{"id":24166,"date":"2025-02-06T12:40:48","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T12:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/?p=24166"},"modified":"2025-02-06T12:40:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T12:40:48","slug":"the-preaching-of-the-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/2025\/02\/the-preaching-of-the-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"The Preaching Of The Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Posted by permission. Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel<\/a>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sermon preached at Bethel Chapel, Luton, by Mr. B. A. Ramsbottom, on Lord\u2019s day evening, 19th June, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God\u201d\u20141 Corinthians 1:18<\/em><\/p>\n

The preaching of the cross, the preaching of Christ and Him crucified \u2013 when did it begin? Not with the Apostle Paul. I believe it began in the Garden of Eden when man had sorely fallen, when he was there in his lost, ruined condition, and Almighty God first preached to him deliverance. The first promise: that the Lord would bruise the serpent\u2019s head, O but the serpent should bruise His heel. That was in the crucifixion, when the Saviour\u2019s heel was so dreadfully bruised, even unto death. And then all this with that revelation, there was the shedding of blood, there was the coat of skins, and they were clothed. There was life instead of death. I solemnly believe that was the first preaching of the cross by Almighty God Himself. O but just a little, faint gleam of light shining in this dark world.<\/p>\n

But then, of course, right down the ages, before the Saviour\u2019s coming, perhaps not so much by word, but by types and shadows given in love, pointing forward to the cross of Christ. We think of the wonderful case of Abraham and Isaac, the lamb caught in the thicket, the lamb slain, its blood shed; the lamb slain, Isaac set free, all pointing forward to the substitutionary death, the atoning death of our Lord Jesus on the cross.<\/p>\n

Then there were the daily sacrifices, and especially there was the solemn Passover night. O what a sweet foretaste of the cross of Christ there \u2013 salvation by blood, deliverance by blood, by blood alone, no other way, safety beneath the blood, sheltering beneath the blood. \u201cWhen I see the blood, I will pass over you.\u201d And then surely on the great day of atonement, Aaron and his successors there openly preached the cross of Christ in types, in those two goats, one slain, its body burned without the camp; the other, all the sins of Israel laid ceremonially on its head, led out into the wilderness to be seen no more. All these little things were foretastes of the cross of Christ.<\/p>\n

Of course, the great question is this, and none of us can really answer it: how much did those godly Israelites know of the cross of Christ? I think really we would be very surprised if we knew the answer! Those old patriarchs knew a lot. Old Jacob saw God face to face and his life was preserved (Genesis 32. 30). What glimpses did David have!<\/p>\n

But then all the glory of it came when Isaiah was raised up to preach the cross of Christ. \u201cSurely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows…. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.\u201d The cross of Christ was never preached more clearly, even by the Apostle Paul, than by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53.<\/p>\n

How literally, word for word, Isaiah\u2019s prophecy of the cross of Christ was preached by Philip to the eunuch in the dessert. \u201cHe was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth.\u201d That is the cross of Christ. Well, says the eunuch, \u201cOf whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?\u201d Now this is it: \u201cThen Philip … began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here in this chapter we have the preaching of the cross of Christ in all its fulness as the apostle opens up this beautiful gospel epistle, and he takes his stand on one ground and one ground alone: \u201cI determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.\u201d That is the glory of the gospel and it has been made a blessing ever since, a blessing in its absolute suitability to meet the needs of a longing sinner. May it be so here more and more at Bethel, and may it be so right down to the end of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe preaching of the cross.\u201d Some things are important; some are more important than others. This, beloved friends, is vital. \u201cThe cross of Christ.\u201d Well, that hymn we sang just now comes right to the point:<\/p>\n

\u201cTo know my Jesus crucified,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By far excels all things beside.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the one thing needful. This is the one thing that really matters, to be led by the Spirit of God, feeling in measure our lost and ruined condition through sin, and what is it? In John Kent\u2019s beautiful language:<\/p>\n

\u201cThen to the cross of Christ repair,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And find salvation only there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cross of Christ.\u201d O but this vast subject!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who is fitted to speak about it! Surely,<\/p>\n

\u201cLiving tongues are dumb at best;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We must die to speak of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

But I do believe that this is the one subject, if I am a stranger to all others, the one subject into which the Holy Spirit so sacredly, solemnly, blessedly led me in my early days, when I was still a student at university, as if I was week after week dwelling near the cross of Christ.<\/p>\n

Well, what is the cross of Christ? It is the place where Jesus died. That is the truth in all its beautiful simplicity, and though there is such a great depth in the gospel, there is a beautiful simplicity in it. The children\u2019s hymn:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so He died, and this is why<\/p>\n

He came to be a Man and die:<\/p>\n

The Bible says He came from heaven,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That we might have our sins forgiven.\u201d<\/p>\n

What could be more simple than that, but what could be more beautiful! But there is a wonderful depth there that coucheth beneath, that Jesus died on that cruel cross that was there erected by wicked hands to crucify Him. But we must think who He was. This was the eternal Son of God veiling His greatness and glory, now a real Man, having taken our nature into union with His divine Person without any taint of sin, that He might \u201ctake the dying traitor\u2019s place and suffer in his stead.\u201d He instead of me; Christ instead of the sinner.<\/p>\n

We think of what the cross really meant. No wonder the skies were darkened and the earth itself trembled. This was all nature\u2019s Creator who was now being put to death by wicked hands. The mystery of it, but O the glory of it! If there had never been the cross of Christ, the whole lot of us in this chapel would have been lost; we should have perished to all eternity. O but there was the cross of Christ. It was appointed by the Father. He gave His own beloved Son for this purpose, that He might die on the cross. O but the willingness of the dear Lord Jesus and the vastness of His love, love to such unworthy sinners, that \u201chaving loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cross of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cO the sweet wonders of that cross,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where God the Saviour loved and died!\u201d<\/p>\n

O the bitter agonies that He suffered in body and mind and soul. We can never really comprehend them all, but a little sight of them will soften your heart. It will humble you, especially if you can say, \u201cAll this was done for me.\u201d And there will be a few tears inwardly, if not outwardly, as you are led by faith, by the Holy Spirit to the cross. O the crown of thorns, the purple robe, the wounds in the dear Saviour\u2019s hands and feet and side, and those dreadful sufferings of His soul! \u201cMy God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Now there is all this \u2013 there is much more \u2013 in the cross of Christ. His death was life for all His people. The great atonement, the blood that He shed, washes away all their sins. May you younger ones especially be sweetly led in your thoughts, your meditations, your prayers, to the cross of Christ, and to have a glimpse by faith of the dear Saviour in His sufferings and death, and may you have that sweet assurance, hear that voice from heaven: \u201cAll this was done for you,\u201d and your lives will never be the same again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cross of Christ.\u201d O what a subject! How I wish I could really speak of it to you \u2013 the wonders of the cross, the awfulness of the cross, the glories of the cross. This has been the glory of the church of God ever since. \u201cSaved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation.\u201d And sinners, unworthy sinners, one generation has been raised up after another to preach the cross of Christ. \u201cThey shall come, and shall declare … unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHark! the voice of love and mercy\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sounds aloud from Calvary!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe preaching of the cross.\u201d What did the cross of Christ mean to the dying thief, seemingly dying without hope, that accursed malefactor, condemned for his own sin? \u201cLord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.\u201d He knew what the cross of Christ meant. \u201cVerily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.\u201d So we have this very solemn truth, that the preaching of the cross will always separate \u2013 always. It will divide. You do not need to preach all the thunders of Sinai to separate the people of God from the world. If you are led by the Spirit to preach the cross of Christ, it will always separate. We have the two peoples described here: the saved and those that perish; those that are saved and those that perish \u2013 the clear distinction. And yet we realise that by nature all of us were amongst those who seemed going eternally to perish, and we deserve to perish, and yet that wonderful word: \u201cWhosoever believeth in Him\u201d \u2013 believeth on the crucified Saviour \u2013 \u201cwhosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.\u201d O but that solemn difference and that solemn, everlasting separation between those that perish and those that are saved! May you and I be found on God\u2019s right hand at last, through mercy alone, through the cross of Christ alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.\u201d O surely, surely you are not going to live and die in Bethel Chapel, and in your heart of hearts the preaching of the cross is foolishness to you! Do not forget what the city of Corinth was. Some of the greatest intellects and brains that there have ever been were found amongst the Greeks at this time, and some of them according to the flesh were good men. I do not know whether you children still have to study them at school \u2013 Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and others. Some of then were even striving to find out about God. But these Corinthians were what today we would call intellectuals, and they were proud of it; they knew it. When they heard the Apostle Paul stand up and say there was a man named Jesus, and He was put to death by the Romans and Jews, and compelled to die on the cross, and to hear that this was the only thing in life that really matters, this was the only answer to all their problems and all their philosophies, and all their wisdom was nothing compared with this \u2013 well, they counted it just to be complete foolishness. They could not understand it. But we read of a few in the Acts of the Apostles, and their hearts and minds were enlightened. It was not foolishness then.<\/p>\n

But, \u201cThe preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.\u201d That is the sad state of religion in England today. You do not have generally the preaching of the cross. Where there is any sensible preaching, it is more on, we need to do good, and morality, ethics, so on. These things are good in their place, but we cannot be saved by trying to do our best. We need a Saviour who lived and died and rose again. But where there is a minister who ventures and he begins to speak on the cross of Christ, there are many in our sinful world, and it is just foolishness to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.\u201d But there are two different ways. There are some people who just mock at it, just reject it. \u201cFoolishness.\u201d But then there are some who just cannot understand it. I have often told you the famous story of the great William Pitt (1759-1806). Was he our greatest prime minister? He was certainly our youngest prime minister. If ever there was a brilliant man as prime minister, it was Pitt. His friend Wilberforce prayed for him, and in the end he begged him to go and hear the gospel. It was a wonderful, simple sermon on the cross of Christ, and Wilberforce could not wait to get out to ask his friend how he got on. Pitt said, \u201cWell, my dear friend, for your sake I listened with all my brain, all my intellect, but I just couldn\u2019t understand it. It meant nothing to me.\u201d O may the preaching of the cross never be foolishness to us, because if we live and die with the preaching of the cross foolishness, then the Word of God tells us that we shall perish, and that is perish eternally.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.\u201d Some perish; by nature all deserve to perish; but through grace there are some who are saved. And what do they say?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy was I made to hear Thy voice,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And enter while there\u2019s room;<\/p>\n

When thousands make a wretched choice,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And rather starve than come?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUs which are saved.\u201d It is such a short, simple statement, but there is everlasting life in it; there is heaven in it. May you and I be in it through grace. \u201cUs which are saved.\u201d \u201cSaved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation.\u201d Grace has made the difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the preaching of the cross it to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.\u201d So this great question at the end: In what way is the preaching of the cross the power of God, the power of God to those who are saved? Very simply I would like to give you three answers.<\/p>\n

First of all, the preaching of the cross is the power of God because there was a divine, almighty power in the cross of Christ when the Saviour died. He was crucified in weakness, but O the power of His death \u2013 that power to wash away sin, that power to save to the uttermost, that power in the atonement, that power in the precious blood. That is the power of the cross of Christ. In one word, it is that simple, well-known hymn:<\/p>\n

\u201cDear dying Lamb! Thy precious blood\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shall never lose its power,<\/p>\n

Till all the ransomed church of God\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Be saved, to sin no more.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what is the power of the cross of Christ? And the second answer: though it is two thousand years since the Lord Jesus died on the cross, yet there is still a power in it that still works in the hearts of sinners. That is why in the Revelation when John had a glimpse of Him, he saw the Lamb appearing just as if He had been slain. It is still the same today: that precious blood still has the same power. It has this power. There is a divine appointment concerning every sinner for whom He died, through the cross of Christ, that one by one down the ages, that divine power of the cross shall be put forth in that sinner\u2019s heart and life, completely to change him, to alter the way he was going, to deliver him, to save him. For that word must ever stand of the cross of Christ and the dear Saviour who died there: \u201cHe shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.\u201d O that work, the effect of the cross of Christ, is going on as one by one \u2013 one here, one there, are brought under the power and the effect of it, delivered from sin, brought into the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n

But then a third answer to that important question, What is the power of the cross of Christ? It is a power not only to save, but to sanctify. What does that mean? When a sinner is saved by the cross of Christ, he is forgiven \u2013 his sins are washed away \u2013 but there will be a difference in his life. His life will be for ever changed. The cross of Christ will have a strong, vital influence. Did Christ suffer? Was it my sins that laid Him there, that nailed Him there? Then may I henceforth live to the honour and glory of His name. May the world mean nothing to us. How could I go on in those sins which crucified my Lord and God? In a word it is this: \u201cGod forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d This is the sanctifying, gracious effect: \u201cBy whom\u201d \u2013 by Christ, by His cross \u2013 \u201cby whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, what a subject, what a glorious subject, what a vital subject! \u201cThe preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.\u201d O how solemn, how dreadful! But O how blessed: \u201cBut unto us which are saved it is the power of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I survey the wondrous cross\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On which the Prince of Glory died,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My richest gain I count but loss,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And pour contempt on all my pride.<\/p>\n

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Save in the death of Christ, my God;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All the vain things that charm me most,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I sacrifice them to His blood.<\/p>\n

See! from His head, His hands, His feet,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sorrow and love flow mingled down;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Did e\u2019er such love and sorrow meet,<\/p>\n

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?<\/p>\n

I. Watts<\/p>\n

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The preaching of the cross, the preaching of Christ and Him crucified \u2013 when did it begin? Not with the Apostle Paul. I believe it began in the Garden of Eden when man had sorely fallen, when he was there in his lost, ruined condition, and Almighty God first preached to him deliverance. The first promise: that the Lord would bruise the serpent\u2019s head, O but the serpent should bruise His heel. That was in the crucifixion, when the Saviour\u2019s heel was so dreadfully bruised, even unto death. And then all this with that revelation, there was the shedding of blood, there was the coat of skins, and they were clothed. There was life instead of death. I solemnly believe that was the first preaching of the cross by Almighty God Himself. O but just a little, faint gleam of light shining in this dark world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":481,"featured_media":22562,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1729],"tags":[1239],"class_list":["post-24166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-benjamin-ramsbottom","tag-sovereign-grace"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/481"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24167,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24166\/revisions\/24167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}