The Cross

Intro

Jesus here is speaking to His disciples and telling them the cost of following Him.

Following Him has terms and not just anyhow we want to follow Him. He is here setting the standard for following. there is thus a blue print to follow Christ

The life of Jesus serves as the ultimate standard of love, compassion, and righteousness. His example sets a high bar for us to aspire to, showing us the kind of people we are called to be in our daily lives

This passage thus shows us at least 3 Conditions or standards

1. Die To Oneself

I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to him.

Charles Spurgeon

Take Up Your Cross

Matthew 10:38 LEB

And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

The Cross here speaks of self-denial

As a verb it speak about denying oneself with lethal determination

Lethal = Fatal (Jesus was carrying His own cross - carrying His own death

This Following or calling to Christ is recruited with a death certificate

The cost of following here is not just submission or loyalty it is Death

If you are struggling with submission or loyalty which are only the baby brother and sister of the Ultimate real Cost which is dying to self to serve not the way YOU want but the way HE wants

Imagine if you cant even swim in a baby pool how do you think to swim in a river

Matthew 16:24 LEB

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

This is much more radical to denial of certain things it mandates/requires a rejection of a life based on self-interest and self-fulfilment

John 12:25 LEB

The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world preserves it for eternal life.

You need to loose your life - meaning you cant love your life more than following Christ

Jesus showed the way to follow Him is to die to self

2 Corinthians 5:15 “And he died for all, in order that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.”

He Died so I may Live Thus I need to Die so He may live through Me

Dying to sin is to die to selfishness

Imagine a seed falling to the ground and laying dormant, seemingly lifeless. Yet, in its apparent death, it gives birth to a new, vibrant plant that bears abundant fruit. In the same way, our surrender to Christ's death in us brings forth new and abundant life, allowing Him to live and bear fruit through us.

The Cross is a Place To Serve

You cant serve if you are alive it only starts when you die

servanthood is the epitome of unselfishness

To serve Begins with Christ living Through You

Galatians 2:20 “and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

2. Take Up Your Cross DAILY

To take up the cross daily is to live each day, not for self, but for Christ.

Walter L. Liefeld; Kenneth L. Barker

Luke 9:23 LEB

And he said to them all, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me.

Luke emphasizes Daily - You must make your Commitment Daily

Just as we need to brush our teeth every day to maintain oral hygiene, we also need to daily renew our commitment to die to self and live for Christ.

Mark 8:34 LEB

And summoning the crowd together with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Mark Emphasizes the initial act of denying oneself once and for all

If you died once you are dead

Apostle Paul Teaches us in:

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we may live a new way of life.”

By receiving Christ the old self died, the sinful,selfish self died you are now a new person

3. Follow Jesus

We cannot claim to live in him unless we behave like him.

John Stott

As a Behaviour it means To behave in accordance or in agreement with

You leave or deny something and follow the other

Meaning following the new at the cost of the other

you should give up something to gain/get the other

Matthew 4:20 “And immediately they left their nets and followed him.”

Luke 5:11 “And after they brought their boats to the land, they left everything and followed him.”

Just as a dedicated artist invests countless hours into a masterpiece, shaping and refining it until it reflects their vision, we are called to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, allowing Him to shape and mold our lives according to His perfect design.

Excuses to Follow

It is easy to make excuses when we ought to be making opportunities.

Warren W. Wiersbe

Luke 9:59–62 LEB

And he said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Lord, first allow me to go and bury my father.” But he said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead! But you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another person also said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say farewell to those in my house.” But Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God!”

Bury my father = Let me 1st go and inherit what my father has for me

Say farewell to those in my house = Cares about the things of this world

Conclusion 1

The Reward for Following

Peter Asks since we have left EVERYTHING to follow you what will we receive?

Matthew 19:28 “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that in the renewal of the world, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me—you also will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Leadership Roles - In Acts 2 we see that the Disciples became Apostles

Mark 10:30 “who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, together with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.”

100 times more than what they gave up in this time/life

Eternal life

Luke 18:30 “who will not receive many times more in this time and in the age to come, eternal life.””

Many times (100x more) in this time

eternal life in age to come

2. The Light of Life

John 8:12 LEB

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Will not walk in foolishness and darkness but in wisdom and light

Preaching Conclusion

In The Old Testament

Means Die To Self

Abraham sacrifice your Isack

Jacob work twice for Rachel

Josef forgive your brothers

Moses lead my People

Ruth said your God is my God, where you die I die, where you Go I Go

Esther on behalf of the people

Sadrach, Mesag, Abednego in furnace fire

Daniel in Lions Den

Final Conclusion

The Cross

The Focus was not on Self-Love but on Others-Love

You only Win when THEY Win

Resurrection only came after the Sacrificial price was paid

No Death - No Reseruction

No Cross - No He is Risen

It is not ho far or low you are willing to go it is rather how far or low you have or are required to go

Death was the requirement thats why Jesus did not stop at the beating

Some of us cant even pass the stage of just being forgoten or to submit and to be loyal needless to say the route of DYING to SELF

BEFORE A 1000X BLESSING YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DIE A 1000X DEATH