Who will make it to your cross?

Introduction To Valley View Missionary Baptist Church and Rev. A.L. Pens:

First, allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude to Valley View Missionary Baptist Church for inviting me here tonight. Your church is not just a landmark in Abilene but a beacon of hope, strength, and spiritual nourishment, particularly in North Abilene. Your legacy of faithfulness and community impact has left an indelible mark on this city.

To Pastor A.L. Pens, thank you sincerely for extending this invitation. Pastor Pens, you are more than just a respected leader; you embody dignity, humility, and unwavering devotion to Christ. Your life and ministry have inspired me personally and countless others to pursue a deeper commitment to God. Truly, I aspire to reflect the character and dedication you display so consistently. Thank you for your sacrifice, your steadfast leadership, and your tremendous contribution to the Kingdom of God.

I also want to warmly acknowledge and express deep appreciation to the members of Church on the Rock, Abilene, who have joined us tonight. Your presence is not only an encouragement to me personally but also demonstrates our unity and fellowship within the Body of Christ. Thank you for making the journey and supporting this moment of ministry.

Sermon Introduction:

•     Tonight, I want to ask who made it to your cross.

•     Who was not detoured by your Pain?

•     Finally, I would like to ask, who were you pulled through to give comfort to?

Who Will Make It To Your Cross?

John 19:25–27 NKJV

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

1. Everyone who shows up for your party won't stand with you in your Pain.

•     Remember Jesus fed 5,000 men plus women and children in John 6:1-14?

•     Remember another time when He fed the 4,000 plus women and children in Matthew 15:32-39?

•     How do we know they are different times?

•     I lost an argument just like this once. Feeding the five thousand left 12 baskets of food left over. The feeding of the four thousand had seven baskets left.

•     The feeding of the five thousand took place near Bethsaida. The feeding of the four thousand took place In the Decapolis.

•     Remember in Luke 17:11-19 how ten lepers were cleansed, but only one returned to say thank you?

•     Remember when the disciple Peter said he would never run if the rest ran?

Matthew 26:33 NKJV

33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

•     Do you remember that Peter, a disciple of Jesus who thought he was tougher than tough, was not tough enough to stand up to a servant girl in the high priest's courtyard? 

Mark 14:72 NKJV

72 A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.

•     Jesus' highest number of disciples recorded in the gospels is 72. ( As recorded in the English Standard Version)

Luke 10:1 NKJV

1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.

•     The Lord Jesus fed thousands, healed untold numbers, And raised the dead.

•     He had 72 disciples, and several times, He had to move away from what the bible simply calls multitudes or crowds.

•     However, when it came time to do the work of the cross, only four women and a young man came to the cross. From thousands to a handful of people.

•     Of the thousands of people who The Lord touched, the 12 that He walked with, only one of them made it to the cross, and the youngest of them at that!

•     Many of us, if not all of us, have experienced being abandoned.

•     We have been abandoned by friends. The family has abandoned us. The Church family has abandoned us.

•     We have been passed up in the name of popularity. We have been passed up for promotions that we have earned. We have been abandoned.

•     However, if we take a step back for a moment and look around, we will see that it is not about who is not here but who is here.

2. When you have been delivered, you can not be detoured.

Luke 8:2 NKJV

2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,

•     Of the people who made it to the cross was Mary Magdalene. In the scripture I just read, we discover that she had been delivered from seven demons.

•     While others were worried about their lives, she was not. Why? Because she was delivered!

•     I don't know about you,  but like Mary, I am so glad He delivered me. 

•     When you have been delivered, you know what the Lord has done and you know his power. You also remember the Devil and His lies and the bandage that he deals in. When you have been delivered you know the power of God is greater than the power of the Devil.

•     Like me, she had no life before Jesus was no life at all, in fact with seven demons, life was tortured life. When God delivers you like that, what can men do to you? Nothing!

•     She came from an area known for the "Vegas lifestyle," and she may have been a practitioner of the oldest profession in the world.

•     The lifestyle of sin and the suffering that comes from darkness, she was likely a reject from polite society.

•     I have been through some times like this, and I will tell you it took me a while to realize that I can't focus on those who left I need to focus on those who are still here.

•     We need to forgive… Even though Peter denied Jesus and the rooster crowed in John 21, Jesus restored Peter. Some people leave and never come back. Some people are gone for a season and then come back, and we need to be able to forgive them.

•     We have talked about relationships. People who did not stay and those who have. Now, let's talk about the one we are called to.

3. Sometimes, we go through it because God has someone to get to.

John 19:26 NKJV

26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”

•     Even in the process of the redeeming the world, Jesus was keeping the law, and showing us how to act.

Exodus 20:12 NKJV

12"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 5:16 NKJV

16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

•     Here, we see Jesus giving the responsibility of His mother to his youngest disciple. Jesus had other half-brothers of the flesh, but he gave the care of his mother to the youngest of His disciples.

•     This leads most bible scholars to believe that Mary was a part of the Church.

•     Where are these women standing here because she was  The Church Mother? Did she walk with them in the ways of Godliness?

1 Timothy 5:2 NKJV

2older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.

•     So, when The Lord calls John to care for his mother He calls John to a blessing.

James 2:5 NKJV

5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

Proverbs 19:17 NKJV

17He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.

•     The Lord is calling us through the struggle so that we have something to give too those who are struggling.

2 Corinthians 1:7 NKJV

7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

•     This is why in this pre-Easter revival meeting we have the opportunity to refresh and refill.

•     some of us are stuck in a place of bitterness because we will not let the Holy Spirit comfort us.

•     He is calling us today to healing.

•     He is calling us to freedom.  

•     He is calling us to forgive those who have wounded us.

•     He is calling us to himself: we don't need whatever we think we need from the ones that hurt us; we don't even need what we need, Jesus. We need to allow the comfort of His Holy Spirit.

•     When we receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit, you will have a supply to minister from.

•     That ministry may happen before you leave tonight, or the Lord may want you to walk in victory for a while before He releases you into ministry. He would have you have some experiences so that you could glean from that wisdom.  

Conclusion:

•     Would the worship team please come at this time as we call the Church to heal, forgive, and refresh?

•     If you felt wounded by what you thought was being deserted, Please allow the Holy Spirit to Heal you tonight.

•     Are there people who stayed through the cross you did not expect? Have you considered investing in those who invested in you.

•     Have you thought about who God has called you to. God wants to minister to people who need what you have.