The Gospel, the Good News is the message that we can be saved from the penalty of sin through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross is the ransom paid to free us from the righteous judgment of God upon sin.  Rom 5:9 - Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.  Clearly the Gospel includes the message off freedom from the penalty of sin. As awesome as this is it's only part of the Good News.

Today many understand the salvation message as basically a spiritual "fire insurance" policy to be drawn upon when death knocks at the door. Jesus shed blood has definitely secured this for all who put their full trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is however much more to salvation than the fire insurance policy. Jesus' shed blood not only frees from the penalty but also the power of sin. That's the part of the Good News that affects our daily living and it's the part of the Gospel that will become more evident as revival breaks out. The cross has the power not only to effect tomorrow but also today.

The very fact that we need revival shows that at present there's not a real good understanding of spiritual sanctification. For whatever reason or reasons the Church in North America has lost the full picture of God's "prophetic vision". Let's just spot for a minute and look at a snap shot of New Covenant salvation. We open the photo album to the book of Exodus. God made it absolutely clear that his salvation purposes for the nation of Israel include "out of" Egypt and "into" the Promised Land of Canaan. The prophetic vision for Old Covenant Israel could not be fulfilled until both parts of the vision were completed. For us under New Covenant to be satisfied with only a "fire insurance" salvation would like Israel being satisfied to be released from former slavery yet not enter the Promised Land. For God's New Covenant "prophetic vision" to be fulfilled requires that individually and corporately we enter into our promised land of Christlikeness.

Christlikeness can appear so extreme to us today. The general accepted concept is that Born Again believers are only human so to expect us to demonstrate consistent Christ-like character is simple unreasonable and extreme. After all we're human. The clarity of God's "prophetic vision" for us today is efferent from Scriptures such as 1Jn 2:6  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. To be quite candid if we're not abiding in Christ then we're not saved. If we are abiding in Christ then God Himself expects us to walk as Jesus did. WOW! Are we ready to accept this?

The hour is simply too late for us to fool around with this. The New Covenant Promised Land is the land of Christlikeness. Canaan Land does not represent heaven. There are no enemies in heaven and nor are they any mistake or failures as there was for Israel during their possessing of the land. Canaan Land represent the New Covenant believer's journey into spiritual maturity, into Christlikeness.

To people like the Apostle John the Christian objective was to avoid sinning, to accepting it as the norm. 1Jn 2:1 - My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. BUT IF anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Sin is to be the exception of the rule. I'm not talking sinless perfection but I am purposing to share the "prophetic vision" of Christlikeness in our generation. It's our goal. It's what we're aiming for.

How the cross play into Christlikeness? In Lk.9:23 Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Here we  powerful truths that have virtually been silent in the Western world. We've lived the last forty years in great material prosperity. It appears to me that the desire for the so called "good life" has blurred the Churches vision of "daily cross barring". We've been so wrapped up in the extremes of walking in material prosperity we've been death the truth of denying ourselves to fully follow Jesus.

Every true "born again" Believer has a cross to experience on a daily basis. The cross screams crucifixion and death. Who wants to live there or rather who wants to die there? Well, maybe once for all, but certainly not a daily thing. We're reminded that before Jesus experienced resurrection He endured the death of crucifixion. The same is true for us today. Before we experience the resurrection power of Christ being released in us we are required to deny self. That is we're required to put to death any and all passions of the old sin nature that would seek to pursued us to serve sin. Sin sound's like us a big thing but it's the little things. Song of Solomon 2:15 says it so perfectly, "it's the little foxes that spoil the vineyards". When we choose to bight our tongue, fusing to lash out in disappointment and anger at a loved one who has been insensitive in personal criticism. It at these time that the voice of the old sin nature screams out for attention, demanding a response which contradicts God's Word. These experiences happen to us all and they happen everyday. Daily we deny the old sin nature, take up our cross, putting to death the passions of the old sin nature, and we follow Jesus.

When the "second generation" of "exodus Israelites" crossed the Jordan and entered their Promised Land it was merely the beginning of journey that would require them to take steps of faith, resulting in the defeat of their many enemies. When we're genuinely "born again" by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus' nature is birthed in us. The new self is birthed in us in infancy. God uses the nature physical things to teach us spiritual things. When we're born into this world we start out as babies and start on the growth journey. Everything we are is there yet it needs to mature. The same is true for every Believer. We need to grow. As a person we need to allow the new nature to have absolute dominion. 2Cor. 3:18 - And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

New Covenant spiritual growth requires personal involvement in the process. God will take us no further than we're willing to go. He never forces Himself upon anyone. He didn't force the "first generation" of "exodus Israelites" to experience His blessings nor will He force us to nail the passions of the old sin nature to the cross we're called to carry throughout the journey.

Ph 1:29 reveals something about our Christian calling that's seldom mentioned. "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake," Now that sounds morbid! Actually it's quite exciting if viewed through God's perspective. Jesus suffer and died on the cross after which He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. It's very interesting to link this with what the Holy Spirit says through the Apostle Peter in 1P. 4:1,2. Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

Jesus work on the cross was for the purpose of liberating people from the penalty and the power of sin. He came to destroy the work of the devil in our lives. (1Jn.3:8) He came to make it possible for us to live free from death which is effect sin has in our life. (Rom. 6:23)

Every time we refuse to allow the old passions of sin to rule we are
basically crucifying the sin nature. This isn't always the easiest thing to
do. Some sins may seem quite pleasurable for a time. Sometimes it
seems quite enjoyable to ream someone out. You just put them in their
place after all I've got rights you know! Let's face it the only right we
have as blood bought Believers is to glorify Jesus with ever thought
and ever action. We are not our own we've been bought with a price.
(1Cor.6:19,20) We owe it to Christ to live our lives as thank offerings in
word and deed. This means we're called upon to suffer through
temptations, resisting sin by crucifying any and all sinful passions. 
The end result of consistent behavior of this kind is called "holiness".
Holiness is the purest sign of genuine Holy Spirit revival.

The major thing for us to understand in the work of the cross as it pertains to our spiritual growth in holiness is the fact of our personal involvement. Clearly god does the work by the power of the Holy Spirit but it is our choosing to deny sins control which releases the power of God in us to actually put the passions of the old sin nature to death. This is the work of the cross in us.

----------2Cor 7:1 - Since we have these promises, beloved, let us
------------------------cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body
------------------------and spirit, bringing holiness to completion
------------------------in the fear of God.