On this day where we think of your
dying for us on the cross, we thank
you, Lord, for what thou hast done.
And as we have sung that there is
salvation at the cross in your blood, there
shouldn't be one of us here in the
meeting who does not experience complete
forgiveness and complete healing from any
enslavement to the devil by your work which
we commemorate today.
After going through all what you went through,
Lord Jesus, what a shame if we who
call us by your name are still enslaved
by sin and by things of this world.
So take this service and may it be
in your hands and may you work as
thou wilt, as thou hast sought of this
hour.
May that come true in each and every
one of our lives.
Bless us and save us from an eternal
damnation.
That your will be done in our lives.
Amen.
Let's read our text from 1 Corinthians chapter
1 and verse 12.
Sorry, verse 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.
Let us pray.
We invite you, Lord Jesus, to be in
our midst.
Through your word and your Holy Spirit, we
pray that you would speak to us and
touch our hearts.
Amen.
The word of God says that 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.
Today is Good Friday.
For what reason?
Today, across the world, people are reminded of
the cross and that's why we even have
a symbol erected here.
There we see that there is a crown
of thorns with a wreath with it.
When Jesus was crucified and they placed the
crown of thorns on his brow, there were
no flowers, it was only thorns.
But today they have put red flowers there
to symbolize the love of God which he
demonstrated to us on the cross.
And that those thorns to us are so
precious.
And we have the love of Jesus as
a result of the crown of thorns that
he put on his head.
And we have the crown of thorns that
symbolize the blood of Jesus.
The message of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing.
But to us it is the power of
God, God's power which is above every other
power.
There are big machines in this world, earth
moving machines, tractors and bulldozers with a lot
of power.
There is great power displayed in nature through
thunder and lightning.
Now I don't know how true it is
but I heard that the Germans before the
second world war had a project where they
built tremendously big batteries, I don't know how
many hectares they covered, and their intention was
to store the energy from lightning.
And when lightning struck it destroyed all those
batteries, they exploded because of the amount of
energy that is in one lightning.
The energy in one lightning bolt.
So there is great power displayed in nature
and in natural phenomena but God's power is
much much greater than that.
There is a lot of power in fire,
raging fire and in floods, raging torrents of
water but there is no power that can
be likened to God's power.
Now the message of the cross is the
power of God to those who believe, I
don't know whether you have met up with
that power already.
It is impossible for you to be changed
and completely renewed if you touch God's power
and energy, it is impossible that nothing will
happen in your life.
It doesn't matter what race, nation or language
you are, but if you meet God's power
there then your life will completely change.
So we who are saved are saved through
that power of the cross.
Now some will say well we are from
the Joneses or we are from the Smith
family and our family is known for the
fact that we have got hot temper, we
quickly get angry or we are like this
and people excuse themselves in that way.
No, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no But no matter what family
you are from, even if you're a prostitute,
or a drunkard, an alcoholic, or you're a
thief, but if you meet up with this
power of Christ, you will be changed completely.
You will not be able to carry on
as you used to live before.
If you do, that's just a fairy tale
that you've met up with His power.
You say, well, I'm addicted to nicotine, I'm
a smoker, or you're a drug addict, and
you say, well, it's impossible for me to
kick that habit and to get rid of
it.
Get rid of it from that addiction.
Why is it impossible for you?
Because you haven't met up with His power
of Christ.
And even if you would call yourself a
believer and a Christian, you should know that
you are outside.
It's a lie that you're a Christian.
It's a lie that you're a drug addict.
It's a lie that you're a smoker.
It's a lie that you're a drug addict.
It's a lie that you're a Christian.
It's a lie that you're a drug addict.
It's a lie that you're a Christian.
It's a lie that you're a drug addict.
It's a lie that you're a Christian.
It's a lie that you're a drug addict.
It's a lie that you're a Christian.
It's a lie that you're a drug addict.
It's a lie that you're a Christian.
It's a lie that you're a drug addict.
It's a lie that you're a Christian.
It's a lie that you're a drug addict.
I'm not troubled by alcohol.
But my problem is I don't know.
But you said my problem is I love
motorcars.
These big, smart, expensive motorcars.
I
love
motorcars.
No.
That's chicken feed.
I'm not interested in that type of car.
But these big, smart, expensive BMWs.
Those very expensive motorcars.
If I see a car like that passing
by, my eyes can't leave it.
And we and our gang, we won't rest
until at least one day we've got hold
of one of those cars.
We'll kill the driver or the owner and
go and throw that person somewhere where we
get rid of the body and steal the
car in that way.
One day she and her gang saw one
of these big, smart cars.
They went after it.
They killed the driver in cold blood.
They got rid of the body.
And then she herself drove that car across
the border, across Byte Bridge into Zimbabwe.
And there at the bridge, it was terribly
hot.
And because of the heat, the stench of
this blood came up into her nostrils.
So much so that she became nauseous.
She wanted to vomit.
And when she got there, a voice said
to her, Now you repent.
Go to Kwasi Zabantu and get your life
right with God.
And so she did that.
She came here and came and she confessed
her sin.
Well, in the olden days, they used to
steal horses.
Today they steal motor cars.
She repented.
Blood, human blood, made her nauseous.
And when Jesus was crucified on the cross,
he was crucified for things such as these.
And maybe you say, Well, I'm not as
bad as that.
I haven't ever killed anybody.
I'm not immoral.
I'm not a drunkard.
Well, I'm not such a bad person after
all.
I'm not such a bad person after all.
And he said, Of all, it was said
that you should not commit adultery.
But I tell you, if you have only
looked at a woman and you've lusted after
her with your eyes, you're already an adulterer.
And you say, Well, I haven't divorced my
wife.
I'm still living with her.
I've still got our marriage certificate.
But your eyes can follow other people and
other women.
And you look at them and you long
in your heart for God.
You're married.
You've got a wife.
She's yours.
Her body is your body.
Your body is her body.
And you still look at pornographic things.
Before the most holy God, what are you?
But they make no reference of their sin.
There's no repentance, no remorse, no confession of
their sin.
Sometimes tracts are written.
Evangelism is done, but without repentance.
There's no salvation.
It's impossible.
Christ died for sinners and for sin.
And if you meet with him and come
to the cross, sin must be dealt with.
And if you say, I've accepted Christ, I'm
a child of the Lord, it's nonsense.
It's not genuine.
May it be clear to you for the
rest of your life, there is no salvation
without repentance.
It's man-made, it's a modern thing and
it's worth nothing.
It's man-made, it's a modern thing and
it's worth nothing.
You repent, there is remorse over sin, there
is confession and there is a change of
mind.
Some believe that they are saved, but never
turned away from their wicked ways and their
sin.
And that's why they accept Christ and
believe in him, so to say.
But after that they fall into the gravest
sin, sin that they've never done before, in
spite of the fact that they've accepted Christ.
Because they have accepted Christ without repentance.
And their Christ didn't deal with the sin
in their life.
And they are the laughing stock of the
devils.
And they are the laughing stock of the
devils.
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.
And if you meet up with the message
of the cross...