Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising shame,
and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
I repeat it:
Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising shame,
and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We have been sharing together on this most fundamental and vital matter of the cross. We find that the cross is more than a historical fact. There is a message coming forth from that cross, and that message is very comprehensive. We only touch a little bit of what its message is, and how we need to receive the word of the cross with faith and also with obedience.
We have also shared a little on this matter of the way of the cross. The cross is not only a single act, but we find that there is a way called the way of the cross, and the Lord is calling us to follow Him in that way.
Again, we shared together on this matter of the spirit of the cross. The cross is not just something that we listen to, or some dealings that we receive. The cross is a mould, and God desires to cast us into that mould, that we may be a people of the cross with the spirit of the Lamb.
Now this morning, in our concluding time, I would like to speak about this matter of the glory of the cross.
Brothers and sisters, oftentimes when we mention the word cross, we are afraid. We know that the cross means death, and we do not want to die. But, brothers and sisters, we have to know that there is another side: the glory of the cross.
Think of our Lord Jesus. There in Hebrews 12, we are told that for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. The reason why our Lord Jesus was able to endure the cross and die on the cross is because He had that joy set before Him. Then we find that, after He had endured the cross, despising the shame, God set Him at the right hand of the throne.
Brother M. E. said, “In the thought of Scripture, the reconciling death and resurrection have always been taken together. They are inseparable parts of a real unity, twin parts of one fact.”
In other words, when we talk about the cross, we have to remember that death and resurrection are joined together in that cross. They are twin parts of one fact.
In teaching any experience of the cross, we have to strike that balance. If we overemphasise the death aspect of the cross and neglect the life aspect of the cross, the teaching becomes very heavy, dark, gloomy, oppressive, and negative. Or if we overemphasise the life aspect of the cross and neglect the death side of it, we become very superficial in our teaching, because without death there can be no resurrection.
So far as our practical experience goes, it is the same. Some people stress so much the death side: dead to sin, dead to the world, dead to self, dead to everything. And because they dwell so much on the death side, they are dead. There is no life, no liveliness, no freshness—only inactivity, passivity, and paralysis. This is no Christian life.
But, on the other hand, there are people who are so much on the life side that they try to avoid everything on the death side because they think it is very unpleasant. The result is that what they consider spiritual life is actually an application of falsehood—a substitute. They substitute their natural life for spiritual life because they do not know death.
Brother Sparks mentioned this. He said:
Of course, it is understood that the phrase “the cross” does not merely mean the crucifixion of Christ, but the death, the burial, the resurrection, and ascension to the throne, and the sovereign relationship resting now in Christ there for us. All is by way of the cross. We never see the throne apart from the Lamb in the midst thereof, as though it had been slain. Everything is gathered up in the phrase, “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” And when the cross is mentioned, Christ crucified, with all that that implies, is meant.
So, brothers and sisters, when we are talking about the cross, we have to remember that it does not mean only the death side. We need the death side, but whenever we talk about the cross, we have to remember there is a resurrection side: death and life, Calvary and resurrection. You cannot separate them, because this is what the cross really is.
We thank the Lord that our Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross. He was buried, but on the third day He was raised from the dead.
You remember the apostle said in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is in vain and we are still in sin. But thank God, our Lord Jesus not only died for us and was buried for us; He was raised from the dead for us. He was the firstfruits, and in Him we are all made alive.
Life comes out of death. Brothers and sisters, we have to remember that the life we originally have—the life we received from our parents and forefathers—that Adamic life has been poisoned. It has been poisoned, corrupted, sinful, selfish. It cannot be reformed or improved, and that life deserves nothing but death.
But there is a life, a life that can go into death and come out of death. This is the life that our Lord Jesus has offered to us. What is life? We need to know what life really is.
This soul-life of ours is no life at all, because this natural life will one day die. There is not only the first death, but there is the second death—eternal death. That is the reason why our Lord Jesus came into this world to be a man, and there He went into death in order to rob the one who has the power of death, in order to bring death to death.
Everybody that goes into death will never be able to come out. But here we find our Lord Jesus, the very source of life. He is able to enter into death, rob death of its power, destroy death, and come out of death. In coming out, He gave His life to those who believe in Him.
The cross is a place where life is released. The cross is the place where it is death to the old life and life to the new life.
In Romans 6, we are told:
Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
We were buried therefore with Him through baptism into death:
that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
so we also might walk in newness of life.
For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,
we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.
When we were baptised, did we not go into the water? As we went into the water, it was to be identified with the likeness of the death of our Lord Jesus. His death is an all-inclusive death, because in His death sin, the world, the enemy, self, Adam—all these were put to death.
When we are baptised, in stepping into the water we become identified with the likeness of His death. Then, when we are under the water, we are buried with Him. When we come out of the water, we become identified with the likeness of His resurrection.
In other words, when we are baptised, we act out our faith. We believe that we died in Christ and with Him. We believe that we were buried with Him, and we believe that we have been raised with Him. So we act out our faith by baptism.
It tells us that if we are identified with His death, and die to sin, die to the world, and die to our Adamic life—our selfhood—then, brothers and sisters, by faith we know that we are also identified with Him in His resurrection. Now we live unto God. By this new life, we can walk in newness of life and serve God in newness.
This is most basic and most important. Brothers and sisters, it is very sad that many of God’s people still do not see this. They believe in the Lord Jesus, they know their sins are forgiven, and yet somehow they try to live their Christian life by the old life in them.
Because of that, you find there is no life at all. The more you try to be like a Christian, the less you become a Christian. You find it is a total failure. Why? Because there is no one who can live the Christian life but the life of Christ.
Thank God, because on the cross He has released that life, we have that life in us. All we need to do is let that life be set free. Oftentimes, it is not because we do not have that resurrection life in us, but because it is bound up and locked up by our own life.
That is why death is so important. We need to see the death side of the cross. The reason for that is not negative; it is positive, because it is to release the resurrection life in us.
The cross is the secret of transformation. There on the cross, we find God is doing the work of transforming us.
It is almost like a caterpillar. We see an ugly caterpillar crawling there, and yet somehow there is a metamorphosis. When that process is completed, out comes a beautiful butterfly. It is no longer earthbound; it is heaven-bound.
Brothers and sisters, this is what the cross is doing for us. The cross is to put to death that ugly caterpillar, as it were—our soul-life—and to transform us into that beautiful butterfly in resurrection life that goes heavenward.
We think of Jacob. Through the dealings of the cross in his life, Jacob suffered a great deal because of what he was. But thank God, through all the sufferings and the cross that had been upon his life, God was able to transform him from Jacob to Israel.
Do you know God is doing the same thing with us? How we need the cross, so that daily it may put us to death and daily Christ may be released in us. That is the glory of the cross.
Furthermore, we find the glory of the cross in fruitfulness.
Our Lord Jesus said, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, that you may go and bear much fruit.” If we bear fruit, we will be His disciples and we will glorify the Father. But how can we bear fruit?
We have already mentioned John 12:24. The Lord said:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone;
but if it die, it beareth much fruit.
In other words, unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it will not bear fruit. But if it dies, it will bear much fruit. So, the glory of the cross is in fruitfulness.
Dr. Andrew Murray once said, “No one knows what fruit is until he has learned to die to all that is merely human.”
I do not know if you agree with him. You may think, surely we can bear fruit; surely we can do a lot for God. But here is a statement that is spiritually true, and I will repeat it: “No one knows what fruit is until he has learned to die to all that is merely human.”
What is fruit? Fruit is the result of abundant life. Fruit is effortless. When a tree is bearing fruit, it is not even conscious that it is bearing fruit. It is because there is such an abundance of life within that it produces.
Oftentimes we can see an artificial tree, maybe an orange tree, and you find oranges on that artificial tree. But those oranges are tied to the tree. Brothers and sisters, that is what we have been doing. We substitute fruit with work.
When you are doing something, of course you are conscious. Of course, you put lots of effort into it. And if there is some result, not only do you want people to appreciate it; you are the first one who appreciates it. You are full of self-consciousness. But that is work.
It is something we do by ourselves—with our cleverness, with our plans, with our willpower, with our natural energy. These are not fruits. They are imitations. They may look good in this world, but they do not satisfy hungry hearts—neither God nor man.
Here is something written by Godet. I will quote him again:
How difficult it is to die to dependence on our own intellect, or to pride in our abilities, or to our reputation, or to our natural desire for success, or to self-made plans. But fruit comes when we are willing that all these should go to the cross, when Christ becomes everything and we depend entirely on the Holy Spirit for every word we speak, every work we do, and every path of life we take.
Brothers and sisters, it is very hard to die to our dependence on our own intellect. It is very hard to die to our pride in our abilities. We think we are able. It is very difficult to die to our reputation. We want to make a reputation and keep it.
It is very difficult to die to the desire for success. We all want success. We want to produce something that will glorify us. It is very difficult to die to our plans. We have all our plans laid out, even in so-called service to God.
But, brothers and sisters, unless we are willing to come to death—to die to all these—remember, we can produce no fruit. Fruit is the fruit of the Spirit. It is the abundant life of Christ, and it is only the Holy Spirit who is able to release that abundant life and produce fruit that will be a pleasure to God and to man.
Brothers and sisters, if you are bearing fruit, you do not need to make a great noise. You do not need to sound the trumpet. Quietly, silently, the fruit is there.
The glory of the cross is fruit-bearing. The more we know the cross, the more fruit will come forth.
Not only that, the glory of the cross is ministry. We all want ministry. We want to serve. We want to be useful to God. I believe this is right, because we are saved to serve. But what is true ministry? How does spiritual ministry come into being?
In 2 Corinthians 4, I believe we are familiar with these words. Here you find the apostle Paul talking about ministry, having this ministry. He says:
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts,
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.
We are all earthen vessels. But, you know, we all think we are alabaster vessels. Actually, we are earthen vessels—nothing. But thank God, only God will do that, because man will never put a precious treasure in an earthen vessel. Only God will put a treasure in an earthen vessel.
The treasure, of course, is our Lord Jesus. There is none else. Thank God, there is a treasure in the earthen vessel. There is that brilliancy, radiancy, the glory of life within us. But we are earthen vessels—opaque.
In a sense, we shut in and imprison the brilliancy, the light of the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ, within us. For us to minister Christ to people, this earthen vessel has to be broken.
Oftentimes, we minister by the power of the earthen vessel. Some earthen vessels are quite ornate. We have our cleverness, our dynamic personality, our energy, our thoughts, and we try to minister by these things.
With our clever mind, we analyse the Bible. With our eloquence, we try to persuade people. With our dynamic personality, we overwhelm people. But, brothers and sisters, is this ministry?
Ministry is the imparting of Christ. It is to minister Christ to people, and such ministry is only possible through the cross, because it is the cross that breaks the earthen vessel.
Paul mentions how he was afflicted in every way, but not straitened; perplexed, but not unto despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. He was literally surrounded as if there were no way to go, but there was always a way up.
I like Phillips’ translation. It is not a literal translation, but he says, “We are at our wits’ end, but not at our life’s end.” How often this happens. He also says, “Knocked down, but not knocked out.”
Brothers and sisters, this is the experience of the ministers of God’s word. Unless you have gone through this breaking of the outward man, the life, the brilliancy of Christ Jesus within you is just imprisoned.
There is only one way: through the cracking and breaking of the earthen vessel—that is, our soul-life—the spirit-life is released. That is ministry.
So the apostle Paul said:
Always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus,
that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body.
Without the cross, there is no ministry. Unfortunately, today we have so much ministry without the cross—so-called ministry without the cross. May the Lord help us to see that the glory of the cross is ministry.
If you have to go through the cross in order that you may minister to your brothers and sisters, are you willing to go through? Is it worth it?
The glory of the cross is the throne. Think of our Lord Jesus, how He walked the way of the cross. He emptied Himself. He took the form of a slave, being found in fashion as a man, and He humbled Himself.
He went into death, even the death of the cross. But God highly exalted Him and gave Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
In other words, the cross is the way to the throne. If this is true with our Lord Jesus, it is true with us.
In 2 Timothy 2, we are told:
If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.
There is no other way.
Today, we try to escape the cross. You know, the cross is something you can escape. That is the reason why the Lord said, “Take up your cross.” In other words, if you decide not to take it up, you are able to do that.
But if today you do not deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow the Lord, you may gain your life today—that is, your soul-life, satisfaction, and fulfilment for a time—but you will lose it. You will lose the throne.
What God has set before us is the throne.
Not only that, the glory of the cross is the church. The glory of the cross is the church.
You remember our Lord Jesus said, “I will build My church upon this rock, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Immediately following this, He told His disciples how He had to go to Jerusalem and die, but on the third day He would be raised from the dead.
In other words, for the church to come into being, Christ had to go to the cross.
There on the cross, when the soldier thrust a spear into His side, there came out blood and water. John testified and said, “He that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true.” Why did he repeat it? It was not merely for this physical phenomenon; it was because there is a reality there.
Out of the side of our Lord Jesus, out of the pierced side of our Lord Jesus, came blood and water. With this, He built His church.
Just as God caused Adam to sleep, opened his side, and took out a rib, and with that rib built a woman, so Christ’s pierced side speaks of the church.
Brothers and sisters, Adam’s sleep was a painless sleep because that was before sin entered into the world. But the sleep of our Lord Jesus on the cross was most painful. It was because of sin.
But out of His side came blood to atone for our sins and water as life, to give us life, that we may have life. With that life, we will be built up together into His church.
You know, Ephesians 5 says that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present the church to Himself a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing—holy and without blemish.
Brothers and sisters, not only did He use His blood and His life to build the church, but continually He is purifying the church with the water by the word. In other words, He uses His word and His life working together to sanctify the church, to make the church a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, suitable for Himself.
The church is founded on the foundation of the cross of Christ, and the church is even today being built by the cross.
If we, as living stones, do not accept the cross in our lives, we will not fit in with one another. We all have corners. What we consider our strength may be the very corner that needs to be knocked off.
But are we willing to be sawn, chiselled, smoothed, reduced? If not, no stone will fit with another stone.
When the temple of Solomon was built, it is said that there was no sound of iron. Why? Because all these stones were cut, chiselled, and smoothed according to measure and according to plan. Every stone was cut to fit with one another.
Every stone had a number on it. All they needed to do was transport the stone to Mount Moriah, and there they put one upon another without the sound of iron. This work was done in secret, in darkness, in the quarry.
Brothers and sisters, if we do not allow the cross to work in our lives and knock off our corners, what will happen when, in the open, we try to build up one another? What happens? Lots of sound of iron. That is what is happening.
We run against each other. We strike against each other. Lots of fire, lots of noise. Why? It is because, in secret, we fail to accept the working of the cross in our lives.
Brothers and sisters, God has called us to be a habitation for Him. We are to be built up together. You are not called to be a monument, standing by yourself. You are called to be a stone fitting with another stone.
In order to be fit, you have to be cut. Probably what you consider your strength or your beauty is the very thing that needs to be knocked off. Are you willing to do that for the sake of the building of God’s house?
Brothers and sisters, the cross is the only way. There is no other way. But when the cross has done its work, oh, what a beautiful, glorious temple of God! Yes, beautiful.
The cross gives us the church. So we often say, “If you preach the church, you get the cross. If you preach the cross, you get the church.”
If we talk too much about the church, we get the cross, because that is the way the church is to be built. Let us talk about the cross, and the church will come out.
Finally, the glory of the cross is the accomplishment of the eternal purpose of God.
We mentioned at the very beginning that this universe has two aspects. If you look at the aspect of the eternal purpose of God, it is centred upon the person of our Lord Jesus. But if you look at the entering of sin and its effects, then the universe is redemption-centred.
But we also said that the cross is God’s means to God’s end. What is God’s end? What is His eternal purpose?
His eternal purpose is that His Son may have the first place in all things. His eternal purpose is to sum up all things in Christ Jesus. His eternal purpose is that Christ may be all and in all. That is God’s eternal purpose.
But how can that eternal purpose be fulfilled? It can only be fulfilled by the way of the cross. The cross is the only means to God’s eternal end.
Brothers and sisters, by the working of the cross—the cross of our Lord Jesus, and as we take up our cross and follow Him—what is the result? All that is not of Christ will be taken away, and all that is of Christ will be established.
Until one day, as our brother mentioned last night, we will see the holy city, New Jerusalem. God says, “Behold, I make all things new.” All things that have passed away: sin, the world, natural life, self, the enemy, the power of darkness—all these things have passed away.
The old creation has passed away, and all is new creation. It is new creation in Christ Jesus.
God’s end is reached through God’s means: Christ. The cross has done this work. So may the Lord help us.
Shall we pray?
Heavenly Father, we worship Thee. We worship Thee because the word of the cross, to those who perish, is foolishness; but to us who believe, who are saved, it is the power of God.
Oh, how we praise and thank Thee for the cross of Christ Jesus. We embrace it. We love it. We are willing to take up our cross and follow Thee, that Thy purpose concerning Thy beloved Son might be fulfilled.
That Thou wouldst have a bride for Thy beloved Son, to His glory. In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.