“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of

wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know

anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him

crucified.”1 Corinthians 2:1-2

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I

preached to you, which also you received and in which you

stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word

which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He

rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…”

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

• Our relationship to the Christ of the cross determines our eternal destiny

• Without the cross, Jesus is not the Christ and the gospel is not good news– Luke 24:25-27

• We need to appreciate the importance of the cross in the scheme of redemption

The Necessityof the Cross

The Necessityof the Cross

• Salvation not possible without the cross

• It did for us what we could never have done– Romans 5:6

• Jesus drank the cup of His suffering– Not possible for it to be otherwise and our sins

to be forgiven– Matthew 26:39, 42; Hebrews 5:7-9

The Deathof the CrossThe Death

of the Cross

• Christ defeated death by dying for us

• Submitting to death – He conquered the power of death– Genesis 3:15; 2 Timothy 1:10– He gave us life – by submitting to death!

• Jesus accepted the penalty of death– 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:14-15

The Bloodof the CrossThe Blood

of the Cross• His blood cleanses us from sin

– Life is in “the blood” (Leviticus 17:10-14)

• Life must be taken to atone for sin• Animal sacrifices of the Old Testament

pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus– Hebrews 9:11-15

• Blood of Christ cleanses our soul– Revelation 1:5

The Loveof the Cross

The Loveof the Cross

• God’s love for us is shown by His gift– God gave His only Son– John 3:14-17; 1 John 4:7-11

• Required love of the part of Jesus– John 10:17-18

• When we think seriously about the cross, we must be moved to give ourselves to God– 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 John 4:19

The Loveof the Cross

The Loveof the Cross

• The cross will cause us to love the Lord and His people!– 1 John 4:10-11

• It will cause us to be faithfully obedient to the Lord– Christ died for US, that we might live for Him!– John 14:15

The Preachingof the Cross

The Preachingof the Cross

• Should want to share the message to all• Preaching of the gospel is the preaching of

the cross of Christ– 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

• A proclamation that Jesus is Lord and Christ– Announces the conditions of acceptance of the

gospel of Christ– Acts 2:36-39

The Preachingof the Cross

The Preachingof the Cross

• Jesus draws men to Him by the cross– John 12:32

• Our gratitude will cause us to preach the cross of Jesus– Mark 5:19

“As many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were

baptized into His death....”Romans 6:3-4

“ I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which 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