Death – Carrying Your Cross (Spiritual Formation Part 3) Series

Death – Carrying your Cross

John 12:20 – 26

1. Cross Bearing is a Act of Choice – Death on the Seed of our Priorities

A. First of all, Jesus tells us that "taking up our cross" is something that we do by choice

B. Jesus calls us, & challenges us, but it is our decision

C. I am afraid that generally we are pretty careless in the way that we talk about "cross-bearing"

D. Bearing our cross is not making the best of a situation or circumstance

E. It is something we deliberately take up and bear

F. It is a voluntary form of sacrificial obedience that identifies us completely with Jesus Christ

G. We don’t usually like that, for we would rather wear a cross than bear a cross

H. The Choice that you make will be based on your own priorities of our life

I. The fact is, we cannot bear a cross in our hands while we are holdings something else in our life

J. We must put down the things we are holding before we can bear our cross

K. That’s where death on the seed of our priorities will come in

L. St Paul said… For to me life is Christ, and death is gain (Philippians 1:21)

2. Cross Bearing is an Act of Love – Death on the Seed of our Perversity

A. Cross bearing is an act of love that we freely choose

B. It is a task that we undertake, a price that we pay, out of love

C. For Jesus it meant going to a cross to die because He loved us so much He could do nothing else

D. It means not just loving people who love you back

E. But it is hard to love people who don’t love you back. And yet cross-bearing means that.

F. You want to read a description of what it means to carry a cross? Change the word "love" & put the word "cross-bearer" in its place in (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

G. Being perverse is being corrupt (Adjective)

H. Being corrupt means morally degenerate, characterized by improper conduct. In short, a sin

I. Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live” (John 11:25)

3. Cross Bearing is an Act of Sacrifice – Death on the Seed of our Personality

A. A Sacrifice of offering

B. St Paul Said… I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship (Romans 12:1)

C. Jesus gave his bodies as a living sacrifice to bear the cross.

D. Put to death for the forgiveness of our sins

E. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)

F. For the Jews, it is a stumbling block

G. For the Greeks, It is foolishness

H. But we proclaim Christ crucified

I. It is the same seed of our personality like the Jews and the Greeks that we need to put to death

J. For us to be able to bear the Cross as a living sacrifice