Open Door Fellowship
Pentecostal Church of God, Bland Mo. 65066
Full Gospel Ministry in Song and Word
Pastor Rev. Steven Wagner Telephone: 573-437-5190
Rt 3, Owensville MO. 65066 Date: 3/8/98
SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF THE CHURCH SERIES
THE OFFENSE OF THE CROSS
[ CROSSLESS CHRISTIANITY ]
Opening: This is a series of Bible studies and sermons on what I feel to be the spiritual condition of the Church in the end times. God has laid a heavy burden on my spirit to preach this WORD he has given me, and I will preach and continue to preach until He tells me to change.
A. We live in a crossless Church.
a. We have lost the message of self-denial. We want to be a Christian all right, but we are not willing to deny ourselves and follow him.
(Mat 16:24 KJV) 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.
b. Today in the church we applaud prayer seminars, buy and read books about prayer and listen to tapes teaching about prayer, but fail to pray.
1. Prayer is hard work.
2. We don't like hard work we like comfort.
3. Why engage in spiritual warfare when it is so much easier to watch television, to talk on the phone or go out socializing?
4. Bottom line church we are selfish.
a. We work real hard to pursue and do the things that we think will make us happy, but we give little thought to the things that we could do that would please God.
B. To many today and even probably to many of you the preaching of the cross is offensive, because it reminds us of how self-centered we are.
a. Come on Pastor lets get off of this subject your running into the ground.
b. Lets get back to regular church and off of this end time stuff, cross bearing, and all this stuff about the remnant of the church. I want to be comfortable when I come to church.
C. We still have a high regard for the cross of Calvary, through which we enter salvation. But we are ignoring another cross.
I. ITS THE CROSS EACH OF US IS TO BEAR DAILY AFTER WE HAVE BEEN RECONCILED WITH GOD THROUGH JESUS' ATONING WORK ON HIS CROSS.
A. Jesus didn't make this cross an option or something we could do for extra credit.
a. As far as Jesus was concerned, the cross was to be an integral part of life for His followers.
(Mat 10:38 KJV) And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
(Mat 10:39 KJV) He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
b. Do you hear the words ringing in your ears this morning "he that loseth his life for my sake".
1. You thought you wanted to be a Christian! Did you count the cost?
(Luke 14:26 KJV) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:27 KJV) And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:28 KJV) For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
(Luke 14:29 KJV) Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
(Luke 14:30 KJV) Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
(Luke 14:31 KJV) Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
(Luke 14:32 KJV) Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
(Luke 14:33 KJV) So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:34 KJV) Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
(Luke 14:35 KJV) It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
2. Of course Jesus was not speaking of a literal cross.
a. What he meant is that all of his followers were to die to self on a daily basis.
b. Everyday we are called to die to self in order to show the world Jesus.
c. If there is no self-denial in our lives, we are not worthy of Christ.
d. Each day we have to be willing to do things we aren't naturally inclined to enjoy doing.
3. The natural response is, "That's all very nice, but do I have to do that? or "Why do I have to do that?"
a. We must bear our crosses, and we must do this because anything that comes to God must come through a cross of some kind.
b. For Jesus, it was a literal cross. He had to bear His cross and endure its pain, and since we are His disciples, we must do the same.
THE CROSS IS A SYMBOL OF DEATH, DEATH OF THE SINFUL NATURE AND RESURRECTION OF THE NEW CHRISTLIKE CHILD OF GOD.
B. Please understand that self-denial by its self will never purchase your salvation.
a. You can deny yourself until you are blue in the face, and your self-sacrifice will not save you.
b. Only the shed blood of Christ can bring you salvation nothing else can.
c. Self-denial can't make you more saved than Christ's blood, either.
d. Nothing can make you any more saved than the blood shed on the cross at Calvary.
1. However, the only way to be a true and obedient disciple of Jesus is through self-denial.
2. In order to accomplish the work God has entrusted to us, we must die to self.
3. When we take up our cross, we enter into God. Our life then glorifies Him.
e. Put simply only the blood can save you from your sins, not any works you can do yourself. But and its a big but, If you are truly saved, you can not serve Christ and continue in Christ unless you are willing to crucify the flesh, take up your cross, die to self, deny this world and proclaim Christ as your God and serve Him only.
1. This is the second cross we are talking about today. The cross of Calvary has paid the price for all mankind to be saved is understood and we don't have a problem with. We all want to be saved. The problem comes with the second cross, the cross of serventhood, discipleship, denial of the flesh, self and the exaltation of Jesus Christ as our Lord is the one we have problems with.
2. But God makes it very clear in His word, while works won't save us in the initial cross, it is the work of our own personal cross we must bare that will determine weather we make it into the promise land.
3. Israel was saved by Jehovah God, through Moses, but because of their refusal to serve their God, they lost out and never entered the promised land.
(Heb 3:12 KJV) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
(Heb 3:13 KJV) But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
(Heb 3:14 KJV) For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
(Heb 3:15 KJV) While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
(Heb 3:16 KJV) For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
(Heb 3:17 KJV) But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
(Heb 3:18 KJV) And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
(Heb 3:19 KJV) So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
(Heb 4:1 KJV) Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
C. There are two methods being used today to work for God.
a. We can either work through the flesh or we can work through the Spirit.
1. Most of what takes place in the name of Jesus today is accomplished through the flesh.
a. We have singers who trust in their gifted vocal abilities to accomplish the work of God.
b. Many preachers rely on hype, style or eloquence to accomplish the work God has given to them.
c. These people are unwilling to work through the Spirit because that would mean dying to self.
(2 Cor 4:11 KJV) For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
(2 Cor 4:12 KJV) So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
d. Most of what gets done today is to bring glory to man, singers doing what ever it takes to make money, preachers putting on Hollywood shows on television, glorifying themselves.
e. We watch them just to see what they are going to do next, because we are excited by them, we like to be entertained, we want to see what circus act there going to do next.
f. I'm sorry but I don't buy there lights, glitter, and gold television sets. It is bringing glory to them and not God.
g. I don't see them preaching self denial, cross bearing, living a sinless life, what I see is people that look like they came off of the rich and famous performing supposedly works of the Holy Spirit, slaying people in the spirit, and building themselves up.
h. Look at the way they bill themselves, do they bill there ministry in the name of Jesus Christ, or in their own name, does their ministry bring glory to God or are they two busy selling their books, bracelets, and trinkets or building a supposedly Jesus World.
B. Paul understood that there is only one way to show the world Jesus' life in our lives; through the death of our flesh.
1. This is why prayer and fasting are so vital in ministry.
a. Any believer who won't give himself over to these two exercises has very little of Jesus to offer others.
2. Spiritual warfare is most effectively fought through the denial of self.
a. We cannot match Satan's strength in ourselves, much less overcome him.
b. All we have to do is become the opposite of him.
c. For instance, because Satan is the prince of the world (John 16:11), anything we do to identify ourselves as worldly makes us powerless over Satan.
d. Our power over the enemy comes through death to self and to the pride of this life.
(Col 2:15 KJV) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
e. We might think Jesus could have vaporized Satan anytime he wanted, he could have called an whole army of angels when they were going to hang him on the cross, but became the opposite of Satan and defeated him.
II. WE HAVE A CHOICE
A. You may feel that prayer and fasting are a waste of your time.
a. That is only because you do not see the development of Christ's character in your life as being important.
1. God however, sees it as the most important thing there is, and our will must conform to His.
a. If you did think it was important for Christ's character to become your character at any cost you would be in your prayer closet until you received it. But we don't want to pay the price. We are satisfied with the way things are in our lives as Christians.
2. We must choose to bear our cross and die to self in order to develop His character within us.
3. Jesus had to make that same decision.
a. He could have refused to bear His cross when the appointed time came.
b. Even after he was taken to Pilate, he could have chosen to call legions of angels to deliver him from the hands of the Jews and the Romans.
c. He could even have come down from the cross if He had wanted.
d. But He chose to put the Father's interests above His own personal comfort.
4. We too have a decision to make.
a. The Father is calling us to bear a cross and to deny ourselves, and like Jesus, we can decide to refuse.
b. We can decide to put our own interests and our own comforts before His.
5. Paul warned against that option.
(Phil 3:17 KJV) Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
(Phil 3:18 KJV) (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
(Phil 3:19 KJV) Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
(Phil 3:20 KJV) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
a. Paul knew that there were believers who failed to live according to the pattern he taught.
b. They were people who made themselves enemies to the cross of Christ, but not to Christ himself.
c. They were enemies of self-denial, individuals who refused to bear their cross.
d. Instead they became preoccupied with enjoying all the pleasures that the world could offer them.
e. They forgot that their citizenship was in heaven and that their greatest hope should have been the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Heb 12:2 KJV) 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.
Closing:
1. We have a choice to make.
a. We can live for pleasure and enjoyment of our flesh as enemies of the cross of Christ.
b. Then one day when we stand in front of God, when we should have inherited the promise just like Israel, we are told He doesn't know us depart from Him.
2. On the other hand, we can fix our eyes on Jesus and live as He did, dying to self and bearing our cross.
a. If we live for God and not for ourselves, we can look with great joy and hope to the return of our Master.
b. When He reviews His record of accounts and sees how wisely we invested in the kingdom while on earth, He will be pleased.
c. He will commend us and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
WE ALL HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE; WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH THE CROSS?