Matthew 16:21 - 28 v.24 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Talmage records the story of the Greek architect commissioned by the emperor to build the great coliseum in Rome. "I too am a Christian." thrown to lions We Have 1. A Recognized Choice 24 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." I. If Any Man - The Candidate II. Will Follow Me - The Commitment III. Deny Self - The Criteria 2. A Right Choice: come after me (1 Chronicles 28:9) "And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever." 3. A Real Choice let him deny himself (Joshua 24:15) "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." 4. A Ready Choice and take up his cross (2 Corinthians 6:2) "(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)" 5. A Relevant Choice and follow me." (Luke 18:18) "And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" See His Discretion Good Master His Direction 20 Thou knowest the commandments, His Decision 23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. His Destination 24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 2. We Have A Required Cross and take up his cross, and follow me." It's A : - A. Personal Cross See the personal pronouns, "His". This is a choice that I can't make for you. Just as I can not accept Christ as Savior for you. B. Painful Cross A. This is submission * Jesus went to the cross in submission to the Father's will, like a Lamb to the laughter. B. This is sacrifice * No Christian is serving God FULLY until he is willing to give up ALL he has for the Lord. C. This is surrender Ga 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. D. This is suffering * A cross is painful! * Jesus was NAILED to the cross. C.Parting Cross 2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, D. Promising Cross The way of the Cross leads home 3. We Have A Realized Commitment and take up his cross, and follow me." The scripture is given in the perfect presence tense, which means that following Jesus is a continued, daily decision, to dedicate your all to the Lord. (Hebrews 10:7) "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." The Will Of God A. You need to keep learning it 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. B. You need to keep loving it Psalms 119:127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. C. You need to keep living it Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 4. We Have A Reserved Crown (Matthew 16:27) "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." A. The Reward 1. The Crown of Rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19) "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" Some call this the Soul Winners Crown 2. The Crown of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8) "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: {8} Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." This Crown seems to be for all who watch for the return of the Lord. 3. The Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4) "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." 4. The Crown of Life (James 1:12) "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." Here is a special crown for those who have been or will be martyred for the Lord Jesus. 5. The Incorruptible Crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-25) "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. {25} And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." All Saints everywhere in all ages, can win this crown by being sincere and faithful B. The Rewarder (1 Peter 5:4) "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." C. The Rewarded (1 Corinthians 4:2) "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." The song writer put it this way the Cross before the Crown. 1. The glory of the crown Won't preceed this cross I've found On the road that led me to a hill called Calvary. Oh, I long to see the throne, But before I reach my home I know the bearing of my cross is meant to be... 2. Let my life's aim ever be To let the world see Christ in me As I follow my Redeemer with a cross much like His own. Then one day I'll lay it down And replace it with a crown, And gain eternal rest this world has never known...
