The Cross-Shaped Life (Good Friday)

Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him.

And he asked them, Who did the crowd say that I am?

And they answered, John the Baptist.

But others say, Elijah.

And others, and one of the prophets of old has risen.

And he said to them, But who do you say that I am?

And Peter answered, The Christ of God.

And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying,

The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes,

and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

And he said to all, If anyone would come after me,

let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

For whoever will save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will save me.

For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world,

and loses or forfeits himself?

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words,

of him will the Son of Man be ashamed,

when he comes in his glory,

and the glory of the Father and of all the angels.

But I tell you truly,

there are some standing here who will not taste death

until they see the kingdom of God.

This is the word of the Lord.

The weeks leading up to Resurrection Sunday

are when people think about Christianity a lot more than usual.

People that are not normally church groups,

not Christians.

And a lot of people assume that they know what Christianity is all about.

But there are a lot of misconceptions about what Christianity really is,

what it means to be a true Christian.

For example, many people think of Christianity the same way

that they think about charms or talismans.

Nowadays I hear that who's, what do you call those,

the ham, the hamza hand.

Jewelries are popular.

A hand with like an eye on it.

Or an eye jewelry is supposed to protect people against the evil eye,

which is supposed to bring a curse.

It has Middle Eastern or Latin origin,

but it's very popular here in North America now.

Or if you're walking around the streets in Cambridge Street,

at the restaurants on Cambridge Street,

you probably notice the maneki deko,

the cat,

with the hand waving.

It has a Chinese character that means good luck,

good fortune written on the token.

And people believe that it brings them good luck.

It will bring more customers.

And in much the same way,

some people think of Christianity like that.

They hang wooden classes on their walls.

Or have statutes of Catholic saints in their yards,

as if that's going to war off evil and bring good fortune.

Some other people think about Christianity as like any sort of an insurance coverage.

They make sure that their children and grandchildren are baptized after they're born,

even though they pay no heed to their Christian upbringing afterward.

They attend worship services on Easter,

Christmas,

but the rest of their lives bear no resemblance to Christ and his Easter.

It's for them just an insurance coverage.

In case something goes wrong,

something's happened to me,

at least uncovered.

Some other people use Christianity as a crutch.

They feel lonely,

so they turn to church for community.

They are poor,

so they turn to church for financial support.

They rely on Christianity to provide a social network,

or a system of morality,

so that they can improve themselves as human beings,

as moral citizens.

It functions as a crutch to meet their needs.

But Christianity as defined by Jesus in this passage

is not a charm or an insurance coverage or a crutch,

but rather a cross.

A cross that we're supposed to bear every day.

And what I mean by that is that we are to follow the character of Christ

to bore the cross for us,

and follow an example of humility, submission,

his suffering.

That's what a true Christian is.

That's the main point of this passage,

that a true Christian takes up his cross daily.

To follow Jesus Christ.

And we examine this passage in three parts

by looking at the crowds,

the Christ,

and the Christian.

First, let's look at the crowds

and their speculation concerning Jesus

in verse 18 to 19.

When Jesus was away from the crowds

and alone with his disciples,

Jesus asked his disciples in verse 18,

Who do the crowds say that I am?

And they reply in verse 19,

John the Baptist.

But others say Elijah,

and others say one of the prophets of old

has risen.

These were the most popular opinions

about Jesus in their day.

And these are kind of flattering identifications,

aren't they?

They're not really bad rumors.

These are all great people.

John the Baptist,

according to Jesus' own judgment

in Luke 7.28,

in terms of his relation to God

and his privileged status

as a forerunner to the Messiah.

He is the greatest prophet

and indeed the greatest human being

that ever lived

of the time of Jesus.

Elijah, similarly,

was a great prophet,

one of the most powerful prophets

in the Old Testament.

And in fact,

Luke has been building

his comparison with Elijah

throughout the Gospel

by comparing their ministries

intentionally.

The third option

is also a great one.

It's just one of the

great prophets of old

has risen.

There was popular expectation

that a great prophet

of old would return.

And so all three of these

are really flattering options

for who Jesus might be.

The crowds are not saying

nasty things about him.

They adore him, in fact,

and they're saying

wonderful things about him.

But even though

the crowd's estimation

of Jesus is high,

it's not high enough.

as we learn

the following verses.

And there's a lesson

here for us.

Many people in our day

still have very good

opinions about Jesus.

Muslims believe

that Jesus was one

of the highest ranked

and most beloved prophets.

The Sikhs believe

that Jesus was a high ranked

holy man.

Jehovah's Witnesses

believe that Jesus

is the highest

of all God's creatures.

Christian scientists

believe that Jesus

was the first human

to manifest fully

the truth of Christian science.

Some political

and social theories

believe that Jesus

was a social

and political revolutionary

that preached liberation

and called for radical

restructuring of society.

Many Buddhists,

atheists,

and secular moral theists

believe that Jesus

was a great moral teacher.

It's a great thing

to say about somebody.

Their estimation

of Jesus is high,

but it's not

high enough.

That's the crowd.

Why?

That brings me

to our second point,

to Christ.

Look at verse 20 with me.

Then Jesus said to them,

What do you say

that I am?

And Peter answered,

The Christ of God.

Before explaining

what Peter's reply means,

let me first point

your attention

to how Jesus

rephrases his question.

Jesus is saying,

in effect,

That's enough

of what the crowd

say about me.

What do you say

that I am?

Jesus is not really

interested in the

public sentiment

or public approval.

He couldn't care less

about that.

He's asking

his disciples,

and he's asking

you tonight,

Who do you say

that I am?

Many of you

have had all kinds

of ideas

about who Jesus is.

And many of you

have had ideas

that are not your own,

but simply an assimilation

of what the crowds say,

what the masses

say about Jesus.

But you cannot

become a Christian,

a Father of Christ

be of toxic.

You must make up

your own mind

about what Jesus is.

You have to have

a personal faith

in Jesus Christ.

And I want to ask you,

have you ever

seriously,

open-mindedly,

and honestly

consider the question,

What do you say

that I am?

And tonight,

this has been

an opportunity to say.

We have Peter's answer

recorded here

in verse 20,

the Christ of God.

Even though it's

Peter alone

who speaks,

he's answering

really for all

of the apostles,

the twelve,

because he's the leader

among the apostles.

That's why Jesus'

initial question

is addressed

to all of them,

and his charge

not to speak of it

later is also addressed

to all of the apostles.

He's speaking

for them all.

And the word Christ

is not Jesus'

last name,

but the title

that means Messiah,

or anointed one,

because the Jews

believe in accordance

with the Old Testament

prophecies,

that God would raise

up a king

from the line

of David,

who would represent

the presence of God

and the favor of God

back upon his people,

and that he would

restore the kingdom

of God

to his former glory

and splendor.

He would save

God's people,

Israel.

And related to

this concept

of the anointed one

to Christ

is the idea

of the Son of God,

because prophecies

like Psalm 2

said that God

called the Messianic

King, his son,

in Psalm 2, 7-8.

And so far

in the Gospel of Luke,

this is a remarkable

profession,

because for those

who have been with us

through the series,

the profession

of Jesus

as the Christ

and as the Son of God

have been made

throughout the Gospel

of Luke up to this point

only by God himself

or by angelic beings.

In Luke 2, 11,

an angel announced

that Jesus is a Savior

who is Christ the Lord,

combining the concept

of Christ the anointed

one with the divine Lord.

In Luke 3, 22,

God the Father

said of Jesus,

You are my beloved Son,

with you I am well pleased.

In Luke 4, 41,

he brought together

the concept of the Christ

and the Son of God.

And when a demon,

coming out of a demon

of this man said,

You are the Son of God.

And then Jesus

rebukes the demons,

telling them not to speak,

because they knew

that he was the Christ.

So Jesus' true identity

has been hidden

up to this point

from recognition

by humans.

But here we see

Peter, a mere mortal,

making this momentous profession

that Jesus is in Christ

of God,

that would restore

the kingdom of God

to Jesus.

And what Peter is saying

is really amazing,

but what Jesus says next

seems nonsensical.

Because he says

in verses 21 to 22,

Jesus strictly charged

and commanded them

to tell this to no one,

saying the Son of Man

must suffer many things

and be rejected

by the elders

and cheap priests

and scribes

and be killed

and on the third day

be raised.

Jesus,

even though he is

the Messianic King,

predicts for himself

suffering,

rejection,

and even death.

And this must have been

profoundly confusing

for these disciples

who have seen him

demonstrate his authority

and power

over and over again

over nature,

over demons,

over diseases,

and even over death

itself.

So what do you mean,

Jesus?

You're the one,

you're the king

that people are supposed

to welcome

and hail as their king.

What do you mean

the cheap priests

and the elders

will reject you?

You are the one

who is supposed

to kill our enemies.

What do you mean

you're going to be killed?

Why is this the case?

It's because Jesus

is teaching us

that his path

to glory,

his path to reign,

his glorious reign

as the Messianic King

will go through

the path of humility

and suffering.

And that's necessary

because what God's people

need to deliver us from

was not primarily

the oppression

of others,

but it was deliverance

that they needed

from their own sins

and their own rebellion

against God.

Because it was their sin

and rebellion against God

that had brought them

to the condition

that they are in now

of exile,

of alienation from God,

of rejection,

of lostness

from the kingdom of God.

They had used the temple

like a charm,

thinking that just because

they had the temple of God,

no evil would be all of them.

They used the religion,

they used Christianity,

they used their faith,

the Jews,

as a crutch.

Instead of serving God

and loving God

as who he is,

they turned to another God

when they needed reign.

They turned to the God Ashtoreth

when they needed

to have children.

They used these things

because what they were after

was not really God himself.

They were not worshipping him,

but they were using him.

To get their ends.

And the situation

is the same for all of us.

We've all sinned

and rebelled against God.

We've ungratefully used

God's good gifts

instead of acknowledging

the giver of all good gifts

and worshipping him.

We are creatures,

but we have presumed

as creatures

to invent our own priorities

and purposes in life

instead of submitting

to the will of our creator.

We've disobeyed God's laws.

And because of that,

we have been separated

from God.

And we need rescuing

from our own sins.

And so even the 12 apostles

don't quite grasp

the full significance of this

until later,

after Jesus' death

and resurrection.

But that's what we're

reflecting on tonight

because Jesus'

encroachment ceremony

is his execution

on the cross.

Because that's the path

he chose

to save his people

and to gather our people

for himself

in the giving of God.

That's who the Christ is.

And Jesus chose

this path of suffering

and rejection

and death

because he loved us.

He wanted to save us.

And it's his example

that sets the path

for the Christian.

And that brings us

to our third point,

the Christian.

What does it look like

to live as a Christian?

Jesus sums it up

in verse 23.

If anyone would come

after me,

let him deny himself

and take up his cross

daily and follow me.

The phrase,

come after me,

is the language

of discipleship.

And so this is the essence

of what it means

to be a disciple of Christ.

That's what a Christian is.

And it involves

three things.

And the first thing

is to deny oneself.

And the second thing

is to take up

the cross daily,

once crossed daily.

And the third thing

is following Jesus.

So the first step

is self-denial.

In order to follow Christ,

there must be

a fundamental shift

in our allegiance.

We must go from

living for ourselves

to living for Christ.

We must go from

indulging our own wills

to denying ourselves

in order to obey

God's will.

Our lives are

to be God-oriented

and God-directed

rather than

self-oriented

and self-directed.

That means

everything you think,

everything you say,

everything you do,

everything you buy,

it's no longer

for yourself

but for God

and His Lord.

And denying oneself

is a prerequisite

for accepting

God's will.

Which brings us

to the second aspect

of God's

Christian discipleship.

the disciple

of Christ

must take up

his cross.

Crucifixion

was a form

of Roman execution

and it was

a picture

of a cross

and a picture

of death.

And the crucifixion

was something,

it was a punishment

so cruel

that the Romans

reserved it

exclusively

to themselves.

When they

crucified criminals,

they also forced

them to carry

their own cross

to the place

of their death

and usually

they reserved

that punishment

for people

who were guilty

of treason.

So a picture

of someone

carrying a cross

to his own death

is a picture

of that person's

total submission

to Rome's

absolute authority.

That's what

taking up

one's cross

means.

It means that

a disciple

of Christ

must surrender

completely

to the authority

of God.

This is not

a literal command

to die

for Christ.

Because Jesus

says that his

disciple must

take up his

cross daily.

And since you

can physically

die for Christ

only once,

there's a figurative

meaning to it.

You're supposed

to die for him

daily.

And that means

to acknowledge

every day

that living

for yourself

is a way

of death

and choosing

to live

and to believe

in Jesus

and to live

for him

in every

aspect

of your

life.

Paul puts it

this way

in Galatians

2.20

I have been

crucified

with Christ.

It is no

longer I

who live

but Christ

who lives

in me.

And the

life I now

live in the

flesh I

live by faith

in the

Son of God

who loved

me and

gave himself

for me.

So to

take up

one's cross

daily is

to die

to oneself

and to live

to Christ.

And but even

though the

primary meaning

here is

figurative,

because Jesus

himself was

persecuted

and killed,

he taught

that those

who follow

him too

will be

persecuted.

And this

could mean

suffering,

rejection,

and even

death for

following Christ.

Taking a

far cross

does mean

martyrdom

for some

people.

discipleship.

The third

aspect of

Christian

discipleship

is following

Jesus.

It means

learning Jesus'

teachings and

observing the

pattern of

his life and

following it.

Discipleship in

the ancient

world also

entails joining

yourself with

other disciples

who are also

following the

same teacher.

And likewise

being a Christian

involves joining

yourself to a

church, which

is the group

of disciples who

are following

Jesus together.

And having

explained the

essence of the

Christian life,

Jesus then gives

three parallel

reasons to

motivate us in

verses 24 to

26.

There's three

different things

really saying the

same thing.

The first reason

is this,

for whoever

would save

his life will

lose it, but

whoever loses

his life for my

sake will save

it.

Whoever claims

to his own

life and tries

to preserve his

autonomy, his

independence, his

own lordship

over his own

life, instead

of surrendering

his life to

God, to

Christ will

actually end

up losing his

life.

But whoever

forsakes his

or her life for

the sake of

following Christ

will end up

saving their

lives.

Second, for

what does it

prop him in if

he gains the

whole world and

loses or forfeits

himself?

What good is

spending your

entire life

earning billions

of dollars?

What good is

having all the

respect and

power you

could have

in this

world?

If you die

apart from

Christ and

perish eternally.

Third, for

whoever is

ashamed of

me and of

my works,

of him will

a son of

man be

ashamed when

he comes in

his glory and

the glory of

the Father and

of the holy

angels, who

reject Christ in

this life, will

himself be

rejected by

Christ in the

next life, when

Christ returns

with his

heavenly

glory.

Then, Jesus

gives a bonus

encouragement in

verse 26 to

assure his

followers that

denying yourself

and taking up

your cross and

telling him he's

not in vain, he

tells them, but I

tell you truly, there

are some standing

here who will not

taste death until

they see the

kingdom of God.

This is really a

preview of our

passage for

Sunday.

What Jesus is

promising here is

that what you're

doing in following

Jesus is not

wishful thinking.

In fact, there

are some among my

own disciples here,

these old disciples

among the twelve,

that will see with

their own eyes the

kingdom of God

before their death.

What are the

comforts and

pleasures of this

life that make

you cling to your

life instead of

giving it up to

Christ?

What are the

things in your

life that you

value more highly

than Jesus Christ

and the eternal

life he offers?

Whoever will

save his life

will lose it,

but whoever

loses his life

for my sake

will save it.

What are your

personal ambitions

that prevent you

from pursuing the

priorities and

purposes of Christ?

what plans have

you laid for your

life that you

are not willing

to exchange for

God's plan?

What are you

trying to gain

with all of it?

What does the

profit of man if he

gain the whole

world and loses

or forfeits his

soul, himself?

What are the

people you are

trying to impress,

to please?

A man?

A woman?

A friend?

A parent?

A boss?

The crowds?

What good is it

to be esteemed

and popular in

this world if

King Jesus in

all his glory

is ashamed of

you and will

not receive you

in this kingdom?

Have you

openly, sincerely

and seriously

weighed these

questions?

Perhaps you

have not

consciously rejected

Jesus but

you have never

seriously considered

them.

Perhaps you're

just too busy.

But what about

the 50, 60

years that you

might have left

of your life

here on earth?

It's so all

important that you

neglect the

questions of

eternity.

What about

that next

application or

grant or

paper or

project or

deadline or

client?

is so all

important that

you risk

forfeiting your

soul for it.

What does it

cost a man?

He gave the

whole world yet

loses or

forfeits himself.

Some people

mistakenly think

that the

Christian life

which calls us

to deny

ourselves and

take up our

cross, they

think that it's

mistakenly that it

must be a

drudgery.

Who wants to

live a life like

that.

But that

cannot be

further from

the truth.

Do you call

getting up the

daily latte on

your commute for

a year so that

you could save

money and buy

an engagement

bank for your

girlfriend?

Do you call

that a sacrifice?

Do you call

eating home

cooked meals

instead of

eating out in

restaurants?

Do you

could save for

your sacred

child's college

tuition?

Do you call

that a sacrifice?

Do you call

experiencing

momentary pain

a vaccination

so that you're

not afflicted

with more

serious illnesses

later a

sacrifice?

Do you call

losing sleep at

night to take

care of alien

parents who

loved and

supported you

for your

entire life?

Do you call

that a

sacrifice?

No, that's

not a

sacrifice.

That's a

privilege.

It's a

blessing.

It's an

investment for

the future.

Forgoing the

conveniences of

this life,

risking danger,

experiencing

suffering and

persecution,

giving up your

life out of

love for the

Savior who

gave himself

for you so

that you

might share

eternity in

glory with

him.

It's not a

sacrifice.

That's a

privilege.

That's a

blessing.

It's a blessing.

It's a blessing.

It's a blessing.

It's a blessing.

It's a blessing.

It's a blessing.

It's a blessing.

to gain what he

cannot lose.

On October 28th,

1949,

Jim Elliot penned a

journal entry.

He said this,

He is no fool

who gives what he

cannot keep to gain

what he cannot

lose.

Then after years of preparation, on January 3, 1956, he along with four other missionaries

landed in the jungles of Ecuador in order to share the saving message of Jesus with

the Alca Indians.

The Alca's were a notoriously dangerous tribe, and they had previously attacked all the foreigners

that had come in contact with them.

And these missionaries understood the dangers.

Their wives had already discussed the possibility of being widowed.

And five days after their landing, all five men were ambushed and speared to death by the

Alca's.

All were married.

All four of them were fathers.

One wife was pregnant.

And her three-year-old was overheard telling later the newborn baby, crying baby,

Never you mind.

When we get to heaven, I'll show you which one is dead.

The rescue party that came, only to recover their dead bodies, found Jim Elliott's diary,

and this was his last journal entry before the Alca's came for him.

All the fullness, pleasure, sheer excitement of knowing God on earth.

I care not if I never raise my voice again for him.

If only I may love him, please him.

Perhaps in mercy he shall give me a host of children.

By that he means spiritual children, converts.

Then I might lead them through the vast star fields to explore his delicacies,

whose finger ends set them to burn.

But if not, if only I may see him, touch his garments, and smile into his eyes,

then not stars nor children share, not shall matter, only himself.

O Jesus, Master and Center and End of all,

How long before that glory which is yours, which has so long waited you,

Now there is no thought of you among men,

But then there shall be thought for nothing else.

Now other men are praised,

Then none shall care for any other's merits.

Hasten, hasten, glory of heaven.

Take your crown.

Subdue your kingdom.

Enthrall your creatures.

Jim Elliot died without any spiritual children among the others.

But that day he saw Jesus,

And neither stars nor children mattered,

Only Jesus.

Because he had denied himself,

He had taken up his cross to follow Jesus.

He saved his life because he lost it for Christ's sake.

He lost the world, but he gained his soul.

He was unashamed of Jesus and his words.

And Christ the King was not ashamed of him

To receive him into his glory.

It's my prayer tonight that all of you

Will take a long and hard look at the cross of Jesus Christ.

Then count the cross.

And follow him.

Thank you.

Good.

I'm enjoying this.

And drive me through it.

Thank you.

Peace.

I'm sorry.

받 ch aún

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