Take up your daily cross

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. Luuk 9: 23,24.

Jesus Christ taught us that we should take up the cross daily, so that we would follow Him. This is a fundamental aspect of our Christian life: the Cross and the following of Jesus Christ. Now we will examine what the cross and the following of Jesus Christ means in practical life.

Accusation and rejection

Before Jesus Christ was taken to Calvary, He was declared guilty and condemned to death. Religious leaders of the Jews and the authorities of Rome together condemned Jesus to death. Incorrect accusations were levelled against Jesus Christ, and with those accusations Jesus Christ was sentenced to death. Incorrect accusations caused the rejection of Jesus and His gospel. The religious world rejected Jesus Christ because Jesus didn’t obey the traditional rules of the Jewish religious leaders. The government of Rome rejected Jesus because Rome didn’t want to give up the empire which had been built through sin.

You are the disciples of Jesus, and you don’t want anymore to walk the path of sin. You, who are the disciples of Jesus Christ, can’t be greater than your teacher. Because of that, you also will be condemned and declared guilty by society because you are rebellious against the prevailing “normal” thoughts and life style. For that reason, society rejects you, since society is under sin. The societies of this world reject you, because they consider it strange when you don’t want  to go with them to the mud puddles of sin, and this can also cause them to curse at you. The Word of God teaches that we are blessed if we are insulted for the sake of the name of Christ Jesus, and because of that, the light of God rests upon us. Mockery and rejection is usually the payment, which the disciples of Jesus get from this world.

The religious world rejects you if you don’t agree to live according to the religious traditional rules. The religious world treats you today just as it treated the Lord Jesus.  They accused Jesus and said that He was the head of Beelzebub. They accused Jesus, saying that He worked by the power of Beelzebub and they also said that Jesus is a false prophet.   If you don’t agree to behave yourself according to the religious traditional rules, so they will also mock you and accuse you of heresy.

Whipping of your flesh

After it was announced that Jesus Christ was sentenced to death, he was whipped with a multicore whip. The whip had small and sharp stone or metal bits attached, and sometimes even sharp bits of glass. The purpose for the whipping was to hurt someone very badly. When sharp metal bits hit the skin, they tore it. From the marks of the whipping and after such treatment, the body was covered all over from blood.

The people of this world also whip you, sometimes even with a proper whip. The people of this world whip you also on a bad word and on bad works. The whip of this world is sharp, and it is directed towards you so that it would hurt you. The real disciple of the Lord Jesus can’t avoid the whip of this world as it is directed towards your flesh. This whip rearranges your flesh, it wants to shape you and attempts to get you to feel hate and bitterness, so that sin could destroy you.  Bitterness and hate are sins and sin always destroys the man.

Public mockery and shame

Jesus was condemned and forced to carry His cross to the execution place. The carrying of the cross was a public event, and a large crowd had gathered beside the route where the condemned had to carry his cross. This event, where the condemned walked towards the place of execution, was a public event, which all the people saw. 

The Bible teaches that the disciples of Jesus are together with Jesus, crucified to this world. You, who are the disciple of Jesus, you can’t be a follower of Jesus in secret. Jesus taught that His disciples should take the cross in their daily lives. Do you also admit publicly that you’re following Jesus Christ? The way of Via Dolorosa to Calvary meant death to  man. This journey aims to kill him who is carrying his own cross, because the task of the crucifixion is to kill the man. The cross of Jesus will also bring death to your flesh, because by that way the power of sin will be broken in your heart. Through the dying of your flesh, the Holy Spirit can rule you and protect you from sin, which destroys a man. 

Needle in your flesh and death

On Calvary, the condemned was set on the cross where his wrists and his ankles were pierced throughout with long and sharp iron nails. When those long and sharp nails pierced his flesh, it produced enormous pain. The nails held the condemned on the cross, so that he certainly would stay on the cross and die there. The condemned was forced to hold his body on the tree of the cross, because otherwise he would choke slowly. When the power in his muscles was at an end, he died on the cross.

The people of this world push their long and sharp needle into your flesh, which produces pain. The unbelieving world pushes into your feet their needle, and sometimes our believer sisters and brothers push their needles into your flesh. Do you understand, your task is not to crucify yourself, but the unbelieving world and your dearest sisters and brothers will do it for you.

Some believers often try to crucify themselves, but we have to understand that it isn’t our task. Someone can succeed in nailing his foot, but the hands remain not nailed. The most skilled of us can succeed to nail their foot and their one hand, but another hand remains free to swing the hammer of the flesh. All the flesh and the whole body must be nailed to the cross, so only this way death can occur. Also you must give all your flesh to the cross, both feet and hands must be nailed. Nailing is not our task, our neighbour and the people of this world will do for the nailing.

On the cross comes death. God wants your flesh to die, because in that way the Holy Spirit can rule your life so you can live a righteous life. On the cross, flesh can’t move. On the cross, flesh will stay silenced. On the cross, acts of the flesh will cease. Only on the cross our flesh will die. Also you have been crucified together with Jesus to this world and to the desire of sin, which influences this world. The Bible teaches us; the Spirit of God will give death to our flesh, so that we can live a righteous life. Without the dying of the flesh and dying of sins, there is no Spirit-filled life. The Holy Spirit can rule only dead flesh. If, in your life there is no real power of God, which appears as a holy and righteous life wherein dwells the love and truth of God, so then you are not dead to your flesh and its desire, but you are a slave of sin. And if we can’t experience the power of God, so at least some area of our life is not under obedience of faith, but is walking after the flesh and its desire. Belivers dying of the flesh means sinful nature, which must die and not physical death.

Resurrection power

After Jesus died and was resurrected, He rose up to the right-hand side of His Father. This is an example to the disciples of Jesus Christ, when the flesh dies to the sins of this world, then the power of the resurrection is open to us.  Without the death of the flesh there is no resurrection power. Once a Korean friend of mine preached about the power of the resurrection.  He took from his pocket a ball and showed it and said: This ball teaches us what resurrection power is. Then he dropped the ball from his hand. The ball dropped and fell until it reached the floor, where it started to go back up. This happens also to us, when we follow Jesus. We must first grow downwards, that we can grow upwards with the Holy Spirit. That kind of growing will take us towards the likeness of Jesus Christ.

God really desires that we deny ourselves all sins, which affects in this world. If you are ready to refuse and abandon sins in your life, so by that way you will find real life, which is full of righteousness and holiness of God. You don’t need to try to die yourself with your own power, because the Spirit of God will have an effect in your flesh, so that your flesh will accept to die away from sin. By that way God gives you power to keep away from sin. You don’t need to die alone, and remember Jesus died before you. You don’t need to die alone because the Spirit of God is with you and will help you, so that you can die to your flesh and to its sinful desires. The Spirit of God will help you to walk in cleanliness and holiness and a righteousness life. 

Step by step towards the death of the flesh

During the time of the old covenant, burnt offerings were given, which was and is an example regarding the death of the flesh. The burnt offering was dismembered into small pieces, which then were burnt completely on the burnt offering altar. The feet and internal parts of the burnt offering animal were washed by pure water before burning. Clean water is analogous to the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Through the death of the flesh, the heart becomes pure and when the heart is pure, so then our walk is clean and pure. I believe that the burnt offering animals’ internal parts and feet, which were washed in pure water, is an example of this: it describes a pure and righteous life through the influence of the Holy Spirit and word of God. God is merciful, God don’t want to put your flesh to death completely at once, but only piece by piece will He put your flesh to death. Nobody can stand the complete burning and dying of flesh all at once, that’s why God, in His large grace and in His great love, put your flesh to die piece by piece and also in the right order. This right order is important, because only God knows the right order of things, which you must put away as children of God. The life of faith is growth, where God purifies you from sins and God matures us through the Spirit and word, that we deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and that we can live discreetly and righteously and godly in this world.

Your journey to “Calvary“ where your flesh dies also consists of small steps. First you will be taken to be whipped, as also Jesus was whipped.  Then you can publicly carry your cross and be the target of mockery and blasphemy of all people. Then they will pierce your flesh with long and sharp needles, and after that your flesh is nailed on the “cross”. After your crucifixion your flesh doesn’t run away. The nails and cross makes your flesh so weak that it dies. After the death of your flesh, you can live in the real life with resurrection power. God is merciful. Come to that way where your flesh dies step by step. Don’t be frightened. The Spirit of God is with you and actually He does all the work, and you are only the receiver of what the Holy Spirit will affect in you. The way of faith is only for weak and little disciples. The strong and proud disciples can’t own the power of God because strong people don’t want to become so weak that they don’t want their flesh to die along with their sins. So, come you, who are weak in your own power and follow Lord Jesus, because Jesus has prepared the way for you. Come, and follow Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is strong in those who are weak in their own power.

Joy in the Lord is your strength

The power of the Holy Spirit will bring real joy and peace to our lives. The life, which is ruled by the Holy Spirit has joy and peace. God is only strong in the weak ones, only the weak who agree to die to their flesh and to the desire of sin can feel joy in the Lord. The death of your flesh is not a dark matter but it will give your life real joy!!!.

Forgiveness and salvation

Through Jesus’ crucifixion and His resurrection, the forgiveness of sins is actualized.  All falsity, which was made against Jesus is forgiven by His death and resurrection. 

Do you want the gospel to conquer the hearts of the people??? If you want this, you only have one way and alternative, which is the way of the cross. When you are whipped and nailed to the cross and then you want to forgive all which was done to you, then you are the kind of disciple who can be of use to God, to win sinful people to the kingdom of God. Only these kinds of disciples, who accept the death of their flesh, can win souls to the heavenly kingdom. A man who is ruled by his flesh hasn’t got the ability to win over the desire of sin, how then could he win the sinning people of this world to Christ Jesus???

Satan knows that the kind of believer who is ruled by his own flesh is harmless and not a dangerous believer. For that reason, Satan tries to scare you and tries to prevent you from walking the way of the cross, which also leads you toward the resurrection (in other words, the power of the Holy Spirit). Do not listen to the enemy, but believe God and set your hope on God. 

The Bible teaches us that the gospel is preached for obedience to faith. Without the death of the flesh, the Holy Spirit can’t rule the believer in the righteous life. Without death of the flesh there isn’t obedience to God.

There is no obedience in the flesh; only the Holy Spirit brings about obedience to God within you. Do you give permission so that the Holy Spirit can and may affect in you obedience to God? When you are obedient to God, so then the lovely fruit of the Spirit of God can spread a pure and lovely smell to the environment where you live. Preach the gospel and live your life in the power of the Spirit of God. By that way you give also to others the possibility to take part in the lovely garden of the Lord, where grows lovely fruit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, friendliness, kindness, loyalty, and self-restraining.

It is the work of God if we believe Jesus and follow Him and if we take our daily cross. The taking of the cross is not an once-in-a-lifetime matter, but we must take our cross daily and let it bring death to our flesh. Jesus urged us to the cross every day. Believers have to face the temptations of sin every day and that’s the reason why we must take up our cross every day. The Holy Spirit will influence us every day so that our flesh will die away from sin. Remember! God affects us so that His good will can happen in our lives. Our death to the flesh and the power of the resurrection is the work of God, which he brings about in the lives of Jesus’ disciples. We can’t live in the Holy Spirit without the great grace of God. By this grace we are saved, not by way of ourselves!!! Do we agree to this grace of God???

We are saved from the grace of God, that anyone shouldn’t boast, because salvation is the gift of God. But God didn’t save us to make and live in continual sin, but the life, which is according His will. We are not yet come perfect like apostle Paul said: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”

The life of faith is growth. Step by step, little by little we learn more from God. And by that way we can die ourselves more and more. God has given for us the Holy Spirit as helper, because we can’t deny ourselves by our own power.

The cross of Jesus is the source of the forgiveness of sins and place of salvation. And the cross which Jesus urged us to carry doesn’t bring us to salvation, but our daily cross brings us to a mature walk so we can walk a pure life according to the will of God.

Petri Paavola from Finland