Saturday, April 5, 2008
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taking up the cross
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This is the sharing i planned but never got around to share it. I actually scribbled this entire sermon on a thu night (3/4) when my eyes were about to close. I think it didnt occur to me how was I going to share this whole entire 1hr sermon in 15 mins. Haha...
Title : Taking UP the Cross [Matt 16:24-26]
"(v24)Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.(v25)For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.(v26)What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matt 16:24-26
In this scripture Jesus mentions that those who want to follow him must make the ultimate sacrifice - which is to deny himself and follow God through the joy and the suffering. Look at v25 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." Do you think God means it literally? If the cruise you are in sunk, are you willing give the lifejacket to someone who is a non-christian and put your life at risk but save that someone's life instead? Think about it. This also refers to us to die to our selfishness and self-centered, which God detests.
"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." Matt 16:27
The next verse gives us something to look forward to and reminds us that God is always fair. He will reward every individual according and make no mistakes about that. His reward would be an entry ticket to the glorious heaven to spend your eternal life there worshipping God.
But before all this, read the following story.
"Peter's Confession of Christ
(v13)When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
(v14)They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
(v15)"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
(v16)Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
(v17)Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (v18)And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (v19)Ill give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (v20)Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Before becoming a disciple of Christ, we must first confess and believe in our heart that Jesus is God. Jesus brought his disciples away from the city, which was greatly influenced and supportive that Jesus is blaspheming against God. Jesus did this to see who are his true disciples. Peter said what he said because he knew and believed right from the start that Jesus is God and that he was filled with the Holy Spirit thats why God revealed it to him (v17). What did Peter meant when he said that? He meant that Jesus is the almighty one that we all worship and adore and that Jesus is the son of God.
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God." Romans 6:8-10
Because Jesus when He died on the cross, conquered sin, which once separated us humans from God, is now dead and because of that now Jesus and us lives!
"14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation." Galatians 6:14-15
In conclusion, this verse reminds us that we should never boast of anything God has given us, but instead be humble and serve others, always placing other people's needs above ours (Phil 2:3). Salvation is a gift from God, not by works of men, thus we have no reason to boast about it cos if salvation could be achieved, why did Jesus had to die on the cross for us? (Heb 9:28)
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Phil 2:3
"so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:28
Questions in the book to ponder
1) In what ways have we been united with Christ?
-children of God
-cleansing by His blood
-Jesus in our hearts
2) Who are we to live for?
-God
-Jesus
-not us, our selfish desires & self-centeredness
God bless,
Aaron
aaron chua thanked jesus at3:09 PM
