THE WAY OF THE CROSS - Part IV
REVIEW
We can make this summary thus far:
The Way of the Cross is defined as “self-denial” for the glory of God. In that the Way of the Cross entails a type of suffering contrary to the natural self, like Jesus, we must “learn obedience from the things we suffer”.
The Scriptures reveal that those who have come into Christ are destined to rule and reign with Him in the age to come. And in order to rule and reign with Him, and not contrary to Him, we need to learn how He rules and reigns – and that is with self-denying love. And so, if we learn the Way of the Cross, that is, if we suffer with or like Christ, we will also learn the self-denying love by which He rules and reigns. Our motivation for walking the Way of the Cross is not only to be able to rule and reign with Christ in the age to come; but both in the here and now and throughout eternity, to be able to know Him through the “fellowship of His sufferings” and thereby be conformed to His image.
The Scriptures speak of both “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “our cross” ; and that “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” is a pattern for “our cross”. The Lord’s self-denying love is a pattern for our self-denying love. This is a supernatural, transformational work of the Holy Spirit in our lives which conforms us to the image of Christ, as we “follow in His steps” on the Way of the Cross.
Some of the ways in which Jesus left us “an example for us to follow in His steps” on this Way of the Cross are:
DENYING HIS WILL for the glory of God
DENY THE WILL OF HIS LOVED ONES for the glory of God
DENYING HIMSELF OF PEOPLE’S ACCEPTANCE for the glory of God
DENYING HIMSELF BY ALLOWING HIMSELF TO SUFFER AT THE HANDS OF SINNERS for the glory of God
DENYING HIMSELF BY NOT OPENING HIS MOUTH FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
ASPECTS OF THE TRUE CROSS
There are certain aspects “Your Cross” which will help us recognize the true Cross in our life situations. The first of these is:
“YOUR CROSS” IS PRIMARILY FOR “YOU”
“Your Cross” is of benefit primarily to you. It is not primarily for the benefit of someone else – like an unsaved loved one for example. Only “The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” has the God-given power to save someone. “Your Cross” does not have the power to save anyone. It is written in Psalm 49:7, “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him.” While our walking the Way of the Cross can help bear witness to Christ and reveal the love of God in Christ, it is wrong to think that our walking the Way of the Cross towards or on behalf of another can, in and of itself, bring that person to salvation. This mistaken idea is sometimes referred to as a “Messiah Complex”. If the Lord presents an opportunity to walk the Way of the Cross in the context of our relationship with someone, it is primarily for our benefit. Again, that “benefit” is “to conform us to the image of His Son”. “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.” Much, actually everything, that happens in the life of a believer is intended by God to press you into deeper relationship with Him. So, the Way of the Cross is something that is taking place between you and the Lord. It’s possible that the other person involved may never even be aware of “Your Cross”. After all, even with regards to Jesus, Who “died for all”, not everyone has given recognition to “the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
“YOUR CROSS” IS SEASONAL
I share the following from my personal experience: Ecclesiastes 3:1 reads: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Shortly before being taken down from the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.” There is a season for “Your Cross” – a particular time for God’s particular purpose through a particular application of the cross. In a particular area, “Your Cross” will not go on indefinitely. God’s particular work in you will be “finished” for a particular season. The Lord may “revisit” an issue again later, in order to do a deeper work in that area of your life; but you will find there will be seasons in His application of the cross of that area. So, while the Way of the Cross is definitely an ongoing lifestyle, God’s particular purpose in a particular application of the cross is seasonal in that sense. Our experience should not be: death upon death, upon death, upon death. Our experience should be: crucifixion to resurrection life, crucifixion to resurrection life, crucifixion to resurrection life. The reason I am attempting to communicate what I believe is the way God deals with His children is because Satan deals with us differently, and we need to be able to tell the difference. When we allow God to have the Way of the Cross in our lives, frequently Satan will follow in God’s footsteps” with a “counterfeit cross”: After God has brought an end to His work of the cross in a season, Satan will try to continue on with a counterfeit work bringing suffering and sorrow, which God has not sanctioned. This is how we can distinguish Satan’s counterfeit work from God true work of the cross: God always allows for our free will choice to deny self for the Holy Spirit’s work of transformation; whereas, Satan violates our free will through an imposition of the work of an evil spirit, always in an attempt to demolish, rather than transform self. This leads us to another aspect of the true cross:
“THE WAY OF THE CROSS” IS VOLUNTARY
The cross was not really imposed upon Jesus – He CHOSE to deny Himself for the glory of God. This is what Jesus had to say on this issue in John 10:17-18 (in the Amplified Translation): “For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life--to take it back again. No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized and have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized and have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father.”
There was a time when the Jews attempted to kill Jesus before the Father’s appointed time for His crucifixion, and Jesus “passed through the midst” of the angry crowd – He CHOSE not to deny Himself when it was not for the glory of God. Yet, as He hung on the cross, the Jews mocked Him saying, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”; but He CHOSE not to. We always have the CHOICE TO CHOOSE TO OR CHOOSE NOT TO deny ourselves. We always have the CHOICE TO CHOOSE TO CONTINUE denying ourselves, or to CHOOSE TO STOP denying ourselves. Jesus said, “(YOU) TAKE UP your cross daily …” This is not something imposed on you. This is voluntarily embracing opportunities to deny yourself for the glory of God. And this takes us to the last aspect of the true cross I have to offer here:
THE WAY OF THE CROSS IS DAILY
“Take up your cross DAILY…” As we said, the Way of the Cross is a lifestyle. EACH DAY is literally filled with opportunities for us to voluntarily “take up our cross” – to voluntarily stay on the cross – to voluntarily deny ourselves for the glory of God. If we embrace these opportunities, DAILY the Holy Spirit will be able to transform us; so that more and more, we will have the same self-denying love nature as the Lord. EVERY DAY of this life is filled with opportunities to learn how to rule and reign with Christ in the age to come.
We can make this summary thus far:
The Way of the Cross is defined as “self-denial” for the glory of God. In that the Way of the Cross entails a type of suffering contrary to the natural self, like Jesus, we must “learn obedience from the things we suffer”.
The Scriptures reveal that those who have come into Christ are destined to rule and reign with Him in the age to come. And in order to rule and reign with Him, and not contrary to Him, we need to learn how He rules and reigns – and that is with self-denying love. And so, if we learn the Way of the Cross, that is, if we suffer with or like Christ, we will also learn the self-denying love by which He rules and reigns. Our motivation for walking the Way of the Cross is not only to be able to rule and reign with Christ in the age to come; but both in the here and now and throughout eternity, to be able to know Him through the “fellowship of His sufferings” and thereby be conformed to His image.
The Scriptures speak of both “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “our cross” ; and that “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” is a pattern for “our cross”. The Lord’s self-denying love is a pattern for our self-denying love. This is a supernatural, transformational work of the Holy Spirit in our lives which conforms us to the image of Christ, as we “follow in His steps” on the Way of the Cross.
Some of the ways in which Jesus left us “an example for us to follow in His steps” on this Way of the Cross are:
DENYING HIS WILL for the glory of God
DENY THE WILL OF HIS LOVED ONES for the glory of God
DENYING HIMSELF OF PEOPLE’S ACCEPTANCE for the glory of God
DENYING HIMSELF BY ALLOWING HIMSELF TO SUFFER AT THE HANDS OF SINNERS for the glory of God
DENYING HIMSELF BY NOT OPENING HIS MOUTH FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
ASPECTS OF THE TRUE CROSS
There are certain aspects “Your Cross” which will help us recognize the true Cross in our life situations. The first of these is:
“YOUR CROSS” IS PRIMARILY FOR “YOU”
“Your Cross” is of benefit primarily to you. It is not primarily for the benefit of someone else – like an unsaved loved one for example. Only “The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” has the God-given power to save someone. “Your Cross” does not have the power to save anyone. It is written in Psalm 49:7, “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him.” While our walking the Way of the Cross can help bear witness to Christ and reveal the love of God in Christ, it is wrong to think that our walking the Way of the Cross towards or on behalf of another can, in and of itself, bring that person to salvation. This mistaken idea is sometimes referred to as a “Messiah Complex”. If the Lord presents an opportunity to walk the Way of the Cross in the context of our relationship with someone, it is primarily for our benefit. Again, that “benefit” is “to conform us to the image of His Son”. “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.” Much, actually everything, that happens in the life of a believer is intended by God to press you into deeper relationship with Him. So, the Way of the Cross is something that is taking place between you and the Lord. It’s possible that the other person involved may never even be aware of “Your Cross”. After all, even with regards to Jesus, Who “died for all”, not everyone has given recognition to “the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
“YOUR CROSS” IS SEASONAL
I share the following from my personal experience: Ecclesiastes 3:1 reads: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Shortly before being taken down from the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.” There is a season for “Your Cross” – a particular time for God’s particular purpose through a particular application of the cross. In a particular area, “Your Cross” will not go on indefinitely. God’s particular work in you will be “finished” for a particular season. The Lord may “revisit” an issue again later, in order to do a deeper work in that area of your life; but you will find there will be seasons in His application of the cross of that area. So, while the Way of the Cross is definitely an ongoing lifestyle, God’s particular purpose in a particular application of the cross is seasonal in that sense. Our experience should not be: death upon death, upon death, upon death. Our experience should be: crucifixion to resurrection life, crucifixion to resurrection life, crucifixion to resurrection life. The reason I am attempting to communicate what I believe is the way God deals with His children is because Satan deals with us differently, and we need to be able to tell the difference. When we allow God to have the Way of the Cross in our lives, frequently Satan will follow in God’s footsteps” with a “counterfeit cross”: After God has brought an end to His work of the cross in a season, Satan will try to continue on with a counterfeit work bringing suffering and sorrow, which God has not sanctioned. This is how we can distinguish Satan’s counterfeit work from God true work of the cross: God always allows for our free will choice to deny self for the Holy Spirit’s work of transformation; whereas, Satan violates our free will through an imposition of the work of an evil spirit, always in an attempt to demolish, rather than transform self. This leads us to another aspect of the true cross:
“THE WAY OF THE CROSS” IS VOLUNTARY
The cross was not really imposed upon Jesus – He CHOSE to deny Himself for the glory of God. This is what Jesus had to say on this issue in John 10:17-18 (in the Amplified Translation): “For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life--to take it back again. No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized and have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized and have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father.”
There was a time when the Jews attempted to kill Jesus before the Father’s appointed time for His crucifixion, and Jesus “passed through the midst” of the angry crowd – He CHOSE not to deny Himself when it was not for the glory of God. Yet, as He hung on the cross, the Jews mocked Him saying, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”; but He CHOSE not to. We always have the CHOICE TO CHOOSE TO OR CHOOSE NOT TO deny ourselves. We always have the CHOICE TO CHOOSE TO CONTINUE denying ourselves, or to CHOOSE TO STOP denying ourselves. Jesus said, “(YOU) TAKE UP your cross daily …” This is not something imposed on you. This is voluntarily embracing opportunities to deny yourself for the glory of God. And this takes us to the last aspect of the true cross I have to offer here:
THE WAY OF THE CROSS IS DAILY
“Take up your cross DAILY…” As we said, the Way of the Cross is a lifestyle. EACH DAY is literally filled with opportunities for us to voluntarily “take up our cross” – to voluntarily stay on the cross – to voluntarily deny ourselves for the glory of God. If we embrace these opportunities, DAILY the Holy Spirit will be able to transform us; so that more and more, we will have the same self-denying love nature as the Lord. EVERY DAY of this life is filled with opportunities to learn how to rule and reign with Christ in the age to come.
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11:25 AM
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