The Weapon of the Cross

The Weapon of the Cross

I was an honor to have Rear Admiral Ray Alexander (Retired) with us yesterday.  He shared his military experiences with us and how his faith impacted his day-to-day faith disciplines.  I enjoyed his testimony immensely.  Thank you Ray for your thirty-three years of military dedication.  You represented the Navy, the nation and your faith extremely well yesterday.  I salute you, Sir, for a job well done.

Admiral Alexander made a statement in his testimony that challenged my thinking.  When he was sharing about his role in the military compared to firemen – he exclaimed that he at least has a weapon with him and firemen don’t.  He said, “I can shoot back at the enemy!”   That simple statement grabbed me for a moment.

The Admiral touched on the fact that there is a time for “shooting back”.  I thought about that statement.  I came to the conclusion that the cross of Christ was a weapon for God to effect evil.  There is a time that “law” will not suffice in keeping the “law breaker” away.  There is a time when law will not stop evil from attempting to triumph over good.  God pulled out the weapon of the cross and loaded it with His Son.  The finished product was to accept the work of the cross and the Savior – one can defeat the work of evil.

Zechariah 7:12

(12)  “They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.

 

Acts 13:38-39

(38)  “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

(39)  and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.

 

Romans 8:2-4

(2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

(3)  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

(4)  so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

In dealing with evil you soon discover that every act of evil is only a repeat of the original act of sin.  Evil introduces nothing new.  For instance when 19 men armed with box cutters attacked our nation ten years ago they did so out of evil that is nearly 6000 years old.  They simply recycled hatred.  God introduced law to bring order to humanity.  In what law could not do God sent His only begotten Son to do.  The cross was the weapon of God against the evil of the world.  God introduced the “big gun” of the cross.  The load was Christ.  Evil has been defeated in the cross and the shed blood of the Savior.  God won.  He did so through grace and mercy.  He hit the target of evil.  He took center on the bulls eye!

God sent His Son to die on the cross.  The resurrection was the validation of the message.  Evil has been defeated.

To all of those who think that their methods of evil can take down righteousness – think again.  To all of those who preach radical Islam and the ideology of Allah – think again.  Your evil is masked under the guise of religion that presents a false hope to your adherents.  There is only one way to one God – that is to believe in the work of the cross, the death and resurrection of Christ. Period.  Love triumphs over your evil. Grace triumphs over your sin.  Mercy triumphs your worthy judgment.  In the end – the weapon of the cross will show itself a powerful weapon.  The blood of Christ that cleanses all men from their sin is the only way to eradicate acts of evil from the earth.

Colossians 2:14-15

(14)  having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

(15)  When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

The cross – the weapon and Christ – the significant “load” – has disarmed our enemy.   To our declared enemy of terrorism – you have not nor will you ever defeat righteousness.   You have been triumphed over!  You can never defeat radical love, forgiveness and atonement for sin through Christ.  Try as you will – you will NEVER win.  You can win by conversion to a faith in Christ for forgiveness of your sin.  Simple.  Your radical acts of evil in the name of Allah will never triumph a faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Your belief that Jesus was a “good teacher” will not suffice.  Evil will lead you into a place of eternal torment without a Savior.  Allah cannot save you – Jesus can.  The cross was the open display of evil and its submission the greater work of righteousness in Christ.  Give it up.  You cannot defeat those who have a steadfast faith in Christ.  We have armed ourselves with the weapon of the cross.   Step away from Islam.  Place your faith in the One and only True God – Jesus Christ.  In Him you will find fulfillment in life – not in a weapon slung around your shoulder, the forced take over of an airplane cockpit nor a load of dynamite strapped to your chest.  Fulfillment and peace of life is found only in Christ.  Join a movement that has and will continue to outlive any presentation of evil.  You’ll be glad you did.