The offence of the cross

The message of the cross is the most offensive message of all messages. Paul in his letter to the Corinthian Church in chapter 1 verse 23 calls its message an unpopular message to the point of being an offensive message to the perishing. Why is this message calling for an offensive respond? Can the death of our Lord Jesus be an offence to anyone?  Is it His death on the cross that causes offence or is it the message it bares that offends people?

These are some of our probing questions that tonight we would like to touch on.

I trust both of these subjects have very true means of causing an offence. First a Savior who seems very weak through being crucified by a very degrading death. This does not appeal to men and especially to Israel after the flesh that was waiting for a mighty savior to appear who would have the earthly government on His shoulders. They were expecting a physical hero of a king.

For this very reason Christ’s atoning death could mean foolishness to the perishing. He became a rock of offence to the ones who did not see its proper meaning. They are the ones who would not want to see their king dying in weakness. This message brought to their flesh a sense of utter hopelessness. This conveyed a message of defeat and utter despair. Despair, because the flesh in itself speaks of strength. Men through Adamic rebellion chose to trust the strength of their flesh, and now a weak and dying savior, was a blasphemy to the nature of their flesh.  Therefore in the first place the cross itself was not appealing to the carnal man. Secondly the message it carries is a real threat to the pride of men hidden in the natural man’s disposition. It is a total rejection of any reliance on man’s own wisdom. The self opinioned man could not easily give away its strength by relying on another source and that a weak and a foolish reasoning, called the wisdom of God.

The cross also carries a message as I said earlier and that is the most offensive of all. Worst than its appearance is its message to men. Men of this world are convicted by the message of the cross. The cross speaks of the necessity of the embracement of the understanding that we too need to start living a selfless life. The power of the mind through the humanistic fallen nature cannot handle such a humiliating response to life.
This is exactly why Adam was forbidden to continue living in Eden. This new find identity in the strength of His mind, kept him away from the presence of the Lord. This is why Solomon in proverbs 3:5 & 6 says to us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”.

Because this is the exact hieght from where we have fallen from. The height of leaning upon God and His wisdom.

The message the cross bears is that we too need to die to our carnal appetites of the flesh and the need to die to our own passions, desires and rights more than all things. This message especially the last requirement bears a heavy price on our self-righteous status of our earthly disposition.

This puts a very heavy demand on our carnal man and on his own justified rights and reasoning’s.  This message says we need to start walking on a higher level of righteousness that brings denial of our own ways. It speaks to us about denying the human justices around us and leans upon a futuristic heavenly justice. This denies our human rights of avenging ourselves. This message says we need to die to our own reasoning that says I demand repayment here and now. Just like the Law of Moses that says eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. This method of justice was taken from an earthly stand point and not heavenly.

The message of the cross is offensive; because it demonstrates our sin and that we too by our sin put nails on the body of our Lord. It is offensive because it reminds us that we too need to bow before its humbling truth of our own need for forgiveness. It tells us that we need to forgive our offenders at all times and that is a very harsh spiritual reality combating against our fleshly demand for justice. This message is an unpopular message, because the world hates to bow before the truth of the gospel of Christ, since it means the end of our existance in the flesh, or the life in accordance to the needs of the flesh. It represents a new and a high law of Spirit and life, rather than the law of sin and death. Men abhor its message, because it puts a ban on the way men think. It completely rejects the wisdom of the flesh, calling it earthly and yet even demonic. It is offensive to its core, because it does not call for revenge when there arises a need for it.

The Blood of Calvary speaks of better things than of Able. It does not speak of revenge, where man’s humanistic response it to call for revenge. Jesus in responding to John the Baptist’s humanistic quest for freedom from king Harrods’s prison replied in this way… “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me”, or in another translation it says “Blessed is the man who would not fall because of me”. Luke 7:23 or Matthew 11:6.

Do you see even here the Lord speaks of the heavy cost of obeying the message of the cross? Yes it is offensive to the perishing mind of man. Man cannot understand the heavy cost of true discipleship. It is a total rejection of all what people around us value the most. Including the way of their corruptive minds. This is why Jesus eventually said “The wisdom of God will be justified by her children.” Jesus said this knowing no matter what He did or anyone else only the elect will receive this offensive message for themselves.

In Matthew chapter 24 the word says in the last days many will be offended and only those who endure to the end shall be saved. These words speak volumes to me in this final hour. Seeing the warfare around us and that how the enemy is daily seeking access into our thought lives through offences, I am praying that God would strengthen us in the obedience of His word. The worldly influences of people around us are crying out for vengeance and retaliation. The sin abounding around us has grown the love of many cold, and the need for a crucified life becomes less and less important even in the Church of Jesus Christ. Some are calling for deliverance, but their rejection of the obedience of the written word places their lives into an offensive mode, more and more each day. Forgiveness is becoming a very rare commodity. Even in the circles of believers to our shame, and what if God has even allowed some to be tested in this way?

Oh yes even the Lord testing the truth of our confession could allow some of us to be tested in such probing ways to have the genuineness of our faith tested as pure gold is tested. I am seeing many who are being severally undergoing spiritual testing’s in these final days and I do pray that all who are being tested in these ways will come out pure and genuine in their profession of their faith. This is probably where the words of Revelations chapter 13 verse 10 comes alive and I do hope many will be granted favor to come out as Overcomers in these days. Here is the word.

“He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

These words could describe the severe opposition that we are facing in these final days and the need for God’s sustaining strength for endurance through them all.