Our New Testament reading. It’s nice to ease into new tunes. Our New Testament reading from Mark chapter six, we continue to look at Mark’s gospel. The panting gospel is called historically because it’s immediately and fast and fast moving, as Mark writes it. But before we hear from our text, let’s ask the Lord’s blessing upon it. Pray with me. Father, what a privilege, again, we have, we acknowledge, of being in your presence, Lord, sensing your smile upon us in Christ, in the grace of our Lord. We do pray and ask now, Lord, that you would come to us as we continue to worship. not as speakers, but as listeners, as we listen to the voice of our Lord Jesus, as he speaks to us from this, your word, from his word. And we pray that we would be conscious of his presence and authority and power and grace. We ask that you would draw us to him once again as individuals, but yes, as a church family as well, as we, that we might bring, be brought rather to kneel inwardly before him and love him. and love him more and love Jesus. In the love of Jesus, we pray that we may know that love today. And we may know for certainty that we are his loved ones. Father, we pray be with us now as we hear his word and we receive the preaching and all that you have for us. We ask it all in Christ’s name and all God’s people said, amen, amen. Mark chapter six, I’ll be reading the first starting with verse one to the middle of the chapter down to verse 29. Please give your full attention. This is the word of God from these three sections of Mark chapter six. Speaking of Jesus, he went away from there and came to his hometown and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue. And many who heard him were astonished, saying, Where did this man get these things? What is this wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joseph, and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own household. And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching. And he called the 12 and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. And he charged them to take nothing for the journey except staff, no bread, no bag, no money. in their belts, but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you, and they will not listen to you when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them. So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said John the Baptist has risen from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him. But others said he is Elijah, and others said he is a prophet like one of the prophets of old. But when Herod heard of it, he said, John, whom I beheaded, has been raised. For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, it is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias’ daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you. And he vowed to her, whatever you ask of me, I will give you up to half my kingdom. And she went out and said to her mother, for what shall I ask? And she said, the head of John the Baptist. And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter. And the king was exceedingly sorry because of his oath and his guests, he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. Well, the title of the sermon is A Cruciform Plan for Your Life, A Cruciform Plan for Your Life. And I’m sure you’ve heard at one time or another a different version of that saying, this particular introduction to the gospel that many people have and was popular. I don’t know if it still is in the past. And now it is this, the declaration that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. You’ve probably heard this, a certain method of street evangelism often it is used. And it’s a true statement. It’s a true statement depending on what you mean by wonderful, how that’s defined, what you mean by that, and to whom you’re saying this to. Because many in the West think a wonderful life is an easy life, a life without struggle, a life without pain, a life of prosperity, a life with no conflict or hardship. And when the promise from this introduction to Christianity conflicts with the very real hardships that certainly come when one comes to Christ, when this happens, there could be great disappointment and discouragement, not to mention that God alone knows to whom he will give faith. And for those who reject Christ in rebellion and hatred, life for them will be far from wonderful in the end. But the Bible tells us with certainty that everything that happens to us is working together for good and ultimately has a glorious conclusion. So in that sense, our lives are wonderful and they will terminate in the greatest wonder. And our passage this morning brings before us this question. As we think about this, as we hear this, as we reflect upon what we’re told from the culture and other voices, and that is what exactly is it that God has promised the Christian in their life? What kind of life should we as followers of Christ expect? What sort of trials, what sort of living should we expect? What sort of wonderful life should we be looking for? Well, this morning, as we look at our text, I want to look at one of the main themes that’s presented here to us. And I took it in these three sections because while there’s lots to draw out from here, I wanted to bring together what this section as a whole is meant to convey to us. One of the main themes that’s presented here is in the arrangement of the text, the construction of it. We come to Mark 6. In Mark 6, this first part of the chapter, is a section that many say is extremely confusing. And as you read it, it can seem kind of disjointed and random. Some scholars, some commentators on the theologically liberal side of things will say that it’s just thrown together randomly or redacted and jammed in with no certain order, no certain reason. Some say these three narratives are randomly plugged into the story, just sections with a little data here for us that’s not really connected to anything in the flow of the narrative. And maybe you thought that as we read these three. They seem to be three disparate points as you heard it this morning. But we know that’s not what happened. We know that the Lord doesn’t do that. He doesn’t give filler, and he doesn’t do things without purpose. This arrangement was given to us by the very Spirit of God. And so we need to ask, what is Mark doing? We’ve asked this throughout Mark. What is Mark doing here? Why are these stories placed here in this particular way, in this particular order, with this particular construction? Well, as we consider this part of the gospel this morning, we’ll see that it’s not indeed disjointed. It is not random. Rather, the text has something to speak to us as followers of Christ. So which sort of lives should we expect? What does God have for me in this life? It speaks to that. And what are our expectations and desires? And are they rightly focused in this life before the next? And one of the things that the Holy Spirit through Mark is teaching us by the narratives is that He’s showing us that because Christ is our Savior, and therefore we are united to Him, our lives will pattern His lives. Our lives will reflect His life. And that is a cross-shaped life. It’s a cruciform life. And we see this cruciform life in the rejection of Jesus, in the connection of the apostles to his ministry, in the connection of John to his sufferings, right? So we see the rejection of Jesus, and then the connection to the apostles, and then to John in his ministry and in his suffering. So let’s look at the first section in verses one to six. And the first thing we wanna see is this rejection of Jesus. And this is super straightforward. It’s this theme that’s clear to see here in the text. We see Christ coming from where he was to where he lived in the days of his youth, to Nazareth. And he comes as a grown man, as a rabbi and a teacher now. He’s there on the Sabbath day, and he started speaking in the synagogue. And the text says that the people are amazed at his teaching. They’re in awe. And it makes sense in a way. They think, how can he teach like this? He’s not trained actually as a rabbi formally. He’s trained as a carpenter. But he speaks with authority. He teaches the scriptures to us in a wonderful way. And then we see this move in two verses from astonishment and amazement rapidly turns to resentment and attacks. Verse two, he began to teach and many who heard him were astonished, saying, where did this man get these things? What is this wisdom given to him? And how are such mighty works done by his hands? And then verse three, is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, brother of James, and here are his sisters, they are here with us? And verse three ends, and they took offense at him. And in the end, that offense shows itself in unbelief. They refuse to acknowledge who he is and what his signs and wonders mean. They’ve grown up with him. And while he may do many wonderful works, many mighty works, and speak powerful words, they will not fall before him. They will not submit to his authority and the reality of who he is. And Christ responds how? He responds by saying, this doesn’t surprise me. A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household. And what is Jesus referring to here? He’s basically referring to what is borne out in all of the Old Testament. The whole Testament shows the scenario time and time again. The Lord raises up a prophet, and that prophet is rejected by his people. In light of this, Christ is saying, this isn’t surprising. This is what always happens in the history of God’s people. They reject the ones that God sent in rebellion and disbelief. They always reject the prophet from their own place. And then the text says, he could not do many mighty works there. This does not refer to his inability to do works there. It wasn’t as if he lacks the power, right, to do these mighty works. But this is connected to the purpose of the works, right? And what were those? What was the purpose for doing his works? It was to testify to his ministry and to his calling, who he was, the one who brings the salvation of God, the Messiah, who leads God’s people on a new exodus. And his signs were only signs to let the people know this has come. but they’d rejected his words. They’d already grown hardened in their unbelief, callous in their rebellion. So for him to do these mighty works before them would have come with a useless understanding and a useless interpretation. They would never interpret them rightly or believe because of them. So that’s what he’s saying here. It’s that he’s unwilling to do any mighty works there because of their unbelief. They would do no good. They would be no good. They would be wasted works. on eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear. They would be hardened in their unbelief. And we see this often in scripture, right? Again, as we are familiar with the history of redemption, God refuses to give a wicked and adulterous generation any sign other than the death and resurrection of his son, because it won’t change that calloused, hardened, stubborn heart of unbelief. And those signs would fall upon blind eyes. And it’s interesting how the text ends, this part of the text. It ends by saying, Christ marveled because of their unbelief. He marveled because of their unbelief. He’s amazed, he’s shocked at how deep and profound their disbelief is. And Mark has used this word often. in this gospel, even up to this point, marveled or amazed, right? And it’s always after Christ has done some work that testifies to his power, to his calling, to his identity as the Messiah, right? So when he heals the leper, it says, and the whole crowd marveled, saying, what kind of man is this that he touches them and they’re clean? Or at the calming of the sea, it says the apostles marveled. Who is this that even the winds and waves obey him? And when he raises the dead girl that we saw from last week or a couple of weeks ago, it says the whole crowd marveled at the power that he has. They’re amazed. They marvel. They marvel. They’re amazed time after time at the works of Christ. And now at Christ’s own people, at their unwillingness to follow him, it says he is amazed. He’s shocked. He marvels at the depth of their unbelief. God the Son in human flesh is astonished by the rejection of his own people. And with this, Mark is foreshadowing something. And that is that Christ has come to his own people in his own land, and they have seen his works, and they will not believe. And Mark tells us this is precisely what will happen to the whole of Israel. As the gospel goes forth, Christ will perform his works and make his announcements about the kingdom, but they will refuse to believe because of the ordinary nature in what they come. He’s just a man. We grew up with him. They see Christ, but they cannot see past the veiled nature of Christ in his coming. Who is this? We know him. He’s just a Nazarene. He’s just a man. He can’t be what he says he is. That option is off the table. and God’s people will ultimately harden themselves in unbelief and ultimately find themselves rejected because of their refusal of the one who came to save them. So this is the first thing that we see in this first section, the rejection of Jesus by his own standing for what will happen writ large in the nation of Israel. In verses seven to 13, we see this connection, this connection of the apostles to Jesus in his ministry. Christ calls them together, the 12, and he sends them out two by two. When he sends them out, he gives them authority, and he gives them specific instructions as they go. And notice the language that he says to them. He says he charged them, in verse 8, to take nothing for their journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. Very specific, the negatives and the positives here. And there are only two, right? It seems like a random list, but there’s only two things that he says to bring, a staff and sandals. Again, it seems random. We have to ask, why this list? What do these things mean? What is he trying to say here? Because at different times in redemptive history, for instance, in Luke and in Matthew, he gives them different instructions when they’re sent out, at different times. They’re given different lists of what to take and what not to take. And what Mark is telling us about this time period and what Christ is doing with his apostles, we have to ask, what is that? And when we think about it, There’s one other place in scripture where it talks about these things, where you see people being told to depart with these provisions. And of course, that’s in Exodus 12 that we read this morning. Again, Exodus 12, 11, he says to them on that Passover night, as part of the instructions, in this manner, you shall eat it with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Notice again, the only two things apostles are told to take are sandals and their staff. So in the same way, when Mark announced it in the beginning of the gospel, in verse 1, John the Baptist announces that the time has come, God’s Messiah has come, the time has come for God’s people to be led out into freedom. They’re being led on a new exodus, just like in the Old Testament. And Christ has begun to proclaim that message. And now he’s done doing so through his representatives. He’s done the mighty works that affirm that message. Now he’s saying to the disciples, to the apostles, you go out and give instructions that paint this picture for them. It’s Passover night for you. and you’re being sent out with the salvation of the Lord, the time of Exodus has come. And now you, just like me, are going to go out and proclaim this, this Exodus, this salvation of God, and perform works that prove that it’s real, that it’s here. Again, Christ has representatives now that he’s gone out in his name with his power and his authority. The apostles means the sent ones. And it’s the same word here, they are sent out. They’re apostling, if you will, proclaiming the same kingdom works of that same kingdom. All of this in order to display for Israel and beyond that the time of God’s deliverance, the time of God’s salvation is at hand in the messages, repent and believe as it was as Christ proclaimed it earlier. And Jesus warns his disciples, his apostles, that they also may be rejected when they go and he gives them instructions regarding this. And verse 11, shaking the dust off their feet is what you are to do if they don’t abide with you. And this comes from where? This comes from the customs in Old Testament times, right? And so the Jews, when they would walk through unclean territories, one of the things they would do as they left that unclean territory would be to take off their sandals and shake the unclean dirt off their feet because they’d been in an unclean place. Why? So when they walked into the Holy Land, they wouldn’t be bringing any of that uncleanness with them to defile the Holy Land, lest God bring judgment upon them. And this would what? This would proclaim to those people who rejected this message, by your rejection, you have announced yourselves unclean and under God’s judgment. You yourselves have done this. And so they’ve been prepared for this particular ministry by the Savior, by Jesus, the Messiah. And the important to see here is this representative nature of their mission. Again, they’re sent out. They’ve been sent out by Christ in his name, they begin in his power, and they do the things that Christ is doing. And we’ll see later, in verse 30, when they return, they come back amazed, and they tell them all that they’ve done. And they say, we were able to do these things that you have done. And they’re amazed. And that a kingdom is advancing now through representatives, and these representatives have his power. The apostles, the sent ones, are sent out, but they also have his problems. And that’s something of what we see next in this section, in verses 14 and following, this larger section, in this connection of John to Jesus and his suffering. this connection with John to Jesus and his suffering, and they are connected. Let me read verses 14 and 15. It’s interesting, the language that goes on here, it just picks right up, right? Verse 13, and they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. Verse 14, King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work with him. But others said, give other options. They said, he’s Elijah. And others said, he’s a prophet, like one of the prophets of old. But Herod says what? He says, no, this must be John, the Baptist from the dead, whom I beheaded. So right at the start of the story, before anything else, Jesus and John are connected in the minds of the people, right? Of the crowd and of Herod. They both offer this, they make this connection. and they should be connected in our minds as well. We need to take God’s word in faith, looking, asking for understanding, seeking the connections that are made there. And Mark fronts this for us in this section. He brings it to the front, and he says, what you see with these people’s disbelief that John and Jesus are linked together should be in your mind, reader, as you read this. And then the story unfolds, and it’s an odd story. It seems out of place. It’s rather shocking. But it puts on full display the wickedness and the depths of that wickedness of Israel. Because Herod was serving as king, he wasn’t really a king. He’s serving as a tetrarch, which is one that’s been appointed to rule over a fourth of a city or a province. And here he is supposed to be one who’s ruling over the Jews. And as we read, we see what kind of life this man leads, Herod. And this is the leadership in Israel. and it should be shocking to us. This is what God’s people are doing at this time. Mark tells us that Herod thought Jesus’ works had to be John raised from the dead because he had beheaded him. And this seems kind of shocking and out of the blue. We’re reading the story of Jesus’ rejection and the disciples and then a guy gets his head cut off. The last time we heard about this man, John the Baptist, was in the first chapter when he’s arrested. And now Mark tells us all of a sudden he just drops this detail on us. No warning, no preparation. Mark says, yeah, he had his head chopped off. And that’s an attention getter, right? And then Mark goes on to tell us how this all took place. He gives the big picture, then he gives details. Very common. And he tells us that Herod apparently found his brother’s wife so attractive Attractive enough to steal her from his brother and to marry her. And John the Baptist comes as a prophet of Israel and he says, the one saying, prepare the way of the Lord. He goes to Herod and he says, you can’t do this. You need to be holy because God’s Messiah is coming. Make yourself right, repent, because the kingdom of God is at hand. And oddly, it’s not Herod who’s grossly offended by this, but his wife Herodias. And Herod imprisons John because Herodias holds a grudge and she wants to kill him, but she can’t because Herod is afraid. And so they imprisoned John. Verse 21, but an opportunity came when Herod on his birth day gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. And so there’s further weirdness and further wickedness upcoming is revealed to us. It’s kind of hard to grasp what happens next. Herodias’ daughter comes in and dances for Herod and these men. And Herod is so pleased with what takes place because everyone is pleased and it makes him like a big shot in their eyes. He’s providing this entertainment for them. Probably not PG entertainment. And they’re also pleased by this particular dance, this great group. So much so that Herod says to her, whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. He knows that his power has just been puffed up, inflated in their eyes because of what he’s gained in the eyes of these men. Verse 23, and he vowed to her, whatever you ask me, I will give you up to half my kingdom. And the daughter, Ferodias, runs to her mom and says, okay, mom, what do we want? We can have anything. And she says to her, the head of John the Baptist on a platter. And Mark writes with urgency and haste in this section, he says, immediately she went in, with haste made the request, and with haste the executioner is sent, and with haste the beheading takes place. And John the Baptist, this one who’s preparing the way for the Messiah, returns into the presence of this king, head separated from body, on a platter for all to see. And it says, Herod did not want to do it, but because he had made such a promise before them all, he followed through with it. So why is Mark telling us this here? Why all this detail? And again, notice the length of this section, right? It’s rather lengthy compared to the other two sections in Mark chapter six, this first half. He goes to some pretty gnarly detail to give this story to us, to paint this picture for us. And Mark is showing us that John the Baptist and Jesus are connected. They’re connected in more than just a passive way or a relational way, right? Not merely that they’re cousins, not connected merely in their roles. The forerunner, John, prepares the way for Jesus, the Messiah. That’s the point. And Mark is saying, look what happens to the forerunner. And we’re to think, what’s gonna happen to the one he prepared the way for? If this is the rejection the forerunner receives, what kind of rejection do you think the Messiah will receive? And just like you see the foreshadowing of Israel’s rejection of the Messiah in Nazareth’s rejection of Jesus, so we see here the dark signs of what will happen to Christ and his ministry with the beheading of John the Baptist. And the parallels are striking and obvious. Both will be executed, John and Jesus, by political tyrants who fear them. but still give in to peer pressure and murder them anyway. Both Herod and Pontius Pilate are unwilling and unable to stand up for what they actually want. And John the Baptist and Christ die somewhat silently without a word of protest. Both die, and notice the text, as righteous and innocent. That’s exactly how Mark describes John in verse 24. Herod feared John, knowing he was a righteous and a holy man, and he stands there as an innocent one. And that’s exactly what’s gonna happen to Christ at the end of Mark’s gospel. There he is in his holiness, in his righteousness, and yet he’s put under the sword by an evil ruler. And then both of them, John and Jesus, are buried by their followers. The forerunner is murdered, his head on a platter. The Messiah murdered, his body on a cross, then laid in a tomb. And this should strike us. Imagine if you’re reading Mark for the first time. And John the Baptist is there saying, prepare the way for the Lord, make his path straight. And you’re aware of all that that means from the Old Testament, if you’re familiar with it, right? What does it mean when Messiah comes? We always have to hold this in our minds as we read through Mark. It means liberation for God’s people. It means healing to Israel, restoration of the kingdom. It means abundance. It means a true, wonderful life. And Israel’s time of restoration at the announcement of the coming of the Messiah is that all her enemies will be defeated. And that’s depicted in the Old Testament. How? Think of the Old Testament and the battles and the conquering and the warring. How was that depicted? The defeat of the enemies in those historical books is that the head of the enemy is under the foot of the righteous. One example of this is like David when he defeats Goliath, right? The champion for the Philistines against ordinary David. And what does he do right after he drops Goliath with the stone? He goes up and chops off his head and holds it up to show that we have authority over God’s enemies and those who oppose him. And with John the Baptist’s announcement, you imagine good times are on their way. This is coming for us. But instead of God’s victory being shown forth, we have God’s forerunner with his head on a platter at the request of some of the vilest people that we’ve encountered here in the texts. The unrighteous continue to prosper and the righteous ones still suffer in Israel. And God gives us Mark’s gospel in this structure for a reason. Christ is rejected. And then he ends his text with John the Baptist is rejected and murdered. And in the middle, the apostles are sent and have success. But as they have success, they’re also given that warning. When you’re rejected, here’s what you’re to do. And the Lord is showing by this structure. that while the disciples go out and do many mighty deeds, if the forerunner comes under persecution and death, and the Messiah comes under persecution and death, these ones sent out in the name of the Messiah, with the power of the Messiah, what does their future look like? Does God have a wonderful plan for their lives? Well, the answer is yes, he does. But what does that plan look like? it looks an awful lot like the cross. Because you see, Christ really does desire good for his people. But the way that he brings that good about is through a life that is shaped by the same cross to which Christ was nailed. And the way that God purposes for you and I to be prepared for and to make it into that heavenly kingdom, into that promised land, is for our lives to come under the suffering shape of a cross. and that we join with our Messiah in the sufferings that he experienced in his lifetime. And this, by the way, is why Mark himself will tell us in chapter eight, if anyone would come after me, Christ says, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s sake will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? For what can a man gain in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with his holy angels. deny himself, take up his cross and follow me, lose his life for me and for life eternal. What are we to understand from this? We are to understand that to follow Christ is to engage in a battle that often ends in difficulty and often ends in suffering. And even if it doesn’t end there, it always takes the path that leads through these things. To believe on the Lord Jesus is to begin to walk on the road that leads to Golgotha. The way of the Lord that leads to new creation always heads straight to the cross before it gives to us the resurrection glory of that empty tomb. This is what the scriptures tell us. This is what awaits the disciples, and this is what we have signed up for. We’ve chosen a side, and this, brothers and sisters, is the way of Christ’s people. It is so contrary. It is so contrary to the lying, depraved culture and to so many lying, false teachings. And really often we are so focused and overjoyed at the wonder and amazement of our salvation because it truly is exceedingly good news that we forget that the way of the cross is what we’ve been called to by Christ himself. This is the Christian life because to be a Christian is to be united to Christ first and foremost in his death. We have died with Christ in his real physical death. His death becomes our death. and because that is true, because our life is connected to him, united to him, we will experience some of the sufferings that he experienced as well. Our lives will indeed, brothers and sisters, be shaped by the cross, and that cross-shaped life will give way to the new creation, praise God, forever before his face. This is his wonderful plan for our life, because like Christ, the suffering on the cross didn’t end there, and we have to know and remember that without those sufferings, he would not see the glory that was to come. He would not see a multitude for which he went to that cross for. He would not hear the joyful voice of his father saying, well done, my son, you are enthroned on high as the king of kings and the Lord of lords forever. The glory that Christ receives and will experience with us in the new creation comes about because he went on that road of suffering and to the cross. And God says to you and to me as his children, your path will cross there, but it will not end there. It will never end there. Because if you are united to Christ and his sufferings, and this is why this is wonderful. Part of the glory of suffering is knowing that we really are a part of Christ’s family. It’s knowing that my life is truly connected to Jesus, the real Jesus, not the Jesus of lying prosperity, not the Jesus of perpetual sacrifices or of compartmentalized or compromised or commercialized or trivialized Jesus, the actual real Jesus of history and scripture, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, who endured the suffering of this life and death on a real cross for all who would call on His name. That’s to whom you’re connected if you belong to Him. If you’ve not fled to Him for forgiveness of your sins and relief and for life, today is the day. And when you do, And if you have, remember what we must do as we live a cruciform life, right? What must we do? We must remember always, in faith, assent to the safety and glory of God’s providence, and pray always, thy will be done, regardless of the situation. Thy will be done. So we’re conformed in our thinking, in our minds, to God’s will and his way. Thy will be done. And we must also learn to keep a loose grip on everything He gives us, even and especially the good things in these lives, our marriages, our children, our stuff, our things, our health. We must learn to know that all of it is His and it’s given by Him. And we must know that if and when He takes it, He gives it back in abundance, either in this life or the life to come. The glory of being united to Christ is not merely that we suffer. It’s knowing that our sufferings are badges of belonging to our Savior who suffered for us, and that our suffering will lead to the glory and resurrection of the new life. Will there be no more suffering? And God’s wonderful plan is this. He will get you there, not by your own works. You will not merit it. You will not earn it. He will get you there, conformed to the image of Christ, fully and wholly risen again, never to sin again, never to die again. And part of how he does it, so you might rely upon him, and so that you might resemble Christ, is to take you on that road that leads to the cross. And in that suffering, be so conformed to his image that you wholly trust upon him and have no hope but him. And finally, to know that you are united to a son who has risen in glory, and to know that that’s where your road ends. It ends in good news, dear Christian. So may we live in this present life and the sufferings that come in such a way that trust God’s plan and joyfully place ourselves under his sovereign hand, knowing with confidence that the glory that he is preparing for us and the glory that is to be far surpasses whatever temporal, physical sufferings that we may have here in this life. Praise our Savior, come Lord Jesus. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you’re sovereign, that you’re good, that you’re holy, that you’re just, and that you are powerful. Lord, we praise you for the way that you work and for your wonder and love and great mercy. We ask, Lord, help us to embrace the bigger picture, even in trials and pains and strains, that we would do so in a way that brings honor to your name. Father, we are overwhelmed by your love, but we long for your love. Lord, we thank you for our Savior, Jesus. We pray that you would draw us ever closer to him in our walk throughout this life, looking ahead to the eternity we will share with him, we will live with him forever. Lord, we pray for this church, we pray that you would bless this small outpost of the kingdom of heaven as we stumble along in this life. Continue to bless us. Give us a mutual love for one another as we seek to glorify you and be faithful in what our mouths profess. Lord, we pray for the families of this church. Pray for the parents, Lord, that you would give them self-sacrificing love, that they would seek to serve one another, husband and wife, in a way that reflects the love that Christ has for his church, Lord, and we pray that You would bless the children, protect them, Lord, in every way, be indeed that wall of fire around us and the glory always in our midst. Lord, we pray that you would protect them as they grow in their young lives, Lord, and bring them at your will at some time to faith that they would indeed claim Christ for their very own. Lord, we rejoice that we can pray all life long for these precious children, your children, Lord, and you work your way within them. Lord, we pray for all of us, whether we are old or young, single or married, that you would continue to give us a longing for Christ, that our affection for him would not be challenged by any other thing, but that we would indeed be singularly focused and that would work its way out in all that we do. Protect us, give us strength for the rest of this week until we can meet again together as your people to worship and magnify your name. We ask this in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.