The Administration Of The Cross by Apostle Michael Orokpo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Two Forces Contending Over Humanity

When you study human civilisation, one thing you will discover is that we are contending with powers beyond our sphere. There are too many evidences to show that our world is exposed to influences beyond our reach.

Jesus came to confirm that assumption in John 10:10, where he said, "The thief cometh not but for to kill, to steal, and to destroy. But I am come that you might have life and life to the full."

So there are two parallel forces trying to exert different influences upon the human race. If you are not aware that we have visitations and powers beyond the sphere of our living, it means you are not adequately educated. Whether you believe it or not, we are exposed to influences beyond our immediate jurisdiction.

Earth is the youngest creation in the spectrum of God's creation. Genesis 1:1 — in the beginning, God created the heavens and then the earth. All of the dimensions of the spirit realm were created before earth was created. And so every spirit wants to have a stake in the earth realm. God's agenda is focused here. This is why the level of wickedness and moral decadence in the world is beyond man — it has been orchestrated from regions that are yonder.

The thief is not the only one who came. Jesus said, "But I am come." While he carefully diagnoses the challenge so that you are not taken unawares, he also immediately gives you the answer so that you are not without a witness.

Romans 1:16 — I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jews first and then to the Greek. So anyone who will believe the gospel — the gospel has the power to proffer salvation to that person. The excellency of the gospel is that it doesn't matter who is preaching it. A child can preach it. A woman can preach it. The power is in the message, so long as the message is received and believed.

What God Had in Mind When He Created Man

When we preach the gospel, one of the first things we lay as a foundation is what God had in mind when he created you. If you don't understand this, when we preach Christ to you, you will not know what you are being delivered for — or to.

When God was creating man, his plan and idea was to create a being that was a prototype of himself in the physical realm. For aeons, God was not seen, neither was he known in an extensive manner, because he is spirit. Even the spirits that live with God in heaven — because of the glory he carried — could not behold him. The angels used two wings to cover their faces. They couldn't behold the one on the throne.

But the point came when God wanted his essence to be seen. And the project God embarked upon to model his propensities and dimensions was a project he himself named man.

Genesis 1:26 — "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion." So when you looked upon man it would be possible to define to an extent what God looked like. When God became flesh in John 1:1 and 14 — "The word was with God and the word was God... and the word became flesh and dwelt among us" — the shape God took was the shape of a man.

Man is the only creation God permitted to co-create with him. He left the iron in the mountain so that man would bring out an aircraft. He wanted man to enter the realm of wisdom and ingenuity to continue doing what he was doing. That's why he gave man dominion — not just authority to give commands, but authority to continue and to do whatever God was doing.

John 14:12 — "The works that I do, you shall do also, and greater works than this you shall do."

2 Peter 1:3-4 — According as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness — through the knowledge of him. And by his exceeding great and precious promises, we might become partakers of his divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

You have escaped sin. You have escaped sickness. People can be sick — I have escaped. You are a partaker of his divine nature. Stop saying "I'm only human." That's not Bible. You are the new creation.

Psalm 8:4-6 — You made man a little lower than the Elohim. You crowned him with glory and honour. You put him in charge of the works of your hands.

If you want to discover yourself, the only thing to read is God — because you were created to model God. Anything you see God do, you were called to look at it and replicate it. The goal of reading your Bible is not to become a theologian — it is to become a witness.

Sin came as an interjection. Jesus came to remove sin. But the original assignment remained constant — you are expected to model God. Anything that can happen to God should not happen to you. And anything God does, you should do as your normal way of living.

The Cross and the Resurrection

When man fell, God had two things to do to restore man to glory. The first is the cross, and the second is the resurrection. These are the two major projects God embarked upon to bring man back to his status as a God-being, functioning to model divinity in the natural.

Now God needed a being that could engage these two structures, and there was no man on earth who could do it. No man had the purity to die on behalf of men because all have sinned and fallen short of glory. So God decided to become a man. He put on man's nature so that the man in him could die on behalf of men. If he paid it as God, it would not satisfy the claim of divine justice — the wages of sin is death. And God can't die. So he had to put on man.

He was operating with two natures — the nature of God and the nature of man. The man in him died on behalf of men.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49 — The first Adam was a living soul; the last Adam was a quickening spirit. The first Adam was natural; the last Adam spiritual. The first Adam was earthy; the last Adam was heavenly. As we have borne the image of the earthy, we should also bear the image of the heavenly. God wants you to gravitate from the reality of the fallen man to the glorified man.

Now there are three things you must know about the cross:

• The message of the cross
• The administration of the cross
• The appropriation of the power of the cross
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Apostle Michael Orokpo
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The Message of the Cross

God decided to create the wisdom called substitution. In the old testament, when a man sinned, he brought an innocent animal, placed his hand on its head, confessed his sins — and the guilt was transferred to the animal, which was then killed. The man was let go. That's substitution.

When Jesus came, he was not a product of the seed of man — so he was not guilty of the sin of man. Jesus is a product of the Holy Ghost. The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you. The power of the highest shall overshadow you, and that one that shall be formed in you shall be called the son of the highest."

Jesus put on flesh so that he could pay the price for man as man. The man in him died. Substitution was what God put in place — typified in the Old Testament as animals, modelled in reality as Christ.

The message behind this action God took is fivefold:

1. Love

   God was not the one who sinned. The reason God took your place was because he was motivated by love. John 3:16 — "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." When you see the cross, that's the definition of God's love. The cross is the clearest definition of the love of God. If he gave Jesus, there's nothing else he cannot give. Romans 8:32 — "If he did not spare his only begotten son but gave him freely for us, how shall he not with him give us all things?"

2. Divine Wisdom

   The devil outsmarted every man who spoke on behalf of God. When Jesus came, the devil thought he was like the rest. He tried to tempt him three times and failed. Then Satan mobilised a mob to kill him — not knowing that except the corn of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone. John 12:24

   Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:8, "If the princes of this world had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." What they didn't know was: he needed to die for the sins of man to be atoned for; he needed to go to Hades to lead captives free; and he needed to collect the authority Satan had taken from Adam. When Satan was fighting so hard to kill him, he didn't know he was helping his own agenda. It was superior wisdom — a miscalculation on Satan's part.

3. Power

   When Jesus went to Hades, the Bible says having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a public show of them and triumphed over them by the cross. Colossians 2:15 When he rose up, he said, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go in that power." He didn't take the power to heaven — he doesn't need it there. He gave it to those of us representing him here. In my name, cast out devils. In my name, lay hands on the sick and they will recover.

4. Righteousness

   2 Corinthians 5:21 — He made him that was without sin to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. In the cross, God was righteous to declare you righteous. So when I stand before God, I stand without fear of condemnation — not because of what I have done, but because of what Jesus has done. When God sees me, he sees Christ in me. I wear the clothing of Jesus' righteousness to come before the Father.

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5. Mercy

   Ephesians 2:4 — God who is rich in mercy, wherewith he loved us, gave Christ to die for our sins so that we would be saved by grace. Mercy took away judgment. Love provided the sacrifice. Wisdom outsmarted Satan. Power defeated Satan. Righteousness made you right and bold. So you have become the complete man that can reflect Jesus Christ.

The Substitutions of the Cross

• Sin was substituted for righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21
• Curses replaced with blessings. Galatians 3:13-14 — Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, that the blessings of Abraham may come upon them that believe. Curses cannot rest on you. No enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel — the shout of the king is in their midst.
• Sickness substituted for healing. Isaiah 53:5 — He was wounded for our transgressions. By his stripes we are healed. 1 Peter 2:24 — He himself bore our sickness upon the tree. Jesus wouldn't hang on the cross to leave you with cancer. He wouldn't hang on the cross to leave you blind or deaf. If he died for you and it is true, then cancer is too small a demand to make of him for him not to grant.
• Death replaced with life. Romans 6:23 — The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Hebrews 2:14-15 — Through death he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and delivered those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
• Rejection replaced with acceptance. Isaiah 53:3 — He was despised and rejected. On the cross he said, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He was rejected on account of our sins so that we could be accepted. Ephesians 1:6 — We were accepted in the beloved. Nobody can reject you now.
• Shame replaced with glory. Hebrews 12:2 — For the glory that was set before him, he endured the shame of the cross. He took your shame so that you can take his glory. John 17:22 — "Father, the glory that you gave to me, I have given to them."
• Poverty replaced with wealth. 2 Corinthians 8:9 — For rich as he was, yet for your sake he became poor, that you might be made rich. The cross opens you to inspiration, wisdom, gifted activations — a thousand and one ways to become productive.
• Bondage replaced with freedom. John 8:36 — He who the son sets free is free indeed. Galatians 5:1 — Stand fast in the liberty that you have received of Christ. Freedom from sickness. Freedom from sin. Freedom from oppression. No devil can oppress you.
• Condemnation replaced with justification. Romans 8:1 — There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. Romans 5:1 — Being freely justified by faith, you have peace with God. There is no condemnation. God is my Father, my friend.

When you look at yourself, see Christ in you. You have been locked into Christ. You have disappeared into Christ. It is Christ that manifests through you. Anything that wants to attack you has to attack Jesus first.

The Administration of the Cross — How to Appropriate It

All these things the cross has done — but the cross insists on an administrative pathway. There are four basic ways every believer must appropriate:

1. Revelation

   Everything the cross has offered, you will never experience until you know. The cross insists that until you know, you cannot experience. Philemon 1:6 — The communication of your faith becomes effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in you in Christ Jesus. If you don't acknowledge it, it won't be effectual.

   Ephesians 3:20 — God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all you ask or think. That means if you don't ask and you don't think, God will not be able to do. The reason some of us have enjoyed health is because we know — instead of acknowledging mosquitoes, we acknowledge the life we have in Christ. The more we acknowledge, the more we defy the limitation.

   2 Peter 1:4 — He gave us exceeding great and precious promises, that by them we might become partakers of his divine nature. We cannot partake unless we know the promises. If you don't know that by his stripes you are healed, you can't be healed. Revelation must be apprehended for manifestation to follow.

2. Faith

   Isaiah 53:1 / Romans 10:16 — Who has believed our report? And unto whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? You have to believe he was wounded for your transgression. Because of his wounds, your transgressions are lifted. Romans 10:17 — Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The natural response to hearing this truth should be faith. If you don't have faith, the provision of the cross cannot be released. The moment you accept this truth, faith is born in your spirit. And when faith is born, faith can produce what the cross promised.

3. Repentance

   When you believe this truth, you have to turn from your old ways. The cross insists on repentance, which has two dimensions: to turn from, and to turn to. You must turn from your sins, your worldly ways, your carnality. Acts 3:19 — Repent, and times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord. If you want to keep commanding healing and blessing anywhere, anytime — including in your home — you must repent.

   This is why the powerful cross seems handicapped and useless in some lives — because people don't understand the appropriation protocol. The carnal man cannot please God. The natural man cannot receive the things of the spirit. They are spiritually discerned.

4. Death — Conformity to His Death

   When the cross comes, the cross kills. It kills the old man and mortifies the flesh. Luke 9:23 — If you will come after me, deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me. Galatians 2:20 — I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Philippians 3:10 — That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable to his death.

   You can't see the power of the resurrection if you have not seen the fellowship of his suffering. The cross will insist on daily death. It will narrow your path. It will crucify things in your life — desires, appetites, sometimes even relationships — because those things have become idols.

   The reason Christianity has been watered down is because the cross has been removed. People live anyhow they want, but they want to shout and see the power of God move. It doesn't work like that. Your life has to be constructed in a way that God can flow. What God did for you is free of charge, but the cross will insist on reconstructing you so that what is in you can flow out.

   God wants to raise men and women from this city. But it has to be by the way of the cross. They that believe — out of their bellies shall flow rivers of living waters. The cross needs to do an engineering on you so that the river can flow.