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Discipleship
Matthew 16:24
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.
Have you ever heard this invitation from the Lord Himself, dwelling in the secret place with Him, whether under the open sky of God's creation, through the mouth of a humble soul surrendered to God, or shut up in a room somewhere in absolute solitude? This word can only come as you stand naked before the Son of God with your whole life laid bare at His feet, stripped of every pretense. There will only be one of two directions to take, the way of the world's plastic wonders and fascinations, a form of Christianity that can scarcely deliver one from hell, let alone anything else; or the Way of the unchanging Word of God. God will not present you with this supreme call at a time of religious excitement, when you are lost in the moment in some ecstasy, regardless of the spiritual veracity of such an experience. No, He will stand in all of His holy simplicity and solemnity and speak these awesome words, full of cost incalculable, while you calmly stand there with total control of all your faculties and powers of mind to make this decision. There will be no pleading on the part of Jesus Christ, no begging for you to just do what He asks, because "it will lead you to such fulfillment in your life." The initial attraction of Jesus has passed, when you once found Him such an intriguing figure, one to follow in the hopes that He would lead you to a better life of significance and purpose, full of happiness and peace and joy. The time has come to realize why He first chose you. Do not ever forget that fact, that He chose you, not the other way around (John 15:16).
It is a full-orbed call, one that encompasses every area of your life and holds them firm in the vise grip of God; because depending on your response, you will either relinquish every other call and desire that ever you had for yourself and in willing obedience, lay them at the feet of God Incarnate. Or you will turn away with grief and sorrow, because you have great possessions (cf. Mt. 19:16-22). Not necessarily possessions in a natural monetary sense, but possessions of family and friends, possessions of dreams and aspirations, things that possess you as you possess them. Or would you, could you, dare you be possessed by God Himself?
When Jesus Christ presented His disciples with this call it was in the context of the Suffering Servant revealing the true purpose for His coming to the earth, to suffer at the hands of the religious rulers of His day, to die on a cross, and to rise again to accomplish what no other man could ever accomplish--eternal redemption through His blood (Matt. 16:21-27). No wonder Paul says, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14). Our cross is not His Cross, ours is one of abandonment to God, for God alone, in identification with the purpose of Christ's death, that the Lamb that was slain may receive the rewards of His suffering. "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand" (Isa. 53:10). Only in taking up our cross without equivocation and following His Son, even into the bowels of fire's fury if necessary, can God get glory and pleasure out of our lives.
Do not think that Jesus is here speaking of taking up your cross in the sense of not watching that rated "R" movie, or opting to wait until you are married for sex, or abating that nasty habit of cursing. This is a far deeper, an infinitely more meaningful statement that Christ makes. And a holiness that is none other than the holiness of Almighty God is the ineluctable result of such surrender, as you abide in the One Who alone is holy, working out the wonders of Christ's atonement that the Holy Spirit has worked in the deepest recesses of your being. This denying of oneself, this taking up of one's cross and following after the Lord Jesus can mean only one thing: give up every right and claim that you have for your life, and deliberately and irrevocably give it over to God. No strings attached. No saying, "Here's my life, but I still want a nice house someday." No contingency plan or 401K. No demand that says something like, "I want to be a history-maker." It is no longer your life, you belong to God now. This and only this can be discipleship, and Jesus Christ will never force any man or woman to make this decision, to yield himself or herself to the Eternal God without any account for the consequences. God can lift you into the heights of heaven's blessings or He can cast you into the depths of destruction, it matters not.
What will you say when Jesus Christ invites you, when the everlasting Lord bids you come, and promises you nothing in return, only that you will henceforth and forever be His bondservant, a slave of the King of kings? This will be the most important If ever presented to you. What will your answer be?
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.
Have you ever heard this invitation from the Lord Himself, dwelling in the secret place with Him, whether under the open sky of God's creation, through the mouth of a humble soul surrendered to God, or shut up in a room somewhere in absolute solitude? This word can only come as you stand naked before the Son of God with your whole life laid bare at His feet, stripped of every pretense. There will only be one of two directions to take, the way of the world's plastic wonders and fascinations, a form of Christianity that can scarcely deliver one from hell, let alone anything else; or the Way of the unchanging Word of God. God will not present you with this supreme call at a time of religious excitement, when you are lost in the moment in some ecstasy, regardless of the spiritual veracity of such an experience. No, He will stand in all of His holy simplicity and solemnity and speak these awesome words, full of cost incalculable, while you calmly stand there with total control of all your faculties and powers of mind to make this decision. There will be no pleading on the part of Jesus Christ, no begging for you to just do what He asks, because "it will lead you to such fulfillment in your life." The initial attraction of Jesus has passed, when you once found Him such an intriguing figure, one to follow in the hopes that He would lead you to a better life of significance and purpose, full of happiness and peace and joy. The time has come to realize why He first chose you. Do not ever forget that fact, that He chose you, not the other way around (John 15:16).
It is a full-orbed call, one that encompasses every area of your life and holds them firm in the vise grip of God; because depending on your response, you will either relinquish every other call and desire that ever you had for yourself and in willing obedience, lay them at the feet of God Incarnate. Or you will turn away with grief and sorrow, because you have great possessions (cf. Mt. 19:16-22). Not necessarily possessions in a natural monetary sense, but possessions of family and friends, possessions of dreams and aspirations, things that possess you as you possess them. Or would you, could you, dare you be possessed by God Himself?
When Jesus Christ presented His disciples with this call it was in the context of the Suffering Servant revealing the true purpose for His coming to the earth, to suffer at the hands of the religious rulers of His day, to die on a cross, and to rise again to accomplish what no other man could ever accomplish--eternal redemption through His blood (Matt. 16:21-27). No wonder Paul says, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14). Our cross is not His Cross, ours is one of abandonment to God, for God alone, in identification with the purpose of Christ's death, that the Lamb that was slain may receive the rewards of His suffering. "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand" (Isa. 53:10). Only in taking up our cross without equivocation and following His Son, even into the bowels of fire's fury if necessary, can God get glory and pleasure out of our lives.
Do not think that Jesus is here speaking of taking up your cross in the sense of not watching that rated "R" movie, or opting to wait until you are married for sex, or abating that nasty habit of cursing. This is a far deeper, an infinitely more meaningful statement that Christ makes. And a holiness that is none other than the holiness of Almighty God is the ineluctable result of such surrender, as you abide in the One Who alone is holy, working out the wonders of Christ's atonement that the Holy Spirit has worked in the deepest recesses of your being. This denying of oneself, this taking up of one's cross and following after the Lord Jesus can mean only one thing: give up every right and claim that you have for your life, and deliberately and irrevocably give it over to God. No strings attached. No saying, "Here's my life, but I still want a nice house someday." No contingency plan or 401K. No demand that says something like, "I want to be a history-maker." It is no longer your life, you belong to God now. This and only this can be discipleship, and Jesus Christ will never force any man or woman to make this decision, to yield himself or herself to the Eternal God without any account for the consequences. God can lift you into the heights of heaven's blessings or He can cast you into the depths of destruction, it matters not.
What will you say when Jesus Christ invites you, when the everlasting Lord bids you come, and promises you nothing in return, only that you will henceforth and forever be His bondservant, a slave of the King of kings? This will be the most important If ever presented to you. What will your answer be?
posted by Bryan | 3:20 AM
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