Jesus didn’t die for us to be miserable

[MessageOfTheCross]

​Luke 9:23- And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Denial of self is humbling yourself while presenting your body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). It is recognizing my moral and spiritual poverty, that there is no good and hope in me and that I am unable to serve God in my own strength and power. We see this in the first three Beatitudes (Matthew 5).

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Take up your cross is seen in Matthew 5:6
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6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

I am filled by God's provisions found in Christ by placing my Faith exclusively in Christ and Him Crucified (Believing who Jesus is, and what Jesus has done), and I receive all the benefits of this Resurrection Life by understanding that we have been planted together (Christ and ourselves) in the likeness of His Death (Romans 6:3-5).

The Believer who believes that God is in total control of their life is yoked with Jesus (resting). Matthew 11:29-30


All that I have stated is not a work of labor but an act of Faith by believing only.

Faith without works is dead, i.e., Faith without believing only is dead.​

​

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

3 Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit (conscious of moral poverty): for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven ​

(the moral characteristics of the citizens of the Kingdom of the heavens; and so it is apparent that the New Birth is an absolute necessity for entrance into that Kingdom [John 3:3]; this Kingdom is now present spiritually, but not yet physically)

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4 Blessed are they that mourn (grieved because of personal sinfulness): for they shall be comforted (what the Holy Spirit will do for those who properly evaluate their spiritual poverty)​

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5 Blessed are the meek (the opposite of the self-righteous; the first two Beatitudes guarantee the "meekness"): for they shall inherit the earth (speaks of the coming Kingdom Age, when the "Kingdom of Heaven" will be brought down to Earth, when the Saints will rule with Christ as its Supreme Lord)​

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[Stunnedbygrace]

​Luke 9:23- And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Denial of self is humbling yourself while presenting your body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). It is recognizing my moral and spiritual poverty, that there is no good in me and that I am unable to serve God in my own strength and power. We see this in the first three Beatitudes (Matthew 5).

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Take up your cross is seen in Matthew 5:6
.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

I am filled by God's provisions found in Christ by placing my Faith exclusively in Christ and Him Crucified (Believing who Jesus is, and what Jesus has done), and I receive all the benefits of this Resurrection Life by understanding that we have been planted together (Christ and ourselves) in the likeness of His Death (Romans 6:3-5).

The Believer who believes that God is in total control of their life is yoked with Jesus (resting). Matthew 11:29-30


All that I have stated is not a work of labor but an act of Faith by believing only.

Faith without works is dead, i.e., Faith without believing only is dead.​

You can't humble yourself. He has to purge you. You can try for a million years to humble yourself and you wont be successful. The very fact that we think we can do it is the opposite of poverty and humility.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Which is to say that I agree with what you said.

 

[Ahwatukee]

To take up our cross simply means to receive all the benefits I have provide for you.

Hello Message,

Actually, "taking up your Cross" means to be committed to Christ continually. Jesus said this after He told his disciples that he would be handed over and suffer at the hands of the chief priests and elders and be killed and rise on the third day. In response to this Peter said "Never Lord! This shall never happen to you." Jesus then rebukes Peter saying that he was a stumbling block to him. This is when Jesus says, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Therefore according to the context, taking up one's cross means to be ready to go through any situation while keeping the testimony of Christ and the word of God.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

You can't humble yourself. He has to purge you. You can try for a million years to humble yourself and you wont be successful. The very fact that we think we can do it is the opposite of poverty and humility.

That is why the flesh must be crushed at gethsemane. When there is no hope in you and you can't fix whatever the crisis is. Sometime He will take home a loved one to get your attention.

 

[joaniemarie]

Here is another helpful article about what it means to take up our cross and follow. And so needed because many believers actually think God is sending us pain and agony as well as wanting us to take up crosses when Jesus has already done that work. If your are a born again Christian, you have already died and your life is hid in Christ.





Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luk 9:23).
What does it mean to take up your cross daily? two interpretations and you can choose.
Interpretation #1: Jesus is preaching self-denial
Following Christ is all about self-denial and going without. If you are not in the daily habit of denying your appetites and desires, you are not a real Christian. The more you deny your needs and wants, the holier you’ll be. So fast everyday and you’ll be just like Jesus.

There’s a problem with this interpretation. Abstaining from food, Facebook, or fun won’t make you righteous and holy. (It might make you religious.) This message of self-denial is nothing more than the ancient practice of asceticism dressed up in religious jargon. It is a message that promotes Pharisaical self-righteousness and DIY religiosity.

Another problem with this interpretation is it will leave you anxious and insecure. “Have I denied myself enough?” You can never know. So you’d better deny yourself some more, just to be safe. “Don’t touch, don’t handle, don’t taste.” Pretty soon you’ll be whipping yourself and asking your friends to crucify you for the Easter parade.

Jesus did not suffer and die on the cross so you could join him in suffering. That’s not good news. Jesus died so that we might be free from this sort of dead and useless religion.

Interpretation #2: Jesus is showing us the way to salvation

And who is the way? Jesus. When Jesus says, “Follow me,” he’s saying the way to salvation is through him and his cross.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me… (Gal 2:20a)

The reason most Christians struggle to live the Christian life is they do not know they have died with Christ. Yet Paul says so again and again. To the Christians in Colossae; “You died with Christ” (Col 2:20). To the believers in Rome: “We died with Christ” (Rom 6:8). To the Corinthians: “We died” (2 Cor 5:14).

When you were baptized or placed into Christ, you were baptized into his death (Rom 6:3). This may be the single most important thing that ever happened to you, yet many Christians are unaware of it. And since they don’t know that they died, they are constantly trying to die.

The gospel declares, “You died.” You have been crucified with Christ. The person you used to be – dead in sins and alienated from the life of God – no longer lives, but Christ lives in you.

“But if I died with Christ already, why does Jesus say we must take up our cross daily?”

First of all, note that the word daily is only found once in the three accounts of Jesus’ words. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and…

…take up his cross and follow me. (Matt 16:24)
…take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)
…take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

Why does Luke record the word “daily” when Matthew and Mark do not? “Luke is wrong,” says Adam Clarke. “Or at least our English translations of Luke are wrong, for the word ‘daily’ is not in some of the original manuscripts.”

Adam Clarke may be right. I wouldn’t know. I don’t have the original manuscripts. But for the sake of argument, let’s assume Mr. Clarke is wrong and our English Bibles are correct. What then?

Why does Luke say “daily”?

My view is that Luke is on the same page as Matthew and Mark but he is emphasizing something to make a point. Luke isn’t contradicting Matthew and Mark; he’s saying the same thing with gusto: we ought to appreciate the finished work of the cross every day.

When I get out of bed in the morning and put my feet on the floor, my left foot says, “Thank you, Jesus,” and my right foot says, “For the cross.” It’s because you have died with Christ that you now live in union with him. This is a great treasure and not something to take for granted.

“Paul, are you saying that if I stop valuing the cross I’ll lose my salvation?”

Not at all! I’m saying if you have been born of the spirit, learn to walk by the spirit. We don’t die daily – once will do the trick – and we don’t get born again every day. But every day we make this choice: Will I walk after the flesh or after the spirit?

An example: Say you hear a message that says you need to fast and pray to become spiritually mature, so you decide to fast and pray. Bam! You are no longer walking by the spirit. You are no longer trusting in the grace of God. Rather, you are trusting in your own fasting and praying performance to make you mature. Where does the Lord fit in this picture? He doesn’t, and that’s the problem. Dead religion is a faithless way to live.

“Walking after the flesh” doesn’t necessarily mean running around getting drunk and doing bad stuff. For the Christian, the flesh takes on the subtler guise of good works, duty, and self-improvement.

What does it mean to die to self?
There is nothing wrong with the phrase “die to self.” The problem is we read it through religious lenses instead of gospel lenses. We think, “I have to stop being who God made me to be. I have to pretend I’m somebody else – someone who doesn’t enjoy wine, one woman, and song.” That’s a dehumanizing doctrine of demons.

God made you unique. He gave you good dreams and good desires that no one else has. When you suppress your God-given dreams and desires, the world is impoverished.

“Die to self” means “Trust Jesus instead of self.” It means live each and every day out of the glorious relationship you have with the Lord. It means, don’t fall back to the inferior ways of the flesh that you walked in when you were a sinner or religious, but stand firm in the freedom of Christ.

This is the point Luke was trying to make. The trusting life is an adventure. It’s good to remind yourself daily that “God is for me. How can I fail?” Conscious of your loving Father’s acceptance and approval, you will soar on eagles’ wings. And when you apprehend, by faith, the inexhaustible riches of his grace, the whole world benefits.

Why would you want to waste one single day living any other way? Why crawl when you can fly?

 

[davida]

What does sanctimonious mean? Lol

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

That is why the flesh must be crushed at gethsemane. When there is no hope in you and you can't fix whatever the crisis is. Sometime He will take home a loved one to get your attention.

Jesus told Peter, "And when you return, strengthen your Brothers." The flesh must be crushed. That is the only way you can deny yourself and humble yourself.

Forty years in the desert was needed to humble (Moses) the strength of the "flesh" and destroy its hope; the possible King of Egypt was now an obscure shepherd.​

​

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

When there is no hope in you and you can't fix whatever the crisis is, you are starting to really understand that full surrender is the only option. Then, later, you come to see that it's also your greatest blessing and relief.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Jesus told Peter, "And when you return, strengthen your Brothers." The flesh must be crushed. That is the only way you can deny yourself and humble yourself.

You must kill every enemy in the land He is giving to you or they will rise up to overtake you.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

And a mans enemies will be those in his own household.

Is it me, Lord?

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

You must kill every enemy in the land He is giving to you or they will rise up to overtake you.

Now you are preaching! The Holy Spirit deals with the Believer; line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. He will not destroy all of the enemy's at once because pride will overtake you.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Now you are preaching! The Holy Spirit deals with the Believer; line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. He will not destroy all of the enemy's at once because pride will overtake you.

And He did not lead them the straightest route in the wilderness because if they saw warfare too soon or too intense, they might turn back in fear.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

When there is no hope in you and you can't fix whatever the crisis is, you are starting to really understand that full surrender is the only option. Then, later, you come to see that it's also your greatest blessing and relief.

​That is when the Holy Spirit says it is about time! Now I will take over.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

​That is when the Holy Spirit says it is about time! Now I will take over.

Stand still and watch the Lord fight for you.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Stand still and watch the Lord fight for you.

​How easy are His Ways; how difficult are our ways!

 

[FlSnookman7]

And He did not lead them the straightest route in the wilderness because if they saw warfare too soon or too intense, they might turn back in fear.

If you are speaking about the jews wandering in the desert, I believe they kept themselves in bondage because they could not, after 400 years of slavery, believe they were in fact free......hmmmm.

 

[Christianguy85]

Thanks for the reply joaniemarie. I don't agree with everything Joyce says either but her preaching has certainly helped me get closer to Jesus during difficult times.

Hi Christianguy85., Very much agree with you and Joyce M. God sent Jesus to give us life and that more abundantly. Yes.,we will have tribulation in this life coming from 3 places; 1.the world. 2. the flesh. 3. the devil. Not from God. He is the loving Father who sent His only Son to deliver us and save us.

Joyce M. is an awesome lady who I began listening to some years ago. She is not a heretic far from it. Although I don't agree with all she teaches, I agree with a lot of it. A sad fact about us humans is we know how to defame someone and be very self righteous about it. When we label other people., we give ourselves permission to condemn them and even hate them. This should not be coming from Christians.

Below is an article entitled Does the Lord Create Evil. I hope those who read it will find it enlightening and something to think about.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

If you are speaking about the jews wandering in the desert, I believe they kept themselves in bondage because they could not, after 400 years of slavery, believe they were in fact free......hmmmm.

Oh I wish I had time to talk with you about this! I have to go. I'll come back tonight. Its such a topic! And amazing how it literally happened AND its an allegory for our own spiritual journey! How does He do that??!

 

[LightShinesInTheDarkness]

The disciples flogged numerous times, with John(according to history) being the only who died of natural causes. Paul was beaten five times, imprisoned, shipwrecked, mocked, ridiculed, &c. Beheaded by Nero. Look at all the CHRISTians martyred during the many Roman Inqusitions for crying out loud.

But God wants us to live in lavish homes, drive luxury cars, fly in multi-million dollar private jets, have our 'best life now'.

Apparently those disciples who were crucified, beheaded, speared through, the other CHRISTians who had to hide in caves, who were martyred for the cause of the Christ didn't get the memo.

Phillipians 1:29?

Suffering for Christ's sake is what we are called to as Christians, not self-indulgence and a fun, easy, prosperous and comfortable life in this world. That's not what Jesus said, or how He lived, and it's certainly not what the New Testament teaches. But people don't want to hear that. That doesn't sell books or fill megachurches.

God wants what is best for us according to His purpose of sanctification: For us to be conformed to the image of Christ; and that process and will are often painful. As is persecution for Jesus' sake.

People who tell you that the focus of Christianity is you, and your happiness, are lying to you. (And probably making money from teaching it.)

The focus of Christianity is God, not you, and your holiness, not your happiness.

The abundant life that Jesus came to give us is more and more of Himself (the true Life), not a worldly life full of pleasures and riches. The temporary sufferings we endure here lead to eternal pleasures and joy in the presence of God, which is what we are supposed to be looking forward to as Christians and encouraged by as we run the race.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake, engaged in the same conflict that you heard I have, and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1:29,30)

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children then heirs---heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:16,17)

And He said to all,"If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?" (Luke 9:23-25)