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 ave you ever wondered why Cain did not obey God after He spoke directly to Cain after he offered his offering? Genesis 4:1-15 tells us that sometime after Adam and Eve sinned and were removed from the Garden of Eden, both Cain and Abel offered a sacrifice to God. Cain offered some type of fruit or vegetable, and Abel offered an animal sacrifice. But God rejected Cain's offering and accepted Abel's. Cain responded in anger and so God visited him, warning him to not give into his anger. Verse 8 says that Cain even told his brother that God approved of Abel's offering and not his own. I wonder, why did he do that? Why share your unhappiness with your brother? Was he looking for a fight? Did he want an apology? What was his goal? Cain's response is surprising. He eventually rejected God's warning and murdered his brother, suffering the result. It is obvious that Cain was self-centered and very proud. How would you have responded? This study, is about self-sacrifice. As you read this study ask yourself, "How will I respond?" Background. In our last study, Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of man is?" The disciples thought and gave Jesus several answers. Then He asked, "Who do you say that I am?" And Peter said, "You are the Christ." Jesus was the Messiah - the Christ. One would think that truth would have been thrilling and motivated the disciples to do whatever He asked. Then He surprised them by predicting His death and resurrection. It is obvious that they did not like that message because Peter responded by rebuking the Lord. Did Peter miss the fact that Jesus had predicted He would return to life? Or, did Peter only see that his Messiah would die and maybe that was unthinkable? Did He only see the pain, or was the whole scenario just unacceptable? Jesus responded by rebuking Peter,
Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's. Matt. 16:23 (NASB) Jesus' rebuke must have been a shocking disappointment to Peter. How would you have responded if you had been Peter?
Come, Deny Yourself. In the opening verse of this study (Matt. 16:24-27; Mark 8:34-37; Luke 9:23-25) Jesus continues with an incredible statement to His disciples,
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." Matt. 16:24 (NASB) Jesus had used similar words earlier in Matthew 10:37-39. Here is the passage,
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. Matt. 10:37-39 (NASB) When Jesus said that "he who does not take his cross and follow Me," He was referring to individuals who are not actively "taking" and "following." That is, a person who is not willing to actively take his cross and follow Jesus is not worthy of Him. Jesus was not talking about picking up a cross one time in our life, but on every day. In Luke 9:23, Jesus said this,
And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23 (NASB) The gospel accounts indicate that when Jesus was moving toward the place of His death, Golgotha or the "Place of a Skull," apparently He was not able to carry His cross. Consequently, the Roman soldiers enlisted a man named Simon of Cyrene (Luke 23:26) to drag Jesus' cross to the place of His death. That's the picture Jesus is painting of denying ourselves It is picking up the cross and dragging to our death. Jesus is saying that we need to be so decide to die to ourselves and move towards that end. Start dragging that cross and continue until you reach the Golgotha God has for you. Did you see the word "daily"? That means dying to ourselves every day. Unlike Cain, we are to deny ourselves daily and follow Jesus.
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| Life & Heart of Jesus | |||||
