Scripture Reading: Mark 8:34.

1. Christ will come again. Acts 1:11.

a. But before Jesus can come again, the gospel must go into all the world. Matthew 24:14.

b. But something must happen before Jesus can come again. John 17:21.

b. We do not want to spend our time this morning dealing specifically for our need of unity because we all have heard that for many years.

c. On the other hand, if we refuse this process of unity and place stumbling blocks in its way, we are actuality responsible for a loss of souls due to the fact that we are not giving the right credential of Christ to the world, and due to the fact that we are not allowing the promise of the power of Christ to come to give us the ability to evangelize the world.

d. For this reason, the Spirit of Prophecy writes: "In loving sympathy and confidence God’s workers are to unite with one another. He who says or does anything that tends to separate the members of Christ’s church is counter-working the Lord’s purpose. Wrangling and dissension in the church, the encouragement of suspicion and unbelief, are dishonoring to Christ. God desires His servants to cultivate Christian affection for one another. True religion unites hearts not only with Christ, but with one another in a most tender union. When we know what it means to be thus united with Christ and with our brethren, a fragrant influence will attend our work wherever we go." Vol. 9, Testimonies for the Church, p. 145:2.

"Those who are truly converted will press together in Christian unity." Vol. 9, Testimonies for the Church, p. 146-147.

2. But how could these disciples spend any profitable time together in the upper room?

a. I am here reminded of a time many years ago that a group of independent ministries realized the importance of unity and decided to hold a meeting to achieve this very point. After several days of discussions, they finally came to agreement on their first point: They agreed to disagree and went home.

b. This regrettable experience leads me to a very important question: How can true lasting unity be achieved?

c. It is true that before the disciples could obtain the power to evangelize the world, they needed to spend time in the upper room. But in order to have the right attitude in that upper room, they needed to go through the experience of the Cross. First Calvary, then the Upper Room.

1. There is no other way to the kingdom and to happiness unless it is through the cross.

a. What is required of every person in order to be a disciple? "And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Mark 8:34.

b. Whose cross are we to bear? "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27.

c. How often are we to bear this cross? "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23.

d. What is the cross a symbol of and therefore, what do we mean by a cross? "The cross was associated with the power of Rome. It was the instrument of the most cruel and humiliating form of death. The lowest criminals were required to bear the cross to the place of execution; and often as it was about to be laid upon their shoulders, they resisted with desperate violence, until they were overpowered, and the instrument of torture was bound upon them. But Jesus bade His followers take up the cross and bear it after Him. To the disciples His words, though dimly comprehended, pointed to their submission to the most bitter humiliation,—submission even unto death for the sake of Christ. No more complete self-surrender could the Saviour’s words have pictured. But all this He had accepted for them. Jesus did not count heaven a place to be desired while we were lost. He left the heavenly courts for a life of reproach and insult, and a death of shame. He who was rich in heaven’s priceless treasure, became poor, that through His poverty we might be rich. We are to follow in the path He trod." The Desire of Ages, p. 416-417.

e. Why is the cross so important in order to have unity in the church? Ephesians 4:16.

2. What are our crosses that we must bear?

*** Let us keep in mind that each of us have our own cross to bear daily: "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23.

*** It is this very cross that is in the way of true unity: "If the professed followers of Christ would accept God’s standard, it would bring them into unity, but so long as human wisdom is exalted above His holy word, there will be divisions and dissensions." Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 124:1.

a. Friendship with the world. James 4:4.

b. Self is the biggest problem.

c. Confession, repentance, and humiliation:

d. Cannot retain even one single sinful habit. "‘Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.’ Those who are called to be shepherds of the flock of God are called to be laborers together with God. The Lord Jesus is the great Worker, and he prayed to his Father that his followers might be sanctified through the truth. If we are doers of the word of God, we shall understand that we cannot retain any sinful habit, or indulge in any crooked or guileful way. His truth, his word, must be brought with divine power into our human hearts, and we must purify our hearts by obeying the truth. We must renounce all the hidden things of dishonesty, all craftiness and Satanic wiles. We must be where we shall be enabled to discern the snares of him who lieth in wait to deceive. Sin must be sensed in its true, hateful character, and expelled from the soul. All who preach the word in verity and truth can afford to be fair in its presentation. We are not to be deceitful in any way." The Signs of the Times, December 25, 1893:6.

e. Working for souls.

1. Count the Cost: "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace." Luke 14:28-32.

2. Recognize the true value of the cross of Christ.

a. It is the wisdom and power of God: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18.

b. We must realize that our only hope is to rejoice in the cross for what it is: "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Galatians 6:14.

3. It is only as we keep the goal in view that the cross enjoyable: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2.

4. We are not to invent our own crosses but to be crucified with Christ. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20.

a. Not only are we not to have a yoke of our own invention but we are to bear it in the right spirit: "When you have a yoke that is galling to the neck, you may know it is not Christ’s yoke; for He says His yoke is easy. What God wants of us is to be learning every day of our lives how to build our characters for time and for eternity. He does not want us to get into one channel and never turn out of that; to have fixed ideas, and hold them fast, whether they are right or wrong. He will place us amid trials and difficulties, and when we have learned to overcome obstacles in a right spirit, with high and holy purpose, He will give us another lesson. And if we have not the meekness of Christ to be constantly learning of Jesus in His school, then we must know that we have not the yoke of Christ (RH May 10, 1887). ." Vol. 5, S.D.A. Bible Commentary, p. 1091:3.

b. "The cross of Christ,—how many believe it to be what it is? How many bring it into their studies, and know its true significance? There could not be a Christian in our world without the cross of Christ. . . . Turn from the examples of the world, cease to extol the professedly great men; turn the mind from the glory of everything save the cross of Christ. Said Paul, ‘God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Let all, from the highest to the lowest, understand what it means to glory in the cross of Christ. That cross is to be bravely and manfully borne. Christ declares, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ And to all who will lift it, and bear it after Christ, the cross is a pledge of the crown of glory that can never fade away. . . . ." Sons and Daughters of God, p. 231:2.

c. "This is the highest science that we can learn,—the science of salvation. The cross of Calvary, rightly regarded, is true philosophy, pure and undefiled religion. It is eternal life to all who believe. By painstaking effort, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, it should be impressed upon the minds . . . that the cross of Christ is just as efficacious now as in Paul’s day, and should be as perfectly understood by them as it was by the great apostle. . . . ." Sons and Daughters of God, p. 231:3.

5. What happens when we choose to bear the cross in the right spirit? "Consecrate your lives to Christ. Take your children and patiently educate them that they may have pure and holy characters. Tell them the blessed story of the cross of Calvary. This is the great, central theme of all wisdom. Teach them to bear the cross; for in bearing the cross the cross will bear them. It is the pledge to them of the crown of glory that will never fade away. Said the apostle, ‘God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.’ Lift up the man of Calvary. Talk of his love, tell of his power. All the universe is watching to see if you prize the gift of eternal life that has been purchased for you at an infinite cost. Everyone that casts himself at the foot of the cross, giving his soul into the keeping of a faithful Creator, testifies his willingness to bear the contempt of the world. But the redeemed soul can say with Paul: ‘Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.’ Therefore lift your minds up out of doubt and darkness by contemplation of the spiritual and eternal. Your King is exalted in the highest heavens, and you should exalt him below by reflecting his divine image. Let your faith lay hold upon his merits. Are you a sinner against him? Hear what his promise is to those who repent of their rebellion: ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ Oh, that the veil might be swept aside, and you might get a clear view of the King in his beauty! How the world would pale and fade before you!" The Signs of the Times, April, 8, 1889:10.

6. Quit fighting the Lord: "Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and He says, ‘Take My yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me the lessons essential for you to learn; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.’ The Lord never makes a false estimate concerning His heritage. He measures the men with whom He is working. When they submit to His yoke, when they give up the struggle that has been unprofitable for themselves and for the cause of God, they will find peace and rest. When they become sensible of their own weakness, their own deficiencies, they will delight to do God’s will. They will submit to the yoke of Christ. Then God can work in them to will and to do of His good pleasure, which is often entirely contrary to the plans of the human mind. When the heavenly anointing comes to us, we shall learn the lesson of meekness and lowliness, which always brings rest to the soul (RH Oct. 23, 1900). ." Vol. 5, S.D.A. Bible Commentary, p. 1091:1.

1. If we confess: 1 John 1:9.

a. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ has been promised to all who will come to him in faith. You may say, I do confess my sins; but I do not feel any better. What has feeling to do with it? If you have confessed your sins if you have planted your feet on vantage-ground, and are sorry for your sins, so sorry that you will not repeat them, you will receive pardon. Remember that when you sin, you wound afresh the One who gave his precious life for you, putting him to open shame. The world looks on, and says, ‘Ah, they are the ones who profess to believe that Christ is coming, and who profess to believe that the Lord forgives their sins; but do you see their conniving, their dishonesty, their sinfulness?’ Christ is humiliated in the person of his saints. Let us not take that position. Let us consider that it is a noble thing to confess our faults, and to forsake them." Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 18, 1905:9.

b. "We expect to see the salvation of God in this meeting; but it will never come to those who cover up their wrongs, those who, catching perhaps a glimpse of light, think that it is all right, and that they have nothing more to do. You can never stand on vantage-ground by taking that attitude. It is through the rectitude, the grace, revealed by the disciples of Christ, that the world is to be led to believe on him. This is to be the convincing power. In this our day of confession, this last great day of atonement, before the books shall be opened, and every man shall be judged by the things written in the books, are we considering how we shall stand in the judgment, in that day when every deed is to be tried, and every act is to be brought into review before the heavenly universe? Let us not make play-work of our religious life. Is it not time that we believed that Christ died on Calvary, that he might forgive our sins and pardon our transgressions?" Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 18, 1905:10.

2. Come to the foot of the cross. "The cross of Calvary appeals in power, affording a reason why we should love Christ now, and why we should consider Him first, and best, and last, in everything. We should take our fitting place in humble penitence at the foot of the cross. We may learn the lessons of meekness and lowliness of mind as we go up to Mount Calvary, and, looking upon the cross, see our Saviour in agony, the Son of God dying, the Just for the unjust. Behold Him who could summon legions of angels to His assistance with one word, a subject of jest and merriment, of reviling and hatred. He gives Himself a sacrifice for sin. When reviled, He threatened not; when falsely accused, He opened not His mouth. He prays on the cross for His murderers. He is dying for them. He is paying an infinite price for every one of them. He would not lose one whom He has purchased at so great cost. He gives Himself to be smitten and scourged without a murmur. And this uncomplaining victim is the Son of God. His throne is from everlasting, and His kingdom shall have no end….Look, O look upon the cross of Calvary; behold the royal victim suffering on your account…." That I May Know Him, p. 65:2.

3. "Take hold of the arm of God, and say, ‘I am nothing, and Thou art everything. Thou hast said, ‘Without me ye can do nothing.’ Now, Lord, I must have Thee abiding in me, that I may abide in Thee.’ Then advance step by step, by living faith abiding in Jesus Christ. This is wearing His yoke, the yoke of obedience (MS 85, 1901)." Vol. 5, S.D.A. Bible Commentary, p. 1092:1.

4. "Christ presented the cross to His disciples. ‘If any man will come after Me,’ He said, ‘let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ The cross must be lifted by all who receive Christ as their Saviour. God does not forgive sin to encourage us to continue in sin. It is to bring sin to a close, that the divine nature may take possession of the being, and the riches of heaven be poured into mind and heart. God has made every provision that the divine resources may flow freely, and we are to deem no sacrifice too costly in order that the treasures of truth may be given to the world. To fall short of this is a betrayal of sacred trust." The Signs of the Times, March 1, 1899:8.

5. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Mark 8:35-37.