Foundation of the Cross

1. Yesterday we looked at the nature of our blessed hope. We saw that our hope as believers is not the soul’s escape from the body at death (“I’ll fly away”), but rather the resurrection of the flesh at the Second Coming (“the meek will inherit the earth/land” [Ps. 37:11; cf. Mt. 5:5]). Our inheritance is not an ethereal heavenly “realm” that the soul enters at death, but the earth, which we will receive as our inheritance at the Second Coming. Our hope is not in the annihilation of God’s good creation, but rather the “restoration of all things” (Ac. 3:21) through God’s appointed Messiah. The kingdom of God is a real kingdom, to be established on the earth in real time and real space when the Messiah returns.

⁴ There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (^NIVEph. 4:4-6)

1. A clear understanding of the prize motivates us to run the race that God calls us to in this age.

⁷ But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. ¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward (KJV – “high”) call of God in Christ Jesus. (^NKJVPhp. 3:7-13)

¹² Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (^NIVJam. 1:12).

1. Jesus says that in the last days, it will be as it was in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot.

²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹ But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. (^NIVLk. 17:26-29)

1. A storm is on the horizon. To deny this is to become like the false prophets of old.

⁶ This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. ¹⁷ They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ ¹⁸But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word? ¹⁹See, the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. ²⁰The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly. ²¹I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. ²²But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. (^NIVJer. 23:16-22)

1. When the trials of the last days arrive, it will quickly become apparent what kind of foundation our lives had been built on. We will realize whether we had been living our lives as wise virgins or as foolish virgins.

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. ¹⁴ If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (^NIV1Cor. 3:10-15)

1. Important question: What counts as a “quality” foundation in God’s sight? What does He see as “building blocks” of silver and gold? The answer: that which accords with the knowledge of God as revealed on the cross. If our lives are built on anything incongruent with the knowledge of God as revealed in Christ crucified, it is chaff that will be burned up in the fire. The real issue is what God is like and what God is not like. Anything in our lives that is agreement with who God is and what He is like will stand. Anything out of sync with God and His character will not stand.

¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (^NIV1 Pet. 1:15-16)

…¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (^NIVCol. 3:10)

“…you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²² to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (^ESVEph. 4:21-24)

¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him (^ESVEph. 1:16-17)

1. The cross, and the revelation of God contained therein, is the only compass that will see us through the days ahead. Messiah crucified is the only solid foundation.

¹⁴ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (^NIVGal. 6:14)

² For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (^NIV1 Cor. 2:2)

1. Jesus took our sin upon Himself, and then in our place received the punishment that we deserved. We ourselves deserved crucifixion, but God didn’t give it to us. Instead, He put the punishment on His Son. The cross reveals that God is merciful.

⁴Surely he took up our infirmities carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (^NIVIs. 53:4-6)

1. Because God is merciful, becoming holy as He is holy means becoming merciful and gracious toward others just as He is. The fruit of a merciful disposition toward others is something only the Holy Spirit can produce in us.

³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (^NIVLk. 6:36-38)

¹⁴ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (^NIVMt. 6:14-15)

³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (^NIVEph. 4:32)

⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. ⁶ And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷ maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” (^NIVEx. 34:5-7)

1. Self-righteousness is an abomination to God

¹Therefore, you are without excuse, O man—every man who is casting judgment! For in whatever matter you are judging the other man, it is yourself youare condemning, because you, the one who is passing judgment, are practicing the same things! ²Now, we recognize that the judgment of God upon those who are practicing such things is according to truth. ³But do you figure this, O man—the man who keeps on judging those doing such things, even while doing the same things—that you yourself will escape the judgment of God? ⁴Or do you look down upon the riches of His kindness, restraint, and long-suffering, while failing to understand that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? (^Author Rom. 2:1-4)

1. When Jesus was crucified, God was showing the world how much He truly hates sin. Sin deserves to be flogged, whipped, spit upon, and crucified eternally. God hates greed, immorality, murder, adultery, deceit, envy, deceit, and every other unclean thing that defiles and destroys the creation He loves. Sin destroys our families, our children, our societies. And through sin we destroy ourselves. In the Day of the Lord, God is going to pour out His wrath on the earth because of the wickedness of the human heart.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. (^NIVCol. 3:5-6)

⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷ Therefore do not be partners with them. (^NIVEph. 5:5-7)

1. Therefore, until Jesus comes back, we must let the Holy Spirit wash us of the things God hates and which will have no place in the age to come. We must let God shape us into people who treat others the way that God treats others.

² For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. ³ It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵ not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; ⁶ and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. (^NIV1 Th. 4:2-6)

⁸ But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. (^NIVCol. 3:8)

⁸He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (^NIVMic. 6:8)

1. The cross reveals that God is self-sacrificial and lays down His life for the good and well-being of others.

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (^NIVRom. 5:8)

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (^NIV1 Jn. 3:16)

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”(^NIVJn. 10:11, 17-18)

1. Therefore, we are to lay down our lives for the good and well-being of others, and to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God.

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (^NIVJn. 13:34-35)

¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. (^NIVJn. 15:12-14)

¹³ So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. (^ESVEph. 3:13)

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸ We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…(^ESV2 Cor. 4:7-9)

1. The summons of our Master

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross (daily – cf. Lk. 9:23) and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. (^NIVMt. 16:24-27)

¹⁶ This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. (^NIVRom. 2:16)

⁵ Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (^NIV1 Cor. 4:4-5)

⁶ He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ but for those who are self-seekingand do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹ There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. ¹¹ For God shows no partiality. (^ESVRom 2:6-11)

1. If we are going to persevere faithfully through the coming days, our hearts, our families, and our churches must be built on a very solid foundation. This means that we must begin putting the words of our Lord into practice in a serious way. If we don’t begin building an ark now, then like those destroyed by the Flood, our own foolishness will destroy us in the days that are coming. Will we build our lives on the rock now, so that by God’s mercy we will stand firm when the storm of the last days hits with full strength? Will we let Jesus mold us in the way of the cross now, before there is no longer any time to get oil in our lamps? With our eyes fixed on our one hope, are we willing to make the cross of Christ our only boast?

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (^NIVMt. 7:24-27)

[one_half]Opening Session – Why The Urgency? – Tim Miller[/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]

[one_half]ONE HOPE – DAY 1[/one_half][one_half_last]ONE BOAST – DAY 2[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Session 1 – Moses versus Plato – John Harrigan[/one_half][one_half_last]Session 1 – Foundation of the Cross – Tim Miller[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Session 2 – Time and Eternity – John Harrigan[/one_half][one_half_last]Session 2 – Mercy and the Cross – Stephen Holmes[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Session 3 – Day of the Lord – Jeremy Johnson[/one_half][one_half_last]Session 3 – Self-denial and the Cross – Jeremy Johnson[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Session 4 – Resurrection and Eternal Life – Hans Kim[/one_half][one_half_last]Session 4 – Thoughts On Martyrdom – Joel Richardson[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Session 5 – Gospel of the Kingdom – Tim Miller[/one_half][one_half_last]Session 5 – Israel, the Church and the Cross – Jacob Stone[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Q & A[/one_half][one_half_last]Q & A[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Solemn Assembly[/one_half][one_half_last]Solemn Assembly[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Conference Ending[/one_half]