ALL BELIEVERS HAVE A CROSS TO BEAR

Proclamation:

“A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.  They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means ‘the place of the skull’).”  Mark 15:21-22 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Mark as he received it from the apostle Peter.  Mark begins this chapter with the “trial” of Jesus before the Sanhedrin council and then before Pilate. (Mark 15:1-15)  After Jesus was flogged and scourged, beaten and bleeding, the soldiers mocked Jesus before they led him out to be crucified. (Mark 15:15-20)  As Jesus struggled to carry the cross to Golgotha, the soldiers picked a man out of the crowd and made him carry the cross.  Jesus was weakened from the scourging that He had received earlier and perhaps Simon was picked because he looked strong.

Application:

The Bible does not record why Simon was chosen to carry the cross.  The fact is that he literally carried the cross for Christ.  Earlier, Jesus had said to His disciples, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23)  Let a man deny his sinful, ungodly, worldly, lustful self and be prepared to endure rejection, persecution, and suffering if he wants to be a disciple of Christ.  The song writer said, “Must Jesus bear the cross alone, and all the world go free; No, there’s a cross for everyone, and there’s a cross for me.”  (Words from the song, “Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone” written by Thomas Shepherd)  As believers and followers of Christ, each of us must quietly submit and carry his own cross.  In order to walk the Christian walk, we must put Christ before self.  Our faith, our belief, and our resolve will be tested. (James 1:2)  However, we should not worry about any of the things that we must suffer through (Revelation 2:10) for there is a reward for all those who endure to the end. (Matthew 10:22 and James 1:12)

THE LAST SEVEN SAYINGS OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS

Proclamation:

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Luke 23:34

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”  Luke 23:43

“Woman, here is your son … Here is your mother.”  John 19:26-27

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  Matthew 27:46

“I thirst.”  John 19:28

“It is finished.”  John 19:30

“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”  Luke 23:46

Explanation:

After He had been beaten, scourged, and mocked, Jesus, The Christ, was nailed to a cross in a place called Golgotha.  While on the cross, He prayed to His Heavenly Father and asked Him to forgive them.  Then He briefly ignored His suffering to offer salvation to one of the criminals who was being crucified beside of Him.  He also took the time to provide for the care of His earthly mother.  He suffered physically and mentally and cried out in a loud voice while He was on the cross.  When He had finished all that He had to do, He gave up His spirit and died.

Application:

Jesus, The Christ, was chastised, beaten, bruised, scourged, wiped, wounded, and crucified for our transgressions and iniquities. (Isaiah 53:5)  We are all included in the people that He prayed for His Heavenly Father to forgive because we made it necessary for Him to pay the price for our sins, and to take our place and suffer the punishment we deserved.  He was considerate and concerned for others even while He was suffering.  He who was without sin, took on the sins of the world, and paid the price for our sins, past, present and future. (John 1:29)  He suffered and gave us His life for us.  We should remember that, and how He suffered, especially when we take communion.  The good news is, that is not how the story ends.  Three days later He conquered death and rose from the dead.