The Cross: An Instrument of Death

Romans 8:1

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The flesh—the real enemy of every believer is his flesh. The power of Satan and his sin was defeated at the cross. The old man born of Adam died with Jesus 2,000 years ago when he accepted by faith the sacrifice of Jesus for his sin. The lingering problem is the flesh. The carnal nature. All that I want that stands in the way of what God wants for me.

Let’s try to understand this better—the Spirit

Can these bones live? 37:3 O’ Lord God you knowest. 37:3

Thus says the Lord to these bones, “I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live? 37:4

Ezekiel 36:27

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Jeremiah 31:33-34

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD,

I will put my law in their inward parts,

and write it in their hearts;

and will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

A believer that is led by the Spirit allows the Lord to search the heart and try the reins. The word of God, the Law of God, becomes more than ink on a page, more than do’s and don’ts, more than rights and wrongs, it breaks through selfishness and self centeredness, it drills through the mantle and reaches the core.

Spirit communicates to spirit and the word of God divides asunder between joint and marrow and soul and spirit and reveals—it discerns the motives and intents of the heart.

But in order for it to work, the believer must not be led by his flesh. An elementary school level understanding of the message of the cross produces a person that is puffed up with pride about their own knowledge of the cross especially in comparison to others and would say to be led by the Spirit means to put faith in the cross, but they never allow their own flesh to be nailed to the cross.

Sin was defeated on Jesus’ cross 2,000 years ago, but your flesh/ my must be crucified daily.

But flesh doesn’t want to die, the self wants to live. The soulish man (1 Corinthians 2:14-3:1), I’m not talking about the pneumatikos that would be the man dominated by the Spirit of God. I’m talking about when the sarkikos and the psuchikos have a Rendezvous. I’m talking about when the soulish man and all his learning and all his beautiful self has a get together with his fleshly man and convinces himself that he’s okay. After all, I don’t drink, smoke, cook meth, or sleep with people.

But what about how you look at the shortcomings of others and view yourself superior to a brother or sister because you don’t smoke or drink, but your mind is filled with lust, your heart is filled with anger that can be hidden most of the time but at the right moment, with the right button—bam! We got a flesh festival now baby!

We talk about the victory of the cross and most of us can quote this:

With His last breath He cried, “It is finished. The earth quaked, the veil was torn from top to bottom signifying that access to the holiest of holies was made available and some of us knowing that are like well, let me go in there, and we enter in and bask in His glory. His presence becomes like a warm wave of love that just wraps me up and man I just love His presence, but do we let Him in here? Do we let Him speak and have His way? When He reveals what He wants, do we yield and submit and be led by His Spirit? Or do we allow the fleshly man to speak to the soulish man and allow the mind to suppress His Spirit?

If we do, then we’re being led by the flesh in that area. And that’s why people that love God can still be full of pride and think more highly of themselves than what they ought.

And that is one aspect of the lust of the flesh. Not fornication, not a desire for drugs or alcohol or internet pornography, a lust for self to live, pride— a refusal to die!

The flesh not only wants mastery over the body for lust it also mastery over the body for law. Just like the flesh lusts to be seen and recognized, it also lusts to perform. It wants to read more Bible than everybody, sing more than everybody, do more works than everybody, heal more than everybody, give more prophetic utterances than everybody. Preach more than everybody. The flesh wants to perform and it wants recognition for its performance.

In a sense, the doing of Law demanded holiness without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Do this and live the Law demands

But gives me neither feet nor hands

A better word the gospel brings

It bids me fly and gives me wings

God never intended that the working of the Law would atone for sin and result in righteousness— righteousness was always the work of the sacrifice.

Leviticus 17:11

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

9am, 3pm, every time an unknowing sin came aware, trimming wicks, filling oil, burning incense, changing shewbread, entering holy of holies

and then this word:

Deuteronomy 4:1

Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.

Deuteronomy 4:5-8

5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

With all this taking place, all the works and self performance, God’s favor shining down on His people, if not careful, the heart of self magnifies itself and instead of staying humbled and reminded that it’s God that does it, it exalts itself and pride has friends.

Pride surrounds itself with the other lusts of the flesh. If love is where the fruit of the Spirit flows, then pride is where the lusts of the flesh. Let me explain what I mean. God is love. His Spirit produces love and from His love flows: love joy, peace, longsuffering, patience, gentleness and kindness. Satan said I will exalt myself Leviathan is the king over all the children of pride (Job 41:34).

Pride says that I don’t have to live according to the word in this area of my life.

Conclusion:

If you’re a believer, you don’t have a sin problem. You have a flesh problem. You have a refusal to lower yourself under the hand of God. What we all need to do is find an altar somewhere. This one works well, but nowadays people avoid the altar. Make an altar in your closet. A place where you can get alone with God and let Him speak to your heart and there when He reveals what He wants gone, let Him have it, let Him put it on the cross in Jesus’ name!

The Cross: The Ministry of Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:17-18

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Faith in Jesus and His death: the old life passes away and God’s gift of new life is given.

18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Financially reconciliation makes an adjustment that corrects the books. Man born in Adam, is born in sin and is in debt. Jesus’ death paid the debt and now the books can be reconciled (Romans 6:23).

1 Corinthians 6:17

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

When a person is born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live in the person. The human spirit is joined with God’s Spirit (John 4:24).

Genesis 3:24

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Sin separates man from God’s presence. God’s ministry of reconciliation begins after the fall with the skins of animals but finds fulfillment at the cross of Christ. Notice how God places Cherubims [angels] with swords to prevent entrance back into the presence of God.

Exodus 25:16-22

16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

The ark was a box made of gold, and within the box, the “testimony,” which was the 10 commandments was placed into the ark. If the Law was not kept completely, it was considered broken.

17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

Just as there were 2 Cherubims preventing access to God’s presence, we will see that these 2 Cherubims are associated with allowing access to God’s presence.

19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

The faces of the cherubim are looking towards the top of the mercy seat.

21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

“The testimony” is another way to say the 10 commandments. In order to live by the Law every aspect of the Law must be kept (James 2:10). If it’s not kept perfectly, it’s considered by God as broken.

22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

It’s further explained in Leviticus 16 that on the Day of Atonement, once per year, blood is applied on top of the Mercy Seat, between the Cherubims. This would change this place from judgment (broken law) to a place of mercy. Now, the Cherubims don’t see broken law, they see the blood. Only the high priest was allowed into God’s presence once per year, but God is furthering the ministry of reconciliation.

Romans 3:25

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

The Greek word for propitiation means mercy seat. Jesus is our mercy seat. Because of His sacrifice. We are allowed back into the presence of God. When He dies, the veil that separated the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom signifying that access into the presence of God was now granted to those who come through faith in the blood of Jesus (Matthew 28:5; Hebrews 10:19, 20).

Genesis 3:10

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Because of sin, Adam’s covering of glory was removed and the exposure of his sin produced a separation between him and God’s presence. The forces of darkness are connected to sin and sin and darkness are not comfortable in the presence of God.

Genesis 3:7

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Since the fall, mankind has tried to find a way to escape the guilt of His sin, but there is only one thing that is accepted by God the Father as reconciliation for the sin debt and that is the blood of Jesus, meaning His death pays the wage of sin. It’s important for Christians to understand that if they have accepted Jesus, then they can call upon God, they can enter God’s presence without fear or reservation! The word of God says that Jesus’ sacrifice paid the penalty of your sin. You can trust God’s word.

Genesis 3:21

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

It must be believed that these skins represent the first sacrifice. If you read back in chapter 1 of Genesis, you will realize that man and animal were herbivores, meaning that they did not eat meat. Moving forward in Leviticus, it becomes clear that animal sacrifices were a temporary answer for forgiveness of sin—the innocent animal dying in place of guilty man, until finally Jesus came to die as the sinless man, who made right what the first sinless creation [Adam] made wrong because the blood of bulls and goats cannot remove sin (Hebrews 10:4).

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

When a person puts faith in Jesus, the old man is buried and a new man is resurrected, and the new man is clothed in Jesus in God’s eyes.

1 Corinthians 15:49

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Ultimately, we will receive a glorified body and our reconciliation in God’s presence will be complete.

Ezekiel 36:26-27

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

In the Old Testament, God promised that He would provide a new covenant where He would change the inside of people and give them a new spirit and a new heart. It was mentioned earlier that when we’re born again, we are joined together with God in our spirit.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

The ministry of reconciliation makes it possible that the blood of Jesus takes away our sin and allows the Spirit of God to come and live within us.

Colossians 2:13

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

In Adam [our first birth], we were born dead. In Jesus [born again], we are made alive through the power of His resurrection.

Ephesians 1:13

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

It’s already been said, but God keeps saying it, so I will also. When a person responds by faith to the gospel, the Spirit of God seals them and comes to live in them and their life will never be the same again.

Luke 9:59-60

59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

60 -- Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

Genesis 1:26

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

When God created Adam, mankind was created in the image and likeness of God.

Genesis 5:3

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

After Adam sinned, mankind was born in the image and likeness of Adam [with a sinful nature]

Ephesians 4:22-24

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation [conduct or behavior] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

The “old man,” who we were before we were born again, used to live his life a certain way, but new creations are supposed to look differently, talk differently and act differently.

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Our spirit is joined with God’s Spirit. The word says that we are new creations in Christ. The word says that we are not who we used to be. The word says that the old man that we were originally born as in Adam, died with Jesus on the cross, was buried with Jesus in the tomb and was resurrected with Jesus to newness of life (Romans 6:3,4)

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

It’s just that simple. Through faith, the old died and the new was resurrected and now, like an old pair of shoes you take off the old and put on the new. The only thing holding you back is:

1. You don’t know it so you can’t believe it and that’s why we need a renewed mind

2. You’re not ready to give up sin and keep walking the same path In the same shoes

Hebrews 1:3

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Jesus, the last Adam, came in the image of God and died to make right what Adam made wrong

Romans 8:29

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Now, being born again, the Holy Spirit lives in me, and as I yield to His will, my old man and his old ways are crucified, and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, I am being molded into the image of Jesus.

John 3:3

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

The ministry of reconciliation cannot happen unless a man is truly born again.

Romans 6:5-6

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

In God’s mind our old man that was sinful, naked and offensive has died and a new man has been resurrected. The new man is clothed in Christ, and he is being molded into the image of Jesus. Jesus is the image of God; therefore, when the Father looks at a Christian, He sees Himself, like He did when He looked at Adam before the fall.

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

The renewed mind understands that the old man is crucified with Jesus, he also understands that the power of sin is broken through this spiritual death, burial and resurrection with Jesus, and lastly he understands that he does not have to be a slave to sin.

Romans 8:11

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

The ministry of reconciliation takes people that are born dead in the first birth in Adam, kills them and buries them in Jesus and resurrects them through the power of the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in the believer now, and He is there to continuously make changes as the believer cooperates with Him.