Sermons on Taking Up Our Cross:

Take Up Your Cross And Follow Me / Another Prospective

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Aug 27, 2014

What if this text is about not being afraid; not being afraid of death. About not fearing the suffering places in our lives that can often feel so much like death. For the moment we start to fear death, it will not long before we start to fear life. Updated August 2020.

For those not familiar with an Anglican Service there are four Scripture readings before the Message. Today's readings are Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 105; Romans 12:9-21 and Matthew 16:21-28 The story is told ... that a man living out on the edge of town ... heard a commotion in his back yard. He ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:21-28, Matthew 7:9-11, Matthew 16:17, 1 Timothy 6:15, 1 John 4:4  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

The King And The Cross PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Sep 26, 2023

Understand the significance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, the importance of carrying our own crosses, and the paradox of majesty and sacrifice represented by a King on a Cross.

Good morning, church family. We're here today to delve deep into the heart of the Gospel, to examine the cross -- Jesus' cross, our own crosses, and the intersection of majesty and sacrifice. As Martin Luther once said, "Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in ...read more

Topics: Jesus' Sacrifice, Our Cross

Take Up Your Cross And Follow Me Series

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Oct 1, 2007

Self-Denial, Cross-bearing and Obedience are the central elements of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

At this time of year, most people have completed their holidays and are back focusing on work. Were your holiday’s what you expected? The following are actual responses from comment cards given to the staff members at Bridger Wilderness Area in NW Wyoming. -Trails need to be reconstructed. Please ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24-27

Denomination: Other

Twenty-Second Sunday In Ordinary Time- Get Behind Me, Satan

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jul 29, 2023

You tell the Lord you don’t want him to die, and he responds by calling you Satan.

The book, Tigers in the Dark, tells about a time when all the electricity went out at a Barnum and Bailey Circus. There was total darkness at the circus. They had just started the act with the tiger trainer locked in a cage with several fierce Bengal tigers. The tigers could see the man - the man ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:21-27

Denomination: Catholic

Jesus' Most Difficult Words Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Feb 21, 2018

Let’s look at Mark 8:27-38 and our call to a selfless life.

Prelude The most difficult words Jesus ever spoke are NOT the ones that are hard to understand, but the ones that are easy to understand and hard to obey. Because being a true follower of Jesus is so difficult, early Christians took time before the most important season of the Christian year to ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:27-38

Denomination: Baptist

Dieing To Live

Contributed by Billy Ricks on Oct 17, 2004

The world teaches us to only consider Me, Mysel, and I. Let us dethrone self as God deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Dieing To Live At a party a woman said this: “My husband and I managed to be happy together for 20 years. I guess this is because we’re both in love with the same person.” The husband of this marriage is a picture of the self absorbed and self-centered society we have today . The wife even ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24

Denomination: Baptist

Love Not The World

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Jul 30, 2021

It is a curious thing to live IN the world yet not be OF the world.

Love Not the World We are Just Passing Through Down Here We all know that we are not going to be in this world all that much longer. The end is fast approaching and, knowing the signs, no one knows that better than Christians who walk closely with the Lord. Many of us have emailed back and ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15, Romans 12:2

Denomination: Charismatic

Follow Jesus, Or Follow The World

Contributed by Craig Condon on Nov 4, 2015

The focus of our discipleship is on our relationship to Jesus. To be worthy of Christ we are to put him first in all family relations. To be worthy of Christ we are to take up our cross and identify with him.

An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled, “Stop! Acts 2:38 (Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:24-39

Denomination: Anglican

The Cost Of Discipleship

Contributed by R. David Reynolds on Sep 14, 2003

The Text is the Gospel Reading for Common Lectionary, Year B, the theme is characteristics of a Disciple as seen in this text.

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP—MARK 8:27-38 --by R. David Reynolds Billy Graham has said, “Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have” [--Edythe Draper, Drapers Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992)]. In our text this morning ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:27-38, Mark 8:28-33, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Deuteronomy 30:15

Denomination: Methodist

Time To Put Up Or Shut Up

Contributed by Ernie Arnold on Sep 7, 2018

This sermon primary focus is on the Encounter that Jesus had with Satan at Caesarea Philippi 1. Jesus faces the "Gates of Hell" 2. The disciples experience an amazing epiphany and 3. Jesus challenges His Disciples to live a life of radical discipleship.

Scripture: Mark 8:27 - 38; Psalm 19 Title: Time to Put Up or Shut Up This sermon primary focus is on the Encounter that Jesus had with Satan at Caesarea Philippi 1. Jesus faces the "Gates of Hell" 2. The disciples experience an amazing epiphany and 3. Jesus challenges His ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:27-38

Denomination: Nazarene

The Cost Of Discipleship

Contributed by Wala-Neh Labala on Aug 14, 2022

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and what will it cost you? In this sermon we learned that denying our selves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus, means letting go of self-preservation, self-determination, and self-identity.

********************************************************* THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP Scripture Reading: “From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:21-28, Luke 9:23, Mark 8:34, Luke 14:27

Denomination: United Methodist

Taking Up The Cross (Luke 9:23-25) Series

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on Feb 24, 2026

Lent is not about subtraction. It is about surrender. This sermon calls you to stop managing your life and start following Christ by taking up the cross daily.

TAKING UP THE CROSS Luke 9:23-25 Day 8 Week 2: Stripping Away (Self-Denial and Surrender) MORNING LENT PRAYER WORSHIP SERVICE Theme: Stripping Away — Self-Denial and Surrender THE INTRODUCTION: THE CALL TO WORSHIP Good morning, church! Good morning, good morning, GOOD MORNING! (Clap your hands ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23-25, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 2:3-4, Philippians 3:7-8, 1 Corinthians 15:31, Matthew 11:28  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Taking Up The Mantle Series

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Oct 20, 2021

Elisha had proven himself faithful in being Elijah’s disciple. He was now ready for a new ministry, an expanded ministry, an anointed ministry.

2 KINGS 2: 8-14 TAKING UP THE MANTLE [2 Kings 2:1-7] Elijah has been called the grandest character that Israel ever produced. [Robert Young, Analytical Concordance to the Bible, New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1936, p 295.] But like all of us he needed a friend. Elisha had been Elijah’s servant, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 2:8-14

Denomination: Baptist

Its Boldly Thrown Out There--"Take Up Your Cross And Follow Me."

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jun 24, 2017

The Cross allows us to "deny oneself" from pure self interest to serve a higher purpose. It's a way for us to continually do a self check, and for us to be sanctified.

13A There is a story by Guy de Maupassant titled "The Necklace." The Necklace is a tale of a young woman named Mathilde who wishes she was rich and also wishes she was accepted in higher social circles. However, her husband is an ordinary French citizen without the resources to fulfill her ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:37-42

Denomination: Catholic

Its Time To Take Our Country Back

Contributed by Dr.w.samuel Legon on May 22, 2010

Sleeping Churches need to wake up now

ITS TIME TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK We as Christians have sat back and let the followers of Satan take our country away from us . Its time to move our troops go in the battle fields. Stop the killing of our babies in the name of our government. Stop the money changers of our country from ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:10

Denomination: Baptist