THE AGONY

AND
THE GLORY
OF THE CROSS
Lesson 7

THE WISDOM AND THE POWER

OF GOD
But far be it from me to

boast
except in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by which the
world has been crucified to me, and
I to the world.
(Galatians 6:14)

but we preach Christ crucified, a

stumbling block to Jews and folly
to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, both
Jews and Greeks, Christ the

power of God and the

wisdom of God.
(I Corinthians 1:23, 24)

The GOSPEL CHANGES THE

HEARTS OF MEN AND WOMEN
GOD DOES HEART
TRANSPLANTS
People are to be NEW
CREATURES WITH A NEW

HEART AND NEW LIFE

(Continued)

Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come.
(II Corinthians 5:17)

LIKE PAUL, WE MUST BE

CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
I have been crucified with

Christ. It is no longer I who live,

but Christ who lives in me. And
the life I now live in the flesh I live
by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for
me.
(Galatians 2:20)

THERE IS NO GREATER
TRAGEDY THAN TO SEE
NO DIFFERENCE IN THE
LIVES OF
CHRISTIANS AND
SINNERS

GOD TOOK AN
INSTRUMENT OF
DEATH, THE CROSS,
AND MADE IT THE
GREATEST MOTIVATION
TO CHANGE LIVES!

HAS THE CROSS

OF JESUS
TRULY
CHANGED

OUR LIVES?

People want COMFORT; the

CROSS IS HUMILIATION that leads
to forgiveness
People want PEACE; the CROSS
BRINGS US TO A WAR that results
in PEACE!
People honor BEAUTY; the
CROSS, crude and ugly,
expresses a beauty that excels all
other beauties

CHRIST, THE POWER OF GOD

What kind of God would save
sinners with a cross?
Our world worships brute
power!
Gods POWER is greater than all
other powers combined!

THROUGH CHRIST, GOD CREATED

THE UNIVERSE!
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. All things
were made through him, and
without him was not any thing
made that was made.
(John 1:1-3) (Colossians 1:14-17)

However, with His great POWER,

GOD KNOCKS! He does NOT
FORCE!
Come to me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn
from me, for I am gentle and lowly
in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. (Matthew 11:28, 29)

CHRIST CAME TO DIE FOR

EVERY SINNER!
and he died for all, that those
who live might no longer live for
themselves but for him who for
their sake died and was raised.
(II Corinthians 5:15)

NOTE:
GODS POWER IS MADE VERY
EVIDENT IN WEAKNESS
For he was crucified in weakness,
but lives by the power of God. For
we also are weak in him, but in
dealing with you we will live with
him by the power of God.
(II Corinthians 13:4)

HAVE WE THOUGHT OF THE

FACT THAT THE GOSPEL CAN
ONLY BE RECEIVED BY THOSE
WHO ARE WEAK?
____________

NO ONE CAN STAND AT THE

CROSS AND BOAST!

CHRIST, THE WISDOM

OF

GOD
The greatest power of God lies in
His wisdom
The philosopher, Nietzsche,
idolized human power! He
hated JESUS!
Nietzsche is DEAD! Christ and
the gospel LIVE!

CHRIST CRUCIFIED IS THE

VERY HEART, THE EMBODIMENT
OF THE WISDOM OF GOD!
Man thinks that he knows what
GOD WANTS!
Man thinks that the way he
thinks is the way GOD THINKS!
The foundation of all SIN is the sin
of PRESUMPTION!

PRAY THAT WE AVOID

PRESUMPTUOUS SINS!
Keep back your servant also from
presumptuous sins; let them
not have dominion over me! Then I
shall be blameless, and innocent of
great transgression.
(Psalm 19:13)

and especially those who

indulge in the lust of
defiling passion and
despise authority. Bold and
willful, they do not tremble
as they blaspheme the
glorious ones,
(II Peter 2:10)

THE CROSS IS FOOLISHNESS

TO THE CARNAL MIND!
but we preach Christ
crucified, a stumbling block to
Jews and folly to Gentiles,
(I Corinthians 1:23)

HOWEVER, THE FOOLISHNESS

OF GOD IS WISER THAN MEN,
AND HIS WEAKNESS IS
STRONGER THAN MEN
but to those who are called, both
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power
of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is
wiser than men, and the weakness
of God is stronger than men.
(I Corinthians 1:24, 25)

GOD MAKES FOOLISH THE

WISDOM OF THE WORLD!
Where is the one who is wise?
Where is the scribe? Where is
the debater of this age? Has

not God made foolish the

wisdom of the world?
(I Corinthians 1:20)

TO THE PROUD AND

ARROGANT, THE PREACHING
OF THE CROSS IS STILL
FOOLISHNESS!
REMEMBER PAULS WORDS:
.For I decided to know nothing
among you except Jesus Christ
and him crucified.
(I Corinthians 2:2)

SIX MIRACLES AT THE CROSS

(Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23)
INTRODUCTION:
1. The Jewish leaders knew who
Jesus was, but, in hatred and
blindness, they killed Him.
They knew He performed miracles
(Continued)

So the chief priests and the

Pharisees gathered the Council
and said, "What are we to do? For
this man performs many signs.
If we let him go on like this,
everyone will believe in him, and
the Romans will come and take
away both our place and our
nation."
(John 11:47, 48)

2. EARLIER MIRACLES:
In Gethsemane, when Jesus said,
I AM HE, the people fell back on
the ground (John 18:6)
The replacement of the EAR OF
MALCHUS (Luke 22:50, 51)
This was Jesus LAST MIRACLE
before the CROSS!

LET US NOT FORGET THE

MIRACLE THAT DID NOT HAPPEN
Do you think that I cannot appeal
to my Father, and he will at once
send me more than twelve legions
of angels?
But how then should the
Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must
be so?"
(Matthew 26:53, 54)

SIX MIRACLES AT GOLGOTHA

(The skull)
1. DARKNESS! (Matthew 27:45)
Darkness from the 6th hour (Noon)
until the 9th hour (3:00 P. M.)
Have you noticed that we often
forget the miracles at the cross?

This was NOT an eclipse! An

eclipse would not happen at full
moon! Passover was at full
moon
Was God saying, ENOUGH OF
THIS GREAT EVIL?
The abuse of Calvary smothered
the sun!

WAS THIS DARKNESS A

FORESHADOWING
OF

HELL?
Read Matthew 8:12; II Peter 2:4;
Jude 6, 13

2. The VEIL (Curtain) of the

TEMPLE was TORN (Matthew
27:51; Mark 15:37, 38, etc.)
The veil between the holy
place and most holy place was
torn from top to bottom
At the exact time Jesus died!
This was at 3:00 P. M. when the
priests were doing their duty!

NOTE:
So far as God was concerned, the
Law of Moses had fulfilled its task,
and the Levitical priesthood was
now GONE!
No wonder many priests obeyed
the gospel after Pentecost
(Acts 6:7)

3. THE EARTHQUAKE (Matthew

27:51-54, etc.)
Even the Roman soldiers were
frightened!
Rocks were SPLIT!
This was GODS MIRACLE!

4. The OPENED GRAVES!

(Matthew 27:52, 53)
During His ministry, the Jews
wanted to see miracles!
(Matthew 12:38-40)
God gave them several miracles at
the CROSS!
The GRAVES of many selected
saints were opened!

The tombs also were opened.

And many bodies of the saints
who had fallen asleep were
raised,
and coming out of the tombs
after his resurrection they went
into the holy city and appeared to
many.
(Matthew 27:52, 53)

These events CAUSED MANY TO

BEAT THEIR BREASTS
Were some of these converted
on Pentecost?
And all the crowds that had
assembled for this spectacle,
when they saw what had taken
place, returned home beating their
breasts. (Luke 23:48)

NOTE:
IT IS TRUE THAT THE PEOPLE ON
PENTECOST DID KNOW OF
MIRACLES THAT JESUS
PERFORMED!
(Acts 2:22)

5. The GRAVE CLOTHES (Luke

24:1-12, etc.)
This was the first day of the
week
John outran Peter to the tomb.
But, Peter went in first
(John 20:1-6)
They saw the grave clothes
The last thing the enemies

NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

If the DISCIPLES had stolen the
body, they would NOT have
disrobed Him!
If the ENEMIES had stolen the
body, they would NOT have
disrobed Him!
When JOHN saw these things, he
believed! (John 20:6-8)

6. The RESURRECTED SAINTS

(Matthew 27:50-53)
The graves of the saints were
opened on FRIDAY!
But, they did NOT go into the City
until JESUS WAS RESURRECTED!
On the first day of the week!
They appeared to many!

Can you imagine HOW THIS

MIRACLE SPREAD
THROUGHOUT THE CITY?
What would you have done
if you had been there?