Anchor My Faith

Deny Oneself, Take Up Cross, Follow Him

Scripture: Mark 8:34

We ended the previous lesson with Jesus calling the crowd, that was following him and the disciples, to gather around him for a teaching session. ^{Mk 8:34} “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”’

Jesus had just told his disciples that he must go up to Jerusalem and suffer many things and be killed and on the third day be raised. To this statement, Peter rebukes Jesus and states that it must never happen. To this Jesus declares that Peter is acting like the devil and is doing the work of the devil. It is at this point that Jesus calls the crowd to assemble for some instruction to those who would follow him.

Jesus was sent by the Father into the world to communicate the gospel to humans and then to suffer and die on the cross to purchase our salvation. As we walk with Jesus along the gospel path, we are learning about the gospel, which is good news from God, and are drawing closer to the time of his sacrifice on the cross. Each step along the way, Jesus is one step closer to being back with his Father in heaven.

To follow Jesus, we must follow him to the cross, and to do that Jesus says we must do three things: deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. To deny oneself is to surrender our will, affections, body and soul to God. We are to seek and understand his will for our lives and set it as a priority over our own will and desires. We are not to seek our own happiness and comfort as being most important but be willing to renounce all and lay down our life also if required. To understand this, one must look outside the western culture to where believers face persecution daily and must be willing to sacrifice everything, even their lives, to follow Jesus.

The second thing we must do is take up our cross; that is to be willing to bear what is brought upon us, such as suffering, shame, and death, which we cannot escape, and we are to eagerly endure it, meeting it with a solemn joy, and to be glad that we are counted worthy of it. This is not something we can do in our own strength. I have heard people who live, and experience severe persecution explain that they believe God gives them the gift of persecution; a divine ability to endure horrible suffering and be able to love and forgive those who are causing the suffering. I have heard reports from people who experience the “fellowship of suffering” spoken of in Philippians 3:10. They explain how special that fellowship is with one another and with God.

The third thing we must do is to follow Jesus. As I write these lessons and walk with Jesus along the gospel path, I find his focus on the cross is becoming clearer with each step. Is the cross and what it means our focus? Out of our love for him and what he did for us on the cross, are we growing in obedience. To follow Jesus is to become more like him as we press toward the finish line.

The Voice of the Martyrs has produced a six-session video study on the complete tortured for Christ story of Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. The first lesson is titled, “Who Will Stand for Christ?” is very convicting in relation to the cross we are to carry. The study raised the question of how we are praying about the cross God wants us to carry. Are we willing to lay aside comfort, safety and security in order to carry our cross like our brothers and sisters are who live under persecution? Is a cross of possible shame, rebuke and even fear too much for us to carry?

Maybe we should add to what we must do and that is how do we follow Jesus? We are to follow Jesus with active energy, not passive and resigned. We are to follow his footsteps with zeal, which may lead us on the way of sorrows. This task we are called to do in following him is a task that has already been lived out; Jesus has gone before us and in his strength and provision, can we can follow him in his strength?

Conclusion

I am not so sure that we as western believers are doing a very good job of obeying the statement, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” We seem that we have chosen instead to seek comfort, safety and security.