Great Sermons - Friends of the Cross

Devotional

Day 1: Not Your Handiwork

The disciples stumbled when they tried to control outcomes. Jesus rebuked Peter for resisting God’s plan. Like them, we often create unnecessary suffering by forcing solutions, defending reputations, or chasing human approval. But crosses forged by our own hands lack the sanctifying grace of those God appoints. [14:52]

Jesus carried only the cross the Father gave Him. He refused shortcuts, even when Satan offered escape. His surrender transformed torture into triumph. Our self-made trials breed resentment; God-sent trials birth endurance.

What duty have you mishandled this week to avoid criticism? Write down one responsibility you’ll fulfill with excellence today—not for applause, but as an offering. How might your perfectionism be manufacturing crosses God never asked you to bear?

“Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.”
(1 Peter 4:15, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one self-made trial you’ve carried this month. Ask Christ to replace it with His appointed cross.
Challenge: Review yesterday’s interactions. Circle one moment where your words created unnecessary conflict.

Day 2: Scandal’s Gentle Refusal

The woman caught in adultery stood exposed—but Jesus knelt to write in dust. When Pharisees demanded judgment, He reframed their trap as a mirror: “Let the sinless throw first.” By prioritizing her dignity over doctrinal debates, He modeled cross-bearing love. [15:48]

God’s wisdom turns our battles for righteousness into chances to lay down rights. Paul ate no meat if it troubled a brother. Esther hid her lineage to save her people. Mercy often wears disguise.

You’ll face choices between being right and being reconciling. Next time someone misjudges your motives, pause. Could silence here prevent a brother’s fall? What “noble stand” have you taken that actually wounded the weak?

“Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”
(1 Corinthians 10:32-33, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one habit that subtly harms others’ faith.
Challenge: Today, withhold a justified complaint against someone to protect their conscience.

Day 3: Wisdom in Labor and Humiliation

Paul begged thrice for his thorn’s removal. Christ answered not with relief, but revelation: “My power shines in weakness.” The apostle learned to boast in insults and hardships—the very things that once shamed him. [17:41]

God’s wisdom enters through wounds. Job gained understanding after losing everything. Peter found courage after denying Christ. Your most confusing trial may be tutoring you in trust.

Identify one recurring frustration—a chronic pain, difficult relationship, or unpaid debt. For five minutes today, thank God specifically for how He’s using it to hollow pride. What if this irritation is His chisel carving you into wisdom’s vessel?

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
(James 1:5, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for three ways He’s used past failures to humble you.
Challenge: Set a phone reminder to pray “Grant me the wisdom of this cross” at your most stressful hour today.

Day 4: Pride’s Poison in Heavy Crosses

Naaman nearly rejected healing because Elisha’s cure seemed too common. The Syrian commander expected dramatic rituals, not a simple river dip. His servants’ rebuke—“If the prophet told you to do something hard, wouldn’t you?”—exposed his entitlement. [22:49]

We resent small crosses yet covet grand ones. A mother complains about laundry but envies martyrs. Remember: the widow’s two coins outweighed rich men’s piles. God measures crosses by our surrender, not their size.

List three “light” burdens you resent (a rude coworker, tight budget, chronic fatigue). Now rewrite them as “God’s tools” shaping specific virtues. Which irritation have you labeled “unworthy of sainthood” that Christ calls your path to glory?

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
(Proverbs 16:18, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one way you’ve compared your cross to others’. Repent of ranking sufferings.
Challenge: Perform one menial task today (washing dishes, filing paperwork) with deliberate gratitude for its humbling gift.

Day 5: Voluntary Crosses in Little Things

The rich young ruler clung to wealth but claimed readiness for sacrifice. Jesus loved him enough to demand specifics: “Sell what you own.” The man left sorrowful, preferring grand ideals over daily denials. [41:55]

Voluntary crosses train us to embrace involuntary ones. Daniel chose vegetables before facing lions. Shadrach practiced fidelity before the furnace. Your small “no” to comfort today strengthens tomorrow’s “yes” to crisis.

Choose one tiny indulgence to surrender this week: that second coffee, scrolling before bed, or complaining about weather. Replace it with a concrete act of service. What harmless habit have you allowed to numb your cross-bearing muscles?

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
(Luke 9:23, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Christ to highlight one comfort you rely on more than His presence.
Challenge: Before dinner, donate the cost of a luxury item you’d normally buy this week to a local shelter.

Sermon Summary

The loving appeal of Jesus calls the disciple to stop fearing the cross and begin carrying it in patience and in joy. The call to carry it well begins with sobriety: rule one refuses self-made crosses. The disciple must not do wrong to bring about good, nor do things so poorly as to invite ridicule. Rather, like the Lord, the disciple does all things well, not from vanity, but to please God and win over fellow men. Faithful duty will still draw opposition and criticism, and these will be sent by God without the disciple’s choosing.

Charity then governs freedom. Rule two teaches that if a morally neutral action scandalizes a neighbor, charity refrains. But if an act truly serves the neighbor and only the evil-minded are scandalized, wisdom takes counsel and then carries on. Rule three admires the height of the saints without pretending to snatch it. Rule four asks for the wisdom of the cross, a light within that deepens understanding by faith, obtained only through much labor, great humiliations, and fervent prayer. The disciple prays continually and believes God gives it.

Humility becomes the yoke that fits. Rule five accepts blunders as places to say, “Lord, here is a sample of my handwork.” If sin is present, the humiliation is punishment; if not, it is medicine for pride. God often allows even the holiest to fall into humiliating faults so that no one can boast in God’s presence. Rule six remembers that God’s humbling purifies.

Rule seven exposes spiritual pride. Heavy crosses are not badges of special favor but loving punishments lighter than the disciple’s debts. Rule eight teaches that God measures how one suffers more than how much. To suffer much badly is to suffer like the damned; to suffer bravely for evil is to suffer like a disciple of the devil; to suffer little or much for God is to suffer like a saint.

Love then climbs to its summit. Rule nine seeks not emotional sweetness but supernatural love of the cross. Without sensible joy, by pure faith, the soul loves while the lower nature trembles, saying, “Father, not my will, but thine be done.” Rule ten refuses exceptions or choices among crosses.

Rule eleven arms the sufferer with four sights: the eye of God, the hand of God, the wounds of Christ crucified as shield and sword, and the two horizons of crown above and hell below. Angels warn against forfeiting the marked crown, and the Lord promises reward to the patient. Rule twelve bans complaint against creatures; rule thirteen receives the cross with thanks. Rule fourteen adds voluntary, hidden self-denials that love will discover by the thousands, so that being faithful in little, the soul is trusted with greater graces, greater crosses, and greater glory, carried patiently.

Key Takeaways

1. Do not manufacture your own crosses. God sends enough real opposition without self-sabotage. Doing good work well, for God and neighbor, is a cross all its own because it invites critique without courting it. Prudence refuses the drama of sloppy zeal and the pride that hides behind it. Holiness does not need props. [14:52]
2. Pray for the wisdom of the cross. This wisdom is light tasted within, given through humiliations, toil, and persevering prayer. It teaches the soul to delight in bitter things for God’s sake, without needing emotional payoff. Asking for it daily is itself part of the schooling that makes the asking sincere. [17:41]
3. Humble yourself when you blunder. Failure can be a furnace where pride melts, if the disciple offers it to God as “my handwork.” When sin is involved, humiliation chastens; when it is not, humiliation still cures vanity. God’s severe mercy keeps even the devout from boasting. [19:12]
4. Never take pride in suffering. Crosses are not proof of superiority but signs of debts being paid in love. Spiritual pride poisons discernment, making burdens look heavier and the sufferer look grander. True grace makes crosses lighter by placing them next to the weight of forgiven offenses. [22:29]
5. Look at Christ crucified and endure. The memory of His wounds is shield, breastplate, helmet, and sword. Under that gaze, poverty, sorrow, and temptation lose their roar, and patience finds a crown in sight. Heaven’s reward and hell’s warning steady the will when feelings revolt. [36:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[14:52] - Rule 1: Do not fabricate crosses
[15:48] - Rule 2: Charity restrains liberties
[16:21] - Rule 3: Admire saints without presumption
[17:41] - Rule 4: Ask for wisdom of the cross
[19:12] - Rule 5: Humble yourself in blunders
[19:33] - Rule 6: God humbles to purify
[22:29] - Rule 7: Never take pride in crosses
[23:05] - Rule 8: Profit by little sufferings
[27:19] - Rule 9: Love the cross supernaturally
[30:18] - Rule 10: Accept all crosses without choice
[33:07] - Rule 11: Four helps for suffering well
[38:56] - Rule 12 and 13: No complaint, grateful acceptance
[41:41] - Rule 14: Hidden voluntary self-denials
[42:58] - Faithful in little, prepared for more

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 16:24 (ESV)
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”

Luke 22:42 (ESV)
“Saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’”

James 1:12 (ESV)
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Observation questions

According to Matthew 16:24, what two actions does Jesus link to following Him?
In Luke 22:42, how does Jesus model surrender to God’s will even in suffering?
What promise does James 1:12 connect to enduring trials?
The sermon mentions that crosses are “loving punishments” rather than signs of favor. What example is given to avoid manufacturing unnecessary suffering? [14:52]

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus connect self-denial and cross-bearing as inseparable parts of discipleship (Matthew 16:24)?
How does the prayer in Luke 22:42 challenge the idea that embracing God’s will should feel emotionally satisfying?
James 1:12 ties endurance to love for God. How might suffering reveal the quality of our love for Him?
The sermon warns against “spiritual pride” in suffering. Why might comparing crosses to others’ struggles distort our perspective? [22:29]

Application questions

What is one area where you might be creating a “self-made cross” (like careless work or unnecessary drama) instead of accepting God’s ordained trials? How can you shift focus to faithfulness? [14:52]
When you fail or face humiliation, how could offering it as “a sample of my handwork” (as in Rule 5) change your response to mistakes? [19:12]
Reflect on a recent hardship. How might viewing it as a “loving punishment” (to heal pride or sin) rather than a burden alter your attitude? [22:29]
The sermon advises “look at Christ crucified” during trials. What practical step could help you fix your eyes on His wounds when tempted to complain or despair? [36:17]
What “voluntary, hidden self-denial” (like avoiding gossip or serving someone you dislike) could you practice this week to prepare for greater crosses? [41:41]
When have you felt pride in enduring suffering? How can you replace that pride with gratitude for God’s mercy in light of James 1:12?
Identify one daily habit (e.g., prayer, Scripture meditation) to cultivate “supernatural love of the cross” even when feelings resist. [27:19]

Sermon Clips

35s

“Rule number seven, never take pride in your crosses. Do you imagine that your crosses are heavy or that they are marks of God's exceptional love for you? This temptation arising from spiritual pride is most deceptive, subtle, and full of poison. The crosses which God sends you are loving punishments for your sins, not signs of favor, and it is only your pride which makes them appear heavy.”

38s

“If you are truly friends of the cross, then without your knowing it, love, which is ever ingenious, will discover thousands of little crosses to enrich you without leading you to vainglory. And because you have been faithful in little things, the Lord will place you in charge of greater things. That is, the greater graces he will bestow on you, the greater crosses he will send you, and the greater glory he will prepare for you.”

40s

“To help you suffer and carry your cross patiently, I have composed some rules which you should follow. Rule number one, do not deliberately cause crosses by your own fault. We must not do something wrong in order to bring about good, nor must we do something so badly as to draw down ridicule upon ourselves. Rather, we ought, like our lord, to do all things, well, not out of vanity, but to please god and win over our fellow men.”

32s

“Contemplation of Christ crucified is the most powerful and formidable weapon against your enemies. When you are assailed by poverty, sorrow, temptation, and other crosses, arm yourselves with the shield, breastplate, helmet, and two edged sword, which is the remembrance of Christ crucified. It is there that you will find the means to conquer all your enemies.”

Ask a question about this sermon

EWTN This sermon · AI assistant

What is the wisdom of the cross?

How to love crosses with supernatural love?

What considerations help Christians suffer their crosses well?

Great Sermons - Friends of the Cross

Devotional

Day 1: Not Your Handiwork

Day 2: Scandal’s Gentle Refusal

Day 3: Wisdom in Labor and Humiliation

Day 4: Pride’s Poison in Heavy Crosses

Day 5: Voluntary Crosses in Little Things

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Great Sermons - Friends of the Cross

Share