Life of Christ 86
Here, in the last summer
of His life, Jesus, seeking to avoid unnecessary provocations with Israel's
religious leadership and desiring some private time alone to train the Twelve,
has traveled north of Galilee into the mountainous region around Caesarea Philippi.
There, over the course of a week, three earth shaking events take place. The
first two, Peter's sublime confession of faith and the founding of the Church
on that confession happen over the course of one story or conversation. Next,
in the same conversation, Jesus emphasizes the necessity of the atonement, and
rebukes Peter for trying to be an obstacle to His death. This post is the next
stage of the same conversation.
If I am correct that
Jesus had on this day founded the Church then what we find here (Mark 8.34-38)
is nothing less than the first sermon ever preached to the Church. We would
call this an auspicious occasion indeed. Preachers think very carefully about
the first message they preach in a pastorate, or in a new building, or at the
very beginning of a new church. What will He say? What will be the theme of His
message?
'And when he had called
the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life
for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.'
We know what it meant to
Jesus to take up His cross. It meant His crucifixion, and the corresponding
atonement that comes to humanity as a result. But it cannot mean quite the same
thing for us. We do not hang on a literal cross to atone for ours or anybody
else's sins. At the same time, there is clearly a similarity. The Jews of His
day understood the cross to mean a torturous and shameful death via Roman
crucifixion.
The inimitable Matthew
Henry says that to bear one's cross means to willingly, cheerfully, and
patiently bear trial and affliction. I agree with him, but I believe he stops
short of it somehow. I think it means that, yes, but it means more than that.
First, taking up our
cross involves dying to self. Paul said in I Corinthians 15.31, 'I die daily.'
What did he mean? Well, it was neither a physical nor a spiritual death. It was
the death of his own fleshly desires that he sought to constantly bring about,
not on just one occasion, but every day. 'And he said unto them all, If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow me' (Luke 9.23).
Scripture tells us that
we are to crucify the flesh (Galatians 5.24, Colossians 3.5). That is what a
cross is for – to crucify something. Dead things have no desires. Dead things
have no responses. If Matthew Henry is right, and taking up our cross is to
bear suffering, then part of the reason for that suffering is to promote in us
the growth of holiness. 'Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the
flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in
the flesh hath ceased from sin' (I Peter 4.1).
George Mueller, that
matchless prayer warrior and compassionate provider of care to England's
orphaned in the 19th century, was once asked the secret to his
success. He said, 'There was a day when I died, utterly died – died to George
Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; died to the world, its
approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and
friends – and since then I have only to show myself approved unto God.' In
other words, Mueller learned the secret of placing himself on that cross,
daily, and in so bearing that cross George Mueller vanished and Jesus Christ
lived through him.
This does not come
naturally to us. Self-preservation is one of the strongest, if not the
strongest, human drives. Yet Christ repeatedly told us we have to lay such
aside if we are to learn to properly live the Christian life. It is such a
fallacy to swallow the old hackneyed advice 'follow your heart.' My heart is
deceitful and desperately wicked. I'm trying to crucify it today. And if I want
to live holy, like Christ, I will need to do it again tomorrow too.
Second, taking up our
cross involves what we suffer for the furtherance of the gospel. 'Let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lost it, but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's,
the same shall save it' (Mark 8.34-35).
Pastor Kevin Bruursema, New Life Community Church West Lakeview, Chicago |
Bro. Hyles used to say,
'Jesus suffered to make salvation possible; we suffer to make it available.' If
you want to get the gospel out it will take your time, your money, your
courage, your humility, your faithfulness, and in some cases even your whole life. But if you give your life away
for the furtherance of the gospel I promise that you will find a better life
has replaced it. Why? Because you took up your cross and followed Him.
You cannot follow Him
without taking up a cross, daily.
What a theme for the
first sermon ever preached in a church service!
No comments:
Post a Comment