Taking Up Our Cross
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What would you be willing to die for? Hyperbole and literally
People have said:
Hyperbole:
1. Food and Drink:
• “That chocolate cake is to die for.”
• “This coffee is to die for.”
• “Her homemade lasagna is to die for.”
2. Fashion and Style:
• “Those shoes are to die for.”
• “That designer dress is to die for.”
• “Her new handbag is to die for.”
3. Experiences and Activities:
• “The view from the top of the mountain is to die for.”
• “That vacation in the Maldives was to die for.”
• “The concert last night was to die for.”
4. Aesthetic Appeal:
• “Her smile is to die for.”
• “His eyes are to die for.”
• “That sunset was to die for.”
5. Home and Decor:
• “Their new kitchen is to die for.”
• “The decor in this hotel is to die for.”
• “That antique furniture is to die for.”
6. Entertainment:
• “That new movie is to die for.”
• “The plot twist in that book is to die for.”
• “Her performance on stage was to die for.”
7. Luxury and Comfort:
• “The bed in that hotel is to die for.”
• “That spa treatment was to die for.”
• “His new sports car is to die for.”
Literally:
1. Family: Many express a willingness to die for their loved ones, especially children, spouses, and parents.
2. Freedom: Sacrificing one’s life for freedom is a common sentiment, often associated with soldiers and activists.
3. Love: The idea of dying for one’s true love or soulmate is a recurring theme in literature and personal declarations.
4. Country: Patriotism drives people to claim they would die for their country, a common sentiment among military personnel and nationalists.
5. Faith or Religion: Martyrdom for religious beliefs is a profound commitment seen in various faiths.
6. Justice: Some are willing to die for justice or to fight against injustice, a sentiment expressed by activists and whistleblowers.
7. Honor: Historical and cultural values often emphasize dying for one’s honor or reputation.
8. Cause or Ideals: Dying for a cause, such as human rights, environmental conservation, or social justice, is a powerful motivator for many activists.
9. Friends: Deep friendships can lead people to claim they would die for their closest friends.
10. Dreams and Aspirations: People sometimes hyperbolically say they would die for their dreams or to achieve a significant goal.
Big Idea: Following Christ Means We Are Willing to Die For Him
Big Idea: Following Christ Means We Are Willing to Die For Him
Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,
saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
Background:
Peter confesses Jesus is Christ
Jesus Foretells his death and resurrection
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Discuss the use of simile, metaphor, and hyperbole in scripture.
In this verse, Jesus is not using the cross as a metaphor. He really is saying that following him is giving our own lives for him and his kingdom.
Living for Christ is self-denial. People use the phrase: “My cross to bear”
a difficult person, a tough situation, an illness or injury, etc. People say this is their cross to bear.
This is a cheapening of what Jesus is saying.
Kent Hughes:
A Walk with God: Luke 45. The Cross that is Made for Every Christian (Luke 9:23–27)
There are few passages in the New Testament as misunderstood and abused as this particular passage. How many times have you heard people say, ‘I have a cross to bear’, and that cross is the unemployment of the husband, or a debilitating illness, or an undisciplined child, and so on. The concept of bearing one’s cross has become a way of describing any form of suffering that we are called upon to endure. But that is not what Jesus is referring to here. He is not referring to what we may call common forms of suffering, the kind that afflicts Christian and non-Christian alike, and has no bearing on a person’s commitment to Christ. What Jesus is saying here is that when we take the name Christian, and openly identify ourselves with Christ, we must be ready not only to bear the normal suffering that life brings, but to share in the particular suffering of Christ.
Jesus was not saying you will have difficulties, he was saying commitment to him was a death sentence of sorts. We must die to our selves, and daily do so. All of his listeners would have been aware of, and many of them had been eyewitnesses to, the cruel treatment of condemned people, whom the Romans would force to carry their own crosses to their death. Jesus is not alluding to this in a hyperbolic way, but in a real sense we must continually crucify our flesh.
Paul also used language that was very strong. All of Christian life is warfare. we fight sin, we fight our flesh, we fight the evil one.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
Saving your physical life will lead to spiritual death
Losing your physical life (For Christ) means everlasting life
A Walk with God: Luke 45. The Cross that is Made for Every Christian (Luke 9:23–27)
the supreme mark of membership of the New Testament church is the sacrament of baptism. Baptism, among other things, is a symbol of our being ingrafted into Christ; a symbol of our being cleansed of our sins; a symbol of our new birth and so on. It is the sign of our burial with Christ, of our participation in his death and in his resurrection.
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully,
and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’
But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,
which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
Jesus is coming again
Those who are faithful to the end will be vindicated by Christ on the day of judgment
Those who deny him never had true faith
A Walk with God: Luke 45. The Cross that is Made for Every Christian (Luke 9:23–27)
Unless we are willing to participate in the humiliation of Christ, we cannot participate in his exaltation.
But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
People have taken this to mean that Jesus was saying he would return before all the listeners died naturally. However, this is clearly not the case. Many people have struggled with this verse for that reason. But they did see the ushering in of the kingdom.
A Walk with God: Luke 45. The Cross that is Made for Every Christian (Luke 9:23–27)
Did Jesus expect the finalization, the consummate conclusion of his kingdom in his own lifetime or during the lifetime of his disciples? No! Because the fact of the matter is that those very people that Jesus was talking about did not taste of death until they saw the kingdom of God. It doesn’t specify at what point they saw it; but there were plenty of incidents where the kingdom of God broke through in visible force: the transfiguration, the day of the resurrection, the ascension, and so on. These happenings made it clear to his own disciples that what they were counting on was indeed a reality, and they could afford not to be ashamed to be called followers of Christ.
Big Idea: Following Christ Means We Are Willing to Die For Him
Big Idea: Following Christ Means We Are Willing to Die For Him
What are you willing to die for? Are you willing to die for Christ?
He is worthy of our lives. If we are in Christ,
He purchased us,
he redeemed us,
So we belong to him
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
I am a part of Christ, I belong to Him, I am a member of the body of Christ! I am not my own, I have been ‘bought (purchased) with a price.
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
For all eternity, those he saves will worship him for redeeming them: Rev5.9
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
He is worthy of our lives. If he asks it of us, we ought to be willing to die for him.
If you are a Christian, you are not your own. Christ has bought you at the price of his own death. You now belong doubly to God: He made you, and he bought you.
John Piper
