Pick It Up and Lay It Down
Our Sunday morning subject last week and again today relate to the command of the Lord Christ to hoist up our cross, to take it up and follow Him. We learn in these messages that living for Christ is not an easy road to travel and will often leave us scarred, harried, and worn out from the struggles of mounting obstacles that are nearly impossible to overcome. When we think of the cross, the picture comes to mind of Christ carrying the cross that was built for Him by cruel men who beat Him unmercifully and then demanded in His painful, weakened condition to carry that same cross to the place where they would nail Him to it, raise it into the air, and drop it a hole with a bone jarring thud. It is utterly amazing that anyone seeing such a spectacle would think for a moment it is the life they would choose.
This description of the cross is one needful for us to hear because none of us has seen such a horrible event. Our justice asks for no cruel and unusual punishment, while demanding a man on death row should receive the finest last meal and then have the sentence of death conducted as painlessly as possible. In fact, we shudder at the pain suffered in death sentences to the extent that extremely few criminals receive a sentence of death.
People in the first century were well acquainted with death on the cross as Rome executed their sentences to strike fear into the hearts of those who dared resist Roman rule. The cross was not a piece of jewelry to wear around the neck but a frightening proposal for all who dared think of it. This view of the cross is what challenged the apostles daily as they spoke of Christ the Godman who did in fact suffer this cruel death. Imagine this vivid picture in the mind’s eye of a potential convert and then for God to task you with the responsibility of convincing them this is what they should choose for themselves. None of us would think we could do it—and we are right. My description, though, is not quite right. Yes, the apostles were responsible to speak the necessity of Christ’s death for the salvation of souls, but they did not have responsibility to convince anyone to believe. This is impossible and requires divine intervention by God’s Holy Spirit.
The same is true of taking up our cross to follow Christ. We will not do it in our natural human strength. We cannot lift this heavy load any more than Christ could physically lift His cross in His excruciatingly painful weakened condition. To lift our cross requires the Holy Spirit to fill us and to deaden our natural senses until we can resist the pull of the world on us. The evil forces of darkness against us implore us to forget our commitment to Christ and to follow our natural desires. They never encourage us to forsake self and give all to Christ. To do this, we must always remember, “Greater is He that is you, than he that is in the world.”
Following Christ faithfully without wavering from the path of righteousness is beyond difficult. To endure the difficulties, the place reached by treading this path must be exceedingly better and grander than the place we leave behind. I have no trouble with this part. We have our incentive to endure to the end because of God’s promise of the unsearchable riches of Christ. There is an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and never fades away. We must pick up our painful cross, but then the Holy Word of God promises we will at last lay it down in in the glorious victory of the triumphant cross.
Pastor V. Mark Smith