THE CROSS WE BEAR — PART TWO

What Has To Die?

Primary Text: Mark 8:34

Supporting Text: Romans 6:6–14

SERMON QUESTION

What has to die?

Last week we asked, “Who gets the final word?” If Jesus is truly the Christ, then He gets the final word. If Jesus gets the final word, something in us has to stop demanding it.

Mark 8:34

“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Jesus is not calling us to hate ourselves. He is calling us to surrender anything in us that competes with His authority.

1. SELF-RULE MUST DIE

“Let him deny himself.”

To deny self means to renounce self’s claim to be the ruling authority of our lives.

The issue is not that we have desires, feelings, opinions, or plans. The issue is whether those things are allowed to govern us instead of Christ.

Questions to Consider:

Where do I resist being told no?

What happens when Scripture confronts something I want?

How do I respond when I am corrected?

How do I respond when God’s plan does not match my timetable?

A feeling can be real without being righteous.

A desire can be strong without being sovereign.

A plan can be reasonable and still not be God’s direction for me.

Self-rule dies when our desires, plans, and opinions are brought under the authority of Christ.

2. SIN’S REIGN MUST DIE

Romans 6:6

“Our old man was crucified with Him...that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

Romans 6:12

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body.”

Christ has already broken sin’s rightful mastery over the believer.

Paul is not telling us to defeat sin so that it will eventually lose its authority. He is telling us to live in agreement with what Christ has already accomplished.

Sin may still speak without having the right to reign.

Temptation may still be present without being your master.

An old habit may still call your name without owning you.

The presence of temptation does not mean temptation still has authority.

Romans 6:11

“Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Questions to Consider:

What old response keeps trying to give me orders?

Does anger govern the way I speak?

Does pride prevent me from apologizing?

Does bitterness continue to control how I respond to people?

Does fear have more influence over my decisions than faith?

Because we belong to Christ, sin no longer has the right to rule us.

3. SELECTIVE SURRENDER MUST DIE

Romans 6:13

“Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

To present ourselves to God means placing ourselves at His disposal.

God is not asking for the parts of our lives that are easy to surrender. He calls us to present ourselves to Him.

It is possible to surrender some areas of life while protecting others.

We can worship God and still refuse to forgive.

We can serve in ministry and still resist correction.

We can be faithful in one area while allowing another area to remain untouched.

Selective surrender is still self-rule.

Questions to Consider:

What area of my life am I still protecting from God?

Is there a relationship, habit, attitude, ambition, or desire I refuse to surrender?

Do I trust God only when I understand what He is doing?

Do I surrender my plans to God, or do I simply ask Him to approve them?

Anything that competes with Christ for governing authority cannot remain on the throne.

PERSONAL APPLICATION

What has to die in me?

Is it pride?

Is it the need to control every outcome?

Is it bitterness?

Is it the need to always be right?

Is it the need to be recognized?

Is it the need for everyone to understand me?

Is it a desire I have decided God must approve because I feel it strongly?

Even good things can become ruling things when we ask them to give us what only Christ can give.

THIS WEEK

Ask God to reveal the area of your life that is still trying to rule you.

When He reveals it, do not defend it, excuse it, or compare yourself with someone else.

Bring it to Him.

We do not deny ourselves in order to earn salvation. Jesus has already accomplished the saving work.

We surrender because we belong to Him.

Part One: Who Gets the Final Word?

Part Two: What Has To Die?

Next: Is Jesus Worth the Cost?