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Growth Take up your Cross.....

civilwarbuff

civilwarbuff

Member
34 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.
Jesus says this several times but what does it really mean? Does it mean different things to different people at even different times? Thoughts?
 
I believe it means different things to different people....
When Jesus took up His Cross He took the sins of the world to that Cross.. We are not asked to take on the sins of the world... We are asked to take up our cross, not the cross of the world...
 
But where does that cross come from? Is it something we are born with such as a physical affliction?....Or maybe an emotional/psychological issue such as anger, greed, lust, etc? Jesus says 'let him deny himself" so is it something we must give up....surrender....sacrifice and that becomes our cross? I used to think, and heard it preached, that it is something physical/emot/psych that is part of us that is our 'cross to bear' in life. Now, I am not so sure.....
 
His Cross was His responsibility , the job He had to do.. our cross is our responsibility .. which is most likely different for each of us,,
Example...one of the things on my cross is bearing the burden of an unsaved husband.. second a child in the drug world... Jesus took our sins to the Father as our example...

I really cant step away from this post without mentioning my attitude
 
It may mean different things to different people, but the cross was a method of death and nothing else.

Paul talks about this in his letters. We must consider ourselves dead to the world and sin. We once were slaves of sin, now we are set free. The taking up of our cross, is the acknowledgement and realization of this.
 
To carry your Cross daily means to receive all the benefits the Cross has to offer.

What does it mean to be in Christ?
What happen at the Cross?
Who is Jesus Christ?
What did Jesus accomplish on the Cross at Calvary?
What is the resurrection life?
How do we receive the promises (benefits) of God by being in Christ?
How does the Holy Spirit work in my life now that I am in Christ?
 
To take up our cross and follow him is to crucify our flesh:

"if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13 NASB)

"5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.b7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." (Colossians 3:5-8, NIV)

Just as Christ took up his cross in a denial of his own desires for the crucifying of the sins of mankind, so we are to bear a cross in a denying--the putting to death--of our fleshly desires:

"if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

21For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness" (1 Peter 2: NASB capitals in original, bold mine)
 
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This was posted before, the migration took it..


When you are forgotten, rejected and purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt wiht the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy and you count it worthy to suffer for Christ -- That is dying to self!

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise i your heart of even defend yourself, but take it all in patient loving silence -- That is dying to self!

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, and annoyance, when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility and endure it as Jesus did-- That is dying to self!

When you are content with any food, any offering , any raiment, any climate, any society, any fallacy, any interruption by the will of God -- That is dying to self!

When you never care to be referred to yourself in conversation or record your own good works, or if after commendation when you can truly love to be unknown---That is dying to self !

When you can see your brother prosper, and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy or questions God while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances --- that is dying to self !

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart -- that is dying to self!
 
reba said:
This was posted before, the migration took it..


When you are forgotten, rejected and purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt wiht the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy and you count it worthy to suffer for Christ -- That is dying to self!

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise i your heart of even defend yourself, but take it all in patient loving silence -- That is dying to self!

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, and annoyance, when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility and endure it as Jesus did-- That is dying to self!

When you are content with any food, any offering , any raiment, any climate, any society, any fallacy, any interruption by the will of God -- That is dying to self!

When you never care to be referred to yourself in conversation or record your own good works, or if after commendation when you can truly love to be unknown---That is dying to self !

When you can see your brother prosper, and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy or questions God while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances --- that is dying to self !

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart -- that is dying to self!
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Yes, I remember this.
This is awesome.
It's what the Christian life is all about.
 
civilwarbuff said:
34 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.
Jesus says this several times but what does it really mean? Does it mean different things to different people at even different times? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
i think roman 12 covers part of this a living sacrifice our sacrifices are not the same as Christ . crucify the flesh spiritually
 
civilwarbuff said:
But where does that cross come from? Is it something we are born with such as a physical affliction?....Or maybe an emotional/psychological issue such as anger, greed, lust, etc? Jesus says 'let him deny himself" so is it something we must give up....surrender....sacrifice and that becomes our cross? I used to think, and heard it preached, that it is something physical/emot/psych that is part of us that is our 'cross to bear' in life. Now, I am not so sure.....
Click to expand...
making this desire into a mountain you have had all kinds of good explanations do you understand what mortify means ? it means put to death it is spiritual not physical

5 " Mortify" therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; have you ever struggled with any of the above? had to refrain from it or had ask forgiveness for any of the above? that is part of your cross
 
reba said:
remember the cup in the garden
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Yes, in the garden Jesus prayed 3 times to let this cup pass. The question is: when Jesus was on the cross, was His prayer answered? Did he drink from the cup? Or did he yield up the ghost after the sponge touched his lips?
 
ezra said:
making this desire into a mountain you have had all kinds of good explanations do you understand what mortify means ? it means put to death it is spiritual not physical
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I am glad to see you have satisfied yurself with how you see it but that does not mean everyone sees it the same way; guess that is why I am making a 'mountain' out of it to see what other people think He meant.
Matthew 19
21 Jesus said unto him, If you will be perfect, go and sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
It seems the cross this man is asked to bear is impoverishment as well as spiritual so I would disagree with you that it is only spiritual (as you seem to imply).
 
civilwarbuff said:
I guess I don't quite understand this.......what desires did Messiah deny since He is God?
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All the same ones we have:

"15For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 5:15 NASB bold mine, italics in original)

In the face of the temptation to retaliate with evil to guard his own life and well being, Jesus bore the cross instead:

"23and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23 NASB)

And He did that as an example for us to follow:

"Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH" (1 Peter 2:21-22 NASB bold mine, capitals in original)

And we walk in that example for the same reason He did: To bear the sins of others so they might be healed (1 Peter 2:24 NASB). That is the ministry of suffering we have been called to. Our crosses of suffering may not be the same, but one thing's for sure, we bear those crosses on behalf of other people in the hope they may find, through our forgiveness, the forgiveness we ourselves have found in the suffering of Christ on his cross.

"31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you (put to death-- see Colossians 3:5 NIV), along with all malice. 32Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:31-32 NASB bold, underline, and parenthesis mine)

That's what the cross bearing ministry of reconciliation looks like for us not so terribly gifted, John Dough Christians. But what a ministry that is. What a privilege that is to share in the sufferings of Christ.
 
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