30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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Luke 23 26-43 THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS 02 Luke 23 26 Fulfilling God’s purpose
📖 Luke 23:26-43
Sun 12Dec 2021 – Fulfilling God’s purpose - Luke 23:26-43 - THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS (02) - Bible reading: Luke 14:26-33
It is a joy and privilege for us to fulfil God’s purpose. God has a call for each of us and He desires for us to accomplish His purpose. When we surrender and trust Him, He reveals His purpose for us and we can be one with Him as we align to His call.
Luke 23:26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
The first lesson that we learnt from this incident was that to carry the cross is to die to ourselves. The self in us must be identified with Christ on the cross. This is the heart of being a disciple of Jesus. We can no longer live for ourselves.
What is the second lesson that we learn from this incident?
Simon was coming from the country to the city of Jerusalem for a purpose. Suddenly, he was picked up by the soldiers and he was compelled to carry the cross for Jesus. Simon’s purpose was altered by force, not of his choice.
This is the second understanding of carrying the cross. Carrying the cross of Jesus is to now accomplish God’s purpose in life and not ours. To carry the cross of Jesus is to, willingly, have Jesus as our only purpose in life and nothing else.
Luke 9:24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
If we take a step back and look at our lives, we are all busy accomplishing our own purpose in life. Not only are we busy with our own purpose, we even give it a spiritual gloss and we expect God to back us up as we pursue our own goals in life.
We know and God knows that we never sought God, to know His purpose for our lives.
The cross symbolizes that our purpose in life is Jesus. All our aspirations and pursuits in life are in Jesus. He gives us our purpose. He has chosen us with a call, which was decided for us before time began.
II Timothy 1:9-10 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, (10) but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
God’s purpose for us is entwined with His purpose, which is to reconcile all of creation back to Himself. Within God’s overarching purpose, He has a call for each of us. We are called by God, even before time began, so that we will complete our purpose, in our generation, which will complete His large canvas.
Luke 9:25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
What use is it if we have made a name for ourselves in this world but did not fulfil His purpose for us?
Following the purpose of God for our lives is to take a stand that we will not be conformed by the ways of the world.
Luke 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.
When we live in this world, according to the purpose of God, the world will laugh at us and say that we are being foolish. Will we be ashamed that we are openly fulfilling God’s purpose for us?
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
This is not about hating our loved ones. The pressure to conform to the world will often come from those closest to us. It is to let them know, firmly but with humility, that we will follow God’s purpose for us.
Luke 14:27-32 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (28) For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— (29) lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, (30) saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' (31) Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? (32) Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.
To carry the cross is to fulfil God’s purpose. To follow the purpose of God for us will involve a cost and so it is important to count the cost to follow God’s purpose. It is important to count the cost and then, with all willingness, fulfil His purpose.
Luke 14:33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
In the eyes of the world, it will seem as though we are forsaking everything but that is what it means to carry the cross. We are now fulfilling God’s purpose.
Thought to ponder
I have accepted to carry His cross. There is no turning back.