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READ: Mark 9:30
CHALLENGE: Live Out the Walk of the Cross
Jesus recounts the basics of what will happen in his future. He will be betrayed, killed, and rise again on the third day. He told them the same basic thing in Mark 8.
1 Corinthians 15:2-4 – By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Let’s think about living the gospel out in daily life. Afterall, Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow Him. In being delivered, trusting, in dealing with the mess of sin, in sacrificing, in rising again. He’s living out the reality of the gospel.
I love that the gospel parallels life because your life also includes learning, trust, dealing with the mess sin, sacrifice, and hope. The way of the cross is life. It’s not just a Sunday thing – it’s for the daily grind.
- THE WALK OF THE CROSS INCLUDES LEARNING (vv30-32)
Vv30-32 – They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
He wants to keep his location on the lowdown because he wanted time alone to teach his disciples. And if you want time to be alone with your spouse, or a friend, or to do something, you have to make the time! And when it comes to the important things of life, we all have to carve out time or it won’t happen. He teaches his disciples the crux of the way of the cross.
- Teaching
He was teaching which is passing along information to someone who doesn’t know it. His time is short and what he is telling them is extremely important. And the gospel has to be taught.
Romans 10:14 – How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
The communication of the truth is one of the core values of the church. We’re here to talk about the gospel and all associated teachings. We like to teach the Bible in our small groups, children’s programs, and on Sunday morning. We have a Wednesday night children’s program called Adventure Club and that takes children through core biblical teachings. We get to do this in two locations this year. Rock Creek Elementary and Ridgeview Elementary up near Ashtabula. I’m excited about it and look forward to seeing what changes come because we are sharing the most important truth – a truth that altars the course of life.
Illustration
You can’t make good decisions apart from good information. We need to think of sharing the gospel like that. That truth literally changes your direction and it is life and death. Eternal life and peace and hope and all kinds of goodness come through it. Let’s make sure that we communicate the truth and we’ll see people adjust accordingly. .
Learning
He taught the truth to the disciples. The word disciple means learner or pupil. And why are you a disciple? It’s because you have things yet to learn. It’s a big world and there are many things we don’t know.
I’m like a lot of guys, I don’t care to read the directions. I would rather just look at the pictures! But then you realize that you have to follow directions because you don’t know everything.
Let’s be open to the fact that we need to learn and apply it! I was struggling to attach the PTO shaft to the tractor and time was slipping by. I went to YouTube and watched a video and then I had it on in a matter of seconds. Oh, that’s how it works!
One part of the equation is teaching truth and the other is the response. We need to adopt truth into our lives. If I read a verse in Proverbs that says, “shut it”, then I need to respond and incorporate that truth into my life by piping down.
Jesus was the first to walk the way of the cross and he set the example. I need to learn it. I need to absorb these truths! I need to live it.
Let me read you a passage from Philippians 2:5- In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Here we are told to have the same attitude as that of Jesus Christ. You need to live out this same unselfish character. He didn’t hold onto the glory of heaven. He became nothing. He humbled himself even to the point of the cross. Then he was exalted.
Let’s just start right there. You’re not going to live like Jesus if you’re not humble. Have to sacrifice and serve. These are all key components. There is truth and there is response. There is the gospel and then there is life change. Learn it; live it.
B. THE WALK OF THE CROSS REQUIRES ABSOLUTE TRUST
It says that Jesus was delivered over – it was something that happened to him but it wasn’t an accident. The Bible is clear that Christ’s death came as a result of God’s plan. Acts 2:23 – This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
The hardship of betrayal which included mocking, ridicule, beating, pain, nails, and a crown of thorns was God’s path for our salvation. When Jesus prayed in the garden, he prayed for the cup of death to pass by Him, but He also prayed, not my will but thine be done. He had absolute trust in the plan of God.
We encounter curveballs and difficult situations, will we trust God in spite of these things? It’s part of living out the way of the cross. We’re like Job who said, even if you slay me, yet I will trust you.
Romans 8:28 teaches that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called in accordance with is purpose. All things. Hard things. Hurtful things. Ridiculous things. Unfair things. Jesus realized that he would be handed over and God had a part in that. God would use all of it and orchestrate it into the most beautiful story in this universe! That’s faith. God knows best.
C. THE WALK OF THE CROSS MARCHES THROUGH THE MESS OF SIN
When you’re living life, you’re living in a world that’s imperfect. That’s the entire reason Jesus Christ had to die. It was so messed up, that God had to intervene to offer salvation to all. This included from the ugly messes of life.
Let’s just acknowledge that we live in a sinful world and people are sinners. Sinful things were done against Jesus. Could it be that we’ll be sinned against? Of course. Someone is going to lie to you, cheat you, steer you in the wrong direction, assault, abuse, slander, etc. Something ridiculous is going to happen.
I love Jay Adams, a famous Christian counselor. He said the first rule of the Christian home is that sinners live there. You have to understand that as you think about the world and all levels of where humans live. We work with sinners. Have sinner bosses and co-workers. We’re even married to them!
In this particular case we have ….
- Betrayal
The Son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. I find it interesting that it says, “Is going to be”. The tense of the verb indicates that it’s a process. Betrayal wasn’t just one moment. It was a series of things. An orchestra of conversations and backroom agreements and Judas and soldiers and a joke of a trial.
The word “delivered “means to be handed over or betrayed. That’s awful. What a mess, this way of the cross! We also encounter unfair things. We have been on one side of that equation or another. Perhaps we were the one who turned on someone. And these were religious people. Our walk of learning and trust includes the messes.
- Hands of Men
He was betrayed into the hands of men. So stunning because He created them and gave each of them life. The sovereign, holy divine, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all powerful God in the hands of sinful, fallible, and corrupt mankind. The pure irony.
- He is infinite and we are finite
- He is wise and we foolish
- He is holy and we are sinful
- He is God and we are man
They put their hands on the Almighty. Can you imagine some creep putting their hands on your child or grandchild? What would you do?
He’s so much higher but he still wound up in the hands of men. And he died quietly. Like a sheep before it’s shearers is mute, so he opened not his mouth. He didn’t squawk all over creation about it.
1 Peter 2:23-24 – When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
They hurled insults at him. They mocked him. He did not retaliate, instead he entrusted himself to God who judges justly. Trust the Lord.
There is evil out there and it’s clearly part of the walk of the cross. We’ll encounter things that are not right. And perhaps evil will hurt you too. I would have to assume that if you follow Christ and you do the right thing, you’re going to wear some scars. Because there is the evil on the other side.
If I’m following Jesus, I’m living the gospel. And that can include all the horrible things that happen. When you think about it, wouldn’t evil want to inflict as much damage on you as possible? To make you pay for the good you’ve done? Our walk encounters evil.
It’s not perfection, that’s for sure.
D. THE WALK OF THE CROSS INCLUDES SACRIFICE
He would be betrayed, into the hands of men, and be killed. How awful. He knew he was going to get killed, yet he was willing to take that for us anyway.
He was killed so that we can live. I love that hymn, “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”. “What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest Friend, for this, Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end? O make me Thine forever! And should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never outlive my love for Thee”.
As it says in the Bible, no greater love has any man than this. That he lay down his life for his friends. Jesus was killed but kept loving anyway.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
How do we show love? We sacrifice too. It takes humility for us to make sacrifices and to give things up. The walk of the cross requires sacrifie.
Illustrating
Is there any love apart from sacrifice? If you’re not willing to give something up, do you truly love? We give up time, talent, and treasures.
E. THE WALK OF THE CROSS BRINGS HOPE
Three days later he will rise. The resurrection of Christ is powerful. All that cruelty and agony and despair and pain. He was coming back anyway and this is hope. The resurrection brings hope for another life. It brings hope for a renewed life now.
He was in the grave for three days and we don’t know what all happened in that period. There was preaching to departed spirits and being in paradise with the criminal. Regardless, he wasn’t stuck in the grave because he is the resurrection and the life.
When I took counseling classes in seminary, they often talked about taking the long view in problems. Typically, whatever problem we face is not forever – it’s just for now. Hope takes that view – it’s not forever.
The 23rd Psalm is great for this concept when it says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. You’re going through the valley, not to the valley. The shepherd would have to get the sheep to a new pasture and sometimes that required them going through a dark valley. Even when in the valley, God is leading us to a place of safety and he is with us. From this perspective, we have hope.
Sometimes we go through a valley but we’re just passing through. We’re not going to stay there and that brings great comfort. Life is not always easy or fair but we endure with hope! We know that it’s dire today, but there’s good on the other side.
One aspect of the resurrection that impacts life now is the concept of newness. Your life can be renewed. Rebuilt. Revived. Renovated. We live it out in the fact that we can overcome sin. That’s big. Dead to sin and alive to God. So, there’s the hope to overcome and we talk about it all the time.
Death could not hold Jesus. He broke free of it. What do you need to break free of? What constraints do you have? I’ve had tractors, cars, and mowers all get stuck and you have to pull it out. But you know that you can. It’s a drag to be stuck, but there is a solution.
I’ve known people extremely stuck in some kind of addiction but there is the hope of freedom. You can be unstuck. Christ can pull you out of the shame. Out of the struggle. Out of the past mistakes. Sure, there may be too many to count but you don’t have to because he makes all things new.
We renovated a house and yes, I have photos of what the house looked like and the disaster it was, but that’s not what it is today and that’s the power of hope.
I love the concept of hope. Don’t let that go. Hope for even when we don’t understand everything. They didn’t understand it all. I don’t understand it all and I never will. I see things and I cannot wrap my head around it because it’s beyond me.
Let’s live out the walk of the cross – Learning – Trust – marching through the mess of sin – sacrifice – hope.
Lamentations 3:22-23 – Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.