We work so hard to have control over everything, sometimes even trying to control God is our own lives. Usually just reminds us we aren't in control at all. And thats exactly where God wants us. In fact the only control God wants us to have is self-control.

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Acts 7:57–58

Acts 8:1–3

Acts 9:1–2

Acts 9:3–6

Acts 20:20

Romans 7:24

1 Timothy 1:15

Romans 8:1

Psalm 46:1

Hebrews 6:18–20 MSG

After the wilderness season, there is a decision to make. Jesus does not simply call us out of hardship, He calls us into discipleship. “Take IT Up” challenges believers to understand what it truly means to take up their cross daily.

The cross is not comfort. It is surrender. It is dying to self, rejecting the patterns of this world, and living transformed by Christ. Because Jesus said “It is finished,” our salvation is secured by grace through faith. But discipleship requires obedience. It requires denying ourselves, taking up the cross, and following Him fully.

This sermon will walk us through the finished work of Christ, the gift of salvation, and the daily responsibility of the believer to live crucified with Christ. Leaving the wilderness means stepping into identity, surrender, and active faith. The question is not whether Jesus carried His cross. The question is whether we will carry ours.

Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

Luke 9:23 (NIV)

Matthew 16:24–27 (NIV)

Matthew 16:24 (NKJV)

John 19:30

Romans 3:23–25

Romans 6:23

Romans 10:9–10

Romans 5:8

1 Peter 3:18

Colossians 2:13–14

John 3:36

John 6:40

John 3:17–18

Matthew 16:24 (Step 1 emphasis)

Romans 12:2

Galatians 2:20

Ephesians 4:22–24

Matthew 16:24 (Step 1 & Step 2 emphasis)

Matthew 16:24 (Step 1, Step 2 & Step 3 emphasis)

John 20:24–27

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The wilderness was training. Now the battle begins.

God has brought us into the Promise through Christ and empowered us with the Holy Spirit. But living in the Promise does not mean the absence of opposition. It means advancing the Kingdom.

Our enemy is not flesh and blood. The battle is spiritual. And the weapon is not force, revenge, or pride. It is love.

Jesus set the example by laying down His life, and He calls us to do the same. When we return love for evil, we disrupt the system of this world and advance the Kingdom of God.

This is what the wilderness prepared us for.

Be strong. Be courageous. Advance in love.

Ephesians 6:10–12

John 15:13

Matthew 5:38–48

1 Corinthians 12

1 Corinthians 12:31

1 Corinthians 13:1–8

If our podcast has encouraged you and you’d like to support it, you can donate here: https://cpcava.org/give