And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10:38-39)
This underscores how serious a matter it is to become a Christian. In order to be saved there is a taking of Christ as Savior. We accept what he did for us on Calvary. We receive him into our heart and gain release from the bonds of sin. With the gift of salvation comes the responsibility of it. When we take Jesus we can’t stop there. We can’t say “I’m saved and that’s all the obligation I have.” Yes. You’ve been saved, but you have a new life direction to go in. Paul said you “must walk in him.”
At salvation we’re given new life. We have the privilege of a better way. However, it is in opposition to the life we lived before. It’s a life of peace, satisfaction, and victory. There is a blessing in it, but at the same time there is a tough side because the devil and the world make it so. The responsibility of being identified with Jesus goes against our old ways and the image of the world. We become children of light in the midst of darkness. We must shine. Around people at work, at home, and in society we may stick out because we’re different.
When Jesus taught this, he used something very familiar to the people. Romans were everywhere. It was the ruling government and the armies occupied every province. They knew Roman ways including their way of execution. The Jews stoned a person to execute him. Romans crucified their offenders. When a person was condemned to death in the days of Jesus, the prisoner had to take a cross. It showed the people he was guilty and deserved to die. He bore that cross to the place of execution. Jerusalem’s place was Calvary. Such places were all over Palestine.
For our sake Jesus took the cross, accepted it, and bore it to the place of execution. To the Jews he was guilty of being Christ, the Son of God. He was guilty of loving us but innocent of every malicious crime thrown against him. Being Savior was not and is not a crime. There are those today who act as if it’s a crime if you invite them to church or talk about God.
Jesus made himself a man so he could be our Savior. He took up his cross and bore it all the way to Calvary. Every step he took got him closer to accomplishing the plan of salvation for us. He said we must be willing to take up our cross and follow after him. This identifies us with the Lord. They understood Jesus when he said this to them. When we deliberately live like we should, we’re taking up the cross of our testimony. We must take the good with the bad. You may be mocked or humiliated at times. That’s the attitude some have toward God and Christianity. We fight a dangerous serpent—the devil. He’ll use anything including people to get to us. Can you take it? Can you deny yourself and resist temptations?
The devil would have us hide what we have. Never be ashamed to believe the Bible is the actual Word of God. The trend is to self-help these days. Other books, other versions try to take the place of the old-time Word. We don’t have to follow this philosophy. Take the cross. Stick with the Bible. We can understand it with the Lord’s help. Take the cross. Use the privilege of prayer. Take the cross and have a change of life. It won’t make you popular. There is the taking of the cross and the taking up of the cross.
At his weakest moment physically, Jesus was given his cross. He didn’t say he didn’t feel like taking it. If he’d refused it, we’d be in hell. He picked it up. He placed it on his torn back and carried it. The least we can do is take up our cross. Regardless of how people make us feel, we need to take it up. The Bible says a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. It involves suffering. It involves the decision to set self aside. What do we have to complain about? Look what we receive when we accept Jesus. What he took from us would take us to hell. Don’t pine after it. Thank God you’re free! One day you’ll enjoy total freedom as a child of God. There will be no devil, no sin of any kind. Right now though, there is a cross. Jesus said, and he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Take the cross and follow him. He never told us to be crucified. We don’t have to die for our sins because Jesus did it for us. We only bear it because Jesus died in our place. The time will come when we can lay the cross down, but that won’t happen until we’re at home with Jesus. Until then we follow him. The steps of the Savior lead us to everlasting life. We should gladly bear it. It’s far easier to bear with our eyes on him than on the ground feeling sorry for ourselves. Our cross is not too big to handle. Bear the responsibility of being a Christian and follow after Jesus.
What are you doing with your cross? Is it just lying there? Are you waiting on something else? The devil will try to give you a counterfeit cross, but it won’t take you to heaven. The only cross that will get you where you need to be is the cross of Jesus.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 