God already showed us in scriptures what it means for us to be His children, and what it costs us to follow Him. In many ways, the Cross of Jesus Christ is the way of Christian Life. He humbled Himself to the cross and sacrificed His own life for us, He suffered for our sake, He endured all kinds of rejection from His own people. In this passage, we see how the Cross becomes the model for christian life.
When Jesus was crucified, people around Him watching said “if you’re the messiah then come down and save yourself”, but Jesus didn’t come down from the cross because of you and me. He went through the punishment that you and I justly deserved, so that we don’t have to be punished. If Jesus did not die for us then we would not have forgiveness of sins (the greatest need of the world). Crucifixion was a worst form of punishment and that’s exactly what Jesus went through. Jesus chose the worst life possible on this earth so that we would have the best life possible in Heaven with God for eternity… Christ is God’s Wisdom for us. He is the solution for every problem in this life.
Crisis and suffering show character. In the Jesus’s hour of trial, He prophesied that all of His disciples will betray him when their lives are at stake. He did not waver when his life was at stake. In this sermon, you’ll see how Jesus faces his hour of trial with patience and Joy because of His infinite love for his sheep and how that becomes a model for us to face trial and suffering having received the forgiveness for betraying Him, our Savior.
Jesus calls all his followers to be his disciples. What does this call look like in daily life? In this sermon, Pastor Venkatesh explains that being Jesus’s disciple means to love him above your family and vocation.
In this sermon, Pastor Venkatesh explains how the Kingdom of God advances despite adversity. Despite the temptations of Satan, despite the beheading of John, the kingdom of God still progressed through the coming of Jesus Christ.