May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again...Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8:31,34)

In Christ' name and to his glory, dear friends: Of all the Christian symbols the cross is most familiar to us. I doubt if there is a home among us that does not have many crosses displayed in pictures, as wall hangings, or in jewelry. It's just because it is so familiar that there is a danger that the cross becomes commonplace. The cross has the central point of focus in our place of worship. But how many of us came in this morning, looked at it, and thought of what exactly the cross is meant to bring to our memory? Crosses are to remind us of the bitter price of our rescue from sin. Someone else made amends for my guilt before God. Jesus did on the cross. The empty cross, as many of ours are, is to remind us that suffering for sin is over; it is finished. Guilt is gone, and there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. It is good that the cross is prevalent and prominent. I think this is evidence that what Jesus speaks about today God has quietly and safely tucked away in our hearts - THE CROSS IS A MUST. It is simply impossible to be in God's family without it. Let's look at the "must" of the cross. May Jesus send us his Holy Spirit.

The word "must" appears twice. Once it speaks of the necessity of Jesus' cross and the next time it speaks of the necessity of our crosses. First let's ponder the necessity of Christ's cross.

Jesus says the first must about his own cross: The Son of Man must suffer many things... Why? - Because this was God's plan all along. He devised it before Adam and Eve fell into sin. He announced it immediately after sin came into the world. He repeated it countless times to Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, Isaiah, etc. He described the atoning sacrifice long before it would happen. For example - Isaiah 53. The Savior would be numbered with the transgressors, be pierced for our transgressions, etc. It must happen because God promised it. Why must it be? - Because God is love. He had described himself as the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God. (Exodus 24:6) God could not, cannot act inconsistent with what he has told us about himself. The Son shared that burning love for sinners, that same divine attribute, and so he must go. It was the divine plan and it must be carried out.

Jesus' cross was unique. Never has anyone carried such a cross, nor need anyone else. He would suffer, be rejected, be killed. This others had done before. Christ's cross was unique though, first, because this man was unique. This man was God. And as different as God is from man so different was this GodMan's death from ordinary man's death. This cross, this death, was as payment for sin. God presented his Son as a sacrifice of atonement in his blood, Paul explains in Romans 3. After that suffering would come the victorious resurrection of which Jesus also speaks. But that victory would come only after the cross, better the victory would come only together with the cross. The cross was part of the victory package. So the cross was a must so the victory could follow.

Satan knew victory came only after the cross so he set out very quickly to sidetrack Jesus. The temptations like the ones in the wilderness never really stopped. Why go through all the pain, Satan said again and again...you can have the victory without the cross. He was lying again, of course. He is the father of lies. (John 8:44) He even enlists Peter's help. Peter wants the victory without the cross. Peter tries to dissuade Jesus from Jerusalem and the cross as if the cross was not really a must. We see here that sinful man is weak - he faints at the thought of the cross. Sinful man is impatient - he wants the victory and glory now. The thought of waiting a little while for heaven is too much for him. The thought that the cross may be part of the victory is beyond his sinful, natural reason.

But notice again how the cross was a must for Jesus. What joy to see the resolute, almighty Jesus sticking to the must of the cross no matter who tries to stop him! We're like the people at Jesus time (Luke 8:26f), harassed by demons and helpless until this great One for whom the cross was an absolute must walks into our lives. He is stronger, greater than Satan. He is stronger, greater than our own weakness. Scripture says, And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)

Now this man for whom the cross was a must speaks more to us - this time not about his cross, but about ours. The Gospel says, Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me...". Ah, another must, this time for us.

This is a different cross than the one Jesus carried. Remember, his cross was unique - the GodMan taking on himself the guilt of the world's sin. Our crosses are not punishment for our sin. Satan would like us to think so, but our crosses are not punishment. Jesus sacrificed for sins once for all when he offered himself. (Hebrews 7:27) Our crosses are the difficulties that come to those who know and believe that Jesus cross pays for sin. The cross is the trouble that God lets Satan send into our lives, as in the story of Job, just because Satan identifies us as one of God's children. Our cross is the ridicule we might receive if we dare to say something is wrong/right in the sight of God. Our cross is the daily struggle to believe that we are God's sheep and lack nothing even though we feel forgotten or neglected. Our crosses are like badges of faith signifying that we have, as Jesus says, "denied ourselves". This is not the popular idea of self-denial as when, for example, someone gives up chocolate for Lent. Note closely: deny "self", not deny "something you like." To deny self is to know and believe that I, myself, my effort, my work, cannot save me from my sin. To deny self is to look outside myself - to my Savior and his cross - as my source of forgiveness, hope and peace. When God convinces you and me of that, then automatically comes the cross, as Luther said, "Like smoke follows fire."

Our cross, as I said, are not like Jesus' cross in that our crosses do not pay for sin. Our crosses are like Jesus' cross in that they are a "must." Satan tempts Christians just like he tempted Christ. He plants the good-sounding idea that the cross is not a must. That God is asking too much. He would have us forget that the eternal victory follows the only-for-awhile cross. But when we give up the cross we give up what follows, the victory. If we have fire, we must have the smoke.