The Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross

Taking Up Your Cross Costs Much - Leonard Ravenhill • How did Jesus go? Jesus went there staggering to the cross. • Did He have a stone? A red stone on His breast? No, just His own blood, that's all. • Did He have an immaculate garment threaded? No, a peasant's garment. • Did He have a golden crown with "Holiness unto the Lord"? No, a crown of thorns with holiness in His spirit. • Was He sinking under the load of the cross? No, He was carrying the weight of the sin of the world! The Stations of the Cross

Today it is considered sadistic if you even say that people have to take up their cross. “Don’t tell young people about the cross—they’ll be discouraged.” Are you suggesting that Jesus wasn’t smart? “If you’re going to be my disciple, kiss the world goodbye.” You see, when people are born again these days, they don’t get separated from the world. Most likely their pastor is the most worldly guy around! But if you’re going to get what He wants to give, if you’re going to get the true baptism of the Spirit, you have to drink of that cup.” – Leonard Ravenhill The Stations of the Cross

Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. The Stations of the Cross

Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. • Mark 8:34 – And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. The Stations of the Cross

Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. • Mark 8:34 – And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. • Luke 9:23 – And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. The Stations of the Cross

Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. • Mark 8:34 – And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. • Luke 9:23 – And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. • Luke 14:27 – Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. The Stations of the Cross

Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. • Mark 8:34 – And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. • Luke 9:23 – And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. • Luke 14:27 – Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. • Matthew 10:38 – And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of me. The Stations of the Cross

Paul understood Christ’s Cross… • “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; • (And the stations of his cross he bore…) • and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” • - Galatians 2:20 The Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross Luke 9:23 - And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me."

The cross of Jesus Christ will forever be the symbol for Christ's great redemption which He accomplished for all mankind. Therefore, we must never diminish it by saying we are bearing the cross of Jesus. He forever bore it for us and redeemed us through His death and resurrection. For us, the Gospel writers make it clear we must bear our own cross if we are to be Christ’s disciples. The Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross What are a believer’s “stations of the cross” we must bear if we are to be Christ’s disciples?

The Stations of the Cross What are a believer’s “stations of the cross” we must bear if we are to be Christ’s disciples? … Luke 9:23 tells us …

Desire–"If anyone wishes to come after me" ... here we have Jesus preparing His listeners with something to follow. In this case, a requirement. .... Peter swore to Jesus he was ready to die with Jesus (Mark 14:31). We soon find out not only was he not ready to die with his Lord, he was not even ready to live for Him. Both desires would not come until after Pentecost and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The Stations of the Cross

Denial –Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23 we must deny ourselves. Did Jesus deny Himself when He allowed Himself to be crucified? He was "found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). … When God gets a hold of us and we start bearing our cross out of love and desire for the Lord, things marvelously begin to happen. The Stations of the Cross

Decision – The actual decision to take up our cross must be one of commitment. Jesus said that anyone who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is not worthy of the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). This does not mean that he or she is not saved. It does mean, however, that they will not be walking as a follower of Christ in Kingdom Authority. The Stations of the Cross

Dedication – Daily and Deliberate – Paul said he dies daily (I Corinthians 15:31). Paul was telling the Corinthians that through his desire, denial, and decision he was making a dedicated and deliberate pledge to His Great Love, Jesus Christ, to allow His life to have preeminence over the old Paul. Dying daily was no longer a conscious struggle but a daily surrender of joy to the Lover of his soul. The Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross • Desire • Denial • Decision • Dedication • – Daily and Deliberate

A Procession of Cross-bearers - Charles Spurgeon If we are to be Christ’s disciples at all, He demands of us that we give up ourselves wholly and unreservedly to Him. Jesus Christ will not have half of a man! He will have the whole of him—body, soul and spirit! You cannot be Christ’s disciple unless you are prepared to renounce everything you have at His bidding. For instance, if it should come to pass that to be a Christian required your imprisonment for Christ’s sake, you must be willing to lie in prison and to die for Him. …. The Stations of the Cross

If it were required, as once it was, that you should be dragged into the amphitheatre to be slain by wild beasts, you must be willing to do as the Christians did then—to die such a death, if necessary, for Christ. My Lord and Master will not be content with the shell of a man — He must have his heart and soul, his entire being — and he who will not thus give himself up to Christ cannot be His disciple. This is a cross to many who want to make some little reserve, or some provision for the flesh. If this is your cross, I pray you to take it up and follow Christ. – May 1875 The Stations of the Cross

Paul understood the stations of the cross he bore … (Galatians 2:20) • He knew he had been crucified with Christ … This made him justified before God. • Daily, he must bear his own cross • … Daily walking by faith sanctified him, making Him more like his Lord! The Stations of the Cross

Where are we in the stations of the cross? • Have we first accepted His great love for us? • Have we then desired to follow after Him? The Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross