Pen of Iron

1Corinthians 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.


2Corinthians 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

The weakness of God is stronger than men; one of the first and last things Paul ever tells the Corinthians.

Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

I`m preaching the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When I say “the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ” I’m not referring to the fact that he was crucified by men. I’m referring to the fact that the whole operation belonged to him and was under his control. It was HIS crucifixion.

Verses 14 and 15 of Colossians 2 burst with the glorious power of the crucified Son of God. There’s so much going in these few words it hurts to think about it. I do not claim to fully understand everything that’s going on here but I’d like to give you a sketch of the spiritual context before showing you a couple things that the Lord showed me in those verses.

Colossians chapter 2 attacks with the intent to destroy 2 things : philosophy and religion. Paul presents philosophy as primarily the sphere of men and religion as primarily the sphere of angelic beings. If you understood the implications of that it would send a shiver or two up your spine. The central part of Colossians 2 hinges on the crucifixion of the Lord of glory. Philosophy and Religion are both destroyed in the cross.

But tonight I want to preach on neither; both those things have gotten undeserved recognition. Look again at verses 14-15 and go back with me 2000 years in time. Or as far as God is concerned, 2 days ago.
I want to show you a couple of reasons why the Lamb is worthy of your worship.


Let me ask you a question.

Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

According to Paul, who’s doing the nailing?

He is. He was giving the Roman soldiers the breath to live and the strength to pound the nails. “…in him we live and move and have our being” right? He was controlling their blood pressure, their breathing, their articulations… He was a carpenter. He had pounded nails all his life. “Friend, that nail is loose. Make it fast; more deft in the motion. Don’t forget my feet now, men sin with their feet too…”
Now if you think four rusty Roman nails could keep the Lord of glory stuck on a piece of wood you’re gravely mistaken. You say ‘nobody believes that’. Well every crucifix testifies to that belief in people. It occurred to me that some people may be so bent on having a cross with Jesus on it because they wish he never got off.
You don’t know who Jesus Christ is if you think Roman nails could pin down the one who pinned up the earth in the void of space.
He was doing the nailing. And he was nailing the coffin on our sin. Those nails were meant to keep our sin up against the cross, under the sun, then covered by darkness, lest it should crawl off the tree for shame. He bare our sins in his own body then he drove the nails of judgment through his own flesh. That’s the reason why you can have the promise of the redemption of your body, and not only of your soul: body for body, soul for soul.

The Lord Jesus Christ is to be praised because the weakness of God is stronger than men.

He made it his own cross.
He didn’t nail the handwriting of ordinances to a cross, he nailed it to his cross. He made that piece of wood his own. He took ownership of it. And why shouldn’t he? He had given that tree life. It wasn’t a cross that the Romans imposed upon him and it wasn’t a cross that the Jews imposed upon him. It was a cross that he nourished, it was a cross that he chose and it was a cross that he carried up Calvary’s mountain.
Going up Golgotha was not any more imposed upon Jesus Christ than going up in the way to Bethel was imposed upon Elisha by the little children when they mocked him, saying : Go up, thou bald head.
Have you ever encountered such people? You’re on your way out of the door and they say `go out the door` and feel proud that they commanded and you obeyed. That’s how it was with Jesus Christ. He was doing the will of his Father, having his face set like a flint. All the counsels and all the devices of all the hosts of heaven and earth, whether principalities or powers or thrones or dominions, or kings or princes or nobles or rulers or priests, were as immaterial to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ as the commandment of the little children was to Elisha’s going up the way that he had set his face to go up.
If the Roman soldiers had refused to lift up that cross that morning, the Lord of glory would have lifted himself up by his bootstraps and planted that piece of wood into the cursed ground.
It was his operation, his crucifixion, his arena. By virtue of the word of his power the soil was his, the tree was his, Jerusalem was his, the soldiers were his, the priests were his, the hammer and nails were his, the spear was his, the crown of thorns was his and the atonement was ours! He set up the whole thing.

He was completely, totally and utterly in control of the situation. That’s why he could afford so calmly to tell the daughters of Jerusalem to weep over themselves instead of him. Movies like “the Passion of the Christ” have the wrong emphasis. I’m waiting for the crucifixion movie that emphasizes the wretched sinfulness of man and the power of God to redeem.

The Lord Jesus Christ won the heart of the battle a few hours before the cross. It was over the moment he got up off his knees in the garden of Gethsemane.
It’s because he got on his knees that he could bare his feet crucified. It’s because his elbows bore into the sod that he could bare his hands crucified. It’s because he bowed his head that he could bear it crowned with thorns. It’s because he sweat great drops of blood that he could bare having it all shed from his side.
The moment the Lord Jesus Christ got off those powerful knees of his in the garden, it was game over for Satan. Sports analysts always look for the turning point of a game. The Lord walks over to the disciples and says « Rise, let us be going ». There’s your turning point.

Now when he said « I’m going to the cross » it wasn’t with any more trepidation than when he said « I’m going to my Father ».

The Lord Jesus Christ is to be praised because the weakness of God is stronger than men.

And one day, the Lord will tell us the same thing with the same voice of assurance « Rise, let us be going ». Meanwhile, as you’re waiting for him like the disciples did, you just find life so unbearable because you don’t bare serious prayer.


Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Those principalities and powers are very much interested in keeping men under the bondage of religion. The Son of God delivered us from the fear of death and from the devil who had the power of death. Now Colossians 2:15 is a snapshot of a brutal spiritual battle that I don’t quite understand. It is a broad verse.

Boxers will sometimes offer to fight their opponent with one hand tied behind their back. The Son of God tied both his hands and feet and still made a publick spectacle of Satan’s heroes.

Everything I am about to list is attested by a verse of scripture:

They accused him of breaking the sabbath, he perfected atonement in the end of an high sabbath.
They conspired to cut off his name, he prayed to blot out theirs.
They said “this people who knoweth not the law are cursed”, he redeemed us from the curse of the law.
They judged him in the morning, he will judge them in the kingdom morning.
They asked “art thou the Son of the Blessed,” he said “he is my Father”.
They asked “what is truth?”, he said “I am the truth”.
They asked “art thou the king of the Jews?”, he said I am the King of Kings.
One asked “who is the LORD?”, he answered “what is man?”
They took him from prison, he preached delivrance to the captives.
They cried “Away with him”, he took out of the way the handwriting of ordinances.
They said his blood be upon us, he’ll rain blood upon them.
They gave him vinegar to drink, he’ll give them wormwood to drink.
They stripped him publickly, he made a shew of them openly.
They clothed him with a scarlet robe, he’ll clothe them with shame and dip his vesture in blood.
They crowned him with a crown of thorns, that same crown will flourish.
They handed him a reed, his rod will bud.
They beat him with the reed, he’ll break them in pieces with a rod of iron.
They bound him, he bound the strong man.
They led him away captive, he led captivity captive.
They made him bare the cross, he bore our sorrows and carried our griefs on top of it.
They hung him between two thieves, he will sit between Moses and Elijah.
They lift him up from the earth, he was taken up to heaven.
They tempted him to come down from the cross, he’s going to come down from heaven.
They nailed him, he nailed our sins.
They tore his flesh, he rent the veil.
They said we see, he covered the land with darkness.
They destroyed his temple, he rebuilt it in 3 days.
They spoiled him, he spoiled principalities and powers.
They gnashed upon him with their teeth and cast scorning in his, he’ll break the teeth of the ungodly and make his own white with milk.
They sealed his tomb, he sealed his saints.
They buried him, he resurrected.
They inclosed him in hell, he walked out with the keys.

Because the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Posted by Revelation 2:17 at 8:17 PM |    

Labels: sermons