The Cross and the Church, Part 1 — Stephen Kaung

Will you please turn to 1st Corinthians? 1st Corinthians, chapter 2. We'll begin with verse 1. And I, when I came to you, brethren, came not in excellency of word, or wisdom, announcing to you the testimony of God.

The Cross as the Center of Christian Knowledge

For I did not judge it well to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But we speak wisdom among the perfect, but wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of the world, who come to naught.

But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, that hidden mystery, wisdom, which God has predetermined before the ages for our glory. Which none of the princes of this age knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But according as it is written, things which eye has not seen, and ear not heard, and which have not come into man's heart, which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

For who of man has known the things of a man except the Spirit of the man which is in him? Thus also the things of God knows no one except the Spirit of God. But we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things which have been freely given to us of God.

But we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things which have been freely given to us of God. The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 16. We'll begin with verse 13.

Peter’s Confession and Christ’s Church

But when Jesus was come into the paths of Caesarea Philippi, He demanded of His disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, Some, John the Baptist, and others, Elias, and others again, Jeremiah, are one of the prophets.

They said, Some, John the Baptist, and others, Elias, and others again, Jeremiah, are one of the prophets. He says to them, But ye, who do ye say that I am? And Simon Peter answering said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus answering said to him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens. And I also, I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and Hades' gates shall not prevail against it.

And I also, I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and Hades' gates shall not prevail against it. And he healed, and on the third day he raised. Let's have a word of prayer.

Dear Lord, as we gather here in thy presence, our hearts do bow in worship. How we praise and thank thee for thy tremendous love for us. How we praise and thank thee for sending thy only begotten Son to us.

How we praise and thank thee that thou are willing to go to the cross for our sake. We acknowledge that everything comes from thee. And everything is through thee and unto thee. How we do desire, Lord, that thou be glorified in the midst of thy people.

So we look to thee this morning that thy Holy Spirit will work among us, release thy word to us, and plant thy word into our hearts, that it may bear fruit unto thyself. We ask in thy precious name. Amen.

Readiness for the Lord’s Return

Dear brothers and sisters, we thank God for giving us this opportunity to be together. We know we are living at the very end of this age. We do not know whether this gathering will be our last gathering before the Lord's return.

It is possible. And we look forward to it. The Lord is coming soon. We love him even though we have not seen him. But we long to see him face to face. But there is a problem here. Are we ready for him?

Are we prepared to meet him? When we shall see him, will we be put to shame? Or will we be glorifying him? And thank God that he still gives us this opportunity to be ready for our Lord. So dear brothers and sisters, to me I feel this is a very crucial time.

We cannot afford to be complacent. We have to seek him diligently with all our hearts. This is not a time to play around. This is a time, dear brothers and sisters, that we all get very serious about him.

I feel that there is a lack of desperation in our spirit. If we really know our time, I believe that we should feel desperate. May the Lord give us this spirit. That we will really look steadfastly unto Jesus.

The author and finisher of our faith. Now the theme of this conference I believe is clear to everyone of us. The way to the eternal purpose of God, the cross. In the past conferences, we shared in many times and in many ways on the eternal purpose of God.

God’s Eternal Purpose and the Need for Revelation

Because to know God is to know his purpose. Our God is a God of purpose. Even before the foundation of the world, God purpose a purpose in himself. And that purpose governs all his plans and all his ways.

In other words, since eternal past, after he has purposed that eternal purpose, he has been working throughout the ages and the generations for that very purpose. So dear brothers and sisters, you can see immediately how important, essential is that purpose.

If we miss that purpose, then our whole lives will be a loss, a waste. What is the eternal purpose of God? What is it that God has revealed to us of his heart and of his mind? This mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages in God.

Thank God has now been revealed to us through the apostles and the prophets. So today, this mystery is an open secret. But brothers and sisters, even though it has been revealed and has been recorded in the word of God, yet we must receive personal revelation from the Lord.

Yet we must receive personal revelation from the Lord. Without that revelation, the eternal purpose of God is just a vague theory. But when God revealed it into your heart, as the apostle Paul says, it has pleased God to reveal his Son in me.

Then you will find there is a transformation. In all spiritual things, we need revelation. Because in ourselves, there is absolutely no way to know God. So may the Lord give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation unto the full knowledge of God.

So in the past, our emphasis was more on this matter of revelation. How we need that heavenly vision. So the Pharisee, before he received, he see that heavenly vision. We found that he was grouping in darkness.

He wanted to serve God. But what he did was opposing God. But then God, on the road to Damascus, it pleased God to reveal his Son in him. And what a transformation came upon him. He became Paul, the apostle.

He is one who really knows the eternal purpose of God. So brothers and sisters, let us pray to the Lord that he will grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation that we may really know what is the eternal purpose of God.

Of course, to put it very simply, the eternal purpose of God is none other than Christ and his church. But without revelation from above, our understanding of Christ and our understanding of the church is completely outward.

It's all superficial. And it is full of errors. Only with revelation from above, then we really know Christ and we really know what the church is. But this time our emphasis is different. Instead of emphasizing on this matter of revelation, we do not mean to say that revelation is insignificant.

It is the very basis. But we have gone over this so many times. So we feel that there is a need to emphasize the way. You remember in the letter to the Ephesians, there are two prayers that the apostle Paul prayed for the church.

His first prayer is God may grant them the spirit of wisdom and revelation to the knowledge of God. But then you find in chapter 3, he had another prayer. And the emphasis of that prayer is that we may apprehend the fullness of God.

In other words, the first prayer is concerning revelation. And the second prayer is concerning the way. Because revelation is heavenly. But without the way, the cross, it will remain in heaven. For that revelation to become reality in our lives, to be fulfilled in us, we need to find a way.

And the way is in heaven. It is none other but the way of the cross. So this is the emphasis for our time. Our brother Lance speaks on the cross and Christ. And our dear brother Christian speaks on the cross and the spirit.

And I was assigned to speak on the cross and the church. We will look at this matter from three different directions. The cross, the foundation of the church. Second, the cross and the building of the church.

And finally, the cross, the testimony of the church. So by the grace of God this morning, we want to consider the cross and the foundation of the church. When the Apostle Paul was ready to go into Corinth, he went there to announce the testimony of God.

Jesus Christ Crucified as the Foundation

The testimony of God is none other than what God has revealed of himself. No one knows God. God is the greatest mystery in the universe. Unless he reveals himself. Nobody will know him in any way. But thank God, he is the God of revelation.

He is the God who reveals himself. All that we know of God is because of what he has revealed. Nothing more. Of course. What he has revealed to us is not all that he is. Because he is far beyond us. But thank God, it pleases him to reveal himself to us.

What he reveals is his testimony. That is his testified of himself. Who he is and what he is. What is his purpose? What is his way? And he reveals it to us. And this is the testimony of God. The Apostle Paul, he went to Corinth to announce the testimony of God.

But in doing that, he knew that he couldn't do it with the wisdom and the eloquence of man. Because this is far beyond any human capacity. Because this is beyond any human capacity. So he decided that when he arrived at Corinth, he will know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

In other words, Jesus Christ and him crucified is the only way to the testimony of God. Aside from Jesus Christ and him crucified, there is no revelation, there is no way to the testimony of God. Jesus Christ and him crucified is the very foundation to the testimony of God.

We know that in the days of the Apostles, that city of Corinth was a cultured city. It was noted for its eloquence and for its knowledge. It was noted for its eloquence and for its knowledge. But it is a very corrupted and evil city.

So the Apostle Paul, as he contemplated of announcing the testimony of God to them, he will not match his intelligence with their intelligence. He will not use his own words trying to match with them.

He will announce to them Jesus Christ and him crucified. Because only Jesus Christ and him crucified could save them. Can change them, can transform them. Jesus Christ and him crucified. Now brothers and sisters, today when we hear this, probably we will feel, well, that is very elementary.

Of course we know Jesus Christ. Of course we know him crucified. And it is because we know him and his crucifixion. So we are saved. And we belong to him. And he belongs to us. This is very elementary.

But brothers and sisters, within that word Jesus Christ and him crucified, there is the principle to the full purpose of God. To the world. To people who are not saved. Who are in sins and transgressions.

They need to know Jesus Christ and him crucified. In order to be saved. But after we are saved, Jesus Christ and him crucified is not something of the past. When we believe in him and his cross, this is just the beginning.

And if we allow him and his cross to work in our lives, if we allow him and his cross to work in our lives, then we will be led into the eternal purpose of God. With the Corinthians, Paul was not able to share with them the full counsel of God.

Even though by announcing to them Jesus Christ and him crucified, they got saved. But after they are saved, they are not growing in Jesus Christ and him crucified. They still live by their own natural life.

For this reason, Paul was not able to share with them the eternal purpose of God. But he did mention in verse 6, he said, but among the perfect, we do talk about the wisdom, hidden wisdom of God. Now, who are the perfect?

The perfect here does not mean sinless perfection. Aside from our Lord Jesus, in this world, there is no one who is sinless perfect. Only our Lord Jesus. He knows no sin. He has never sinned. He does not even know sin.

He does not even know what sin is. Aside from him, no one is sinless perfect. But in the scripture, the perfect here means the grown up, the matured. If we believe in Jesus Christ and him crucified, not only as the means by which we are saved, but we let Jesus Christ and him crucified continue to work in us.

Then we will grow. We will be more mature. And as we become more mature, then we can talk about the eternal purpose of God. We can talk about God's mystery, how his wisdom is in a hidden mystery. But when you read 1 Corinthians 2, from verse 6 onward, Paul, in a way, tried to describe what is that mystery.

What is God's wisdom in a mystery? He tells us that this is a wisdom that the world never knows. And this is a wisdom that man has never heard, never seen, and has never thought about it. It has never been thought about.

Because it's far beyond human possibility. And it concerns us. Concerns those who love God. It is something that is revealed only by the Spirit of God. And it is for our glory. Brothers and sisters, what is it?

It is the church. So here you'll find the connection between the cross and the church. It is through the cross that the church is revealed and realized. Now we'll go back to Matthew 16. We remember that our Lord Jesus, He went to the border of Caesarea Philippi.

We know Caesarea Philippi is a Gentile city. Our Lord was rejected by His own people. So He retreated to the border of a Gentile city. Then He asked His disciples a question. Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, is?

And of course His disciples will give Him all the good reports. Some say you are John the Baptist coming into light. And others say you are Isaiah. Others say you are Jeremiah because you weep a lot. Or you are one of the prophets.

Then our Lord turned to His disciples again. What do you think that I am? You have been with me. What do you think that I am? And Simon Peter as usual, the spokesman among the disciples. And He said, you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Our Lord immediately said to Him, Simon, son of Jonah. You are blessed. Because this is not something that flesh and blood can show you. Flesh and blood can tell you that He is a prophet. So flesh and blood can tell you that He is a prophet.

So it is the Father in Heaven who has revealed His Son to you. So brothers and sisters, no one knows our Lord Jesus. But the Father. And to whom the Father is pleased to reveal. Thank God. When we come to the Lord Jesus, the Father reveals His Son to us and in us.

What a mercy, what a grace, what a love. Because of this revelation of the Father concerning His Son. Because of this revelation of the Father concerning His Son. On the basis of that revelation. Our Lord Jesus.

Gave further revelation. He said, You are Peter. You are a stone. On this rock. I will build my church. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. This is the first time our Lord Jesus mentioned the word church while He was on earth.

I will build my church. On this rock. And you are Peter, a stone. So brothers and sisters, what we have here is what is the foundation of the church. Foundation is most important to a building. Even though it is hidden.

Yet, it is most important. What is the foundation of the church? Some people say, Because the Lord said you are Peter. You are a stone. On this rock, I will build my church. Therefore, Peter is the foundation of the church.

Thank God, Peter knows better. Because in 1 Peter chapter 2, In verse 5 he said, As we come to the Lord Jesus, Our Lord is the living stone. As we come to Him, we all become living stone. As we come to Him, we all become living stone.

We are to be built together into a spiritual house. A holy priesthood. To offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So Peter is not the foundation of the church. If he is the foundation, Then as you read on, You will find that how our Lord turned to him and said, Satan, get behind me.

That foundation has already been shaken. So brothers and sisters, We know for sure, That Peter is not the foundation of the church. Nobody is the foundation of the church. Christ Jesus is the only foundation.

Peter is just a little small stone. A chip out of the rock. And our Lord Jesus is the rock. He is the sure foundation. Do you remember the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 3? He said, I am like a master builder.

Literally, it is I am a foreman. I lay the foundation. There is no other foundation that can be laid. The foundation is Jesus Christ. And we are all being built upon it. So brothers and sisters, What is the foundation of the church?

The foundation of the church is Christ Jesus. But we find in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20, We find in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20, There you find the apostle Paul says, The church is built upon the foundations of the apostles.

And Christ Jesus is the cornerstone. And then if you read Revelation chapter 21, You find in New Jerusalem, There are twelve foundations. And the names written on the twelve foundations are the twelve apostles of our Lord Jesus.

So is there any contradiction here? We know there is none. The foundation of the church is Jesus Christ. The reason why you find in Ephesians and in Revelations, The twelve apostles seem to be the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem.

Why? Because we are told. In Ephesians chapter 3, We are told that the mystery, Was revealed to the apostles and the prophets. In other words, Today we know about our Lord Jesus. It is through the apostles.

Our Lord Jesus revealed himself to the apostles. And the apostles deliver that revelation to us. In 1 Corinthians chapter 11, When Paul mentioned this matter of the lost table, He said, I deliver to you what I have received from the Lord.

It is not something that is invented by the apostles. He received it from the Lord. And he faithfully delivered it to us. The apostle John in 1 John, He said, Our fellowship, We fellowship with you, And our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son.

So the source is the Father and the Son. The apostles do not have any teaching. The apostles do not have any personal fellowship. Their teaching is the teaching of Christ. Their fellowship is the fellowship of God's Son Jesus Christ.

So we find, The foundation of the church is none other than Jesus Christ and him crucified. But after our Lord Jesus revealed the church to the apostles, When we see, When the Lord revealed the church to the apostles, Immediately in Matthew chapter 16 verse 21, And the third day be raised.

Our Lord revealed to Peter, I will build my church. And it will be built on the rock. It will be built upon himself. Then he further revealed to his disciples, That he must go to Jerusalem. He will be rejected by the chief priests, by the scribes, by the Pharisees.

He will be killed. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead. This is the first time that our Lord Jesus began to reveal to his disciples what will happen to him. This is the first time that our Lord Jesus began to reveal to his disciples what will happen to him.

The Cross as the Way Christ Fulfills His Mission

After he has revealed the church, After he has revealed that he is the foundation of the church, Then he began to explain to his disciples, How is this foundation laid? How is this foundation laid? He said he must go to Jerusalem.

He must be killed. But on the third day he will be raised. Before his crucifixion, We find there are three occasions, That our Lord Jesus revealed to his disciples about his crucifixion. This is the first occasion.

Then we find in chapter 17 of Matthew, After his transformation, Then he was in Galilee. And in Galilee he continued to reveal to his disciples, That he must go to Jerusalem and be killed. Then the third occasion was in Matthew chapter 20.

On his way to Jerusalem, He again revealed to his disciples, That he must be crucified. Now brothers and sisters, Why is it so? Our Lord Jesus is the foundation of the church. And that foundation is the confession of Peter.

That you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Our Lord Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Eternal Son of the Eternal God. He is forever the Son of God. Even after he came into this world. And he called himself the Son of Man.

And yet he is still the Son of God. The Father acknowledged that. This is my beloved Son. That never changes. And he as the Son was sent into this world. To be Christ. Christ means the anointed. He was anointed to do a job.

He was sent on a mission. So our Lord Jesus again and again said, The one who sent me, I am here not by myself. There is one who sent me, my Father who sent me. And I must do his will. And he was sent to accomplish a work.

The work of redemption. For brothers and sisters. How can he accomplish that mission? He has to go to the cross. If he does not go to the cross. That mission cannot be accomplished. He will fail to be Christ.

So he must go to the cross. Therefore he tells his disciples. You acknowledge me as the Christ. The foundation of the church. Now let me tell you. How am I going to fulfill my mission? That I may truly be the Christ.

I have to go to the cross. There is no other way. Without the cross, we have no Christ. Because he cannot accomplish his purpose. Thank God. Our Lord Jesus not only came into this world. Our brothers have already mentioned this.

How he was equal with God. But he emptied himself. He cannot empty himself of his deity. Because that is what he is. But he emptied himself of all the glory and honor around deity. His place. His power, authority.

He can empty himself of these things. In order to be a man. And the form is the form of a bond slave. That is to say he has no right of anything. He was obedient to the father. Even unto death. Dear brothers and sisters.

We thank God for sending his son into this world. His incarnation is a great mystery. We thank God for sending his son into this world. And live for 33 years. But as our brothers already mentioned. If on the Mount of Transfiguration.

When Moses and Elijah talked with him about his exodus. He can easily exit from that mountain to the throne. Because he lived a perfect life. He had lived a life that is a man in God's heart. He is worthy to return.

But he refused to return. He came down from the mountain. And he went to Jerusalem. And went to the cross. It is for our sake. So dear brothers and sisters. Christ crucified. Is absolutely necessary to our Lord Jesus.

Without that he cannot be Christ. And you know how Satan. Try to persuade him. From the cross. Even when he was tempted. 40 days into death. The Satan tempted him. You don't need to go to the cross. All you need to do.

Come from the temple. And let everybody see you descending. And they will all believe you. Brothers and sisters. Our Lord rejected him. That is not the way for his exodus. And even at this last minute.

Satan tried to use his beloved disciple. To dissuade him from the cross. But our Lord knows better. Thank God. So brothers and sisters first of all. The cross. Is necessary. For our Lord Jesus. If we proclaim a crossless Christ.

There is no salvation. But more than that. Our Lord Jesus. He went to the cross. He was there for 6 hours. From 9 o 'clock in the morning. To 12 o 'clock. We find that he was surrounded. By his enemies.

Not only the priests. And the people. They mock him. Even the robbers. That were crucified with him. Mock him. And in. The darkness. In the hidden way. The enemy. Is surrounding him. He suffered. Tremendously.

Not only physically. But mentally. But thank God. His father. Was with him. Then at 12 o 'clock. We find that. The sun. Was dark. And it was. From 12 o 'clock. To 3 o 'clock. It was not man. Not man. That rejected him.

Christ’s Suffering, Sin Offering, and Finished Redemption

And crucified him. It was not just Satan. That tried to destroy him. His own father. Whom he loved. From eternity. Turned his face. Against him. In Isaiah 53. It says. Jehovah. God. Crushed him. And that's the time.

When he cried out. My God. Why has thou forsaken me? He does not say. My father. When he was first crucified. He said father. Forgive them. For they know not what they do. The father was with him. But now.

God. The God of the universe. The holy God. The righteous God. Because there. He became. A sin offering. He who knows no sin. Was made sins. For us. Brothers and sisters. He could not bear it. He cried out.

And the father could not bear it. So he turned his face. The love of God. Thank God. Our Lord Jesus suffered. Eternal death. For us. During those three hours. Separated from God. That is eternal death.

But he was willing. For us. That we may be saved. Before he passed away. He said. It is finished. The work of redemption. Is done. Christ. Has fulfilled. His mission. And he gave his spirit. Back to his father.

In other words. The father. Has received him back. Because the next day. Is a great Sabbath. So no one. That is cursed. And hang. Should be there. So the soldiers came. Usually. When a person is crucified.

It is a lingering death. So they came. To make sure. That those who were crucified. Were dead or made dead. The two robbers. They are still living. So they break their legs. To speed them to death. But when they come to the Lord.

They saw he was already dead. But to make sure. That he was dead. A soldier thrust his spear. Into his side. And out. Of it. Comes out blood. And apostle John was there. He saw it. And he witnessed. Bear witness to it.

In John chapter 19. He said I saw it. I saw blood. And water came out. I bear witness to it. And my witness is true. Now brothers and sisters. Why is it. That John. Is so emphatic. On this. Fact. Because.

Out. Of his broken heart. Came out. The last. Drop. Of blood. And it is already disintegrated. Blood and water. What is the meaning of it. Because the blood and water. That came out. Of the sight of our Lord.

Is the material. For the building. Of the house of God. Blood. For the remission of sins. Water. Giving his life. To us. He poured out his life. Like water. Brothers and sisters. These. Are the materials.

For the building. Of the church. The church is not built. With you and me. The church is built. With the blood. And water. In you and me. The material. For the building. Of the house. Is Christ himself.

In you and me. It is not you and me. It is Christ. In you and in me. It is his blood. That washes away. All our sins. That clears up. All. The. Things. That are against God. And it is his life. Poured out.

Into us. And. This becomes. The building. Material. Of the church. So brothers and sisters. We find that. The cross. Is. Necessary. For our Lord Jesus. Because without it. He cannot fulfill. His mission as Christ.

On the contrary. He will be our condemnation. Instead of our justification. Because he is the only one. Who lives a perfect life. But thank God. He is willing to go to the cross. For our sake. Now brothers and sisters.

The Church as Christ’s Living Body

And from this very cross. Of Christ. Comes the material. For the building. Of the church. I believe. Brothers and sisters. We need to see this. Very clearly. Because. Many. When you talk about the church.

Now what is the church? Many people think the church is that. Long building or brick building. Or even wood building. Around the corner. Of the street. And I believe brothers and sisters. We know better.

And we know this is not the church. Now we say. What is the church? We say church. Are those. Who are. Saved. Because the church means. The called out ones. Gather together. So we are the called out ones.

And we gather together. So that is the church. In other words we are the church. Now in one sense. That is true. But in the strictest sense. This is not true. The church. Is not you and me. They are you and me.

But the church is not built with that. The church is built. That which comes out of Christ. Because only that which comes out of Christ. Can return to Christ. The church is a living body. It rejects all foreign elements.

It rejects all foreign elements. So what is not of Christ. Will be rejected. Only what is of Christ. Can be joined. Into the body of Christ. I think this is a very important principle. We need to hold on.

The Cross Working in the Church

The problem. With the church today. Is not outside. Is not outward. Of persecution. Fact tells us. The more persecution. The stronger the church. The problem of the church. Is you and me. Are you seeking for a perfect church?

Some people said. If you are there. There is no perfect church. That is very true. We are the problem. Because. We. In our natural life. Is a foreign element. So. To the living church. Of the living God.

It will be rejected. That is why. We say again and again. The cross. Needs to work in us. It so works. That it will eliminate. All that is not of Christ. It so works. That it will eliminate. All that is not of Christ.

Only what is remain of Christ. Will be built into the living church of God. The cross. Is not only a necessity to Christ. The cross. Is a necessity. To everyone of us. His cross. Gave us the strength.

To bear our cross. So after all. It is from him. Through him. And unto him. Let us pray. Dear Lord. Our hearts. Are deeply moved. Who are we. That are willing. To go to the cross. Sometimes Lord we wonder.

If it is worthwhile. Thou has done so much for us. But where. We pray that thy spirit. Will search our hearts. Do not spare us. May thy cross. Be transplanted. Into us. And deliver us. From ourselves.

That thy eternal purpose. May be fulfilled in us. Dear Lord forgive us. Forgive us for delaying. Thy return. We pray. That we may. By thy grace be a people. Who hasten. Thy return.