The message ends this way: “We preach Christ crucified . . . unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wis dom of God.” I am glad once again to have the privilege as a preacher of the gospel to say, if there is any soul who will mean business with God and in honesty confess himself a sinner and turn to the Saviour who died and rose again, God will meet him and will transform his life, and God will lead him as he is willing to be led. That is the reason we can’t give up in this matter of trying to convert people. Not because we want them miser able as we are, but because we want them to know the joy of the Lord as we do. In the words of the Lord Jesus we say, “I f thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee . . . thou wouldst have asked of him” (John 4:10). So I trust that as we think of these things, we see again the centrality of the cross, the tremen dous importance of the cross, and the distinctive ness of the cross. And let us make sure we hold our banner high. I would be true, I would be honest, and this is what I believe the Scriptures teach. In this I take my stand, lovingly inviting all, Jews and Gentiles, to come, to believe and to re joice in the Lord and the salvation of God. The word of the cross is unto us who are saved the power of God, says Paul in I Corinthians 1:18. I know I ’m speaking to someone to whom life is a burden. It seems that all the expectations of the years passed have gone down the drain and there’s no satisfaction, and there’s no life. You have form, you have ritual perhaps, but you don’t have life. I invite you to turn to the Saviour and to trust in Him. Some of you are wondering why I ’m preaching the gospel. Well, God help me if I don’t preach the gospel. Some of you are here to study the deep things of God, and you say, “You’re dealing with the milk of the Word.” I am. There are two em phases in Founder’s Week this year: one, evan gelism, and the other, the second coming of the Lord. We have mentioned the first of these already. May God in this critical hour give us a new insight into our responsibility and privilege of being God’s witnesses to the ends of the earth. God help us to move out in a new thrust of Biblical evangelism ere the night come when no man shall work. “Eloquent, rhetorical, philosophical preaching may inform the intellect, please the taste, appeal to the senses; it may even convict. But only the preaching of Christ crucified can save, can bring pardon, peace, justification and power.” H This message was delivered a t the 1967 Foun der’s Week Conference. Moody Bible Institute, Chi cago, Illinois. Used by permission. American Standard Version (1901) is quoted throughout this message. THE KING'S BUSINESS
did not lay hold of my soul, but in its repetition over a long period of time it has come to be part of life for me. He spoke of Psalm 85:10 as having its greatest example and fulfillment a t Calvary. Listen to it: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” How can mercy and truth come together? The truth is I’m a sinner, I’m lost, I’m under the con demnation of God. How can God be merciful? The answer is the cross. “Righteousness and peace.” How can I have peace with God? I ’m unrighteous. Righteousness demands my execution. The answer is the cross. I t’s the cunning work of God’s. I t’s God’s answer to the sin question. In the second place, thè cross is foolishness to men because of what we may call the cross’s im perialism. By that I mean its intolerance, its bigo try, its narrowness—you see, the cross says it is this way and no other. The broadminded, liberal man repudiates any such idea. This is obnoxious to him, it is repelling to him. I for one shall not alter what the Word of God says. Acts 4:12 declares: “And in none other is there salvation" [speaking of Jesus of Nazareth, raised from the dead] : “for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men , wherein we must be saved.” In I John 5:11-12, “ . . . God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life.” John 3 :36, “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” And the crowning words of all, the words of our Saviour Himself who would gather all unto Him: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 1 4 :6). Yes, it is the only way. But while it may be the only way, it is the way all may come if they will. Will you turn from your idea of the cross and take God’s teaching, be lieve God’s truth? You’ll be surprised a t what God does, for this is the way to new life. This is the answer to relationship with God. This is the answer to reality. The cross is mystery. The cross is imperialism. But there’s a third reason Gentiles reject the cross and brand it foolishness. It is this—its devasta tion of human pride. Every religion of the earth that I know about says, “Something in my hand I bring” as it approaches God. The New Testament faith alone says, “Nothing in my hand I bring.” For all human effort, all of manmade works have to be passed by. It is not by works of righteous ness which we have done (Titus 3:5). I t is by grace we have been saved through faith and that not of ourselves, not of works, lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8-10). “Unto Jews a stumbling-block, and unto Gen tiles foolishness." But if the message ended there I am sure I would not preach from the text today. 22
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