The Power of the Preaching of the Cross

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The quality of our walk in the Spirit, in practice, is proportional to the revelation of the Cross that we have received, and to the extent in which we dwell in that revelation. If we sin, because we have given in to a fleshly impulse, it means that we have not firmly maintained our faith in the power of God, so as to stand firm in the work of Jesus. If so, however, our condition is not desperate, according to Romans 7 : " For the good that I will to do, I do not do ; but the evil I will not to do, that I do. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good." (Rom. 7:19-21).That is Paul’s description of his own condition before he was set free through the revelation of the Cross. It is the condition of one who truly wants to walk with God, and does his utmost to walk with Him. He is as miserable as can be when he does wrong things, because he loves God. He says : "See, Lord, I’ve gone and done it again. I was really determined not to lose my temper, not to sulk, not to be impatient, and so on… but I’ve done it again ! Please forgive me, Lord !" And in His love, the Lord is so quick to forgive that it’s almost unbelievable ! But what is much more pleasing to the Lord is to restore our understanding of His own work, so that we remember that our flesh has been crucified with Jesus, that the former things have passed away, and that whoever is in Jesus is an utterly new creation. If you know that you are dead and crucified, you will reckon yourself dead and crucified, because God says so. If you know that you are five feet, six inches tall, that you have brown hair and blue eyes, and if someone comes and says : "You are six feet tall and you’ve got green eyes", you will answer, "Of course not, I know what I’m like."

Do you know what you are in Christ ? Do you know that you are in Christ ? In Christ, you are a former sinner who has repented, who is dead to his past life and has risen to a new life. Of course, you have no right to say so unless the Holy Spirit has caused you to experience those things in your heart of hearts, and unless you have received them through prayer, worship and thanksgiving.

"Lord, through the Cross of Calvary, you have made me a new creation. Once and for all, that Cross has nailed down my flesh and all its sinfulness. When You rose from the dead, You made me a new creation, and I walk in newness of life because I have received it in faith." Such a confession becomes just as strong as the assurance I have of my salvation. If you know that you are saved and if Satan or someone else comes along and says : "I’m sure you aren’t saved", if deep down in your heart you know that you are saved, you’ll reply : "I know that my sins have been forgiven, that the blood of Jesus has washed away my sins. I know, because the Scriptures say so, and I have received it in faith. When I heard the Gospel, the Holy Spirit touched me. He showed me I was a sinner. He showed me that Jesus had paid my debt for me, that His blood had been shed, and that if I asked to be forgiven, that blood would atone for all my sins. I asked for forgiveness from the bottom of my heart, and through faith in Jesus, I have received that forgiveness. I know it, I have experienced it, and nobody can take it away from me."

But do you know that you have been crucified with Jesus, and that dreadful flesh of yours, the cause of all the problems in your life, your family, and your church, was destroyed on the Cross ? It is not Satan who causes all of our problems in our marriages, in our families, and in the Church : it is our uncrucified flesh ! Wherever the flesh is not yet crucified, it is an open door to Satan and all sorts of demons. Let’s stop blaming Satan for all our problems. Of course it is he who causes sickness, infirmities, wars, and so on, but he would be powerless to do a thing among God’s people if we lived as ones who are crucified with Jesus. There is only one way to overcome Satan : through the Cross. It’s no use getting all worked up, no use shouting : "Satan, I bind you, I cast you out." Under certain circumstances, you may be led to speak like that, but only if you are standing on the ground of the Cross. Let us take care not to fight the wrong enemy : "Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:11-12). Paul can say that because he takes it for granted that the Ephesians’ flesh has indeed been crucified. A battle against my own flesh is guaranteed to fail. What I need is to receive in faith that my flesh has been crucified : that strengthens me enough to resist every demon and to fight the good fight that God is calling me to. If we fight our own flesh, we have already lost.

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