Robert E Rasmussen.com

We follow Jesus by laying down our lives in sacrifice.

The markers along the Jesus way follow the pattern of obedience established by Jesus Himself. As Gethsemane led inevitably to Golgotha for Jesus, surrender leads certainly to sacrifice for the disciple today. This is not unwelcome news. This is the way of the wonderful gospel – the work of Jesus working its way in into the story of we who believe.

Our journey as disciples inevitably and frequently passes through death-like experiences. In following the Jesus way, the disciple is continually called lay down his life as Jesus did. Jesus made this expectation very clear prior to His death.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor” (John 12:24-26).

The plant or tree that produces fruit had to first give off a seed which in turn died. In the same way, the disciple who desires to follow Jesus must first sacrifice his love of this life and what it offers. The one who follows Christ in surrender and sacrifice will encounter Jesus, not only in heaven, but also along the trail of the Jesus way.

So thoroughly does sacrifice characterize Jesus’ disciples that we speak of ourselves as sharing in His crucifixion. The Apostle Paul spoke passionately of this.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

“and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15).

“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

We disciples will encounter Jesus in many opportunities to lay down our lives for His sake. These events will be difficult to bear. They may come in extended seasons of hardship and loss. But when we see our death-like experiences as times of sharing the suffering of Christ, they can have profound spiritual meaning. As we mature in our walk with Christ, we can more readily see our call to sacrifice as opportunities to bring glory to God through our obedience.

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We instinctively defend ourselves and avoid danger. The call to take up our cross and follow Jesus will therefore meet strong resistance from within, for the Jesus way is a way of risk. Jesus taught us that the desire to preserve our own well-being can disqualify us from gaining life which eternal. He put this in the strongest terms,

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34-36).

This bold contrast seems harsh, but Jesus describes a spiritual dynamic that is essential for the disciple to grasp. One who applies his energies to this earthly life cannot at the same time apply those energies to life eternal. In the same way, a disciple who desires to build into the kingdom of God cannot with the same fervor invest in the kingdoms of this earth. In this way, we see that the call to sacrifice is a call away from the magnetic pull of humanities values.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2).

Conformity to this world’s system leads to self-preservation and advancements measured by the metrics of this life: material possessions, title, power, security, and self-gratification. The call of Golgotha on the disciple beckons us to live counter to the culture and values of this world. Our minds must be renewed according to the Holy Spirit. We must see that our reasonable service to God is to present our bodies as sacrifices, still living, but dead to self-preservation.

Back to 1.2 Marker of Sacrifice (1)

 Jesus died a sacrificial death at Golgotha.

In Gethsemane, Jesus surrendered His will to God’s salvation plan, a plan which required the suffering and death of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus repeatedly said that His sacrifice was given willingly, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15b). And again,

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:17-18).

The greatest expression of love brought about this greatest spiritual transaction of time and eternity.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

No human can possibly fathom the magnitude of the work which the triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – were accomplishing during those hours of crucifixion. The Bible tells of a horrendous and merciful exchange in which Jesus took upon Himself the sin of the entire world:

“For He [God the Father] made Him who knew no sin [God the Son] to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Even as the righteous Son of God bore our punishment, we receive His purity if we will simply place our trust in Him.

When the debt of our sin had been fully paid, Jesus declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30)! In His final act of relinquishment, Jesus said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit’” (Luke 23:46).

Maybe, in eternity, Jesus will allow us to see into the glory of His sacrifice for the sin of the whole world. Maybe we will be able to comprehend, even in the smallest way, what holy joy there was when in the merging of human and divine Jesus knew the curse had been fully born, and He could cry out in victory, “It is finished.” And just maybe we will be unable to contain our admiration and gratitude when we glimpse His relief at casting Himself into the welcoming embrace of the Father. He had anticipated since the fall of mankind to finally commit His spirit back to God, having completed His work.

 SUMMARY: The Marker of Sacrifice

1. Event in Jesus’ experience: Crucifixion at Golgotha
2. How Jesus led: Death
3. Your task: Follow Jesus in sacrifice
4. Key phrase: “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit’” (Luke 23:46).
5. Key verses: Luke 23:26-49; John 10:14-18; John 12:24-26; Gal. 2:20
6. The symbol: The Cross

1.1e     Practical counsel for the disciple at the marker of surrender.

I entered my college years planning to be an architect. I wanted to make a large income, live in nice homes, and drive nice cars. My father required me and all my siblings to attend a Bible college our first year – which I did. That year was very upsetting to me. I saw around me fellow students and professors that were living with a love for Jesus that I did not have, even though I was the son of a pastor and a leader in the youth group. Their commitment to Jesus as Lord exposed my self-centeredness. I realized Jesus was merely a convenient friend who I could consult if I needed on my way to the lifestyle I planned. Jesus was my Savior but not Lord of my life. I was miserable. I sat in Bible classes and did not know if I believed any of it. I was in a spiritual crisis. From my despair I told God that if He showed Himself true that I would not continue with my plan, but that I would give everything including my career to Him. After some months of wrestling, and I mean they were miserable months, I finally concluded that, even though I still had questions about God and the Bible, I would rather take the risk of pleasing God with my doubts than pleasing myself with my money! I surrendered my future to God and have never regretted it. I was so relieved to place everything in His hands, even though I had no idea where His path would lead.

Have you arrived at the marker of surrender? Do you sense that God is asking you to do what He desires instead of something you would rather do? You may already know what God is asking of you, or you may have a general sense that what you have held back from God must be surrendered to Him. Surrender is any relinquishment you need to make in order to move forward with God. You may need to surrender a

• sinful habit
• an addiction
• an inappropriate relationship
• something or someone you treasure as much as or more than God
• an ambition that you are asking God to bless but that He has not given you

Or this may not be a call away from something that stands in the way. It may be a call to a higher plane of service. It may be a reward for your previous faithfulness. Like Jesus, you may be ready for the next phase of your purpose for living. What an honorable place to be!

If you are at a trail marker of surrender, you need to wake up and be very alert to your spiritual journey. Don’t be apathetic about this. Get yourself deeply into the Word and prayer. Yes, this is going to be difficult, but it is the only way to continue moving ahead on the Jesus way. God intends this for your growth and His glory. God is able. And in Him, so are you!

God has prepared you for this. He would not ask you to undergo more than you can bear. He has confidence that you will respond in obedience. Take confidence in His assessment of you, and that which He has allowed.

Pray for the grace of indifference (mentioned in the previous section), in which you desire nothing more than the will of God – nothing more, nothing less, nothing other. Pray persistently until you are at that place of indifference. When you are there, you will say “nevertheless.”

Jesus knows the agony of surrender. He is with you in the place where you are now. In His life, Jesus came to a point of conceding to the will of the Father, saying “nevertheless.” Listen to Him, and lay your concerns before Him. He understands the internal resistance and the temptation to bail out. Allow the Spirit of God to walk with you through this time.

Do not hurry. It is more important that you understand what God is asking than it is for you to get past this phase. Pray at length and ask God to make it clear what He desires for you to lay down for His glory.

If you feel alone, acknowledge your loneliness to God. Jesus was alone in His Gethsemane. His inner circle of disciples fell asleep. Do not be angry when others cannot identify with your agony or struggle. They are not at the same place you are at this time. God may bring them to their own Gethsemane at a later time and way that is appropriate for them. Remember that you are not actually alone. The One who surrendered first is there with you.

Pour your heart out to God. Jesus was sorrowful and deeply distressed. He fell on His face as He struggled with God (Matt. 26:37-39). You have the freedom to wail before the Lord. He is not threatened by your emotions, doubts, or anger. But do not shake your fist at God or harden your heart to Him, because this gives an opportunity for Satan to take advantage of you.

Take note of temptation to avoid or cut short the process of full surrender. Acknowledge that such resistance is from the pull to conform to the world, from your fleshly nature of self-sufficiency, and ultimately from Satan himself.

Jesus learned obedience. You can learn obedience too. This is a furnace that will purify your heart, and burn away more of what is not of God. You will look back on this time as one of the hardest but one of the best times of your life. You are on the way to giving greater honor and glory to God.

Do not knowingly hold back any part of your heart from God. If you are not sure of the extent of your surrender, ask the Holy Spirit to show you any areas that God wants you to surrender. If you feel you have surrendered everything that God asks at this time, relax and don’t obsess over it any more. Rather, thank God by faith.

Review and reflect on prior parts of this section. Meditate on the scriptures. Memorize at least one which speaks directly to your situation.

Rejoice that you have the privilege of sharing in the surrender of Jesus. His Gethsemane was excruciatingly difficult. Imagine having to surrender to a brutal future knowing that you are the very Son of God who had every right to enjoy the glories of heaven! Enter in and bask in the unique privilege of fellowship with the Son of God in the agony of surrender.

Journal other practical wisdom you are gaining in your own journey.

Enter in and bask in the unique privilege of fellowship with the Son of God in the agony of surrender.

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