My friends in Christ, there is no shortage of information out there in the world and by “the world,” I mean the far-reaches of Google that will help you understand how a cross will protect you from vampires. Apparently, this is especially true if the person holding the cross actually believes that it will protect them. You can read about this kind of thing and whether a tattooed cross works or one worn around your neck or if you have to actually have it in your hands. I guess those who spend a lot of time being concerned about vampires would find comfort in crosses that ward off evil.
I trust that most of us here today aren’t too concerned about happening upon a vampire any time soon but look to the cross for other purposes and find comfort in the cross of Jesus, not because of what it is, but because of what Jesus did there. Jesus talked specifically about his cross months before he was put to death on it. Because of the Apostle Peter’s response to what he was saying, our Savior ended up talking about other crosses, crosses that are not his, but ours. I know that doesn’t sound good, but in these words of Jesus, I think we’ll all be able to find
Comfort in Crosses
Both the 1. The Cross of Jesus (21, 23b) and 2. The Crosses We Bear (22-23a, 24-26)
It says here, From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised again. You remember how Jesus asked his followers who people said he was—and who they thought he was? Remember Peter boldly stepping forward (because that’s the only way he knew how to step forward!) and saying, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”? This was right after that. “From that time…” Jesus started giving his disciples more detail. Jesus came into this world to do exactly what he was telling the disciples he was going to do. The path he was walking would lead him to the cross to pay for peoples’ sins and open the gates to eternal life. He would suffer at the hands of the very people who should have known him for who he was. He would die at the hands of the very people he came to save. But he would defeat death and promise a resurrection to eternal life for all who trust in him. This is what the Father had in mind for him to do. This is what he came to do. These were the “things of God,” as Jesus put it.
Maybe you have felt the shock of a loved one telling you that they had only months to live. The thought of someone special to us being gone forever can elicit an intensely emotional and even defiant reaction. This was Peter when Jesus got more specific about his coming suffering and death. He loved Jesus. He felt protective of Jesus. He would prove that in the garden the night before Jesus was put to death. His love for Jesus and his willingness to stand up for him were not Peter’s problems. His not understanding what Jesus came to do was a problem. The devilish trap that he set before Jesus was a problem. Through Peter, Satan served up a temptation for Jesus to agree that this was unfair and for him to not allow the suffering and death.
It’s been a bunch of years now, but a handful of guys from church took a backpacking trip through Aravaipa Canyon. Some of us had not been in this beautiful area before; a few had. On our way out of the canyon, one of the experienced guys was leading us out. I was following him. Without noticing it, he stepped right over the rattlesnake which was still coiled up on the path. Fortunately, I noticed as I was about to put my foot down on the spring-loaded serpent! Well, maybe not spring-loaded. He was coiled, but it was a cool morning and I don’t think he was going anywhere too quickly.
It was then that I learned this saying, “The first guy wakes the snake up. The second person ticks it off. The third guy gets bit.” Naturally, it was our leader who then taught that to us. This might explain why he chose to lead the group! Better to be the leader than a follower when it comes to snakes!
It’s better to be the leader than the follower. Peter instinctively reacted that way. The word disciple means “follower,” but the disciple Peter stepped to the front and tried to make Jesus the follower: This will never happen to you,” he said to Jesus. So quickly he went from “You are the Christ…” to “This will never happen to you!” Peter felt he knew better than Jesus. Jesus had told them the way it would be, and Peter told him no! He was unaware of the serpent, coiled up there, whispering in his ear. This was a temptation for Jesus to give up on his mission, to avoid the misery and immense pain and the ungodly load of sin. And death. This explains why Jesus would call Peter “Satan” in that moment. His thoughts aligned perfectly with Satan’s desire to prevent Jesus from going to the cross to save sinners.
Peter didn’t even realize that Satan was in the background; he was focused on Jesus. Jesus did nothing wrong ever. That he would be mistreated by the religious leaders and killed was unthinkably unfair in Peter’s mind. Peter was prompted by love for his Savior. But he needed to be put in his place because he was out of line. He did not understand what Jesus was doing and why he was doing it. And it certainly was not his place to tell Jesus what to do or not to do!
There was to be no escaping the cross for Jesus. So, he spoke abruptly and forcefully to Peter. The cross was necessary—for Peter’s sake and for ours. He later found the comfort that you and I find in the cross of Jesus. He saw his sins nailed there and Satan defeated and the forgiveness won.
We want the comfort of Jesus’ cross, so we wear crosses on necklaces and rings and clothing. We decorate our church with crosses, and we have them on the walls at home. We have crosses all over the place—not as superstitious tools to ward off evil— but so that we can be reminded of the payment for sins Jesus made and the forgiveness we find there and the promise of heaven that it brings. We find comfort in Jesus’ cross.
Just as there was no escaping the cross for Jesus, there is no escaping crosses for Christians either. This was a teachable moment, and Jesus seized it. He had a cross coming, and his followers would have crosses too. We may think we know what it means to “bear our crosses,” but maybe we don’t. You might have ongoing health issues, and there is little to no hope that some of them are going to go away. “Well, this is my cross to bear.” you might say. Some students seem to have no limit to their learning and retention of information, but you sit there struggling to get decent grades or to even stay in school “My limitations are my cross to bear.” “My kids are just crazy right now; this is the cross I bear.” None of these or many things like them are crosses as Jesus talks about them.
Crosses the Christian bears are things they suffer BECAUSE they are Christians. Those other things are simply the kind of worldly suffering that all kinds of people endure not just Christians. Those have nothing to do with faith. Jesus talks about crosses as things having to do with self-denial for God, not just things that happen to us. A follower of Jesus who is willing to bear their cross says,
“I will put God first, not myself.”
“I am willing to ‘lose’ the life a person can have in this world if they live for themselves for the sake of Jesus who calls me to live for him.”
“I don’t want all that the world offers if it means losing Jesus.”
“I don’t want to trade a place in heaven for whatever I can have here in this life
Out of love for Jesus, a Christian will put up with ridicule like Jesus did. This makes us think about whether we have been hiding our faith from people around us or at least keeping it quiet enough that it won’t cause much trouble. Are you denying self and taking up the cross of suffering or are you laying down your cross so that you can be liked and so that your life is easier?
A Christian will make actual sacrifices things that cost them something at the expense of things they could have in this world. This might make us think about how we’re using our time. Do I make plenty of time for all the things I want to do but not the things God gives me to do? Do you get all your foodie events in and get to your concerts and sporting events and spend all the time you want gaming or bingewatching shows or whatever you like to do, but God only gets what’s left for church or Bible study or devotion time or serving other people in some way or helping out at church? Are we denying self as Jesus says his followers do? Or are we really living for ourselves?
Some of you might really hate this, but a preacher is obligated to say what God says, especially if the evidence indicates that there is a particular problem among God’s people. So, here’s another example: Do you deny self when it comes to offerings to God? Or do you live for and pay for all the things you want while ignoring what God says about giving back to him? If this was not a problem area among us then our church would not be in a financial hole right now and would not be projected to be in one at the end of the year.
Being upset over hearing about giving to the Lord often comes because we are unwilling to deny ourselves things we want in order to give as God directs a follower of his to give. The cross Christians might have to bear is that they won’t get to do all the things they want to do and all the things other people do because they love God and want to show it by listening to God when he says, Give back to me in proportion to the way I bless you…and regularly…and generously…and joyfully…with thanksgiving. “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself… what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul?
Do we want to follow Jesus? That’s the question, isn’t it? It is because Jesus puts this out to your heart: “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
I know this can be heavy stuff. We’re sinful. We get it wrong—Peter did. We forget. We naturally gravitate toward living for ourselves. We lay down our crosses, and we look like we aren’t following Jesus and there is a danger that we won’t follow him. This is also serious stuff. It’s what caused Jesus to come into this world and set out on the path to his cross, the cross, the one where we find forgiveness for even these sins.
You are not allowed to leave here this morning without understanding this very important thing: you and I are not saved by spending our time the right way or giving offerings the right way or witnessing to people around us the right way. That would be earning your own way to heaven, wouldn’t it? And you know that’s not how it works. What would be the point of Jesus’ cross then?
No, we live a certain way, we do certain things, because we love Jesus who went to the cross for us. Jesus wanted to go there to make us his. Because he made us his, we want to live for him. In love, he was willing to suffer the cross for us; in love, we are willing to suffer our crosses for him. This is what disciples of Jesus do.
We find comfort in our crosses when we look to Jesus and his cross and remember what he did for us. We find comfort in our crosses when we remember the promises God gives us, like all things work together for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28a), or our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Our crosses cause us to look to Christ and rely on God’s promises which remind us that he is with us and supporting us as we bear our crosses and that as his disciples we can be confident that after a lifetime of bearing crosses will come a crown the crown of eternal life with our Savior Amen.
Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.