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Slide 1
Slide 2
Why we must put Christ and the cross back at the center of
Christianity
Slide 3
There was a time not too long ago that the central focus of the
Christian church was Jesus Christ, but today with the churches
fascination with man-centered, seeker-sensitive, come-as-you-like
theology, it appears that the seeker has replaced the founder of
the church in authority and importance. Without a strict adherence
to true biblical theology and doctrine the modern church has
relegated itself into nothing more than a feel-good social club
where the attendees care little for the eternal things of God, and
embrace the petty, temporal things of the world. What they fail to
realize is when a different gospel is followed, one predicated on a
man-centered theology, they unknowingly follow a Jesus of their own
creation. The bible teaches in 1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the
world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life
is not of the Father but is of the world. Gods kingdom is built
upon righteousness and justice and He will determine how those who
seek His forgiveness are to approach Him not through the
machinations from the minds of sinful men! Many within the modern
church have no clue as to how holy God is and how debased we are.
They will decide how they will approach God and whether their
methods align with Scriptural truths is inconsequential. In seeking
significance among men the modern church has succeeded in turning
its attendees from the true gospel of Christ to what the bible
describes as the doctrines of demons (cf. 1Timothy 4:1). Reverence
and humility have, in their eyes, been relegated to the church of
the past and they will continue to proclaim their mantra of
societal relevance, devoid of biblical truth, and champion an easy
believism from the highest hilltops. This method in approaching a
holy and righteous God is not only foolish but very dangerous. God
is not our buddy and Christ is not our pal. The eternal Godhead
must be shown a proper reverence and respect that an infinite and
eternal God demands.
Slide 4
To give you an example of exactly how set apart God truly is
from sin-filled men we only need look at a few passages from the
Old Testament. In 2 Samuel 6:1-7 we read of the account of David
and his servant Uzzah. 1 Again David gathered all the choice men of
Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the
people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there
the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the Lord of
Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. 3 So they set the ark of
God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab,
which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab,
drove the new cart. 4 And they brought it out of the house of
Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and
Ahio went before the ark. 5 Then David and all the house of Israel
played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of fir
wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on
sistrums, and on cymbals. 6 And when they came to Nachon's
threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took
hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the Lord was
aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and
he died there by the ark of God. In verse 7 we read that God
strikes down Uzzah. Many Christians who approach Gods word
flippantly would read this and say, what a terrible thing for God
to do. But what the scripturally-illiterate seeker fails to realize
is that God had clearly commanded in His word that only the Levites
(priests) were to bear the ark and that it should be transported
with wooden poles not on a cart! (Exodus 25:13-14; Numbers
1:47-52). God had ordered that no one was to touch the ark as this
was the symbol of his presence and majesty on earth. Uzzahs actions
stemmed from either his ignorance of Gods Word or from a lack of
reverence for God (cf. 1 Chronicles 15:2). Uzzahs action reveals
the danger of having enthusiasm for God without acquiring the
knowledge of his Word and gaining a proper understanding of His
character and nature. Davids plan to return the ark to Jerusalem,
and Uzzahs desire to steady it on the cart, may have shown a zeal
for Gods kingdom, but it also revealed their careless attitude
toward keeping the standards that God commanded. Ignorance of Gods
declarations does not provide us an excuse for approaching Him
without showing proper respect and reverence. Gods inspired Word
reveals to us His will, character, and nature which relates to all
things in life. Those who profess to follow God must also follow
the instructions and examples that He has clearly laid out in his
Word (cf. Leviticus 10:1-3; Joshua 7; Acts 5:1-11).
Slide 5
In many respects the modern professing church in America is
reminiscent of the individuals which celebrate a popular holiday
every third week in March. On St. Patricks Day, revelers rise early
for an all day and all night bacchanalian- like celebration of
carousing, music, and drink lots of drink and a slogan can be heard
emanating from around every city in the country, everyone is Irish
on St. Pattys Day! While this mantra may be humorous when speaking
of a pagan holiday, it becomes all too real when applied to todays
Christianity. The fact is that anyone can profess to be Christian
(and many do) but very few actually abide by what Gods word says it
means to be a Christian! The modern church of today is
characterized around experience and feelings rather than on
biblical truth, sound doctrine, and the authentic gospel message
which was originally delivered to the saints. Many that profess to
be Christian would likely be hard-pressed to even provide a partial
definition of what the gospel of Christ is! In many modern
churches, Christ has been relegated to the status of a life coach,
instructing the audience in prosperity and personal growth rather
than as Lord and Savior! And this is truly not surprising as those
same churches rarely if ever preach about the reason why we even
need a savior! The preaching of sin and repentance are nowhere to
be found inside the seeker-sensitive church because such talk might
offend the seeker. Never is there ever a thought that a sanctuary
full of unrepentant individuals unabatedly continuing in their sin
might be an offense to a holy God! Their doctrine is strictly
centered around what feels good to the individual and never
espouses the biblical truths of sin, repentance, justice,
righteousness or the likelihood of eternal separation from God.
They speak of Gods love but never mention His infinite justice or
absolute righteousness. They market half of Gods character and in
doing so they teach error and are simply deceiving themselves and
preaching a false gospel and are promoting a Jesus that is not
found in the Scriptures. For Jesus Himself says in Matthew 7:21-23
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will
I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.
Slide 6
The things of God are serious business and should never be
taken in a flippant or indifferent manner. The human mind is
incapable of comprehending the concept of what infinite
righteousness truly is or what eternal separation from God truly
means; and if it could, those that handle the things of God with
indifference would likely be clinging to every letter contained
within Gods holy word! For the Scriptures teach us in Hebrews
10:26-31 26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for
sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery
indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has
rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or
three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose,
will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God
underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was
sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For
we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the
Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people." 31 It is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The
Scriptures teach that God desires that all should come to
repentance and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). But this does not mean that
He will compromise His righteousness in the process. Christ came to
this world in the form of a man and died an excruciating death on a
cross so that those that humble themselves and confess that they
are sinners and turn from their sinful ways and repent can find
forgiveness and acceptance before a righteous and holy God. Those
that have created a theology based on a false understanding of the
true relationship of Gods love and Gods righteousness are no
different than Davids servant Uzzah and can expect a similar
outcome in the eternity that is to come. Gods word is clear on this
subject and those that have hardened their hearts and declared to
themselves that they are good people and not in need of repentance
are to be the most pitied, for they are going to one day stand
before an infinitely righteous God, without the righteousness of
Christ imputed to them, and will have nothing but their sin-filled
earthly works to offer as payment for their sins, as the Scriptures
declare in Matthew 13:40-42 40 As therefore the tares are gathered
and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather
out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do
iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Slide 7
Christ God designed Adam (and his descendants) to live in a
sinless state, a state which Gods Spirit could inhabit and live
within Adam. But when Adam sinned, Gods Spirit could no longer
indwell man and this left a void in the heart of Adam and his
descendants. As nature abhors a vacuum, a sin-nature immediately
indwelled Adam. We can only be reconciled to the eternal Father
through faith in the death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When
Adam sinned and chose to follow the percepts of Satan he separated
himself from his Creator and in essence said that he no longer
needed God and that he would decide his own fate. This is why the
Scriptures teach that Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that
all have sinned Spiritual Void SinSpirit of God When we accept
Christ, God is righteously able to indwell us once again through
the perfection of Christs sinless life and perfect atonement which
paid the cost of all of our sinful rebellion. 22 For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians
15:22
Slide 8
21 For he (God the Father) hath made him (Jesus Christ) to be
sin for us, who knew no sin; that we (the true church) might be
made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 18 For
Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened (made alive) by the Spirit 1 Peter 3:18
Slide 9
In order to understand how egregious God views our sins, just
consider the terrible price that Christ paid on the cross at
Golgotha to redeem those that call out and seek his forgiveness.
When men take a flippant attitude toward sin they are in effect
denying what Gods word has declared and Christs sacrifice upon the
cross. For in 1 John 1:8-10 it declares: 8 If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we
have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. But
the seeker-sensitive movement (and others like them) are completely
apathetic to these biblical truths as they are more concerned with
the growth of their churches, their supposed relevance in society,
and the happiness of their customers rather than being true to Gods
inerrant and eternal word. And this is why sin and repentance are
never discussed, as it would likely alienate those that have come
to trust their self-proclaimed good works and righteousness for
their salvation. There are many people today that actually think
they are doing God some kind of favor every time they attend a
Sunday church service. They have completely bought into Satans
favorite lie 3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived
Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches
another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a
different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel
which you have not accepted you may well put up with it! 2
Corinthians 11:2-4
Slide 10
This is why we must return Christ and the full understanding of
what the cross truly means to the center of every Christian
initiative. Christ declared in Matthew 20:28 that 28 the Son of man
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many. If men are able to seek God through any
means of their own creation then why did Jesus have to die a
horrible death at the hands of the Roman and Jewish authorities?
Christ tells us in John 15:13 13 Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. If it were Gods
righteous will that men could come to Him in any manner that they
see fit then then execution of Jesus was meaningless and
unnecessary. This is why groups like the seeker-sensitive movement
and others are dead wrong in their man-centered approach to
Christianity. It is only when we come to an understanding of the
true holiness of God and our complete un-holiness that the meaning
and purpose of the cross becomes clear. For without Jesus and His
willingness to give Himself to be the payment for our sins, we
would have no hope of attaining forgiveness and God by his infinite
righteousness would be compelled to judge us guilty and sentence
all men to eternal separation from Himself and a Godless eternity
in the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:11-15 11 And I saw a great white
throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I
saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which
were in them: and they were judged every man according to their
works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This
is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the
book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Slide 11
If ye by the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the flesh ye shall
live! If you live after the flesh Youll Die!
Slide 12
The purpose of this PowerPoint presentation is not to scare
people or to make them seek God out of fear but to explain the
realities of what the bible teaches and to expose the apostasy that
has risen within many modern churches. None of these developments
are of any surprise to those that have studied the Scriptures, as
the bible openly declares in 2 Peter 2:1-10 But there were also
false prophets among the people, even as there will be false
teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive
heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on
themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their
destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be
blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive
words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their
destruction does not slumber. For if God did not spare the angels
who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into
chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare
the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher
of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the
ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes,
condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who
afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was
oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous
man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to
day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) then the Lord knows
how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the
unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially
those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness
and despise (biblical) authority. When we come to the true God
within His prescribed method (a faith in the death and resurrection
of Christ), God is faithful and will forgive us of our
transgressions. When we accept Christ and His gift of salvation,
God forgives us of all of our sins (past, present, and future) and
His Holy Spirit enters to reside in us and He begins to transform
us into the similitude of Christ. We then can pass from death (our
present sinful state) into eternal life and the terror of a godless
eternity in hell exists no more for those who trust in Christ and
believe Gods written word.
Slide 13
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no
thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the
things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:33-34 In closing, I would like to encourage you to
investigate Gods word for yourself. Do not be led astray by false
forms of Christianity that preach another gospel and another Jesus.
Stick closely to Christ, the Cross, and His holy word and never
allow yourself to be deceived. Remember and take to heart the
following verses from the Book of Jude Beloved, when I gave all
diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful
for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For
there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of
our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our
Lord Jesus Christ. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs
of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but
a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring
forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good
fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them. Matthew 7:15-20 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall
deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold. Matthew 24:11-12 For there shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the
very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Matthew 24:24-25 Never
forget the promises of Jesus or allow yourself to become
discouraged, as the victory has already been won by Christ. Simply
obey God and leave the consequences to Him.