Cross of Victory

When Jesus said, “take your cross and follow me”, he was not asking us to carry the cross of pain, guilt, death and judgement of this world, these things he buried in the grave. He was asking us to carry the cross of freedom from sin, grace, life and victory.

Luke 9: 23 – Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Ø    Jesus carried the cross of shame, guilt, sin, pain and judgement FOR US 
The cross Jesus carried was all the heavy burdens we were supposed to carry:

·      Our Sins 
1 Peter 2: 24 – He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

·      Our Shame 
Hebrews 12: 2 – …. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame….

·      Our Punishment 
Isaiah 53: 5 – But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed.

·      Our Pain 
Isaiah 53: 4 – Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering….

·      Our Condemnation 
Colossians 2: 14 – Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

·      Our Curse
Galatians 3: 13 – Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...

·      Our Bondage 
Romans 6: 6 – For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

·      Our Death 
1 Corinthians 15: 54 – Then when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 

When Jesus said "It is finished" (John 19:30), He buried all those things in the grave — never to have power over us again.

Ø    Something Jesus buried apart from this, the most important, was the barrier between man and God.

Ø    What does it mean to carry our cross daily?

Carrying your cross everyday means surrendering everything to God and trusting him with your life. 

This includes:

  ·       Denying yourself and putting God’s will above your own

  ·       Staying faithful through hardships

  ·       Walking in victory every day

  ·       Saying no to sin not out of fear, but out of love for Jesus

  ·       Living free from guilt and shame

  ·       Surrendering your will, not out of punishment, but out of joy and gratitude

  ·       Being a walking testimony of what Jesus already finished and living a life of sacrifice.

Remember, the cross that we carry is NOT the cross of heavy burdens anymore, it is the victorious side of it. We are carrying:

  ·       The cross of Victory (Colossians 2:14-15)

  ·       The cross of Grace (Galatians 2:20)

  ·       The cross of freedom from sin (Romans 6:6)

  ·       The cross of identity in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

  

Ø    If you look at Matthew 11: 28-30, Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Jesus sure swapped the crosses for us. It is a privilege to carry the cross because we’re walking in what Christ already won for us. The enemy really thought the cross would break us but God is showing us that the cross is what will bear you and birth you.

The cross is not your burden — it's your banner.

Ø    Prophetic Perspective

• When Jesus said, “Take your cross and follow Me” (Luke 9:23), He was prophesying about what He was about to do. At that time, the disciples had no idea He was going to literally carry a cross to His death. But Jesus was already speaking from victory — not just about suffering, but what He was going to accomplish.

• In John 12:24, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives.” He was literally saying that he was going to die and when he rises again, he will produce new life and WE are the harvest.

• The Bible says Jesus carried His cross outside the city gates. In the Old Testament, everything unclean (sin, shame) were taken outside the camp and buried. Jesus carried the cross outside the city to take burdens to the place where it would be buried forever.

Jesus didn’t just die FOR us — He died AS us.