The Call
Everything on The Consider Podcast and website has to do with the call for all men and women to repent. Such is an offer of mercy for those willing to follow Jesus by hating their life and picking up their cross. After all, even the demons believe in God, but they are terrified. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. James 2:19
The Shame of the Cross
Audiobook
Text The Shame of the Cross
We come to hear God clearly by way of the cross. Seeing Jesus clearly crucified allows us to understand that the flesh is worthless and keeps us from hearing God. The cross is also a thing of shame, and if we want to gain ears that hear, we must fully embrace the shame of the cross in our lives. No Christian correctly hears God unless they follow Jesus to the cross. As Hebrews tells us, we must fix our eyes on Jesus and ignore the shame of the cross.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
When someone was crucified, they were crucified naked. Every flaw, weakness, and embarrassment was revealed for all to see. How does this apply to having ears to hear? The answer is found in another question. How much of God’s correction are you willing to take? The more we accept the shame of the cross, the keener our ears become. Remember, the disciples were rebuked and corrected by Jesus for over three years. Before they could experience the power of Pentecost and the guiding of the Holy Spirit in a powerful way, they first had to follow Jesus closer and closer to the cross.
So it is with us, wisdom is found by being shamed. What are some of the first words a child learns? Right after the words “dada” or “ma-ma,” a child says the word “no.” Learning to talk and to listen begins with the word “no.” Even when you ask young children if they want ice cream, they will often say no when they really mean yes. Parents must give a lot of correction before the child can form sentences and understand the correct thing to say and do. In short, they must learn to listen for the word “no” and obey that word if they are to stay safe in life. For this reason, God tells us that grace equals the word no. In Titus 2:12, we read that grace “teaches us to say ‘No’ . . .” If we want ears that can hear God, then we must first learn to hear and accept the word “No” by the grace of God. Let’s nail this down by looking to the book of Proverbs. The book of Proverbs tells us how to get wisdom and what wisdom sounds like.
Do you want to hear the thoughts of God? Would you like to have ears that can listen to Him so that you can obtain the heart of God? God promises that He will pour out His heart into you and make you to know His thoughts . . . if . . . you will respond to His rebukes. So again, we ask, how much correction can you take? How deeply are you willing to let the cross weaken, shame, and rebuke you? As with the twelve apostles, so it must be with us if we want to hear Jesus. We must allow Jesus to give us a cross that corrects, convicts, and humbles us in many various ways. Sometimes, do a study on when the Holy Spirit led men and women in the Bible. Also, mark all the times Proverbs mentions corrections, rebukes, and acceptance of advice.
If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, (Proverbs 1:23–25)
We start to gain ears to hear when we allow God to make us afraid. Few are willing to take advice, but everyone in pride loves to give advice. Few people sit and listen to advice. Most of the time, we want to tell God and others that we already know and understand what they tell us. When we have that attitude we cannot hear what God says and spurn His rebukes.
Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. (Proverbs 1:29–31)
Shutting our ears to the advice and rebukes that God seeks to overwhelm us with only leaves us with our schemes. All such schemes, though Biblically based, are wicked to the core and will end with bitter fruit. Like Saul before, he became Paul, who was perfect in Biblical terms and kept the Law,1 but caused others to blaspheme God. Undoubtedly, Paul said his prayers and felt God blessed his efforts. Yet, he was a violent man who hunted down the disciples of Jesus.2 It wasn’t until Jesus appeared and opposed him on the Damascus road that his ears opened to hear the voice of God. Like Saul, many kick against the goads and refuse to listen to the rebukes, advice, and correction the Lord speaks to us. In fact, many preachers oppose Jesus Christ because they have not let the painful cross rebuke and scold them unto a resurrected life.
In the church today, we seem to believe that a person can come to God and begin to hear, understand, and obey the Lord all at once. This is like a parent believing that their newborn can carry on a conversation moments after birth. It takes years for any Christian to say they can hear God correctly. The Lord charges all preachers and teachers to teach His children to have ears to hear.4 But only teachers who have suffered against sin, allowing the Holy Spirit to repeatedly rebuke, humble, and correct until death to self occurs, can teach God’s sheep. After all, the blind cannot lead the blind and the deaf cannot teach others how to hear with their ears. Teachers, preachers, and children of God who cannot tell you of how they suffered on the cross with their sins cannot teach you how to have ears to hear.
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1–2)
Jesus suffered on the cross and if you want to have ears to hear, you too will feel, in a very real physical way, the cross killing your flesh. You will be rebuked by God to the point it hurts and you will feel tempted to scream, “Enough!” Few willingly accept and endure the work of the cross that comes against them. Wave upon wave of advice and rebukes awaits anyone who desires ears that can hear.5 Want ears that can hear? Desire the thoughts of God? Then, answer this question: How much rebuke will you endure and how much of the shame of the cross are you willing to accept?
Chapter 7: The shame of the cross
- I Corinthians 1:28 tells us that “He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are—so that no one may boast before him. Why do you think God uses shameful things to teach us wisdom?
- How has God specifically taught you lessons through embarrassing means?
- Why does it take time to learn how to hear God?
- What aspects of the Cross do you find shameful?
- In what areas of your life do you feel you need more of the shame of the Cross? Ask yourself, “Am I willing to endure the Cross?”
Ears to Hear: Chapter 8 | [Continue to Next Chapter →]
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For you, brothers became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15
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