Living Hope Fellowship Church

THE CROSS

Training Material

by Pastor Kevin Badgley

THE CROSS

Preface

(the cross is for your crucifixion)

          Luke 9:23 says, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”  We take up the cross so that we will be crucified on it.

          Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

          God gives us power to be holy and sanctified, and to live an upright life before the Lord.  It is a supernatural walk to be a Christian and stay a Christian.  We have to take up the cross and follow Jesus all the way to heaven.

THE CROSS

by Pastor Kevin Badgley

          1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”  God’s people must be saved, or they are not God’s people.  You must be born again, bought with the blood of Jesus, living a holy, sanctified life (out of the world, out of the fleshly ways), and headed for heaven in your faith. 

          God has decreed in Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”  However, many people today are preaching that sanctification is not necessary. 

          Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, who is the final authority, said in Luke 9:23, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”  If any man is going to be a child of God and a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, he must take up his cross daily and follow Jesus. 

          What is that cross for?  The Bible declares that it is the power of God in our lives.  To them that perish the preaching of the cross is foolishness.  These are sinners, the backslid, and those who are lukewarm.  They say preaching about us taking up our cross daily is not necessary.  Yet, unto us who are saved, it is the power of God.  We preach the cross and Jesus Christ crucified and raised again from the dead. 

          Many do not want to hear the preaching of the cross.   When Jesus was nailed to the cross, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes; the big wigs in the church; and the preachers of Christ’s day said to Him in Matthew 27:40, “. . . Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself.  If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 

          Some preachers will say, You don’t have to be on that cross to be a son of God (a child of God).  You don’t have to be nailed to a tree.  You don’t have to go through persecution, reproach, hard times, and warfare, and work the works of sanctification to be a son of God.  Come down off that cross!  You don’t have to go through all this in order to be a child of God.  There’s a better way.     

          Don’t listen to lying preachers and barking dogs.  Listen to children of God who have a word from the Lord.  It says in James 4:17, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 

          Romans 14:23 says, “. . . for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”  1 John 3:8 tells us that, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. . . .”  These are scriptures out of God’s Word.  They are not out of the mouth of some mere man, but out of the mouth of Almighty God.  Are you going to listen to God or to those who say it is foolish to preach the cross of Christ? 

          The Bible declares that we should take up the cross daily.  We take it up so that we will be crucified on it! You say, Well, Jesus has already died for my sins!  That’s right, but Jesus said if you are going to walk after Him, you are going to have to go the same way that He went.  He said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

          In the gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16, Jesus began to tell His disciples what it would take to receive the resurrection, because He was going to go as our first example; He would show them the way. 

          Matthew 16:21 says, “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”  He talked all about the crucifixion, the reproach, and the mockery.  He also said that He would be raised again. 

          You cannot be resurrected unless you are first crucified!  You cannot be crucified unless you first get on your knees and repent at the Gethsemane of your life.  The only way you can make heaven is to go through Gethsemane, go through Calvary, and then rise up with Jesus from the tomb, out of the bowels of death, and into the hands of God.    

          The Bible declares in John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”  What kind of power is that?  It is power to be holy and sanctified, and to live an upright life before the Lord.  It is a supernatural walk to be a Christian and stay a Christian.  It’s not the “believe what you want to” mentality that the world church has. 

          Preachers who preach any other way to get to God but the cross of Jesus Christ - are going to hell.  They say that the preaching of the cross is foolishness, but the Bible says that they are the ones who will perish.  Jesus told us about it in Matthew 16:22.  It says, “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.”  In other words Peter was saying, This isn’t necessary.  We can’t believe for this.  This is too hard a gospel.  Verse 23 says, “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” 

          Jesus called Peter a devil.  He called him Satan, because he was speaking out of the mouth of the devil.  Why?  Because he rejected the preaching of the cross.  Peter rejected the crucifixion.  He was so caught up in the fact that he had to be mocked, and scorned, and reproached, and crucified, that he didn’t hear what Jesus said about being raised from the dead.  He didn’t trust God.  He didn’t believe Jesus on that account at that time.        Imagine Peter taking Jesus aside and saying, Man, don’t preach this no more.  You keep preaching this and you are going to upset the congregation.  A lot of preachers are upset with this sanctification, holiness preaching that has been going forth.  They are upset, because some of the sheep are upset.  The sheep might think that their preacher is telling them a lie, and they are liable to leave that church.  Then they would quit paying their tithes, and the preacher is liable to lose his job. 

          God has said that you must be crucified with Christ.  Paul declared this in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

          The preaching of the cross is necessary in order to get you crucified, and to get you to stop sinning!  No sin enters heaven!  1 Corinthians 15:50 says, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”  If flesh and blood shall not enter into the kingdom of God, then how do you expect the sin that is in it to enter into the kingdom of God? 

          Revelation 21:27 says, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.”

          Many people think that they can be sinful and still go to heaven.  There is absolutely no Bible for that.  Some preachers say, It’s all right; you don’t have to worry about that.  They have taken Jesus and His preachers aside and said that this is too hard.  They say that they are wrong.  Then they go and comfort their congregations who are going to hell with them in their sin.  Somebody needs to preach the TRUTH. 

          The Bible declares in Mark 16:17, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.”  How many devils has your preacher cast out lately?  How many devils have you cast out lately?  Remember that Satan can’t cast out Satan, and neither can flesh cast out Satan.

          By the Holy Ghost power of God you will know that this is the truth.  He will not comfort you in your sin.  He will rather redeem you from the curse of the law and the sin of the world.  God can set you free, and then you can have comfort in the Lord.  You cannot just say, I believe Jesus died on the cross, and therefore I’m saved.  The devil knows that Jesus was crucified and resurrected, and the devil even goes to church. 

          The Bible declares in James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”  You do well to believe that there is one God, but the devils believe also.  Does that mean that Satan can get saved?  NO.  Satan thought that he could stay in heaven and keep his sin, but in actuality he was rebelling against God!  Any preacher or “so-called” Christian who says that they can keep sin and stay with God is a liar. 

          God’s Word declares that Peter went to watch Jesus as He went to the trial.  He didn’t accompany him, but he watched at a distance and warmed his hands at the same fire with the Pharisees and their workers.  Every time he had an opportunity to confess Christ at that place, he shunned it.  In Matthew 26:70 Peter, “. . . denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.”  Verse 72 says, “And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.”  Verse 74-75 says, “Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.” 

          Three times he had opportunity to partake of the crucifixion of the Lord; to partake of the trial of the Lord; to partake of the reproach of Jesus.  He had three opportunities to do so, but he didn’t do it.  He had said earlier that he would die for Christ!  Jesus knew that Peter didn’t even know what he was talking about.  He knew with his attitude he would deny Him. 

          You claim that you know Christ.  You say that you serve the Lord.  You say that you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and that you are saved.  Yet, when things get tough, you come against it.  Whenever the cross is raised to lift you out of this miry clay, and to crucify your old natural carnal ways, then you start shouting and screaming.  You say, No!  That’s not necessary.  Jesus has already done it, because He made a way. 

          Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”  What did He mean when He said, “. . . I have overcome the world.”?  He meant that He was able to crucify the flesh, and yet live by the resurrection power of God.

          You cannot have the resurrection power of God, or the salvation that’s in the blood of the Lamb, or the life in Christ that you need to make heaven unless you have first been raised from the dead!  Now then, how are you going to be raised from the dead if you are not crucified with Christ? 

          2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

          The preaching of the cross is foolishness to them that perish, but you don’t have to go to hell with them.  Most sinners know that they are wrong, and they know that they are going to hell.  However, it is sad that much of the church world will deny that they are wrong, and will live just like sinners, and say, I believe Jesus died for me.  Jesus died for you, but what are you doing about it?  How are you going to know the difference between the clean and the unclean, between the profane and the holy, if somebody is not living it? 

          Mark 8:33 says, “But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.”  This “Bible Belt” we live in will go to hell if it keeps this attitude.  Jesus said it was of the devil, because they savor the things that be of men, rather than the things of God.  Many of you know that this is the truth, but you are not going to change your living around or switch preachers or doctrines, because you love the praise of men more than the praise of God.

          Pray and turn away from your wicked ways.  Humble yourself before the Lord, and be crucified with Christ by coming to an altar of repentance.  God may never deal with you again. 

          How are you going to know the truth except somebody preaches it to you?  God’s Word is still true, and it hasn’t changed.  Call out right now to Jesus, and ask Him to set you free.  Ask Him to crucify you, and set you free, that you can walk in His resurrection!    

CONTACT INFORMATION:

PASTOR KEVIN BADGLEY

LIVING HOPE FELLOWSHIP, P. O. BOX 111, GRAND CHAIN, IL  62941

CHURCH / FAX (618) 634-2541

E-mail  livinghopefellowship@lazernetwireless.net

These condensed Bible studies have been published to help new Christians in their new walk with the Lord.  Kevin Badgley, the author, is the pastor of Living Hope Fellowship Church.

This is a Living Hope Fellowship publication.

© Living Hope Fellowship, Inc.