It took place, and thus you find that He died there... it says: 18:28 Because His heart had ruptured. 18:31 Separated there, and when they pierced His side 18:34 blood and water came out. 18:36 This is what He endured, friends. 18:38 This is what the Son of God endured 18:41 that you might be saved. 18:47 I want to go a step farther be- cause the Scripture doesn't say 18:50 that He just endured the cross. 18:54 It says: "He despised the shame. " 18:59 Despising the shame. Now do you understand shame? 19:04 Do you understand what it means when it says 19:06 "despising the shame? " 19:08 Let me identify for you what shame is 19:11 'cause the Scripture gives you some indications. 19:14 The book of Revelation... it says this: 19:32 You read through the Scripture and any time someone 19:36 reveals their naked body 19:40 that in the Scripture was a shame. 19:42 OK? When it says: "despising the shame" 19:47 this is what happens. This is what took place. 20:03 They stripped Him naked! 20:07 Hung Him on the cross without any clothes. 20:36 Now folks, it's one thing... 20:40 it's one thing to take a man 20:46 and treat him with such shame. 20:50 But let me tell you: it's something entirely different 20:54 to treat the Son of God that way. 20:58 And that's what they did. He endured the cross 21:01 despising the shame, for you and for me. 21:08 Till today, because He went through all that, 21:11 He suffered that, He went through all the shame... 21:15 to us the cross offers a great amount of hope. 21:24 You see, 21:28 homicide is terrible. 21:32 Terrible when somebody goes out and kills another human being. 21:37 How horrible! 21:40 But sin is exceedingly sinful 21:44 when it's deicide... when it kills its God. 21:52 The worst thing that sin ever did is when it took 21:55 the Savior and hung him on a cross... the murdered victim 22:01 of our sins. That's what Jesus did. 22:04 Have you thought about this, folks? 22:07 If Jesus - who only had imputed sin... 22:13 Do you understand what I'm saying when I say imputed sin? 22:15 Do you know what I mean? 22:17 When I say He has "imputed sin" 22:19 that means He didn't sin. That means the sin was 22:22 placed upon Him... imputed. 22:25 It wasn't something He did... it was placed upon Him. 22:27 When Jesus only had imputed sin 22:31 and He had to suffer like this for your sins and mine 22:38 then I want to ask you: if Jesus the spotless, 22:42 the perfect, the divine Son of God 22:45 had to suffer like that 22:49 for your sins and mine, 22:52 then I wonder how you and I might suffer 22:55 if we neglect so great a salvation. 23:01 That He did for each one of us here this evening. 23:20 Now to that person who doesn't know Christ 23:23 maybe it doesn't mean anything, but to you and I 23:26 it is the what? 23:30 Power of God. That's what I want to talk to you about tonight: 23:33 the power of the cross. What it can do for you 23:37 as an individual tonight. 23:40 That power that it's talking about there, dear friends, 23:43 that power is divine! 23:46 I'm not talking about human power. 23:48 I'm talking about divine power 23:51 that can take an individual - I don't care who he is - 23:53 and can change his heart and make him totally 23:57 and completely different. 24:00 I'm talking about an individual 24:04 like a fellow that came to my meetings. 24:07 It's the only person that I can ever remember 24:10 that I wished wouldn't come. 24:13 This man came every night 24:18 usually about half drunk. 24:22 That didn't bother me. I usually have somebody 24:25 in the audience about half drunk every meeting I've ever had. 24:28 So that didn't bother me. 24:30 But he had a great big beard... 24:33 and that didn't bother me either. 24:35 I believe if God put the whiskers there, well... 24:37 it's your privilege if you want to let them grow. 24:41 But he chewed tobacco; that didn't bother me either 24:45 because I grew up with people chewing tobacco. 24:47 So that really didn't bother me. 24:49 But he let the tobacco juice run out of the corners of his 24:51 mouth till it filled that whole beard full of tobacco juice 24:54 and he smelled horrible. THAT bothered me. 24:59 'Cause, you know, if he sat down by anybody 25:01 they got up and moved. And I really don't blame them. 25:04 I would have, too, you know. 25:06 Each night when we got to the end of the service 25:08 he'd come up and shake my hand 25:09 and all he ever said to me is "You stepped on my toes. " 25:13 We got down to the end of the meetings. 25:16 I gave an invitation for people to come and give their hearts 25:18 to Christ. First one out of his seat was that man. 25:22 Come down the aisle... As he came down the aisle 25:24 I said: "Why, Lord? Why this man? 25:27 He'll come down here and there'll not be another soul 25:29 go down here 'cause he came. " 25:31 And that's exactly what happened! 25:34 Exactly what happened: not another person budged. 25:37 But he was dead serious. 25:41 Dead serious. 25:43 I saw that man give his heart to the Lord. 25:46 I saw his whole life change. 25:51 I saw him change from a drunkard. 25:54 I saw him move his wife and six children out of a hovel 25:58 into a decent home. 26:01 I watched as I pastored that church. 26:04 He became the head deacon of my church. 26:08 I'm talking about the power of God. 26:12 And I don't care who you are tonight, 26:14 I don't care what your situation is, 26:17 I don't care where you've been, 26:19 I don't care how bad you've been 26:21 the power of God can change you because that power 26:24 is divine and it can change your life 26:28 if you and I are just willing to step out and accept it. 26:31 Listen to what it says: 26:42 It can change a person's life. How strong is that power? 26:46 Jesus spent 3-1/2 years ministering on the earth. 26:50 You can read the stories and there were a few people 26:53 and a few disciples that followed Him but not very many. 26:56 But when He died, 26:58 when He hung there on the cross 27:00 and He paid the price and He came forth from the grave 27:04 you want to see what happened? 27:06 Huh? You want to see what happened when that took place? 27:09 Listen... this is what happened: 27:32 This is Peter preaching. He's talking about Jesus Christ. 27:35 This is after the resurrection. 27:37 This is after Jesus went back to heaven. 27:39 Watch: 27:51 Telling them what happened. 28:13 Peter stood there and he preached that Jesus Christ 28:16 had died for them, that He had paid the price for them. 28:19 That He had risen from the grave and was alive. 28:23 And they were cut to the heart and they said: 28:24 "What must we do? " 28:26 Watch what happens: 28:52 Here talking about the power of the gospel. 28:55 The power to change lives: one day, three thousand 28:59 gave their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. 29:02 He can take you and change your life. 29:08 Make it totally and completely different. 29:18 This is the area, folks, where I find 29:22 so many don't understand. 29:25 I didn't understand. 29:27 I didn't understand for a long time. 29:30 You see, we're so inclined to do it ourselves. 29:36 And I run onto people who live miserable Christian lives 29:40 because they've never understood this. 29:43 Listen carefully: 29:51 Now He's told Jeremiah here in the 18th chapter 29:54 to go down to the potter's house. 30:07 It was marred in the hand of who? In the hand of the potter. 30:12 Now watch who has the power. 30:15 Who has the power here tonight? 30:18 The potter or the clay? 30:21 Now come on... let's get it clear. 30:23 Who has the power? The potter or the clay? 30:26 The potter! OK? 30:40 Folks, you and I 30:45 our only responsibility 30:49 is to be submissive to the potter. 30:54 Are you following me? 30:55 That's all that God asks 30:58 is that you and I be submissive to the potter. 31:04 That I let Him do His work in my life. 31:07 Listen as Paul goes on about this same subject: 31:38 You and I are nothing but vessels of clay 31:42 and God is the Potter. 31:44 And He can make that vessel whatever He wants it to be. 31:48 And if you and I will submit, 31:53 if we will be humble, 31:56 if we will not be proud, 31:58 if we will submit to the working of God in our heart, 32:03 He will make us into the vessel that He wants us to be. 32:07 This is what God wants to do for you. 32:31 Now in the home that I grew up we had vessels of honor 32:34 and dishonor in it. Didn't your home? 32:37 Sure. My mother in the dining room 32:40 had a china cabinet in which she kept vessels of honor. 32:44 And when we had company - 32:47 we had special guests - she would go to the china cabinet 32:50 and would take out the vessels of honor and feed us all 32:54 on the vessels of honor. 32:55 But boy, when the company left 32:57 all the vessels of honor went back in the china cabinet 33:00 and we ate out of dishes in the kitchen cabinet 33:03 of dishonor. You understand what I'm talking about? 33:06 OK... that's up to the Potter. 33:09 He can make whatever vessel He pleases, but the Scripture says 33:13 here if you and I will submit, 33:17 if you and I will turn our lives over to Him, 33:20 if we will be submissive, 33:22 He will make us a vessel of honor. 33:26 That's what He will do for us. 33:28 That is the power of God. 33:35 That's what God wants to do for you tonight. 33:38 He wants to make you a vessel, sanctified, 33:42 for His purpose to use for His purpose. 33:46 And if you and I will do that we will be a vessel of honor. 33:50 But dear friend, let me tell you something: 33:52 that's God's work... not yours. 33:55 It's God's work! 33:57 All you and I must do is submit. 34:02 I don't know if you ever heard the story of the Persian prince? 34:08 This Persian prince one day reached down and picked up 34:12 a piece of clay. And as he was just rolling 34:16 the clay in his hand he smelled it. 34:20 Had a marvelous smell to it. 34:23 Wonderful! And he said to the clay: 34:26 "Where did you get your wonderful fragrance? " 34:31 "Oh, " the clay said: 34:34 "they laid me beside a rose 34:37 and I drank in its fragrance. " 34:40 Friend, tonight, I'm just telling you that if you 34:45 walk with Jesus Christ, 34:48 you fellowship with Jesus Christ, 34:51 the Rose of Sharon will change your life 34:55 and you will put forth a fragrance 34:59 of the marvelous love of Jesus Christ 35:02 that comes no other way. 35:04 God will do that for you. 35:14 You see? 35:22 What a difference it makes. 35:24 What a difference it makes in my life. 35:28 II Corinthians 5:21. Let me tell you right now: 35:34 if you don't have this text underlined in your Bible, 35:38 if you don't have it highlighted, don't go to sleep 35:42 tonight until you do. 35:44 Go home... get your Bible out 35:47 and dear friend, get you a highlighter, 35:49 get you something, but mark that text 35:52 and don't ever forget it. Listen to it: 36:02 Marvelous! 36:05 Took Him who knew no sin 36:07 to be sin for us 36:10 that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 36:15 I have been looking for someone for years. 36:20 Every place I go I look for that individual 36:24 that I can find. You see, I have a pen here. 36:30 It's a good pen. I use it; it writes OK. 36:34 It's a nice pen. But I have been looking for someone, 36:38 I have been hunting for someone 36:40 who will be willing to trade me a Mercedes for my fountain pen. 36:49 I'd be happy to just trade somebody 36:52 my fountain pen for a Mercedes. 36:57 You say: "Well, yeah you would! 36:59 That person is crazy if he does that: 37:03 trade you a Mercedes for a fountain pen. " 37:06 Well, my friends, listen... that's what that text says. 37:12 It says that God or Jesus Christ 37:15 is walking into this room here tonight... 37:19 walking into this room and He's saying to you: 37:22 "I'll tell you what: if you'll give Me your sins 37:28 I'll give you My righteousness. " 37:31 That's what that text says. 37:34 Jesus says: "If you'll just give Me your sins 37:37 I'll give you My righteousness. " 37:42 Aren't you willing to do that? 37:45 Aren't you willing to do that? Am I hearing right? 37:48 That He'll give me His righteousness 37:52 if I'll just give Him my sins? 37:55 Oh, absolutely friend... absolutely 37:59 I'll give Him my sins. I hope that you would. 38:04 The Scripture gives a perfect illustration of this 38:06 as far as I'm concerned. 38:09 Jesus was talking to Nicodemus. 38:12 You remember He said to Nicodemus, He said: 38:14 "You've gotta be born again. " 38:16 And Nicodemus said: 38:18 "What do You mean? I've gotta be born of my mother 38:20 a second time? " 38:22 And Jesus said: "No, Nicodemus, 38:24 that which is born of flesh is flesh and that which is born 38:27 of spirit is spirit. " 38:29 And Nicodemus said: "I don't understand. " 38:32 "I don't understand what You're talking about. " 38:35 And Jesus said to Nicodemus... He said: 38:50 And Nicodemus all of a sudden remembered 38:54 about the children of Israel being out in the wilderness. 38:57 And they were out in the wilder- ness and God said to them: 39:02 "This is the way you need to go: that way. " 39:06 And they said: "Lord, that's pretty rough. " 39:12 "That's rocky and steep that way 39:15 and Lord, we can get to the Land of Canaan this way 39:19 and it's much flatter... not near as steep. " 39:23 And the Lord said: "No... no... 39:26 you don't want to go that way. You want to go this way. " 39:29 And they said: "Lord, You haven't forgotten that we've got 39:34 the women and the children and the cattle? 39:36 And there's mountains here and the terrain's hard 39:39 and the path's narrow and all those things, Lord. " 39:42 And the Lord said: "That's the way you want to go. " 39:44 And they said: "But Lord, it'll take us a little longer 39:47 but it'll be so much easier on the children 39:49 and the cattle and everything if we go this way. " 39:51 And the Lord said: "You really don't want to go that way... 39:54 you want to go this way. " 39:57 And they said: "Lord, that's just too hard. 39:59 We're going to go this way. " And they went that way. 40:02 And the Scripture says that poisonous snakes 40:06 began to crawl in the camp and bite the people 40:10 and they began to die. 40:12 And they went running to Moses 40:15 and they said: "Moses! Moses! Do something for us. " 40:18 And Moses prayed and God said: "Moses, 40:24 make a brazen serpent. 40:29 Put it on a pole 40:31 and tell those people that if they look at that serpent 40:34 they'll live and they'll not die. " 40:36 Why? Why in the world would God tell him 40:40 "Make a brazen serpent and put it on a pole. " 40:43 In the Bible, what does a serpent represent? 40:47 Represents the devil. 40:49 Represents sin. 40:51 So why would He say: "Make a brazen serpent 40:54 and put it on a pole? " 40:57 Because Jesus Christ became sin for you. 41:02 That's why. 41:04 Jesus Christ became sin for you. 41:07 He said: "I'll take your sins 41:10 and I'll give you My righteousness. 41:13 I'll do that for you. " 41:23 And so Jesus Christ was lifted up - crucified - 41:26 hung on a cross that He might draw you and me to Him. 41:31 But that text goes on in II Corinthians 5:21 and says: 41:45 That you and I might become the righteousness of? God 41:51 in Him. You see, that's the righteousness of God. 41:54 I'm talking about the power of the cross. 41:56 I'm talking about what can take and change your life. 42:00 Understand, folks: 42:01 this righteousness is not your righteousness. 42:04 This power is not your power. 42:06 It is God's righteousness; it is God's power, 42:10 and that's what can change you and me! 42:13 You and I can't change ourselves. 42:30 Crucified in weakness, but He lives by the power of God. 42:35 Now listen carefully: 42:49 You and I can live a Christian life day by day 42:53 by the power of God. 42:56 So what's He going to do for you? 43:18 Are you trying to tell me tonight 43:22 that there's not a sin that God can't take care of? 43:26 Are you trying to tell me tonight that your situation 43:29 is so bad that God can't handle it? 43:34 Are you trying to tell me 43:37 that He can't take your life and make it different? 43:43 He's able... exceedingly, abundantly, 43:47 to do more than you and I can think or ask. 43:54 Who are kept by the what? 44:07 You see my faith cannot be in myself. 44:10 It cannot be in what I can do. 44:12 But my faith must be in God and what He can do. 44:15 And if I put my faith in Him 44:18 He is capable of doing more than you and I can even comprehend. 44:24 "ready to be revealed in the last time. " 44:28 Now, this is a text, folks, 44:32 that when I first read it it took me about 44:37 a year to believe it. 44:41 It just to me is so marvelous 44:45 of what He has done for you and for me. 44:47 So listen very carefully. This text is a very very vital one. 44:51 It says: 44:59 Whose disobedience was that? 45:02 Adam's. 45:08 You say: "Well that's not fair! 45:10 Just because Adam sinned why should that make me a sinner? " 45:15 Well, let me ask you a question: 45:18 if your grandfather had died when he was three years old, 45:22 how old would you be tonight? 45:26 Huh? 45:27 You're trying to tell me that your grandfather 45:29 had something to do with you being here? 45:31 Yes. And I'm trying to tell you that Adam 45:33 had something to do with you being a sinner. 45:35 See? 45:37 OK... so by one man's sin 45:40 all of us became sinners. Now listen: 45:49 Now I've gotta ask you: 45:51 are you made righteous by your obedience? 45:54 Or are you made righteous by His obedience? 45:57 You're made righteous by His obedience... not yours. 46:03 See? That's the marvelous thing about it. 46:05 It's His righteousness 46:08 that makes all the difference in the world. 46:13 Jesus had an experience when He was here on earth. 46:17 There was a man who had lived a very, very sinful life. 46:23 In fact, his life had been so bad 46:26 that it had a physical effect upon him 46:29 and it caused him to be on a stretcher. He was a paralytic... 46:32 he couldn't walk. 46:34 And one day he heard about Jesus. 46:39 And he talked some of his friends into taking him 46:41 to see Jesus. And they put him on a stretcher 46:43 and they took him to Jesus. And Jesus was in this house 46:47 and He was talking to people and the place was packed. 46:50 In fact, there were so many people in there 46:52 there were people sitting in the windows and the doorway 46:55 and you couldn't get in. 46:57 And his friends took him up on top of the house 47:01 and they took the tile off the roof. 47:03 And they lowered this man on a stretcher 47:07 right down in front of Jesus. 47:11 And as this man lay there in front of Jesus 47:15 Jesus said this to him: 47:25 Now folks, let me explain something. 47:26 That's all that paralytic wanted. 47:29 He didn't want anything else. 47:32 Just to have the assurance that his sins were forgiven 47:35 and he was free... He could have had his friends 47:38 pick him up and carry him out of that house 47:40 and he would have went out of that house rejoicing! 47:44 His healing - and I'm going to read to you now - 47:47 didn't take place because that was necessarily 47:50 what he was wanting. It took place because there were 47:53 some people in the room that couldn't believe. 47:56 Watch: 48:11 They said: "How can He tell this man his sins are forgiven? 48:16 God's the only one who can forgive sins. " 48:51 The boy just jumped up off the stretcher... 48:53 headed through the house! 49:05 Now I want to ask you, folks: 49:07 what could the paralytic do? 49:11 Come on, what could he do? Nothing! 49:15 He's lying in a stretcher. He can't do one solitary thing! 49:20 He's paralyzed from the neck down. 49:25 It's the power of God! 49:28 The power of God that can change your life tonight! 49:31 The power of God that can make you different. 49:34 It's not your power... it's HIS power. 49:38 And I don't care who you are. 49:41 I don't care where you've been; I don't care what you've done. 49:46 God has the power to change your life 49:49 and make it totally and completely new. 49:56 I mentioned one text to you 49:58 that you ought to go home and highlight in your Bible. 50:02 I'm going to give you one more. 50:04 These are two texts, dear friend... If you don't have any 50:07 others outlined in your Bible, 50:09 highlighted in your Bible, highlight them. 50:35 Perfect in Christ Jesus. 50:39 Oh, isn't that wonderful? 50:40 Jesus said: "Listen, listen: 50:43 give Me your sins... give Me all your sins; 50:46 I'll give you My righteousness. " 50:50 And when that happens God looks at you and says: 50:52 "Aren't they all perfect? " 50:54 "Don't they look so nice? " 50:56 "There's not one sin in any of them! " 50:58 "They're all perfect... " be- cause you have the righteousness 51:02 of Jesus Christ. See... that's what He does for you, friends. 51:07 Marvelous! And He'll do that for you and for me. 51:12 We have a song that we sing. 51:15 Unfortunately, most of the time I ever hear it sung 51:20 is at funerals. 51:22 I don't know of any song in Christendom, folks, 51:25 that to me states the gospel as clearly as this song. 51:31 And that song is simply called Rock of Ages. 51:36 Listen to the words of it. 51:50 See... that's it. 51:53 Like that paralytic I can't bring a thing. 51:56 I can't do anything. All I can do is cling 52:00 to the cross of Jesus Christ. 52:11 As Maddy sang that song I'm going to glory in the cross 52:16 of Christ. If I'm going to boast, I'm going to boast 52:19 in the cross of Jesus Christ 52:21 'cause I have nothing to bring, I have nothing to offer. 52:25 Only in Jesus Christ. 52:29 One of my favorite scriptures is found in the book of Revelation. 52:38 It says this: 52:42 I want you to listen to what the power of God is. 53:07 To Him. I mean... King of kings. 53:11 The Lord of lords, the Ruler over all the kings of the earth. 53:15 That He loved us 53:18 and washed us from our sins in His own blood. 53:20 I'm so glad tonight, folks, 53:23 that that text isn't turned around. 53:25 I'm glad that it doesn't say 53:27 that He washed us and then loved us. 53:31 See, God's not saying to you: "Get yourself all cleaned up 53:34 and then I'll accept you. " 53:36 No. He's saying: "I'll take you just like you are. " 53:40 "Just like you are: 53:42 sinful, undeserving, 53:46 weak, defiled. I'll take you just like you are. " 53:51 He loves us just like we are. 53:53 I'm so glad tonight that He doesn't love us like 53:56 we love babies. You know? 54:00 You know how we love babies, don't you? 54:02 Yeah. If the baby has been washed and powdered 54:05 and is clean, anybody will pick it up and love it. 54:08 But you let it get a snotty nose and a dirty diaper 54:11 and watch how many people go the other way. 54:13 See? God doesn't do that. 54:15 God loves us just exactly like we are. 54:21 And it says that His blood cleanses us from? 54:26 What? All sin! 54:29 Ah, it didn't say some sins. 54:32 It said tonight that the blood of Jesus Christ 54:35 will cleanse you, dear friends. It will cleanse us 54:39 from all sin. 54:41 You remember that text in the Bible that says: "Though 54:43 your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow? " 54:49 "Though they be red like crimson 54:51 they shall be as wool. " 54:55 Now you understand scarlet and snow, don't you? 55:00 Scarlet is read; snow is white. 55:03 You understand the contrast. 55:05 But what in the world is He talking about when He says 55:07 crimson and wool? 55:10 Well, crimson's red. It's a staining agent. 55:12 If you get it in fabric; you can't hardly get it out. 55:15 OK? But what does that have to do with wool? 55:19 Well, when I was a boy I belonged to something called 55:25 the FFA. 55:27 Do you know what that is? Future Farmers of America. 55:32 And one of the requirements for belonging to the FFA 55:37 is that you had to have an ani- mal to show at the county fair. 55:42 So with the help of my father 55:44 we purchased a couple Southdown lambs. 55:48 They're little, cute... they're not very big, OK? 55:52 And I raised these Southdown lambs 55:56 to show at the county fair. 55:58 Dear friend, let me tell you there is much, much more 56:03 to what the Bible has to say when it says we're like sheep 56:06 than you and I ever believed. 56:09 But nevertheless, I raised these lambs 56:11 and getting ready for the county fair. 56:13 And we got down to about oh, maybe, three, four weeks 56:17 before the county fair. 56:19 And my agriculture teacher said: "I want you to go home... 56:22 I want you to get a gunny sack. " 56:23 If you don't know what a gunny sack, a gunny sack is 56:26 a feed sack. And He said: "I want you to cut the corner 56:29 off of it, split it down on one side 56:31 and I want you to put it over those sheep's heads 56:33 and let that sack spread out across their body. " 56:36 Which I did. I went home; I didn't understand why this was 56:39 but I put it over... on the sheep. And they ran around 56:42 with those things on them all day. 56:44 And when I'd go out and feed them I'd pick up those sacks 56:46 and look under there, and the wool was getting dirtier 56:49 every day. 56:50 And I went on. I couldn't understand 56:53 because we were getting closer to the fair all the time. 56:55 And now when I picked that sack up 56:57 it was black. I mean, just kind of a greasy mess under there. 57:02 We got down to about three or four days before the fair. 57:07 Agriculture teacher said: "We're going to come out to your 57:10 house and block your sheep. " 57:12 He came out and brought his shears out there. 57:15 He caught the sheep. Took those sacks off of them. 57:18 I mean, they were filthy dirty. 57:23 And he took those shears and began to cut about an inch 57:26 or an inch and a half of that wool off. 57:28 Those sacks, folks, had pulled all the dirt 57:31 to the top. And when he cut that, that's the purest white 57:36 you'll ever see. "Though your sins 57:40 are as crimson they shall be as wool. " 57:45 That's what God is willing to do for you 57:48 and to do for me. That's what Christ did on the cross. 57:53 That's the power of the cross to change and to make your life 57:56 different. And tonight the Lord Jesus Christ 58:00 is willing just to take and wash your sins 58:03 whiter than snow. |
Revised 2019-03-11