FRESH FOCUS ON THE CROSS
(First part)
Memory verse (John3: 14-15): “ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life ”.
Many of you have heard the story of children of Israel how they complained against God and his servant Moses (Num21: 1-9). Their behavior attracted God’s wrath and judgment. God sent serpents that destroyed many lives. When they cried to God and Moses for mercy, God told Moses to make a brazen serpent and lift it up so that whosoever is bitten by the snake when he lifts up his eyes and look at the serpent on the tree would be healed. Now, Jesus taught that the same way people looked to the serpent for healing and they were healed, so God lifted up his son on the cross i.e. Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, and whoever believes in him will not die but have eternal life. The whole new covenant is about Christ and Christ crucified.
The brass was not the one that healed the people; it was God who healed them because of their faith and obedience. Whoever lifted up his eyes and looked by faith onto the brazen serpent for healing, venom would be destroyed from their blood and they were healed.
Satan, the old serpent, the devil and the accuser of the brethren, has wounded so many, has smitten so many people and injected into their life a venom that brings death, diseases, broken heartedness, sin, oppression, confusion, hatred, unforgiveness etc. Multitudes are walking in darkness and death. Many are suffering because of what Satan has done in their lives, families, ministries, nations, tribes, marriages etc.
I bring the gospel to you, the good news; you will not have to die. From the day Jesus died on the cross, whoever is suffering, sick, dying, oppressed… if you lift up your eyes in faith and look on to Jesus crucified you will be set free, you will live and not die. Paul taught and said, that the cross is the power of God to us who are saved. The cross is not about the tree on which Christ was crucified; the cross is about Christ who was crucified on the cross. Your healing, your prosperity, your peace with God, you forgiveness, your healing, is in Christ crucified. Lift up your eyes and behold the lamb that was slain and you’ll be made whole.
Tomorrow’s subject: “ The power of God for the saints ”
(Second part)
Memory verse (1 Cor1: 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 ".
The message of the cross is the gospel and it’s about Jesus crucified. The death of Christ on the cross is the power of the believers. It’s the power of the saints. Every believer needs to live by the cross daily. Our victory, our breakthrough, victory over sin, our forgiveness, our reconciliation with God is all about what God did in his death on the cross.
Focus on the cross, it’s the door that leads into all the abundant grace that will cause you to do God’s will God’s way. The death of Christ on the cross opened a door for you and me to enter into God’s glory and abilities. God is calling us not just to come to the cross but also to enter into the holy of holies through the cross (Heb10: 19-22). The cross in not just the end but the means to the new life in power. The cross gives us access into heavenly blessings in Christ. The death of Christ provided to you a believer everything you need in this life and to fulfill your life’s purpose. Stop focusing on your weaknesses, on Satan’s lies, on the deceitful world and begin focusing afresh on Christ who was crucified.
Satan does not want you to focus on the cross, because he knows that if you focus on the cross, you will know that all the devil’s power, all diseases, all witchcraft were destroyed. He knows you’ll discover who you are. He knows you’ll find your place in God’s kingdom. He knows you will see all the things that God has freely given to you etc. He knows he won’t be able to fool you, deceive you and then he won’t be able to oppress you, instead he knows that any believer who focuses on the cross will defeat all Satan’s devices. Cross-minded believers are Satan’s kingdom destroyers. Cross-minded believers walk and live in power. Cross-minded believers overcome the evil one.
Tomorrow’s subject: “ New life through the cross ”
(Third part)
Memory verse (John10: 10): " The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly ".
What brought Jesus into the world is to give us life. Jesus came to remove the obstacle that could not allow you connect with life, i.e. God. So, he died on the cross to solve the sin problem, which was the barrier between man and God. Now that Christ has died on the cross, sin problem is solved forever. Bless God. Now what next? It’s you to walk in the newness of life in God through Christ. Scripture teaches Jesus is the vine and we are the branches (Jn15: 1-16). Again it is written, that we were taken away from a wild olive and grafted into the true vine (Rom11: 17-24). When we were still lost in the kingdom of darkness controlled by the prince of the power of the air, we were then grafted into a wild vine, i.e. the one that produced death (Eph2: 1-2), but when we received Christ Jesus into our lives, we were broken off the tree of death and we were grafted into the true vine, the tree of life (Col1: 13). Before, it was death that was flowing through us, but now in Christ, it's life everlasting that is flowing in us.
The life of the branch comes directly from the tree. My dear beloved I would like to know that since you are in Christ, the life of God is flowing in you. God’s life is so pure, powerful, so abundant, so forceful, so satisfying. It produces peace, joy, fulfillment, rest and comfort. It’s a dimension of life the world has no vocabulary to define it in full. It’s a life beyond the scope of the minds of men; it baffles all the faculties of human philosophies. God is life himself. So all those who are united with God are united with life. God does not have life. Life is not what God possess, God is life. He is the tree of life. Bless God forevermore we are grafted into life.
Stop listening to the lies of the devil, stop focusing on your flesh, focus on God, life, through the cross. See yourself grafted into God. Yes you are in Him, therefore you are not dead but living, you are not about to die you are living, you will not die but live forever if you continue in the vine. Every day you need to wake up in the morning and confess who you are in Christ. Don’t allow the feeling of the fresh dictate who you are.
Tomorrow’s teaching: “Victory is your now”
(Fourth part)
Memory verse (Jn16: 33): " These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world ”
Jesus did not die on the cross for himself but for you and me. Jesus went on the cross for humanity not for himself. If Jesus had failed on the cross, that would mean man’s failure. But thanks be to God, Jesus overcame on the cross. He destroyed power and principalities on the cross, he destroyed death on the cross, he destroyed sin and he offered a sin offering that satisfied righteous requirements of justice (Col2: 15), (Heb2:14), and when he was dying he said: “ It’s finished ”. Since you entered into the kingdom of God, you have no reason to fear devils, trials and tribulations, problems... why? Jesus defeated them for you. You are more than a conqueror, i.e. you enjoy victory without fighting. God has put Satan under your feet through the death of Christ (Rom 16:20). God has lifted you up with Christ and seated you up in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph2: 4-6). God has given you his full Armour and his mighty weapons. He has put his word in your mouth and he has made your enemies like grass. God‘s word out your mouth is fire. Open your mouth and speak forth God’s word.
Never allow the world to put its words in you. Many of the things that are heard through the media, are Satan’s crafted lies. There is only one truth, God’s word. Never give attention to the noise of this world, even your flesh. Give attention to God’s word. God’s word is the only light that can show you way of life in this world. The only truth about God, who you are and what you have in Christ is found in no other book, except Bible.
Many believers have a faulty belief system because they lack proper teachings of God’s word, they live in fear constantly. They see Satan destroying their families. They are praying struggling to defeat the devils. They see curses everywhere. All they see is Satan all the time. They see themselves as grasshoppers in life. Study the New Testament and ask the Holy Spirit who inspired the scriptures to inspire them to you again. Don’t live in ignorance. You will discover that Satan is not what he has for year been telling you he is. He is defeated and he will never be a victor again, but let us rejoice in Christ and walk in our victory through life.
Tomorrow’s subject: “ Healing is yours now ”
(Fifth part)
Memory verse (1Pet 2:24): " Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed ".
When Jesus got striped 2008 years ago, that day he purchased our healing. He was striped for your diseases and sicknesses then. Your healing was purchased that day and it's eternal. So your healing is older than you. The issue is not how long you have been sick, it’s how long your healing has been waiting for you to take. Sicknesses and diseases were curses as consequences of sin. Jesus’ sacrifice catered for both sin and the consequences of sin. You can’t be forgiven and you still be punished for the sins you committed.
When believers stop focusing on the cross and begin to follow what is happening in the world, it does not take long before they begin to think like the world. You look around you and all you see is sicknesses, plagues with all secular definitions and justifications. Don’t focus on what you see around you, it does not matter what is happening to other people, you are not other people, you are a child of the most high God, you are in the world but you are not of the world, Focus on the cross, focus on what is happening in the kingdom of God. If YOU ARE THE CHILD OF THE KINGDOM, THEN WHAT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE SHOULD BE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUR KINGDOM (Mtt6: 9).
If God’s kingdom is in you, then how can the things of another kingdom have a place in you? This happens because many children of God have not learned to focus on God’s kingdom in them; they focus on what is out there in the world then the world begins to influence them negatively. And then they begin to think like the people of the world, they begin to confess like the world and they begin to suffer like the world.
My dear ones, let me let you know that what happens in the world has nothing to do with what is in your life, you are not of the world, so the world should have nothing to do with you. Don’t allow the world and the things of the world to dominate you. There’s a faith that overcome the world. You need to walk in faith so that you don’t give place to disease in your life (1Jn5: 4-5). By his stripes you were healed, so stay healed forever.
Tomorrow’s subject: “ You are blessed not cursed ”
(Sixth part)
Memory verse (Gal3: 13-14) " Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith ".
Through the cross, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law and now the blessings of ABRAHAM have been made available to all believers through Christ. Many saints are struggling not with curses but with ignorance in their lives. Jesus taught the Jews that believed on him, that if they would abide in his word, they would know the truth and the truth would set them free (Jn8: 31-32). Until you know what Jesus accomplished for us through his death on the cross, you will never enjoy freedom In your life. The dimension of God’s word in your life determines the dimension of freedom you enjoy. Lack of light from God’s word in any area of your life means lack of liberty in that area.
Satan does not want you to see the cross; he wants you to keep seeing your past. The cross of Jesus dealt with your past, and if you are in Christ, the past is gone and new life has come through Christ (2Cor5: 17). Christ dealt with all curses and all consequences of sin on the cross in his death, so that those who believe in him would be forgiven and set free from the past baggage and begin to live the new life in Christ.
The cross crossed out our curses and opened a door for us into the blessings of Abraham through Christ. If you are in Christ, then the blessings of Abraham are your portion in this life. Blessings of multiplication, increase, productivity, greatness and relationship with God are yours. You are already blessed with Abraham’s blessings through Christ. What has blocked the blessings is your ignorance. Knowledge is the key that gives you access into all that God has for you (1Cor2: 12). What you need is the activity of the Holy Spirit in your life and he will teach you all what God has given to us through Christ’s death on the cross. My friend, it’s discovery that brings recovery. Open your heart and allow the Holy Spirit to come into your life and ask him to lead you on the journey of discovering all what God has given you through Christ. And I guarantee you that whatever you will discover, you will possess. Enjoy the new life in God through the cross this weekend!!!!!
