Hello everyone! I hope our discussion yesterday helped clear some things up and also gave you a deeper understanding of who God is. Today we will discuss taking up our cross and what that looks like. Open your Bibles to Mark 8:34-37.
I’m sure just about everyone has heard “we all have a cross to bear” or “you better pick up your cross daily”. The first typically refers to troubles we are facing or experiencing in life currently. The latter (which I have heard plenty in my adult life) is normally referred to when we mess up or sin, we had better take up our cross and repent before Jesus. Friends, this is an awful interoperation of who Jesus really is. When we fall into sin, yes it makes Him sad, but He still wants us to come to Him. He has His arms open, waiting for us. So, let’s apply the correct understanding of what taking up our cross really means. In Mark, Jesus declares how for those who want to follow Him must be willing to deny themselves and take up their crosses, and while this does involve suffering, Jesus’ words in Mark are more about sacrifice. As followers of Christ, we sacrifice everything we have for the One who sacrificed Himself for us. Unlike the sayings “we all have a cross to bear” or “you better pick up your cross daily,” Jesus’ words reveal the eternal significance of this life of sacrifice. Yes, being followers of Christ is not always easy, and it can bring hardships and challenges, but living for Him brings so much joy. We receive abundant life. Our world teaches that in order to experience joy or life, we should (or must) do what makes us happy and follow our desires and passions. Jesus’ words in Mark say otherwise.
Jesus says that if we want to follow Him, we must deny ourselves. The translation of “to deny” in the original Greek means to affirm that one has no acquaintance with someone. Read Matthew 26:69-75, Peter denied he knew Jesus three times during Jesus’ arrest- out of fear, Peter disassociated himself Jesus. We must disassociate ourselves from the sinful parts if we want to follow Jesus. We must deny the parts of ourselves that want to pursue our sins. In basis terms, to deny ourselves is to deny our sinful nature- to say “no” to our sin. We must open our hearts and fully give ourselves over to the Lord, fully surrender and declare before Him that we are His- not our own. We don’t want to live for ourselves, but entirely for Him.
The cross is a symbol of suffering and sacrifice, on the cross, Jesus sacrificed Himself in our place so that we could be forgiven. Because of Jesus taking up that cross for us, we can take up our crosses for Him. When we make a sacrifice, we give up something. In the Old Testament, the Israelites gave up their best animal to the Lord as a sacrifice (Leviticus 1:3). So, taking up our cross is connected to the command to deny ourselves. We live a life of sacrifice to the Lord by giving Him everything, including our lives. This does not necessarily mean our lives physically, but spiritually. We are to continue to daily put our sinful selves to death and walk in in the new life Jesus has given us. In order to follow Jesus, we must lose ourselves. We cannot have both- we cannot say we love Jesus but then continue in sin. This is one of the main reasons people have bad experiences with Christians. They want to live this lifestyle, but they will not give the ways of the world. As the song goes, “Death where is your sting?” Death is not the end for us. Just as it was for Christ, our crosses will be traded into crowns when we step into eternity. The Christian life is many things, but it is ultimately a life of sacrifice. Jesus brings so much joy into our lives, He gives us a new spirit, a new perspective. Forsaking everything we know to follow Jesus is worth it.
What does it look like to daily deny ourselves and take up our crosses you ask? Well, it looks like living for God’s Kingdom, choosing to live for God loves over what the world loves. It looks like resisting rather than listening to our desires. It looks like fixing our eyes on Jesus and not turning away from Him to follow other things. It looks like preserving through suffering, knowing that we are being sanified through every trial and every heartache. Growing up, no one taught me how to study my Bible, how to correctly follow Jesus daily, what it meant to take up my cross, what fully repenting before Him looked like. As I have come to have a relationship with Christ on my own and understanding what that looks like, I continue to become overwhelmed with who He truly is. Following Jesus will be challenging, it is not all sunshine and roses, but we can have joy in these difficult times, we have hope, we have grace, and we have a Father who heals every broken heart. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to be disciples of Jesus. As we rely on the Holy Spirit, we have the strength to deny ourselves and become obedient to the Father. We can take up our crosses with joy rather than bearing them with grief knowing that, in Christ, we have true life.
Let’s discuss what we just read. I have some questions that I want you to think about, write them down, and if you’d like to comment below, we can discuss them together!
- In what ways do you need to deny yourself to follow Jesus?
- How does knowing Jesus took up the cross for you encourage you to take up your cross for Him?
- What is currently keeping you from following Jesus more obediently? What needs to change or be removed from your life so you can follow Jesus obediently?
Today’s Lent prayer is a little different. I read that in Hebrew cultural, the sabbath falls on a Friday. So today we have two readings and two prayer prompts. The one for the Sabbath is Psalm 79:9 (ESV). “Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!” Prayer prompt: Praise God for answering our desire for salvation through Christ. Day five’s verse and prayer prompt: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremaih 31:33-34 (ESV). Praise God for the promise He made hundreds of years ago to make a new covenant in and through Christ. Thank Him for the restoration and forgiveness made possible through Christ and pray that these truths would draw you closer to the Lord.
I hope you enjoy this study and decide to come back. Tomorrow we will discuss Seeking the Kingdom. I hope you enjoy the beautiful sunset that was made by our loving Father and y’all have a wonderful night.
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