The Cross is the most important thing in Christianity. Without it Christianity is just another religion. Because of the cross, Christianity is a way of life. Every one of Satan’s efforts to tempt Jesus was aimed at getting him to bypass the cross. Satan never tried to convince Jesus that he wasn’t the Son of God or that he didn’t have “all power in heaven and in earth.” But he did try to persuade him to choose some route besides the cross.
This is the manuscript of the fifth sermon in the Centrality Of The Cross series. The word disciple is an appealing word to Christians because it brings to mind those twelve men who were chosen by our Lord for a unique task—that of being the first messengers of the good news he came to give the world.
The word discipleship also carries some appeal. We interpret discipleship to be the ideal lifestyle of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ—a lifetime of following and learning from the Master.
We sometimes forget that inherent in the words disciple, and discipleship, is the word discipline. We like the words disciple and discipleship but we’re not too crazy about the word discipline because it has some negative overtones.
For an audio recording click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript
This is the manuscript of the fifth sermon in the Centrality Of The Cross series. The word disciple is an appealing word to Christians because it brings to mind those twelve men who were chosen by our Lord for a unique task—that of being the first messengers of the good news he came to give the world.
The word discipleship also carries some appeal. We interpret discipleship to be the ideal lifestyle of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ—a lifetime of following and learning from the Master.
We sometimes forget that inherent in the words disciple, and discipleship, is the word discipline. We like the words disciple and discipleship but we’re not too crazy about the word discipline because it has some negative overtones.
For an audio recording click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript
Scripture
Matthew 16:21-27 (NLT2)21 From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.
Text:
Matthew 16:24-25 (NLT2)24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it’”
Introduction
This is the fifth in our series “The Centrality of the Cross”. As I said at the beginning the Cross is the most important thing in Christianity. Without it Christianity is just another religion. Throughout the more than two thousand years of Christian history, the cross has been the focal point of our faith. Every other aspect of Christianity is given validity and power because of the cross and what it stands for.
Because of the Cross our outlook during this time can be different. Because of the Cross we can know that we are in the family of God
John 1:12 NLT But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
This sermon is The Cross and Discipleship.
The word disciple is an appealing word to Christians because it brings to mind those twelve men who were chosen by our Lord for a unique task—that of being the first messengers of the good news he came to give the world.
That good news was that God sent Jesus to undo what Adam undid.
Romans 5:16-17 NLT And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Jesus died and rose again for sinners, just as God promised.
1 Corinthians 15:2-4 NLT It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
Of course the shepherds and the wise men brought news of the Savior, but they didn’t have the opportunity to get the details of the gospel like the disciples.
The word discipleship also carries some appeal. We interpret discipleship to be the ideal lifestyle of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ—a lifetime of following and learning from the Master.
We sometimes forget that inherent in the words disciple, and discipleship, is the word discipline. We like the words disciple and discipleship but we’re not too crazy about the word discipline because it has some negative overtones. We have to admit that we were all born with a tendency toward rebellion against authority.
However Jesus came to reveal a way of life that required discipline. Many who were confronted with the challenge to follow him could not accept this discipline.
There was a time when Jesus was speaking in a synagogue talking to a crowd saying things like he was the bread of life and that in order to have eternal life you had to eat of that bread. There were many who left and deserted Him.
John 6:66-67 NLT At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”
Read the entire message and the response in John 6.
As the time for his crucifixion drew nearer, there was an unusual urgency in what Jesus said about the cross and about discipleship.
- Jesus set forth his destiny.
Matthew 16:21 (NLT2)21 From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
He was approaching the end of His earthly ministry so He needed to make His mission which included His death and resurrection clear so that there would be no confusion.
In the past he had spoken through parables, metaphors, and other figures of speech. He was now trying to prepare the disciples for the reality of the crucifixion. But they, typical of the Jewish thinking of that time, had their hearts set on establishing an earthly kingdom. Even after His resurrection they asked about the establishment of an earthly kingdom.
Acts of the Apostles 1:6-8 NLT So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Their minds were closed to the possibility that Jesus would die and certainly not die on a cross, which was an accursed thing to every Jew.
A. This was the perfect time for Jesus to make His mission clear.
Peter had just made his marvelous confession of faith.
Matthew 16:15-17 (NLT2)15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.
So with that kind proclamation, it was time for him to be straightforward about what lay ahead. They could understand what Jesus said about suffering, because they had already witnessed the hostility of the religious hierarchy. But there was never any real talk about death and dying, but here it comes.
Matthew 16:21 NLT From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
This must have been quite a shock. In fact, it was such a horrifying thought that apparently they did not even hear the rest of Jesus’ statement saying that he would be raised again the third day.
Why do I say that? Look at
Matthew 16:22 (NLT2)22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
This the same Peter who made that victorious declaration of faith shortly before.
Matthew really describes the scene in graphic detail.
“Peter took him aside. . . .” It was as if Peter stepped up beside Jesus and pulled him to the side and led him away from the crowd and “began to rebuke him.” He admonished Him like a parent admonishing a child or like a teacher trying to straighten out a student who had become confused about something.
B. Jesus quickly responded to Peter’s actions.
Matthew 16:23 (NLT2)23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
Peter was doing the same thing Satan had done when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. He was saying, “Bypass the cross! Take another route! You don’t have to die” to prove that you are the Son of God.
Satan tried three times
Matthew 4:3, 6, 9 ESV And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."
He responded to Satan's attempts with scripture, the word of God.
Matthew 4:4, 7, 10 NLT But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”
But Jesus told Peter, “You are a dangerous trap to me.” In other words, “Peter, you are tempting me to offend my Father by failing to do what he sent me to do.
The demand for a crossless Christ is still with us today. It is far more appealing to admire his perfect life and praise his beautiful teachings than it is to accept his bloody cross.
2. Jesus explained discipleship.
Matthew 16:24-25 (NLT2)24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.it’
Jesus said, “If anyone wants to follow me. . . .” There is no command here. God will not force anyone to follow him. People are free to follow him in this intimate relationship or not to follow him at all. Their degree of love for the Lord determines their decision.
A. However if they choose to follow Jesus He talks about self-denial.
Matthew 16:24 (NLT2)24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
“Self” loves to be pampered, indulged, and coddled. When self is tempted to pout and become oversensitive because it considers itself slighted, don’t sympathize with it! When self is humiliated under the heat of God’s truth, let it suffer and let it die!
B. Jesus drove home this revolutionary truth of self-denial when he talked about “taking up the cross.”
Matthew 16:24 (NLT2)24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
The tense in the Greek language for the term take up your cross suggests immediate, decisive action. In other words “Let him take up his cross at once!” So you could read the verse like this
Matthew 16:24 (NLT2)24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, immediately, and follow me. (My translation)
Taking up a cross was totally distasteful to Jews in general including the disciples. The cross was a Roman instrument of torture and disgrace, an accursed thing; and even to touch a cross caused a Jew to become ceremonially unclean. Yet Jesus said that to be His follower you must voluntarily take up a cross and carry it!
C. Jesus was explaining how to deny self—self must be crucified, nailed to the cross.
When Jesus said “take up your cross” He was talking about putting the desires of the flesh to death and following the path that He was on in doing His Father’s will.
John 6:38-40 (NLT2)38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”
To “take up your cross and follow Me” means that you are willing to even die, if it comes to that, to follow Jesus. There are countless people, throughout history even recent history, who have died because they followed Jesus. But whenever Jesus talked about cross bearing He also talked about gaining or saving life.
Matthew 16:24-25 NLT Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Denying self is the inevitable result of following Jesus. It is impossible to follow Christ and at the same time drag about a selfish and rebellious self.
Romans 8:12-14 NKJV Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Galatians 5:19-25 NKJV Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
3. So you must make a decision
Matthew 16:26 (NLT2)26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
We are told that Emperor Charlemagne was buried, not dressed in grave clothes and reclining in a casket, but in the robes of state and seated upright on a throne. An open Bible was on his knee, and one of his fingers pointed to the words that spoke for him when he could no longer speak for himself: The story goes that the words he was pointing to were the words of
Matthew 16:26 NIV What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
A. What is a person’s soul?
It is not something hidden away inside, to be saved by attending church on Sunday while the rest of the person remains worldly and chained to material possessions. What profit is it if a person gains all the world has to offer in order to exalt and pamper self? When self is lost, what can a person give to recover it?
The answer is Nothing!
B. The world offered its rewards to Jesus, but he refused them to do the will of his heavenly Father.
On the night of His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Matthew 26:39 NLT He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
The world makes the same offer to us—to appease self and to say, in the words of the popular Sinatra ballad, “I did it my way.” But if we choose to follow Jesus, we must make the same choice Jesus made. We must accept the cross—not for the same reason that he did, but so that we can nail self to the cross so that we can follow Jesus wherever he leads.
Conclusion
Here is the paradox of it all: To know real joy in the Christian life, we must feel the pain of death of self. And, sadly, it is not a one time experience. It would be great if we could bury self one time and it would stay dead forever! Instead, we have to nail self to the Cross everyday. And every time we do it, we strengthen our inner self, our spiritual self, which is controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Disciple is certainly an appealing word. But within it there is the discipline of the cross, the denial of self, so that Christ may reign supreme as Savior and Lord.
Matthew 16:24-25 (NLT2)24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.it’
Jesus said, “If anyone wants to follow me. . . .” There is no command here. God will not force anyone to follow him. People are free to follow him in this intimate relationship or not to follow him at all. Their degree of love for the Lord determines their decision.
A. However if they choose to follow Jesus He talks about self-denial.
Matthew 16:24 (NLT2)24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
“Self” loves to be pampered, indulged, and coddled. When self is tempted to pout and become oversensitive because it considers itself slighted, don’t sympathize with it! When self is humiliated under the heat of God’s truth, let it suffer and let it die!
B. Jesus drove home this revolutionary truth of self-denial when he talked about “taking up the cross.”
Matthew 16:24 (NLT2)24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
The tense in the Greek language for the term take up your cross suggests immediate, decisive action. In other words “Let him take up his cross at once!” So you could read the verse like this
Matthew 16:24 (NLT2)24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, immediately, and follow me. (My translation)
Taking up a cross was totally distasteful to Jews in general including the disciples. The cross was a Roman instrument of torture and disgrace, an accursed thing; and even to touch a cross caused a Jew to become ceremonially unclean. Yet Jesus said that to be His follower you must voluntarily take up a cross and carry it!
C. Jesus was explaining how to deny self—self must be crucified, nailed to the cross.
When Jesus said “take up your cross” He was talking about putting the desires of the flesh to death and following the path that He was on in doing His Father’s will.
John 6:38-40 (NLT2)38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”
To “take up your cross and follow Me” means that you are willing to even die, if it comes to that, to follow Jesus. There are countless people, throughout history even recent history, who have died because they followed Jesus. But whenever Jesus talked about cross bearing He also talked about gaining or saving life.
Matthew 16:24-25 NLT Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Denying self is the inevitable result of following Jesus. It is impossible to follow Christ and at the same time drag about a selfish and rebellious self.
Romans 8:12-14 NKJV Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Galatians 5:19-25 NKJV Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
3. So you must make a decision
Matthew 16:26 (NLT2)26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
We are told that Emperor Charlemagne was buried, not dressed in grave clothes and reclining in a casket, but in the robes of state and seated upright on a throne. An open Bible was on his knee, and one of his fingers pointed to the words that spoke for him when he could no longer speak for himself: The story goes that the words he was pointing to were the words of
Matthew 16:26 NIV What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
A. What is a person’s soul?
It is not something hidden away inside, to be saved by attending church on Sunday while the rest of the person remains worldly and chained to material possessions. What profit is it if a person gains all the world has to offer in order to exalt and pamper self? When self is lost, what can a person give to recover it?
The answer is Nothing!
B. The world offered its rewards to Jesus, but he refused them to do the will of his heavenly Father.
On the night of His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Matthew 26:39 NLT He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
The world makes the same offer to us—to appease self and to say, in the words of the popular Sinatra ballad, “I did it my way.” But if we choose to follow Jesus, we must make the same choice Jesus made. We must accept the cross—not for the same reason that he did, but so that we can nail self to the cross so that we can follow Jesus wherever he leads.
Conclusion
Here is the paradox of it all: To know real joy in the Christian life, we must feel the pain of death of self. And, sadly, it is not a one time experience. It would be great if we could bury self one time and it would stay dead forever! Instead, we have to nail self to the Cross everyday. And every time we do it, we strengthen our inner self, our spiritual self, which is controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Disciple is certainly an appealing word. But within it there is the discipline of the cross, the denial of self, so that Christ may reign supreme as Savior and Lord.
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