Carry the Cross #2
Matthew 27, Luke 23
Good Morning
I hope you are ready to receive the word of God and let it change you from the inside out.
That …what is happening on the inside would be seen on the outside.
The hardest thing is to pick up is the mantle of someone else. Because if you are not as committed to the cause as the person having the mantle, the mantle gets heavy and it gets to be a burden instead of a blessing. This morning, we are going to look at carrying the cross of Christ! Big undertaking!
Prayer-
Please turn to Luke 24:13-32 as we open up God’s Word this morning.
Luke 24:13-32 Read
This morning we continue our series “Navigating the journey”
Remember it is all about the journey- “The decisions we make while we are on this earth” once we leave this earth, we are judged by the decisions we made while here and we do not get another chance to change those decisions.
We journey and come in the presence of Jesus and have to invite Him to join us, to walk with us, to recognize him in the journey and desire to be more like Him.
We will stand before the Lord one day and have to give an account of our lives.
We are going to dig right in. I said we would deal with some tough ones.
Most people believe heaven and Hell to be two destinations. Other than that, the beliefs are all over the place depending who you are talking too.
They base where they go on their own perception of wither they are bad or good.
One is for the good and one is for the bad.
The term “bad’ is loosely used because most base it upon who they perceive to be bad and who they believe are good people.
They of course they are good and every single member of their family who has ever lived was good and are waiting for them in heaven.
Most unbelievers say when someone has died that they are angels that get their wings.
Like in “It’s a wonderful life” where Clarence the angel is trying to help George Bailey see that his life matters.
I do not see that anywhere in scripture. That would bring comfort but it does not make it the truth.
But what does the bible say?
Most people today do not want to talk about the cross or sing about the cross. It is two gross and offends some people and makes them feel uncomfortable.
The bible talks a lot about the cross and about the one who went to the cross.
The bible also talks about the two other criminals who were on their cross at the same time Jesus was and what happened to the two of them is an indication of what happens to others when they make their decisions about Jesus.
Do you have the right perspective about the cross? Some people wear a cross around their neck- some with Jesus still on the cross and some with an empty cross.
Wearing a cross is not understanding the cross and its significance.
Do you understand the significance of Jesus being on the cross and the significance of Jesus off the cross and his resurrection?
Have you done any investigation of scripture for yourself to see what it means for you and what importance it is for you?
Matthew and Luke give us a detailed looks at the cross and Jesus-
Our text this morning is Jesus right after the resurrection and two men on a journey down the Emmaus road talking about what has just happened in the city and what has happened to this Jesus that they thought would be the one who would change the world and their circumstances. Jesus joins them and we get a glimpse of a heart that is curious of Jesus but not yet knowing Jesus. He walks with them, he talks with them, Jesus explains what has happened and gets to his destination and waits to see if they will invite him into their lives. A decision that each one of us has to make on our own. He is invited to walk with them and when they stop for the night, he reveals himself in a new fresh and powerful way and they say their hearts were warmed and they could sense the presence of God.
You have heard the term carrying your cross and carrying the cross of Jesus-
What does it mean to carry your cross? What is Jesus telling us?
It has to mean more than just wearing a cross around your neck. Nothing wrong with wearing an empty cross, it is an opportunity to tell the gospel of the good news!
Rome’s convicted criminals had to carry their own cross to the point of their execution. To bear the cross of Jesus is to take it to the point of execution of self and bear the marks of Jesus who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the cross and the empty cross and empty tomb is proof of a savior who has successfully made a way for you and I to be able enjoy eternal life because of what HE HAS DONE.
No cross, no resurrection, no redemption, no eternal life with Him. In our journey, there has to be a marker of time and a change of life that shows where the transformation of sin was on us and where Jesus took it from us.
If you do not understand the cross and its meaning, you will not understand how heaven and Hell works- (Repeat) where you will spend eternity and why.
If you do not see yourself as a sinner, you will not appreciate and understand what Christ has done.
You do not have to guess and wonder where you will spend eternity if you know the truth of the cross and Jesus who went to the cross.
Remember the movie the passion of Christ- Mel Gibson’s account of the crucifixion. The gory scene of Jesus being beaten and then goes to the cross- even churches were saying that it was too gruesome for people to have to watch.
Well I have one thing to say about that- how much worse must it have been for Jesus to endure it?
“What can wash away my sin- nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
“At the cross at the cross where I first saw the light.”
Remember the Centurion soldier in every bible movie’s acknowledging that Jesus must “have truly been the Son of God.”
We don’t need to talk less about the cross, we need to talk more of the cross.
To the point of making a commitment to the one who died on the cross and was resurrected.
Easter, we see Jesus at the cross, die at the cross and we see a resurrected Christ on Easter morning- you cannot have one without the other. If he did not die, there would be no resurrection and without a resurrection, we would not have our sins atoned for and we would die in our sins without Jesus!
We don’t like to talk about the cross because we don’t like to talk about holiness and changing the way we act.
We do not like depending on Jesus for our salvation but would rather put our trust in ourselves by working our way into heaven or being good enough that St. Peter would have to let us in.
He only keeps out bad people. Right ?
Turn with me to Matthew 27
Matthew 27- Past the betrayals, past the false accusations, Jesus is before Pilate and Pilate says to Jesus- “(13) Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”
Don’t you know that I have the power for you to live or die!
Do you hear what they are saying about you!
Forget the fact that a testimony has to be verified and for it to be a truth that it has to line up with the word of God
They have pronounced him guilty and already judge and convict him of a crime they could not prove.
Pilate don’t know what to do with him- he offers up Jesus to the crowd to make the decision for him and he offers to give up a prisoner as was custom at that time. He is surprised that corruption of the crowd has already taken place and the crowd wants the innocent Jesus to go to the cross before a lifelong criminal Barabbas.
Why are we surprised at that? It is the same today. What is evil is pronounced good and good is pronounced evil and the mindset of man is corrupt and far from God.
Pilate’s wife has a dream that her husband should get as far away from Jesus as he can. The crowd goes with Barabbas to be free and Jesus is now on his way to the cross.
The crowd thinks they have sent Jesus to the cross but he has willfully put himself in the position to go to the cross.
They beat him until he was almost dead which was not the normal but they did it anyway.
There were different severities of beatings-
Don’t do it again
Don’t let me see you again or you will be on the cross
Extreme beating of now you did it, you will be beaten severely and if you survive the beatings you go to the cross. They were surprised that he had made it that far.
How does knowing the facts about the cross teach us anything about heaven and hell?
Because Jesus is the way-He opened the door of heaven for us and He is the only way in. NO EXCEPTIONS!
If we do not believe and understand that we will not make heaven without Jesus, we have a clouded picture and we are being deceived and the devil has blinded us.
Jesus took that abuse for each one of us with the dignity of the true king. His endurance sets an example for his followers who would later experience humiliation, torture, and even death from the Jewish and Roman authority.
The Romans perfected the act of execution and was designed to humiliate and intimidate to follow their rules. It was designed to be cruel and it was designed to be slow and painful to show the might of Rome and what would happen to the enemies of Rome.
Jesus death and resurrection was to show his believers what would happen if we would follow Jesus and believe in him what would happen to you.
You will be persecuted but the end result would be that you experience a resurrection and would spend eternity with the savior that has given his life for you and you have given your life for him.
Jesus was publicly mandated to carry the crossbeam of the cross- the part where the outstretched arms of Jesus would be tied to.
Like I said before that there was 3 severities of beatings and Jesus receive the maximum and more that they did not believe he would survive it but he did and was forced to carry this cross.
He could not carry that cross all the way to Golgatha- The cross was given to someone else to carry.
Matthew 27:32-40 Read from Bible
Us carrying the cross
Carry A Cross-----Carry a cross that leads to a kingdom,
carry the scars for the sake of His Name, it will be worth it to enter God’s city, it will be worth all the heartache and pain.
Carry a cross that will take you to glory,
no matter the struggle just keep moving on,
for there is a mansion just over the mountain,
for those who are faithful, for those who stand strong.
Carry a cross even though it will cost you,
everything you have been holding on to,
empty your hands of this world and it’s treasures,
give up the old to make room for the new.
Carry a cross though there’s no one beside you,
for sometimes the cross must be carried alone,
even when family and friends have forsaken,
just stay on the journey, and carry it home.
Carry a cross for the one who was willing,
to carry an old rugged cross stained with blood,
to pay for the sins of a world full of sinners,
to write out in crimson, the words God is love.
March 2008 SPF, Stephen Funderburk
There is no comfortable way to carry a cross; I don’t care how you position it.
I often talk to people who are convinced that some suffering or pain in their lives is an indication that they must not be following Jesus.
After all, if they are following Jesus, the Son of God, doesn’t it follow that things in life are going to unfold smoothly?
There is this junk theology floating around out there that points to difficulties as evidence that you must not be following Jesus.
The Biblical reality is that when people say yes to following Jesus, they are agreeing to carry a cross, and that will be painful at times.
Illustration-
A little boy was leading his sister up a mountain path and the way was not too easy. "Why this isn't a path at all," the little girl complained. "It’s all rocky and bumpy." Her little brother kept on up the mountain, pausing just long enough to call out "Sure, but the bumps are what you climb on."
The issue is not whether the Lord will take all of the obstacles out of our lives-
The issue is whether the people will swallow the prescription and the last pill is the hardest of all.
The first piece of medicine wasn’t easy: humbling ourselves is not something we do readily.
The second was no easier to swallow: Pray and earnestly seek the face of God. But the third pill is the hardest of all to get down:
We must turn from our wicked ways, and God says “Then, after you turn, then will I hear from heaven.”
Closing;
So what do we learn from the journey today?
That if you truly want to understand heaven and Hell, you must understand how we get to both places.
You must understand what Christ did on the cross because that determines where we will spend eternity.
It is not about what you do, it is about accepting what Christ has done and living your life for Him.
Till you understand that you are a sinner saved by grace, none of this will make sense to you.
You must realize that you are not comparing yourself to each other but a holy God. None of us measure up without Jesus.
We are all required to carry the cross of Christ
It is part of our testimony and our witness to the world.
Like Simeon, we must be ready at a moment’s notice to pick it up.
It is not always fair and it is not always explained to us.
The robbers on the cross with Jesus- one mocked Him until he took his last breath and it determined his destiny. The other, realized who Jesus was and called upon Him to remember him. Jesus words to him is the words that he promises all believers… when we take our last breath here, we are promised to enter into paradice with Jesus for eternity. This is not all there is, in fact, this is just a plip on the screen of eternity. Make the right decision and make it before it is too late. We have today, we are not promised tomorrow.
