Truly Following Christ

Why has this been transformational?

Luke 9:23-27, over the journey of my life in ministry has been one of the many that has greatly impacted who I am. It because of this passage I wear a wooden cross when I preach instead of a tie. A reminder that sharing the word of God is part of denying yourself, taking up your cross and following Christ. Luke uses the word daily as a reminder that as followers of Christ we need to daily deny our self, our will, take up our cross embrace the Father’s will and follow in Christ’s footsteps. As a daily reminder of what that looks like, in college I bought this statue of Jesus carrying his cross. It serves as a daily reminder to me that even Jesus had to deny himself, not my will, physically take up his cross, but yours be done, and follow the will of God the father for his life. Actually I think it’s safe to say that no scripture has changed my life more than this one.

John 8:31–32 NLT

31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Last week we were reminded that remaining faithful to Christ’s teaching is the true mark of discipleship. To truly be a disciple is to follow Christ, to know the truth that sets us free, requires denial of self. Denial of our versions of the truth, and fully embracing the truth that is found in Christ.

Today we wrestle with what does it mean to follow Christ? What does it mean to deny yourself? What does it mean to take up your cross daily? What does it mean to follow Christ? These questions impact who we are on a personal level and who we are as a church. Today may we remember to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Christ.

Carrying Crosses

The Cross a Symbol of execution

When Jesus was about 11, Judas the Galileean led a rebellion against Rome. Rome to make a statement against Messiah figures from Galilee, sold some followers into slavery and scattered them across the empire, but they crucified 2,000 of Judas followers. While this is a historical event that happened during the life of Christ we can find evidence of Judas the Galileean in Acts 5:37.

I share this because Luke’s gospel is the only one that captures anything of the life of Christ as a child. In Luke 2:41-52 we see at the age of 12 that Jesus, Mary and Joseph went to the temple every year for passover. It is very likely that on one of these journeys as a young boy that Jesus witnessed these crucifixions along the way. Jesus knew full well what the cross meant. It is with this understanding we need to understand what he is saying to his would be followers. It is here that we begin to take up our cross.

There are 3 things Christ calls us into 1 denying ourselves, 2 taking up our cross, 3 following him.

Deny Ourselves

Peter’s denial of Christ. Is set as the bench mark of what it means to deny ourselves.

Mark 14:70–71 NLT

70 But Peter denied it again. A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.” 71 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”

Peter in Mark’s gospel couldn’t have more completely denied Christ. This is the bench mark that we must deny ourselves.

“To deny ones self is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer Cost of Discipleship

To summarize these words further Christ, not self, leads the way keep close to him.

Jesus denies himself in the Garden when he prays not my will but yours be done.

Galatians 2:20 NLT

20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

2. Take up your cross daily

What does it mean to take up your cross daily? It means each and everyday of our lives no matter what embrace the will of God the Father. The cross is a sign of intense struggle, and the road is bumpy. There are going to be days that doing the will of God is hard, that we don’t want to do it. It’s times like this I remember Christ’s words from his prayer in the Garden.

Luke 22:39–46 NLT

39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” 41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. 45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

Jesus first words in his prayer to the Father if you are willing, let this cup pass from me. At this hour Jesus humanity was staring down what it meant to take up his cross. The humanity of Jesus struggled with the pain and suffering he was about to face on our behalf, and its here that we can see even Jesus struggle with taking up his cross. Word’s from this prayer that are the turning point for Jesus are also ours. After Jesus utters not my will he is very quick to say but yours be done. It is in the but yours be done that Christ embraced his cross, and followed the will of God the Father all the way to Golgotha.

To take up our cross means to endure the hardships for the sake of being true to Christ.

3. and Follow Me

What does it mean to follow Christ? Exactly what it sounds like. To do what he does, to go where he goes. It also means that through the hard journey of carrying your cross he is there with you. One of my favorite lines from Galatians 2:20 is it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. The only way we can truly be Christ’s disciples is by allowing the work of Christ to continue to transform who we are by the indwelling Holy Spirit that when things get rough all we see is Christ in front of us leading the way, and all others see is Christ in us. This is truly what means to deny yourself take up your cross and follow Christ.

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but to lose or forfit their own soul?

What does all this mean?

To put this into practice impacts us personally in our lives and corporately as the church the body of Christ. May we be a people that wake up every morning denying ourselves with this prayer “Father not my will but yours be done.” This is where denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Christ begins.

As the church, the body of Christ, and this expression of the church, Leicester Church of the Nazarene may it be our prayer collectively as we gather, as we leave. May it be the prayer that guides board meetings, “Father not our will, but yours be done!”

As we leave here today, let us deny ourselves take up our cross and follow Christ remembering that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.