There is More to the Story: Embracing the Way of the Cross

There is More to the Story: Embracing the Way of the Cross

Last week we talked about the Empty tomb - how Jesus embraced and chose to go to the cross for humanity. The resurrection was God's validation of Jesus' sacrifice, but there is much more to the story that we will unpack over the next few weeks. Jesus doesn't just invite us to believe in His cross; He invites us to carry our own.

"What do you mean, Pastor?"

The cross symbolizes more than just the historical event of Jesus' death. In the first century, it wasn't a piece of jewelry or a religious symbol – it represented complete surrender, deliberate sacrifice, and a radical rejection of worldly values.

When Jesus said,

Luke 9:23 NIV

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

He was calling us to a fundamentally different way of living. The cross Jesus carried wasn't just for our salvation – it was a demonstration of the upside-down kingdom values that should characterize our lives too. There is more to the story than just what Jesus did for us – there's what He's calling us to do in response.

Central Idea:

The Cross-Shaped Life: Choosing to lose the world's way to win God's way.

Prayer

Have you ever found yourself caught in that nagging feeling of "never-enoughness"? That persistent sense that no matter what you achieve, acquire, or accomplish, something still feels missing? You're not alone. Today, we begin a journey exploring a tension that's unique to Christians but resonates with the human experience universally.

The Two Ways Before Us

Let's start by examining a pivotal moment in Jesus' life. Matthew 4 and Luke 4 tell us that Jesus faced three temptations while alone in the wilderness. The third one is particularly revealing:

Matthew 4:8–9 NIV

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Luke adds that the devil said:

Luke 4:6–7 NIV

And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

This doesn't even sound like a temptation, does it? It sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime! Who would say no? Be honest—do you turn down promotions? Raises? Bonuses? Better opportunities? Of course not! We're wired for progress and achievement.

But Jesus saw something we often miss. He recognized that what was being offered wasn't just kingdoms—it was a particular way of ruling, a mindset of "might makes right" where power and dominance define success. And His response was revolutionary:

Matthew 4:10 NIV

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

What Jesus rejected wasn't achievement itself—it was achievement defined by the world's terms and values. As John would later write:

1 John 2:16 NIV

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Our Daily Temptation

Every single day, we face this same temptation. It's so subtle most of us don't even recognize when it's happening. We're tempted to abandon the counterintuitive way of Jesus for the familiar patterns of worldly success.

I'm a natural-born striver. Perhaps you are too. For some of you, striving has been a matter of survival, not just ambition.

As Proverbs 14:23 acknowledges,

Proverbs 14:23 NLT

Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!

The challenge is that we can easily think we're following Jesus while actually adopting the world's operating system. Paul warns us in:

Romans 12:2 NIV

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

We wear crosses, we sing worship songs, we pray—but our fundamental approach to life, success, and relationships remains unchanged. James puts it bluntly:

James 4:4 NIV

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

We ask God to help us win at the world's way of doing things rather than operate in God’s way of doing things.

There Better Way Forward

The good news is that Jesus offers a better way! As we say often, practicing the ways of Jesus is better. Following Jesus will make you better at life—not because it makes you more successful by worldly standards, but because it introduces an entirely different kind of living.

Jesus himself promised:

John 10:10 NIV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

This way won't make you less effective—it will make you "better effective." As Paul writes:

Colossians 3:23–24 NIV

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

It won't squelch your ambition—it will redirect it toward kingdom purposes.

Philippians 2:3–4 NIV

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Paul, who lived on both sides of this equation, understood this better than anyone. Before encountering Christ, he weaponized his religion with a clear conscience, persecuting Christians in the name of God. But after meeting Jesus, he could find nothing in Jesus' teaching to justify violent opposition to those who opposed him.

Instead, Paul embraced what he called "the way of the cross." He declared:

Galatians 2:20 NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Writing to the sophisticated, achievement-oriented Corinthians, he said:

1 Corinthians 1:17 NIV

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Do you hear the jarring contradiction there? A king... whose power comes through a cross? In the first century, this made no sense. Crosses represented defeat, shame, and powerlessness—not victory. Yet Paul insisted that this upside-down way actually contained supernatural power.

Practical Application: The Challenge to Choose Loss

So how do we begin living this cross-centered life? Let me give you a practical challenge for this week:

In moments of conflict or disagreement—whether at home, work, or school—ask yourself this question:

"What would choosing to lose look like in this situation?"

Jesus taught us:

Matthew 5:38–39 NIV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

What would it look like to actually live this way?

Matthew–Mark (5) Overcoming Evil with Good (5:38–42)

“turning the other cheek” may be applied daily in terms of selfexposure to the insults, misunderstandings, resentments, or other harm as one tries to relate redemptively or constructively to others

What would it look like to let the other person win an argument, even when you're right? To let someone else take credit, even when it belongs to you? To defer rather than dominate? As Paul instructs,

Philippians 2:3 NIV

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

There's a profound difference between losing and choosing to lose. Losing happens to you; choosing to lose requires intentionality and strength.

Jesus said,

Mark 8:35 NIV

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

In fact, it requires what Paul calls "resurrection power"—the same power that raised Christ from the dead. As he wrote to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:19–20 NLT

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

When you see someone truly choosing the way of the cross, it stops you in your tracks. It's so unusual, so counterintuitive, so otherworldly that you can't help but notice. That's the kind of life Jesus invites us into.

Looking Ahead: The Journey of Cross-Centered Living

Over the next few weeks, we'll unpack what this cross-centered life looks like in practice. We'll explore:

Being with Jesus.

Before we can carry His cross, we must sit at His feet.

Like Mary, who "sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said" while Martha was distracted with preparations (Luke 10:39-40)

We'll discover how His presence shapes our perspective on power, success, and significance.

Becoming like Jesus.

The cross doesn't just change our behavior—it transforms our identity.

We'll examine how cross-shaped thinking renews our character from the inside out.

Doing what Jesus did.

Finally, we'll look at how cross-centered principles translate into everyday actions and decisions that reflect God's upside-down kingdom. As John writes, 1

1 John 2:6 NIV

Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Conclusion

As we wrap up this morning, I want to end with the verse we all started with this morning.

Jesus said,

Luke 9:23 NIV

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

This isn't about occasional sacrifice or periodic self-denial. It's about a daily decision to choose a different way of living—one that runs counter to both culture and our own natural tendencies.

This way will always feel risky. It will never feel intuitive.

1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

But it's the path Jesus walked, and it's the path He invites us to follow.

Let's pray.