The way to Follow

Holy Thursday Service

Luke 9:23-24 “23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

All week we have reflected on The Cross, Jesus’ death burial and Sunday we will celebrate the glorious resurrection! Monday through today we learned the importance of how the Word of the Cross gives us reason to Boast in the cross, because Christ Made Peace on that Old rugged Cross and now gives us The Way to Follow! Our prayer for all of us is to daily consider Christ’s sacrifice and His example.

Our passage today is no different. Jesus, Immediately after He tells of His death that was to come; He calls His disciples to follow His example. He looks at His disciples and says: “you too will have to carry a cross”.

If you will come after me and my life: you must daily deny yourself and daily take up your your cross. Jesus calls all of His disciples to live a crucified life everyday and in every situation. The crucified life is the Way to Follow- it’s to use our lives to Glorify God in everything we do.

Jesus models this for us, throughout the Gospels we see Christ pointing people to God the father. He is constantly reminding individuals he encountered- all His work was to glorify God. That every good and perfect gift comes from God.

Even as people would look at the good works he performed: Jesus reminds them that no one is Good except God the Father. Remember the rich young ruler approach Jesus as “Good teacher” Jesus asks; why do you call me good. NO one is good except God.

This is unbelievable!!! The one who Paul describes in Philippians 2 . . Jesus, who was in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. He willingly submitted to the plan of the Father. Why? Because His life was to fulfill the mission God the father placed on Him..... to bring salvation to all.

SO, Jesus and His example shows us the way to Follow is one of Self Denial-Taking up our cross, follow Him

Self-Denial-

Because of our love for God. . .We voluntarily renounce our own kingdom.

Hakeem in Coming to America. His love for Lisa, He renounce his throne!!

Hakeem (eddie murphy)- is next in line to be the King of Zumunda. His father, King Jaffe Joffer wants his son to follow the tradition of being presented with a wife he is to love the res of his life.

He rejects and come to America, Finds a lady named Lisa by playing to be a poor sheepherder. They so how start dating, she finds out his is a wealthy Prince and despised him because he lied and never wanted to see him again. It’s when in one of the final scenes: He trying to explain his love for Lisa, explain how he wanted someone to love him and not his stuff and that’s why he acted as a poor sheepherder. In a final attempt to prove His love: He Renounced His throne. He publicly declares he will not live the old way, but will live a new one.

This type of self denial is what is necessary to follow the way of the cross. It is denying the sinful way of living. It is walking counterintuitive to the systems of the world.

The old way is gone, Christ offers for us a new and living way.

2 corinthians 5:17 “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

The old ways of self-centeredness, the love of the flesh, the pride in possessions

We have to live in such a way that Christ can be seen in our actions.

Take up our cross Daily

Many mistaken “our Crosses” as only trials and hardships, sickness, and other mishaps catching us off guard.

taking up our cross is following in the footsteps of Christ. It walking against the negative ways of the world. It’s standing firm in our faith in our homes, in our social circles, at work and school. It’s staying true to Christ in difficult circumstances.

If we Deny ourselves, take up our cross daily we can then can:

Follow Him

To lose, is to Win

If we lose our life- deny our selves, carry our cross; Jesus says that life is saved.

Those who are fully surrendered to God; those lives will be saved.

So the question for all of us to consider today:

Will we follow the WAY of the Cross; or will we fall AWAY from the Cross?

I’m out of time!!!

let’s pray!!

Benediction

Romans 15:13 ESV

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

amen