Taking Up The Cross

Back to Basics: (Part X)

TAKING UP THE CROSS

Matthew 16:24-25 (NIV)
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Matthew 13:44 (NIV)
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

            The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ was undoubtedly very difficult and painful. But God has to allow it in order for Him to be able to bestow forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who would believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. In other words, the cross was God’s appointed way to a life of victory and blessings. That is why there is a celebration of resurrection. Christ did not end on the cross; He resurrected to declare a message of victory and blessings.

            This morning, with our continuing discussions on the basics of the Christian life and at the same time, celebrating the resurrection of our Savior, I thought that it would be appropriate to highlight the theme regarding the need to take up our own cross. When you examine the teachings of Jesus, He had repeatedly called His followers to a life of surrender and sacrifice based on this invitation to take up their own cross. Unfortunately, this idea had often been resented and misunderstood by many believers since the Roman cross in Jesus day had carried the impression of shame and sufferings. They have assumed that Christian life is burdensome and God simply delights to make us miserable.

However, this concept will never be validated by the Bible. There is no question that God desires from us a life of surrender and sacrifice. Nevertheless, if we take the time to really understand the doctrine; it is literally the way God can give us His best blessings. Matthew 13:44 perfectly illustrates this truth. To give up and surrender everything you possessed in order to gain the hidden treasures with much greater value is a worthwhile exchange. Anyone who refuses the exchange lacks discernment and understanding. Chip Ingram, president and CEO of Walk Thru the Bible, wrote in his book Good to Great in God’s Eyes a scenario that will help clarify this:

Imagine seeing a little girl playing a string of plastic beads. She loves it; it’s one of her favorite toys. How would you feel if you asked her to give you her beads in exchange for an expensive necklace of real pearls, and she refused the gift? Logically, her attachment to her toy doesn’t make sense.

I feel that many believers are missing out because of their failure to understand the significance of taking the way of the cross. Let’s take the time to revisit Matthew 16:24-25 and examine the four phases of it.

I           PERSONAL CHOICE:

            To set the background for the text, beginning in verse 21, Jesus had explained to the disciples the need for him to go back to Jerusalem in order to suffer many things in the hands of the religious leaders. He impressed to them that these sufferings will lead to his death, but he also had assured them of his resurrection on the third day. Without listening carefully, Peter misunderstood the words of Christ. He probably heard about the dying part, and not the resurrecting part of the Messiah. And so he rebuked Jesus for planning to go to Jerusalem, saying, “Never Lord, this shall never happen to you.” With this, Jesus strongly rebuked Peter. He even had to address him as Satan because he is playing the role of Satan in trying to hinder the work He needed to accomplish. From this, He gave this challenge to His followers to take up their own cross.

            Clearly, for Jesus the road to the cross was ordained by God. He came for that very purpose. The question is whether you and I are willing to take the same route. Looking at our main text, the front end involves a personal choice - "If anyone would come after me.”

            When God created us, He gave us the freedom of choice.  We are free to choose what we want and experience the consequences of it. If we make the wrong choices, we suffer its curses, but when we make the right choices we reap blessings.  As believers, God will never force anyone to follow him. You and I will always have an option whether or not we are willing to take the path that Jesus is offering to us. Someone had appropriately said, “Willingness is the key to a faithful, obedient Christian living.”

            Are you consciously choosing to follow Jesus Christ? With Satan always trying to lead us astray, there is a constant struggle within us. I hope we always choose the path that will lead us closer to Christ. One assurance we have is that w e have all the help we need to choose the right way:

Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

II         PRACTICAL CONSECRATION:

            Next, we need to understand the implication of these words, “he must deny himself and take up his cross.” In order to sincerely follow Jesus, we must recognize that words are not enough. God literally demands that we demonstrate in practical ways our love to Him. There are two ways we can show it:

  1. A.     Self-denial -  “he must deny himself”

We must be willing to surrender our personal rights or claims over anything that would hinder our pursuit of obedience to Christ. This could be personal ambitions, possessions or even relationships. Satan could use any of these things against us and God.

  1. B.     Sacrifice -  “take up his cross”

The cross always meant sufferings. We must be prepared to sacrifice our personal comforts and conveniences so we can stay obedient to Christ.

In case you are skeptical concerning these demands of surrender and sacrifice, allow me to lead you to some Scriptural examples:

Genesis 22:2 (NIV)
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Luke 14:25-26 (NIV)
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 18:22 (NIV)
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

            There is one thing in common in all of these verses. God desires that we make him a priority in our love and loyalty. We cannot put our loved ones or our possessions before God and expect Him to give us the best in return. Just like in the life of Abraham, God wants to see whether or not Isaac has become more important than Him. Is God first place in your heart? In your life, what competes with Him most of the time?  If you consider the apostle Paul, his commitment was only to live for Christ:

Philippians 1:21 (NIV)
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

            I hope and pray that many of us can say the same thing because this is what God desires to see.

III        PERPETUAL COMMITMENT:

            We also need to emphasize the significance of these words, “and follow me.” Looking at the way Jesus said this, He uses a phrase suggesting that it must be a continuing activity. In other words, when you and I begin to follow the Lord, we must never stop until the end of our earthly life.

            How many Christians have you known who begun living for Christ, and yet, their commitment lasted only for a short time? Their best Christian services were only part of history, than of the present. They love to say, “I used to sing in the choir” or “I used to teach Bible studies,” Or “I used to witness with great zealousness.”

            The truth of the matter is: the stability of our commitment reveals the quality of our heart. What do I mean by this? Well, I believe we can use the parable of the sower to drive my point. When you read the parable in Luke 8:1-15, it talks about a farmer sowing seeds in four different soils: the pathway, the rocky, the thorny, and the good soil. Here is Christ’s explanation of the parable:

Luke 8:11-15 (NIV)
11 "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

            Evidently, the four different soils are four kinds of heart. All of them receive the same quality of seed, which is the word of God. But only in the fourth soil, the good soil did it persevered and bore fruits. So the perseverance reveals the quality of the heart.

            Are you still persevering? Probably just like the rocky and the thorny soils, the testing, the worries of life, or the riches and pleasures have caused you to stop following. Don’t let these things choke your commitment to Christ. Be a good soil, keep on keeping on.

            I am convinced that Christians who have persevered for the longest time have also become more productive believers. Their years and years of experience should help them become reliable in Christian service. Don’t waste your experience. Once you have live for the Lord for quite some time now. Keep going, and don’t stop. Your rich experiences can bring greater fruits into your life and can also inspire others to live for the Lord. Your life commitment should be like the words of the short chorus:

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

No turning back, no turning back.

IV        PROFITABLE CONFIRMATION:

            Finally, when we choose to surrender our lives to Jesus, He provides the assurance that this is going to lead to a profitable destiny – “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

            When you try to understand these words, it is a little bit confusing. How can anyone save his life by losing it? Well, what Jesus is trying to declare is: when we are trying to hold on to our own lives by doing only those things which we think are best for us – our own agendas, our own ambitions, etc... We will definitely miss out on the best things in life. He is challenging us to let go and let Him direct our lives. Let’s fully entrust our lives into His hands and allow Him to do what He wants to accomplish with them.

            I know that this idea is not easy for many Christians. Do you know why? There are many who have a wrong perspective of God. They think that if they commit their lives fully to Him, He would take away all the best things from them and make their lives miserable. This is absolutely false! God is a good God and His desire is to give us a great life. In John 10:10, Jesus said:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Let me go back where we started – remember the little girl with the string plastic beads. To refuse to exchange these for real, expensive pearls is illogical. I hope none of us will miss out. We must let go, and let God take full control of our lives. We must surrender our lives to Him.

We must be clear. The Lord never hides the fact that there are crosses to bear. But those crosses are also easily replaced by crowns in this life and the next. I love the words of Jesus given to Peter when he asked Him concerning the rewards of those who made sacrifices for Him:

Matthew 19:27-29 (NIV)
27 Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
28 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Peter was never rebuked for asking a very practical question – What then will there be for us?" God understands our concern, and so He gave the clear answer. You and I will never be shortchanged. I believe the phrase – “a hundred times as much” simply means immeasurable blessings. Whatever we let go for Him, He will replace them with immeasurable blessings.

Are you still holding on to your plastic beads? God wants you to let go because He wants you to experience the real treasures of life. Once you decide, make sure you do it now. Usually, those who delay never gets to do it.