FACING THE CRISIS

FACING THE CRISIS

"For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.” Matt. 16:25

There was the moment when multitudes came to Him and would have made Him King (John 6:15), but He slipped away and hid Himself, and would not so be made King. There were moments such as those of which we read in Luke's gospel when the multitudes were following, and even His own disciples fondly believed the opportunity was at hand when He should exert His power, and by popular acclaim become King, when He suddenly said, Unless you hate your father, mother, brother, sister, you cannot be My disciple. When you read those words after twenty centuries is it not true you are afraid? I am. Is it not true that even now in the heart of most of us there is something of questioning rebellion? What does He mean? What are those strange, severe things by which He repels the very crowds He gathers? Instead of attempting to cover all the ground, I read of an incident because it is typical. The words I read in Matthew 16 were not spoken primarily to the crowds, but to His own disciples. It was at Caesarea Philippi, at the parting of the ways, after He had fulfilled the first part of His ministry, and one soul at least had seen and known Him for Who and what He really was, the Christ of God. There He began to unfold the mystery of His method, to tell them the story of His cross and His suffering and resurrection, and there and then the whole company of His disciples fell back, and they never came into close fellowship again until He was dead, buried, risen, ascended, and the Holy Ghost was poured upon them. They shunned the cross. Do not be angry with them—we are shunning it still, many of us, and we have more light than they. While He talked of the keys, their faces were radiant and their following was faithful; but when He talked of the cross, their faces were shadowed and their following faltered. Then it was that, looking at the little group of men, He said: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." And they dared not do it, and if we watch the story carefully from the beginning of His ministry to Caesarea Philippi, we see men perpetually leaving Him—rulers, scribes, Pharisees—until this little group is left alone. If you follow the story after Caesarea Philippi, you will reach its tragic last chapter and find it written in these few burning words: "They"—all the disciples—"forsook Him and fled." So that at the end I see the most attractive personality in human history absolutely alone, no one by His side, no sympathy in His dying. It is a strange story. It is a contradiction that needs careful examination. Why this repelling method of Jesus in the presence of His attractiveness?

OUR CRISIS - When you submit to sin, you become the slave to sin. The demand of sin is death. The only way to escape the hold of sin is through its verdict which is death. Christ showed the pathway to freedom. It was not by the way of Satan expressed in the words of Peter, but by following the file Leader and His way, the way of death. THIS IS THE CRISIS we must face as fallen beings. Those who think selfishly they are capable of saving themselves without Christ shall lose the life they think so much of. Those who follow the example of Christ shall find life that is eternal in its makeup. This statement is based on marriage principles and is evidenced when the partners are filled with the leadership of the Spirit Who teaches us the things of Christ as from His Father. Christ displayed these characteristics because He was filled with the Spirit, sent for our need of a Savior. He left His bride on this earth for the purpose of perfection of her holiness of character whereby she like Christ ever lives to accomplish the Father's will knowing His love for them through gifts given that others might be spared from eternal death. Coming after Him is following the perfect example He revealed. The closer one follows his or her Leader (Matt.23:10) is the closer one comes to final perfection (Matt. 5:48; Jude 24; 1 John 3:2, Rom. 8:29; Luke 6:40; Rom. 8:29).

There are many who believe Him to be the one and only King and Savior of men, who never take His name in vain, and would not allow anyone to speak disrespectfully of Him; but they are not following Him.

Denial of self is the hidden and internal process, the taking up of the cross is the outward and external manifestation. If I may adapt and use in this connection old and familiar words, I would say that the taking up of the cross is the outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace of self-denial. What is self-denial? Jesus says everything when He speaks, and there is nothing more to be said; our danger is that we minimize when we explain. He is the Despot Who alone has the right to say anything with meaning. To deny self is to say no to every wish that comes out of the personal life. To deny self is radical; it goes down to the roots of things. A man may practice self-denial all his life and never deny himself. A man may practice self-denial in this and that respect, and all the while his self-centeredness is strengthened. Jesus did not say, Exercise self-denial in externalities. He said, deny self. Have done with choosing, wishing, planning, arranging for self. Choose no more; will no more, except to will that God shall will. I deny self when I hand over the keys of the citadel to the King and say, Enter and reign in every chamber of the being, in all the possibilities of the soul.