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Text Sermons : Erlo Stegen : The power of the Cross

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1Cor 1:18 - "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."

There is great power displayed in nature e.g. through lightning, floods, tornadoes, etc. But God's power is much greater. And the message of the cross contains this power. It's impossible to remain the same when you have experienced this power of God. Your life will be holy, and you become a new creation. We are saved through this power of the cross.

Some will excuse their sins; they will say that their bad temper or immorality is just part of their family. However this power of Christ is no ordinary power and it can save and change the greatest sinner completely.

If you are not able to overcome sin, and bad habits, it is because you have not met this power of God, even if you're called a Christian.

Even if you've been in the occult and is a hardened satan worshipper, God's power of the cross will break those chains completely.

Many hang crosses around their necks or from their ears. But that is not the crux of the matter. It is not just meant to be decoration. The message of the cross has directly to do with your sin, whether it be hidden or not. The Lord Jesus died on the cross because of that sin. We can speak about the pain He suffered and the nails that pierced His hands and feet and the thorns that pierced his head, but the message of the cross goes even deeper than that. It speaks about the seriousness of sin. It highlights sin's hideousness and how utterly abhorrable it is.

Maybe you love your sin, persevere in it and enjoy it even though warned repeatedly. But the day you meet with God's power, you will utterly detest it is.

A certain woman who came to the mission told us how she had a gang and they would steal the most expensive cars. One day they murdered the owner of a large, expensive car and she drove with it to Zimbabwe. The sun was very hot and the stench of the blood in the car started to make her nauseous. God convicted her of her sins and eventually she came to KwaSizabantu and repented.

Maybe you say that you're not so evil; you've never murdered anyone and is faithful to your spouse. But Jesus said that if you're angry with your brother and curse him, you're a murderer. And if you look at another women and lust after her, you've already committed adultery, and broken your marriage vows. If you go on the internet when nobody is watching and read and look at all manner of filth and pornography, you've already murdered your wife and is an immoral person before God.

Not long ago a certain girl who had a boyfriend fell pregnant and gave birth. One day she spoke to her boyfriend over the phone and when she put the phone down she was in another frame of mind. She took her baby and slaughtered it as one would slaughter a sheep. Then she went to a hill close to her home and committed suicide by stabbing herself.

Another girl who fell pregnant because of her immoral ways, hid it from everyone, and gave birth late one night. She then took her newborn baby and drowned it in a bowl of water and buried it in a field. So she went back home and continued as if nothing had happened. A dog came by, dug up the baby and carried it to her home to feed on it. When the people saw it they were horrified and contacted the police who took her to jail.

We read in Is 49:15, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you."

Today mothers get pills at clinics and murder their own children even before birth.

This clearly shows how cruel certain mothers can be, and God did not in vain leave open the possibility that a mother could forget her child.

Jesus said that He will judge even our thoughts. You are not what you think you are, but you are what you think. If you really want to know who you are, consider your thoughts.

The whole meaning of salvation is that God deals radically and ruthlessly with our sin. It is nonsense to say you're saved and your sin is not dealt with. The whole reason Jesus came to die was for sinners and for sin (Matt 1:21). He condemned sin and came to break the chains and power of the devil in your life (1John 3:8, 9). There's no salvation unless sin has been dealt with.

You have to repent and have remorse over your sin. Some believe that they are saved but never turn away from their sin and their wicked ways. That is why they believe in Christ, and then turn and fall into the gravest sins - sins they've never thought possible before. It is because they have accepted Christ without letting Him deal with sin in their lives.
If you meet with the power of the Gospel, you'll become a new creature. It cannot be otherwise.

A person who calls himself a Christian and a child of God, but goes from the one sin to the next and keeps on sinning, such a person is a liar and a child of the devil.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who perish but to us who are saved it is the power of God; and we testify of this power to the world.





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