Follow Me
Answering The Great Commandment And Commission

The Cost: Take up the Cross (Fellowship)

Sunday October 1, 2023 - Pastor Wungreiso Valui

Mark 6-8

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:34-38

The Message: Jesus invites us to embrace a life of solidarity with God's burden, suffering, and pain for the world.

TAKING UP THE CROSS: A JOURNEY OF SHARED SUFFERING WITH GOD

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things" Mark 6:33-36

'Follow Me.' These words marked the first and last of Jesus' instructions to Peter (Mark 1:17, John 21:22). Jesus foretold that Peter would share in His suffering and even face a death reminiscent of His own.

Compassion Is Visible On The Cross

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. Mark 8:31

The cross is costly because it cost God the life of His son.
The Cross incurred a profound cost: God sacrificed His Son's life.

Confrontation and Compassion: A Transformative Perspective

1. Compassion doesn't spontaneously emerge in response to suffering. It stands apart from confrontation.
2. Taking up the cross involves allowing Jesus to reshape our inner disposition.
3. To illustrate, we can hastily form judgments and opinions about people based on their appearance, speech, or demeanor in just a few seconds.

Jesus Exemplified Compassion in His Interactions

1. Jesus Embraced the Pain of Rejection
2. Mark 6:3 reveals that Jesus personally experienced the pain of rejection when those familiar with Him.
3. Jesus Showed Compassion for the Lost
4. In Mark 6:34, as Jesus emerged, He beheld a vast multitude and was profoundly moved with compassion, perceiving them as sheep without a shepherd.
5. Jesus Extended Compassion to the Ailing
6. Mark 6:56 recounts how all who touched Him were miraculously healed, underscoring His boundless compassion for the sick.
7. Jesus Demonstrated Compassion Toward a Gentile Woman
8. In Mark 7:28, a gentile woman's plea did not fall on deaf ears.
9. Jesus Displayed Compassion for the Deaf and Mute

In a touching encounter detailed in Mark 7:33-34, Jesus took aside a deaf and mute individual. He touched the man's ears, spat, and touched his tongue.

TO TAKE UP THE CROSS SIGNIFIES UNION WITH JESUS

The concept of 'yoke' implies union or unity.
Jesus implored us to link our cross, to attach our burden to His cross, to His burden. The load becomes light in doing so, and the path is easy.

The Kingdom of God: A Realm of Selflessness and Sacrifice

1. In stark contrast to selfishness, the Kingdom of God epitomizes selflessness; it does not exist solely for personal gain. This truth became evident during a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees concerning rituals and traditions.
2. The Pharisees, accompanied by certain scribes, raised objections when they observed some of Jesus' disciples partaking of bread with unwashed hands, as recounted in Mark 7:1-4.
3. Jesus, in response, challenged the Pharisees and scribes for their tendency to 'lay aside the commandment of God, while upholding the traditions of men' (verse 8).

To illustrate this disconnect, Jesus employed the example of Corban, elucidating why some worshippers offered lip service to God while their hearts remained distant from Him. Mark 7:9-13

Corban: A Gift Offered to God

1. A 'corban' held significant importance as a gift or sacrifice dedicated to God, encompassing acts of devotion, including offerings to seek redemption from sin.
2. The Pharisees contended that any money that might have supported aging parents could instead be devoted to the temple treasury,

Ritual Lacking a Genuine Relationship with God

1. This practice also represented a ritual devoid of righteousness and a genuine relationship with God.

Jesus, in His deep love for the Father, was intimately yoked and merged with Him.

1. He declared, 'I came from the Father, and I am going back to the Father' (John 16:28).
2. His entire purpose was to fulfill the will of the One who sent Him (John 6:38).
3. He affirmed, 'I and my Father are one' (John 10:30).

TO TAKE UP THE CROSS IMPLIES SHARING IN COMMON WITH GOD

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. Mark 8:34-35"

I do not know this man." Peter's words illustrate a denial of Jesus, signaling a lack of commonality. Similarly, we must address 'self' with Peter's clarity.

1. Taking up the cross entails recognizing and acknowledging your pain and suffering, all while remaining aware of Jesus amid your distress.

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death -Philippians 3:10

1. Fellowship signifies sharing in unity with God.
2. Greek, 'Koinonia' conveys the idea of what is shared in common.
3. We often tend to fixate on significant pains and formidable challenges, disregarding the smaller hurts and minor issues.
4. To take up the cross is to embrace these minor discomforts and minor troubles.
5. How do we accomplish this? By acknowledging your pain, for it is in recognizing the pain that we truly embrace the cross."

Transform Your Pain into Prayer

1. When you encounter these moments of hurt, take them to God and transform your pain into prayer.

Embrace a Connected Life with God; Let Your Pain Draw You Closer To God

1. Forge a deep connection with God by allowing your pain to serve as a bridge.
2. Turn your pain into a shared experience with God.
3. Fellowship in His suffering implies a shared connection with God.

Strength in Vulnerability

1. Rather than proclaiming, 'I will remain strong and only share my significant pain; acknowledge small pains and turning your smaller pains into prayers, inviting the healing presence of the cross.
2. Jesus's journey involved taking up His cross, symbolized by the words 'He emptied Himself' humbled himself in Philippians 2:5-8:
3. We often find ourselves more acquainted with pain than love, sometimes even choosing pain over love. The journey entails moving from pain to love.
4. Jesus, in His compassion for the multitude, exemplified this transition by declaring, 'I have compassion on the multitude' (Mark 8:2), demonstrating His capacity to endure agony and pain for the sake of many."

Tangible Actions to Take

1. Merge Your Cross with Jesus'

Join your personal cross with the one carried by Jesus Himself. Walk alongside Him, sharing the burdens and challenges that life presents.

2. Connect Your Burden to God

Establish a connection between your burdens and God. Trust in His strength to help you carry the weight of your challenges, knowing you are not alone in facing them.

3. Transform Your Cross into Prayer

When faced with difficulties, turn them into opportunities for prayer. Seek solace and guidance from God, allowing your pain and struggles to become a conduit for a deeper connection with Him.