COME TO THE CROSS Pt.2

Highlights from Pastor Jerry’s July 14 Sunday message

REALITY & STRONGHOLDS

The Church Jesus is building today has some strongholds of man in opposition to what Jesus wants to do. Jesus wants to proclaim the truth.

Principalities and powers will do whatever they can to remove the reality of the teaching of the CROSS from being taught.  Saul, (the Pharisee, who later became Paul the Apostle), wanted the message of Jesus to be eradicated – GONE!  You and I have picked up a number of strongholds (beliefs, doctrines, opinions) that try to cause us not to be harmony with the delivering plan of the Lord.   Only the blood of Jesus that covered that CROSS can deliver us!

We are missing “life” if we are missing knowing Jesus.  That’s reality!  Many are unaware of the reality of Jesus Christ!   Jesus in Gethsemane asked the Father, “Is there another way? Yet, not my will but Yours be done!” God has opened a way for our loved ones to come to the Lord, if the way is opened to them!  That’s where all the details of this “so great a salvation need to be understood so that we can rejoicingly enter through the open door.  we must proclaim every aspect of God’s plan.

Pastor Jerry shared how the Lord opened doors and gave him the privilege of ministering to people who were dying – to witness the reality of Jesus, & saw others healed. Either the word is true or it isn’t!  Yet, too many are hooked up to man-made machines (beliefs that healing is not for today, tongues not for today, etc). In 1Corinthians 12:1 the Apostle Paul says, “I would not have you ignorant…”   Do you realize you have strongholds? Only Jesus Christ has the authority to say to principalities and powers, “Get lost!”

For 38 years I lived without knowing Jesus.  As a news reporter I was always looking for another “award winning” story.  I went to church because that was the thing to do; but never heard a sermon on the CROSS or “you must be bornagain”                                                                    

How much reality and truth do you have? Saul wasn’t living in reality – in the demonstration of the power of God. We could say that he was the vilest sinner!  Yet, after his Damascus Road experience, Paul’s sins were nailed to the CROSS with Jesus and can never be used against him! Our sins have been nailed to the CROSS and can never be used against us – even sins not committed yet!

“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the CROSS. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:13-15)

We want the reality of Jesus and the CROSS for everyone on the PRAYER CROSS that they will have a Damascus Road experience like Saul! We are no longer lost! No longer unforgiven! No weapon formed against us will prosper! Lucifer is a defeated foe!  If anyone tells you anything contrary to the Word of God – ignore it! “Let God be true, and every human being a liar” (Romans 3:4).

We have our human, negative stronghold experiences but we need to allow the blood of Jesus to eradicate them.  It is time to stand up for biblical reality. We want the truth. We need a truth partner to be in harmony with Jesus! The Holy Spirit has already written the Word of God. 

There is an open door to the CROSS - anyone can come! God can take a serial killer and turn him into a Holy Spirit empowered truth proclaiming servant in God’s Kingdom. Many are searching for the truth!  We need to take the Gospel to them!