HOW TO APPLY THE CROSS TO OUR TROUBLES

October 10, 2010 pm
10-10-10
MF Blume

2 Kings 6:1-7 KJV And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. (2) Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. (3) And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. (4) So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. (5) But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. (6) And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. (7) Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

Exodus 15:23-25 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. (24) And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? (25) And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

Casting a stick into the Jordan where the axe head sank, and a tree into the waters of marah that were poison both speak the same message.

Applying the cross to the problems in life that face us.

This morning we noted the story of 2 Kings 6 and the iron that swam.

We discussed the need to apply the cross to our lives and how we apply it.
Let us go over these points again and truly learn how to apply the cross to any situation in life.

Problems in life affect our spirituality.

We are in need of learning to rise above them.
Have victory of the cross throughout our lives.
Praying for storms to stop may not be the will of God for you in every case.
God uses these things to mold and shape us.
But one thing is His will in every case – overcoming these obstacles even if they do not go away.

Philippians 4:4-13 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. (5) Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (6) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (9) Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. (10) But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. (11) Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (12) I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (13) I can do all things (go through abasing or abounding) through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Imagine the peace of God that passeth understanding protecting your hearts and minds!

It is associated with OUR THOUGHT LIVES.
Focus is on THROUGH CHRIST.
Through the work of the cross.

This is all part of transformation by renewing our minds.

Throwing the cross into the situations that trouble us will solve our failure.

This means that there is a power that the work of the cross provided for us.
Like saying we deal with life THROUGH CHRIST.
I can have victory by standing IN CHRIST.
My position IN CHRIST is my answer.
I apply the work of the cross – apply the blood – plead the blood – in all troubles.
ALL THESE PHRASES MEAN THE SAME THING.
It’s how we tap into God’s power.
We must learn how to apply that power.
Learn to stand in Christ, apply the blood, plead the blood, stand in Christ, apply the work of the cross.
That power is there for the child of God any time he/she needs it.
And at times the authority it gave to us can change the situation so that the situation changes and the storms stop.
But at other times God need only stop the storm that it causes in our hearts.

Paul said that God has a peace that passeth understanding.

It is able to stand on guard for your hearts and minds.
It protects your heart and mind.
Protects them from what?
From destruction and worry and fear and being defeated inside.
Peace makes you calm when things go haywire.

Isaiah 25:12-26:4 And the fortress of the high fort of thy (MOAB’S) walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust. (26:1) In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. (2) Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. (3) Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (4) Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Our minds need to remain on the things of God.

THIS gives us peace.
Isaiah said WE HAVE A CITY!
God has salvation for its walls.
In Judah!
THE CITY in JUDAH was JERUSALEM!
CITY OF PEACE.
Jerusalem represents the state of being where God’s PEOPLE are in PEACE IN THEIR MINDS AND HEARTS!
The walls of the city are the PEACE OF GOD that guard our hearts and minds.
The HOLY CITY is no longer that metropolis located in the Middle east and called Jerusalem.
The TRUE Jerusalem is now the PEACE that is indwelt by the KINGDOM MINDED believers.
They have learned through the struggles of the wilderness of their personal Exodus.
They have been refined and worked over as God led them through trials and tribulations.
They held onto the Word of God they were given throughout their journeys, for God ensures that through every trial you go there is a WORD somehow provided for you, be it in the preached sermon, the devotion you read, the scripture you “happened” to feel speak out to you, or whatever.
Maybe someone shared an experience they went through and blessed you with how they overcame.

The overcomers spiritually dwell in this CITY OF PEACE (JERUSALEM).

Keeping your mind on GOD is more specifically keeping your mind on the work of the cross and casting that truth into the trouble you face when things get too rough.

We read about KNOW, RECKON AND YIELD this morning –

Ro 6:3 – KNOW you united to Christ IN HIS DEATH.

6:11 – RECKON yourself to be as dead to sin and alive to God as Jesus is due to THAT UNION.
6:13 – Yield yourself to God as someone alive from the dead, and your bodies as His instruments of righteousness

And that is what we have to run through our understanding whenever we want to apply the work of the cross to our problems in life.

Because when you realize fully that you are alive from the dead, then you that means the world and all its powers are crucified to you, and you to them.

Galatians 6:14 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.

Not only are we crucified to the WORLD, but TO OUR OWN FLESH.

Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

That means we have power that defeats the problems in life.

Defeating the problems in life may not mean the problems go away.
But WE DEFEAT THEIR ATTEMPTS AT TAKING US DOWN.
We defeat their success in train-wrecking our Christianity!

God requires your faith in your inclusion in the work of the cross.

His Spirit needs you to open a door for Him to work in you BY YOUR FAITH and CONFIDENCE in the cross.
You stand and say the power of the blood – the power of God due to my part in the death of Jesus when He shed that blood – is our ticket to victory.
God grants power and answers prayer and does wonders ONLY FOR THOSE WHO STAND ON THE WORK OF THE CROSS.

Recall we preached about standing still and seeing God’s salvation last week.

Stand on the finished work of the cross.
Stand on your right to deliverance and victory over your enemies by your part in the cross.
THAT is what God looks for in us in order to start working in our lives.

And the way we throw the work of the cross into our situations is by looking at life’s circumstances and dealing with them in this way.

Joshua 2:18-19 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. (19) And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

Red rope in the window of Rahab’s house would keep her household safe when Jericho all around her would be destroyed – AND SHE LIVED ON THE WALL!

The walls came down in Jerichos’ defeat, EXCEPT FOR ONE TOWER LEFT where Rahab’s house sat.

This speaks of LOOKING AT LIFE THROUGH THE BLOOD.

It’s a rope in the window.
That with which you look through in your home.

Looking at life through the blood means we look at all circumstances that come our way through the lenses of KNOWING our position in Christ due to our faith and inclusion in the cross can cause us to be victorious no matter what that life brings.

Exodus 33:21-23 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: (22) And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: (23) And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

The CLEFT was the place in the ROCK where Moses SMOTE IT and WATER GUSHED OUT.

Moses was to stand ON THAT SPOT, and see God’s GLORY!
1 Cor 10 says CHRIST is that Rock.
The CLEFT is where it was SMITTEN.
It was broken.
WHEN WE stand on THAT POSITION OF THE SMITING, it means we see ourselves CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST.
And we will see God’s glory when we STAND IN THAT PLACE.
We will see blessings and wonders.
We may not see the storms stop, but we will not be affected nor defeated by them.

Romans 8:11-13 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. (13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

This power conquers the carnality in our hearts that causes us to fear and fret and doubt God.

Rom 8:11-13 is what happens when we stand in Christ in faith – and this causes us to keep the victory!