LUKE 23:26-34 TAKE UP YOUR CROSS2014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Luke 23:26-34 Take Up Your Cross

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2014. As we look at our passage today, the title of the message is, Take Up Your Cross. Because what we see happening is Jesus taking up His cross and

The trial has finished. The sentence has been given. He is to be executed. And now there's this procession that takes place where Jesus is led to the place called Calvary where he will be crucified.

And as we consider this journey that Jesus takes from this trial to the crucifixion site, I would ask you to reflect and consider on a passage we studied quite a while back, Luke chapter 9, verse 23. There Jesus said, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Jesus said, if you want to be a follower of me, if you want to be my disciple, here's how to do it. Deny yourself.

Take up your cross daily and follow me. And so now as we look at, in Luke chapter 23, this passage where Jesus is literally taking up his cross and going to the crucifixion, we find in here some great insights into how we can follow Jesus in this way. How we can take up our cross to be more like him and to follow him as he desires.

And so there's three points we'll see as we go through this passage together, how we can take up the cross to follow Jesus. The first point we find in verse 26, and the first point is, let others bear your burdens.

As we seek to take up our cross, to follow Jesus, this was not really the point I was anticipating as I was studying this passage, but it's the one that God highlighted as I was looking at this verse. That what we see right from the beginning is as Jesus is taking up his cross, he doesn't do it alone.

And he gives us an example that we need to allow others to help bear the burdens that we have. Check out verse 26 again. It says, Now as they led him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who is coming from the country. And on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. We're introduced now to this guy named Simon.

He is from a place called Cyrene. It's about 800 miles away from Jerusalem. It is in what we would know today as North Africa, the country of Libya.

And he's from this great distance away. There was a community of Jewish people. And he's traveled this 800 miles to participate in the Passover feast. As the scripture indicates here, he's basically just a random guy. I mean, the Roman soldiers just grabbed whoever they saw walking by and said, you, you're going to carry this for this man.

And the Roman soldiers were allowed to do that. They could conscript anybody to carry things for a distance or to do these types of tasks. And so he's in town. He very likely doesn't know Jesus because he's from such a great distance. We don't know that he's even heard of Jesus. He's just coming in for the Passover feast and they grab him to carry this cross.

It was the beam that would go upon the post that was already mounted at the place where Jesus would be crucified. Many scholars speculate that it was probably in the range of 40 to 75 pounds, this beam that he would carry. As I considered this idea, Simon carrying this cross for Jesus, I would like to encourage you and remind you that Jesus was not Superman.

We know that Jesus is God, and we spend a lot of time talking about that. We know he is the creator of all things. And for the creator, we understand, 75-pound beam, that would be nothing at all. No weight at all. Nothing to worry about. But although Jesus is God and he is the creator, he humbled himself and became a man. Amen.

He added humanity to his deity, which means that he restrained himself and limited himself to his humanity. And that left Jesus in a position of need.

It left him in a condition where he needed from others. As God, he didn't need anything. He could supply anything he desired. But as a man, he was in a condition of need. And so he had to rely upon the Holy Spirit. And he set the example for us. All the things that Jesus taught, all the things that Jesus did, and the miracles that were performed, he did for

with the power of the Holy Spirit, as a man relying upon the Holy Spirit. He also relied upon the Father. You might remember when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. He was there for 40 days without eating. He was hungry. And so the devil came and said, why don't you turn those stones into bread? You don't need anybody else to provide for you. Provide for yourself.

But Jesus limited himself to his humanity. He relied upon the Father to provide for him the food that he needed. He also relied upon the people that were in his life. Obviously, as an infant and as a child, he relied heavily upon Joseph and Mary. And they were responsible and he relied upon them to raise him up, to protect him and to keep him safe.

And throughout his ministry, you can see the needs that he had because he limited himself. Jesus was not Superman. Yes, he could have carried that 75-pound beam because he's God. But he limited himself to his humanity to be an example for us, to be the perfect sacrifice for us.

And so as a man, Jesus was in a position of weakness at this point. Consider his condition. He had been arrested 12 hours prior to this. During that 12-hour period, the Jews questioned him three times. The Romans questioned him another three times. He was beaten and mocked by the Jewish soldiers and then later beaten and mocked

by the Roman soldiers where they put the crown of thorns on his head and beat it down. Then after that, Pilate had Jesus scourged, which is where he's whipped and his back is broken open with the whip in preparation for the execution. And so he's undergone all of this in these last 12 hours. He's not slept, he's not eaten, and now it's time for him to carry this beam to the place of his execution and

And it seems that he is unable to do so. He doesn't have the strength to carry it any longer as a man. And he didn't break out as Superman and say, you know, he didn't take the beam and then beat up all the soldiers with it. He restrained himself. He restricted himself. He was not Superman. And so he was in a position of need. And he allowed for this man, Simon, to carry this cross beam for him.

As Jesus took up his cross, it began with him allowing someone else to bear the burden with him. And this morning, as we consider these things again,

Jesus said, if you want to be my follower, then you need to take up your cross. Now sometimes people think of taking up the cross or, you know, this is my cross to bear and they're talking about things that annoy them or, you know, a spouse that gives them lots of trouble or something like that. But we understand when Jesus says to take up your cross, he's talking about dying to yourself, giving up your own life. And we can talk about that and it seems like kind of distant and out there, but here we have something very practical.

One aspect of taking up your cross is to let other people bear your burdens, help you with the struggles that you have. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 talks about the church, that is all believers in Jesus, as the body of Christ. And he explains that God designed us as believers to be like a body. And just like a body...

Every member in the body of Christ is important. Just as if you were missing a member of your body, it would be noticeable, it would be lost, it would be missed. In the same way, the body of Christ is designed in that way so that every member is necessary, every member is needed. And God has designed us as the body of Christ that we all depend upon each other.

As I'm standing here talking to you, my body is working together. My hands rely upon my feet to keep them upright. The rest of my body relies upon my legs. My head relies upon, you get the point. It's all working together. Sometimes it works against me, but it's all working together. And that is how God has designed us as believers, that we are interdependent.

That we are to rely upon one another. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 26, Paul goes on to talk about that saying, If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. If one member suffers, if you stub your toe, the rest of your body suffers with that toe.

And you compensate for it and you walk funny afterwards so that you protect that toe. It's the way that you work together. Your body works together. And Paul says, this is the same with the body of Christ. When one member is suffering, God has designed it so that the other members around help protect it and carry the weight and minister to it in that way.

And then when one member is honored, then all the members rejoice with it. And so there's this unity, there's this body that has been designed by God. It's how He created us as His people. And as that, that means then that we are to bear one another's burdens. That's what Paul says in Galatians chapter 6 verse 2. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Just like a body that

well, compensates and bears for the burdens of the other members. God has designed it that we would be the same, that we would carry one another's burdens, that we would help each other through struggles, through difficulties, through pains, through times of healing. As I was preparing for this, it was causing me to reflect back to the second time I broke my foot.

Now, the first time I broke my foot is a whole different story. The second time, though, some of you remember it. Some of you were here. It was a couple years back. But I broke my right foot. And it made it much more difficult because the last time I broke my foot, I broke my left foot. And so...

It healed a lot faster because it was less of a break. But the second time, it was a long period and it was my right foot, which seriously hindered me because I couldn't drive. I couldn't do much for myself. For about six months, I had to be

off the foot completely. No weight put on it at all. So I was on crutches. I had the boot on, but I couldn't put weight on it. And then after that, then I had to start the process of regaining the strength in my leg. And so I had very clear pictures of the body working together and compensating. But then also, spiritually speaking, there was a lot of work that the body here did for me as well. Well, at home,

It was a little bit difficult because, well, I felt like such a burden. Because I could only do anything on crutches, right? And so basically Kim had to take care of everything. And so I would just lay there and she would fan me and feed me grapes and things like that. And that part was nice, but...

But I felt like a jerk. I felt like a burden. I felt, I don't like that. That's something about me that I don't like to have other people have to do stuff for me. That's, it's something that I just, I don't, I'm not comfortable with. I don't like it. And I would have Pastor George pick me up on Sunday mornings to bring me to church because I couldn't drive. And I couldn't get here on crutches. That's a little bit far.

And every time I would be like, thank you, George. I'm so sorry. I just, I felt really bad that he had to come get me, even though it's just right down the block. It was on his way. But I know all that, but I feel bad. It's such a burden. I don't like to have other people carry those kinds of things. At the same time, while I was...

in this time period of having my foot broken and unable to do stuff, a bunch of the guys from here gathered together and met up at my house and like did my whole yard and the shrubs and trimmed trees and all that stuff. And I was standing there in the kitchen on my crutches, looking out the window, watching all these guys work hard and do all this stuff. And I felt like such a jerk. I was like, I felt bad. They loved to do it. It was a blessing. And I didn't like, you know, demand you guys better come here and do this, right? But

But it was like, it's just, well, it felt like such a burden to put on them. I didn't like it. But as we consider this point this morning, as Simon carried the cross beam for Jesus, that is part of how God has designed us. It's part of what God desires in us, that we would allow others to come alongside. It requires a little bit of humility sometimes.

It requires some vulnerability that we would be open to express the need and to be open to allow people in to come alongside of us. And whether it be some practical things or some spiritual issues or emotional issues, whatever it might be, that we need to allow people to come alongside of us, to bear our burdens.

Think about what James said in James 5.16. He said, confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. And then he says, the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Now, a lot of times people read this and they go, okay, so I got to find a righteous man. Let me go to a priest and I'll have him pray for me because his prayers avail much. Or let me go to a pastor. Let me go to somebody. But that's not what James is saying. He's saying, you pray for one another.

You confess to one another. You minister to one another. It's just believers being believers. We are to be reliant upon one another in this way. It doesn't have to be someone super special. No, you're righteous because of what Christ has done. The point is, let someone else in. Let them know what you're struggling with. Let them know the things that you're going through. And then they can pray for you. And you can pray for them.

And that prayer is effective as you pray together, sharing those burdens, sharing those things that you're going through. There's a great power and effectiveness in that. And you know, that's one of the things that I love about our Sunday evening service. And I know many of you aren't part of that. And so I want to encourage you to consider being part of our Sunday evening service.

Because one of the things that we do in our Sunday evening service is we have a time to share prayer requests and praise reports. And we get to live this out. We get to share, hey, this is what's happening in my life. This is what I'm going through. These are the things that are going on around me. And so lift these up in prayer. And we get to come alongside those who are sharing. We get to pray with them. And then in weeks to come, we get to rejoice with them

in whatever work God does as we've been seeking the Lord together on that. But there's this family relationship that we have in that where we rely upon one another and we pray together and we confess this is what's going on. This is what we're struggling with. This is where we need help. And God allows us then to be like the body, to have the same care for one another. Now, I should point out

It is possible to take this too far. And so be mindful of that. There are those, and sometimes we ourselves, take this too far where you're not willing to do anything for yourself. And that's not what we're talking about. So sometimes people come and they just expect that I'm going to fix their problem and fix their life. And that can't happen. I can't just fix everything. I wish I could.

No, no, it's working together. If you're not willing to be part of the work, you know, that's a separate issue. But as you work, as you go forward in what God has called you to, as you suffer, as you bear burdens, if you're going to follow Jesus, if you're going to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him like he said, then you're going to need to allow other people in your life. There's no lone rangers. God hasn't designed us to do this alone.

He hasn't designed us to be, you know, super independent people. He's designed us to be interdependent people. And we don't like that that much sometimes. That hurts our pride a little bit. But that is what God has designed us to be. And so open up. Let other people in. Let them help you. Let them bear your burdens. And you bear their burdens. And as you work together, God is able to do a great work. And so let others bear your burdens.

And going on into the second point, we find that in verses 27 through 31. And here we see that we need to weep for the lost more than ourselves. Weep for the lost more than yourself. Verse 27 says, And a great multitude of people followed him, and women who also mourned and lamented him.

So as this procession begins and Jesus is carrying his cross, he can't carry it far so they take Simon and he gets the cross being put on him. They're making their way now to Calvary. There's this crowd of ladies who are there mourning and lamenting.

Now something I found interesting as I was preparing for this message is that this was not a special gathering just for Jesus. This gathering of mourners was not people that were specifically mourning Jesus, but they would gather, these ladies would gather together.

Whenever someone was being executed, whenever there was a Jewish person being executed by Rome, there would be this gathering. It was normal for them to gather and to wail and to mourn and to lament as part of this procession as they went to be crucified. And so they're here wailing and mourning and lamenting.

Remember that this is happening pretty early. This is happening at about 9 a.m. when Jesus is nailed to the cross. And so the religious leaders, that was their intent, was to get this done as quick as possible so that the city as a whole, the people in general...

would not be aware of what was happening until after it was already too late. So that by the time they figured out what they were doing against Jesus, Jesus was already on the cross. That was their goal. They were trying to get rid of Jesus before the people found out.

And so this gathering of ladies were there because there was going to be a crucifixion that morning. And they were there mourning and lamenting because Jesus and these two criminals, it would have been Barabbas and these two criminals, but now Jesus and these two criminals are being led away to be crucified. Verse 28, But Jesus turning to them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

Jesus responds to these ladies who are weeping and mourning. And I think it's amazing that Jesus here is putting other people first, even in this moment. He says, do not weep for me. Instead, weep for yourselves and for your children. Don't weep for me, he says. Now, Jesus knew he was going to the cross.

It would have been legitimate to say, thank you for weeping for me. Because I am suffering greatly and it's not over. I still have to be nailed and then die upon the cross. It would have been reasonable for him to say thank you for mourning with me. This is a terrible time in my life. But as Jesus was going to the cross, he knew what the cross meant. He knew what he was accomplishing through the cross.

The author of Hebrews in Hebrews 12.2 says, For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross. He had this joy set before him. The cross was difficult, painful. It was the worst thing that anybody has ever gone through, not just because of the physical things, but because the sin of all humanity was placed upon Jesus. I mean, what he was going through was far worse than any other human being has ever gone through. But on the other side of that,

was joy. On the other side of that was forgiveness and redemption for the people that he loved. On the other side of that was eternity with those who would believe in him. And so for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross. He knew what it was accomplishing. And so he says, don't weep for me. Yeah, what I'm going through is terrible, but it's accomplishing something great. Instead, he turns around and says, weep for yourselves. Because

Jesus knew what was going to happen to Jerusalem. And in this, he's referring to the siege that will take place about 40 years from this time. It was a siege that was done by the Roman army against Jerusalem, because the Jewish people continued to rebel against Rome. And so they laid siege to Jerusalem, and it lasted for about four years. There was several phases, lots of details, but

It was a horrible time. So horrible that Jesus says in verse 29, Blessed are the barren. That wasn't something that they would normally consider. The Jewish people thought,

To be barren was a curse. That God is displeased with you and that's why. You would not be barren otherwise. It was dishonorable. It was humiliating to be barren in those days. But Jesus says, during the time that is about to come, the time is going to be so horrible that barrenness will be considered a blessing. How could that be? Well, because those who have children are going to have to watch their children suffer.

Can you imagine watching your children starve to death? Can you imagine you're starving to death and so after they've died you partake of them in order to survive? That's pretty rough. That's siege conditions. There was famine. There was great devastation. And so there's people who are saying, blessed are the barren. You didn't have children but you didn't have to see them suffer that way. You didn't have to endure such great difficulty.

Verse 30, he goes on to say, they will begin to say that the mountains fall on us and to the hills, cover us, get us out of here because of the great judgment that is happening as Jerusalem is under siege. Verse 31, for if they do these things in the greenwood, what will be done in the dry? Jesus is saying, what's happening now to me is nothing compared to what is coming.

then the things that are coming are going to be far, far worse. So don't weep for me. I'm going to the cross, but I know what it's accomplishing. I know that I have the hope of eternity with the Father. I know that I have the joy of redeeming my people, those who will believe in me.

So don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves. Because also remember, these are people who, as a whole, have rejected Jesus. They've rejected their salvation. And so all that is in store for them is judgment. That's all that's in store for anyone who rejects Jesus. It's judgment. And so as Rome came against Jerusalem, about 40 years later it was accomplished, they began to experience great judgment there.

for their rejection of Jesus Christ. The Jewish historian Josephus records a lot about what took place in those times. You can read his work, The Wars of the Jews. And in book five, he talks about

Some of the things that were happening throughout the city in the time of that siege. He says that throughout the city people were dying of hunger in large numbers and enduring unspeakable sufferings. In every house the merest hint of food sparked violence and close relatives fell to blows, snatching from one another the pitiful supports of life.

In another place, he goes on to talk about how they would gnaw and eat anything. Like I mentioned earlier, they ended up eating children who had died because they were starving. They would eat refuse. You know what refuse is, right? I don't have to go into detail there. They would eat out of the toilet because they were starving. This was several years of siege.

They were in desperate conditions. There was violence. People were turning against. Houses were turning against themselves. There was lawless bands of raiders that would go throughout the city and just try to ravage and take anything they could because they were starving. It was horrendous conditions. And so Jesus says, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves and weep for your children because of what you're about to go through. He felt the sorrow, the woe for what they would endure.

It was about five days earlier. This is happening Thursday, Friday, depending on your timeline. But on Sunday, the triumphal entry, remember that day back in Luke chapter 19, as Jesus is riding to Jerusalem on a donkey, he comes up over the Mount of Olives. He has this view of Jerusalem. He looks down on it and he begins to weep.

And he weeps over Jerusalem. Why? Well, he talks about the same event, this siege that's going to happen, this battle that will take place, the devastation that will be there. Jesus wept for Jerusalem. And here, as he's going to the cross, he's about to be crucified. He's still weeping for Jerusalem. He tells the ladies, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves. Weep for yourselves and for your children.

He sorrowed over their destruction, over their judgment. The things that Jesus says here points to that siege, but it also points yet further to what we know as the tribulation period, when the wrath of God will be poured out upon the earth. Because in verse 30, Jesus says, Then they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, cover us.

And that corresponds with Revelation chapter 6 as the seals are being opened. In verse 15 and 16 it tells us that the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, the slaves and every free man. So all humanity hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks.

and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. There was this siege in Jerusalem. It was horrible. But there's also a tribulation, a time of God's wrath being poured out upon the earth that is yet to come. And it will be horrible as well. Worse still,

than the siege of Jerusalem. Worse than anything the world has ever seen, the Bible declares. It's going to be awful. And so as we consider Jesus taking up his cross, journeying to Calvary, he weeps for the lost. Well, he provides for us an example. If we are to take up our cross and to follow Jesus, we also need to weep for the lost.

And as He pointed them to the siege that was about to take place, and He wept for the things that would happen there, and those who would be lost, those who would be destroyed because of their rejection of the things of God. You and I, well, we know there's also a time of wrath, a time of judgment that will be poured out upon the earth. And as we seek to follow after Jesus, we need to weep for those who will endure such things.

more than ourselves. Think about it. If you were about to be crucified, would you say, do not weep for me? I think, you know, if I get the flu, I want people to weep for me, right? It's like, cry for me, weep for me, I feel terrible. But Jesus is here about to be crucified and he says, don't weep for me. Now please understand, I'm not saying that it's wrong to have sorrow. There is appropriate grief.

It is appropriate to have sadness, to have sorrow, but we also need to have perspective and to remember the big picture. Jesus was more concerned for the people because he knew he was in God's hands. He knew what the cross meant. He knew what happened after the cross. He knew the great promises that were there.

And so he was more concerned for the people. He said, weep for you guys and not for me. In the same way, you and I, yes, we go through difficulties and we will go through sorrows. We will have great pains and suffering. But we know, well, like Paul said, I know the one whom I've entrusted myself to. Or as he said in Romans chapter 8 verse 28, that God works all things. He says, here's what we know. God works all things together for good and

to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. He works all things together for good. And so whatever suffering I go through, whatever difficulty I go through, whatever pain I go through, yes, it's difficult. I'm not trying to deny that. But I know on the other side, it's good. God works it for good. He accomplishes good things as a result of the pains and difficulty and suffering, just as He did with Jesus.

It was the greatest suffering a man has ever known. And God accomplished through that the greatest blessings the world has ever known. And so yes, you lost your job. Yes, you got bad news. Yes, you are suffering. Yes, life is hard. But as we desire to follow Jesus and take up the cross to follow Him, we need to weep more for the people around us who are headed into tribulation, judgment.

To be weeping for the lost more than for ourselves. Recognizing, having perspective, I know where I'm going. Remember what Jesus said? The worst thing man can do to you is kill your body. And you're like, I know, that's what I'm freaked out about. But Jesus is saying, look, there's things that are more important than your body. Because then after that you have eternity with God.

And so he says, pay attention to God who can kill your body and then cast your soul into hell. People can't take eternity away from you. The worst they can do is take your body. And we need to have that perspective. And remember, there's people around us who are lost. Not only will they experience great suffering and judgment in this life, but in eternity, the judgment will be far greater. Listen, this world is falling apart.

The Bible told us to watch out for it. Jesus said, you know, hey, you know the time is near when you hear of wars and rumors of wars. I mean, we got wars going on all over the place. This whole thing with Israel invading Gaza. Listen, God could calm this down and give us another hundred years or a thousand years if he wants to because he's merciful and gracious and patient and he wants more people to come to salvation.

So it's not a guarantee that this is the end, you know, you've got three days left, you know, anything like that. But at the same time, it could very well turn out that way. The whole situation now that's building up with Russia and the shooting down of the plane, I mean, things are progressing. Tensions are mounting. We could be in our last moments. Now's the time to be more concerned about the people who are lost.

than our own selves. To weep more for the lost than for our own selves. Jesus said, if you desire to come after me, deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow me. And one of the things that he did when he took up the cross was he wept for those who were lost. Well, for the final point, we go now to verses 32 through 34. And here we see that we are to forgive those who hurt us.

Probably not your favorite point of the bunch, right? But this is what we need to do. Verse 32. There were also two others, criminals, led with him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified him. And the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. So as they're in this procession leading Jesus to this place, they come to the place called Calvary.

Calvary is a Latin word. It means skull. In Aramaic, it's called Golgotha. And so you've probably heard it either way. Golgotha, Calvary. It's the same place. They both mean skull in different languages. It's just outside the walls of Jerusalem. And so he's led there and this is now the site where he will be put to death. And so he says there in verse 33, there they crucified him. Now it's interesting. Luke just says,

Says it like that. There they crucified him. Because, well, the people in his day knew all the things that were entailed in crucifixion. We're a little bit distant from it. We don't have crucifixions happening regularly before our eyes. So we're not as familiar with it. Crucifixion was a horrible, torturous death. And I'm not going to get into all the details here. Maybe we will in a couple weeks. But

Jesus would have been nailed to the cross at that point. And then he would hang on the cross for about six hours. A normal death from crucifixion was the result of not being able to breathe because the way that they positioned the men on the cross...

They were unable to catch a breath without lifting themselves up. And so that was, you know, by putting pressure on the nails that were in their wrists, the nails that were in their feet, scraping their back against the wood, they would have to lift themselves up, catch a breath, and then drop down. And so over time, it would be more and more painful. It would be more and more difficult. They would be more and more exhausted. And so ultimately, they would suffocate. They wouldn't be able to breathe anymore.

And that is what would cause their death. Now, for Jesus, it happened a little bit sooner than what was normal. People could go on the cross for many hours in other cases. But Jesus gave up the ghost. He surrendered himself so that when they were going to break his bones to make the death happen faster, they didn't need to because he had already died.

So for Jesus, it happened a little bit faster than other crucifixions. But the point is, they crucified him. They nailed him to the cross. He was there on the cross for about six hours. He had a criminal on each side. He was between the two thieves. And then notice what Jesus said. It's pretty amazing. Verse 34. Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. And they divided his garments and cast lots.

Here in the midst of this death, this pain, this torture, Jesus says, Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they do. Now last week we saw that Jesus was innocent. The Jews could not pin an accusation on Jesus.

Pilate found Jesus faultless. Herod had nothing with which to charge Jesus. He was innocent. He was sinless. He lived a perfect life. He did nothing that would deserve any kind of punishment, much less the death penalty. But Jesus says, Father, forgive them. He doesn't deserve anything like this. But he says, Father, forgive them. They're wrong. What they're doing is wrong.

It's completely wrong, but Lord, forgive them anyway. It's pretty radical that Jesus would be able to have this kind of heart towards those who beat him, who mocked him, who ridiculed him, who rejected him, who nailed him to the cross. But he says, Father, forgive them. And as we seek to take up the cross to follow Jesus, we need to follow his example. Forgive those who have hurt you.

Just like Jesus did. He forgave those who hurt him. And Jesus was innocent. Listen, we're not innocent. I remember a story from Pastor Romaine. He was the assistant pastor to Pastor Chuck Smith for many years. And he was telling the account of one time when a guy came to him. So this guy comes to Romaine and he's all upset.

He's hurt, he's offended because this other person was saying some slanderous things about him. And Romaine says, oh, well, what's he saying? And so the guy says, well, he's saying this and he's saying that and he's telling them, I'm like this and that. And Romaine tells the guy, that's what you're upset about? You're way worse than that. That's the reality that we often forget, isn't it?

We get all upset because people said something about us and they don't even know the half of it. We're way worse than what they say, than what they know. I always deserve worse than what I receive. I never receive what I actually deserve. I deserve worse treatment, worse punishment. I deserve worse. But we forget that. We forget that we hurt people too. And so we get all worked up as if we're innocent like Jesus does.

But we're not. But here's the thing. Let's say you are innocent and be like Jesus and forgive those who hurt you. Remember that you deserve much more, much worse. So forgive those who hurt you. Remember also that all sin ultimately is against God. Remember David as he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Then to try to cover it up, he murdered her husband.

When he was confronted with his sin, he records his response, his repentance in Psalm 51. And he says there in Psalm 51.4, he says, He says, He says,

Although people sin and you get hurt, understand that ultimately their sin is against God. And so our heart needs to be like that of Jesus. Again, we need to have some perspective in this. Yes, we're hurt. Maybe we think we don't deserve to be treated like the way that they're treating us. But neither did Jesus. And so we could say like Him, with Him, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. They're blind.

They need help. They need a Savior. Father, forgive them. Paul the Apostle tells us in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32, to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you. Think about that. How has God forgiven you? What did it take? Did you have to run lots of laps and make up for all the things that you did wrong? How did He forgive you?

He forgave you before you even knew that you needed forgiveness. He died upon the cross. In the same way that God has forgiven you, forgive one another. Forgive those who have hurt you. And so we see through these verses, through these three points, what it looks like to take up our cross to follow Jesus. It means to be like Him, to die to ourselves, and to let others bear our burdens.

That requires some vulnerability. It requires for us to be open and to share and to let other people help us in the areas that we struggle and suffer. But that's what Jesus did. Let others bear your burdens. Let other people in. Let them help you. That's what the body of Christ is designed to do. As we seek to take up our cross and follow Jesus,

We also need to weep more for the lost than for ourselves. Yeah, we have struggles. Yeah, we have issues. Yeah, we have painful things. But we need to keep the perspective and remember, eternity is at stake. And there's a lot of people who are not ready. And what they will endure, what they will suffer, is far worse than what the Jews experienced in the siege of Jerusalem.

So we need to be concerned and have a heart and ask God to change our heart that we would love and care for those who are lost. And finally, as we seek to follow after Jesus, as we seek to take up our cross to follow Him, it means we need to forgive those who have hurt us. This morning we are going to partake of communion together. Communion was given to us by Jesus as a reminder of what He accomplished for us.

He gave us the bread. He said, this is my body. It was broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. He gave us the cup. He said, this is my blood, which is shed for your sins, for the forgiveness of your sins. As often as you drink it, he says, do this in remembrance of me. He gave us this communion that we partake of as a reminder because we tend to forget and we need to be reminded.

of what Jesus did. Specifically this morning, to be reminded of what it means to take up the cross. What it means that He bore His cross to die upon the cross for us. To die for our sins and to take our place. This morning, I would ask you to prepare your heart and remember Jesus that you would be ready to partake of communion. And listen.

As you remember Jesus and reflect on who He is and what He's done, if God's been speaking to you this morning about letting other people bear your burdens, then during this time of communion, express that to the Lord. As you receive the communion, you're saying to the Lord, yes, I receive what Jesus did for me upon the cross.

And so if you're a believer in Jesus, partake with us this morning. If you've never believed in Jesus, you've never made that decision to follow Him, then I would encourage you to partake this morning and receive the elements as they're passed out and partake of them and say, Yes, Lord, I believe that You died upon the cross for my sin and I receive Your forgiveness and I desire to follow after You, to take up my cross to follow You. And if He's been speaking to you specifically about letting others bear your burdens, then

then as you spend time with Him and as you partake together, let it be your commitment to the Lord, yes, I will let others in. I will bring them around me and I will allow them to help me. I will be vulnerable that we could operate as the body that you've designed us to be. If the Lord has been speaking to your heart about weeping for the lost, maybe you need to be reminded of that perspective. That as you prepare your heart for communion,

Ask God to do that work in your heart. To show you, to open your eyes, that you would see the real condition of people around you. That you'd be able to care for their soul. Care for their eternal condition more than your temporary condition. And if there are those that have hurt you and it's really been bothering you, it's been tearing you up, maybe you've been holding on to it for a long time. Listen, now's the time.

As you hold those elements and remember what Jesus did for you, how he has forgiven you, you take this time to forgive, to let go of those burdens, to let go of those offenses and say, Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do. So the worship team, Lester and Melissa, are going to come back up and lead us in a few songs. As they do, the ushers are going to pass out the bread and the cup.

And during any time during the worship, you are free to partake just between you and the Lord as you reflect on Him, who He is and what He's done. Whenever you're ready, whenever you're ready to say, Yes, Lord, I receive your forgiveness for myself. I receive your work upon the cross. And I want to take up my cross to follow you. Whenever you're ready to say that, and whatever that takes, and whatever that means for you and your condition,

at any time during the worship, just go ahead and partake between you and the Lord, receiving what He's done and deciding to follow Him. At the end, they'll give you an opportunity if you haven't partaken to partake. And we're just going to worship the Lord together. And so they're going to pass out the bread and the cup and feel free at any time. You spend time with Jesus and partake with Him, receiving what He has done and deciding to follow Him. Let's worship the Lord.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.