Dr. Stanley responds to a question about the way of the cross – that path of denial and self-surrender that Christ calls His followers to take. In Touch Ministries, 2012.
it’s not how heavy your Bible is how
close you sit to the front row in church
or whether you wear cross I’ll put a
fish on your car Jesus called you to
follow him not to simply look up to him
but to truly be his disciple to lose
your life so that they can be saved for
eternity but how do we live a life that
is truly surrendered to God what does it
look like that’s the question we’ll
examine with today’s email it reads very
simply what does it mean that take up my
cross daily well oftentimes we’ll hear
people refer to this passage of
Scripture and say well what that means
is I have an illness oh I have a bad
marriage I’ve got financial problems I’m
living in this dilemma
I’m carrying this heavy burden I have
this ongoing suffering in my life and so
they consider that across that is not
what Jesus meant so if you look in
Chapter 9 of Luke verse 23 and he was
saying to them all if anyone wishes to
come after me he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow me
now when you think about this whole
issue of denying oneself that’s almost a
foreign term to us because we don’t
think in terms of denying ourselves we
think in terms of denying yourself of
something that is I can’t have this I
won’t have that we cease making self the
object of one’s life in actions that’s
what Jesus is talking about here God not
self must be at the son of one’s life
and notice what he said he said if
anyone wishes to come after me let him
deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me
the way of the Cross is a way of death
it is a way of self-denial so when you
talk about what’s my cross and how am I
going to handle this we’re not talking
about things
not talking about hurts and pains we’re
talking about a relationship we are
talking about a life that is so
surrendered to Jesus Christ that he’s
the heart and the core and the center
about thinking of our actions our
relationship to him determines
everything about our Christian life it
is a deliberate willful surrender of
one’s life listen every single day
listen to what he said take up your
cross daily and follow me here’s what
that means if you think about the fact
that you trusted Jesus Christ as your
personal Savior and you choose to follow
him to walk obediently before him that
isn’t a decision you made once you
trusted him as your Savior once and for
all in one decision but following him
that is obeying him that is a daily
issue in your life in mind when he
speaks of following him he’s speaking of
daily surrendering our life to Him then
whatever life calls 1 that day we obey
Him we walk in his way we respond to the
circumstances of our life based on our
relationship to him that’s interesting
that a condemned criminal in those days
was forced to carry one bar of the cross
or why it was a one-way journey they
wouldn’t be back to live each day not
for ourselves but for Christ that’s what
this life is all about it symbolized a
life of daily discipleship following the
teachings of Jesus as a way of life so
when somebody says well what is your
cross microns and your cross as
believers is the same that is we choose
daily to surrender I will aways emotions
and all that we are to the Lord Jesus
Christ for that day to follow him
whatever that requires of us so that’s
not always painful that’s not always the
worst thing that could happen it becomes
a way of life but for a person who is
just beginning the Christian life and
you talk about self-denial I understand
you think well how can I deny myself of
all these things remember what we said
it’s not denial of self of things it’s
putting Jesus at the center and the core
and the heart of all your decisions and
walking in that every single day that’s
what taking up your cross is all about
well thank you for joining us for this
broadcast and in touch and remember obey
God leave all the consequences to him
it’s the only way to experience life at
its very best