Philippians 2:8
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
The cross is the symbol of Christianity. It symbolises the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour. It represents the suffering, public humiliation, the shaming and the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul boast was in the Cross of Jesus, Galatians 6:14
14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel neither was he ashamed of the cross of Jesus.
Over and over again Jesus calls His disciples to deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow Him. Jesus was clear about His followership, who ever wanted to follow Him had to deny self and pick up the cross and follow Jesus. The way of discipleship is the way of the cross.
Luke 9:23
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Mark 8:34
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Matthew 10:38
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Luke 14:27
27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
During the time of Jesus when you carried a cross you were heading to the place of crucifixion.
When Jesus called His disciples to carry their Cross daily and follow Him, He was saying to every follower of His to be prepared to give up earthly comfort and be ready to bear earthly discomfort.
Unfortunately, we have completely denied and taken our focus of the Cross.
The Christian walk is a daily battle against sin, against doubt, against, self, the flesh, power and principalities.
In order live an effective Christian life we must deny ourself and daily carry our cross. Jesus carried His cross and He encourages us to carry ours. Every believer is called to the place of death, carrying the cross signifies a daily death to self and sin.
A cross carrying believer declares himself dead to the world and crucified with Christ.
Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 5:24
24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
A cross carrying believer denies himself of worldly pleasures and its affections and sets his affection on Christ, by declaring what Paul said in Romans 6:6-7
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Martin Luther in one of his sermons had this to say about the cross.
“For where God’s Word is preached, accepted, or believed, and bears fruit, there the holy and precious cross will also not be far behind. And let no one think that we will have peace; rather we must sacrifice all we have on earth–possessions, honour, house and farm, spouse and children, body and life. Now, this grieves our flesh and the old creature, for it means that we must remain steadfast, suffer patiently whatever befalls us, and let go whatever is taken from us.”
We must whether we like it or not return to the cross, a return to the cross will give us a better understanding of why Jesus asked us to deny ourselves and carry our cross daily. The Hebrew writer knew it would not be easy, so counsels us to look at Jesus our saviour who endured the cross and its shame.
Hebrews 12:1-2
12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
There is a reward foe every cross bearing Christian.
