The Power of the Cross - (Part 2) — Erlo Stegen

We are speaking about the message of the cross. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 18. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. We spoke yesterday morning a little about the cross.

The Cross as God’s Victory Over Sin

We said the cross was erected because of sin. It was on the cross that Jesus wrestled with Satan and with those evil forces. Satan and death and the world. And he made an open public spectacle of them, conquering over them.

And he poured disgrace and contempt upon them, and to some it is difficult to understand that.

The English Bible says he made an open show of them. I'm just telling them to close the doors, cold wind is coming in there. I hope if it's possible in the future we'll put some warm air here, then you needn't freeze because of the cold.

An open show.

Now in those days Caesar ruled the world. He ruled over the whole known world at that time. Just as America, the USA is a superpower today. Many don't like the United States. Especially the Muslims. But I love them.

And I love Bush as well, for he's a Christian, somebody who has given his life to the Lord.

And I love Bush as well, for he's a Christian, somebody who has given his life to the Lord. And I love Bush as well, for he's a Christian, somebody who has given his life to the Lord.

You need to repent to be able to do those things, and that's why they hate him. And if you still hate him, then you need to repent. You still need to turn to God and confess your sin because you hate your brother in Christ.

If the strongest man in this world is washed in the blood of Jesus, not ashamed of my Lord, then I should have something against it. You're not a real Christian, you're not a spiritual Christian if you are like that.

You're a tool in the devil's hand. But if you're a Muslim, I can understand that you are against him. But I thank God that the Muslim world that wanted to swallow up the world, that God used Bush just to give them a kick on the head.

I am not a politician, but I am not ashamed of somebody who's not ashamed of my Lord. And then he confesses and testifies in front of the whole world that he is saved, that he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now some say that he fought against Iraq just because he wanted to put missionaries into Iraq. Now would that be a crime if he would do something like that? If you still think like that, it's terrible.

Some people don't have their brains up here, but down there, and they sit on it. Here is the cross where Jesus Christ conquered over Satan and his hordes and his power. He destroyed sin. Your sin. So when he conquered sin on the cross, he conquered over your sin as well.

The message of the cross cannot be fathomed. It's too high and it's too deep and too wide to be fathomed. We can take the brains of the most brilliant people, the most brilliant minds, and put them all together, but even through that we won't be able to fathom the depth of the cross that goes further than that.

It was on the cross that Jesus dealt with where he dealt with your and my sin. Yesterday, for the sake of those of you that weren't here, I said that we shouldn't take sin lightly. Sin is evil. It's terrible.

The Seriousness of Sin and Worldliness

It's gruesome. We shouldn't take it lightly. And we might take it lightly and say, well, what is it to have a girlfriend or a boyfriend? There's nothing much bad, much wrong with that, but with God, it's serious.

And so, worldly clothing, what does that matter? It doesn't matter much.

And some Christians say it doesn't matter how you dress. God doesn't look at the outside. He just looks at the inside. It's true, but I can't understand you silly person. Why don't you go naked? Because he doesn't look at the outside.

He just looks at the inside.

But God says, if you love the world, you become an enemy of God. You become an enemy to God if you love the world. Did you hear what Nonto said about her niece, that when she got converted, just what happened, even in the car, she got into the car?

We are still going to stand before God when we have to give an account of our lives. And I don't know how you women are going to stand before God, before him with a worldly appearance and a worldly hairstyle.

The blacks, they like to take Indian hair and wear that. I say, how will you stand before God with the Indian hair and having a flat nose?

Now, God created us as we are, and we shouldn't find fault with him. And I don't want to find fault with him, even though sometimes I do wish I had hair like the blacks, because they don't have any problem.

If the wind blows, the hair just stays as it is, but with the whites, it goes all over the show. Sin is a serious matter to God, and God treats it seriously. Just look at the cross, and you saw last night when we saw Jesus dying on the cross, how serious God takes sin.

God struck Jesus on the cross. And the Bible says God made him sin. I cannot speak about it all. The sun will set. That's why I'm just touching on it here and there. Go home, and if you've got a TV set, switch it off.

Or rather, even get rid of it. If you've got a pit toilet, throw it inside. Your children will be all the more blessed because of it.

The Influence of Television and Parental Responsibility

A young girl who had fallen into sin, I said, young girl, I know your father, I know your mother. Did they teach you to sin like that? She said, no.

So who taught you? So I said, who taught you then, to go with a man? You don't know where he comes from, where he's going to, where he's been. Just a man of the road, and you are found sitting on his lap, kissing him.

Who taught you such dirt?

And this were purebred Europeans. There was an Indian here, and he spoke to me about the Europeans. He was a European. But he spoke about Europeans. I said, who taught you that boys can sit on your lap, and that you can kiss each other?

You know what she told me? She says, my father has got a TV set, but he's hidden it from us, upstairs on the attic. He doesn't know that we know, but as soon as mum and dad are gone, we switch it on. And that's where we look at the things of hell.

And that's where I was taught. You hear, father? If your daughter goes to hell, you want to go to heaven. You go to where your daughter is, before you've paid the guilt of her blood. And your mother, you allow such a thing.

And a man who wasn't so far away from us, was not. He said, you know, brother, I bought a TV not for me, but for my children. Because I don't want my children to go to the neighbors and look at it. I'd rather have my own house.

I said to him, now I can understand a little better, that he said, hell will be plastered with heads of dominions and preachers.

You can hate me for telling you the truth. Because I know, many people don't like the truth. But in heaven, or before God, you'll thank me for that. And you'll say, well, thank you for telling me the truth.

I knew it. And even if I go to hell, I know that you're innocent of my blood.

On Judgment Day, and maybe that day isn't far away, if there was ever a time when you had to repent and mean business with God, then it's no more today.

The Crucifixion Reveals the Depth of God’s Judgment

Was it nice to you, to see the Lord Jesus' body? His body broken on the cross, him being crucified, suffering, whilst innocent, doing so for your sin. And that which we are shown, which we can see with our eyes, is only a tiny fraction of that which he really had to suffer.

He went through things 10 ,000 times more than what you saw. And the depths of these things are many, many, many light years away from us. We can just see through a dark glimmer of those depths and those heights that Jesus went through.

You can laugh and scorn at anything, but not about the Lord and his death on the cross. Even if you're the biggest fool in this world, the worst drunkard, the worst prostitute, if you look there at Jesus who died, then the scars on his head, the nails in his hands, shut your mouth and bring you to your senses forever and ever.

The Bible says that Jesus was the lamb that was slain, even before the foundations of the world were laid. Can you fathom what that means? Even before God created the heavens and the earth, the lamb that was slain was before his eyes.

That's how deep Jesus Christ's death went, cut into the heart of the Father.

The Bible says that Jesus was the lamb that was slain, even before the foundations of the world were laid.

Can you fathom what that means?

We cannot fathom how deep the cross of Jesus that he hung on goes with the Father, and how it cuts into his heart, and it should touch anybody, whether he's a communist, socialist, nationalist, wherever he might be.

We cannot fathom how deep the cross of Jesus that he hung on goes with the Father, and how it cuts into his heart, and it should touch anybody, whether he's a communist, socialist, nationalist, wherever he might be.

The Cross and Public Allegiance

Even in our country, they wiped out Ascension Day from the calendar as a holiday, but they make human rights a holiday. So that is raised up above Ascension Day. You that have voted, God will ask you one day on Judgment Day, where did you put your cross?

And democracy, the Zulus call it the will of the majority. And I say, when you put your cross on that piece of paper, on Judgment Day, we'll see where that cross was. And you'll see, you'll have to bear the fruit of that.

Allow me to tell you the truth, that you may wake up out of your sleep.

You may wake up out of your sleep.

Some time ago there was a political slogan, many years ago, that the white man is a dog. And the guy said, well, I love that, I want to be your dog, that I can bark, and you'll even feed your dog. And so don't be upset with me if I bark to wake you up out of your sleep, saying that your enemy, those thieves, are coming to break in.

And they'll kill you. And today people are no longer living in safety, you just hear a rat running on the ceiling and you get afraid, thinking maybe somebody's come to kill you. Before the foundations of the earth, God already saw your sin.

And he said, how will I deal with that sin? And then he saw the Lamb of God slain before him.

Redemption, Ransom, Justification, and Reconciliation

When God thinks about salvation on the cross, that he thinks of a multitude of words and terms, that he doesn't know how to express himself, to describe and to portray the depths and the meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Sometimes it is referred to as redemption, as a ransom.

He talks about it as the need to be justified. He talks about it as being reconciled with God, being made one with God.

Where God uses various terms to try and express the message of the cross. Let me speak for a moment about the need of a ransom. There is a song that says, redeemed, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Now what does that redemption or that ransom mean?

It's the same word in Zulu.

To be ransomed means liberating a prisoner with money or some other great payment.

Jesus paid the ransom for us on the cross. Let me illustrate to you what that ransom means. There were two brothers. One was a believer and one not. One would take his Bible to the service on a Sunday.

And the other one would go and play soccer, go and talk to the girls, go with his pals to go and smoke and do other things. In the evening, the one brother would take his Bible and read it. And then his brother would come back late at night, 9, 10, 11.

Sometimes later, sometimes he'd even sleep outside. And he'd plead with him and say, brother, dear brother, what does God say about your lifestyle? What does God say about your smoking and drinking and using drugs?

And he'd say, brother, this is my life, just as the women also say that it's their body, they can choose to have an abortion or not. And it went from bad to worse. Eventually he lived like a wild animal.

Today he would sleep with one girl, tomorrow with another woman and every day somebody different. Eventually he joined up with a gang. He had a knife, a dagger and then at one place he stabbed somebody.

But this happened not in these days where there's no longer any capital punishment, but with a previous government where those governments still said, we honor that which God's word says. When somebody kills, then his blood should be shed.

And one evening while he was still reading his Bible peacefully in the house, all of a sudden the doors were flung open and somebody ran inside and it was his brother. And he said, brother, please help me, help me.

And he was full of blood and he said, I've murdered somebody, I've killed somebody and the police are on my heel. Please do something for me, help me. You see how it is when you're in trouble, then you remember the minister, then you remember those who serve the Lord.

Even the man whom you hate, maybe it could be me, but one day you'll love me and you'll come to me for help. Even if they should write badly in the newspapers, what can you expect of a newspaper? Or in the internet, Jesus says, if they hate me, they'll hate you.

And if they don't hate you, you belong to the devil. Woe to you if all men speak well of you. Woe to you if you speak badly of me. Woe to you if you speak badly of me.

And then he said, brother, take off your clothing quickly. And he took off his own clothing and said, get dressed in this. And he got dressed in the clothing of his brother and he said, now you run, you flee, go as quick and as far as you can.

And so the believing brother had put on the clothing, the bloodstained clothing of his brother, the bloodstained shirt and trousers, and even caused his shirt to hang outside as his brother would normally do.

Leaving the buttons, the top buttons of the shirt open to breastfeed the cats. And then the police arrived and they kicked open the doors and they came inside. And they said, oh, here he is, we got him so easily.

He said, oh, he's got a Bible even with him, so today's criminals go around with a Bible. Well, what else do we need? We've got all the evidence. Yeah, there were the handcuffs. And they put him in the back of the police van.

And so he was imprisoned. As it were, may the Lord be praised, we so quickly got hold of this criminal. And the case was heard. And he didn't deny his guilt. He took his brother's guilt upon himself. And the judge gave his verdict.

He said, do you deny your guilt? He said, no. So he was given the death sentence. And he was hung. And he died. His brother had run away to a different country. After many years, his brother came back.

And the matter had long been forgotten. When he got home, where's my brother? After all, your brother died. Don't you remember that there was that case where somebody was murdered and he was accused of that murder?

Oh, did they put him into jail? Yes. Yes. Did they try the case? They said yes, and he didn't deny his guilt. And then he held his head, he took hold of his head, and he wailed with a loud voice crying, oh, I should have died, but my brother died in my stead.

And then he went to the police. He said, you executed someone who was innocent. I am guilty of the death of that man. And so they were at a loss as to what to do with this case. They went to the chief magistrate, to the judges, and they said, here is somebody now admitting to his guilt, saying that his brother who was executed was innocent.

He said, take me, I am guilty, put me into jail, execute me.

And the judge said, no, you have been ransomed.

And the chief judge said, no, you have been ransomed. Your brother took your guilt upon him, and he died. But we cannot execute a second person for the same crime. And this real, guilty one went free.

And he went home, and there he took off his clothing, put on his brother's clothing, and he said, it's the end of the world, I will no longer wear the clothing of the world. He found his brother's Bible, and he took it, and he said, from now on, I'll make this book to be mine.

And live accordingly, his brother had paid the ransom for him. You had to be crucified. But Jesus carried your sin. Silently, he didn't open his mouth, but he carried my sin. And God himself speaks about that ransom.

And then, I'm leaving that word now. God also uses the word, to be justified. To be justified means to be shown as righteous. When Jesus hung on the cross, he didn't only die for our sin, but God made him to be sin.

And it wasn't just to be, he made him sin. He was sin.

The eternal one, who is pure, became sin for your sake. He became sin for your sake.

Jesus used the word, to be justified.

Christ Made Sin for Us

That ought to cause us to have our hearts broken, that our hearts break, that we wail, that we cry. Because he who was pure and eternal, became sin, sinful sin. Jesus prayed alone there, in the garden of Gethsemane.

And he called his three closest disciples, John, Peter and James, to be with him and to pray. And he said, my soul is troubled unto death. And then he knelt down and he prayed. And when he prayed, he sweated sweat drops of blood.

Those sweat drops were like blood, dropping on the ground. What a struggle that must have been for him. Whom you know sin, for all eternities, living in holiness, one with the Holy Father. Sin, being made sin.

How could the Father possibly do such a thing? The others just crucified him, put the thorns on his brow, nailed him to the cross. But the Father made him sin, as black as sin can be, as dark as the darkest night can be.

Millions of times worse than what the Jews and the high priests and those murderers did, the Father did. He was sin. The Father made him sin. Why did the Father do that? How could he do such an awful, terrifying thing?

To his only begotten son.

Before time began, he was one with him.

And now he turns his back on him and makes him to be sin. God, how can you do such a thing to your only begotten son? He says, Elo, because of you. Elo, because of you. That's why I talk the way I'm talking.

That's why I'm preaching the way I'm preaching. But I can't do it well enough and express my appreciation for that, what the Father has done for me.

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And Jesus entered into that darkness saying father let not my will be done but yours. And after he had accepted that will of God God turned his back upon him and left him forsook him. You are on the cross.

Jesus cried out my God my God why has thou forsaken me you that I've been one with for all eternity. How can you forsake me and turn your back upon me. And Jesus went through that. And if you can continue in your sin and you can trample underfoot that blood that was shed then we don't feel sorry for you.

If you go to hell we say you ought to go to hell where you show your backside to God after he did that for you showing him.

Your backside naked if it doesn't mean more than the dirt under your nails and you leave and go and live as you lived before betraying the triune. God I say wow God it is that there's a hell and may God stretch it and make it seven times 40 for you.

Jesus was one with the father living in holiness with him in absolute harmony and unity together with the father in the glory of heaven. He forsook that and God made him to be said God made him sin for you and for me and you still go after that and go back to your sin go back to other men go back and brew beer.

And continue with your life of sin. Oh Nina. Gas virgin child's virgin. When I'm.

A total anomaly. Charles Spurgeon's mother had two sons.

They were this big 14 15 16. We say they still babies but a 13 year old child nowadays think she's big or he's big baby. Say baby.

Gulem Yaga. I'm a teenager 12 13 14. Nam sanji's to die but I'd know about coming a little bit. He's a bit of a dollar candy.

Base upon to energy. 15 16 you go to a number judging on a no 12 of 13 you.

Charles and the mother said Charles God is not pleased with this life where you argue with each other and fight and scratch each other and you're always at.

Loggers with each other Galen Ilango Spurgeon. But for me when I say boy how now. Mama we attend us who base a camellia. Spurgeon was a passage in we.

Are moose who moves a tundas. And then one day Charles was outside and as he came in he heard his mother was busy praying in the room and he could hear.

Her words he was praying loud and she prayed Oh God if my two boys should die in the sin it is not because of ignorance. And God if they got to stand before your judgment throne I'll be a swift witness against them.

Mothers can you pray like that. Parents go to hell because of the children. Parents justify the children. Parents cover the children. Parents justify the children don't touch their child. You'll prepare to go to hell because of them but you'll take their side.

They'll go to hell but you'll go to with them. Don't worry you'll get your hell. But here a woman said if my children are guilty before God I want to be the first swift witness against him said God. I told them they deserve hell.

Where such mothers is. Your associates. Down the throat there's a formula. Drunk lap a needy barrel from meant to about rock and still and in the trunk. On Marseille. So born in the cold it's Coco Siobhan guessing I'm a longer best Coco.

As on.

Court. I mean I got a fee and the flames of hell will lick you even before you've.

Died that's funny silly silly ghost or. Tandu is season on Nina um Gakken and.

I can't find it. We ought to hear the Word of God that says he loves father mother children anybody else more than me is not worthy of me. I'm afraid I lose.

My child lose him. If you lose your life you'll win it but if you want to save it.

You lose him what. I guess I'm looking so let's take a little time I want me. Got to get my good child in a second way on over last I got a little Yakko who's.

Always loser. Who. Bob I want to tell you. Chase what kind of chase. Cool cool warm.

Cool cool warm chilly. Nina. God forsook Jesus and he cried out my God my God. Why.

Has thou forsaken me. Which is what figure. What Kogi punch luck what Kogai comes luck. What cock is cut to the sack. What fella. When a bit funny little to go fair way. Not one fine. Yeah no God. Local.

We are loonies. See sir we are loon. Come on. G over. When I was from betas. Got cheese. Jesus took on him your clothing.

Your blood-stained clothing your son your shoes he put that on and because of that you are justified. You are shown as righteous because you have put on his righteousness no constant as they in in. Oh sorry for you don't understand German.

That verse is that I'll put on the blood of Christ and his righteousness that will be my beauty and in that way I'll.

Heaven and standing. He took my dirty clothing and I'm wearing his clothing now. Justified perfect before God besiege. Ooty. He talks about the last thing I'd like to mention being reconciled to God. There's a go clean up guba.

Boy sunny don't go. Look good. That means to be made one with God.

Most anonymous when I am a moon and I boy son that we are reconciled to be made one with him.

When we leave we were born we're born no more such a little bit so squeal it.

How couple not look up and say they're gone these days. I went to Jesus and I said Lord thank you for what you've done for me on the cross and for that I love you I love you. Tell me have you gone to Jesus already.

Have you thanked him for what he's done for you or do you still have that date. Outstanding. I couldn't.

But two three days ago but to go to Jesus I went to him. I said Lord Jesus I just want to say thank you to you. What will you want you for what you've done for me on the cross. I love you because of it.

It's it means more to me than anything else in the world. Jesus thank you. Have you gone to him already and.

Thanked him. It's why I even go away. Um bogey now look I went to the corner. Now nobody mean a look. One ends in a spam bandwagon and Nani. Oh Julio is it does honk him. Sabine. Think of the price he paid.

Sing.

Of the death and the hell he went through to get you out of it and the rest of your life should be a thank you to him. Come on friends and foes white and black before the whole world.

Kabanga Nali Oh Nani. I cook. I know Galesa's Hawker. I do they go. So who's there a keeper when it's hockey. Me if you like a yonk. A big man. Goobah goobing. Goobonga yeah. Now look I went to the corner.

Pundit was it a non-stop achievement. So you're paid in closing. There was a Scottish patriot, Robert Bruce was his name, was once hiding from the English army, which had been sent by King Edward to be caught and to put into chains.

Salvation Through the Stream from Calvary

Robert Bruce was a patriot, a patriot, I'm just explaining to them what a patriot is.

One who is defending his country, fighting for his own land and his own country.

Now King Edward, we even have a hospital name after him, he failed to catch Robert Bruce. For he hid there, in the Scottish hills.

You know the Scots, the Scottish, in the Anglo-Boer war, the Afrikaner said, the English soldier is not a good soldier, but his wife, their wives, they're deadly. It was because of the Celts, you know.

And so Robert Bruce hid away in the mountains there in Scotland and King Edward failed to capture him. And he was hiding in his hideout and he was hungry, experiencing hunger, weakness, all other types of weaknesses and peril, and while the English were hunting him like a wild animal.

And then one day, suddenly Robert Bruce heard the baying of his own dogs. I, to bay is not concocter.

The English took his own dogs and they said, well, they know him very well. They'll be the best to catch him and get hold of him.

And then he heard, not the barking, the baying of those dogs. And he said, but those are my dogs. And he says, oh, did they get hold of my dogs? Have they set my dogs on me? But his dogs naturally didn't want to kill him.

They were happy. They would see their master.

And so Robert Bruce said, are they now hunting after me with my own dogs? How will I get away? For as sure as anything, they are going to get hold of me and they'll find me. He was weak. He was hiding out.

No longer had any strength left in him. And then you heard the baying coming closer and closer and they were happy. They were going to see their master. Not realizing that they were putting him into the danger of death.

And he scraped together his last ounce of strength, dragging him along and started to run, running towards a little brook that was running close by. And with his dogs close on his heels, he got into that water, into that stream.

And he walked along with that stream of water. And so he heard how their noise was coming closer, their baying, until they reached the stream of water. And then the sound changed and they were no longer sure where he was.

And they started draining up this side of the stream, that side of the stream. The water had washed away his trail and his spore and they could no longer find him.

And Robert Bruce was saved. King Henry couldn't get him. His soldiers couldn't find him. He was saved with his feet in the water. The Bible says your sin will find you out. You may be as old as Methuselah, but the sins of your youth will find you out.

You may have sleepless nights, your guilty conscience, your sin, your sin. You can't forget it. Your sin, your sin will find you out. Your own dogs, your own sin will judge you on Judgment Day. They'll be there.

But go into that stream that flows from Calvary, the stream of water and of blood. And you're safe. The sins are gone. The dogs won't get hold of you. The dogs of hell, all the demons, nobody will be able to get hold of you.

Now they've heard it twice. You can say it once in English.

And if you come to that stream that flowed from the cross, from the side of the Lord Jesus, of the riven side, that blood and that water, you'll be washed and cleansed and your sin wiped out.

Have you dipped your feet into that? Have you come to the cross, called a spade a spade? Call your sin by name. Don't justify yourself. Rather say, God, I'm guilty. And he says, no, you are not guilty.

Then say, it's not too bad. And you'll be guilty before him. Oh, for a thousand tongues to proclaim the mystery of the cross. Yes. There are no tongues of men or angels that can fathom the depths, the height, the breadth of that secret, what happened on the cross.

But may you with the little that you understood and heard, be a new man from now on and imprint your name into the book of heaven. So that you will understand what the father and Jesus did for them on the cross.