Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayerful attention to the Gospel according to Matthew
chapter 16, and we read for our text verses 24 through to 26. Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
If any man will come after me, Let him deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake
shall find it. For what is a man profited if
he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16 verses
24 to 26. Taking up our cross and following
Christ. It is very important in looking
at this word to have regard to the context. From verse 21, our
Lord had been showing his disciples that he must go up to Jerusalem,
suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and be killed and be raised again the third day. In other words,
the Lord was setting before them his cross, the path appointed
by the Father, the path that he was willingly going to walk
and for the sake of his people and to fulfill the scriptures,
to redeem his people, to save them, to be obedient, to be obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. And the Lord is explaining
this. He's showing it to his disciples. Now Peter's reaction, and it
really reflected what they all were thinking, because later
on, even before when the Lord had suffered risen again, they
said, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? What runs through a lot of the
gospels is the ideas all the time of a natural thing, a natural
birth, a natural food, in a natural way, a natural prosperity, a
worldly prosperity, things on earth. And the Lord all the time
was having to dispel that with them. You're not seeking your
kingdom here. This is cursed. This is not your
rest. It is polluted. My kingdom is
not of this world. In the world you shall have tribulation. In me you shall have peace. And
all of this was coming across what the disciples wanted. So
Peter and the Lord, when he rebuked him, he intimated it was Satan
speaking through him. Peter, the same Peter that had
confessed that Jesus was the Christ, he is now taking him,
beginning to rebuke him, saying, be it far from thee, Lord, this
shall not be unto thee. In other words, he was discouraging
him from taking up the cross, discouraging him from the path
that was before him. It would be like one of the Lord's
people seeing a brother, sister in faith, a family member, and
they were going to suffer because of their faith or the course
of action that they were going, and they were trying to deter
them from it. and telling them to take the
easy way out and to escape that cross and to walk in a different
and more easy way. But our Lord redresses this and
He speaks in the word of our text as to directing what is
the way for His people. And so much contrary to what
Peter was suggesting, instead of The Lord not going through
the cross. The Lord is saying, you will
have a cross. You will have a path. If you
follow me, you will be walking in this same way as well. And
so it should be our concern because our Lord says here, if any man
will come after me. And I hope for those of us here
that desire that we might come after the Lord. We might be followers
of the Lord. We might be found. as His true
people. And so a word like this is very
much needed for us. What is expected? How can we
know that we are truly following the Lord? Are we really walking
in His ways? Is our life reflective of a real
disciple of the Lord? And so I want to try and keep
to the context and to the text here and really show the importance
of the Lord's words here. Perhaps to give it as a contrast,
what if Peter's advice was taken? What if the Lord had said, no,
that is too much. I decided I'm not going to go
to the cross. The whole gospel falls down.
All his obedience, all his willingness, all his people. We can see in
that case what effect it would be, but transfer that then to
us. You say, would it be really as dramatic? Would it be such a
loss? As that were the way the Lord
describes it, it is so, especially regarding our souls. So it is
important we understand what the Lord is saying here. Now
I want to look at two main points that are in these verses. Firstly,
in the first verse, verse 24, We are told what following Christ
entails, what it involves. I want to look at that first. And then secondly, the incentives
that our Lord gives. He gives four scenarios in verses
25 and 26 that we are to consider as an incentive to take up our
cross. But firstly, what does it entail? The first thing is a willingness. If we take these words, if any
man will, We read, Whosoever will, let him take the waters
of life freely. Right through the Old Testament,
the sacrifices were always only accepted as a freewill offering. It had to be not done under duress,
not done just because that was expected, but as a freewill offering. If any man will, Maybe we can
see the contrast with the case of Ananias and Sapphira. The
Lord blessed that early church and with such a love to Christ,
there was many of those who had lands that they sold them and
they gave to the poor. Not that they sold everything
that they had. The teaching was equality and
they willingly did so. But Ananias and Sapphira, they
wanted to be like the disciples. They wanted to be numbered amongst
them, but they still wanted their goods. They wanted to hold on
to things. Now, if they'd have said to the
apostles, look, we have got some land, but we'd like to sell it,
And we're going to give half of the money of that land to
the church and to the poor. That would have been quite acceptable,
quite right. But instead, they made out and
they decided between themselves that they would make out that
they were giving all of the money of the land to the Lord. And
Peter says that they lied unto the Holy Ghost. They were struck
down dead, both of them. They were not doing it willingly,
lovingly. They were doing it just to appear
the Lord's people begrudgingly and at the same time lying and
deceitful in what they were doing. And so it's vital that it be
whatever we do is a willing offering and to give what we are able
to, not what we do not have or do not or not able to have. We read in Psalm 110, thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power. Yet it is the Lord
that makes a person willing. The disciples, the Lord passed
by them when they were fishing, follow me, and they forsook their
nets and they went and followed the Lord. The receipt of custom,
the same. The Lord had that power. They
were drawn after the Lord. The shepherd, he leads his sheep,
he does not drive them. And it is a better thing that
we discern that once we were not willing, but now we are willing. And the Lord has used means to
make us willing. Now sometimes it can be in providential
things, simple things, where the Lord would have us walk in
a certain way, or give up something, and we don't want to give it
up, we're holding on to it, we think it will do us good. But
when we don't listen to conscience, then the Lord uses providence. and he uses the rod and the message
is learnt. We hear the rod and who's appointed
it and then immediately we go and put right or do what maybe
for a couple of years we weren't willing to do. But the Lord has
made us willing through his dealings with us, through what we have
gone through. And this is his work, it's a
good thing. to be able to see a contrast.
Once I was not willing, but through the Lord's teaching and dealings,
He has made me willing to walk in His ways, or to do this, to
give up this, to walk in this path. That is the Lord's work,
to do that. Take away the obstacles, the
hindrances, and cause us to be willing." So this is the first
thing that our Lord highlights is necessary if one is to come
after him, to be a disciple, to follow. The second is coming
after. Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
if any man will come after me, after me, will Peter hear? Later
on, when our Lord had suffered and risen again, the Lord met
him on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, and he gave him the
commission to feed my sheep, feed my lambs. But he also told
him that when he was old, that another shall gird him, he shall
stretch forth his hands, he shall be carried whether he would not,
and he was told thereby signifying what death he should die. Peter
was to be crucified as our Lord was. Some say that the tradition
has it that he was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy
to be crucified in the same way as his Lord was. But Peter understood
very clearly and John did, who wrote that gospel, that the Lord
was intending to show Peter that the very death, the very path
that he was saying here, no, this is not to be to you, Peter
was to walk that path. In other words, he was to come
after him, not suffer now, but later on in the same way. The Lord is a shepherd. He goes
before His people. And what do the people do? They
go after Him, putting their steps in His steps, following Him in
His way. And really, that is a simple
direction for the people of God. You might say, how do we know?
How do we know what it is to come after the Lord? Well, first
thing is in the Word of God. We follow Him in His Word. We have not seen him on earth,
but we have described the path that he walked, the things he
did, the things he did not, that which he endured, the contradiction
of sinners against himself. If they have persecuted me, says
our Lord, they will persecute you. If these things are done
in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? And all the
time there's a comparison between what he is walking through and
what his people should walk through, and his fellowship with him.
If we have someone of our loved ones and they might go through
something, say an operation for a specific thing, and then several
years later we are called to go through that same operation,
we think of what they suffered, or what they went through, what
they endured. in a very different way than
when we were healthy and strong and looking upon what they'd
done. So often it is when the people of God go after the Lord
and walk in ways that they suddenly realise, our Lord endured this,
He walked through this, but He was sinless, He was spotless,
He was not a sinner like me. What this must have cost Him,
what this must have been to Him, We might be in a situation where
we have friends, we have brethren, and they turn against us, and
they leave us, and they forsake us. Paul, he spoke of that, that
all men have forsaken me. The Lord lay not to their charge.
But we read with the Lord, they all forsook him and fled. And so even in a simple thing
like that, there'll be cases where we come after the Lord. And what the Lord has endured,
we endure the same after Him. And so this is where the Lord
directs us. One aspect, one following of
Christ, what it involves, is to coming after Him. And with
that, there's a real beacon. We're not following some other
God. We're not following men. We have
the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done. We know His life
was to work out a righteousness for us, but we have that pattern
to follow. And we have that evidence that
we're in the right way when we walk in the footsteps of the
flock. Yes, that is true, because if
we are to be Following after him, we can be sure of this,
that all of his people will be called to do the same. So it
brings to fellowship, one with another and with the Lord. The third thing is a denial of
self. If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself. A self, a love, of self, a love
of those things that we want and that belong to this
world and that we would like to indulge in or walk in when
it comes contrary to the things of the Lord. Paul, when he writes to the Colossians,
He highlights something which is important for us to realise.
Not all denial of self is good or right. There must be with
it love and obedience, love to the Lord, a willingness in denying,
an obedience to the Lord. In the end of Colossians chapter
2, he speaks of those that were denying themselves, had a show
of wisdom and will-worship. He says, which things have indeed
a show of wisdom in will-worship and humility and neglecting of
the body not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.
Now even the heathens, they can deny themselves, they can cut
themselves, they can fast, they can do all sorts of things. But
that's not in obedience to the Word of God. And that's not with
love to God and love to the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's not that
we deny ourselves those things that God has given us lawfully,
rightfully in providence. If the Lord has blessed us with
wisdom, petition, position, or wealth, or an opportunity to
a position in this world, and it's not contrary to him, not
contrary to his ways, we're not going to think, well, we've got
two jobs here. One pays very well, the other
one doesn't, I'm going to deny myself, I'm going to take the
one that pays less. We're not to think, well, with
Joseph, Joseph was raised up to the second in charge in Egypt,
how wrong it would be if he was to say, I'm going to deny myself,
I'm not worthy of this position, I'm going to take a lower position.
He'd been given that position. He'd been put in that position. And the Word teaches that if
the Lord has given us that wisdom, we're to use it for His honour
and glory. If He's given us wealth, we're
to use it for His honour and glory. We're not to imagine or
not to think that, well, we haven't got those means. It's a sad thing
when you see those that you know actually very well off, but they
don't use it on themselves, and sadly often they don't use it
on others either. There's a right denial of self,
especially it comes in with our sinful self, our lusts, our desires,
our love of this world and the things of this world, those things
that we might have power to do, but they are not good for the
soul, they're not good example for others, they're not good
at mortifying the sin of our heart. It's those things that
we are to deny. When we come to the next point
we see a bit of a contrast, but I take it that the denial is
something that is a very conscious act of us, that is something
where we take the initiative or take the action. Something is within our power
to do, but we don't do it. And it may be very hard not to
do it. And you might say, well, is it
willing? Well, Paul spoke of the wrestling
with the flesh and with sin in the members. And we may be willing
in the soul, but in the flesh is unwilling. And that is where
the mortification of the flesh comes in. A killing of the old
man by walking in the ways of the new man. A denial of self. And especially when there is
a situation set before us. Maybe a promotion is offered
us and we have to say to our employer, well, if I take that
position as chief engineer, I'm not going to be doing those things
that I've seen you've been doing or my predecessors been doing. I'm going to obey the word of
God. And in stating that, then you don't get the position. Or
when you are with a group of people, you're getting on well,
but then they decide, well, they're going to do something and they're
going to do it on the Lord's Day. You think, well, if I don't
go along with them, then all that relationship and all that
time I have with them is all going to come to nothing. But
you willingly take the path of denying yourselves. I'd rather
not do those things, but obey the word of the Lord and have
a love to the Lord rather than just indulging myself. Things
that the world say they're lawful, but God's word says is not lawful. Things that we could lawfully
do, but if we did it, we'd know that we were casting a snare
and a temptation unto others. or making others offended by
what we're doing. Those things we say we'd rather
not doing, lest I make my brother to stumble. And so it's a denying
of self in that way. All of us, we have a self. By nature it is a proud self,
and the world very much, the highlight of the world today,
is what's in it for me. If you go to many psychologists,
they will say, well, you must do what is right for yourself.
You make yourself happy. And self is the pinnacle, the
God. Well, the Lord speaks completely
the opposite of that. No, walk in the ways of the Lord. And if that means a denial of
self, then deny self. The fourth thing is taking up
our cross. Deny himself, take up his cross
and follow me. We're to take up our cross and
not another's cross. And this is where the contrast
with the previous point of denial. With the cross, we're not to
go out seeking that cross. It comes to us. the Lord has
appointed her, whether it is a loss in providence, whether
it is an illness, or in our loved ones, an illness, an accident
so-called, a disability, an infirmity, those things that in God's providence,
He brings into our path that we cannot change. We can fret
and fight against it and make ourselves miserable and others
miserable round about. Instead of dragging across, it
is to be taken up. The Apostle Paul at first, with
the thorn in the flesh, sought that it might be removed. You
might say in that way, Lord, I am not taking up this cross.
I do not want this cross. I do not want this thorn in the
flesh. But the Lord said to him that
my grace is sufficient for thee. So in other words, Paul, you've
got to walk this path. It won't be changed, but I will
give you grace to bear it. And the difference with Paul
it really spoke to taking up that cross. Oh, therefore, rather
glory in my infirmity that the power of Christ may rest upon
me. That which we cannot change. Sometimes we may say we know
God orders all things, everything in his hand. He doesn't do anything
wrong. He appoints everything right.
But then when it comes to our own life, we have a lot of quarrels
with the Lord. And so I'd much rather that person's
life What I can see of their cross and their problems, I could
take that up, but I don't want to take up my own. There's a
poem somewhere, years ago, added in Australia, The Changed Cross,
and I'm not sure where to find it now, but it set forth one
with that thought, that they couldn't take up their own cross,
and it is put in the way of a crown to wear on one's head. And they came into a room, and
there was all of these crowns around, and they thought, I can
pick up this one. But it looked so nice, and put
it up, but oh, it was so heavy, they couldn't bear it. Another
one, it looked beautiful, but when it was on the head, there
was thorns in it, and they couldn't bear that one. And each one that
looked outwardly, something that was a lot better than theirs,
there was something in it they couldn't bear. And then they
saw another one, and they thought, or alike, the look of that, and
they put that on, and that fitted, and they recognised their own
cross. And that was the one that was
best for them to wear. And we can easily be like this. We don't want to take up our
cross. Someone else's, yes, but not
our own. And the thing with the cross,
our God appoints that. That path is our path, given
by loving, Heavenly Father, who knows what we can bear and knows
our need. To the direction here, the last
word in verse 24, follow me. And follow me. In all of this,
in willingness, in coming after Christ, in denying self, in taking
up the cross, not just one aspect, but all of them. and walking
in obedience to our Lord. In all the paths that He walked,
in all that He went through upon this earth, in His obedience
to His Father, in His baptising, in His temptations, in His crucifixion,
in His trials, the Lord beautifully says, follow me. I want to look
then secondly and try to be concise here, the four scenarios that
are set before us that are the incentives the Lord gives. The
first one is this. If a man save himself from the
reproach of Christ and is acting in order to gain worldly things,
At the expense of Christ, he will lose his soul. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it. Thinking, I want these worldly
things to get them, I will have them, I have these earthly things,
but it's going to be at the expense of following Christ. He will
lose his soul. The second thing, in the latter
part of verse 25, if a man is willing to forego pleasure and
ease and flesh for Christ's sake, he will find life in his soul
and eternal life. the latter part of 25, and whosoever
will lose his life for my sake, for my sake, very important,
shall find it. Find that spiritual life now
and hereafter. The third thing is a consideration
of profit. We used to, through the world,
Think of profit and gains. So the scenario is set before
us. On one hand, to gain the whole
world. On the other hand, to lose his
own soul. For what is a man profited if
he gained the whole world and lose his own soul? And the last one is the consideration
of an exchange. What shall a man give in exchange
for his soul? We think of Esau, who for one
morsel of meat sold his birthright. Our text says, or what shall
a man give in exchange for his soul? When I was a boy at school,
primary school especially, It used to be the craze of playing
marbles. And we had all sorts of marbles,
big ones, and different colored ones. And we used to barter them
and exchange them. We'd say, I'd like that big marble
that you've got. And he'd say, well, I want four
of yours then, if you're going to have that. And you'd work
out, is it worth it if I give four of my smaller ones for that
big one? Weighing up the value, well,
here is the consideration of an exchange, not something so
small like marbles, but of the soul, the soul on one hand. And what are we going to get
in exchange or give in exchange for that soul? Right through
it, the Lord is emphasizing how valuable, how precious our soul
is. And this is very highlighted.
in following our Lord. If we value our soul, our desire
will be, Lord, that I might follow after Thee, see Thy track, see
Thy cross, His track I see, the narrow way I'll pursue till Him
I view. May the Lord make us to come
into this text, to be a true disciple, a true follower of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.