1Co 15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,

2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time,

most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle,

because I persecuted the church of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if

it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people

most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits

of those who have fallen asleep.

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.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,

Has a wondrous attraction for me;

For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above

To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,

A wondrous beauty I see, For ’twas on that old cross Jesus

suffered and died, To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;

Its shame and reproach gladly bear;

Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,

Where His glory forever I’ll share.

The Old Rugged Cross

Sinai

Alternate Rt.

Num 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the

soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5 And

the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye

brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread,

neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread. 6 And

Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people. And

many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, We

have sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah and against you. Pray

to Jehovah that He take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed

for the people.

8 And Jehovah said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent and set it on a

pole. And it shall be when everyone that is bitten, when he

looks upon it, he shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of bronze,

and put it upon a pole. And it happened that if a serpent had

bitten any man, when he looked upon the serpent of brass, he lived. Jn 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save

me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name. 31

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be

cast out.

The Universal MagnetJn 12: 32 “And I, when I am lifted up from the

earth, will draw all people to myself."

The profound impact of Jesus on this world is seen by the acceptance of His bold & confident claims of importance to this world, without

cries of delusion and scorn from the majority of people.Consider these claims.

Jn 8:12 ‘I am the Light of the world…he who follows Me shall have the light of life’; Jn 6: 48 ‘I am the Bread of Life whoever

comes to me shall never hunger; Jn 10:9 ‘I am the Door’ by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved; Lu 11: 31 ‘A greater than

Solomon is here’; Mt 12:6 ‘In this place is One greater than the Temple.’; Jn 6:14 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No

one comes to the Father except through me.But He also said

Mt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Yet His most striking claim may be our text for this morning.

Jn 12: 32 “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."33 He said this to show by what

kind of death he was going to die. 3 Pts. to Consider

Jn 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Type-Antitype

Jn 8:28 So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he,

Mt 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and

chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him, saying, God

be gracious to You, Lord! This shall never be to You. 23 But He turned and said to Peter, Go, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for

you do not savor the things that are of God, but those that are of men.

1. Our Lord Predicted His Death on the Cross from the Beginning.

He was always fully aware of where and how His earthly ministry was going to end. Not just near the end when it was becoming

obvious.

2. Jesus Predicted that the shame of the Cross would becomethe source of His magnetic attraction.

The instrument that was used by the Romans to repel men, was going to be used by Jesus to attract them.

“If I be lifted up, I will draw all men…” Universal AttractionThis is not how other leaders speak about their deaths; their

death terminates their work, and their influence diminishes with time.

But not so with Jesus, His earthly ministry had great influence locally, but in His voluntary death and subsequent resurrection,

His influence became global through all the ages.A. MacLaren- “He is lifted up not merely because the Cross is elevated above the ground on the hill of Calvary, but that Cross is His throne, because there, in highest and sovereign fashion,

are set forth His glories, the glories of His love, and of the ‘grace and truth’ of which He was ‘full.’

3. The Cross is the magnet of Christianity. Jesus Christ draws men, but it is mainly by His suffering

and His love displayed on the Cross. Jesus voluntarily laid down His life so we could live.

A death voluntarily undertaken for a world’s sins. A universal remedy, for the world’s universal epidemic.

The cross both convicts men of their sins and draws them by its love. Heb 12:2 looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,

and sat down at the right of the throne of God.Consider how Jesus asks us to remember him?

The ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

MacLaren- “A religion which has for its chief rite the symbol of a death, must enshrine that death in the very heart of the Church’s message. By neglecting, or by consciously avoiding Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, we demagnetize the Cross and all that is left is a worthless piece of

scrap iron.”

ConclusionSo, beloved, the universal

magnetism is radiating from Christ’s Cross, and from Himself to

each of us. But, that universal attraction can

be resisted. If a person firmly plants their feetset wide apart, while holding on to

this world or their pride, the magnetism cannot drag them, even

though it is felt.How will you respond to His

drawing this day? How will you respond to His outstretched arms of love?