The Cross of Christ — Rolfe Barnard

The Cross of Christ Against Human Wisdom

Not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made non-effective. For the preaching of the cross is to them to perish foolishness, but unto us which have seen it, it is the power of God.

God’s Foolishness and the Failure of Worldly Wisdom

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the foolish. Where is the wise? Where is the straggler? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For as to that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolish disappointing, to save them that believe. For the Jews require a silence, and the Greeks seek as to wisdom.

Christ Crucified as the Power and Wisdom of God

But we preach Christ, having been crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks, but unto them which are called, both Jews and Christians, it is the power of God. And by grace, it means the cross of Christ are never separated, and it is all they always are.

Spurgeon, Conversion, and the Knowledge of God in Christ

The cross of Christ, and I am speaking on the cross, that Mr. Sturgeon, he was an adult, and violent, and with God in Christ. I think at the age of sixteen, he understood more theology than perhaps any seminary today, seminary gives a student.

Mr. Sturgeon later years said that the problem this sixteen-year-old boy wrestled, was the crux of our faith, that it would take an old-time Baptist about thirty minutes to properly address the deity, when he approached him in prayer.

Now he rushed rapidly into his heart, so much about God in Christ, know nothing of him, for familiarity with God, that it fallen to a soul who has once seen him. You can deal with a rich young woman, I think you've got that all fixed up, so it takes all the steam out of it.

You know, every time you come to a high place in the scripture, there's two ways you can get around it, either, or at the full penny cost. These men, prospect more, let them go, call Christian churches, and they're going in your fundamental church.

The Gospel of God’s Love in John 3:16

This is the word of gospel truth, that God more than all of us put together. He coined the phrase, enough gospel in John 3 .16, saved the world, and better gospel, we put it there. There's no blood in John 3 .16, there's no resurrection in John 3 .16.

I'll tell you what there is. I read John 3 .16, I'll tell you why Christ hung on the cross. I'll tell you why God raised him from the dead. Jesus one time caught God in an ocean, God was in an ocean, and God so loved, so loved.

You tell us God is loved, you know, liable to run dry. No, he got plenty. God got your doctrine, you know, the gospel, Pharisees and scribes, anybody outside was a sinner, planted there by Satan. The gospel of Jesus Christ, so that we can still preach on the radio.

Whoever got preaching the gospel on the radio, the religious man's a mad, he'd kill you if he could. So the cross was, that it set aside every clean and vented ground. You understand, we don't need anybody to set us free.

Abraham’s Children and the Spiritual Nature of Faith

We'd be Abraham's children, Jesus said. If you was Abraham's children, you'd have Abraham's faith and Abraham's words. The doctrine of election, conception of the doctrine of election led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Now, bless God, we've got to get rid of him, he's going to get rid of us, won't he? He ain't anybody setting us free, he's dealing down his tongue. My great-grandfather was Abraham. I'm not dealing after the flesh, I'm dealing after the spirit.

People I call Abraham's children, people that had works in his faith. God bless their heart, they'll kill us if we ever have a baptism of the Holy Ghost on our church and go preaching the gospel of God.

I left a big one sermon about the Holy Ghost. He didn't tell me what happened. You can go and get him arrested out of the church and got your brain down. Because our liberalist martyrs, I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about us dead in front of me unless the TV can start a religious fire.

Salvation for Sinners and the Offense of the Cross

Because we're preaching the gospel, that's what Pence said. It does not offer salvation to good people. One place I know they can go to is to hell. It offers salvation to sinners. And Republicans and Harlots will press in and leave the other crowd out.

A citywide meeting in the southern city years ago, and they conceived the idea of having a preach to the Sunday morning crowd that could round it up on Saturday night off the streets and give them a night to sleep off their dope and their drinks and so forth.

And I got the counter and the chief police and the mayor of the city to go along with it. And I said, you sit with the other criminals and I'll preach the same gospel to them. And I said, in this matter of the cross, it cuts the root from everything.

During Gentile retribute, a poor preacher also goes to hell. The offense of the cross. And then gospel preaching will be foolish to the world. Ladies and gentlemen, there is Satan's master, God. It's the stroke they've knocked him home on with.

Supernatural Faith That Overcomes the World

Listen to me. The death of Christ is accepted. None but an infidel will question it, but inquire in what way. Once the harmony is broken and formed, this every school has its creed and every ism its theorist.

And the theme is a signal for a scramble and a struggle between all the rival groups of so-called Christendom. For that which God intended should be an impossibility to the natural mind. Satan has made the common creed of the very biggest sinners in your community.

They've heard you preach enough. They'll look you in the face and tell you they believe that Jesus died for them. My friends, show love for the God-given supernatural faith. It's a faith that overcomes the world.

In 1 John 5 and 1, it's whoever believes that Jesus was born over there in Cal State and lived in Nazareth. No good thing ever came out of Nazareth. And nobody was there. Nobody ever had anything to do with it.

Nazareth, Rejection, and the Crucifixion Outside the Holy City

The nice people looked them over and said they'll never do. Just a bunch of harlots, a couple of little tax collectors, a few poor fish, and they followed him around. He got what was coming to him. They took him outside the holy city while they were observing the Passover feast, and nailed him on a tree between two feet.

And he didn't even have a grave. He had to get somebody else's grave, couldn't he? He didn't have any spices or perfume, but the perfume that bought him was abortion. And he didn't even have any clothing to wrap his body with.

He had to find that grave, set the Roman seal on it, and put some soldiers to watch it. Ladies and gentlemen, this will be the site of eternity. The prophet says he's a good man. ...of redemption, not warring with it, humanizing it to bring it within the reach of the natural man, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.

Revelation from Above and the Power of the Spirit

If we really believe the gospel, we have received a revelation from on high, a revelation to which flesh and blood can never reach. The gospel may be so sifted and simplified that none shall fail to understand it, therefore none shall be saved by it.

And the preaching that is wanted this very night is not preaching the persuasive words of man's wisdom and reasoning out salvation. Such statements, whether it be paid for the sins of all the elect, they've got to be saved.

Be careful, brethren. You're not preaching salvation by grace, not reasoning out a plan, thus cheating the gospel to suit the condition of the hearers. The gospel must be preached in the demonstration and power of the Spirit, preaching that of the foolishness to them that perish, but unto them do of the call, preaching that it will have power, and be the power and wisdom of God.

The Cross as Revelation Rather Than a Formula

May I close by saying to you, it's one thing to master Christianity, it's another thing to master the Bible. Will you listen to me? It's the cross, you know my cross. The cross of Christ is not an easy way of pardoning, nor is it a plan of salvation.

It's a fact and a revelation to change the heartless in a boring way. The unseen is real, but the most openly set forth, crucified before their eyes. No one's seen that marred and agonized force that broke his heart, the hate of that that ended strong.

Man would often cry, forsaken of his God, my God, my God, cry as thou forsaken him, when, in gazing on him, ought to divorce self from self, and to separate in heart from her. Once and would again, if they could get their hands on him.

For them, him hanging on that cross, is where they find their deepest satisfaction. They feast on him, in the blood of their own justification. You see, not only are holy lords acting at vengeance, but the love of God sitting happy rejoicing at the cross of Christ.

Let us so preach the cross, that many despise him that hung there. It's impossible that that could be the Son of God, or that men would be broken in heart, shippers and out checkers, not some reasoners.

And the cry from hearts that came from Mary and John and them, my God, from that transfigured look at him on the cross, to live devoted lives, for him. Once again, maybe he made a quickness on the throne, the power of Christ.

David Brainerd’s Examination of His Heart

Jonathan Edwards said, I find providence that in the wisdom of God, God allowed David Brainerd to die in Jonathan Edwards' home. Mr. Edwards said, I was in his room by his bedside most of the time, the last 48 hours that saint of God lived.

Would you laugh at this? David Brainerd, the saintliest man perhaps America has ever known. The last 48 hours of his life, examining his own heart and life, to see if he could lay hold on any evidence.

Faith in God’s Unchangeable Promise

Because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself. So then, so later, so priorly, and so after, he had faith, and he obtained promise. Then an end of all strife therein, to accommodate and set to the will of men who were in God, willing more of God.

Then music there filled his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that possible for God to last.