The Cross We Take Up Series

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION

THROUGH THE GATES OF SPLENDOR

It was the summer of 1950 when Jim Elliot learned of the Auca Indians and many of the Quichua tribes living throughout the jungles of Ecuador. He was asked to consider a calling to preach the Gospel to these people. After learning their language, he also learned about the especially difficult Auca Indians, a tribe of violent and dangerous people who had killed Shell oil workers as they were searching for places to drill.

Jim’s family wanted him to work in youth ministry here in the United States but Jim, as a wise young man considered the church here too “well-fed” and complacent. He wanted to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

In 1952, after finalizing plans, Jim, along with Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, and their pilot Nate Saint, moved to Ecuador. They began with the peaceful tribes, learning all they could in order to reach out to the Auca.

In 1955, the group made first contact with the Auca from their Piper PA-14 airplane using a loudspeaker and a basket to pass down gifts using parachutes. These people had no technology because they were closed off to the outside world and would attack anyone who came near them. The Auca were a stone-age people living in the 20th century. Finally, they were able to land their plane on a small beach and met with 3 of the Auca with gifts of peanut butter, insect repellant, and the story of Jesus.

On January 8th 1956, Nate Saint missed his check-in for the first time ever with the wives. A search party was sent out and their stripped plane was spotted from the sky. On January 14th, all 5 men were confirmed dead—speared to death and left in the river to be eaten by fish and turtles.

These men had taken up their cross to follow Jesus. And that is the title of our sermon this morning. The Cross We Take Up.

READ PASSAGE: LUKE 9:23-25

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

When Jesus said this, the cross was seen as a terrifying object of torture, suffering, and execution. If you were carrying a cross, you were on your way to be crucified. When Jesus makes this statement, the disciples must have been terrified.

“Jesus, is this really what you want from us?” These men have been ripped away from their work and career, some have left behind large families to follow Jesus and now he tells them, get ready for death on a cross.

Jesus previously asked them who he is. At first, he asks who the crowd says he is. They give Jesus a few answers: John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the risen prophets…then he changes the question. “But, who do you say that I am?” Jesus was telling them the crowd hasn’t seen what you have seen. You know better. Who am I? Peter jumps in right away, “The Christ of God.” “God’s Messiah.” (Luke 9:20).

With that, Jesus proceeds to tell them what that now means. He tells them what his destiny is. “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Luke 9:22)

These Twelve have seen the miracles Jesus has done. How he has healed the sick, lepers, paralyzed, deformities, raised people from the dead. Jesus has had authority over wind and waves and calmed the stormy seas. He has driven demons out of men. He had just fed 5000 men and their families with just a small lunch and had leftovers.

Now this same man will be killed and rejected? Who would do such a thing? Why would they do this? Do they not believe? And now we must also be rejected and killed? It is no wonder later in the passage they ask to go home. My father died, can I go bury him first? Another asked if he could go say goodbye to his family. If they are going to take up a cross and die, then they want to let someone know they aren’t coming back. (Luke 9:57-62; 14:25-33 not on screen)

Jesus teaches the disciples that following him as their Christ has a cost. Being a disciple comes with a requirement, a reason, and a reward.

DISCIPLESHIP’S REQUIREMENT

To be a disciple of Jesus, it requires a cross. Don’t let social media fool us. They define “following” as merely pressing a button. If that were it, then everyone would do it. Click the button—out of sight, out of mind.