Take up your cross.

Q: What does the Bible say about self-denial?

The Bible teaches that self-denial is essential for following Christ, as noted in Matthew 16:24. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus emphasizes the importance of self-denial for all who wish to follow Him. He instructs His disciples that to truly follow Him, one must deny themselves, which goes against our natural inclination towards selfishness. This denial is not merely about suffering or discomfort; it is about relinquishing control over our lives and instead submitting to Christ as the rightful leader. The act of denying oneself is a radical shift in focus from one’s own desires and ambitions to embracing the will of God, ultimately leading to a deeper relationship with Christ.

Q: How do we know taking up our cross is important for Christians?

Taking up our cross is vital for Christians as it symbolizes obedience and commitment to Christ's teachings (Matthew 16:24). The call to take up one’s cross, as described in Matthew 16:24, is central to the Christian faith. This act represents a willingness to endure hardships and persecution for the sake of Jesus. It involves a commitment to live in obedience to His teachings, often in the face of societal pressures or personal trials. The reality is that following Christ can be costly, and part of that cost includes bearing our crosses daily. As we take up our crosses, we follow the example set by Christ, who faced the ultimate suffering for the redemption of His people. The act of taking up our cross is a testimony of our faith, showcasing our dedication to live out the gospel in our lives.

Q: Why is following Jesus important for Christians?

Following Jesus is crucial as it leads to eternal life and spiritual fulfillment (Matthew 16:25). Following Jesus is fundamental to the Christian life because it encompasses the entire journey of faith. According to Matthew 16:25, Jesus makes a profound statement that whoever seeks to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for His sake will find it. This paradox highlights that true fulfillment and purpose are found in surrendering one’s life to Christ. When Christians intentionally seek to follow Jesus, they engage in a transformative process that leads to spiritual growth, a deeper understanding of God’s love, and ultimately the promise of eternal life. This relationship with Jesus not only guides our present actions but assures us of our future in God's kingdom.

Q: How does self-denial relate to our nature as humans?

Self-denial challenges our inherently selfish nature, directing us to prioritize God's will over our desires. Self-denial is essential because it confronts the innate selfishness present in every human being. As the preacher explains, our natural inclination is to elevate ourselves and pursue our desires without consideration of God's authority. This is likened to Eve's actions in Genesis, where her selfish desires led to disobedience. By calling His followers to deny themselves, Jesus is inviting them to counter that fallen nature and instead embrace a life of humility and surrender. This transformation is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit, who enables believers to overcome their natural impulses and live according to God's will, ultimately finding true joy and purpose.

worship thee and we pray that we may be given those ears that hear thy word and that we may live. We pray that thy word may penetrate into our hearts and bear fruit for thy honour and for thy glory. Do bless each who have gathered with us this evening and do bless those that will remain at home and those who may listen in online. Lord, we ask that all may know thy favour and blessing. Do draw near to us and we pray and forgive us of our many sins as we ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, let us sing our first hymn from Hymns for Worship, number 13, to the tune Wiltshire 268.

Through all the changing scenes of life, in trouble and in joy, the praises of my God shall still my heart and tongue employ. Number 13. ♪ O'er the changing ceilings of night ♪ ♪ In trouble and in joy ♪ ♪ The praises of my God are heard ♪ ♪ My heart and tongue employ ♪ ♪ O magnify the Lord with me ♪ ♪ With me exalt his name ♪ ♪ When in distress to him I called ♪ ♪ He turned my rest in vain ♪ ♪ The heart of God and God alone ♪ with liberty and justice for all. ♪ Love is love ♪ ♪ Experience will decide ♪ ♪ I'll bet you a thing ♪ ♪ An early thing ♪ ♪ To win it through ♪ Your wisdom is your delight. Let us turn together in God's holy word to the gospel according to Matthew and reading chapter 16. The gospel according to Matthew and chapter 16.

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say it will be fair weather, for the sky is red, and in the morning it will be foul weather to-day, for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given unto it but the sign of the prophet Jonah.

And he left them and departed. And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. And Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because you have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, how many baskets ye took up?

How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, but ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

And when Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and some Jeremiah, and one of the prophets. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised again the third day.

Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, This shall not be unto thee. But he turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an offence unto me. For thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

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? For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. May the Lord bless to us at the reading of his word. May we help once again to continue in prayer. O Lord our God, we come before Thee once again. We thank Thee, Lord, for the throne of grace, for the way of prayer.

We thank Thee for our mediator and great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, whoever lives to intercede for us. We thank Thee that we come to a prayer hearing and answering God. We thank Thee that we come to Thee, the true and living God. We acknowledge, Lord, Thou art the creator and the sustainer of this whole world and the giver and taker of life. We acknowledge Lord that Thou art the sovereign ruler of this world and even of our own lives and we thank Thee that we are able to approach Thee this way and we thank Thee that we can find acceptance in Thy sight through the Lord Jesus Christ and we thank Thee Lord that we can come to Thee in this new and living way through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. And we thank Thee, Lord, that we can come to Thee, the one who is able to do far more than we can ask or think. We thank Thee, Lord, although Thou art the King of kings and we, the people of this earth, we thank Thee that we can approach Thee as our loving Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray, Lord, as we come to Thee this evening, we ask for a blessing.

Lord, we pray not for silver and gold and for material wealth and fame, but we ask for spiritual blessings that cannot be taken away from us. We pray, Lord, for a token for our never-dying souls. We ask that we may be fed that living manna that came down from heaven, that we may partake of thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may view him today by faith with more clarity, that our faith may be increased, that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. We pray, Lord, for thy blessing to rest upon us, to help us to worship thee. We pray for and outpouring of thy Holy Spirit. It is written that we are able to ask and that thou give thy Holy Spirit to them that ask of thee and we would pray then Lord that he may be present amongst us and that he may bless us, that he may take the word of God, the living word, the powerful word and apply it to our lives.

Lord, that the strongholds of Satan within our lives may be pulled down, the idols which we have erected may be pulled down, and that any lukewarmness and callousness may be done away with, and Lord, that we may experience the blessing of the Lord that makes rich. We pray, Lord, that as we are gathered together, that we may be knit together in the unity of the Spirit, and being able to worship Thee in spirit, and in truth.

We pray that we may be made aware of our sin. Lord, those who have never seen their sin before, we pray that they may be awakened to their rebellion against thee, that they may come face to face with the law and be ashamed of their sin. And we ask that they may turn from it and be given true repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask Lord for those of us who are walking on the narrow way that leads to life, that we also may have that spirit of repentance, that we may see our failings, see our uncleanness, see our besetting sins and turn from them. We pray Lord for help to overcome weaknesses of the flesh, We pray for strength to be given to us every single day as we desire to walk through this pilgrim journey to glory. Lord, we pray for that ability to shine faithfully as a light in a dark place, to keep us from placing our light underneath the table and underneath a basket, hiding it from men, but help us, Lord, to be real ambassadors for the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray, Lord, for that sufficient ability to be able to walk worthy of our calling in every sphere of our lives.

Lord, we pray for those who go to school. Lord, do bless them and help them. And we pray for those of them here that are homeschooled. Lord, do help them in their individual pathways and we pray that Thou bless them and encourage them and draw near to them and reveal Thyself to them, O Lord, for it is written to allow the little children to come unto Thee and do not forbid them for such is the kingdom of heaven and Lord we ask that Thou bless them in their souls that they may come to sit at the feet of of the Lord Jesus Christ and learn of him. We pray Lord for those amongst us that are seeking guidance and direction. Lord to be with those that are applying for work and for apprenticeships and for college places and asking Lord for that direction. Lord we pray that they'll hear their prayers and encourage them in their individual pathways that they may have that that view, to be able to walk by faith and to follow the way in which thou have them to go.

We pray, Lord, for the families. Do, Lord, help us and encourage us as we seek to raise our children in this generation, this modern era. Lord, we pray for help and we pray for strength. We pray for that wisdom from above. And, Lord, we ask that you grant us that sufficient strength needed to fulfil our roles within the family and do uphold us and grant us that patience, and that endurance and that Christ-like witness within our home, in our behaviour and in our words. Lord, do keep us, we pray.

Think of others, Lord, that have influence. We pray for grandparents and great-grandparents among us, Lord, do bless them and hear their prayers and the things that concern them that lay heavy upon their hearts. Lord, do appear for them, we pray. We think of those who are alone, Lord, who Do be with them, we pray, and help them and uphold them in their lives and help them, Lord, to work out Thy will for them in their lives, that they may serve Thee and serve the church and be faithful witnesses of Jesus. Do uphold them, we pray. We pray for those, Lord, who walk pathways of bereavement.

Lord, do comfort them, we pray, and help them as the memory of their loved ones is brought to mind, Lord, we pray. for that special help to be given to them and that comfort of thy Holy Spirit and the application of thy precious word. Lord, do be a friend to those who are lonely. We thank thee for the Lord Jesus Christ and we thank thee that he is the friend of sinners. We thank Thee that Abraham was the friend of God and we thank Thee that through Christ Jesus we are also, Lord, able to know Thee intimately and be acquainted with Thee and we would ask that those that walk that lonely pathway may know Thee as a God that is near at hand and that they may know Thy presence and help in a special way.

We bring before thee once again Lord Keith and Anne as they prepare to move. We thank thee for all that took place today in the boxing and sorting and we pray that tomorrow may all go well according to thy will to grant sufficient strength Grant, Lord, we pray, good weather, and we pray, Lord, that they may know that thy hand leading them into this new place, this great new chapter within their lives, O Lord, to undertake for them and bless them and help them, and we pray that they may know thy presence, that it may be a Bethel unto them, a house of the Lord, Our Lord, that thou continue to guide them and use them as instruments in thy hand for the advancement of thy kingdom. Do bless Keith, we pray, with his special strength as he's due to minister upon thy day. Our Lord, we ask that thou help him in his preparations and Grant him strength of body and mind, spirit, as he comes to deliver those messages upon thy day.

We ask, Lord, that thou use him for thy honour and glory and help him as he delivers the word. We pray, Lord, then for each then who have gathered and our individual lives and things that are not known to us, Lord, but are known unto Thee. We pray for each and every one and the secret things that are a concern. We ask, Lord, that Thou hear prayer, that Thou comfort, that Thou strengthen, that Thou provide, that, Lord, Thy people may be encouraged and that they may have that increase in faith, Lord, knowing that they can rest on Thee, that Thou art a faithful God. I pray Lord for the word spoken upon thy day by David, we thank thee Lord for it and we pray Lord that there may be that fruit from his labour, Lord we thank thee and we pray that thou help us not to compromise, help us Lord to be faithful even in the midst of the fiery furnace and we thank thee Lord that we can know Christ in a more personal way as we pass through these great difficulties of life.

Help us, Lord, then to remain faithful when all things seem against us. Help us to remain faithful when we're under peer pressure to conform to this world. Lord, we pray for strength to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and continue following him. to bless our nation.

Lord have mercy upon our leaders, call them, we pray by thy grace, remember the true church within this land of ours to continue, Lord, to uphold and strengthen and build up. We pray for the ministers of the word, Lord, to bless them, encourage them, use them, we pray, help us, Lord, to be faithful, not to fear man, but to fear thee, Lord, and we would ask that thy word may continue to go forth with power in this land, to bring many to salvation. Lord, we remember the world stage and the confusion that is taking place throughout the world and the wars and rumours of wars, the death and suffering, the sorrow, that there is taking place all of the time. O Lord, we ask that thou remember thy people especially, remember those who seek to bring comfort to the downcast and do provide for thy people. Lord, encourage them and keep them safe, that they may glorify thee as they seek to live in a difficult situation for thy honour and for thy glory.

Do then, Lord, draw near once again unto us. O Lord, do pour out Thy Spirit upon us, we pray. Empty, send us not away. Enable us to see no man except Jesus only. Do pour in, Lord, that I might be able to pour out, open up my understanding to Thy holy word. And we ask that Thou forgive us of our many sins, as we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

2nd Hymn from Gadsby's No. 410 to the tune Walton, No. 430 O for a heart prepared to sing, To God my Saviour and my King, While with his saints I join to tell, My Jesus has done all things well. No. 410 ♪ ♪ O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

And tell, my dears, the stars of old, Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ Through our midst, Lord ♪ ♪ O through our sins, Lord ♪ ♪ Be well with me, Lord ♪ ♪ The sins which o'er my heart have borne ♪ ♪ The stars don't go out in flash ♪ ♪ My Savior and my God ♪ ♪ Has only made His way ♪ O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? I've lost the pain of death, and it hurts just the same. ♪ The home of the brave ♪ ♪ Shepherds did you hear ♪ ♪ Right o'er the plains ♪ ♪ And joy behind them sing ♪ Beneath the restless night, Shall swell my fears, As death doth move before me. So once again, with the help of the Lord, I would like you to turn with me to the chapter that we read together, Matthew 16, and the text you'll find in verse 24.

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. chapter that we have read together. At the beginning the Lord Jesus is focusing upon the Pharisees and the Sadducees who were desiring a sign from the Lord Jesus Christ even though every moment of that period of time the life of the Lord Jesus Christ who was performing miracles and he was preaching, he was fulfilling multiple prophecies of the Old Testament regarding himself, yet the hardness of the heart of the Pharisees and Sadducees would not believe upon the Lord Jesus.

They wanted a greater sign and so Jesus says that the sign that I am going to give is the sign of Jonah, three days, it was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish and that sign was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ as he was crucified upon the cross at Calvary, as he was laid in the tomb and as he laid there for those three days and three nights and rose again on the third day, that was the sign that the Lord Jesus Christ was who he was, who he said that he was and he proved that the words that he spoke were true as he says to Simon Peter and to the disciples that he was going to be crucified and that he was going to be raised again from the grave. The son of man was going to be crucified and raised again. And those words, obviously they came true. They were fulfilled as Christ rose again from the grave, proving that the prophet spoke the truth for the fulfillment of the prophecy.

He speaks to Simon Peter and to the others, who do men say that I am? And Simon Peter says, out the Christ, the son of the living God. And the Lord Jesus tells him that this has not come through a natural understanding. This has not come through the knowledge that has been learned, but this has come through the revealed will of the Father, that the Father had given them the Spirit to give them understanding, to enable them to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the Father revealing to the disciples who the Lord Jesus Christ was.

And we see then this difference between the two. We have the Pharisees and the Sadducees who were the religious leaders of the day, whose hearts were hardened. They would not believe and could not believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. They were blind concerning him. but then we have these fishermen, those who were from Galilee, believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, walking in obedience to him, wanting to follow him, but also we see the frailty of their their frailty of themselves, a sinful nature which they still retained as Simon Peter, although immediately blessed by the Lord, yet comes to be used as an instrument of Satan to rebuke the Lord Jesus Christ before his confession that he was going to be crucified. As Jesus says to him, get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offense unto me, for thou savest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of man. And Jesus there tells them that from this time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things that the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again at the third day. And Peter takes him aside. after having received such a blessing from the Lord, after having it been confirmed that his faith was not based upon natural understanding but was a precious gift of God, he is left to himself.

And it's such a comfort for us, for those who believe in the Lord Jesus, that we are not perfect. We have our failings. We are left to ourselves at times, although the faith that we have been given is a gift of God and it is the work of the Holy Spirit within the heart. It is him who has regenerated us and given us faith to believe and to turn from our sin, yet we are still men and women who are liable to sin. And Simon Peter here, left to himself, rebukes the Lord Jesus Christ for prophesying of his own death and resurrection.

But the Lord Jesus sets some terms for those who will follow him. It's not just going to be, you know, you can follow me how you want to follow me. He sets the terms, he lays out the type of people that are going to follow him, the type or the cost and consequences of what it is going to cost these apostles to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, if any man will come after me, he sets these terms of those who are going to follow him.

You see, when you follow somebody naturally, you can't go in front of them. When you're following someone, you have submitted to their leadership, you've submitted to their authority, you've submitted to the fact that they know better than you do and that they are leading you somewhere where you don't know where you are going. And so they will say to you, well, you're lost. Well, follow me. I will lead you and I'll get you out of your lost condition and I will take you to the place that you want to go.

And we follow. We follow our satnavs. Even sometimes we might know the way, but we put the satnav on because the traffic may have changed and we want some updates. So we follow our satnav. We say the satnav knows better than we do. It has it has an understanding by what it receives, it knows about the traffic, it knows alternate routes and so we put our trust in it, we follow it, we're obedient to it and sometimes to our peril and it leads us in strange places but we still we can follow.

And so the Lord Jesus set these terms for those who have been enlightened by the Spirit of God, those who are able to testify as Jesus out the Christ, the Son of the living God. If any man will come after me, this is how it's going to be. It's not on your terms. It is on the terms of the one that we are following. And it's going to be. self-denial. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself.

This isn't a life of pain This isn't trying to cause our self-suffering. This isn't going on a ritual pilgrimage to Rome. This isn't laying on a bed of nails. This isn't putting stones in our shoes, making ourselves uncomfortable for getting near or trying to please the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's not going on a self-awareness course to try and learn how to suffer and to deny ourselves certain things in order to please God. It is a realization of putting aside of self. If you think of yourself I. Self is our biggest hindrance to the gospel. Self is our biggest hindrance to following the Lord Jesus Christ. We are selfish by nature. We don't want to deny ourselves anything. We are like selfish by our nature.

If you turn to Genesis chapter 1, sorry Genesis chapter 3, you will see there Eve Eve, in her disobedience to God, was motivated by self. She stepped out from the authority of her husband, she stepped out of the authority of God and she chose to disobey. chapter 3 and verse 6.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also to her husband with her and he did eat. Eve was not thinking about anybody else other than herself. She saw that the tree was good for food. It was pleasant to her eyes and she desired to take it to make one wife. She wasn't thinking about her husband. She wasn't thinking about what God had told her to do.

She was motivated by selfish desire. And that selfish desire caused her to sin against God and to sin against her husband and to step out from his authority and protection and to do something which was not right and pleasing in the sight of God. And what motivated her was this selfishness. And that selfishness has stemmed, has followed through every single person that has been born into this world. We only, by our nature, think ultimately about ourselves.

What is good for me? We like to be the God of our own lives. We like to think, we like to sit upon the throne of our own hearts and make our own choices and make our own desires, make our own rules. We like to plan our own days and we like to plan our own lives. We like to set out everything as to what we are going to do and what we are going to achieve. We like to set the principles by which we govern our lives. We like to say, that's good and that's bad, that's sinful and that's not sinful. I can do this, but I can't do that. We don't want to submit to God in any way by our nature. We want to set the standard ourself. And as we look around about us, we like to say, well, I'm not as bad as that person. I am the number one, I'm the good person. And so we have this selfish nature, this self elevation of ourselves by our nature, just like Eve.

Stepping out, going alone. and fulfilling our own desires. But Jesus says, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself. You see, we like to be the captain of our own life. Some people say, you know, they're like free, they do what they want, they go where they want, they're under no restraint. There's no self-denial other than for ulterior motives.

We are like the captain of our own ship. And we surround ourselves with everybody else that is of the same mind and same desire as we are. So that, as it were, we're the captain of our ship and everybody else on board our ship all agrees with what we are doing and how we are living. And if anybody else comes onto our ship that doesn't agree with us, we shun them to the side, we chuck them overboard. And we don't have anyone near us who disapproves with how we are living.

That's how we are by our nature, by our sinful nature when we're walking in rebellion against God. We are the captain. We are the God of our life. We govern. We plan. We plan our day. We set out our year. We set the goals and achievements for what we want to do. No input from anybody else. Only if that helps us. Help us get where we want to go. God is cast out of our life completely.

And so Jesus says to the Pharisees and Sadducees, you're not going to have any sign. You're not going to have what you want. You've got what you want. The praise of men continue on in your self-righteousness, your external self-denying, yet for the elevation of pride and ego. gods of their own lives. But Jesus says, if you want to follow me, this is how it's going to be.

Not on your terms. You don't come to me telling me how you're going to live. You don't come to me telling me how you're going to follow me. You don't come to me telling me that, give me a sign. Tell me, do this, do that. If anybody comes after me, They're to climb down to the ladder, the bottom of the ladder, and deny themselves. Jesus is called for this self-denial. It is ultimately, as he puts it in verse 25, for whosoever will save his life will lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.

Our life is what we like to be the captain of. And the Bible calls our life something that is very precious. We know that our life is very precious, but it's in our unregenerate state, our life is so precious that we will not have anybody else take control of it. If you read Psalm 22, verse 20, it says, deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dock.

Now, sometimes we call our spouses darling, or we may call children darling. It's an affectionate word that we've taken and we use, but it means my one and only. our darling. Here it is being used to describe the the psalmist's life. He says my darling from the power of the dog. Psalm 35 also it tells us there verse 17. Lord how long wilt thou look on rescue my soul from their destruction my darling from the lions. And so he's using this word darling to describe his life. that his life is precious, that his life is his one and only precious thing.

And we know that our life, it is precious. We only have one life here, but that life, Jesus is saying, is to be denied and to be handed over to him. The Pharisees, it was all about them now. and the ego, the pride by which they felt when others praised them and they were elevated up to this high degree. But Jesus says, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, hand over that which is most precious to you. Give it. to me. No, Jesus is not asking us to do anything that he hasn't done before. What was most precious to the Lord Jesus?

Yes, it was his people. But if the psalmist is able to say, my darling, for his one and only life, what did the Lord Jesus do for his dear people? What did he come down? What did he humble himself, make himself a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death? to give up his darling life so that he may procure a salvation for his people.

In John 15, verse 13, it says, greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Oh, this is what the Lord Jesus Christ did. We can say, greater love has no man than this, than a man lay down his darling life, his most precious life for his friends, his holy spotless life for his friends. And so the Lord Jesus is not calling his people to do anything that he has not done before. He did the greatest thing. He humbled himself and offered up his life for the sins of his people.

And so he says, if anyone will come after me, if you're going to follow me, then you're going to follow me. You're going to give up your life. You're going to deny yourself. And you're going to take up your cross and you're going to follow me. It's to give up our life, to hand over our darling to the Lord Jesus Christ. that which is most precious to me, I'm going to give it up and give it to the Lord Jesus Christ, like the man who sold all and bought that pearl of great price. And so we take that which is most precious and we give our life to the Lord Jesus Christ. We give him the control. As we were once the captain of our own ship, So we give now the control of that ship to the Lord Jesus Christ.

He steers the course. He plots the course of our life. He guides us and directs us through the storms of life and into the fair havens, the ports of life. And as we see with our friends moving, you know, the captain of their ship, he has moved them on to another place. And sure, in your own life, you've seen Now you've committed your way to the Lord Jesus Christ and you've said, Lord, it is not my life. I've denied myself.

I've given my darling life to you and I want you to guide me and direct me and here's my ship. Take me where you want me to go and I will follow you. I will follow you. And here you are. Even this evening, the Lord Jesus Christ has directed you to Hastings or wherever you're living at this present time. And you're here. The Lord Jesus has brought you and you've followed him. This is under his word. So you've handed over your life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our will is no longer our own. that will that once drove us to be selfish and ambitious is now handed over to the Lord Jesus and we say just like he did, nevertheless not my will but thy will be done. The things that we were once driven by the lust of the flesh, which once drove us to pursue pleasure, to self-gratification and fulfilment, are now handed over to the Lord Jesus Christ and He rules our affections. He takes control of our hearts. We love the things that He loves. We follow Him.

It's like the Psalmist, David, as he says, that the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, as he's denied himself, as he's become a sheep of Christ, as he looks to the shepherd, as he follows the shepherd, he makes him to lie down in green pastures, he leads him beside the still waters, he restores his soul, he continues submitting to his shepherd.

But not only is it there, it is to deny ourselves, that we're to take up our cross. If you think of what the Lord Jesus Christ is saying and when he is saying it, it was the Romans who introduced this hideous means of punishment. And as the Lord Jesus Christ is fully aware of all that is before him, he knowing that he is going to take up his cross and to be crucified upon it. And so he is calling his followers to do exactly what he has done.

If you think of the early church and the cross that they had to as they followed the Lord Jesus Christ and they were persecuted. Some of them crucified, some of them burnt, some of them fed to lions, some of them torn apart, some of them cut in half. All manner of hideous things happened to the early church. And even today in our world right now, there are believers who have taken up their cross for Christ's sake and they're suffering no end of hardship. And all they have to say is, I don't believe. And all their problems will be over. I don't believe, I've given up, I'll walk away. But they endure for Christ's sake.

They continue bearing their cross and they are persecuted and chased from pillar to post. And so for the early church, it was costly obedience to the Lord Jesus. It was taking up their cross and no turning back. No matter how hard and how difficult the way, they continued following the Lord Jesus. His way was far much rougher and tougher than mine, we sing.

Take up our cross, we follow, we continue pressing on. We look at the Lord Jesus in Hebrews 12. It says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God. And so the believer, as he denies himself, as he takes up his cross, he endures, he continues, he despises the shame, knowing that what is beyond is the Lord Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father.

No matter how difficult, no matter how burdensome, no matter how testing, No matter how shameful this is, no matter how isolating, bearing your cross for Christ's sake, it can be isolating. The Lord Jesus Christ, he was left alone. He bore his cross alone. And you know, the Lord's people sometimes have to walk an isolated, lonely pathway for Christ's sake. Sometimes the way is burdensome, it's difficult, it's heavy, but you continue enduring for Christ's sake.

But not all hardships are crosses. Just because we experience difficult things in life doesn't mean that's a cross. A cross is something that is received because you have been obedient or you're walking in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a suffering that you experience because you are remaining faithful to the Lord Jesus.

You will not back down because of Christ. You remain steadfast for the Lord Jesus Christ. You've taken up your cross. You're following the Lord Jesus Christ. You're suffering persecution and you continue remaining faithful to the Lord Jesus. You endure. You continue on.

And sometimes that manifests itself in many different ways. It can be a friendship, you know, a difficult friendship that you are in, but you endure it for Christ's sake. The times when you were in the darkness, you would have cut off that friendship years ago. You wouldn't have anything to do with the person, but for Christ's sake, you bear this cross and you continue on and continue on for the sake of unity, for the sake of the gospel. it may be a marriage, it may be a difficult marriage that you are called to walk for Christ's sake and you bear this cross for Christ's sake and you continue on day after day after day and your flesh may be saying just go, just leave, do a runner but for Christ's sake you endure, you persevere and you carry that cross It may be persecution at the workplace or at school. It may be peer pressure that you experience, that others are trying to allure you into sin and you've refused. You've said no and you're suffering because of it. It's a cross that the Lord has given you to bear. You could give up. You could say yes and continue on in the sin and follow all the rest of the crowd, but you've stood firm. You've said no, I will not budge because of Jesus Christ.

He's endured the cross for me. He didn't put it down for me. He endured and he continued. He looked beyond the shame and the suffering and he continued on. enduring it for Christ's sake. And so your cross, I may not have mentioned, but you know what the Lord has given you, what you have to go through, what you are passing through. You know you could put it down, you know you could walk away, but you endure it for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. You believe it's a cross that he has given to you, part of his command. Deny yourself. take up your cross.

It's all really under the same umbrella of self-denial. The pathway of Christianity is a pathway of self-denial as Christ made himself of no reputation, humbled himself, had no place to lay his head. And so the pathway of the Christian is to follow the Lord Jesus.

He has gone before. The first fruit of the resurrection, he's gone before, he's died, he's rose again, and we are following after. And as he bore his cross, despising the shame as he suffered there as he walked to Calvary. So we take up our crosses and we follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Maybe it is that you have to alter the course of your life. Maybe your plan was to go this way, but the Lord is calling you to go another way. Your flesh is saying, well, I don't want to do that. But Christ is saying, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done. Follow me. It's obedience.

The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord Jesus Christ is the good shepherd of the sheep, and he calls his people to follow him. He walks out before them, and he leads them in individual pathways. He's well acquainted with each and every Christian, and he leads them in their own unique way. But they are all called to walk in obedience to him. Where are we going? Ultimately, we're going to glory. That is where he is. That is where he led the way.

He bore his cross, he denied himself, crucified, died, but rose again on the third day and ascended into glory, just like every single believer that is going to follow him. They carry their cross, they die. They will be raised again on the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with him. And so what is Jesus saying?

He's saying this, let me be the captain of your ship. Not just any ship, but a ship called Darling. your life, your precious, precious life that you love to control. Give it to the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him control it. Let Him be the captain of your ship and follow Him wherever He will lead. Just go. He has said, I will never leave you. nor forsake you. If anyone will come after me, these are the terms of those that will follow. Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Walk in obedience. Follow me. Amen.

Well, the hymns this evening have been chosen with a view to the Lord's goodness in leading Keith and Ann to move home, God willing, tomorrow. And let's close with singing the hymn, O Bless the Lord my Soul, number 420. O bless the Lord my soul, let all within me join, and aid my tongue to bless his name, whose flavours are divine. Number 420 to the tune 69 south. Christ the Lord, my soul, let over him be joy.

And in thy tough day, bless his name, ♪ And bless the Lord my soul ♪ ♪ God at his mercy divine ♪ ♪ All God's have given and promised ♪ ♪ And with our praises crowned ♪ ♪ He who gives thy sins ♪ ♪ Desireth it thy way ♪ ♪ Desireth it thy sins ♪ ♪ And makes thee a man of God ♪ ♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, Almighty God and loving Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the terms of the Lord Jesus Christ and we pray that Thou help us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross and to follow the Lord Jesus. We pray, Lord, for that a daily strength to be given to us, that we may follow him closely and to walk worthy of our calling. Do then dismiss us, we pray, with thy blessing. Aid Keith and Anne as they move according to thy will tomorrow. Do undertake and grant all needed strength, we pray, And now by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, the fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit, to be with us each now and for evermore. Amen.

Take up your cross.

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about self-denial?

How do we know taking up our cross is important for Christians?

Why is following Jesus important for Christians?

How does self-denial relate to our nature as humans?

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Take up your cross.

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about self-denial?

How do we know taking up our cross is important for Christians?

Why is following Jesus important for Christians?

How does self-denial relate to our nature as humans?

Sermon Transcript

About James Gudgeon

Comments

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