Rock Family Church of Morgantown WV
X Marks the Spot
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  • King Jesus
  • The cross is the Opposite of the manger
    Manger - Jesus arrival to earth - point of entry
    cross - departure from earth - point of departure
    the cross symbolizes the ultimate surrender of a person’s life to the will of God
    crucifixion— attaching a living person to a wooden stake until he dies
    Roman crucifixion:
    The victim was tortured by various means.
    Precrucifixion Torture
    Racked, whipped, mutilated, forced to watch his wife and children tortured, before burning his eyes out.
    ​
    The victim carried his crossbar to the place of crucifixion.
    The victim was impaled by nails through his hands to the crossbeam.
    The victim was dragged by the crossbeam upward to the top of the wooden post or tree and his feet nailed to it.[1]
    If left alive, the victim became prey to birds feasting on his flesh, especially the eyes.
    Sometimes the victim was covered in tar, then burned alive
    Any human remains of the corpse became food for wild dogs and other scavenger animals
    ​
    The forms of the cross
    A capital “I” - A vertical stake with no crossbeam - hands are tied above head
    A capital “X” - or St. Andrew’s cross.
    A capital “T” - or St. Anthony’s cross. – a vertical stake with a beam on top
    A lower case “t” - or Latin cross - a vertical stake with an intersecting beam, on which our Savior died.
    the cross represents disappointment to man - but glory to God
    when they saw that Jesus was crucified, the Apostles thought all hope was gone for them - when hope has just started for us all!
    ​

    I COME to the cross – Jesus is SAVIOR

    - I’m AT the Cross – survey it
    looking at Jesus on MY cross - Jesus died for me - in my place - substitute = salvation
    · Commitment to Christ
    · Jesus’ role = Savior
    · My role = I am a BELIEVER
    · Close - cross is before me – I survey it – I discuss it – I think ABOUT it – I read devotions about it – I write books and songs ABOUT it
    · My initial relationship with Jesus is new. All I know at this point is that Jesus died for my sin, but I don’t know anything about Him, especially his requirements of my life
    · Commitment – one way – from God to me – He gave all and I receive it all
    · Distance - at arm’s length – just getting to know Him
    When Jesus asked the disciples “who do you say I am”? Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. After Jesus congratulated Peter on His revelation, Jesus immediately tells them the ultimate cost that He was about to pay.
    ​
    Mark 8:31–33 NLT
    31 Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. 33 Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
    ​
    Most people end here – say a prayer, have an experience, but then go their own way
    but there is much farther to go

    I CARRY my cross – Jesus is TEACHER

    Take up my cross. Follow Jesus with His
    · After Jesus rebuked Peter, he explained that He is the FIRST to die to His own will, not the last
    ​
    Mark 8:34 NLT
    34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
    ​
    · Jesus rebuked Peter for exactly this reason: he wanted his own way.
    · Like so many other Jews, Peter wanted Jesus to overthrow the Roman government.
    · Imagine his shock when Jesus prophesied the exact opposite!
    Mark 8:35 NLT
    35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.
    ​
    You do not take God on your terms. God takes you on HIS terms. Therefore, you take God on HIS terms.
    Mark 8:36 NLT
    36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
    ​
    · The soul contains the person’s WILL. What good does it do the claim Jesus as savior but live your own life? We are not our own, we have been bought with a price – on the Cross!
    Mark 8:37 NLT
    37 Is anything worth more than your soul?
    · By looking at the state of the carnal end time church – it seems that way to many.
    · Many ignore God’s call to follow Him, they would rather God follow THEM and bless their plans.
    Mark 8:38 NLT
    38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
    ​
    I have DECIDED to follow Jesus – no turning back
    cross = participation
    Greater commitment
    Relationship – I am now a DISCIPLE. I DISCIPLINE my body, soul (will) and spirit.
    Closer - cross is now ON me
    ​
    Jesus is Teacher or leader – we go where HE goes! Where does Jesus go with His cross? To Golgatha!
    Why do we carry a cross? To die on it
    ​

    I’m ON the Cross – Jesus is LORD

    Self – crucifixion - death to self
    Greatest commitment
    Gal 2:20 crucified with Christ - co crucified
    Galatians 2:20 NLT
    20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
    ​
    Living sacrifice - Rom 12
    Jesus is LORD
    Closest to the cross possible - impaled to it - cross is IN me
    Relationship: I am a SON
    John 21:17–19 NLT
    17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep. 18 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
    ​
    Peter – crucified upside down
    ​
    HOW THE APOSTLES DIED.
    https://www.usfra.org/groups/ChaplainsCorner/blogs/how-the-apostles-died
    1. Matthew. Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, Killed by a sword wound.
    2. Mark. Died in Alexandria, Egypt , after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.
    3. Luke. Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost.
    4. John. Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered From death.
    John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve As Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully
    5. Peter. He was crucified upside down on an x shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die In the same way that Jesus Christ had died.
    6. James. The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club.
    This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.
    7. James the Son of Zebedee was a fisherman by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry.
    As a strong leader of the church, James was beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial.
    Later, the officer Walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and Knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.
    8. Bartholomew. Also known as Nathaniel. He Was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.
    9. Andrew. He Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony.
    His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words, "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it". He continued to preach to his tormentors For two days until he expired.
    10. Thomas. He Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Subcontinent.
    11. Jude. He Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
    12. Matthias. The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot. He was stoned and then beheaded.
    13. Paul. He Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire.
    ​
    Easton, M. G. (1893). In Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (p. 167). Harper & Brothers.
    ​

    The battles of the Cross

    Offense - Gal 5:11
    Persecution - Gal 6:12
    Enemies of the Cross - Phil 3:18-19
    ​
    ​
    Irony - Why die? Co- crucified
    Jesus died for our sin
    Will - I die to my will for His will
    Jesus was crucified for my soul
    I am crucified to my will - flesh
    Flesh - I crucify the flesh to walk in the Spirit
    Die completely - Die to self
    Die daily
    Died to world - Galatians 6:14-15
    Although the cross means the end of me – but also the new beginning for Him IN me
    I must die to truly live - kernel to produce
    The cross ends the frustration of living half me and half Him. My Flesh fighting His Spirit.
    ​

    Result / Raised with Him

    Forgiveness - FROM the cross
    1 Cor 1:18 - wisdom and power
    Ephesians 2:16 - reconciliation with Jews. Antisemitism is only cured by the cross of the King of the Jews!
    The farther from the cross, the greater the hatred
    Encouragement - Hebrew 12:2
    ​
    Hebrews 12:2–3 NLT
    2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
    ​
    The first Greek letter of Jesus’ name is “chi”, written as an “X”

    Call to Action: Follow the Lord Fully

    What areas need crucified?
    Renew your commitment today!
    ​
    [1]Fiensy, D. A. (2016). Crucifixion. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.

      • Mark 8:31–33NLT

      • Mark 8:34NLT

      • Mark 8:35NLT

      • Mark 8:36NLT

      • Mark 8:37NLT

      • Mark 8:38NLT

      • Galatians 2:20NLT

      • John 21:17–19NLT

      • Hebrews 12:2–3NLT

Rock Family Church of Morgantown WV
web@rockfamily.org
304-292-1128
https://rfcwva.faithlifesites.com
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