Text: Matthew 16:24-26
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
"Take Up Your Cross"
True
Discipleship
"Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth."
Discipleship
"Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth."
Psalm 75
Matthew 16:24-26
24) Then Jesus said to His disciples - At that time Jesus, (after foretelling of His death), begins to teach a lesson about the cost of discipleship, to the crowds, to His disciples, or any desiring person including you or I. The principal lesson: discipleship is on Jesus' terms: "he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."
Definition: disciple; Gk, trans; mathetes, phonetically 'math-ay-tes', (noun/m). a learner, disciple, pupil.
Greek: mathētḗs; from math - "The mental effort needed to think something through." - properly, a learner,
a disciple, a follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of scripture and the lifestyle they require; someone catechized with proper instruction from the bible with its necessary follow-through, life applications (Strongs).
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, - His invitation is open to anyone who wishes to come. It is a calling for, that certain-someone, who has a desire to be a disciple, who is willing to make a life-changing decision and commitment. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus met three hopeful people who desired to follow Him but, when He said follow me, they declined His invitation. The reason they declined was because they wanted to follow Him on their terms, Lk9:59-62. My sheep hear My voice, Jn10:27.
he must deny himself, - Jesus said if you wish to become My disciple this is your first step, to deny yourself. It is to deny my will and desires and obey Jesus as King and Ruler of my life. It is not I who would be captain
of my ship, but it is God who will decide the direction and destiny of my life - Thy will be done, not my will.
Definition: deny, Gk, trans; aparneomai, phonetically, 'ap-ar-neh'-om-ahee', (verb). To deny, repudiate or disown; either another person or myself, (Strong's).
and take up his cross - It means a disciple will suffer pain and persecution that can also lead to death as
a martyr, for the exceeding joy of his faith and preaching the Word. For Jesus and His disciples the image of cross bearing would have been familiar; At that time, death by crucifixion was a form of capital punishment used by the Roman government. They would have known that a convicted criminal was forced to take up his cross as he was being led to the place of execution. To take up my cross means I can anticipate suffering for Christ in some way or form. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ lives in me." Most Christians would agree with the following quotation, "The crown without the cross = easy Christianity."
a martyr, for the exceeding joy of his faith and preaching the Word. For Jesus and His disciples the image of cross bearing would have been familiar; At that time, death by crucifixion was a form of capital punishment used by the Roman government. They would have known that a convicted criminal was forced to take up his cross as he was being led to the place of execution. To take up my cross means I can anticipate suffering for Christ in some way or form. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ lives in me." Most Christians would agree with the following quotation, "The crown without the cross = easy Christianity."
and follow Me. We should be imitators of Christ, "It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master." Matt10:25 To follow means to walk in the Masters steps, "the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." 1Jn2:6 To be a disciple means to follow Him in respect to obedience to His word, Jn8:31.
Conclusion/Application:
Jesus' final words are a theological paradox that should be cause for much thought. The first half of His state-
ment is comparing a life that is lost, with a life that is saved, and the wisdom of following Christ. The 2nd half
is proof that what He said is true. 1. To save your life for what the world can give but deny Christ means you will die in your sins; but to lose your life for Christ has benefits for this life and the next. 2. If it were possible to own the entire world, how can all of that stuff, pay for your sin or redeem someone's soul, it cannot.
is proof that what He said is true. 1. To save your life for what the world can give but deny Christ means you will die in your sins; but to lose your life for Christ has benefits for this life and the next. 2. If it were possible to own the entire world, how can all of that stuff, pay for your sin or redeem someone's soul, it cannot.
25) For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26) For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
A Bible study by: Glenn
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