I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      In 1Peter 2:8, Peter referred to the cross as a “rock of offense.”

                                                             1.      Let us consider verses 1-10 for the context.

                                                             2.      Verse 8 is a quotation of Isaiah 8:14 where God predicted the response of Israel to the Christ.

                                                             3.      Peter explained in this verse that the cross is a stumbling stone and a rock of offense for those who are disobedient to the word of God.

B.      The New Testament often presents the cross of Christ in this way without apologies.

                                                             1.      Romans 9:32-33 is a similar passage describing how the Jews stumbled over the cross because of a lack of faith.

                                                             2.      In Galatians 5:11, Paul described his preaching as the “stumbling block of the cross.”

                                                             3.      In 1Corinthians 1:23, Paul said that the preaching of Christ crucified was “to the Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.”

C.      However, in our time the cross is not often presented in this way.

                                                             1.      In fact, many preachers go out of their way to avoid offending anyone with the preaching of the cross.

                                                             2.      The result is that the gospel is diluted and the power is taken away so that the truth about the cross is not preached at all.

D.      Presently, let us understand why the truth about the cross has always been offensive to the disobedient and unfaithful.

II.      WHY IS THE CROSS OFFENSIVE?

A.      The cross is offensive to some because it reveals the majesty of the divine law which required such an offering.

                                                             1.      The law of God requires that violators of that law must be punished.  This premise is stated in Ezekiel 18:4, “The soul who sins will die,” and in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

                                                             2.      According to Paul, the preaching of the gospel is “that Christ died for our sins…” (1Cor. 15:1-4).  Christ died for our sins in order to satisfy God’s law of sin and death.  If there was no such law, then the cross would not have been necessary.

                                                             3.      To those who refuse to acknowledge their accountability to any divine law, the idea of the cross is offensive because it proves the existence of the law that they have spurned.

B.      The cross is offensive to some because it declares the fact of sin.

                                                             1.      The only reason that the Son of God died on a cross is because of man’s sin.  Therefore, if one acknowledges the cross of Christ, he must also acknowledge his own sins, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

                                                             2.      For those who refuse to admit the guilt of their sins, the cross offends them because it calls on them to acknowledge the truth about their sins.

a.       The cross beckons all men to confess that they have sinned (Luke 13:3).

b.       The cross compels all men to repent and change their sinful ways (Acts 17:30-31).

c.        The cross causes all men to acknowledge the consequences of their sins (Rom. 6:23).

C.      The cross is offensive to some because it declares the malignity of sin.

                                                             1.      There is no greater symbol of the ugliness of sin than the cross of Christ.

a.       All of the suffering, anguish, and loneliness of the Lord on the cross testify to the true nature of sin.

b.       On the cross, Christ took the sinner’s place, drank the sinner’s cup, felt the sinner’s stripes, and was bruised for the sinner’s transgressions (Isa. 53).

                                                             2.      Many are offended to hear that something they have done could be so terrible as to require the bloody death of a Savior.  It is too much of a burden for them to accept that it was their sin that put Christ on the cross, and so they are offended by the idea.

D.      The cross is offensive to some because it declares the wages of sin.

                                                             1.      Paul wrote that the “wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).  This means that death is the due payment for sins committed.

a.       Notice that this statement includes all sins, not just those that we might consider to be worthy of death.  Any offense against God is punishable by death.

b.       This law is spiritual, and the death of the soul is separation from God for eternity (Isa. 59:2; Matt. 13:42, 50; 25:30, 46), which means separation from everything that is good, pleasant, and comforting.

                                                             2.      The fact that “Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8) is offensive to those who refuse to acknowledge that they were worthy of death because of their sins.  They do not believe that they are guilty, accountable, or worthy of punishment by death.

E.       The cross is offensive to some because it reveals man’s helplessness.

                                                             1.      Man’s only hope for salvation from sins is through the cross of Christ.

a.       People who are lost in sin are helpless to save themselves.  They have nothing to offer for their own forgiveness, and there is nothing they can do to earn their salvation (Eph. 2:1-10).

b.       Notice Romans 5:6 – “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

                                                             2.      To those who are proud and trustful of their own ability, the cross offends them because it reveals their inability to save themselves.

a.       For example, consider the Jews of the first century who trusted in their obedience to the Law of Moses as the key to the kingdom of heaven.  They failed because they rejected the cross and pursued righteousness by works (Rom. 9:30-33; 1Cor. 1:22-24).

b.       Likewise the Gentiles failed when they trusted in their own worldly wisdom and regarded the cross as foolishness (1Cor. 1:22-24).

c.        These attitudes still exist today as men cling to their own worldly ways and wisdom as a means to achieve righteousness and justification.

i.         Some try to achieve righteousness through adherence to the ten commandments rather than through faith in Christ.

ii.        Others try to justify themselves through the wisdom of men, discounting the gospel as foolishness and embracing the philosophies of worldly wisdom (humanism, evolution, etc.).

F.       The cross is offensive to some because it reveals the hopelessness of every soul who “neglects so great a salvation” (Heb. 2:3).

                                                             1.      The Bible clearly presents the Christ’s cross and the gospel as the only means of salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom. 1:16).

                                                             2.      Certainly, if there was another way to save men from their sins, then God would have chosen it.  The fact that He chose the death of His Son on a cross proves that there is no other way by which we may be saved.

                                                             3.      Therefore, if anyone rejects the cross of Christ, then he has rejected his only hope for salvation and relegated himself to eternal condemnation.  Those who refuse to obey the gospel are offended by this undeniable truth.

III.   CONCLUSION

A.      The preaching of the cross is not always an easy thing to hear.

                                                             1.      Consider those who heard the gospel on Pentecost after the Lord was raised.  They were told that they had crucified the Christ, and they were “pierced to the heart” (Acts 2:37).

                                                             2.      Paul charged Timothy to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2Tim. 4:2).

a.       “In season and out of season” indicates that the word of God is to be preached at all times whether it is well-received or not.

b.       If the cross is to be preached in this way, then it is no surprise that some will be offended by it.

B.      However, Christians must never grow weary of those who are offended by the cross.

                                                             1.      Certainly, some will reject the gospel and those who preach it.

                                                             2.      However, there are others who will embrace it and obtain salvation.

                                                             3.      Remember, the cross is offensive to those who are disobedient to the word of God.  Therefore, we were all once offended by the cross before we obeyed the gospel.  The initial offense of the cross can lead one to see the error of his ways.