How to Help Others Escape Life’s Pressures
Follow Jesus…
1/ deny yourself
daily reject your desires
2/ take up your cross
daily embrace your cross
3/ vigorously follow Jesus
“follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me]”
Each of Us Is Given a Uniquely Designed Cross To Draw us Closer To God…
1/ When you take up a ministry given to you by Jesus for which you will die for
– when you deny yourself, you reject your carnal response to your cross
– if this includes dealing with unreasonable people, you cry to God for wisdom and understanding when He delivers you, you then can help others respond rightly to similar situations
2 Corinthians 1:4-5 THE MESSAGE
He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort — we get a full measure of that, too.
2 Corinthians 12:15 THE MESSAGE
I’d be most happy to empty my pockets, even mortgage my life, for your good.
2/ when you accept a task greater than you can accomplish
– if you picked up a cross you can carry, you picked up the wrong cross!
– determine to see insurmountable obstacles as opportunities to cry out to God
3/ When you completely submit to God-created authorities
– Roman soldiers whipped Jesus and commanded Him to pick up His cross
– “Whoever… resists the power, resists the ordinance of God.” Romans 13:1,2
4/ When you respond to ridicule with rejoicing
– Jesus was treated worse then a criminal
Matthew 5:11-12 THE MESSAGE
“Not only that — count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens — give a cheer, even! — for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
5/ When you experience pain and hardships while you give away life
2 Corinthians 4:7-12
If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us — trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us — he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!
Each of Us Is Given a Uniquely Designed Cross To Draw us Closer To God…
Romans 8:13-14
For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Ephesians 4:1-13 THE MESSAGE
In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk — better yet, run! — on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline — not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.
But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. 8 The text for this is,
He climbed the high mountain,
He captured the enemy and seized the booty,
He handed it all out in gifts to the people.
It’s true, is it not, that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth? And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.
Every Christian is called to deny themselves, pick up their cross, and follow Jesus…
Matt 28:20 THE MESSAGE Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you.
1/ everyone has the same mission – “go make disciples”
2/ everyone has a different ministry [servant work] according to the gift Christ has given them
3/ everyone is expected to follow Christ by obeying his commands
Christ Commands Us To Provide For And Protect Others [love] – Starting At Home
1/ Christ demands that you cross a line – from being a taker, or energy receiver [deny self]
2/ Become a giver, and energy giver, a life giver
3/ We start with the idea of honor
4/ Honor Father, then the Son
John 5:19-23 NKJV
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Honor = to estimate, to fix a value to something that belongs to us or is related to us, to revere and venerate
– involves praise from the lips
– the same word used to honor God [Father and Son]
– honor to parents
– honor to widows, the king
Leviticus 19:2,3 NKJV
“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
Honor Through Obedience
Matthew 15:4 GW For example, God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother must be put to death.‘
Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
– As our fear of God grows so will our reverence for those He placed over us
– Disrespect is the opposite of honor
– honor = humbling yourself before God given authority and expressing devotion with appropriate gift
Show Honor Through wisdom
Prov. 10:1 NKJV
A wise son makes a glad father, But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
– bar mitzvah = 13 years, “a son of the commandment”
– obedient to parents & God
– When you think you are strong and self-sufficient remember your early years when you were weak and totally dependent on the care of your parents
– honor to earthly father is an expression of the honor we show the Heavenly Father
– When you think you are strong and self-sufficient remember your early years when you were weak and totally dependent on the care of your parents
– honor to earthly father is an expression of the honor we show the Heavenly Father
Honor with respect when parents become old
– lift off their financial, social, and other pressures
– Remember Jesus condemned the Pharisees for refusing to financially support their parents [Corban, a gift to God, Mark 7:11]
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