What the Cross of Christ Destroys

I was thinking, in effect, the same principle in Romans chapter 3, the question would arise for those become the faith in Christ alone.

Is there any special connection is there any special claim for the Jews until my faith. And Paul says, in effect, in verse 30.

There is only one God and if that one God accepts both Jew and Gentile by faith alone than the ground that the foot of the cross is level justification is equally accessible to Jew and Gentile, and you can divide the world and those two categories do and the rest of us. The Bible identifies two distinct groups choose the Gentiles.

It's also true that the Jews are God's chosen people.

However, when it comes to salvation. All are welcome any prejudice that might exist in the human heart is torn down by the cross of Jesus Christ. When God saves us.

He tears down our pride.

He tears down our inclination to think of ourselves as better than others, and he destroys prejudice will learn more about this next your listing to wisdom for the hard with Stephen Devi and Stevens concluding a series called Sola the day with this message what the cross of Christ destroys one author tells a story along these lines of something that happened in the 19th entry have had this in my file for some time think it will be helpful in illustrating this particular point. He tells the story about Sam and his wife Bessie, who lived in the 19th century on the West Bank of a wide river across the half-mile River was a trading post trading post sold everything from tools and supplies to to medicine because there were no bridges over this river in the warmer months they would traverse that river to the trading post in a rowboat in the winter months. They would walk across on the ice. One winter beginning the winter they shared their cabin with the traveler for a day or two who unknowingly shared with them a highly contagious disease and in a matter of days. Bessie had developed a high fever.

Sam recognize the symptoms and knew that his wife would probably die unless he got the medicine he knew was available at the trading post in antidote for this particular disease.

It was early winter, and the nights have been very cold in the river frozen, but Sam was confident that the ice was not strong enough yet to hold him and it was not thin enough to push his way through in the rowboat, but he loved Bessie and determined. He'd rather die trying to cross the ice than live without her. And so he kissed her fevered brow and went down to the river never try to cross this early in winter in so he had a large plank of wood that he used in front of him as he stretched out prone on the ice and begin the image is way out, praying as he went that the ice I would hold. Things went well for the first 20 or 30 minutes. He was now well out on the river. The ice began to grown.

He scooted slower. He moved forward and enter to and there was more groaning of the ice in more praying from him a few feet further in the ice began to creak and groan and then Rohrer with the terrible crashing sound.

The ice was breaking away, Sam clamped his eyes shot he braced for the icy waters to engulf him.

The roaring grew louder and louder and even louder, but the water never came. Many wondered what was happening. Eventually he looked up and around and then behind him and he saw a man racing his team of horses and the wagon he sat in across the river at hundred feet or so away from him. He watched as this man literally erased that team across the river and up the bank and the man hopped out and went into the trading post, Sam leapt to his feet through his arms in the air and began to shout hallelujah is a Pentecostal. He ran across the ice to the story got the medicine he hitched a ride back on the wagon and raced home to his wife.

No more fear just confidence now no more crawling than running. No more thoughts of perishing, but assurance is not a part of the store that I particularly love John and Nancy were friends of Sam and Bessie and John and Nancy lived in a cabin up on a high bluff that overlooked the river and John had been watching this whole scene take place. He had seen Sam's predicament. Clearly, as he watched it. He was also holding his breath as he watched his friend crawl on his belly across the ice.

Nancy called them away from the window for a few minutes and he missed seeing the wagon race by when he returned to the window, he saw Sam leaping for joy and then running without reservation across the frozen ice wonder what could have happened.give them a vision did.

Suddenly God given some great bestowal of faith know Sam. Although John didn't know it just now had a deeper understanding of the object of his faith. I think that frankly many of our aches and pains and hills and troubles in the church, because we do not have a deep enough understanding of the object or for second Corinthians chapter 2 verse one Paul wrote when I came to you brother and I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. He wrote later in Philippians chapter 3 more than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ maybe found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from keeping the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith towards the apostle Paul said I wanted deeper understanding of Jesus Christ and his cross work that which forms the basis and the foundation of my fate. I wanted on asserting more about my faith. I want to know more about the object of my faith, so he would pray. Great passion for deeper appreciation and fuller understanding of Christ's sufferings is redemptive act of dying the death and dying passion of the work of Christ on behalf of all those who would place their faith in this divine substitute for several weeks we have been discussing the issue faith in Christ alone going to concluded today I want to make sure we concluded with the right perspective we have tested the rope of our salvation. We have crawled out on the eyes of our faith in Christ, we have visit were pressed against the window of divine revelation and all of have held firm and strong like Sam on that frozen River true faith changes the way you live. It also changes behavior faith in Christ died for us on the cross establishes, enlivens, regenerates, redeems us, and then it strengthens us with resolve for holy living. Anything less than that is not true faith. However, the cross, not just build those things out done, just establish those things.

The cross also destroys terrorism things away the gospel of Matthew. The Lord warned the cross would divide family is like a sword. It would divide mother and daughter father and son. Those who would stand in Christ by faith alone would lose the favor of the family. Paul warned that the cross would bring disdain.

He wrote to the Galatians that there would be those who would not want to be identified with the cross of Christ because identifying with the cross would bring shame so the cross would destroy a passive pseudo-peaceful existence and at the close of Romans chapter 3. The apostle informs us that the cross of Christ will destroy at least three things and only give them to pride, prejudice and presumption. First of all, the cross destroys the right for personal pride call and we are look briefly at verse 27 is now summarizing the paragraph and he says where then is your boasting it is excluded. Literally the Greek could translated it is shot out, it's locked out for those who truly understand our faith is in Christ alone. There no reason to boast, there's no reason for personal pride millwright for arrogance or boasting boasting, then, is an uninvited guest in the heart of the true believer since you had nothing to do with earning her salvation. Since you had nothing to do with this gift that came from God through Christ, you have nothing to brag about. The only thing I can ever get in the room to brag about Jesus Christ is the subject of our highest thoughts. He is the object of our deepest love. He is the theme of our finest music as we have just some of him to John's Revelation unfolds a future scene in heaven where believers are singing. Here's the text to that great anthem worthy is the Lamb that was slain for you were slain and purchased for God with thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and you have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they will reign upon the earth you were slain. You shed your blood to purchase us. You redeemed us.

You made us priests those who place their faith in you. You have promised us a future rain with you in this coming new earth and coming new heaven and what it we do to deserve any out. Nothing.

No wonder.

Boasting is excluded true faith in Christ has nothing to brag about but Christ the wonder Paul wrote, God forbid that I should ever glory, except in the what cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the cross of Christ destroys any right to personal pride. Secondly, the cross work of Christ destroys the root of personal prejudice but in verse 29 Paul writes or is God the God of Jews only is he not the God of Gentiles also. This is very troubling for them. Of course, back then it can be applied in the moment as I will do our own day, but here it was Jew and Gentile, and he is answering is God the God of Jews only is he not the God of Gentiles also yes I Gentiles also for since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one only one God only one way of salvation, and it is the way of faith independently of works.

So in other words, he goes back to the idea that the Jews had a special connection with God. Surely God would view the Jewish people as since they were his people. They would get into heaven some different way than the Gentile.

There had been established quite a system of prejudice between Jew and Gentile.

During the days of Paul, the Jewish men will rise every morning prayer prayer that included Thanksgiving that God had not made him Gentile problem with the Jew in Paul's day was not so much in considering themselves as belonging to God, but in considering God as belonging to them so they had developed a sense that they were somehow special and they would only is it work target each other. There are so many books have been published lately in the last 15 years, especially on ministry, true preacher ladies and gentlemen.

A true messenger of the gospel does not target his audience based on race based on color based on some standard of living.

There are pastors and professors, especially in the last 15 years have been teaching how to plant churches by simply in Christ terms the principle of prejudice do your demographic studies of the residence, education, and the race in their income levels and then you plant your church there.

Because that's the kind of church you want. Ladies and gentlemen, the gospel is colorblind.

The gospel is classless. This is causing difficulty in India. Even today are no classes in the gospel. The church should be colorblind to.

It should be race less to. In fact, according to first Peter chapter 2 verse nine. Those who place their faith in Christ become a new race problem of prejudice is a deeper problem in the world is that affects the reason the African-American and Hispanics don't really like each other is nothing new in race reason why people are like brown or black people has nothing to do with color. The reason the Japanese like the Chinese and the Chinese don't particularly like the Taiwanese is nothing to do in geography. It has to do with the hard you redeemed the heart by faith in Christ and Christ's reforms are in prejudice becomes a thing of the past.

One of the great illustrations of prejudice that would fit well within Paul's comments here was Jonah member the story of Jonah is the gotta get swallowed by fish true story. By the way I meant is checking. God told Jonah to go and hold citywide reliably remember Nineveh.

Jonah ran the other way. God sent a storm of John was in that boat and Jonah knew God was after him.

He did know exactly what God was going to do with them but he knew he was after him and he didn't want these other sailors.

The diet, so he told the sailors throw me overboard in the storm, although I hesitate throw him overboard in about that time.

Heat the water oil came open his mouth swallowed Jonah down and he stayed in the belly of the whale for three days until he personally repented. Chapter 2 and he says, in effect, okay Lord. Salvation belongs to the Lord you wanted to say salvation belongs to the Jew you want to got to stay on his side of the rarer tracks you want to got to stay in a Jewish neighborhood Lord and oceans on the Gentile neighborhood onto the stair rear. Furthermore, Jonah was afraid the Ninevites would repent. He had a sense that God was going to be gracious in revealing his grace of this pagan corrupt nation. In fact, everyone from the King on down to that.

The servant repented and followed after God. Jonah didn't want and then applied for a brother. So for three days in the belly of the whale, he resisted and finally prayed okay salvation is from the Lord, and of the Lord and without God allow the will to spit them up on the dry land when preached. Nineveh repented Jonah what valid I find it incredibly amazing that it took Jonah 3 days in the belly of the whale before he finally gave in and fight been thrown overboard and the whale came after me open his mouth. I was swallowed down under the belly that way would that time I hit the bottom might be saying okay Lord okay. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Salvation belongs to the Lord three days he believed not only that the Jew belonged to God you believe the God along the Jew. Paul is teaching. In effect, the same principle in Romans chapter 3, the question would arise for those to come to faith in Christ alone. Is there any special connection is there any special claim for the Jews to come by faith. And Paul says, in effect, in verse 30. There is only one God and if that one God accepts both Jew and Gentile by faith alone than the ground at that foot of the cross is level justification is equally accessible to Jew and Gentile, and you can divide the world and those two categories Jews and the rest of us Gentiles.

The cross destroys the root of personal prejudice one more thing the cross that only destroys the right to personal pride in the root of personal prejudice. The third, the cross of Christ destroys the rationale of personal presumption, Paul writes in verse 31 look there. Do we then nullify the law through faith may never be enough hours we get rid of all, God forbid, your translation may read.

You can render it not errors never know. Never on the contrary, we establish the law. What is he mean here.

Those who were listening to Paul believe then that you were saved by grace through faith alone, having nothing to do with the works of the law than with the law be important. Can we just throw it away and I'll just live anywhere want. There was a belief in his day that was rising that would rise, I should say in the early church. The first century, the that since the grace of God forgives and will just send more in the grace of God will be even more evident and you'll see it. So the more you send the better off you are. Paul will answer that question in chapter 6, verse one what shall we say then he writes are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase may never be. Same phrase here, God forbid, not in a million years.

How shall we died to sin still live in it. But the question could honestly be asked could knit since the law doesn't matter in getting anybody to heaven.

We just hearing the law.

The moral law of God, those timeless laws that would apply in any culture and at any time.

Well Paul says here in verse 31, but the law was established. What is the mean two things very quickly. Number one the cross establish the law by upholding the standard of the law. At the cross of Christ. The essential nature of God's holiness. We sang about it earlier. It triumphed at the cross.

Do you realize that it triumphed the standard of God's holiness was not abolished by the crucifixion.

It was upheld, the cross was absolutely necessary because the law was nonnegotiable. So God upheld the law in his son was crucified to pay the penalty for lawbreakers James Montgomery Boyce is now with the Lord illustrated with a couple of very good thoughts. He said this oppose the God of the clear the law necessary. Suppose even said I don't thing is going to be necessary for me to send my son to die on the cross for sinners by grace. I'm just going allow them to be saved.

Anyway they want to be saved, they can attempt to keep the law and I'll just accept whatever their attempts are all set up certain standard of what I'll call a passing grade.

Those who make it to that passing point will get in was supposedly God sent a passing grade.

It 70% would he not then violate 30% of the law and what if within that 30% of the law were the commands I shall not kill or commit adultery with the violating that part of it. Would that be unimportant.

What if God put the passing score of 50%. Would he not then be saying that 50% of the law is nullified.

Both the cross were unnecessary and God save this on the basis of whatever we could do 30%, 40%, 60%, 70% since we do not in fact keep any of it perfectly. God would actually be setting aside than the entire law because you couldn't keep 30% and maybe I could. Instead, the cross of Christ revealed that God took the law seriously seriously enough to require the life of a substitute who in this eternal case was his own son. Which leads me to the second.

Not only does the cross establish the law by upholding the standard of the law. The cross establish the law by fulfilling the verdict of the law.

This all that Satan shall surely live, surely die, the words of William R Newell the cross of Christ established the law by having its penalty executed Robert Haldane Road. Can there be any greater respect shown to the law than that when God determines to save men from its curse he makes his own son to sustain its curse in their stead and fulfill the depths of its eternal verdict for the wages of sin is eternal death. God could've looked the other way God could have just lobbed us into heaven. God could've graded us all on a curve yet you're better than that guy over there so you get in.

God could have graded for sincerity in the popular tune of our own American culture is a God on a mountaintop in an are many paths you can make to God, you just hike up the mountain and you get to the top of it and you'll find God there. That may sound tolerant, and that may sound intelligent, but you must realize that makes God a fool if there are many paths to God will make his son die. There are many ways now. I put the sun through humiliation and suffering. Just let people find their other ways to God truth is there is no curve there is no passing grade for sincerity. There is no 70% passing score see the cross of Jesus Christ establish the lollies and gentlemen because it established on record. The need for a perfect score in the fact that we would never earn it. Then, through Christ's atonement on our behalf, having died in our place experiencing an eternity of punishment because he is an eternal, infinite being God by his grace to those who place their faith in him.

He race the F the failing mark out of your leisure of life and in its place in that column. Wrote in 100% because in Christ are perfectly part and justify. You must have him as it were. Take your place and you benefit from the fact that he has by placing your faith in him read several months ago that an advanced philosophy course taught in a university in the professor was a legendary about failing students at a few of those wasn't anything I could do it be you were that way to the final exam was approaching and the professor announced that each student could bring to the exam one sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper with everything they could cram onto that paper front and back.

They could use it on the exam. Students of course developed immediately an incredible ability to write very microscopically. They rode from edge to edge upside down along the edges and cram their papers full of information they could use daily exam arrived, the students file then with their pencils and are one sheet of paper. One student sat down in the front and simply placed his sheet of paper on the floor. It was perfectly blank.

He then brought in a graduate student who was about to earn his doctorate in philosophy and had him stand on top of that paper. The others protested but this student reminded them in the professor that they had all been told they could use anything they could fit on the one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and a great professor nodded his approval and he was the only student pass. Truth is, ladies and gentlemen, none of us will ever pass the test. The law got established. It he upholds it he requires the verdict of the law to be carried out only those who invite Christ in your Lord you stand in my stead. I know nothing. I am you stand as my substitute that will be the person who passes through the gates of everlasting life. So ladies and gentlemen, I want to perfectly clear with you as we leave our study on the subject of soul of I want you leaving, saying, oh, what a great faith. I want to the sale. What a great Savior. We do not glory in our faith. We do not worship our faith, glory, and the object of our faith.

We worship the strong one in whom we have placed our faith. We worship the man of sorrows who took our place on the cross.

We worship the Lamb of God who died to establish our faith. He is he is the wonderful counselor is the mighty God is the Prince of peace. Listening to wisdom with Steven David Stephen pastors the shepherd's church in Cary, North Carolina. Today's message is called what the cross of Christ destroys and is the sixth and final message in the series so left the day if you'd like a copy of this entire series for your library of Christian resources, please call and ask about it.

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