Matthew 16:24…..Working

Matthew 16:24…..Working

16:24  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If (Expresses how God does not force us, the decision and choice is ours to make.) anyone (all people, believers.) would come after me ( To believe on Jesus for Salvation and eternal life. Or to be a Christian and follower of Christ.) he must deny himself (533-To disown or renounce self. To give up ownership. To die to self-rule, self-sufficiency, self-gratification, fleshy-desires.) and take up (assume, bear, submit, daily.-{Luke 9:23} The verb tense is continually, day=in and day-out) his cross (Lit. The Roman practice to which a criminal was forced to carry their cross to the place of execution. Expresses a willingness to endure whatever may come be it hardships, trials, sufferings.) and follow me. (i.e. To follow Christ’s teachings and example, even if it means suffering and dying if need be.)

Continued From Book

“Teaches how we must be willing to follow Jesus no matter the costs or sacrifices.” ⇒ Will you take up your cross and follow Jesus whatever may come. Will you take up your cross and follow Jesus even if it costs you everything? Martin Luther once said “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing is worth nothing.” Taking up the cross and following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly. But true cross-bearing is revealed during trials and hardships. Each day we take up our cross. Every day we live for the Lord. Daily we look for ways to make a difference. To give. To serve. To shine. Even in tough times.There are many who follow Jesus in the breaking of bread. But few as far as drinking the cup of suffering. Many follow Jesus in the morality of His teachings, but few in the indignity of the cross. Many will follow Jesus on Sunday, but walk their own path on Monday.

“Calls for total surrender and submission to Christ’s rule and authority over our lives.” ⇒ Jesus wants your total surrender. He wants you to commit your life completely to Him. He’s not interested in just getting a few free hours of your week, Sunday morning service, or serve every once in awhile, He wants it all. When you come to Jesus as Lord & Savior, you are giving up all of your rights. You are surrendering to His Kingship over yourself and your life. Jesus wants you to hand Him the reigns of your life over to Him. Will you surrender and submit to His direction and call on your life. Will you put Christ first in every aspect of your life in where you are to go and what you are to do. If God wants us to leave a comfortable job and head overseas to make Him known, so be it. If He wants us to sacrificially give so that someone else can go and make Him known, that is fine too. If Jesus wants us to live in a car, a small house, a hard city, have an awkward conversation about faith, be more bold at work, take a pay cut in order to stay on ministry, whatever He calls us to do – we are to do it. Is there anything you wouldn’t do, or anywhere you wouldn’t go if God asked you to? The value of anything is determined by its investment, either in time, money, or personal sacrifice. Will you put Jesus first in your time, your talent, your finances. Will you put Jesus first in your relationships, your goals. Will you put Jesus first in your will, your wants, your wishes. To surrender to Jesus’ Lordship  is to allow Him to use you as He sees fit. It is to accomplish whatever He has called you to do for Hs honor and His glory. [Note: The more you surrender to Christ the more joy you have. The More peace you have. The more contentment you will have.]

“Teaches how Jesus doesn’t want casual or superficial followers, but committed disciples who are all in.” ⇒ There’s no room for sunday only Christians. Many try to sprinkle a little bit of God onto their lifestyle. A little bit of Jesus, a little bit of church. And because their unwillingness to actually surrender to Him their missing out. When Jesus says, “follow me,” He is calling us, not just to hang out with Him, or tag along, but to a devout, different, and dedicated, life. Discipleship is a all or nothing proposition. Either your all in or your all out. There’s no half way measures in being a disciple either you go all the way or you go no way. Either your sold out to Jesus or your not. To take up your cross is where the rubber meets the road. To be a disciple you have to have some skin in the game. You can’t just be a church attendee or a church goer. There’s a big difference between being a fan and being a follower. You cant say I’ll be a Christian, but I don’t want to be one of those Jesus freaks. I’ll go to church, but don’t expect me to do all that bible reading and praying. Jesus doesn’t offer the option for secret discipleships, but bold confession. For Jesus discipleship is not a part time volunteer work or a extra curricular activity. Discipleship is not something you just add onto your life, like a hobby or something to feel good about. Discipleship is not a decision of a moment, it is a decision for a lifetime. Discipleship is not a result of easy compliance, but a deliberate and irrevocable decision. Discipleship is not just a decision about the past, but a decision for the present and the future, that’s there’s no turning back. Are you all in and sold out to Jesus no matter what it takes? Or are you just a fan or spectator at best? Some want a relationship with Jesus that is easy and comfortable, as long as it doesn’t cost them too much. Casual believers will seek spiritual shortcuts and happiness above everything else. Committed believers will seek self-discipline and what pleases God. Casual believers will seek God only when their in trouble, or when it’s convenient for them in what they want and need. Committed believers will say how can I better serve you or how can I serve in the church. Casual believers will fall away at the first sign of trouble and adversity. Committed believers will stay true to Jesus through thick and then. When making a decision to follow Jesus its more than simply agreeing with Him or even believing on Him. A decision for Jesus is not like an issuance policy, just say a prayer and your good to go, and then live as you want and do as you want. But rather its a commitment that is growing in sanctification in a life that is pleasing to the Lord in all that you say and do. There’s a big difference between calling yourself a Christian and being a Christian!

“Calls for giving up our own self-serving ambitions, goals, and dreams in following Jesus.” ⇒ Will you die to your own agenda, your own image, your own limited wisdom. There’s nothing wrong about having ambitions and dreams. Ambition in and of itself isn’t inherently a bad thing. Ambition can either be Godly or selfish. Ambition is often defined as “a strong desire to do or to achieve something requiring determination and hard work.” According to the Bible, however, the core of our ambition is much more than that. Ambition comes down to the motivation of our hearts behind our drive. If your ambitions are ultimately all about you and how you can achieve success, power, money, and fame, then they are clearly self-seeking. Ambitions can be wrong when they’re the chief end of your life and your existence. Or when your willing to achieve them at any cost even if you have to lie and cheat. The opposite is also true, ambition is not only good, but absolutely necessary if we are to do what God has called us to do. We’re called to support and provide for ourselves and our family. Which requires the need to set goals by studying hard, going to school, getting a degree, developing a trade, learning a new skill, starting a business. Imagine having no passion, no drive, no goals, but just coasting through life. In order that we don’t fall into the wrong type of ambitions we need to ask ourselves what is the motive and drive behind our ambitions? Is it self-serving or God-serving and people serving? (cf. Philp. 1:17,  2:3-5) (Note: I encourage you pursue your ambition and set goals for yourself. Be the best you can be at your career, education, and personal life. But first and foremost be a disciple of Jesus, and do it all for serving others and glorify God in the process.)

“Even today, taking up your cross could mean losing family and friends. It could mean being mocked, ridiculed, and ostracized. could mean being unpopular and not fitting in. It could mean suffering shame, persecution, or even death.” ⇒ Will you take up your cross and follow Jesus even if it means rejection and ridicule? Will you take up your cross and follow Jesus even if it means being despised, hated, and shunned by the world? Will you take up your cross and follow Jesus even if means losing family and friends? Will you take up your cross in choosing the narrow way over the way of the world? Will you take up your cross in identifying with Jesus, regardless of what it costs you personally, publically or financially!

“Denying yourself is not about living like a monk. It’s not about self-loathing, beating yourself up, or thinking you can’t do anything right. Nor is it about giving up some guilty pleasure, like binge-watching Netflix or giving up chocolate as in Lent.  But rather it’s about renouncing self and anything else that is contrary to Christ and what He desires,” ⇒ Many come to God but are unwilling to die to self. Is there a hidden sin or relationship you need to walk away from? For some it may mean leaving a job or vocation. For others it may mean leaving that image and reputation  you spent a lifetime creating for yourself. For the greedy it may mean renouncing an appetite for wealth. For the complacent it may mean renouncing the love of comfort and ease. For the faint hearted it may mean abandoning the craving for security. For the violent it may mean giving up the desire for payback and revenge. On and on it goes. Only you know what God may want you to give up or hand over. Is there an area your holding back from God. Is there something that’s holding you back from following Jesus whole heartedtly?

“Taking up your cross is not about bearing with some hardship or inconvenient burden as a mean boss, nagging wife, thankless job, chronic backache, difficult neighbor, rebellious child, etc. As the saying go’s “That’s the cross I have to bear”. Nor is it a fashion statement or piece of jewelry we wear, or a bumper sticker on our car. But rather its about living for Christ no matter the sacrifices or costs.” ⇒ Whether its the painful inward journey of growing in holiness by putting off the sinful nature and desires of the flesh. Or the painful outward journey of dying to our love for comfort, security, approval, recognition, money, fun, succes, etc Or suffering insults, persecution, hatred, and ridicule for following Jesus.

“The reason we need to deny self is because were born with a a sinful nature towards the flesh and self.” ⇒ Each human being is born with a dedication to self, to pleasing and preferring self, “What’s in it for me”. We have a natural tendency towards selfish interests and pursuit. Whether its pleasing ourself, promoting ourself, cherishing our self, etc.  Self is the cause of all sins, all fights, all marital issues, all lawsuits, all addictions, all church splits, etc. To deny self is a constant upstream battle. We have selfishness to battle, pride to battle, ego to battle, etc. You need to turn away from that gravitational pull within you to be all about you.  (Note: Self is the hardest sin to overcome. No one will ever arrive in putting the sin of self completely to death. No sooner do we think we’ve put self to death,  someone comes along and crosses or slights us in our opinion, or cuts us off in traffic. The first thing we do is respond with harsh words. Think about it when someone disagrees with you, are you awesome with that. Or if they take something from you are you O.K. with that, probably not.)

“Denying ourselves cannot be done by our own power and strength. But is the work of the Holy Spirit in opening our hearts to know how much Jesus loves us and suffered for us”. ⇒ Then only after that will you want to deny yourself and pick up your cross and follow Him. The greatest motivation in denying ourselves and picking up our cross is simply because Jesus did for us. Jesus denied His own rights when He left heaven and came to earth and took the form of human flesh so He could die on the cross for the death and punishment we deserved. The more we know all that Jesus did for us. The forgiveness of sins; past, present, and future. The peace He brought with God. The gift of adoption into the the family of God. The gift of the Holy Spirit. The joy, purpose, and meaning He brought into our lives. The promise of our future glory and resurrected bodies. The more you will deny yourself and live for Him.    

Additional Notes & Applications

Jesus’ call to “deny self” goes against the grain. It’s not what our self-seeking culture is about. Everything today is geared toward self-satisfaction. Self-love. Self-dependance. Self-acceptance. Self-fulfillment, Self-determination. A world that says celebrate yourself, gratify yourself, promote yourself. We often think if a meaningful life means anything, surely it means to live and make the most out of your life. Isn’t that why we get an education, get a career, get a spouse, get a house, get a health plan. Culture says do what’s best for you. Look out for number one. It’s in our nature to protect and preserve our lives and livelihoods at all costs. By nature, we insulate ourselves against pain, hardship, and loss. It’s why we buy insurance or invests in 401k so we have a little extra money for retirement and “emergencies.” It’s why we look at crime rates in neighborhoods before buying a house and settling our family in a given community. Jesus calls for self-denial. It is not a call for self-fulfillment. And that puts the true Gospel in opposition to the contemporary gospel which is a gospel of self-fulfillment and self-help. The wrong gospel says, “Jesus really wants to make you feel better about yourself. He wants to elevate your self-image. He wants to put an end to your negative thinking. It is all about you.” No, the Gospel is all about God. The true Gospel is the death of one’s self. That is the core of discipleship.

We live in a very skewed culture where Christianity would have you believe that following Jesus will make your life way better. That you will be healthier if you follow Jesus. That you will be wealthier if you follow Jesus. That your life will prosper if you follow Jesus. But that’s not  the Gospel we read. The Gospel we read gets people killed. It actually costs you something.     It involves hardships and sacrifices.

The cross here was a symbol of Roman execution. In the ancient world, crucifixion was the vilest, most shameful and painful form of death, reserved for the worst of criminals. A condemned man would usually have to carry the crossbeam of his cross through the streets on his way to be crucified. As they carried their cross they would mocked by the crowds. They would experience public humiliation and shame as they began their death march to the place of execution. For the original audience the cross wasn’t a religious symbol or a piece of jewelry as it is today. It was an instrument of brutal execution. Historians estimate that over 30,000 people were crucified by the Romans during Jesus’ lifetime. Every single day they would see people nailed to crosses. And so when Jesus speaks about “taking up one’s cross” every person knew exactly what He was talking about. For believers we may never and probably won’t be called to die for Christ. But we are called to willingly bear shame, reproach, humiliation, suffering, hatred, alienation as we follow Jesus.

Jesus is not being harsh or trying to take all the fun out of life. Jesus not trying to torture us or torment us. But rather is saying this for our own good in order to liberate us and free us. He wants us to deny ourselves the various comforts and pleasures of life for the sake of faithfully following Him.

The three different things Jesus asks for; 1) To come after. 2) To Deny. 3) To take up. Are all commands in the present tense. Meaning as disciples of Jesus were supposed to be doing this on a continuous and daily bases. IN living for Jesus there’s no days off. The call also suggests a “once for all” action in taking up our cross and never laying it down until we reach the place of our death and call home.

The call for self-denial and picking up our cross is not about having a martyrs complex in seeking out suffering and death. That as Christians were supposed to live a miserable life of suffering and death. There are some disturbing and sad stories from early Christian history in which many misinterpreted this text and actually sought our brutal martyrdom.

What Jesus is calling for here is really difficult and hard to live out. We all have a natural inclination to avoid suffering and pain. There is a drive within all of us to preserve our lives and to extend them. Self-preservation, it is said, is the first law of the universe, so we desire to ensure that we do not suffer any pain. But we must not do so at the expense of sacrificing our principals and values for comfort and convenience.

You may ask what does picking up our cross look like for us today? Practically it can mean caring for aging parents. It could mean giving up our own time and interest to help others. It could mean turning off the T.V. or the computer in the evening to go talk to a friend about Jesus, even if we don’t feel like it. It could mean sacrificing evenings out with family and friends so we can use that money to support a ministry so others can hear about Jesus.

AREAS YOU MAY NEED TO DENY SELF

• Deny self by putting God’s will above your own will

• Deny self by sacrificing personal goals and dreams to follow Jesus

• Deny self by seeking God direction in what steps to take in life

• Deny self by practicing self-control

• Deny self by making decisions that are in line with your Christian values and goals

• Deny self by resisting immediate impulses and temptations of the flesh

• Deny self by serving others

• Deny self by being open to correction and criticism

• Deny self worldly values and worldly interests

CROSSES WE MUST BE WILLING TO BEAR

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of your reputation?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means letting go of unbelieving boyfriend or girlfriend?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means you can’t go on vacation every other weekend?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?

BENEFIRS IN DENYING SELF

• Denying self helps to align our will with God’s will.

• Denying self helps us to become more holy & Christlike.

• Denying self helps to build discipline and self-control.

• Denying self helps to build a closer and deeper relationship with God.

• Denying self helps build a stronger versions of ourselves

• Denying self helps us to receive blessing from God

• Denying self helps us make healthy & sound decisions

• Denying self helps to express our love for God and our willingness to follow Him

• Denying self helps bring greater joy and contentment

• Denying self helps to bring a greater sense of purpose and meaning in your life

• Denying self helps us to be restored, as well as getting to heaven

• Denying self helps us regulate our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors

• Denying self helps us to recognize our own weaknesses and limitations