The offense of the Cross

[golfjack]

Matthew 10:34-37: Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his Father, a daughter against her Mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.

The cross of Jesus offends the world. The cross divides every family, every nation, and every race. It divides every church, Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Charismatic. It divides every class, rich, poor, cosmopolitan, uncivilized, academics, illiterate. It divides us. How? You either glory in the cross or are offended by it.

Paul said, But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world ( Gal. 6:14). In what do you boast? That is the dividing line established for salvation. Are you more thrilled with your sporting events than Jesus Christ and His Cross? If you are, you are in idolatary. The Bible says, You shall have no other gods before Me ( Deut. 5:7). We offer athletic prima donnas more praise and glory than we give to Jesus Christ. We boast about rock stars and Hollywood stars whose moral standards make a sow blush. They have become gods of this world for many people. If entertainment and pleasure is your god, you'll split hell wide open as you follow their lead. You're lost without God. When you go to the cross, you get rid of the moral filth.

In what do you boast? Some of you boast in your power, possessions, and investments. You do not boast in the Cross. If that is the truth, you are serving the god of mammon, and no one can serve two masters ( Matt. 6:24). God forbid that you should glory except in the cross of Jesus Christ. If you're more happy about your Merecedes than you are the master, It's time you give Jesus Christ, the champion from the Cross, the glory due His name.

Are we willing to go all the way with Jesus?


May God bless, golfjack

 

[Atonement]

How very true this post is! Many in the last days will rise up and scorn the Cross and ridicule the believers of the Cross. Oh how easy we have it here in the States. Those brothers and sisters doing the Lords work through missionaries in 3rd worlds countries and being killed today for their faith in the Cross..

 

[cyberjosh]

Oh how easy we have it here in the States. Those brothers and sisters doing the Lords work through missionaries in 3rd worlds countries and being killed today for their faith in the Cross..

Very true, but there is also a double-edged point to this. In America since we have it so "good" the goal of salvation has become "blurred" with watered down doctrine, denominational factions, etc. and we have become stagnant while those who are gloriously set free in third world countries (often) have no such confusion.

As John Bevere puts it, "Christ as we have preached him in America the last 30 years is no longer a rock to stumble over [to take offense at], we've made him into a pebble that anyone can easily walk over."


P.S. You echo John Bevere's concernes for Christians today Golfjack. Good topic.

 

[destiny]

"Wherever riches have increased, the essence of religion has
decreased in the same proportion...as riches increase, so will
pride, anger, and love of the world in all its branches." --John Wesley

 

[Imagican]

Nice posts guys. But isn't the REAL problem that once one is capable of supplying ALL thier PHYSICAL needs and even capable of affording luxury, that AT THIS POINT they LOOSE their NEED for God. AS the Jews have stumbled OVER AND OVER. They are in NEED, they turn to God. Once they have been delivered and receive the BLESSING of God, they then, ONCE AGAIN, have turned their collective backs OVER AND OVER.

So, there is NO NEED of hope for those that 'think' that they have EVERYTHING that they desire. Without a NEED for HOPE, there is NO NEED for FAITH. For their faith THEN resides within THEMSELVES and THEIR OWN ability to supply for thier NEEDS.

If there is ANY doubt of what I offer. Just watch how people 'turn BACK' to God as SOON as some disaster strikes. You can BET that there are MANY in New Orleans that have 'TURNED BACK' to God in a BIG WAY. Yet the majority of us REVEL in our airconditioned houses as we watch our 'big screen' TV's, anxious for the 'next race' to come on or 'desperate housewives'. MOSTLY oblivious to God and His children that may NEED US.

No, I accuse no one anymore than myself. Just offering a bit of 'insight' into the REASON that we have become so complacent. Neither hot NOR cold, but lukewarm. Enough to make Christ 'sick to His stomach'.

MEC

 

[mutzrein]

Yes, the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.

But even to us Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "

 

[Dave...]

Bump

 

[hawkman]

Bump

If you don't mind explain why you bumped this thread ? These posters are long gone so they will give no input .

 

[Dave...]

My guess was that you wouldn't want multiple threads on the same topic. If you're in favor of started new threads with all current posters, that would be my preference also.

 

[Who Me]

There are two primary offences about the cross.
1. The offence of saying we need to be saved, that we are not ' good ' people.

2. The offence of saying we have to accept a free gift, that we cannot do anything to deserve salvation.
Even Christians get caught up on earning their salvation.

Historically there are several offences:-
A God that was crucified and died ! !
A God that came from where? That was a manual worker !
A God that did away with class, status, that expected equality between believers !
AGod that expected changed behaviour in public and private ( this still offends ) !

To the greeks+Romans a God was superhuman and could not be killed, but to be crucified, the death reserved for slaves, traitors and vile criminals was not how a God should be treated.

A Jewish carpenter from Where? Status given by nationality, place of birth and class counted and why listen to a nonentity from a troubled backwater, with a high moral code one had to follow!
In roman Greek society, like today, anything was possible if one had power or money.

 

[Bruce.Leiter]

Matthew 10:34-37: Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his Father, a daughter against her Mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.

The cross of Jesus offends the world. The cross divides every family, every nation, and every race. It divides every church, Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Charismatic. It divides every class, rich, poor, cosmopolitan, uncivilized, academics, illiterate. It divides us. How? You either glory in the cross or are offended by it.

Paul said, But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world ( Gal. 6:14). In what do you boast? That is the dividing line established for salvation. Are you more thrilled with your sporting events than Jesus Christ and His Cross? If you are, you are in idolatary. The Bible says, You shall have no other gods before Me ( Deut. 5:7). We offer athletic prima donnas more praise and glory than we give to Jesus Christ. We boast about rock stars and Hollywood stars whose moral standards make a sow blush. They have become gods of this world for many people. If entertainment and pleasure is your god, you'll split hell wide open as you follow their lead. You're lost without God. When you go to the cross, you get rid of the moral filth.

In what do you boast? Some of you boast in your power, possessions, and investments. You do not boast in the Cross. If that is the truth, you are serving the god of mammon, and no one can serve two masters ( Matt. 6:24). God forbid that you should glory except in the cross of Jesus Christ. If you're more happy about your Merecedes than you are the master, It's time you give Jesus Christ, the champion from the Cross, the glory due His name.

Are we willing to go all the way with Jesus?


May God bless, golfjack

Yes, we all have idols we must struggle against through Jesus' victory. (Book: Overcome Modern Idols: Beat 31 False gods--Amazon).