March 10, 2010 — Fourth Midweek Lenten Service
“The Purpose of Bearing A Cross” — Pastor Lassman
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My Fellow Redeemed in Christ,
In our Lenten series on bearing the cross we have heard "what it means to bear the cross"; that "every Christian bears the cross"; and last week we heard about "the right attitude toward bearing the cross." In his letter to the Romans the apostle Paul tells us that all things work to the good for those who love God. Included in this "all things" must be the bearing of our crosses. Indeed, this is what the apostle Peter tells us in his first letter: "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of our faith---more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire---may be found in result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1: 6, 7, ESV) In these words Peter tells us the purpose of bearing a cross.
I. God lets us bear the cross so that our faith might be strengthened and purified.
A. Peter compares carrying our cross with the process of purifying gold. Now gold doesn't come in nice, neat gold bars. Gold is dug out of the ground. And because it is dug out of the ground it's not pure. It is mingled with dirt and rocks and other worthless materials. So the gold, which is very valuable, has to be separated from all those other things that have no value at all. Indeed, unless these worthless things are separated, even the gold has less value. The process of separating the valuable gold from the other worthless materials is known as "smelting." So chunks of earthy materials containing gold are put into hot furnaces and the gold would be separated from the worthless material-- leaving only the "purified" gold. But this precious gold came about only because of the intense heat.
B. You probably know what's coming don't you? And so it is with our faith in Jesus Christ. Peter compares smelting gold with purifying our faith. Of course, our faith is more important than gold. Not all the gold in the world can buy us a relationship with God or forgiveness or eternal life. Only in Jesus Christ can give us a relationship with God, the forgiveness of our sins, and eternal life in the resurrection from the dead. And he did it by shedding his blood for us as Peter says in his first letter: "knowing that you were ransomed...not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.... (1:18, ESV) And because faith is so valuable it is important that it be strong. A strong faith is a faith that has been tested. A strong faith is a faith that has been purified of doubt and weakness. And this is where cross bearing comes in. Suffering for Jesus, suffering as a Christian is the fire that purifies our faith, tests our faith. Cross bearing makes us
stronger Christians. For as we suffer our faith in Christ will either become weaker or stronger.
II. This is why cross bearing, suffering for Jesus is a part of God's plan for us. It is why every Christian bears the cross.
A. For as we suffer for him we are forced to depend on God and his promises. When our Lord Jesus went to the cross to suffer he had to depend on his heavenly father's promise that on the third day he would be raised from the dead. Jesus was able to get through his cross only by trusting in his father's promise. This is what the author of Hebrews says: [Jesus] who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising its shame." (12:2, ESV) Jesus had no where to turn, but to the promise of his father. To pick up our cross and follow Jesus means that in the midst of suffering we too depend only on God's promises. Bearing our cross also destroys our pride and any sense of independence from God. Suffering keeps us dependent on God and his grace and mercy. The great apostle Paul had many reasons to be filled with spiritual pride. But God sent him his own cross to bear to keep him humble as he says in his first letter to the Corinthians: "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited." (12: 7, ESV) And so we see that the cross not only keeps us humble and dependent on God, but also drives us to prayer. In the garden of Gethsemane, facing his cross, Jesus was driven to prayer. When we bear our cross we despair of our own powers and abilities and look to God in prayer---and in the process our faith is purified and strengthened.
B. And as we pick up our cross and follow Jesus our lives become more focused on what is really important. Our crosses help to get our priorities straight. In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul says it like this: "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (4: 17, ESV) In order to live a life that is pleasing to God we must have our priorities right. Bearing our crosses help us to understand that the unseen spiritual things are more important than the earthly, material things that can be seen. And so bearing our cross makes us more like Christ. For when we suffer for him God is treating us as his children, training us to be children of God as the author of Hebrews says: "It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons.... For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (12: 7, 11, ESV)
Conclusion: Why then does God let us bear a cross? What is the purpose of bearing the cross? To make our faith stronger, to train us to be children of God, and live for him. We should not underestimate the value of our faith---and that it is a strong faith. Two days remind us why our faith in Jesus is the most important thing have in life? The day of our death...and the judgment day. On these two days our money will not help us, our car will not help us, our house will not help us---only one thing will separate us from eternal life and eternal damnation: faith. Faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus will only be concerned about one thing: did we have faith in him? For only through faith in him will we receive "praise, glory and honor." Nothing else will matter. Only faith in Jesus. And so in love God purifies our faith with all kinds of trials and tribulations. For this is the purpose of bearing the cross---to prepare us for the day we that die as well as for the day that we stand before Jesus. And on that day we will be more than thankful for all the crosses that God used to purify our faith in him. Amen.
