The Victory of the Cross of Christ — David Wilkerson

The Victory of the Cross and the Holy Spirit's Understanding

I want to talk to you this morning about the victory of the cross of Christ, the victory of the cross of Christ. I'm going to read from Colossians, the second chapter, beginning verse 13 through 15. Colossians 2, 13 through 15.

And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. He's blotted out the handwriting of ordinance that was against you, which was contrary to us, and he took it out of the way and he nailed it to his cross.

Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Jesus, we want to talk about the victory of the cross, not in any human way, but through the supernatural understanding of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, we humble ourselves before you because we truly need a word. We thank you, Lord, that your spirit comes to open the truth. We humble ourselves before you, Lord, and open our eyes, open our ears to hear what the spirit has to say.

Jesus, by your spirit come upon me, speak the word and the truth that would change us today and for the days ahead. And we will look ahead not to suffering and pain, but we will look ahead to the victory of the cross and we will endure for the joy that's set before us, even as Christ our Savior did.

We give you the honor, we give you the glory in Jesus' name. Amen. This was just hours before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and he gathers his disciples together in a private room, and he brings a basin with him and a towel and girds himself, and he begins to wash the feet of the disciples.

You know, if a stranger walked in, they would say, these must be wealthy people, they have a servant. Look at them, that who could, who can afford a servant like this that washes all their feet? They would not have recognized him as the Son of God, but he was saying something to these blessed servants of his.

Wonderful thing that Jesus was doing, but he's trying to prepare them for the bloody day ahead, and they're not ready, they think they are. And Jesus said, the wicked are going to crucify me in so many words, and he said, you're going to be hated, you're going to cast out of the synagogue, some of you are going to be killed.

Jesus said, this is the hour I've been talking about, this is the hour of the crucifixion, and I'm going to be placed in the hands of evil men, and I'm going to be crucified. Prepare your hearts, in other words, establish your faith and get ready for what is coming.

And his final words were, I have come from the Father and I came into the world, but again I'm going to leave the world, now I'm going to go to my Father. It's clear that they didn't understand that this was going to be the cross.

They said, Jesus said, I'm going to leave you now, and I'm going to the Father. And they're thinking of a parade of angels and host of angels coming in triumph, and he's going to bring the Roman Empire down, and they're going to rule and reign with Christ, and they were not thinking of the cross.

It's clear by other scriptures they did not understand, they couldn't believe it. And they said, now, Master, you're speaking plainly, and you're not speaking in Proverbs. By this we believe you came forth from God.

We believe now, we think we've got this faith thing figured out, this element of faith, this thing called faith. Now we believe because you said now you're going to glory, now's the hour. And so Jesus turns to them and says, do you now believe?

You've got the faith? Are you ready to drink the cup that I'm going to drink from? What are you going to do when you see me hanging helpless? What are you going to do when it looks like I can't even save myself?

Pastor William preached a message, I didn't hear all of it, about will our faith endure, a powerful message, I understand. He may have gone over some of this, but Jesus said, behold, the hour is coming.

Yes, and now has come that you shall all be scattered, every man to his own, and you're going to leave me alone, but I'm not alone because the Father is with me. He said, do you truly believe? Now what do you think you would do if you were there at the crucifixion?

Every man has gone to his own, the scripture says, they all forsook him and fled. But what would you have, what would have gone through your mind, what would, what would shake your faith or would it shake your faith?

And I'm saying you would act just as the disciples did. I would act the same way. Father, why have you forsaken me? What would you have said if the man you believed in to be the Messiah and answered prayer and the great miracle worker and about heaven and the glory of paradise and mansions prepared?

What would you do if that same man who, who testified to be God in the flesh and he's crying out himself, God, why have you forsaken me? And surely this is what went through the disciples. If this is God, if this is God, then this is the servant of God.

How can he allow this? How can he allow the son of the living God to say, why have you forsaken me? The Bible says they all forsook him and fled. And in this hour of apparent hopelessness, we to get a glimpse of the victory of the cross of Jesus, how Satan must have gloated.

He thinks he sees a pattern now. He's thinking to himself and I'm sure you see what happens when the pain comes in. And when they get to the place where their life is in danger, you see, they're going to fold.

He's he's got a, he's thinking now this, this is really something. Peter is denied him. They've all fled. And this is the way the church is. Jesus Christ is going to end up when the pain comes and when their own personal cross comes, they're going to flee and they're going to run and they'll fold.

God's Faithfulness in Affliction and Spiritual Testing

But there's one thing about our Christ, the devil has never understood. God never gives up on anybody. God doesn't give up on people who fold. I talked to minister, young minister recently going through the greatest afflictions a man can imagine.

And he said, through it all, through it all, I feel when I can't pray. And when I feel that I don't understand the pain and the suffering, he said, I feel like there's an umbilical cord and I'm being fed.

I'm being fed. Even in my time of testing and trial, there's something feeding me from heaven. The Holy ghost is coming into my life. And folks, that's what's happening today. In these last days, there's a loving cord from heaven.

And once you stand for Christ, once you give him your heart and your life, he will not forsake you. He's going to stay true to you. Your house may be shaken. You may fail him. Your, your faith may come to the place where you think it is absolutely gone.

There's no faith left. And then the lies of hell saying, you see, you thought you had it. You testified about it. And folks, I'm telling you, if we don't call on the Holy ghost every day, if we don't get into this word and find our own word, thank God for this pulpit.

I thank God I can minister to you. I thank God for the Holy spirit speaking through me right now, but you have to have the Holy ghost touch in your own life. And you have to believe in this time of shaking faith.

Your house may shake. The storms are going to come. It's going to blow and the waters are going to, to, to, to Mount up, but you're built on a rock, my beloved, you're built on a rock. And that rock is you're not going to fail.

You're not going down. And you've got to tell yourself and the devil, I am not going down. This didn't look like a victory. Here's what I see in the victory of the cross is the forgiveness of all past sins.

And I'm telling you, this may sound elementary. This may sound like a Bible class introduction to the cross, but I'm telling you, this is the foundational truth to keep us in these last days. You have to know and be convinced you're right with God.

You have to be convinced that when you come to the blood, all your sins are wiped away. First John 7 1 7 9. But we walk in. If we walk in the light is he is in the light. We have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Beloved, lay hold of that truth.

You see, sometimes after we've been quite confident of our faith and we figured it out and we have fortressed ourself even with scriptures. But then there comes an overwhelming, tremendous crisis. There comes a time when the furnace is heated seven times harder.

There comes the test of all tests to your life. An overwhelming crisis strikes your home or your family. I was reading what a very godly Puritan pastor said by 300 years ago. He said, when we are experiencing great suffering, affliction, or crisis, the first thing many of us ask, what have I done?

God, what did I do? This came from one of the godliest preachers who walked this earth. He said, the first thing comes is if I've done something, have I grieved God? Is there something of my past? I got a letter from a dear sister in the Lord who was going through terrible crisis and she said, Pastor Dave, it seems the trials never cease, not even for a season of rest.

I don't know if it's the chastening of the Lord. I've wondered if my family's trouble is due to my life before I was saved. I always wonder that. And I've asked the Father over and over if this is the case, because I don't, I just don't know sometimes.

I feel like it is that my punishment is more than I can bear at times. I would rather have the punishment myself rather than my family members suffer from my previous sins. Please, Pastor Dave, if you have any comments on this and can settle my mind, I would so appreciate it.

I love the Lord and I'm learning and I'm turning. I love the Lord and turning away from him is not an option. He's my life. But recently I felt it'd be better if I had never been born than my children suffer from my sins.

I've also felt at times I just want to go home to be with the Lord, but that's selfish because they need me. I say to that sister and to all who are sitting within the sound of my voice, you're being tested, maybe in your children.

You've got to understand your children have to their own path. You can't be God to them. You can pray, you can fast and you can believe, but they're going to be tested just like you. And the question will come, am I paying for my past sins?

Now there are consequences to sin. There's judgment against those who don't judge their sins in the fear of God. And the truth is there's little fear of God left in the world today. And there are consequences if we don't humble ourselves before God, if we don't have a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

But folks, let me tell you, I don't, I can't tell you from this pulpit, they're not being chastened, but I'm telling you, the Bible says, and I'm going to read it to you in just a minute. He's God says, I chastened all my sons and daughters.

He said, if you're without chastening, you're not a son, you're not a daughter. And he said, at times it's grievous. He said, but I'm working something out in you. He's working something out in us under chastening.

And we have to stand by sometimes when, when we see the, the mercy or the judgments of God, but you see his judgments are melted, mended with great mercies. Folks, I even believe America can be saved if the church of Jesus Christ would quit its squabbling and get away from its racial tension, racial prejudices, and be one in Christ and begin to seek him.

There's always mercy. There's God's mercies are never ending, never ending. But listen to me. If the enemy is coming to you now, tell him whom he loves, he chastens and you will never more love than when you're under chastening whom the Lord loves.

Justification, Mercy, and Freedom from Condemnation

He chastens. You can stand still and say, no, I will not take these lies. And you begin to stand on these words. We are justified freely. We're redeemed by grace through faith in his blood. We declared his righteousness for the remissions of sins that are passed through his forbearance, meaning for his patients, all guilt, all condemnation are lifted.

When you come to the blood of Jesus Christ and you believe what he promised there's now therefore no condemnation to them that be in Christ Jesus and are called according to his purpose. Say amen to that.

And you could say too, I believe it. Jesus, God made provision for us to be reconciled. You say I've sinned since I've been saved. I sinned against light. So did Peter. So did the disciples in their unbelief for which they were abraded later by Christ himself, even though they had repented.

For God commended his love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us much more than being justified by his blood. We shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being now reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Romans one, there is therefore no condemnation to be in Christ Jesus. Secondly, the victory, the cross is the end of all regrets, all regrets. Another godly Puritan said that to his knowledge, the greatest regret under the godly Puritan preachers of the day, when they came to dying time knew they were saved, but if they were asked if they had regrets, and they said, number one was wasted time, wasted time, misuse of time.

That in their dying days after spending all their lifetime, and they're still saying what many of you are thinking now, I've wasted so much time. I could have been more than I am. I could have done more, and some of you looking back over your life, even sitting here now listening to me, that goes through your mind.

I'm going to stand before Christ soon, and we allow the enemy to bring up our past, and bring up regrets of the past. I endure the same thing. We all endure the same kind of battle. You see, it's not only how you started, it's how you finish, how you finish the race.

Folks, I have not arrived. There's so much work yet I know Jesus wants to do in me before he takes me to his heart, but you know, he doesn't want us to live in the past. That's what the cross is all about.

He nailed all of those issues at the cross, so that you can sit in his presence now, and say that's in the past. Some of you thinking about the drug addiction of the past, you're thinking about the alcoholism, you're thinking about lust, you're thinking about all those things where there's been failure in the life, and even many of you after you got saved, but you've come to the blood of Jesus, and you've confessed your sins, and you've asked the power of the Holy Ghost to give you victory over that.

I want you to know that the blood has cleansed you. I want you to know that you have victory. I want you to know there's no wrath of God upon you, and I thank God, and I say this humbly before a holy God.

I thank God that I'm not what I was. I thank God he's changing me. I thank God that all the stupid foolish things I've done are under the blood of Jesus Christ. Every time I stepped out of the will of God, it's under the blood.

I said it's under the blood. At the cross, mercy and peace took on a face. I said mercy and peace took on a face, a human face, the man Christ Jesus who came to bring peace to his people. He made a covenant that his blood would bring everlasting peace, and he said that you could see my glory.

Folks, he wasn't talking to just about being in heaven. He said, I want you to see my glory. He's talking about the present time also. You can have some glory to go to glory in, and that is the peace of God that comes from knowing my past, my regrets, all that I've done because I've come to him, and I believed in the power of his blood, and I believe in the power of his word, and whatever comes, I know there's no wrath of God on me.

There may be wrath on wickedness and sin, but there's no wrath on the church of Jesus Christ. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Christ's Voluntary Sacrifice and the Call to Lay Down Our Lives

When Jesus went to the cross, he showed us what it means to lay down your life for another. Jesus said, and this is really getting to the depths of the cross, therefore doth my father love me because I lay down my life that I may take it again.

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I've got power. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father. He said, look, I have a choice.

I don't have to go this path of laying down my life. I have a choice. I can take it or I can lay it down, and we have that same choice, and that's what the cross is speaking to us. He laid down his life.

He chose to do it. Did he winch when they laid him down? He could have called at any time. He could have chosen in the garden of Gethsemane, after he shed bloody tears, he could have said, no, I don't have to do this.

He could have chosen another route, another route. He could have called down when they pierced him with the first nail. He could have called down a host of heaven and stopped it and said, there has to be another way.

He didn't say, I can't take it. He never said, this is too much for me. He's unselfish. And how selfish, I know my heart has been sometime when I have thought and even spoken those words. Jesus never did, but I've said it.

This is enough. I can't handle it anymore. Have you been there? Some of you there right now say, I can't, how can God be in this? How can this be? I know people and I'm surrounded by people that laid down their lives for others.

And there are people in this church that will lay down their lives for people in need. And I don't know how they do it. There's some people I watch and I see that there's something supernatural about how they keep giving without murmuring, without complaining, without selfishness and without thinking this, I'm the only one going through this.

And my trial is the greatest trial of all. Don't worry, I've been there. But by God's grace, I'm not going there anymore. I said, I'm not going there anymore. Neither are you. Hallelujah. For this reason, because I laid down my life by choice for this reason, my father loves me because I laid down my life for the sheep.

There's never been a needier hour in all of history when we need those who will lay down their life will not consider their own difficulties first, but we'll have their eye and their heart and attention set on finding the needs of others.

And there's a special love of God that goes to these people. He said, do you want to know why the father loves me for this reason? Because I laid my life down for others. I chose like my life down. I want to make that choice to, to lay my life down for the sheep, for the brother.

And here's what the scripture says in first John three 16. Here is how we know love that he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. He said, here's how the world's going to know, not by your shouts, not by just your preaching, because you have such a love for one another and you're laying down your lives and the world can't comprehend that.

But it, if there anything breaks through gross darkness, it's the love and the body of Christ. And you need the love and I need the love. We need to be surrounded by people who love Christ and who care about you.

And then you allow them to care for them. And I'm going to close with this. The great victory of the cross too, is that he bore all our griefs and all our sorrows. Isaiah 53, three and four, he's despised, he's despised, rejected of men.

Christ's Bearing of Grief, Sorrow, and Human Weakness

He's a man of sorrows. He's acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and he's carried our sorrows. Yet we do esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.

And that word grief in Hebrew is pain, weakness, weariness, sickness, sorrows. Let me tell you, I don't want to seem maudlin. And I said, Lord, don't let me break down and cry. I need to get this word through.

And here it is. Nothing can pierce the pain until we begin to cry out to the Holy Ghost, until the Holy Ghost comes. Thank God for caring, people. Thank God that I'm secure in Christ. Thank God that he's taken care of my regrets and brought peace and that his mercy took on a face that was touched with the feelings of my infirmities.

And he knows my grief and he knows my sorrows and he knows my pain. He's been there, he's been through it. And he says, I can't stop it yet because if you're coming to me and you're going to fulfill your eternal purpose, I have to take you through the fire, I have to take you through the flood.

And if I don't, your best has been aborted. I have to do this because I want you to glorify me all through eternity. And I can't explain it to you. And I know the Lord would say, I'd love to pull back the curtain.

I'd like to tell you why, but I can't. And he never will. But that's how important faith is. Now, this is how important it is that we stand strong, no matter what happens, to lay down our lives, even at the cross, to be willing to die, willing to be a martyr, whatever it takes.

Oh, God, I'm going to trust you in the fire. And though you slay me yet, well, I trust you. But without the Holy Spirit coming down upon us, without an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, without a daily infusion of the Holy Spirit, this is impossible.

We can't set our own hearts. We can't build our own faith. There has to be a cry comes the body of Christ Jesus. There has to be a cry that comes from the body. Oh, Holy Ghost, you were sent to comfort me.

You were sent to heal me. You were sent to take me through my grief and my sorrows. And Holy Ghost, come down. I talked to the choir before the service and I said, please pray with me now. The Holy Spirit will come and touch us now.

And oh, God, in Times Square Church, he's taken us through a 22 years now. And he's not failed one day. He's never failed me one time. He's never failed you. Glory to God. We can't make this happen. Can't tell you, well, let's shout and let's sing it down and.

No, Bible said the Holy Ghost is given to those who ask. I'm going to ask you to stand. Have you heard from God? I said, did you hear from God? I'm not talking about my message. Do you hear from God? There are so many here that need mercy.

The Call to Repentance, Confession, and a Fresh Baptism of the Spirit

So many here in this house right now need a fresh baptism of the Holy Ghost. And when I'm talking about baptism, I'm not talking about shaking and shouting, not talking about getting into the aisles and running the aisles.

That can be flesh. But I'm talking about a people so in one. And if you're visiting the first time and you felt maybe the first time in a long time, not that you were being judged. He said, I didn't come to judge you.

I came to save you. Judgment is coming, but this is time of mercy. And if you've been running from God, if you've been backslidden in heart, or if you have never really surrendered your heart to the Lordship of Jesus, you've never asked for the cleansing of his blood.

You've never really practiced or given faith to believe what God has promised. This is your time. And in this church, we believe it's a wonderful thing. You don't have to do it this way, but to just step out of your seat and come forward.

In other words, make a declaration, a confession before all men. He said, if you confess me before men, I'll confess you before the father and all the angels of heaven. But I invite you. If you have grown cold and weary and you're carrying a burden yourself, the front of this church is open.

We call it an altar, but it's just another place in the auditorium. And God love you. Don't run anymore. Come home to the loving arms of Jesus. I'm going to wait. Now, could you just sing one while the Holy Spirit is moving, the Holy Spirit's in this house.

We'll wait for just a moment. If you want to come and stand here, confess to him, Lord, I've been running. I'm not running anymore. I'm coming to you.

Let him move on your heart, Jesus. By the way, if you don't have to step out,.

You may be embarrassed to do so, but right in your seat and in the annex, you can pray. You can talk to the Lord right where you stand and don't leave the way you came in. This is the word of the Holy Spirit to you.

You can be forgiven. That's all. It's a new beginning. And when you walk out the door, all the past of the past, then you leave all the consequences in his hands. Lord Jesus made everyone in this house that is drifted, maybe overcome, and maybe their faith is gone.

But oh, Lord, Peter, the disciples were never forsaken. They became mighty men, the founder of your church. Make it so today, we pray in Christ's name. Now I'm going to ask the church body in the annex.

Calling the Church to Wait on the Spirit and Intercede

It's not quite quarter to 12. I would like you to put aside any time element, not trying to make something happen, but you don't even have to stand. If you're weary, you can be seated while we do this, but I'd like you to stay 10, 15 minutes or whatever time it is.

And drink in you that are wounded, you that are weary. Will you drink in of the spirit? He's living water. He's our guide and say, Holy Spirit, I need you. And I want, if you will, if you know the Lord, you walk with him, raise your hands and begin to worship the savior, begin to worship Jesus and call on the Holy Ghost.

He said, if you call, I'll answer. Now we've got to call on the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, we're going to call on you now. I want you to raise your voice to the Lord. I'm not looking for a sound. I'm not looking for noise, but I want you to pray right now, lift your hand and say, Holy Ghost, come upon me right now.

Refresh me, touch me. And while you're at it, pray for mercy upon America. Pray for the mercy of God on New York city. But this is a time Lord time folks to just call upon the Holy Spirit to undo us with fresh anointing and fresh power.

He's hot. Thank you, Jesus. Holy Spirit, will you come a new and a fresh as you do every Sunday in this church. But now Holy Spirit, closer and closer to the coming of Christ. Draw us by your spirit. Draw us to your word.

Draw us to faith. Thank you for the victory of the cross. Let's just worship him.