La cruz que no elegi — CRUX — Rich Wilkerson Jr

If you have a Bible, I want you to go to Matthew 27, that's where I want you to go today. We're in part three of a collection called Crux. Crux is the Latin word for cross. And I feel the calling of the Lord as we get to Easter. It's important that we take time to talk about the cross of Jesus Christ. And what I firmly believe is that we can rest in the purpose of the cross. If not, we're not going to experience the reality of his resurrection. So we've taken this month and we've been taking ourselves to that moment where he resurrects. But before he resurrects, he has to die. So today I want to show you another part of the cross. This is Matthew 27. We're going to start in verse 32. And it says, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. This is part three of our collection. And I want to preach for a moment about the title, the cross that I did not choose. The cross that I did not choose. And today here in the south of Miami, you can participate in the preaching, shouting back for the first time in Miami Gardens. You can participate preaching back. If anyone thinks it's going to be a good word, someone say Amen. You know, so much of my life is about your proactivity, taking decisions, going to places, you saying yes, you deciding things. You choose the path. But I've also learned that in life, sometimes we choose the path, but sometimes the path chooses us. And I've seen this, there are things in life that you don't choose. There are things that you don't choose. There are people who choose a call, but there are times when a call chooses the person. And I was reflecting, even in my story, many know it,

but in 98, my father felt the Lord's call to move from Tacoma, Washington, to Miami, Florida. Now in 98, I was 14 years old. I didn't have to vote there. I was just trying to survive in school. I didn't choose Miami. Miami chose me. And when I look back, in these 20 years of being here, I see now, and only now, that it wasn't a random decision, but a revelation in procedure. Because now, while I lead a church in 10 years, a life, a church full of life and health, and it's leading a revival here in the heart of Miami, I see that it's not random. But my purpose was wrapped up in someone else's decision. And so it tells me, if you would just take a moment today, because I know, doing this, I know that the church is driven by ambitious people, but there are things that you're going to realize in your life, that there are things that you didn't choose. You didn't choose the color of your eyes. You didn't choose where you were going to be born. You didn't choose your race, your height. You didn't choose your personality. You didn't choose for your parents to get divorced. You didn't choose for your dad to leave your family. You didn't choose for you to have that addiction in your blood. You didn't choose that anxiety that you deal with all the time. You didn't choose for your wife to die prematurely, or for a kid to die prematurely. I can go on and on. There are encroachments that are shown to us every day that we didn't choose.

It's just how life usually works. And if we're going to be honest today, so many times we see our life, our life is based on things that we didn't choose. And I've learned in my life that the most significant moments are not those that you control and conquer, but those that are marked by what you carry and release. It's not always a story of strength. The story of your strength, beyond, is about, in this journey of faith, is your ability to surrender. Because all of us, if we are honest, we don't have control of what we go through, but how we respond to what happens to us. And if you're like me, I'm 41 now, and I realize that the older I get, life gets harder. I'm not going to make you raise your hand, but life can be tough, right? But if we talk, it shouldn't start that way. I know there's a lot of stories here in Miami Gardens, and we don't use the microphone to choose the stories, but a lot of you started with a tough life. But I don't think it was designed that way. For example, my kids, there's nothing tough in their lives right now. The toughest thing in their lives right now is that we can watch a movie before we go to sleep. Their life is marked by breaks, by naps. So I say, I'm pro this. I wish I could go back to this life. But as you grow, life increases. A lot of us, nobody tells us that promotion is going to bring a new pressure. I didn't know that influence was going to bring all kinds of insecurities that nobody prepared me for. And I think it's amazing to fall in love. But now when you fall in love, you're not just caring about your emotions, you're caring about someone else's. The biggest dream of my life is to have kids. It's amazing. Parents, we love being parents. It's such a joy to be a parent.

But now you have to carry diapers, and seats, and generational trauma. What I'm just trying to get at is that the more you grow, the more you carry. Can you say that out loud? The more I grow, the more I've got to carry. The more you grow, the more you carry. And that's how the call works. And sometimes we have this mysterious mentality around the call. But when God gives you a dream, He doesn't just give you a call, which is a dream, but a load. And that load sometimes has to stop you from time to time. That you have to walk a little slower so that you're more and more dependent on God. And what I'm trying to get to the bottom of in this collection, and the thing that I have in my heart and in your heart in this collection, is that I've been thinking about all that truth that has inspired me, and that has built my faith, and that has challenged me, and that has maybe destroyed me a little bit. And that's what I want to do with you today. Because I don't know what you carry, but this is what I believe. That many times it's the cross that you didn't choose that ends up changing you more. It's that cross that you didn't choose that ends up changing you more. I look at my life and there's so many parts of my life that I didn't choose. And I say, I didn't choose this. I remember when I made the decision at 17 to be a preacher. I thought, does that mean I have a message and a microphone? I didn't know it comes with a little bit of detail. Nobody told me about this. I didn't see myself at 41 with budgets and staff and building projects and fights in the morning and broken people. There's a lot of things that I didn't choose. And if I'm not careful, I'm going to look at my life and say, this is not the cross that I chose. But it's the cross that chose me. And today something tells me that you're carrying that you didn't choose. But if I can open your eyes and your heart a little bit today, because what you didn't choose is that thing that God is going to use to change you,

to mold you, to form you, to develop you, to bless you, to heal you, and to use you. And this is where we get, once again, we're talking about Barabbas. And we haven't heard a lot of Barabbas sermons. Before that, I started talking about how it's finished, that everything is completely off. But today, I want to bring your attention to a man who had never heard a sermon from him. His name was Simon of Cyrene. And Simon appears in three of the four Gospels. And all they give him is one verse. Sometimes all you need is one verse for your eyes to be opened and your heart to awaken. And he appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And we read a little bit of his story in Matthew. Really, that verse where he appears. But in each Gospel, they give you a different detail. Look, when Jesus began to carry his cross to Golgotha, and He didn't carry it alone. Instead of that, the scripture says that a man who was passing by, a man who was a visitor, was not a disciple, was not a preacher, was not a miracle worker, was not a follower of Jesus. He was just passing by Jerusalem, doing his things, when suddenly he was led, he was carried to carry the cross of Jesus. But that's interesting, right? Because Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, had someone to help him carry his cross. What concept, what ideal is that for me? In Roman culture, they made a criminal who would be charged with a crime that would carry his cross to his execution because it was a declaration of guilt. But how many know that Jesus was not guilty? Something tells me that Jesus, while he was carrying that cross on his back, he did not completely carry his cross, but he invited someone else to carry it. Because the innocent who was charged with a crime that he did not commit, suddenly now

was carrying something that made him guilty. And someone helps him carry it. And Luke makes this point. Luke lets us know that Simon, he was walking behind Jesus with the cross. And it is important because this is not an accidental detail, it is something providential. Because this is a form and an image of what discipleship means. That I am called to follow Jesus. The good news is that I do not have to carry the sins of the world. But understand that Simon still felt the pain of the cross. That guilt and shame of the moment, the confusion, the interruption. And there following Jesus, because this is an image for all of us. That many times we want the resurrection without the crucifixion. We want the crown without the cross. We want the glory without suffering. But if we are going to walk in everything that God has for us, there will be weight in following Jesus. It will be a little heavy at times. You will feel the weight. You will feel the pain of the cross. And maybe that is you today. And maybe you are going through things. And you say, why am I walking through this? Why am I carrying this? And I want to say it this way. I wrote it in a way that I think will help you. If you learn to carry your cross, God will use what he hurt you to mold what is healing in you. If you learn to carry your cross, God will use what he hurt you to mold what is healing in you. We have been talking about this cross. And we live in a world, especially in America, where people love to wear a cross. And that is okay. You can wear a cross.

But we are not called to wear a cross, but to carry a cross. And I wonder today, how can we learn some lessons if we pay attention as we navigate this journey. When do I know when I am carrying a cross? Like Simon, when am I following Jesus? And there are many things that we can say about this. But there are things that I can point to in this verse. I pointed to different gospels. There are different pains attached to this cross. And today, maybe it is one that is going to be shown within you. And you say, maybe this is a cross that I did not choose. God chose it. And he is using it to heal what is inside. He is not using it to mold me, to develop me. He is saying, this cross that I did not choose is usually the cross that is going to change me more. And the first thing we see as a sign that we carry the cross is the pain of preference. And preference is what we want. We want something in life. We live in an interesting time in the world. That everything is taking us to what we want and our preference. You don't like the news? Perfect. We are going to give you news that fits your preferences. You don't like this music? Oh, we are going to give you this type of music that you like. Oh, you don't like this type of food? Okay, then we are going to give you this type of food. If you don't like these vibes, you can mute, stop following. Everything is made to create this ideal that we are at the center of the universe. Everything is playing into our preferences. Have you ever been in a moment, and this is a moment of honesty,

that you know that God is trying to teach you something? I'm able to teach you something, but you know, God, can I learn a lesson in a different way? Can you use something else? Can you give me a podcast or a YouTube tutorial? I don't want this cross to be my teaching. Usually, that's the image that God is using in your preference and that's the pain that you're not getting what you want. And maybe I'm just preaching to myself today, but there are moments in my life that I don't want to do that. I don't want to do that. I don't want to get into a cold plunge. I know that you don't either. You don't love that cold bath. Don't lie. It's the pain of preference. God, is there another way to teach me this lesson? I didn't pick that up and I don't want it. I'm looking for softness, but God gives you what you need to last. I'm looking for a blessing, but God gives you a load. I travel a lot, commercially, and many times, by the grace of God, they give me that improvement. I think it's God's will for me. Pray with me for this. They give me that improvement on flights. On those occasions, sometimes, I don't know how it works, but sometimes I find myself, don't feel bad for me, but I find myself many times in the middle seat.

And recently, I was on a business trip in the middle seat, and while I'm taking off, I'm sitting in the middle of a couple. And I realize that I'm in the middle of that couple, that they're acting like I'm not in the middle, talking, having snacks. And at some point, I'm like, hey, you want to change seats? No, no, we're good. And I'm like, this is crazy. I'm in the middle of their conversations, and it's like, well, I can participate. And I'm like, God, this is terrible. And God's like, oh, you know how I feel. Jesus was killed in the middle of two criminals that are talking to each other. Hey, Jesus was like, can I die in peace? He's always been the middle man. And if we're honest, there's drama in our life that we don't start. There's conversations that we don't start if we're in the middle of people and we say, we don't want this, I don't prefer this. I didn't volunteer for this. I don't like what's happening right now. But what I've learned from God is that sometimes God will put you in a seat that suddenly, when you're in that place, it feels uncomfortable. But it's uncomfortable for a reason. He put you in an uncomfortable seat to take you to an unbreakable place.

He's preparing you. He's developing you. He's giving you strength. You didn't choose this. This chose you. Two of these gospels say that Simon was forced to carry the cross. He was forced. He didn't have an option. He didn't get what he wanted. We are forced to carry this cross. Simon was dragged into his destiny. But I want to say to us in this place that if you're in a situation right now that you're doing something against your preferences, maybe it's a cross that God is putting on your back for a reason. Because God doesn't mold you for what you prefer. He molds you for what you endure. I wonder if there are witnesses out there that are knowing what it is to endure a little more time. It's not just the pain of the preference, but the pain of the plan. The preference is what I want. The plan is what tells you to think how things would be. And we live life with expectations. I think we all have this idea of whether we are aware enough or not,

or whether we talk about it or not. Every day we live with expectations. How do I know that? Because the result of those unfulfilled expectations is disappointment. And the people who have that disappointment don't have that self-awareness to express that disappointment because there's something in their life that they had an expectation, they had this plan, and it didn't happen. There's this gap between what I expect and what I experience. And as that gap goes further, there's disappointment, there's pain, there's disappointment, there's pain. And even today, you don't have to be a prophet to know that in this place, there are different plans that have been destroyed, dreams that have been extended. This is not what I thought I would be. You have 35, you have 45, 55, 65, there are different plans and marks along the way. And I thought that at this moment I was going to be married, or that at this moment I was going to have a baby. I thought that at this moment I was going to be making this amount of money, or that I was going to have a house, or maybe I thought that at this time I was going to be happy. And what happens is that our expectation, over and over again, not found, many times like Simon of Cyrene, every scholar says that this is a Jewish man from North Africa, who traveled a lot of miles, and he has arrived there for Easter. This Easter season is like those new believers in the church. Christianity has its roots in Judaism, and Judaism has this celebration called Easter that they celebrate once a year.

They remember their liberation from Egypt. They were slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years, and finally Moses enters the scene and speaks to the Pharaoh and says, let my people go. And then there are about ten plagues, and those ten plagues, the last one is the angel of death. But this is the promise of the Lord. They say, kill a lamb without a stain, take his blood, and paint the frames of the doors. And when the angel of death passed, he passed over those wooden posts, and the Pharaohs and the Egyptians do not do that. And their children die, and they tell them, you have to get out of here. And that night they leave, and they say they take their possessions from the Egyptians. And Jesus says to the Lord, do not forget what happened. Because many times when we face suffering, we forget. Sometimes you have to stop and say, God has taken me to another year. And every year we remember that faithfulness of God. That Passover was that birthday of freedom in the Jewish people. And from all over the world, they came to Jerusalem to celebrate this Passover. And I want you to have the idea that Simon has a plan for that date, but his plan has been interrupted, his schedule has been changed, and he was coming to fulfill that Old Testament that festivity, he was coming for prophecy, but he did not know that he was going to enter this prophetic moment. I come to Passover, but God says, I want you to be part of this that is happening, which is prophetic. He came to see lambs be killed, but he did not know that he had come to see the lamb. He came to see priests kill lambs to cover their sins. But he had no idea that he was going to see the Lamb of God canceled once and for all. And all sins for eternity, past, present and future. He did not know that he was going to witness this. He was entering a prophetic moment. It is something powerful because Jesus is there on that cross.

If you do not know, on the cross, the way you die is through suffocation. You do not die by nails in your hands or the cross of thorns, but you have to get up to breathe. And many times it is so slow that they break your legs. Is not it incredible that the lamb that was killed on Passover, there was a law there that said that this lamb could not be broken. So when they came to break his legs, they realized that he had already died. That is powerful for me. It is not only that it is powerful that he is fulfilling the prophecy and the law. The scripture says in the Old Testament that this lamb, when he is killed, he will not be broken. And Jesus, at one point on the cross, is fulfilling the law and the prophecy at one point. And Simon is there for that. When he shouts, Elie, Elie, Elie basak mami. It was a difficult moment. It was an emotional pain. Everyone abandoned him. They betrayed him. But the greatest pain was the spiritual pain. Because he was the one who did not know sin. He became sin. Sin has a cousin and is called shame. I do not know if you have felt shame before, but it is something that we do not want to carry. But can you imagine carrying all the shame of the past, present and future? All of her on your back, and not just the shame, but the anger of the Father, because the anger turns to the Son. And there Jesus shouts, Eli, Eli, why have you forsaken me? But the Bible says that when He declares that it is finished, the veil, the curtain, in the Most Holy Place, was broken. Because according to the law, only the priests can go to that place of the presence of God. But Simon did not know that that day, when Jesus said, it is finished, the veil was opened to say, my presence has broken out. Each person, each tribe, each place can experience my presence. The priest is no longer inside the Most Holy Place.

God is bleeding from a cross. I am someone who gives praise. What I am trying for you to understand in your heart today, is that if God cannot change your plans, how can He improve them? If He cannot change your plans, how can He improve your plans? Because Simon was there, going to pay his religious respect, and he had no idea that he was going to be part of, not only to sacrifice the sacrifice, but to carry the sacrifice. What a beautiful moment, what a beautiful moment, that my plans, God can change them, and by changing them, He can improve them. And it's not just the pain of my preference, or the pain of my plan. Lately, it's the pain of my pride. The preference is what I want, plan is what I thought was going to happen. But pride hurts more deeply. It's not just that I didn't expect this, but I don't think I deserved this. And this is how pride goes. Pride is summarized in this idea of control. I'm a control freak. I'm someone who likes to control things. I think I should go to a recovery group and say, I'm rich, and I'm a very controlling person. I make lists for the lists of things to do. Don't judge me, you also have sin, you know? But the lie of control is that control makes me believe that I'm powerful. But look at this, God doesn't build your faith through control. He builds your faith through trust. That's it, that's it. If you have to take this idea. This man traveled 800 miles, maybe he had resources, he planned it, he had a schedule. And he had his way to Jerusalem. I want you to see this idea. This man is proud of what he's doing. And now he's being forced in a moment, he was dragged into this moment. I don't want this, I didn't choose this. What are you talking about? I don't want to participate in this.

I've never seen this before, but they stop Jesus, and they grab Simon. Not a follower, not a disciple. And they put this cross on his back. Scholars believe that the cross of Jesus weighed 80 to 120 pounds. Jesus had already been whipped with whips of 9-tailed claws. And while he's on the cross, he's unrecognizable, they say. The crown of thorns on his head, beaten, mocked, brutalized. And what I had never noticed is that when Simon grabs that cross, he can't prevent the blood of Jesus from falling on him. It's more than just a moment, the blood marks Simon. But that's what is promised to us. That's what happens to us, when we let go of our pride, His grace resuscitates us to life. And the blood falls on you. And that's what we believe. And I'm always looking for ways, because I don't want to come and give you information. I want to awaken you to this truth, because if you're new to the church, because we're talking about blood. What kind of cult is this? But it's the fulfillment of this Jewish law, that the blood is powerful. Because when the blood of Jesus falls on you, it doesn't punish you, but it promises you to your destiny. When you humble yourself, In his blood, he doesn't embarrass you or put you down, but his humility lifts you up. You don't know that when you start carrying the cross of Jesus Christ, you can't prevent the blood from falling on you. And the blood is powerful and cleanses us completely. Luke says it this way. He says that if you want to follow me, those are the words of Jesus. You must deny yourself and carry your cross and carry it daily.

And this is the image that I have this week for all of us. Because we talk about this cross, but we have been talking about this thing that is heavy. And many times we say, this is not what I want. And sometimes it doesn't take place in the church. It's like, it's painful, it's heavy. But look at this, I want us to have an image. What I have learned is that what I carry determines what I put down. When I start picking up my cross, I don't get to hold on to my ego anymore. When I start carrying this cross, I don't have enough hands, I don't have the capacity to carry this cross and carry my offenses. When I pick up the cross, I'm forced to let go of the lack of forgiveness. I can't carry it. I can't carry the resentment. I can't carry the anger. I can only carry the cross. My pride dies, but with that, humility rises. The other image I have is that it's hard to sin when you're carrying a cross. It's not convenient to go by the water pool or try to talk about other employees on the job site when you've got a cross on your back. It's hard to sin when you've got a cross on your back. It's hard to cheat someone or your partner if you've got a cross on your back. If someone else carries it, they can say, hey, we shouldn't do this. When I'm carrying the cross, what I'm picking up determines what I'm letting go of. So Jesus says, you've got to carry it. You've got to carry it. And let's just understand for a second. There's no doubt. He did carry the cross. But please understand, he didn't carry everything. I feel that in my spirit. He was carrying the cross, but he wasn't carrying his sin. He was carrying the cross, but he wasn't carrying the shame of the world.

He was carrying the cross, but he wasn't carrying the guilt or condemnation of his past. And I say that because today we're talking about something heavy and painful. We're talking about you carrying a cross. A cross that you didn't choose, that you didn't pick up, that you didn't want. That came to your door. But instead of carrying the cross, because you don't remember, you should. You're carrying the cross, but you're not carrying everything. You're not carrying the fear of the future. You don't have to carry the weight of the past. You don't have to carry the anxiety of the day. You don't have to carry the chains of your addiction. You're carrying something, but you're not carrying everything. What I'm learning in my life, what I've been learning in my life, is that many times the cross that you didn't want, makes you carry the grace that you didn't know you needed. That thing that you didn't want, that you didn't need, makes you carry that thing that you didn't know you needed. My preferences, my plans, and my pride have been crucified. But everything is taking me to this place called purpose. Purpose. Don't get it twisted. This is the story of Simon of Cyrene. This is the most powerful thing I've seen of Simon of Cyrene. Because in Mark 15, verse 21, it says, A man of Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Only Mark mentions that at that time his sons were with him, Alexander and Rufus. Which means that his sons saw him carry the cross for which he did not volunteer. They saw him carry a tool of torture

that he was not excited to carry, that he did not plan to have, but that really killed his pride. But I want you to see this because this is very important. When it comes to our children, When it comes to our children, more than a sermon, they have to see your perseverance. More than the words you say, they have to see you walk. Because it's the way you walk that creates a legacy for them. I can prove it to you. You ask the girl who grew up with a single mother. I saw her with tears in her eyes, packing my lunch, taking us to church in some way. I don't know how she did it. But when I think about strength, I think about my mom. You ask the child who watched their dad lose their job. He didn't choose that. He didn't want that. And in some way, he came to the family dinner every night and had peace in his eyes. In some way, he could pray the prayers. And when they reflect and look back, they're going to say, I discovered what strength and peace mean. Because if my dad could do it, I have a sense that I can do it. You ask the young man who saw his mother become sober, who fought through addiction, who went to meetings, who was bold and unashamed to walk with that cross on his back. What he's going to tell you is that what saved my life, the strength I have in my life, it wasn't just for her, but seeing her transformed me. I'm trying to get this in your heart, because you didn't choose the cross, but the cross chose you. And your pain becomes the design for the next generation.

You don't know it, but your obedience becomes your inheritance. A round of applause. And it's not just a good moment to applaud. I think there's Bible to back it up, because Paul writes to the church in Romans 16, decades after this moment. In Romans 16, verse 13, say hello to Rufo, a distinguished believer in the Lord, and his mother, who has also been like a mother to me. What scholars think and believe at this moment is that this Rufo that the apostle Paul is writing to him, is the same Rufo who saw his father carry a cross that he did not choose. I came to tell you today that that thing you don't want, that thing you're carrying, that thing you didn't plan, that you didn't expect, that thing that has cost you all your pride, all your ego, you have no idea that your obedience at the moment is tied to a legacy of generations to come. I tell you, Simon is not graceful only for his life, but for all his home. And it is so with us that when we carry our cross, we have no idea of what is on the other side. Because when life hands you a cross, maybe God is giving you your purpose. I didn't choose this cross. This cross chose me. It's a story I didn't want to tell, a moment I didn't want to have.

I'm seeing now, it's a moment that God chose me, and now God is preparing me to make His return. He's preparing me to be His tool. He's using me. And it's a heavy truth, it's a heavy word, but I believe that when you receive it, everything you can do begins to change. Maybe you're carrying a cross, but you're not carrying everything. Rest, because there's a Savior who tells you, put all your burdens on me, because I care about you. He's calling you. He has a dream for your life. But when He gives you that call, He's going to put a weight on your life. And as your life grows, as you grow, you're going to carry more and more and more. But rest, because He's never going to leave you. He's the God who walks with you. He loves you, and He has a plan for you. He has a purpose. Come on, church, if you believe this, why don't you clap your hands today?