WEAPONS MANUAL (Caught In the CROSSfire)

Greetings O Ye Warriors of the Faith. We have been chewing on how to DEFEAT THE FLESH ZOMBIES. Vincent Price had quite an arsenol at his disposal to ward of the creatures of the night who became reanimated and were trying to capture him...and so do we. We have discussed the things that he used...and are relating them to our battle with the old nature, the devil, the world...that is doing everything that they can to tempt us...to pull us away from who we really are...and that is NEW CREATIONS IN CHRIST...THE OLD THINGS PASSED AWAY...BEHOLD NEW THINGS HAVE COME. (II Corinthians 5:17)

In our weaponry arsonal we have discussed (1) light (2) garlic (3) mirrors. Now we bring out the BIG GUN..the CROSS (of the highest CALIBER). We laid out in the last Rambling how the D.B.R. brings us the victory...but now we want to break down the NOMENCLATURE of the CROSS. The pre-requisite for the use of this weapon...is that you have to become a FOOL. "We are FOOLS for Christ's sake." (I Cornithians 4:10) Let's take apart the CROSS and put it back together and get a look at some of the stuff that this CROSS does and it's cause and effect in our lives. Remember...the enemy...can't stand the CROSS...because it represents a FINISHED work. Jesus died once for all...and he does not have to keep nailing Himself back up on the cross and atone for our sins...and we do not have to keep crucifying ourselves to try to get forgiveness. The only thing that we have to do is IDENTIFY with the FINISHED WORK...and die to our SELF...daily. (I Corinthians 15:31 and Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 3:1-4)
FOOL'S WISDOM: "But we preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED...to Jews a stumbling block and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the FOOLISHENSS of God is wiser than men...and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (I Corinthians 23-25)

PROPHETIC WARNING: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on your head and you shall bruise Him on the heel." (Genesis 3:15)

TOTAL PACKAGE "Surely our griefs (sicknesses) He Himself bore, and our sorrows (diseases) He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted BUT He was pierced through for our transgressions (sins...going beyond the known limits)...He was crushed (bruised) for your iniquities (sins...missing the mark)...the chastening for our well-being (peace) fell on Him, and by His scourging (stripes) we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..but the Lord has caused the iniquity (sin) of us all to FALL ON HIM." (Isaiah 53:4-6)

SPECIAL DELIVERY: "An it came about that when Jesus had finished all these word, He said to His disciples, YOU know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be DELIVERED UP TO BE CRUCIFIED." (Matthew 26:1,2)

RISEN INDEED: "And the angel answered and said to the woman, Do not be afraid; for I know that you are LOOKING FOR JESUS who has been CRUCIFIED. He is not here for HE HAS RISEN, just as He said, Come see the place where He WAS lying." (Matthew 28:5,6)

BAPTISM VERSUS THE CROSS: "For Christ did NOT send me to baptize...but to preach the gospel (good news about the D.B.R.)...not in cleverness of speech, that the CROSS OF CHRIST should not be made void. For the Word of the CROSS is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being SAVED, it is the power of God."
(I Corinthians 1:17,18)

POWER SOURCE: "For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL (good news about the D.B.R.)...for it is the POWER of God for salvation to everyione who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

BOASTING RIGHTS: "But may it never be that I should boast...except in the CROSS of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been CRUCIFIED to me, and I to the World. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a NEW CREATION." (Galatians 6:14)

HUMBLE PIE: "And being found in appearance as a man, He HUMBLED Himself by becoming OBEDIENT to the POINT OF DEATH, even DEATH ON A CROSS." (Philippians 2:8)

ON A HILL FAR AWAY..STOOD AN OLD RUGGED CROSS...THE EMBLEM OF SUFFERING AND SHAME...AND I LOVE THAT OLD CROSS...WHERE THE DEAREST AND BEST...FOR A WORLD OF LOST SINNERS WAS SLAIN...SO I CHERISH THE OLD RUGGED CROSS...TILL MY TROPHIES AT LAST I LAY DOWN...I WILL CLING TO THE OLD RUGGED CROSS...AND EXCHANGE IT SOME DAY FOR A CROWN.

The Old Rugged Cross
George Bennard (1913)


NEXT TIME: Cross Nomenclature Continued

Love "I Am A Has Been" Boyd