YOUR CROSS TO CHOOSE
Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Must Jesus bear the cross alone? And all the world go free. No! There is a cross for everyone and there is a cross for you and me. No cross – no crown. If there is no cross bearing there will be no crown wearing.
I.WWJD This was a very popular catch-phrase, some time ago, it caught on and everyone jumped aboard and ran with the idea. I pray that the individual who had this brain-storm wasn’t just trying to make money, even though it apparently was a successful financial endeavor, or idea. It all started with rubber wrist-bands, and they soon turned to silver and gold. There were rings, bracelets, necklaces, lapel pins, broaches, tie pins, etc. We don’t have to ask: “What Would Jesus Do?” We know what he did! Or do we?
II. What Jesus did:
a. He met the needs of the people. He healed the sick, unstopped deaf ears, and opened blinded eyes, made the lame to walk, enabled the dumb to talk, restored the withered hand, cleansed the lepers, dried up the issue of blood, cast out the devil and demons, raised the dead (Lazarus, Jairus daughter). Jesus said, “I came not for those who needed not a physician”. He had a mercy ministry. He did all this while he was on his way to do what he came to do. What Jesus did is, He made the ultimate sacrifice, He laid down his life.
John 10: 17 – 18
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
I John 2:2
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our’s only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
b. The Lamb of God – Our Passover lamb:
John 1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
c. He was the propitiation-our substitute, He satisfied God’s justice
I John 4: 10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
d. He pardoned us – paid ransom:
1 Corinthians 6: 20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
I Corinthians 7:23
Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men
e. He gave us acquittal – expiation:
I Peter 2: 24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
I Peter 3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
f. He redeemed us – bought with a price:
Colossians 1: 13 – 14
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
g. He reconciled us back to God – atonement:
2 Corinthians 5:19
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
h. He purchased our salvation – with his blood:
I Peter 1: 18 -19
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
i. He set the captives free:
(Hebrews 9: 14 -15)
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
III. He paid the sin debt:
God is love and is a loving God. But he is also a God of justice. He demanded that the penalty of sin be paid. He spared not his only son. Agape Love sent No Greater Love to the cross for you and me. Jesus prayed, “Let this bitter cup pass if it be thy will, but, nevertheless not my will but thine be done”. Out on Golgotha, Skull Mountain there were three crosses. One is your cross to choose. There’s one cross we don’t qualify for – we’re not worthy of. It’s already a finished work. Jesus bore that cross – the cross of Redemption and Reconciliation. That leaves two crosses to choose from. One is the cross of Rebellion and Rejection (a spirit from Satan himself) and the other is the cross of Repentance and Restoration.
Which will you choose?
We need to stop dragging our cross around, it’s getting splintered with disobedience; dirty with uncommitment; and muddy with unfaithfulness. We need to take it up. We don’t want to take it up, for if we do, we have to crucify the flesh.
Galatians 5: 24
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
We need to mortify our members: (to kill, deaden, or put to death)
Colossians 3:5
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
So what is our cross?
It’s not our bad marriages
It’s not our bad children
It’s not our jobs that we hate
It’s not our financial situations
It’s not illness or sickness
It’s not the wine bottle, liquor, drugs, promiscuity
These are burdens!
The cross is our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationship with our fellow man – our neighbor. This is known as the Disciples cross.
Let’s revisit our text:
Deny self; take up cross daily, and follow me, which cross do you choose? Hopefully your choice is the cross of Repentance and Restoration, if so then you must;
D-deprive your sin nature
E-empty, eradicate, and eliminate, negative evil thoughts
N-nullify the influence of Satan
Y-yield not to temptation
S-seek not to please and gratify selfish desires
E-Lust of the eye
L-lusting after the pride of life
F-lust of the flesh
C-consecrate, be ye holy as I am holy
R-repent, I tell you nay, but except ye repent ye shall all perish
O-obedience is better than sacrifice
S-submit thou way unto the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
S-serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing
F-faith comes by hearing (the word) walk by faith
O-operate in divine order, the just shall live by faith
L-love ye one another as I have also loved you
L-listen, learn, my sheep hear my voice
O-offering, present your body a living sacrifice
W-word, wisdom, the fear of the Lord is wisdom
Must Jesus bear the cross alone? And all the world go free. No! There is a cross for everyone and there is a cross for you and me. No cross no crown. If there is no cross bearing there will be no crown wearing. Which cross will you choose? Amen…Amen…Amen.