THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS (2)
I CORINTHIANS 1:18 - FOR THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS IS TO THEM THAT PERISH FOOLISHNESS; BUT UNTO US WHICH ARE SAVED IT IS THE POWER OF GOD.
THANK GOD FOR THE CROSS BUT PRAISE GOD FOR THE PERSON OF THE CROSS! It is not the cross that makes Jesus special – it is Jesus that makes the cross special. He turned a symbol of death into a symbol of life! On the Cross, Jesus defeated the devil – Gen. 3:15 – The devil would bruise Jesus’ heel but Jesus would crush the devils head! – On the Cross Jesus defeated Sin, Death, The Grave and Hell! He took the Sting out of Sin – And Victory out of Death!
*I love to tell the story about the little boy who was scared to death of bees and their sting - one day a bee came flying into his room and he was so afraid.
His Dad walked in the room and saw what was going on. He snatched the bee out of the air and squeezed it. When he did the bee stung him and left the stinger in his hand – The Dad looked at his son and said, Son, you don’t have to be afraid of that bee any more I took his stinger away and he can never hurt you again!
Jesus could show us his nail scared hands and say – Son don’t be afraid, I took the sting out of Sin! Hallelujah! I defeated Death, The Grave and Hell! Hallelujah!
Jesus left the beauty of heaven and came to earth – He wore a crown of thorns so we could wear a crown of life – He walked up Calvary’s Hill so we could walk on streets of Gold – He was crucified and died so that we might live – He was treated unjustly, so we could be justified – He went to hell so we could go to heaven!
His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father and The Prince of Peace!
To the Architect – HE IS THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE; To the Baker – HE IS THE BREAD OF LIFE; To the Banker – HE IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD; To the Builder – HE IS THE SURE FOUNDATION; To the Doctor – HE IS THE GREAT PHYSICIAN; To the Carpenter – HE IS THE DOOR; To the Educator – HE IS THE GREAT TEACHER; To the Engineer – HE IS THE NEW AND LIVING WAY;
To the Farmer – HE IS THE LORD OF HARVEST; To the Florist – HE IS THE ROSE OF SHARON AND THE LILY OF THE VALLEY; To the Geologist – HE IS THE ROCK OF AGES; To the Jeweler – THE PERIL OF GREAT PRICE; To the Philanthropist – HE IS THE UNSPEAKABLE GIFT; To the Philosopher – HE IS THE WISDOM OF GOD
To the Servant – HE IS THE GOOD MASTER; To the Preacher – HE IS THE WORD OF GOD; To the Sinner – HE IS THE LAMB OF GOD THAT TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD!
JESUS IS THE CHIEFEST OF TEN THOUSAND – HE IS THE ALTOGETHER LOVELY ONE. – NO ONE CAN COMPARE! - THERE IS NO ONE LIKE JESUS! - NO EQUAL!
AMONG MEN – Jesus was conceived of the Holy Ghost. He was born of a Virgin.
He had an earthly Mother and a Heavenly Father!
AMONG OTHER GODS – He resurrected from the Grave and is alive forever more.
AMONG FRIENDS – He is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
When you look at the Great Men of the Bible or The Great Men of God that live today – No matter who they are they have faults – they have their strengths and weakness. But when you see JESUS – All Strength – No Weakness – I find no fault in Him!
In Jesus there is a Life that can never be duplicated – A Righteousness that will never diminish - A Peace and Rest that cannot be disturbed – A Joy that cannot be discouraged – A Hope that cannot be destroyed – A Light that cannot be darkened A Happiness that cannot be disappointed – A Purity that cannot be defiled – A Resource that cannot be depleted – A Savior that cannot be defeated
And a Wisdom that cannot be debated!
THERE IS NO NEED HE CAN’T MEET – AND THERE IS NO HURT HE CAN’T HEAL!
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega – The First and the Last – The Beginning and the End – Jesus always was, always is, and always will be – Jesus is Unmoved, Unchanged, and Undefeated – Jesus is Love, Light, Longevity and Lord. – Jesus is Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness and God – Jesus is Holy, Righteous, Mighty, Powerful and Pure – His ways are right, His Word is Eternal, His will is unchanging and His mind is on me – He is my Redeemer, My Savior, My Master, My Guide, and He is my Peace – He is my Joy, My Comfort, He is my Lord, He rules my Life.
He will never leave me, nor forsake me, He will never mislead me, Never forget me, Never overlook me – When I fall He lifts me up – When I fail He forgives me
When I am weak He is strong – When I am afraid He is my courage – When I Stumble He steadies me – When I am sick He heals me – When I am broken He mends me – When I can’t see He leads me – When I am hungry He feeds me
When I face troubles and trials He is with me – When I face persecution He shields me – When I have needs He meets them – And when I face death He will be there to carry me safely home – Jesus is everything, for everybody, everywhere, every time, and everyday!
YES, PRAISE GOD FOR THE CROSS – BUT PRAISE GOD FOR THE PERSON OF THE CROSS! DO YOU KNOW THIS PERSON OF THE CROSS? COME TO JESUS!
