Deliverances of the Cross

As we have seen in my last message Paul's Epistle to the Galatians unfolds the problem of witchcraft but the same epistle also gives us God's answer to witchcraft. God's answer is the application of the work of the cross in our lives.

There are two aspects to the work of the cross - What Jesus did for us and what Jesus does in us. A lot of Christians get very excited about what Jesus did for us because He provided with everything we ever need and He defeated our enemy. But many failed to understand what the cross is intended to do in us. If the cross doesn't have its work in us we will not really be able to benefit from what the cross had done for us - because our subtle deceptive enemy will get better of us and will corrupt us.

Operations of the Cross in the life of the believer

The Bible reveals five operations or deliverances of the cross in the life of the believer. Here they are:

First Deliverance - Deliverance from the present evil age

At this point my reader may wish to read my earlier message "The Present Evil Age". But I believe I have received more revelation now.

This is the primary deliverance of the cross. In a sense, the other four deliverances are the outworking of this deliverance in various areas of our lives. In order to be delivered from this present evil age fully you need to make sure you have all the four subsequent deliverances.

Paul's greeting to the Churches in Galatia opens up the whole revelation of this truth.

"Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen" (Gal. 1:3, 4, NKJV, emphasis added).

The word "age" in the original Greek is "aion" which means "a specific time period". It also means "the world" - the present world order. The distinctive feature of this present world order is that it is not submitted to the righteous govenment of God. It is an order in rebellion against God. But the Church is a group of people called out from the world. We are a called out company.
Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19, NKJV, emphasis added).

The word "world" was mentioned 5 times. Jesus was emphasizing the fact that the more the Church is submitted to God the more the world will hate it. If the world does not hate the Church it is because the world is half inside the Church. Why should the world hate its own?

Here are some objective facts concerning the present age:

1. This present age is coming to the end

In the parable of the tares Jesus said, "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels" (Matt. 13:38, 39, emphasis added).

Please also read the parable of the dragnet (Matt. 13:49).

2. Why this age is an evil age?

Paul said, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Cor. 4:3, 4, emphasis added).

The god os this age is Satan. As long as he is the god of this age it is an evil age. No wonder he doesn't want this age to end, because when this age ends he will cease to be a god. But the Church is responsible to bring this age to an end.

How to be delivered from this evil age?

Paul said, "And do not be conformed to this world (age), but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2, NKJV).

The way we are to be changed is in our mind. Religious rules do not change us inside (our heart). When we begin to think differently we will live differently. We have to let the Holy Spirit to give us a different way of thinking from the way the world thinks. That is the difference between grace and religion. Christians have different priorities, different ambitions and different goals.

If you have your mind renewed then you will find out the perfect will of God for your life. The un-renewed mind cannot discover the will of God. Carnal mind is enmity to God (Romans 8:7) and God doesn't reveal His secret to His enemy!

The benefits of being delivered from this evil age

1. We get citizenship in heaven

Paul said, "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame - who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenships is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:18 - 20, NKJV, emphasis added).

Those who set their mind on earthly things are enemies of the cross of Christ. They are not enemies of Christ. In fact they love Christ and His blessings and benefits - He saved them, He delivered them from their sickness and disease and set them free from the bondage of sins. What they really don't like is the cross because the cross is painful and affects the worldly way they live.

2. We anticipate Christ's Return

True Christians have the unexplainable excitement in anticipation of Christ's return.

The writer of Hebrews said, "Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:28, emphasis added).

Christ will come again and grant complete salvation to Christians who are eagerly waiting for Him. Your spirit is redeemed (from spiritual death) and your soul is saved when Jesus becomes your Lord and Savior but your body is not saved and therefore your salvation is not complete yet. The fact is that if we have not been delivered from this evil age we will not be waiting for Him eagerly and we will miss His return.

Second Deliverance - Deliverance from the Law and other religious rules

Paul said, "For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:19, 20, emphasis added).

The last thing that the Law can do to you is to put you to death. By the grace and mercy of God this death took place when Jesus died on the cross on our behalf.

Paul said, "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace" (Romans 6:14).

If you are under the law your are not under grace and vice versa. If you are under the law sin will have dominion over you. The only way to escape from the dominion of sin is to escape from the law - which was provided for us by Jesus on the cross.

Bear fruit to God or bear fruit to death

Paul said, "Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another - to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death" (Romans 7:4, 5, NKJV, emphasis added).

Paul applied the analogy of a human marriage union. By the law we were married to our carnal nature. The union of the law and the carnal nature produces the work of the flesh which leads to death.

The good news is that on the cross our carnal nature died in Jesus. Now we are free to marry another without being an adulterer - we married to the resurrected Christ. When we are married to Him we bring forth the Fruit of the Spirit! So we have a choice - bear fruit to God or bear fruit to death. In neither case it is not a question of trying or doing our best. Christianity is not a religion of doing our best; it is not a religion of effort. The key word is "union". You bring forth that which is appropriate to what you are united to. That is precisely what Jesus said about abiding in the vine (John 15).

The benefits of being delivered from the Law

1. Freedom from condemnation

Paul said, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1, 2).

The devil's main objective is to bring you under condemnation. Also, there are a lot of religious people around just ready to bring you under condemnation. Read also Romans 8:33, 34.

2. Freedom to love

Legalism and love essentially are opposites. When you are in a legalistic system is is very hard to love and be loved.

Paul said, "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8).

3. Freedom to be led by the Holy Spirit

Paul said, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).

God does not want to produce slaves, He wants to produce sons. The mark of the sons is led by the Spirit of God. The only way you can become a matured son of God is by being led by the Holy Spirit.

We often major on one time experience but we do not realize the importance of the on going life in the Spirit. Bear in mind that the words in the above verse are in the continuous presence.

Paul also said, "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law" (Gal. 5:18).

Put the verse together you have "If you are not under the law you are sons of God".

Yes, there is a place for rules. We have to obey Government rules. In the Church you need simple rules to implement the affairs of the Church. But you are not made righteous by keeping the rules of your Church. The fact is if you have been made righteous you will have no difficulty in keeping the rules.

Third Deliverance - Deliverance from self

Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

I don't believe any Christian can ever find the fullness of God's will for his life or enjoy the full provision of the cross until he allows the cross to put self to death in him.

What is involved in self? It is the root behind a lot of evil things common in the Local Church - pride, egotism, person ambition, competitivelness, sectarianism and the like.

The benefits of the deliverance from self

1. Freedom to serve

The path to leadership in the Church is serving and there is no other legitimate path - Read Mark 10:42 -44. The higher up you want to go the lower down you have to start.

2. Freedom from self effort and self promotion

Paul said, "For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor. 4:5).

Forth Deliverance - Deliverance from the flesh

Paul said, "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24).

The "flesh" is the old Adamic rebellious nature. Other names for the flesh are the old man, the body, the body of sin or the body of the flesh.

God's remedy for the old man is execution. God doesn't patch him up. He doesn't reform him, doesn't teach him the golden rules - He executes him. By the act of mercy the execution took place when Jesus was crucified - our old man was crucified in Jesus. That was God's part and our part is to appropriate it.

The benefits of the deliverance from the fesh

1. Freedom from sin to do God's will

Peter said, "Therefore since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God' (1 Peter 4:1, 2, emphasis added).

Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matt. 16:24, emphasis added).

A disciple of Jesus needs to do three things: Deny himself, take up his cross and follow Him. In Greek the word "self" means "soul". To deny your soul means to say no to your own will, own interests, own intellect and own emotion. What really important is God's Word and God's Will.

2. Freedom from the curse of trusting in the flesh

God said (through Jeremiah), "Curse is tha man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength" (Jeremiah 17:5).

When you rely on men instead of trusting the Lord you'll come under a curse.

3. Freedom to worship God in the Spirit

Paul said, "For we the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3).

Fifth Deliverance - Deliverance from the World

The cross separates us and releases us from the dominion of the world. Remember the world is the whole society that is not subject to the righteous Government of God.

Jesus called us out of the world (John 15;19). Furthermore Jesus said to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world ..." (John 18:36).

Every Christian should be able to say what Paul said, "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world" (Gal. 6:14).

Notice that this is all in the spiritual realm. You are released from the world's opinion, values, judgment, pressures, enticement and deception. You have to bear in mind that the present world order is controlled by Satan.