Take Up Your Cross
One of the great misunderstandings we have is that if we
do what God wants us to do; everything will work out in life just as we want it
to.
There was no doubt in the prophet
Jeremiah’s life that God had called him and gave him a message to give to the
people. Jeremiah had it figured out, when I do the right thing by obeying God,
the people will do the right thing and obey God. Nothing was further from the truth because latter on some
men got together and planned an assassination attempt on Jeremiah’s life.
When Jeremiah found this out he said, “Lord
you tricked me. I did what you said, and now these people are trying to kill
me.” Do you see why some say you have to be NUTS to follow God?
There is no way for us to understand all God is doing. We can even make our
situation worse by being obedient to God. Here's were trust comes in; We
simply do what God asks, and never underestimate the Spirit’s ability to work in a given
situation. God is working on your behalf.
There is a difference between going to Kindergarten and entering the 12th grade. Now education is the goal of them both. What would happen if someone enjoyed Kindergarten so much, the person refused to leave at the end of the year, and came back year after year. Now you’d say that’s a nut of a different kind. There sitting in class is an 18 year old playing with playdoh and coloring outside the lines. We know that growth is necessary in the physical world. The same is true in the spiritual world. Our prayer for this year is to grow deeper in Christ in 2014 and to move beyond the grade we’re in to the next level.
Now there is a difference between salvation and discipleship. Salvation is open to all those who will come by faith, but discipleship is for believers willing to pay a price. There are too many Christians who are content with being in Kindergarten year after year. They are not willing to change their lives in order to grow in Christ.
They are stuck on convenience and comfort, and honestly believe following Jesus is all about them. “What are my wants and my needs is their predominant way of thinking” Once they start to mature, they will discover following Jesus, is really all about Jesus and His claim upon our lives.
(Look at the example in Matthew 16) Jesus asked the disciples one day, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples said, “Some think you’re John The Baptist risen from the dead, some think you’re Jeremiah the prophet, Some think you are Elijah, others think you’re one of the prophets.” Jesus then asked, “But what about you, who do you, say I am.” Peter told him, “You are the Christ, The Son Of The Living God.” Jesus told Peter, “Peter you got it right, but only because the Father has revealed it to you.” Now that they really knew who he was, Jesus attempted to take them to the next level of the cross.
There is a difference between going to Kindergarten and entering the 12th grade. Now education is the goal of them both. What would happen if someone enjoyed Kindergarten so much, the person refused to leave at the end of the year, and came back year after year. Now you’d say that’s a nut of a different kind. There sitting in class is an 18 year old playing with playdoh and coloring outside the lines. We know that growth is necessary in the physical world. The same is true in the spiritual world. Our prayer for this year is to grow deeper in Christ in 2014 and to move beyond the grade we’re in to the next level.
Now there is a difference between salvation and discipleship. Salvation is open to all those who will come by faith, but discipleship is for believers willing to pay a price. There are too many Christians who are content with being in Kindergarten year after year. They are not willing to change their lives in order to grow in Christ.
They are stuck on convenience and comfort, and honestly believe following Jesus is all about them. “What are my wants and my needs is their predominant way of thinking” Once they start to mature, they will discover following Jesus, is really all about Jesus and His claim upon our lives.
(Look at the example in Matthew 16) Jesus asked the disciples one day, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples said, “Some think you’re John The Baptist risen from the dead, some think you’re Jeremiah the prophet, Some think you are Elijah, others think you’re one of the prophets.” Jesus then asked, “But what about you, who do you, say I am.” Peter told him, “You are the Christ, The Son Of The Living God.” Jesus told Peter, “Peter you got it right, but only because the Father has revealed it to you.” Now that they really knew who he was, Jesus attempted to take them to the next level of the cross.
Peter took Jesus aside and began to give a lecture on why this would never happen to Jesus. “Jesus don’t talk like that. You’re the Son Of The Living God. It would be a great injustice. You don’t have to put up with that. We don’t have to go to Jerusalem. There are plenty of other places we can go to and continue to have a wonderful time in this life. You deserve a lot more than this. You would have to be nuts to go to Jerusalem and surrender to those hypocritical religious leaders. Look at all these people who are willing to stand with you.”
Whenever we are faced with obeying God in sticky situations and God is attempting to move us to the next level, Satan will come to us with excellent reasons for why we do not have to be obedient and should not put forth the effort to move higher. He tells us we deserve the best in life. He tells us, God expects us to have a good time and to be happy. He tells us, we have a right to not have to put up with such and such. He tells us there will be plenty of time in the future to do the right things. He tells us, it is possible to have a crown without having any suffering.”
Let make this clear, I’m not advocating that your life
with Christ is all about pain and suffering. But those things in your life that
make it uncomfortable when you have to make the right decision that is what
taking up your cross is all about.
Jesus made the statement once, “I have not come to do my will, but to do the will of the Father who sent me.” The whole purpose in Jesus coming to earth was to go and be nailed and murdered on a cross. You see each time we do something wrong and disobey God, the holiness of God demands that we be pushed further away from his presence. The further we are from God, the closer we are to hell which is the punishment for disobeying a righteous and holy God.
The only way to pay for sin is by death and the shedding of blood. In the Old Testament, they sacrificed animals to cover their sin. The animal’s blood covered their sin to keep God from destroying the nation, but it never removed their sin. Finally it got to the point, that because of the tremendous increase in sin, not even the animal’s blood could cover it. Yet God loved us so much, God would not simply wipe us out and give us the fate we deserved.
Instead God sent His Son Jesus Christ, to shed his blood, for only the pure and sinless blood of God could remove our sins. Jesus knew that going to the cross was going to be more painful than anything he could imagine because it would mean separation from God while all the penalty for all sin from every person who had lived and ever would live would be demanded of him. His blood and his blood alone was the answer for the world.
On the night before he was crucified, Jesus was in such agony, he prayed, “Father if there is another way this can be done, then please do it, but not my will, your will be done.” As Jesus prayed, the sweat dropping from his head was filled with his own blood.” More blood flowed from the beating with the whip and the crown of thorns on his head. At first his blood was spilled in drops from the nails. But then as Jesus hung on the cross, a soldier jabbed a sword into his side and out flowed the blood that makes eternal life possible.
What got Jesus through the cross, was not thinking about what he was going through, but what was going to happen on the other side of the cross experience. It tells us in Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus saw where he wanted to end up. That’s why he voluntarily chose to pick up His cross and go to Calvary. His goal was not to hang on the cross on Good Friday. His goal was to be seated at the right hand of throne of God. People had told him, you’re nuts to stay on that cross. Get down and save yourself. Jesus knew he could call 80,000 angels to his side, but he’d rather please his Father. More tomorrow...you are loved!
Jesus made the statement once, “I have not come to do my will, but to do the will of the Father who sent me.” The whole purpose in Jesus coming to earth was to go and be nailed and murdered on a cross. You see each time we do something wrong and disobey God, the holiness of God demands that we be pushed further away from his presence. The further we are from God, the closer we are to hell which is the punishment for disobeying a righteous and holy God.
The only way to pay for sin is by death and the shedding of blood. In the Old Testament, they sacrificed animals to cover their sin. The animal’s blood covered their sin to keep God from destroying the nation, but it never removed their sin. Finally it got to the point, that because of the tremendous increase in sin, not even the animal’s blood could cover it. Yet God loved us so much, God would not simply wipe us out and give us the fate we deserved.
Instead God sent His Son Jesus Christ, to shed his blood, for only the pure and sinless blood of God could remove our sins. Jesus knew that going to the cross was going to be more painful than anything he could imagine because it would mean separation from God while all the penalty for all sin from every person who had lived and ever would live would be demanded of him. His blood and his blood alone was the answer for the world.
On the night before he was crucified, Jesus was in such agony, he prayed, “Father if there is another way this can be done, then please do it, but not my will, your will be done.” As Jesus prayed, the sweat dropping from his head was filled with his own blood.” More blood flowed from the beating with the whip and the crown of thorns on his head. At first his blood was spilled in drops from the nails. But then as Jesus hung on the cross, a soldier jabbed a sword into his side and out flowed the blood that makes eternal life possible.
What got Jesus through the cross, was not thinking about what he was going through, but what was going to happen on the other side of the cross experience. It tells us in Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus saw where he wanted to end up. That’s why he voluntarily chose to pick up His cross and go to Calvary. His goal was not to hang on the cross on Good Friday. His goal was to be seated at the right hand of throne of God. People had told him, you’re nuts to stay on that cross. Get down and save yourself. Jesus knew he could call 80,000 angels to his side, but he’d rather please his Father. More tomorrow...you are loved!
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