Bring Your Cross to Jesus

10/01/2023

Introduction: Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

This is an incredibly powerful verse. I dare say that there is not a Christian in this church that does not want to follow Christ. TO be able to do so, we must take up the crosses in our lives and take them to Jesus.

There are many crosses that keep us from following Christ, emotional, physical, and financial crosses, and many people pray about picking up those crosses, but they never bring those crosses to Jesus. What happened on the Cross of Calvary? Your sins were nailed there never to brought up again. The same thing will happen if you bring your burdens to Jesus. He will take that cross from you.

Many Christian people are being destroyed by the world because they just simply for whatever reason not do what Jesus said to do. They will bring something to the altar, but instead of leaving it there, they pick it up and take it back to their pew with them. Dear friend, Jesus did not do that with my sin. My sin was nailed to the Cross never to be brought back up again, and I am telling you by the power of God’s Word that if you will bring whatever it is that is bothering you to the Cross and leave it, you will not have to be bothered by that Cross anymore.

Today, we are going to look at something in Paul’s life that almost destroyed him, but he won the victory over the situation, and we are going to use this from God’s Word to show you how you can win the victory too.

I. GOD’s PEOPLE ARE MISINFORMED ABOUT TROUBLE

Did you know that sometimes, even we that have come to church most of our lives, we think the Bible says things that it really does not say? Now, I believe every word in the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit. I believe every word in the Bible is true.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

The literal translation is that all Scripture is God-breathed. The Scripture is the breath of God. Now, we have some jokers and squirrels running around today saying things like the Bible is progressively inspired meaning the New Testament is more inspired than the Old Testament. Those same jokers and squirrels say the Bible is partially inspired meaning the intent is inspired and not necessarily the words.

Well, I am telling you they are exactly what I called them, jokers and squirrels, like squirrels, they are acting like the nuts they chase after.

The entire Bible is God-inspired, every thought, word, letter, punctuation, and intent come from the breath of God. It is called plenary inspiration.

Sometimes, however, we think the Bible says things it really does not say. Do you want some examples?

“Jimmy, the Bible says He will help those that help themselves.”

The Bible does not say that. As a matter of fact, God helps those that cannot help themselves. Do you know how I know this is true? Can you save yourself?

What about this one?

“Jimmy, God will not ask you to do the impossible.”

I will be honest. This might be the dumbest statement ever made. Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth.” That’s a lot to ask of a man that had been dead for 4 days. Right or wrong?

Sometimes, we just think the Bible says things that it just does not say. Some of the things we think the Bible says are very hurtful because those things lead a hurting Christian to being misinformed about what God’s Word says. Can I give you an example? I am sure you have said it. I know I have.

“God won’t put more on you than you can bear.”

“Jimmy, I have heard that my whole life. My grandma taught me that while she was dipping snuff and rocking in her rocking chair on the front porch.”

With all due respect to grandma, the Bible does not say it. God will put more on you than you can bear. When I saw my mother lying dead in that bed at the med, that was more than I could bear. Most Christians believe the Bible says God won’t put more on you than you can bear because of 1 Corinthians 10 : 13, but I want you to pay careful attention to what the Bible actually says.

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

The verse is talking about temptation and not a life situation

Temptation is an enticement to do evil, and you can never say that you could not help it when you sin because that verse clearly states that the Lord will provide a way to escape the temptation.

But dear friend, temptation and trouble are two different things. We are not talking about temptation. We are talking about trouble. We are talking about picking up our cross daily and following after Jesus. Dear friend, I want you to know the trouble in your life is real, and I want you to know that God will put on you more than you can bear, but He will never put more on you than He can bear, and I know that because that is what is word says.

II. THE REALITY OF TROUBLE

Did you know when you were saved that God did not give you a get out of trouble-free card? Did you know that? God’s people are not exempt from trouble. We are not exempt from bad things. (Job 14:1)

JOB 14 : 1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.

Can you think of another way to get here other than being born of a woman? Because that’s how we come into the world, it is just a matter of time before we experience trouble.

Talk about trouble. The very second a baby comes into this world he gets smacked by some doctor or nurse. That’s trouble.

Trouble is very real for Christian people. The greatest Christian that ever lived, Paul, probably experienced more trouble than any other Christian has ever faced. (2 Corinthians 1:8)

Usually, Paul would write in the Bible what his trouble was.

He told us in Acts 14 : 19 that in Lystra, they dragged him out of the city and stoned him and left him for dead. He tells us that on 5 occasions that he was whipped with the scourge with 39 lashes. Paul tells us in the NT that he was beaten with a rod on 3 different occasions. Paul frequently described the trouble that he endured and faced, but in 2 Corinthians, he faced a situation that he dared not to describe.

2 Corinthians 1:8 8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

You can read the Bible from cover-to-cover 235 times, but you will never find what Paul faced in Asia, but whatever it was in Asia, it was awful. He just says, “I want you to know that the trouble we met in Asia was real.” We have all been there. We are going to face, or we are facing real trouble, and what might seem insignificant to someone else is far from insignificant to you, but dear friend, there is light at the end of the tunnel for you.

God’s people are not exempt from trouble.

III. THE INTENSITY OF TROUBLE

We come to a little interesting phrase.

2 Corinthians 1 : 8

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure,

In that day, donkeys were used for many different tasks, but chief among them was transporting goods back and forth. The little donkeys could carry heavy loads. Now a little donkey would stand in one place while someone kept piling on the weight.

The little donkey would not buck as he was being loaded. The little donkey would not bray as he was being loaded. The little donkey would just sit there doing what God created him to do, but eventually, after piling on so much weight, the little donkey’s legs would begin to splinter, and they would begin to crumble, and then he would fall to the ground because he had been crushed by the weight of the load.

That’s what it means to be burdened beyond measure.

The trouble that came to Paul in Asia was so intense that it CRUSHED him.

Have you ever felt like you were being crushed?

And then Paul adds another interesting little phrase in 2 Corinthians 1 : 8.

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

Do you know what Paul was saying when he said above strength? Their energy and strength were gone.

Paul was saying that he and the members of his party had nothing else. What they were facing was above their strength. The trouble that came to them absolutely robbed them of their strength. They had nothing left. Paul and his company were totally spent. Their energy and strength were gone. Have you been there?

And then, he adds another interesting phrase.

2 Corinthians 1 : 8.

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

The word despair means to lose hope. Paul was saying that the trouble that came to them had crushed them. The trouble had robbed them of all their strength. The trouble had taken away their hope.

DO YOU KNOW WHY THAT LAST ADDED PHRASE IS SO IMPORTANT AND SIGNIFICANT? Because Paul is the Apostle of HOPE.

If I were to tell you that I have lost all hope, many of you would think that it is not a big deal, but when the Apostle Paul said he lost all hope that grabs your attention. Paul is the APOSTLE OF HOPE. Paul, in his writings, said more about hope than Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John combined. Paul wrote more about hope than Peter did. Paul said more about hope than Jesus Christ did. Every time you see hope in the NT, it is there because Paul wrote it.

The Apostle of Hope said the trouble that came crushed them, took away all their strength, and robbed them of all hope. Paul said it despaired us even to death. Have you ever been there?

Sometimes, trouble can come into a Christian’s life and absolutely beat you down. You are in total despair. You have tried everything, and it has been for nothing. Have you been there?

Sometimes, you will come to church just trying to find someone to love you. Someone to encourage you. And you share a little about your heartache and undoubtedly by their words, actions, or lack of attentiveness someone will say:

“YOU KNOW THE BIBLE SAYS GOD WON’T PUT MORE ON YOU THAN YOU CAN BEAR.”

You leave church feeling worse than you did when you came feeling like a loser. If God won’t put more on me than I can bear, I must be the worst Christian that has ever lived because I cannot bear it. Have you been there? Dear friend, YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT A LIE. God will put more on you than you can bear, and Christians need to understand what God’s Word says and stop being misinformed about what it says. How can I look at Linda and Donald and tell them God won’t put more on them than they can bear. How can I look at Vanessa and tell her God won’t put more on her than she can bear? How can I look at Colin and tell him God won’t put more on him than he can bear? How can I look at Marty Goff and tell him that God won’t put more on him than he can bear?

Dear friend, it is a lie, and you will not have to believe it anymore. God will put more on you than you can bear.

IV. THE PURPOSE OF TROUBLE

Why does God let bad things happen to his people? Why does God allow trouble into our lives?

It’s not hard to understand why bad things happen to bad people. It’s not hard to understand why bad things happen to drunks, addicts, thieves, murderers, and child molesters. Truth be known, many of us wish bad on those individuals. Amen? Many Christians, however, wonder why bad things happen to God’s people.

2 Corinthians 1 : 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,

Paul is summarizing verse 8. When he talks about how the trouble crushed them, robbed them of their strength, and left them without any hope. Paul is saying in verse 9 that it was as if God had passed a death sentence on them.

But dear friend, look what he says. We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves. They could not trust themselves. This trouble was so bad that it not only felt as if they had been given a death sentence, but they knew they could get out of it.

Are you in a situation where you feel there is absolutely nothing you can do? Dear friend, it is so easy to trust in ourselves.

“Jimmy, you mean the Apostle Paul, the great and faithful Apostle Paul, had a problem trusting in himself? That’s exactly what he said. RIGHT or WRONG?

Paul said God let trouble come into their lives, and it crushed them, and it took their hope away so they would stop trusting themselves. AMEN!!!!

Dear friend, are you ready to stop trusting yourself? Are you ready to stop trusting yourself? If you are, will you take up that cross and leave it with Jesus?

Do you realize that sometimes we need to get to the end of our ropes? Because it shows us that we need to stop trusting ourselves. God is waiting for you at the end of your rope. He has been there the entire time. He is there waiting. He has been there waiting for you for a long time.

As long as we trust ourselves, we believe we can fix it. God says try, but I am waiting for you.

When you come to the end of your rope, and you are just crushed, and you are just devastated. All strength gone. All hope lost. When you feel like you have been given a death sentence. You are right where God was waiting for you to get. Paul said we had this sentence of death so that we would not trust ourselves. Instead, Paul says this and if you don’t say AMEN and Hallelujah you need to check your pulse.

2 Corinthians 1 : 9

9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,

We are saved by a God that can raise the dead.

Do I need to say that again? He can raise the dead. And if He can raise the dead, he can raise you from the depths of your despair too. You see. It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about ALMIGHTY GOD!!!!

Some of you go home from church every Sunday. You have been here. You have given. You have listened. You have sung. You have forced yourself to smile, and when you get home, you are crushed, discouraged, and defeated. Beaten down because when you tried to share your burden, someone said God won’t put more on you than you can bear.

Dear friend, no matter how insignificant someone’s burden may seem to you, it is significant to them, and it is crushing them because they have been taught a lie. “GOD WON’T PUT MORE ON YOU THAN YOU CAN BEAR.” STOP IT!!!!

God will put more on you than you can bear, but He won’t put more on you than He can bear.

God will put more on you than you can bear. He will crush you, but dear friend, the truth is that He puts that on you so that you will reach out to Him, and dear friend, the long arm of God can reach a long way.

As long as you trust in yourself the pressure gets bigger, deeper, and stronger until you are crushed. But when you turn to God and say, “God it is just too big for me. I cannot handle it anymore.”

“Lord, it is just too big for me. I am not strong enough.”

“Lord, I cannot fix this. Lord, I am just going to turn it over to you.”

That’s when HE goes to work.

There’s an old hymn that I came across

It is called Leave It There:

If the world from you withhold of its silver and its gold,

And you have to get along with meager fare,

Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird

Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Leave it there, leave it there,

Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there;

If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out

Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Today, you can leave the Lord’s house free from all your burdens. Did you hear what I said? You can go home today with no more burdens. Just bring them to the Lord, and leave them at the altar, and I mean leave them there.

Do you mean if I bring my burdens to the altar, my problems will be solved? NO!!!!! It just means they will not be your burdens anymore. They will belong to God. You have not been able to do anything with them anyway. Why not give God a chance?

He will not put more on you than HE can bear. If the Lord is speaking to you, meet Him at the altar. He has been there waiting on you for a long time. Did you come with a burden? Are you burdened about a friend? Are you burdened about a family member? Are you burdened by a heartache from your past? Are you burdened about a situation? Whatever the burden is, you can be freed of it today if you will only pick up your cross and bring it to Jesus and leave your burden with Him.