Taking Up Your Cross For Jesus

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Luke 9:23-25 (New King James Version)
23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

Do you wish to follow Jesus?

Do you honestly want to follow Jesus?

Then you must take up your cross each day and deny yourself. Self denial is not popular in this modern day we live in. The idea of a prosperous Christian going without for the sake of the gospel seems so foreign. It seems that this passage is left out of the modern prosperity gospel preachers Bibles.

If you do not follow Jesus, who are you following?

Popular false teachers? False prophets? Satan?

Lets get back to scripture.

We are told to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus.

That is not to live without tithing, ignore the great commission and sin constantly. Jesus wasn't a sinner, so sinning all the time is not following Him.

How do we deny ourselves?

We need to deny ourselves TV time. We can start by reading the Bible or good Christian books. We can give more to the Lord and deny our lusts of the flesh. We can give to the poor and save money when we purchase things, not always insisting on the best. We can also fast by denying ourselves food to get closer to the Lord. We can also choose not to associate with the wrong sort of people, peoples whose habits are not good for us.

Taking up our cross.

Denying ourselves is a major part of taking up our cross. People who are used to having everything they want, will experience a cross like encounter when they go without for the sake of the Lord in their life. When you start to live a crucified life before the Lord, people notice who are close to you and this can result in being called weird. Taking up your cross might mean giving out tracts on your way to work and on your way home. Taking up your cross might mean sharing the truth of the gospel with someone at your place of work.

For Jesus taking up his cross was a very painful experience and resulted in his death. So too, joining the Lord at his cross we put to death our natural passions and take on the passions of the Holy Spirit. For walking in the Spirit is well pleasing to the Lord.

Losing your life

Losing your life for Jesus' sake is not the average Christian life. Losing your life is a whole life devoted to the gospel of Jesus and the power of the Word in your life. Losing your life is getting on your knees in the morning and devoting each day to the Lord and then during the day living devoted to the Lord. Losing your life for Jesus, is not a comfortable Christian life, it's a radical change, it's letting go of flesh and all its lusts and living totally for the Lord and His precious gospel. It's letting your light shine, letting everything pure about Jesus shine through you to a lost and hurting world. It's a radical change. It's a decision many people have never made despite the praise and worship songs they sing each week.

But if you try to save it you'll lose it

This is a verse that shows people that will not deny themselves for Jesus will themselves be denied when it comes time for judgement. If they try and keep their wealth and live in the lusts of the flesh, they will inherit death or hell. That is why Jesus goes on to say what point is it that he gains the whole world and loses his very soul. It's a sad thing to say but many people though the lusts of this world will not go to heaven and they might even attend church right up until the day that they die.

Counting the cost

Luke 14:28-33 (New King James Version)
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it- 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish'? 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

If you interpret this scripture as a person entering the Christian life that is building the tower you'll see that Jesus is warning about the foolishness of embarking on a Christian life without being prepared to pay the cost.

Jesus uses both illustrations to emphasize So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Forsaking All.

Did you know that you had to forsake all to follow Jesus?

Do you know that means your finances and possessions also?

We are to deny ourselves and take up our cross and forsake all to have hold of Jesus.

Let me pray for you.

Father I want to give my life to you in a fresh new way. Show me what areas of my life that I need to deny myself in order to please you. Give me the courage to take up my cross daily and to walk with you and follow your Son's footsteps each day. I repent of my fleshy attitude and my carnal living and desire to walk in a state of holiness. Please refresh me and lead me I pray.

In Jesus name I ask. Amen.