Sacrifice, Death, Life

Genesis 22:1-3 - Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him."

Where do I start this morning? Oh, I suppose at the altar! This goes along with the blog the other day about Jesus having gone before us…to His own altar, to His cross. This is more about the cross, the meaning of it, the meaning of dying to self, of giving all to God and letting Him handle our situations, about trusting Him for all things. It's a very important topic.

Our pastor, Rory Grooters, preached this message: Altar Calls: God's Private Places of Testing and Trust. After hearing Pastor Dan's message last week, Come and Die, this message is even more of a reminder of what we are called to do as true believers of Christ.

Like Abraham who took his son, Isaac, to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice per God's request, God sacrificed His son, Jesus. Isaac's life was spared. It was a test for Abraham to see how much he trusted his God's commands. Jesus, although He died, arose to life. (As an aside, Mt. Moriah became the site of today's Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Uh, Jerusalem, Jesus. Isaac, Mt. Moriah. A sacred place to God.) 

The altar is a place of sacrifice. Sacrifice means death. But then death means life, in God's eyes. There are many who can't or will not make that sacrifice…the very first one being giving our lives to Christ. After that the sacrifices should be daily: Here I am, Lord. It is a new day. Take my life and do what you will with it. I am Yours. To die is to live and gain, according to Your plans.

It is important to know that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life. No one goes to the Father except by Him. This world is in a downward spiral. There is deception by an enemy that we will not be able to run from and which is growing larger and stronger...a real enemy. But Jesus is our hope. 

I know internet, blogs, emails could very well be monitored for content. It seems unlikely that little, ole me would be spotted out, but you never know… I know that standing for the truth could be costly some day...it could cost friends, family, lives. We know that there is an infiltration within our own government of this enemy. Our current president is bowing to it. There are factions within our government who, somewhere down the line have ties to terrorism, to control this nation, to control the world, to kill the infidels! And this particular infidel means anyone who believes in Jesus Christ.

But I know Who the Way, Truth and Life is. I trust that no matter what might happen to me, He will see me through. This trust only comes from laying my hopes, my dreams, my fears, my life down at God's altar, like Jesus did…not My will, but Yours, be done. Yes, not my will, Lord, but Yours.

What do I have to fear in this world? The physical world is governed by men. There is a spiritual world  governed by God. This spiritual world has greater importance. It is important to know the Ruler of this spiritual world. There is a bumper sticker: No peace, no God; Know Peace, Know God. There's more truth to that than you can imagine.

We were called to the altar in church yesterday to place whatever we needed to at the foot of the cross and offer it as a sacrifice. Give it to God and trust He will provide. As pastor told us: the altar calls take us from where we want to be to where God wants us to be. It's where we lay it all on the line. It's where we place our hope in God's hands. We trust God will provide, like He did for Abraham. Like He did for Jesus when He provided life out of death. 

We cannot have hope of any consequence without first knowing Jesus. He showed us what we are to do. He spent time with His Father privately; then went out publicly to do His Father's will. The most impressive and public moment of Jesus' life was after He went into the Garden of Gethsemane and gave Himself to the Father…then He carried His own cross and died…for us.

The altar means we die to self, carry our own cross…sacrifice our own hopes and dreams for God's. It's dying to live and knowing that when we do God will provide. We need to understand the very heart of the meaning of what Jesus did for us.

So, we must sacrifice our own lives, die to self and receive Christ. We must let go of the things that prevent us from knowing the absolute truth of who God is. We must let go of the pride and arrogance of being self-made people. Self must die. With this death, praise God, comes a new life, in Christ, and eternal life at that. We must decrease so God can increase (John 3:30).

Will we be asked to physically give our lives for Christ? We don't know for sure. Some will. Would we be willing to? Or would we deny Christ to save our mortal lives? This is where we need to lay it all at the foot of the cross…now. It's where God's will in our lives gives us the strength, peace and hope for our future…now.

We have an enemy. This enemy is gaining ground. What we see happening in the world today was written about thousands of years ago. If we don't see it, we are truly lost. The enemy did not start in the physical…he is spiritual and has taken root in the very souls of our enemy. If we don't understand this, we will not be prepared. There will be no government to save us. Government cannot save us: only Jesus Christ can.

Are you willing to lose your life for Christ that you might live? Or do you want to save your earthly life…and thus lose it?

Matthew 16:25 - For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting]. (Amplified version)

He Goes Before Me

Luke 14:26-27 - "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

Our youth pastor, Dan Wenig, preached on Sunday. For being hired to be head of music ministry a few years ago, he has come a long way in a short time! His message was Come and Die, a message he also preached to his teens. A powerful message...and not just for teens! He said we all know about God's love, His grace, goodness, mercy, but what about what Luke 14 has to say about dropping everything NOW and following? Not on your terms but His. Not when you are ready but when He asks. Not when you feel you're comfortable but at any time. Not because of what the culture dictates but what God's Word says. And will it be all or nothing? Not all things that are easy to do; not all things people are willing to do. 

This fits with something I wrote a long while back about being on the fence. You either are for Jesus or against Him...there's no middle road. And it goes along with Jesus' telling us that following Him is the narrow way...which few travel. This sermon of Pastor Dan's was convicting. I spent the day thinking about it...with still many questions. How much am I doing? Is it enough? Am I in God's will or my own? And worse yet, do we ever really know...?

A song, At the Cross, was sung by our worship team at the end of the sermon and while at the altar I heard one verse out of all the others:

       

       You go before me

       You shield my way

       Your hand upholds me

       I know You love me

It was like He wanted me to be assured of this. Yes, He does. And we cannot lose sight of this! When we are determined to be His followers and He shows us where and when He wants us to move, He has already gone before us and been at work before us, in so many ways. This is what trusting in Him is all about. He's beside us, before us, behind us and IN us and never leaves our side when we are in His will. He will shield us. We do not need to be perfect; we just need to do. We will all make mistakes in our witness of Him. We overdo, underdo, misspeak, offend by accident, offend on purpose, speak too quickly or not quickly enough. But His hand will still uphold us.

I can honestly say I am still working on this! But in this past week I have seen a couple things transpire where when it was done I stood amazed at what had happened! Because it was so easy, it had to be God. It had to be His Holy Spirit at work, forming the words, causing the conviction that made me think: I HAVE to tell this person what I believe, whether it's taken as something some wacko would say, or hopefully will cause the person to think on it...it has to be said. The truth must be heard. But I am sadly in need of more ability to have ears and eyes being attuned to those things around me. Be more aware of prompting and acting on them...as Pastor Dan said, NOW. Not thinking hours later, "I shoulda said...."

Like I said, his message caused me to think and converse with the Lord, even plead, that I would be counted as one who will carry my cross daily. Who will not allow the comforts of this life to interfere with what God has planned. Again, the question, how do I know I am doing this?

I know it has to do with reacting to the Spirit. Listening to Him speak, feeling His nudge. Are there things I need to let go of (I'm sure there are) in order for more of this to happen? What are they? Is there anything I can do or do I let God do it? Any answers to these questions would be greatly appreciated!

Pastor Dan said for some it is just a lack of commitment. In this earthly life we've had it too good. We're accustomed to creature comforts. There's a scripture that says Jesus had no place to call home. He wandered and relied on others' to board Him. He was always on the move. This is what we are to do...not that we sell our house and wander, although that's pretty much what people who are dedicated to missions work do. We are to give up the creature comforts of our daily lives and be about His business. Oh, it's always easy to "preach to the choir" but what about those who don't even attend church?!

We are told repeatedly we cannot do anything on our own to become saved...and followers of Christ. It's not about how good we are or the wonderful deeds we do. First come into relationship with the Lord, then the works we do will be recognized because they come from our hearts and done with the right motive...to glorify God. In Luke 13:24 Jesus told us, however, about one thing we can strive for: Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. There you have it. The narrow gate. The narrow path. The narrow way. Strive to enter that way.

Jesus is the narrow Way. And because of mindsets in this world He is not received as He should be. He is not followed as He should be. He is not taken as seriously as He should be. Is it too uncomfortable? Is it what today's culture believes in? Do we not think this is our time, but later, when we are ready? Will it be our terms or His? Will it be all or nothing? Lots to think about. And believe me, I'm still thinking.

I think we can get hung up with believing we are doing His will when we might not be. We can think we are committed Christians when we are not. We can rationalize...oh, how we can rationalize. 

Following Christ takes commitment. We must hate our father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and our own life also... We must forsake all. We must carry our cross daily. We must die to ourselves daily and as Pastor Dan posited: Sounds pretty final, huh? Jesus did. He left His family, His home. He forsook it all. Then He carried His own cross and died...for those of us who would dare make a commitment to Him. He was our example. How many are willing to do this for the One who did it all for us? 

It doesn't mean we all must leave our families, unless He makes it clear we must. But we must be willing to not stand with the beliefs of those who do not take the Lord seriously. We must be willing to put our foot down and say we cannot do that because it would not be in the best interest for me because the Bible clearly says no to that. That includes standing against abortion, homosexuality, sex before marriage, horoscopes and mediums, even yoga! It doesn't mean hating anyone who believes these, and other things; just not standing with them.

We are to love the Lord our God, Jesus, with all our hearts and all our souls (Luke 10:27). That means we have no other gods before Him (First Commandment). That's the gist of it all. Nothing should mean more than our love for Him. If we seek Him first, all other things will be given to us as well (Luke 12:31). A tall order to be sure. But there are great rewards if we follow these principles. There is a lost and dying world right before us. What commitment do we have to expound on the truth? Remember, He goes before us.

Matthew 10:37 - "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me."

Simon Carries the Cross

Luke 23:26 - Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

A group of us from our Sunday School class did something a bit different. We took a field trip!
We all gathered at the Holy Hill Basilica in Hubertus, Wisconsin. They have displayed there on a very winding, hilly route in the woods the Stations of the Cross. Easter brings many people out to Holy Hill to climb the tower of the church to view miles of Wisconsin scenery, perhaps have lunch, attend a service and walk the stations to reflect on what Jesus did this time of year for each of us.

We gathered as a group of about 20, children to seniors, to do our own reflecting together. At each station someone did a short devotional of their own about what their particular station meant to them and what emotions were felt--and there were some moments. A man tearfully stated he knew what it meant that by His stripes we ARE healed because he had been healed of a disease and added that in Christ we are also spiritually, forever, healed. One woman held back tears as told how she could understand, as a mother, what Mary must have gone through. And a teenage boy was struck with emotion by the reality of what Jesus did for each of us, a sure sign of tremendous parental and spiritual upbringing. A few others from outside our group stood alongside to occasionally listen.

I chose Simon helping Jesus carry the cross. Let me share:

What a symbolic gesture it was for Simon to carry Jesus’ cross. Jesus told us even before His death we were to carry our cross. Who would have understood that before His death?? And then He carried it out...He carried His cross. He lost, or better yet for us, gave His life that we might have life. Jesus told us "whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 16:25 NKJV)

His journey on earth had led Him to the streets of Jerusalem to the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, where He was being led to Golgotha to be crucified. We understand He did not resent being crucified for our sins; despite all He had done on this earth, He was to be best glorified in this His death...and later resurrection.

But there was this man. Simon from Cyrene, from a northern African region, either Ethiopia or Libya. He happened to be among the throng watching as Christ passed by carrying the crossbeam that would soon hold Him. Maybe he stood out because of the color of his skin; maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time...but was he? God knew what Simon was about to do. He knew what needed to transpire.

Simon was a Jewish convert. He was there to celebrate the Passover, a long trip for him to be sure. And he was caught in the midst of this crowd, perhaps lost. Again, God knew what was about to happen.

Christ fell a second time. The impatient Roman soldiers compelled Simon to carry the cross for Jesus. It was something that HAD to happen. And think about it if Jesus didn’t have the strength to carry His own cross the whole way, who says we can? But because of what Simon did, that gesture shows us now what we are to do and what we are capable of when Jesus has become our strength. He helps us.

It is said Simon may have been reluctant. Who would want this task? Besides the cross being covered in blood, it was heavy and a symbol of guilt; only criminals carried a cross. Yet Jesus was not a criminal, and neither was Simon.

I’ve also heard that Simon was a believer. Perhaps that came about after being part of this whole scenario, after sharing in Jesus’ suffering, after having felt compassion for Jesus. Perhaps Simon later asked questions: Who is this Man who seems to have people strongly for or against Him? I don't understand it. Maybe he even already knew but was unaffected until this moment. We'll never know. But maybe in time he became a believer.

The act itself might have given Simon a compassion for what Jesus was going through. Might our compassion be stirred and would it grow if we devoted more time to carrying our own cross?
When we come to Jesus, receive Him unto ourselves to be our Lord and Savior, we give of ourselves for our Lord. Life is no longer about us. We must deny ourselves, a difficult thing sometimes, and carry our cross daily.

Jesus' love for us brought all this about. We are to emulate Christ…and Simon…carry our cross, even if at first reluctantly like Simon, deny ourselves, love on others that they might know the saving grace and eternal love of Jesus Christ. With His strength and His grace and mercy He helps along the journey. Come, let us carry our cross.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” (Luke 9:23, Matthew 10:38)