Pick up your cross daily
Luke 9:23-27
Many preach on “Who do you say I am?” Depending on how we answer this affects how we respond to denying ourselves and taking up our cross. Preaching the cross sounds foolishness. How can the cross be a good thing?
To take up a cross means walking towards death. The cross became a symbol of God’s power being made perfect. Jesus doesn’t say “follow me and life will get easier”, He says “pick up your cross daily and follow me”. What is the true cost of following Jesus?
- The Condition — Let Him Deny Himself (vs 23) – We are called to deny ourself. It’s not about giving up things, but about denying ourselves. Jesus says we need to step out of the centre of our lives and allow Him to be the centre. Our ambitions, desires and identity need to be submitted to Him. Our Condition is not our identity. The enemy robs people of our identity.
- The Command — Take Up His Cross (vs 23) – The cross meant you were condemned to public execution. It was a one way journey to death. Jesus commands us to take up our cross daily. It is an every morning thing for us to do. It is not a one time decision, it is an every day decision. The cross is a shape or positon of surrender. It is a position of “Not my will, but Your will be done”. It is also our cross, not our neighbour’s.
- The Paradox — Whoever Loses His Life Will Save It (vs 24) – How can we lose our life and save it? We need to get our priorities right. We need to give up our life and gain a life with God for eternity. We are called to die to self (Galations 2:20; Romans 6:6). Jesus asks for all our lives, not just part of it.
- The Question — What Does It Profit a Man? (vs 25) – Would you take £1 million or a parachute? We put off the day we will die for having it all today. Stuff in this life is not worth it when we all die one day. Stuff is here today and gone tomorrow. What are you living for? Is it going to hold its value when all is laid bare (Hebrew 9:7)? God desires our souls to be saved.
- The Warning — Shame and Glory (vs 26) – Are you just a Sunday Christian? Are you the same person at work or home as you are in church? Do you keep God in a box? Do you soften the Gospel down so that it doesn’t cause offence? Jesus warns us to get our priorities right.
Every morning you have a cross laid before you. It is shaped specifically for you. Are you going to pick it up and carry it each day? The one who calls us to carry our cross daily is the one who carried His cross for us.