Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "luke-14"
Counting When It Counts – Part 1
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple [Luke 14:26-27].
Often in life we face excessive and overwhelming burdens or trials, requiring us to trudge through the thick marsh to reach deliverance on the other side. It is not uncommon when facing such dire straits to utter the phrase, “This is my cross to bear.” Have you ever heard it?
Seldom is the distress identified by those words truly the person’s cross…at least not in the Biblical sense. The idea of bearing or carrying or taking up the cross has become a meaningless platitude. It would be well worth the effort for us to delve into this issue a bit.
Scripturally speaking there is only one cross, just as there is only one Savior who died on the cross and one salvation resulting from His death on the cross. We are of course referencing the cross of Christ. Though countless people were subjected to crucifixion under Roman rule, still none of their crosses deserves mention from God’s standpoint. Each one died for his own sins. Only Jesus did not.
The cross of Christ is the symbol of the God-man, as He died to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. The cross in and of itself holds no value. It was only some rough lumber, unfinished and unsightly. It was the Lord’s death which created eternal value. The cross was merely the instrument employed in putting Jesus to death. Hence the cross is the symbol of His death, but in and of itself the wood cross on which He died holds no value.
From this understanding we can deduce that a cross in and of itself has no merit or value. I mean, since the cross of Christ in and of itself merits no value, certainly any other “cross” you or I supposedly bear cannot have merit or value. Am I not right?
So then what good is it, to identify troubles we face by the phrase “my cross to bear”? Such rhetoric can only muddy the waters of spiritual truth by devaluing the Lord’s death. Each of us would be well served to refrain from rhetoric about crosses, and instead focus on only the cross of Christ with regard to its true meaning.
Someone will object, “Oh, but Jesus commanded us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. Are you saying Jesus was wrong about us having our own personal crosses?”
You are indeed correct, dear friend, to recall Jesus’ words. It warms my heart that you know them. In fact we quoted one example of this in the verses which kicked off this study. You err, however, in your understanding of what Jesus meant. Let’s consider this issue and see what we can learn.
What did Jesus mean in Luke 14:27, when he stated, Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple? To answer this we need to recall Rule #1 for Bible study: a text without a context is a pretext.
Oh, dear. Out of time again! Let’s spend some time alone with the Lord now and meet back here tomorrow, same time, same station.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Often in life we face excessive and overwhelming burdens or trials, requiring us to trudge through the thick marsh to reach deliverance on the other side. It is not uncommon when facing such dire straits to utter the phrase, “This is my cross to bear.” Have you ever heard it?
Seldom is the distress identified by those words truly the person’s cross…at least not in the Biblical sense. The idea of bearing or carrying or taking up the cross has become a meaningless platitude. It would be well worth the effort for us to delve into this issue a bit.
Scripturally speaking there is only one cross, just as there is only one Savior who died on the cross and one salvation resulting from His death on the cross. We are of course referencing the cross of Christ. Though countless people were subjected to crucifixion under Roman rule, still none of their crosses deserves mention from God’s standpoint. Each one died for his own sins. Only Jesus did not.
The cross of Christ is the symbol of the God-man, as He died to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. The cross in and of itself holds no value. It was only some rough lumber, unfinished and unsightly. It was the Lord’s death which created eternal value. The cross was merely the instrument employed in putting Jesus to death. Hence the cross is the symbol of His death, but in and of itself the wood cross on which He died holds no value.
From this understanding we can deduce that a cross in and of itself has no merit or value. I mean, since the cross of Christ in and of itself merits no value, certainly any other “cross” you or I supposedly bear cannot have merit or value. Am I not right?
So then what good is it, to identify troubles we face by the phrase “my cross to bear”? Such rhetoric can only muddy the waters of spiritual truth by devaluing the Lord’s death. Each of us would be well served to refrain from rhetoric about crosses, and instead focus on only the cross of Christ with regard to its true meaning.
Someone will object, “Oh, but Jesus commanded us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. Are you saying Jesus was wrong about us having our own personal crosses?”
You are indeed correct, dear friend, to recall Jesus’ words. It warms my heart that you know them. In fact we quoted one example of this in the verses which kicked off this study. You err, however, in your understanding of what Jesus meant. Let’s consider this issue and see what we can learn.
What did Jesus mean in Luke 14:27, when he stated, Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple? To answer this we need to recall Rule #1 for Bible study: a text without a context is a pretext.
Oh, dear. Out of time again! Let’s spend some time alone with the Lord now and meet back here tomorrow, same time, same station.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Counting When It Counts – Part 2
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple [Luke 14:26-27].
We concluded yesterday’s study by noting the need to put Luke 14:27 into context, in order to understand it aright.So what is the context for Luke 14:27? Answer: verse 26. In fact Jesus provided two illustrations of what He meant in verses 28-33. First we will note the context from verse 26, and then we will briefly taste the proof in the pudding of verses 28-33.
In v.26 Jesus presented the one condition everyone must meet, if he would be Jesus’ disciple. Note the context, viz., discipleship. This in and of itself refutes 99.99% of the references to the phrase “my cross to bear”.
Seldom are those words used in the context of discipleship. They are almost always spoken during times of personal issues, not issues resulting from persecution and martyrdom because we are serving Jesus. Ergo, the phrase isn’t used vis-à-vis discipleship.
Consequently it is used out of context.
What was Jesus’ one condition everyone is required to meet, in order to be His disciple? Answer: we must die to our old life in every aspect, in order to live His new life in us. Read v.26 and see if this isn’t true. Even our most prized relationships must be put on the back burner, in order to give Jesus first place. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to come between Jesus and His disciple.
In that context reread verse 27 now. Verses 26 and 27 are given in the style of Hebrew poetry. They are spoken as synonymous parallelism. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and call it poetry. In the Bible the Hebrews rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. Jesus did this in verses 26-27.
Verse 26 is synonymous with verse 27. How do we carry our own cross? Read v.26 and see. We renounce our own life, in order to replace it with the life of Jesus in us. We stop living to please self, and we start living to please Jesus. We don’t allow our family relationships to dictate our lifestyle or our actions. Instead we allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to do so.
The Son of God took upon true humanity and lived in this very way. He willingly laid aside His prerogatives as Deity, and lived in the body by obeying the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. When He died on the cross, it wasn’t for His own sins. He didn’t have any sins. He died for our sins.
When I renounce my own life in favor of the life of Jesus in me, I am identifying myself on the cross of Christ with Him. I am dying to myself and all my family relationships, in order to rise out of death with Jesus to newness of life. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The old life is dead in Christ on His cross. The new life inside me rules me, so I live for Him as His disciple.
This is what it the phrase “cross of Christ” means to His disciples. And without first being born again no one can be His disciple. So when Jesus commands His disciple to take up his cross, He means for His disciple to renounce living for self by identifying how he died “in Christ” on the cross of Christ. The words “his own cross” in verse 27, when taken in context, mean the cross of Christ as it is recognized by the disciple to be his own cross because he was on that cross “in Christ”.
We will present further proof of this interpretation in tomorrow’s study. For now enjoy some quiet time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded yesterday’s study by noting the need to put Luke 14:27 into context, in order to understand it aright.So what is the context for Luke 14:27? Answer: verse 26. In fact Jesus provided two illustrations of what He meant in verses 28-33. First we will note the context from verse 26, and then we will briefly taste the proof in the pudding of verses 28-33.
In v.26 Jesus presented the one condition everyone must meet, if he would be Jesus’ disciple. Note the context, viz., discipleship. This in and of itself refutes 99.99% of the references to the phrase “my cross to bear”.
Seldom are those words used in the context of discipleship. They are almost always spoken during times of personal issues, not issues resulting from persecution and martyrdom because we are serving Jesus. Ergo, the phrase isn’t used vis-à-vis discipleship.
Consequently it is used out of context.
What was Jesus’ one condition everyone is required to meet, in order to be His disciple? Answer: we must die to our old life in every aspect, in order to live His new life in us. Read v.26 and see if this isn’t true. Even our most prized relationships must be put on the back burner, in order to give Jesus first place. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to come between Jesus and His disciple.
In that context reread verse 27 now. Verses 26 and 27 are given in the style of Hebrew poetry. They are spoken as synonymous parallelism. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and call it poetry. In the Bible the Hebrews rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. Jesus did this in verses 26-27.
Verse 26 is synonymous with verse 27. How do we carry our own cross? Read v.26 and see. We renounce our own life, in order to replace it with the life of Jesus in us. We stop living to please self, and we start living to please Jesus. We don’t allow our family relationships to dictate our lifestyle or our actions. Instead we allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to do so.
The Son of God took upon true humanity and lived in this very way. He willingly laid aside His prerogatives as Deity, and lived in the body by obeying the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. When He died on the cross, it wasn’t for His own sins. He didn’t have any sins. He died for our sins.
When I renounce my own life in favor of the life of Jesus in me, I am identifying myself on the cross of Christ with Him. I am dying to myself and all my family relationships, in order to rise out of death with Jesus to newness of life. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The old life is dead in Christ on His cross. The new life inside me rules me, so I live for Him as His disciple.
This is what it the phrase “cross of Christ” means to His disciples. And without first being born again no one can be His disciple. So when Jesus commands His disciple to take up his cross, He means for His disciple to renounce living for self by identifying how he died “in Christ” on the cross of Christ. The words “his own cross” in verse 27, when taken in context, mean the cross of Christ as it is recognized by the disciple to be his own cross because he was on that cross “in Christ”.
We will present further proof of this interpretation in tomorrow’s study. For now enjoy some quiet time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Counting When It Counts – Part 3
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple [Luke 14:26-27].
Let’s present the additional proof of our interpretation now, as we promised at the close of yesterday’s study. The proof is in the pudding, dear friends. As we noted earlier, Jesus provided two examples for interpreting verses 26-27. These two examples are recorded in Luke 14:28-33. Let me summarize the two for you.
No one starts constructing a building, without first counting his money to see if he can afford to build it. He needs to do the counting when it counts. Otherwise he might get the foundation laid and the framework built atop the foundation, but haven’t the money to add the roof and walls and floors and windows. He’d be the laughingstock of the entire town!
Again, no one decides to rush over to his neighbor’s house and kick his rear end, unless he first knows whether the neighbor is a wuss or a warrior. Otherwise he might kick the door down and rush inside, only to find himself staring down barrel of a shotgun! His family won’t find it funny at his funeral, though the rest of the town might!
Jesus concluded those two illustrations with the words, So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (v.33). In the example of constructing a building, the person had to count his money to see if he had enough to finish building. He couldn’t start off building unless he was willing, if necessary, to spend all he had to finish.
In the example of going to a fight, the person first had to be totally committed, even at the cost of paying with his very life. In both cases total sacrifice to the job he undertook had to be recognized and agreed to beforehand.
No one can be a disciple of Jesus, so long as he expects affluent living in country club church settings. To be a disciple of Jesus each of us is required to want the job so badly, that we no longer receive pleasure from the things of the world. The only pleasure we can receive from the things of the old life must come from serving Jesus and placing Him first and foremost.
We can and should use the things of the world to serve Jesus. This is what Jesus meant by His parable of the unjust steward (cf., Luke 16:1-9). But we cannot desire anything the world offers, including family, except in the context of serving Jesus first and foremost.
That, dear friends, is the definition of Jesus’ words “his own cross”. Our cross is Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection life. We take up our own cross by dying to our life of self-living, substituting in its place the new life of the resurrection Christ who lives in us.
I have a fantastic idea. Let’s take up our own cross. I’ll bet you it’s the cross of Christ.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Let’s present the additional proof of our interpretation now, as we promised at the close of yesterday’s study. The proof is in the pudding, dear friends. As we noted earlier, Jesus provided two examples for interpreting verses 26-27. These two examples are recorded in Luke 14:28-33. Let me summarize the two for you.
No one starts constructing a building, without first counting his money to see if he can afford to build it. He needs to do the counting when it counts. Otherwise he might get the foundation laid and the framework built atop the foundation, but haven’t the money to add the roof and walls and floors and windows. He’d be the laughingstock of the entire town!
Again, no one decides to rush over to his neighbor’s house and kick his rear end, unless he first knows whether the neighbor is a wuss or a warrior. Otherwise he might kick the door down and rush inside, only to find himself staring down barrel of a shotgun! His family won’t find it funny at his funeral, though the rest of the town might!
Jesus concluded those two illustrations with the words, So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (v.33). In the example of constructing a building, the person had to count his money to see if he had enough to finish building. He couldn’t start off building unless he was willing, if necessary, to spend all he had to finish.
In the example of going to a fight, the person first had to be totally committed, even at the cost of paying with his very life. In both cases total sacrifice to the job he undertook had to be recognized and agreed to beforehand.
No one can be a disciple of Jesus, so long as he expects affluent living in country club church settings. To be a disciple of Jesus each of us is required to want the job so badly, that we no longer receive pleasure from the things of the world. The only pleasure we can receive from the things of the old life must come from serving Jesus and placing Him first and foremost.
We can and should use the things of the world to serve Jesus. This is what Jesus meant by His parable of the unjust steward (cf., Luke 16:1-9). But we cannot desire anything the world offers, including family, except in the context of serving Jesus first and foremost.
That, dear friends, is the definition of Jesus’ words “his own cross”. Our cross is Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection life. We take up our own cross by dying to our life of self-living, substituting in its place the new life of the resurrection Christ who lives in us.
I have a fantastic idea. Let’s take up our own cross. I’ll bet you it’s the cross of Christ.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Counting When It Counts – Part 1
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple [Luke 14:26-27].
Often in life we face excessive and overwhelming burdens or trials, requiring us to trudge through the thick marsh to reach deliverance on the other side. It is not uncommon when facing such dire straits to utter the phrase, “This is my cross to bear.” Have you ever heard it?
Seldom is the distress identified by those words truly the person’s cross…at least not in the Biblical sense. The idea of bearing or carrying or taking up the cross has become a meaningless platitude. It would be well worth the effort for us to delve into this issue a bit.
Scripturally speaking there is only one cross, just as there is only one Savior who died on the cross and one salvation resulting from His death on the cross. We are of course referencing the cross of Christ. Though countless people were subjected to crucifixion under Roman rule, still none of their crosses deserves mention from God’s standpoint. Each one died for his own sins. Only Jesus did not.
The cross of Christ is the symbol of the God-man, as He died to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. The cross in and of itself holds no value. It was only some rough lumber, unfinished and unsightly. It was the Lord’s death which created eternal value. The cross was merely the instrument employed in putting Jesus to death. Hence the cross is the symbol of His death, but in and of itself the wood cross on which He died holds no value.
From this understanding we can deduce that a cross in and of itself has no merit or value. I mean, since the cross of Christ in and of itself merits no value, certainly any other “cross” you or I supposedly bear cannot have merit or value. Am I not right?
So then what good is it, to identify troubles we face by the phrase “my cross to bear”? Such rhetoric can only muddy the waters of spiritual truth by devaluing the Lord’s death. Each of us would be well served to refrain from rhetoric about crosses, and instead focus on only the cross of Christ with regard to its true meaning.
Someone will object, “Oh, but Jesus commanded us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. Are you saying Jesus was wrong about us having our own personal crosses?”
You are indeed correct, dear friend, to recall Jesus’ words. It warms my heart that you know them. In fact we quoted one example of this in the verses which kicked off this study. You err, however, in your understanding of what Jesus meant. Let’s consider this issue and see what we can learn.
What did Jesus mean in Luke 14:27, when he stated, Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple? To answer this we need to recall Rule #1 for Bible study: a text without a context is a pretext.
Oh, dear. Out of time again! Let’s spend some time alone with the Lord now and meet back here tomorrow, same time, same station.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Often in life we face excessive and overwhelming burdens or trials, requiring us to trudge through the thick marsh to reach deliverance on the other side. It is not uncommon when facing such dire straits to utter the phrase, “This is my cross to bear.” Have you ever heard it?
Seldom is the distress identified by those words truly the person’s cross…at least not in the Biblical sense. The idea of bearing or carrying or taking up the cross has become a meaningless platitude. It would be well worth the effort for us to delve into this issue a bit.
Scripturally speaking there is only one cross, just as there is only one Savior who died on the cross and one salvation resulting from His death on the cross. We are of course referencing the cross of Christ. Though countless people were subjected to crucifixion under Roman rule, still none of their crosses deserves mention from God’s standpoint. Each one died for his own sins. Only Jesus did not.
The cross of Christ is the symbol of the God-man, as He died to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. The cross in and of itself holds no value. It was only some rough lumber, unfinished and unsightly. It was the Lord’s death which created eternal value. The cross was merely the instrument employed in putting Jesus to death. Hence the cross is the symbol of His death, but in and of itself the wood cross on which He died holds no value.
From this understanding we can deduce that a cross in and of itself has no merit or value. I mean, since the cross of Christ in and of itself merits no value, certainly any other “cross” you or I supposedly bear cannot have merit or value. Am I not right?
So then what good is it, to identify troubles we face by the phrase “my cross to bear”? Such rhetoric can only muddy the waters of spiritual truth by devaluing the Lord’s death. Each of us would be well served to refrain from rhetoric about crosses, and instead focus on only the cross of Christ with regard to its true meaning.
Someone will object, “Oh, but Jesus commanded us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. Are you saying Jesus was wrong about us having our own personal crosses?”
You are indeed correct, dear friend, to recall Jesus’ words. It warms my heart that you know them. In fact we quoted one example of this in the verses which kicked off this study. You err, however, in your understanding of what Jesus meant. Let’s consider this issue and see what we can learn.
What did Jesus mean in Luke 14:27, when he stated, Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple? To answer this we need to recall Rule #1 for Bible study: a text without a context is a pretext.
Oh, dear. Out of time again! Let’s spend some time alone with the Lord now and meet back here tomorrow, same time, same station.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Counting When It Counts – Part 2
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple [Luke 14:26-27].
We concluded yesterday’s study by noting the need to put Luke 14:27 into context, in order to understand it aright.So what is the context for Luke 14:27? Answer: verse 26. In fact Jesus provided two illustrations of what He meant in verses 28-33. First we will note the context from verse 26, and then we will briefly taste the proof in the pudding of verses 28-33.
In v.26 Jesus presented the one condition everyone must meet, if he would be Jesus’ disciple. Note the context, viz., discipleship. This in and of itself refutes 99.99% of the references to the phrase “my cross to bear”.
Seldom are those words used in the context of discipleship. They are almost always spoken during times of personal issues, not issues resulting from persecution and martyrdom because we are serving Jesus. Ergo, the phrase isn’t used vis-à-vis discipleship.
Consequently it is used out of context.
What was Jesus’ one condition everyone is required to meet, in order to be His disciple? Answer: we must die to our old life in every aspect, in order to live His new life in us. Read v.26 and see if this isn’t true. Even our most prized relationships must be put on the back burner, in order to give Jesus first place. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to come between Jesus and His disciple.
In that context reread verse 27 now. Verses 26 and 27 are given in the style of Hebrew poetry. They are spoken as synonymous parallelism. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and call it poetry. In the Bible the Hebrews rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. Jesus did this in verses 26-27.
Verse 26 is synonymous with verse 27. How do we carry our own cross? Read v.26 and see. We renounce our own life, in order to replace it with the life of Jesus in us. We stop living to please self, and we start living to please Jesus. We don’t allow our family relationships to dictate our lifestyle or our actions. Instead we allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to do so.
The Son of God took upon true humanity and lived in this very way. He willingly laid aside His prerogatives as Deity, and lived in the body by obeying the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. When He died on the cross, it wasn’t for His own sins. He didn’t have any sins. He died for our sins.
When I renounce my own life in favor of the life of Jesus in me, I am identifying myself on the cross of Christ with Him. I am dying to myself and all my family relationships, in order to rise out of death with Jesus to newness of life. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The old life is dead in Christ on His cross. The new life inside me rules me, so I live for Him as His disciple.
This is what it the phrase “cross of Christ” means to His disciples. And without first being born again no one can be His disciple. So when Jesus commands His disciple to take up his cross, He means for His disciple to renounce living for self by identifying how he died “in Christ” on the cross of Christ. The words “his own cross” in verse 27, when taken in context, mean the cross of Christ as it is recognized by the disciple to be his own cross because he was on that cross “in Christ”.
We will present further proof of this interpretation in tomorrow’s study. For now enjoy some quiet time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded yesterday’s study by noting the need to put Luke 14:27 into context, in order to understand it aright.So what is the context for Luke 14:27? Answer: verse 26. In fact Jesus provided two illustrations of what He meant in verses 28-33. First we will note the context from verse 26, and then we will briefly taste the proof in the pudding of verses 28-33.
In v.26 Jesus presented the one condition everyone must meet, if he would be Jesus’ disciple. Note the context, viz., discipleship. This in and of itself refutes 99.99% of the references to the phrase “my cross to bear”.
Seldom are those words used in the context of discipleship. They are almost always spoken during times of personal issues, not issues resulting from persecution and martyrdom because we are serving Jesus. Ergo, the phrase isn’t used vis-à-vis discipleship.
Consequently it is used out of context.
What was Jesus’ one condition everyone is required to meet, in order to be His disciple? Answer: we must die to our old life in every aspect, in order to live His new life in us. Read v.26 and see if this isn’t true. Even our most prized relationships must be put on the back burner, in order to give Jesus first place. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to come between Jesus and His disciple.
In that context reread verse 27 now. Verses 26 and 27 are given in the style of Hebrew poetry. They are spoken as synonymous parallelism. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and call it poetry. In the Bible the Hebrews rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. Jesus did this in verses 26-27.
Verse 26 is synonymous with verse 27. How do we carry our own cross? Read v.26 and see. We renounce our own life, in order to replace it with the life of Jesus in us. We stop living to please self, and we start living to please Jesus. We don’t allow our family relationships to dictate our lifestyle or our actions. Instead we allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to do so.
The Son of God took upon true humanity and lived in this very way. He willingly laid aside His prerogatives as Deity, and lived in the body by obeying the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. When He died on the cross, it wasn’t for His own sins. He didn’t have any sins. He died for our sins.
When I renounce my own life in favor of the life of Jesus in me, I am identifying myself on the cross of Christ with Him. I am dying to myself and all my family relationships, in order to rise out of death with Jesus to newness of life. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The old life is dead in Christ on His cross. The new life inside me rules me, so I live for Him as His disciple.
This is what it the phrase “cross of Christ” means to His disciples. And without first being born again no one can be His disciple. So when Jesus commands His disciple to take up his cross, He means for His disciple to renounce living for self by identifying how he died “in Christ” on the cross of Christ. The words “his own cross” in verse 27, when taken in context, mean the cross of Christ as it is recognized by the disciple to be his own cross because he was on that cross “in Christ”.
We will present further proof of this interpretation in tomorrow’s study. For now enjoy some quiet time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Counting When It Counts – Part 3
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple [Luke 14:26-27].
Let’s present the additional proof of our interpretation now, as we promised at the close of yesterday’s study. The proof is in the pudding, dear friends. As we noted earlier, Jesus provided two examples for interpreting verses 26-27. These two examples are recorded in Luke 14:28-33. Let me summarize the two for you.
No one starts constructing a building, without first counting his money to see if he can afford to build it. He needs to do the counting when it counts. Otherwise he might get the foundation laid and the framework built atop the foundation, but haven’t the money to add the roof and walls and floors and windows. He’d be the laughingstock of the entire town!
Again, no one decides to rush over to his neighbor’s house and kick his rear end, unless he first knows whether the neighbor is a wuss or a warrior. Otherwise he might kick the door down and rush inside, only to find himself staring down barrel of a shotgun! His family won’t find it funny at his funeral, though the rest of the town might!
Jesus concluded those two illustrations with the words, So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (v.33). In the example of constructing a building, the person had to count his money to see if he had enough to finish building. He couldn’t start off building unless he was willing, if necessary, to spend all he had to finish.
In the example of going to a fight, the person first had to be totally committed, even at the cost of paying with his very life. In both cases total sacrifice to the job he undertook had to be recognized and agreed to beforehand.
No one can be a disciple of Jesus, so long as he expects affluent living in country club church settings. To be a disciple of Jesus each of us is required to want the job so badly, that we no longer receive pleasure from the things of the world. The only pleasure we can receive from the things of the old life must come from serving Jesus and placing Him first and foremost.
We can and should use the things of the world to serve Jesus. This is what Jesus meant by His parable of the unjust steward (cf., Luke 16:1-9). But we cannot desire anything the world offers, including family, except in the context of serving Jesus first and foremost.
That, dear friends, is the definition of Jesus’ words “his own cross”. Our cross is Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection life. We take up our own cross by dying to our life of self-living, substituting in its place the new life of the resurrection Christ who lives in us.
I have a fantastic idea. Let’s take up our own cross. I’ll bet you it’s the cross of Christ.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Let’s present the additional proof of our interpretation now, as we promised at the close of yesterday’s study. The proof is in the pudding, dear friends. As we noted earlier, Jesus provided two examples for interpreting verses 26-27. These two examples are recorded in Luke 14:28-33. Let me summarize the two for you.
No one starts constructing a building, without first counting his money to see if he can afford to build it. He needs to do the counting when it counts. Otherwise he might get the foundation laid and the framework built atop the foundation, but haven’t the money to add the roof and walls and floors and windows. He’d be the laughingstock of the entire town!
Again, no one decides to rush over to his neighbor’s house and kick his rear end, unless he first knows whether the neighbor is a wuss or a warrior. Otherwise he might kick the door down and rush inside, only to find himself staring down barrel of a shotgun! His family won’t find it funny at his funeral, though the rest of the town might!
Jesus concluded those two illustrations with the words, So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (v.33). In the example of constructing a building, the person had to count his money to see if he had enough to finish building. He couldn’t start off building unless he was willing, if necessary, to spend all he had to finish.
In the example of going to a fight, the person first had to be totally committed, even at the cost of paying with his very life. In both cases total sacrifice to the job he undertook had to be recognized and agreed to beforehand.
No one can be a disciple of Jesus, so long as he expects affluent living in country club church settings. To be a disciple of Jesus each of us is required to want the job so badly, that we no longer receive pleasure from the things of the world. The only pleasure we can receive from the things of the old life must come from serving Jesus and placing Him first and foremost.
We can and should use the things of the world to serve Jesus. This is what Jesus meant by His parable of the unjust steward (cf., Luke 16:1-9). But we cannot desire anything the world offers, including family, except in the context of serving Jesus first and foremost.
That, dear friends, is the definition of Jesus’ words “his own cross”. Our cross is Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection life. We take up our own cross by dying to our life of self-living, substituting in its place the new life of the resurrection Christ who lives in us.
I have a fantastic idea. Let’s take up our own cross. I’ll bet you it’s the cross of Christ.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Counting When It Counts – Part 1
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple [Luke 14:26-27].
Often in life we face excessive and overwhelming burdens or trials, requiring us to trudge through the thick marsh to reach deliverance on the other side. It is not uncommon when facing such dire straits to utter the phrase, “This is my cross to bear.” Have you ever heard it?
Seldom is the distress identified by those words truly the person’s cross…at least not in the Biblical sense. The idea of bearing or carrying or taking up the cross has become a meaningless platitude. It would be well worth the effort for us to delve into this issue a bit.
Scripturally speaking there is only one cross, just as there is only one Savior who died on the cross and one salvation resulting from His death on the cross. We are of course referencing the cross of Christ. Though countless people were subjected to crucifixion under Roman rule, still none of their crosses deserves mention from God’s standpoint. Each one died for his own sins. Only Jesus did not.
The cross of Christ is the symbol of the God-man, as He died to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. The cross in and of itself holds no value. It was only some rough lumber, unfinished and unsightly. It was the Lord’s death which created eternal value. The cross was merely the instrument employed in putting Jesus to death. Hence the cross is the symbol of His death, but in and of itself the wood cross on which He died holds no value.
From this understanding we can deduce that a cross in and of itself has no merit or value. I mean, since the cross of Christ in and of itself merits no value, certainly any other “cross” you or I supposedly bear cannot have merit or value. Am I not right?
So then what good is it, to identify troubles we face by the phrase “my cross to bear”? Such rhetoric can only muddy the waters of spiritual truth by devaluing the Lord’s death. Each of us would be well served to refrain from rhetoric about crosses, and instead focus on only the cross of Christ with regard to its true meaning.
Someone will object, “Oh, but Jesus commanded us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. Are you saying Jesus was wrong about us having our own personal crosses?”
You are indeed correct, dear friend, to recall Jesus’ words. It warms my heart that you know them. In fact we quoted one example of this in the verses which kicked off this study. You err, however, in your understanding of what Jesus meant. Let’s consider this issue and see what we can learn.
What did Jesus mean in Luke 14:27, when he stated, Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple? To answer this we need to recall Rule #1 for Bible study: a text without a context is a pretext.
Oh, dear. Out of time again! Let’s spend some time alone with the Lord now and meet back here tomorrow, same time, same station.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Often in life we face excessive and overwhelming burdens or trials, requiring us to trudge through the thick marsh to reach deliverance on the other side. It is not uncommon when facing such dire straits to utter the phrase, “This is my cross to bear.” Have you ever heard it?
Seldom is the distress identified by those words truly the person’s cross…at least not in the Biblical sense. The idea of bearing or carrying or taking up the cross has become a meaningless platitude. It would be well worth the effort for us to delve into this issue a bit.
Scripturally speaking there is only one cross, just as there is only one Savior who died on the cross and one salvation resulting from His death on the cross. We are of course referencing the cross of Christ. Though countless people were subjected to crucifixion under Roman rule, still none of their crosses deserves mention from God’s standpoint. Each one died for his own sins. Only Jesus did not.
The cross of Christ is the symbol of the God-man, as He died to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. The cross in and of itself holds no value. It was only some rough lumber, unfinished and unsightly. It was the Lord’s death which created eternal value. The cross was merely the instrument employed in putting Jesus to death. Hence the cross is the symbol of His death, but in and of itself the wood cross on which He died holds no value.
From this understanding we can deduce that a cross in and of itself has no merit or value. I mean, since the cross of Christ in and of itself merits no value, certainly any other “cross” you or I supposedly bear cannot have merit or value. Am I not right?
So then what good is it, to identify troubles we face by the phrase “my cross to bear”? Such rhetoric can only muddy the waters of spiritual truth by devaluing the Lord’s death. Each of us would be well served to refrain from rhetoric about crosses, and instead focus on only the cross of Christ with regard to its true meaning.
Someone will object, “Oh, but Jesus commanded us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. Are you saying Jesus was wrong about us having our own personal crosses?”
You are indeed correct, dear friend, to recall Jesus’ words. It warms my heart that you know them. In fact we quoted one example of this in the verses which kicked off this study. You err, however, in your understanding of what Jesus meant. Let’s consider this issue and see what we can learn.
What did Jesus mean in Luke 14:27, when he stated, Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple? To answer this we need to recall Rule #1 for Bible study: a text without a context is a pretext.
Oh, dear. Out of time again! Let’s spend some time alone with the Lord now and meet back here tomorrow, same time, same station.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Counting When It Counts – Part 2
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple [Luke 14:26-27].
We concluded yesterday’s study by noting the need to put Luke 14:27 into context, in order to understand it aright.So what is the context for Luke 14:27? Answer: verse 26. In fact in verses 28-33 Jesus provided two illustrations of what He meant. First we will note the context from verse 26, and then we will briefly taste the proof in the pudding of verses 28-33.
In verse 26 Jesus presented the one condition everyone must meet, if he would be Jesus’ disciple. Note the context, viz., discipleship. This in and of itself refutes 99.99% of the references to the phrase “my cross to bear”.
Seldom are those words used in the context of discipleship. They are almost always spoken during times of personal issues, not issues resulting from persecution and martyrdom because we are serving Jesus. Ergo, the phrase isn’t used vis-à-vis discipleship.
Consequently it is used out of context.
What was Jesus’ one condition everyone is required to meet, in order to be His disciple? Answer: we must die to our old life in every aspect, in order to live His new life in us. Read verse 26 and see if this isn’t true. Even our most prized relationships must be put on the back burner, in order to give Jesus first place. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to come between Jesus and His disciple.
In that context reread verse 27 now. Verses 26 and 27 are given in the style of Hebrew poetry. They are spoken as synonymous parallelism. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and call it poetry. In the Bible the Hebrews rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. Jesus did this in verses 26-27.
Verse 26 is synonymous with verse 27. How do we carry our own cross? Read verse 26 and see. We renounce our own life, in order to replace it with the life of Jesus in us. We stop living to please self, and we start living to please Jesus. We don’t allow our family relationships to dictate our lifestyle or our actions. Instead we allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to do so.
The Son of God took upon true humanity and lived in this very way. He willingly laid aside His prerogatives as Deity, and lived in the body by obeying the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. When He died on the cross, it wasn’t for His own sins. He didn’t have any sins. He died for our sins.
When I renounce my own life in favor of the life of Jesus in me, I am identifying myself on the cross of Christ with Him. I am dying to myself and all my family relationships, in order to rise out of death with Jesus to newness of life. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The old life is dead in Christ on His cross. The new life inside me rules me, so I live for Him as His disciple.
This is what the phrase “cross of Christ” means to His disciples. And without first being born again no one can be His disciple. So when Jesus commands His disciple to take up his cross, He means for His disciple to renounce living for self by identifying how he died “in Christ” on the cross of Christ. The words “his own cross” in verse 27, when taken in context, mean the cross of Christ as it is recognized by the disciple to be his own cross because he was on that cross “in Christ”.
We will present further proof of this interpretation in tomorrow’s study. For now enjoy some quiet time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded yesterday’s study by noting the need to put Luke 14:27 into context, in order to understand it aright.So what is the context for Luke 14:27? Answer: verse 26. In fact in verses 28-33 Jesus provided two illustrations of what He meant. First we will note the context from verse 26, and then we will briefly taste the proof in the pudding of verses 28-33.
In verse 26 Jesus presented the one condition everyone must meet, if he would be Jesus’ disciple. Note the context, viz., discipleship. This in and of itself refutes 99.99% of the references to the phrase “my cross to bear”.
Seldom are those words used in the context of discipleship. They are almost always spoken during times of personal issues, not issues resulting from persecution and martyrdom because we are serving Jesus. Ergo, the phrase isn’t used vis-à-vis discipleship.
Consequently it is used out of context.
What was Jesus’ one condition everyone is required to meet, in order to be His disciple? Answer: we must die to our old life in every aspect, in order to live His new life in us. Read verse 26 and see if this isn’t true. Even our most prized relationships must be put on the back burner, in order to give Jesus first place. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to come between Jesus and His disciple.
In that context reread verse 27 now. Verses 26 and 27 are given in the style of Hebrew poetry. They are spoken as synonymous parallelism. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and call it poetry. In the Bible the Hebrews rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. Jesus did this in verses 26-27.
Verse 26 is synonymous with verse 27. How do we carry our own cross? Read verse 26 and see. We renounce our own life, in order to replace it with the life of Jesus in us. We stop living to please self, and we start living to please Jesus. We don’t allow our family relationships to dictate our lifestyle or our actions. Instead we allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to do so.
The Son of God took upon true humanity and lived in this very way. He willingly laid aside His prerogatives as Deity, and lived in the body by obeying the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. When He died on the cross, it wasn’t for His own sins. He didn’t have any sins. He died for our sins.
When I renounce my own life in favor of the life of Jesus in me, I am identifying myself on the cross of Christ with Him. I am dying to myself and all my family relationships, in order to rise out of death with Jesus to newness of life. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The old life is dead in Christ on His cross. The new life inside me rules me, so I live for Him as His disciple.
This is what the phrase “cross of Christ” means to His disciples. And without first being born again no one can be His disciple. So when Jesus commands His disciple to take up his cross, He means for His disciple to renounce living for self by identifying how he died “in Christ” on the cross of Christ. The words “his own cross” in verse 27, when taken in context, mean the cross of Christ as it is recognized by the disciple to be his own cross because he was on that cross “in Christ”.
We will present further proof of this interpretation in tomorrow’s study. For now enjoy some quiet time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Counting When It Counts – Part 3
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple [Luke 14:26-27].
Let’s present the additional proof of our interpretation now, as we promised at the close of yesterday’s study. The proof is in the pudding, dear friends. As we noted earlier, Jesus provided two examples for interpreting verses 26-27. These two examples are recorded in Luke 14:28-33. Let me summarize the two for you.
No one starts constructing a building, without first counting his money to see if he can afford to build it. He needs to do the counting when it counts. Otherwise he might get the foundation laid and the framework built atop the foundation, but haven’t the money to add the roof and walls and floors and windows. He’d be the laughingstock of the entire town!
Again, no one decides to rush over to his neighbor’s house and kick his rear end, unless he first knows whether the neighbor is a wuss or a warrior. Otherwise he might kick the door down and rush inside, only to find himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun! His family won’t find it funny at his funeral, though the rest of the town might!
Jesus concluded those two illustrations with the words, So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (verse 33). In the example of constructing a building, the person had to count his money to see if he had enough to finish building. He couldn’t start off building unless he was willing, if necessary, to spend all he had to finish.
In the example of going to a fight, the person first had to be totally committed, even at the cost of paying with his very life. In both cases total sacrifice to the job he undertook had to be recognized and agreed to beforehand.
No one can be a disciple of Jesus, so long as he expects affluent living in country club church settings. To be a disciple of Jesus, each of us is required to want the job so badly, that we no longer receive pleasure from the things of the world. The only pleasure we can receive from the things of the old life must come from serving Jesus and placing Him first and foremost.
We can and should use the things of the world to serve Jesus. This is what Jesus meant by His parable of the unjust steward (cf., Luke 16:1-9). But we cannot desire anything the world offers, including family, except in the context of serving Jesus first and foremost.
That, dear friends, is the definition of Jesus’ words “his own cross”. Our cross is Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection life. We take up our own cross by dying to our life of self-living, substituting in its place the new life of the resurrection Christ who lives in us.
I have a fantastic idea. Let’s take up our own cross. I’ll bet you it’s the cross of Christ.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Let’s present the additional proof of our interpretation now, as we promised at the close of yesterday’s study. The proof is in the pudding, dear friends. As we noted earlier, Jesus provided two examples for interpreting verses 26-27. These two examples are recorded in Luke 14:28-33. Let me summarize the two for you.
No one starts constructing a building, without first counting his money to see if he can afford to build it. He needs to do the counting when it counts. Otherwise he might get the foundation laid and the framework built atop the foundation, but haven’t the money to add the roof and walls and floors and windows. He’d be the laughingstock of the entire town!
Again, no one decides to rush over to his neighbor’s house and kick his rear end, unless he first knows whether the neighbor is a wuss or a warrior. Otherwise he might kick the door down and rush inside, only to find himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun! His family won’t find it funny at his funeral, though the rest of the town might!
Jesus concluded those two illustrations with the words, So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (verse 33). In the example of constructing a building, the person had to count his money to see if he had enough to finish building. He couldn’t start off building unless he was willing, if necessary, to spend all he had to finish.
In the example of going to a fight, the person first had to be totally committed, even at the cost of paying with his very life. In both cases total sacrifice to the job he undertook had to be recognized and agreed to beforehand.
No one can be a disciple of Jesus, so long as he expects affluent living in country club church settings. To be a disciple of Jesus, each of us is required to want the job so badly, that we no longer receive pleasure from the things of the world. The only pleasure we can receive from the things of the old life must come from serving Jesus and placing Him first and foremost.
We can and should use the things of the world to serve Jesus. This is what Jesus meant by His parable of the unjust steward (cf., Luke 16:1-9). But we cannot desire anything the world offers, including family, except in the context of serving Jesus first and foremost.
That, dear friends, is the definition of Jesus’ words “his own cross”. Our cross is Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection life. We take up our own cross by dying to our life of self-living, substituting in its place the new life of the resurrection Christ who lives in us.
I have a fantastic idea. Let’s take up our own cross. I’ll bet you it’s the cross of Christ.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
