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| Sermons and Biblical Teaching |
| by: Bro. Larry A. King |
| THE BENEFITS OF THE CROSS The benefits of the Cross come to us through the sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross. We refer to it as his finished work. None of man's ways, none of his works will suffice to meet the needs of man. Many today are getting away from the Cross and the preaching of the Cross but Paul said "The preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." I Cor. 1:18. He said "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ". Gal. 6:14. In other words, anything that we get from God or anything that we are or ever will be comes to us through the Cross and more specifically, by what Christ did upon that cross. What are the benefits of the Cross? They are many and varied. Just as I said, everything we have comes from God to us by virtue of the Cross. However, two things I want to address specifically to those who may view our website. First of all, for those of you who do not know God, he prepared the way for you through his death in order that you might live. You see, sin had a claim on all of humanity since Adam's fall. Being how man himself fell, man had to redeem himself. Yet this was impossible because everyone born after Adam was born with a sin nature. However, the Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin without a sin nature and he took your place, not only for you, but AS you in order that you would not have to die for your sins. You see, the wages of sin is death. Rom. 6:23. If Jesus had not died in your place, those wages of sin that sin demanded would still have to be paid by you. But he took your place. Now all you have to do is to realize that you cannot save yourself, trust in what he did on the Cross, and accept it, and thereby the wages of sin have been paid, by him. But you must accept him, exhibit faith in him in order to have this great blessing of mercy and grace extended toward you. Without it, you have no chance. Heaven awaits those who choose him; Hell awaits those who refuse. Secondly, the Cross not only extends to those who are lost but as the same capacity of grace is extended to them, it is also extended to those who accept him in the form of sanctification. There are some who think that they can maintain good works and that this will achieve them or earn them sanctification. Good works are important but they will not make you holy or righteous before God. Only a continual faith exhibited in what Jesus did on Calvary will achieve this. This will in turn guarantee you the help of the Holy Spirit in overcoming sin and living a victorious Christian life. Without your faith continually upon it, you go back under law and you are doomed to failure every time. It takes faith in the sacrifice of Calvary. My question to you today is this: Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Regardless of what part of the world you are from, he is there waiting for you to call out to him. If you will do so, he will certainly hear you and save you. The Word of God records the way to salvation in Romans, chapter 10, verses 9 and 10. If you give your heart to God today, write us and let us know. We will be glad to help you get started with a Bible and some literature. My question to the Christian today is this: Do you know him in the power of his resurrection? This means that through his sacrifice on Calvary, you have overcoming abundant life which Jesus promised you could have. Do you have the victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. If not, it is available and it is only available through the finished work of Christ. If you are not enjoying this freedom in Christ, feel free to write us and we will be glad to assist you in any way we can. Remember, it is the Cross that brings about the benefits; that being, salvation, sanctification, and everything else you get from God. It comes completely through and by the finished work of Christ |
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