                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                    They Have Done Away With the Cross!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright +
                               Cover Letter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

By David Wilkerson
December 23, 1996
__________

          "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross
          of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
          crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians
          6:14).

          In this sophisticated age, we find it hard to
          understand the idolatry of the Old Testament. It is
          incredible to read of intelligent people being so
          blinded as to offer worship to hand- carved images of
          wood, stone or precious metals.

          The scriptures tell us that people went into the forest
          and picked a hardwood tree, cut it down, sawed it in
          two, then burned half of it in their ovens for cooking
          and gave the other half to an engraver to carve into a
          little god. The whole family would kneel before that
          graven image and say, "This is my god, my deliverer,
          who saves me." Such idolatry is mind-boggling to us!

          Yet it was the sin of idolatry that brought down God's
          awful wrath on his own people. It angered him more than
          any other sin in the Old Testament -- so much that he
          declared: "The children gather wood, and the fathers
          kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to
          make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out
          drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke
          me to anger.

          "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift
          up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession
          to me: for I will not hear thee. I will cast you out of
          my sight..." (Jeremiah 7:17,16,15).

          This is God's declaration against idolatry in the Old
          Testament. And yet he hates idolatry just as much
          today. It brings down his wrath on any generation --
          including this modern one!

                      -------------------------------

                       There Is an Idolatry in These
                      Last Days Much More Wicked Than
                        That of the Old Testament!

                      -------------------------------

          A new idolatry is sweeping across America right now.
          No, we don't see people kneeling down before carved
          images anymore, in unsophisticated fashion. This modern
          idolatry instead seduces multitudes by its subtlety and
          cleverness. Yet it angers God more than any Old
          Testament idolatry!

          The New Testament warns us that ministers will come in
          the last days who appear as angels of light but who are
          actually ministers of Satan. These men will be intense,
          articulate, pleasant and very resourceful. But they
          will be manipulated by a spirit that is not of God!

          "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
          transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
          And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
          angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his
          ministers also be transformed as the ministers of
          righteousness; whose end shall be according to their
          works" (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

          Paul warned that these demonic ministers would come
          "...preach(ing) another Jesus, whom we have not
          preached, or...another spirit, which ye have not
          received, or another gospel, which ye have not
          accepted..."

          Think of what Paul is saying here. In the last days
          preachers will appear who seem to be men of honesty and
          righteousness -- but who are actually ministers under
          the influence of Satan himself! They will be of another
          spirit entirely, introducing another Christ, another
          spirit, another gospel.

          This sounds shocking -- but it is something you and I
          must prepare ourselves for. If you are a Christian
          living in America, and you hear reports of the Holy
          Spirit moving in different parts of the country, you
          must be careful of where you go and what spirit you sit
          under. If you don't have discernment, you could get
          swept up into an idolatry that will turn you away from
          the cross of Christ.

          I believe multitudes of Christians today are into
          idolatry without knowing it, having been seduced by
          angels of light. Paul saw this beginning to happen even
          in his day:

          "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that
          called you into the grace of Christ unto another
          gospel: which is not another; but there be some that
          trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
          But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
          other gospel unto you than that which we have preached
          unto you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:6-8).

                      -------------------------------

                       This "Other Gospel" That Paul
                          Mentions Is a Message of
                       Salvation Without the Cross!

                      -------------------------------

          That is the great idolatry of our day. There is a great
          host of preachers who have literally cast aside the
          message of the cross of Jesus Christ!

          Be warned: It doesn't matter what anyone tells you
          about a great "revival" or moving of the Spirit taking
          place; it doesn't matter how many multitudes are
          involved, or how loud their praises are; it doesn't
          matter how "successful" a particular ministry may
          appear to be. If the cross of Jesus Christ is not the
          door through which people come, you can rest assured --
          it is not a work of God!

          The cross -- including its demands and hope -- are the
          very heart of the gospel. And any worship -- any
          fellowship, anything calling itself church -- is
          blatant idolatry if the cross is not at its center.
          Such worship is of another spirit entirely -- and God
          will have nothing to do with it. Without the cross, all
          that is left is chaff -- a perverted gospel, something
          from the pits of hell. It is an idolatry more insulting
          to the Lord than the idolatry of Israel!

          Yet, in most churches where this "other gospel" is
          preached, the pews are packed. All the right words are
          sung and spoken. The theological terms, such as
          holiness, Holy Spirit and the cross, are mentioned.
          Everything looks good and sounds right. But the reality
          of the cross is not presented! The crisis of the cross,
          the confrontational aspects, are completely avoided.
          And if a sermon about the cross does not include
          confrontation of sin -- if it does not bring you to the
          crisis of the cross -- it is not the true preaching of
          the cross!

          If I were to preach about the demands of the cross in
          many churches today -- with its death to all lusts and
          worldly pleasures -- the crowds would flee, just as
          they did when Jesus told them of the cost of following
          him. If I were to say to the comfortable multitudes,
          "God demands that you face your sins, kneel at the
          cross, deal with your wickedness" -- two-thirds of the
          congregation would leave offended and never come back.

          Such churches never even mention the cross. Instead,
          they pour their energies into clever meetings full of
          showmanship, dramatic illustrations, sermons on how to
          cope with life's problems. Right now we're seeing a
          whole new generation of smart, young ministers --
          bright, diligent, capable men -- who build huge
          complexes offering people everything from daycare to
          spas to body-building classes. Parishioners can now
          center their church involvement around recreation,
          entertainment, family events, musicals. It is all high
          tech, contemporary and non-threatening.

          I believe God must wink at many of these frail attempts
          to attract souls with modern enticements. He seems to
          have much patience with such well-intentioned, fleshly
          efforts to promote the gospel. But God help the
          ministers of these churches if they refuse to warn
          their people to forsake their sins!

          Jeremiah lamented,

          "...they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that
          none doth return from his wickedness..." (Jeremiah
          23:14).

          "But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my
          people to hear my words, then they should have turned
          them from their evil way,
          and from the evil of their doings" (verse 22).

          I say to such ministers, "Bring back the cross -- or
          the people's blood will be upon your hands!"

                      -------------------------------

                        The One Thing God Will Never
                       Endure Is the Casting Aside of
                        the Preaching of the Cross!

                      -------------------------------

          Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
          will draw all men unto me" (Psalm 117:2). This "lifting
          up from the earth" Jesus mentions is his crucifixion.
          He was lifted up before the whole world on the cross --
          an image of his great sacrifice for our sins.

          God had looked down upon a sin-sick world of people
          bound in prison-houses of fear and despair -- full of
          doubt, without peace, hope or rest, groping in darkness
          and confusion -- and he sent his own son. So Jesus came
          to earth, taking on the frailty of human flesh, and
          told all who would listen:

          "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
          and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

          That is the invitation of the cross: It is a call to
          every soul that is sick of sin! Jesus was calling out
          to all who were weary with binding chains, powerful
          habits, besetting sins -- all who were tired of the
          lying, the cheating, the adultery, the depression. He
          was saying, "I know you're weary from dragging your
          chains around, tired of the sleepless nights. Yes, sin
          is a hard taskmaster. Come to me now with all your
          heavy burdens. There is no other way but through my
          cross!" Jesus died on the cross not only to forgive
          sin, but to break its wearying power over us!

          Sin wearies the flesh. It makes us weak and sick. It
          saps away all that is good and kind and precious. And
          it hardens the heart, destroying peace and causing
          guilt, sorrow and shame. It consumes the mind's
          thoughts, weakening and darkening the soul. It brings
          on fear. It leads to scandal, breaks up families,
          hardens children. And it leads to death. Worst of all,
          sin shuts off all communion with God.

          About five blocks from Times Square Church there is a
          long avenue of pornography shops. As you look at the
          men going in and out of those shops, you see their
          shoulders slumping and sadness filling their eyes. They
          are slaves, driven by their lust. They no longer get
          any pleasure from their sin. They're weary, sin-sick,
          desperate, with no hope.

          Beloved, the church of Jesus Christ is not a supper
          club, nor an entertainment complex. It is a hospital
          for sin-sick souls! But when sin-sick people come in
          and are comforted in their sins -- when they are not
          made to confront the cross -- that is blasphemy.

          I realize I am making some very serious charges in
          saying that many ministers have done away with the
          cross; that multitudes of Christians are worshiping in
          churches of wicked idolatry; that many pulpits are
          filled by men who are clever agents of the enemy. At
          this point you may be wondering, "What exactly do you
          mean by saying they have 'taken away the cross'?"

          I don't mean that these ministers no longer refer to
          the historical Jesus and his actual crucifixion. But
          the fact is, it's possible to preach masterful sermons
          about Christ's cross in vivid detail -- to speak of his
          suffering, of the blood flowing from his pierced side,
          and to do so in tears, tenderly and lovingly -- and yet
          still not be preaching the cross. All of these great,
          wonderful things can be said by angels of light!

          Years ago, I listened to a sermon by an agnostic man
          who pastored one of the largest churches here in New
          York City. He had written a number of books about
          Jesus. No one spoke more on the humanity, kindness and
          goodness of "this prophet Jesus," as he called him. But
          he didn't know Jesus! Jesus was not God to him.

          If there is no confrontation with the cross -- if its
          demands are not mentioned, its crisis never preached --
          then it is not the preaching of the cross!

          You see, the cross is essentially a confrontation with
          man's sinful lifestyle. That's why it is an offense to
          every person who has made peace with his sin. That
          person wants to have Jesus and his sin. So he says,
          "Jesus paid it all. Now I have peace, though I walk in
          the stubbornness of my own heart. I can enjoy myself!"
          No! It's a false peace -- a damning peace. He has been
          deceived into believing his sin is covered by the
          blood, even though he refuses to forsake it!

          I almost wept as I heard the words of one well-known TV
          minister recently. He said, "Don't get too bothered by
          your sins. The Bible doesn't say much about sin
          anyway." And this Christian teacher is on television
          every week!

          When Jesus says "I am the way" and "I am the door," he
          is speaking of the cross. He's saying, "You cannot be
          saved -- you cannot enter heaven -- unless you enter by
          the way of the cross!"

          "Veryily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not
          by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some
          other way, the same is a thief and a robber" (John
          10:1).

          The thief and the robber will tell you, "Repentance is
          not necessary. Simply believe! Godly sorrow is not
          important. Loving your neighbor will do! Don't fret
          about your sins. God loves you just the way you are!"

          A recent radio report said that a church in Los Angeles
          has just appointed two homosexuals as pastors. The
          pastors said, "Everyone who comes here enters into a
          wonderful fellowship of love." No -- it's a "love
          trap"! The love trap says, "As long as you love, you
          can indulge in anything you please -- homosexuality,
          drugs, alcohol, adultery. Just love!"

          Jesus says,

          If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
          and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke
          9:23).

          "Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me,
          cannot be my disciple" (14:27).

          It doesn't matter how much or how deeply your theology
          tells you to love. Jesus says that unless you deny
          yourself and enter by the way of the cross, you cannot
          be his follower!

                      -------------------------------

                            Let Me Show You What
                        I Mean by the Confrontation
                               of the Cross

                      -------------------------------

          Consider a man who is fed up with his sinful habit yet
          he continually falls deeper into its clutches. He has
          promised himself a hundred times he will never do it
          again -- and, for a while, he submerges the temptation
          and enjoys a measure of freedom. But sometime later it
          comes back with greater force.

          Now this man has covered up his sin, lied about it,
          cheated because of it -- and it has brought him great
          sorrow. He no longer enjoys it, but he can't quit. He
          just keeps going back.

          The man knows he will have to stand at the judgment
          seat one day, and he goes through life fearing exposure
          and scandal. His sin has drained him, shackled him,
          deceived him. It has brought him down to a weariness in
          which he can hardly exist. He's at the end of his rope.

          In this sad, weary, worn-out state, the Holy Spirit
          brings him this word: "There is a way out for you.
          There is a place of victory, peace, joy, newness of
          life. Accept Christ's call to run to him and find rest.
          Go to the cross of Jesus Christ!"

          Beloved, when you kneel at the cross, you will not hear
          an easy, soft word -- not at first. Even though the
          cross is the only door to life, you are going to hear
          about death -- death to every sin!

          At the cross, you face the crisis of your life. And
          that is what is missing in so many churches. The
          preaching of the cross brings about a crisis of sin, of
          self-will. It will speak to you with loving but firm
          words about the consequences of continuing in your sin:
          "Deny yourself. Embrace the death of the cross. Follow
          me!"

                      -------------------------------

                          Let Me Talk to You About
                         the Meaning of Self-Denial
                            and True Repentance

                      -------------------------------

          Repentance means more than saying, "Lord, I am wrong."
          It means also saying, "Lord, you are right!"

          Repentance is facing the consequences of continuing in
          sin. It means facing, once and for all, the truth about
          your sin -- that it has to end now. It is a crisis
          moment of truth -- a place of recognition where you
          admit, "I cannot continue in my sin and have the Holy
          Ghost living in me. I'm going to lose everything. Lord,
          you're right about sin bringing death upon me. I see
          that if I continue in it, it's going to destroy me and
          my family. I know I'm wrong. Oh, God -- I deny all my
          excuses for my sin!"

          Simply put, repentance is a confrontation with your
          sin. The battle is fought before you get to the cross.
          It takes place as the Holy Spirit deals with you!

          The same is true of self-denial. In short, self-denial
          is a confrontation that says, "Sin ends today -- now,
          at this point!" Contrary to what many "comfort
          preachers" say, self-denial is not some heartache you
          have to bear, or some infirmity of your flesh. When
          Paul said, "I die daily," he meant simply, "I've
          concluded I have to deny that I can continue in sin and
          still have Christ's favor. I don't have a special
          dispensation from God because I do good works and
          therefore am allowed to hold onto a pet sin. No! I
          agree with the word of God. And I deny all my rights to
          continue in sin!"

          The glorious truth of the gospel is that if we die with
          Jesus, then we also come into the glory of his
          resurrection and into newness of life. His cross is our
          cross, his death is our death, and his resurrection is
          our resurrection, through our identification and union
          with him. That is the real cross we bear.

          Yet this is the cross that many so-called ministers of
          the gospel have done away with. The real cross isn't
          about lovely words describing our savior's suffering
          and bleeding on Calvary. No -- the true meaning of the
          cross is that Jesus bled and died to bring our sin-sick
          souls into glorious liberty and freedom -- to break
          every chain of sin that binds us!

          I would not want to preach to a mass of people who were
          never confronted about their sins, and who tried to
          come into the kingdom some other way. Yet that is the
          condition of multitudes of so-called Christians today.
          Sin is never preached to them as being exceedingly
          sinful. It's merely a word with no power or conviction
          behind it.

          Jesus himself is the word of God. And when a person
          repents, he agrees with Jesus' words about sin. So,
          when the Bible says,

          "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso
          confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy"
          (Proverbs 28:13) the truly repentant heart agrees with
          that word: "True, Lord. If I try to hide or hold onto
          my sin, it's going to cost me everything." Likewise,
          when God's word says, "The wages of sin is death" the
          repentant heart agrees: "Lord, if I continue in my sin,
          it will destroy me!"

          Let me turn back here to the sin-sick man I described
          to you earlier. This man now falls broken and wounded
          at the foot of the cross. He hates his sin, agreeing
          with the word that he cannot continue another day in
          it. But he feels powerless. And he fears he may fall
          back into his habit at any moment.

          Yet Jesus, our sin-bearer, kneels beside him and bids
          him look up to the empty cross. Jesus says to him,
          "Friend, you agreed with my word about the need to
          confess and forsake your sins. Now you must agree with
          my word about my cross being your cross. Yes, that
          means my death is your death. But it also means my
          resurrection becomes your resurrection. My victory over
          sin's dominion becomes your victory over sin!"

          Like this man, we too are at the cross -- sin-sick,
          weary of our burden. We have been confronted with our
          sin, and we know we can't go on indulging it. And now
          we read in Romans 6 about being "baptized into Jesus'
          death" and "planted together with him in the likeness
          of his death." We also read Paul's words in Galatians:
          "I am crucified with Christ..." (Galatians 2:20). "They
          that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
          affections and lusts" (5:24)

          We cry out, "That's what I want! I want to die to sin
          -- to crucify all my fleshly lusts. But, Lord, how can
          I do it? How can I get Jesus' victory in my life? What
          will deliver me from this merry-go-round of sin and
          confess, sin and confess?"

          If you're like me, your first impulse is probably to
          bite the bullet and try to deliver yourself. When I was
          a young minister in Pennsylvania, I read the lives of
          godly men who had led very simple lifestyles -- and
          that sounded like the answer to me. At that time, I
          knew a minister who was a real hero to me, a man who
          spoke with great authority. He led a life of total
          simplicity, living in a little room and owning only one
          suit of clothes.

          That's what I thought denying self meant -- a simple
          lifestyle. I thought, "Lord, that's what I want. I
          could be a powerhouse for you, if I would only empty
          out my closets and give away all but a change or two of
          clothes. I could sell my car and get a cheap one. I
          could buy an old, unattrative house. I could give up
          steak and eat hamburger instead. I could set a great
          example by having no desire for any material thing on
          earth!"

          Actually, I was saying, "If I could just suffer enough
          -- if I could just get hold of my flesh and be an
          ascetic -- I could serve the Lord with true power."

          But soon afterward my hero began teaching false
          doctrine -- and he destroyed many lives because of it.
          That's when the Lord told me, "That's not what victory
          is all about, David. The victory isn't yours -- it's
          mine!"

          Beloved, it is at this very point that Jesus comes to
          us and says, "Now, take my hand and follow me -- into
          my death, my burial, my resurrection. Look at the
          cross. Embrace it. And cling to my victory! That is
          where your crucifixion to the flesh has taken place.
          You already have been crucified on my cross, by faith!"

          Yes, dying in Christ is an act of faith. We have to
          "consider" ourselves dead to sin and alive to God
          through our Lord Jesus Christ. When Paul says he wants
          to know Christ in the power of his resurrection and the
          fellowship of his sufferings, he's talking about
          Christ's resurrection and sufferings -- not his own or
          anyone else's!

                      -------------------------------

                         At the Cross, Jesus Broke
                       the Controlling Power of Sin!

                      -------------------------------

          Now, how do we get Jesus' victory and power in our own
          lives? How do we appropriate his resurrection and
          newness of life?

          First, let me ask you: How do you know you are saved?
          It is by faith alone, of course. The word declares we
          are to consider ourselves alive unto God. The knowledge
          of our salvation comes by our faith alone in God's
          word.

          Likewise, we are to take up the cross, embrace it and
          receive victory by faith in the overcoming power of
          Jesus' shed blood. We must admit, "God, I have no
          power. I deny my ability to deliver myself. I deny that
          I can crucify myself or have any power over sin. I give
          up all my own efforts to die to sin!"

          By faith, we are "in Christ" -- and now we are to enjoy
          the benefits of all he has accomplished. You see, from
          the very moment we were born again, we have been in
          Christ -- and that means we entered into everything
          that happened to Christ, including all of his
          victories, as well as his crucifixion. So, if we agree
          with God's word that our sins are exceedingly wicked,
          we must also agree with the good things the cross
          offers as well. They are ours -- because Jesus
          accomplished them all for us!

          For instance, God's word says that once we embrace the
          cross, we are crucified with Christ -- and we are
          resurrected with him into newness of life. Sin no
          longer has any dominion over us. We can do all things
          through Christ's strength. We are set free. We can
          yield our bodies to the service of the Lord and offer
          our members as instruments of righteousness.

          At times you may stumble through all this, because of
          unbelief. But you can hold onto the truth that
          ultimately victory is yours -- because you cry, "Lord,
          I'm going to trust you until victory comes!"

          I thank God for the cross of Christ -- and I thank God
          for its crisis. I know by experience that the greatest
          "grace preaching" in the world is the preaching of the
          cross!

          And so, I ask you: Have you had your crisis of the
          cross? What about your present sinful condition? What
          about that one stronghold you long to be delivered
          from?

          There is deliverance for you today. But it won't come
          until you kneel before Jesus and have your crisis at
          his cross. Only at the cross is there finality of sin.
          It is there you must agree with his word: "I can no
          longer continue in my sin, not for another hour. Oh,
          God, I'm weary of it. I bring it to you now!"

          Dear saint, one day, because you have heard and
          received this message on the cross, we will see each
          other on resurrection day and rejoice. We'll hug each
          other and say, "Thank God for the cross! Thank God we
          were confronted with our sins, and told we couldn't get
          away with them. Jesus loved us enough to take us into
          his death, burial and resurrection, and bring us into
          newness of life -- for all eternity. Hallelujah!"

          Finally, I thank God for all the true ministers of
          Christ who still boldly proclaim the gospel of the
          cross. They are the Lord's bulwark against the idolatry
          of sin in these last days!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
          be posted publicly on other web pages. The Lorain
          County Free-Net Chapel holds exclusive rights from
          World Challenge, Inc. to publicly post these messsages
          on its web page. You are free to download, copy, print
          and distribute this material, so long as you do not
          post it on a different Internet site. You may, however,
          link this site to reference these messages.

                 ------------------------------------------
Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright +
                               Cover Letter
                 ------------------------------------------

         Times Square Church Information | New Reader Information

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:

This data file is the sole property of World Challenge. It may not be
altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for
circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data
file must contain the copyright notice [i.e., "Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge"]. This data file may not be used without the permission World
Challenge for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This
includes all of its content with the exception of a few brief quotations.
Please give the following source credit: Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge, Lindale, Texas, USA.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       This web site is a service of
                          The Missing Link, Inc.
       Linking Troubled Youth and Adults with Life-Changing Programs
                      Web site - http://misslink.org
               Chapel Site - http://misslink.org/chapel2.html
  Home of David Wilkerson's Times Square Church Pulpit Series Multilingual
                                  Web Site
             http://misslink.org/chapel/teacher/multilan.html

            Copyright  1998 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel
                        North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

                                TOP OF PAGE

           Our webmaster welcomes your comments and suggestions.
                This page was Last updated August 24, 1998.

  Why Revival Tarries/ "Help!"/ What's Here/ Sponsor/ Statement of Faith/
   Bible Study/ Around the Piano/ Bulletin Board/ Library/ Pulpit Series
