We must not fear death, but must prepare for it. Study Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34 and Luke 9:23. The reward is worth the price. It means that if we have a disagreement with our spouse, we compromise or we give in for the sake of our love for our spouse. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. You must take up your cross and follow me… Posted on September 17, 2012 by Fr. Many people think that this means that our “cross” is a sickness, an unsaved spouse, or a cruel boss. Studying your Bible? The great 19th century Russian bishop, St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, delivered the following sermon on a famous text from Holy Scripture: “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me,” (Mk. This really means, "Obey me." Mark 8:34 (NIV) (Hold up one of the crosses.) Step 1: Deny Yourself. Marion Pruitt-Jefferson. The Reading is from Mark 8:34-38; 9:1. Deny yourself and your sinful nature. I heard someone recently say that the average church could drop one fourth of its members from the membership roll and neither the church nor the dropped members would notice any difference. Look up the Greek term for “deny” and discover what the term meant to these Hebrew writers. If anyone is really serious about following … 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples , he said to them , “ If anyone would come after me , let him c deny himself and d take up his cross and follow me . Luke 9:23 Jesus says, “Deny himself, Take Up Your Cross Daily & Come Follow Me.” (Deny Self Scriptures: Luke 9:23-24, Matthew 16:24-25, Mark 8:34-35, Luke 14:26-27). Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. The Hard Sayings of Jesus"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Jesus told His followers to deny themselves, take up their crosses daily, and walk in His footsteps. February 08, 2009. Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, and Follow Me. Have you read where Jesus said, “Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34b)? A Journey Toward Perfection - Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, And Follow Me: The Beatitudes as a Road Map for Our Journey through Life by Helen Kamenos is a beautiful book about how a person should strive to become one with Jesus. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. Deny yourself, and then take up your cross. Take it Up. Jesus’ disciples must have been shocked when He told them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me ” (Matt 15:24). Jesus knew that this was the case for all the disciples and the crowd following him. But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Jesus’ death upon the cross not only saves us, but it continues to sanctify us. Peter. SERMON - SEPTEMBER 17, 2017 - DENY YOURSELF, TAKE UP YOUR CROSS, AND FOLLOW ME (Mark 8:34-9:1) What does it mean to deny ourselves? Denying yourself is an essential part of the Christian life. I am having some serious … Jesus told us plainly how we should deny ourselves in this life in Luke 9:23: “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Notice that Jesus said it to “all” and not just the disciples. Jesus' answer was, "you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man" (Mark 8:33). Sermon # 24 “Deny Yourself” Matthew 16:24 We live in a day of "casual Christianity." Monday, March 12, 2007. What does Jesus mean when He says that you should take up your cross daily? Rather than respond to sermons with grandiose ambitions, be holy that day. You only have one job and it’s this: take up your cross. Sermons as they were meant to be delivered by a Priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Then Jesus called the the crowd of people who had gathered around to come and join him and his disciples. 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. When Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” his first followers probably did not hear it metaphorically. His walk took Him home to Heaven, by way of the cross. The disciples who heard Jesus were aware of what crucifixion was, for on many occasions they had watched as a helpless victim was impaled on wooden timbers joined at right angles. Sometimes we deny our own wants for the sake of peace. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? 1. Wait, What? You simply need to deny yourself, endure torture, and die to self. "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. Satan wants you to see long time periods forward and backward to defeat you, so instead ask what you can do TODAY to deny yourself and take up your cross. August 28, 2016 Matthew 16:24-27 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Answer: Jesus taught that to be His disciple—His follower—the spiritual discipline of self-denial is required: “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’” (Matthew 16:24, ESV). 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 116:1-9; Second Reading: James 3:1-12; Gospel: Mark 8:27-38. Crucifixion was reserved for enemies of the state, so Jesus’ summons would have been heard as a call to insurrection. Are you willing to deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow him? How to Deny Yourself. What are we to Deny? Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” – Matthew 16:24. 25 For whoever would save his life [] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. They understood the horror of the cross, probably being witness to hundreds who were crucified in Jerusalem. Witnessing to your friends? Anything less is not discipleship; it is merely superficial lip service. Sermon: Deny Yourself, And Follow Me. Contemporary English Version Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. We should not be surprised if our own paths are similar. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Take up your cross and follow me. 8:34). Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. When they were said by Jesus, the words, "Deny yourself and take up your cross!" “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. At a glance, you can tell that the author puts her heart and soul into her words and this book. I’ve talked to women who have remained in abusive relationships because they thought the abuse was their cross. What did Jesus mean “deny yourself and take up your cross”? If you do that, God will do the rest. Going to church? instantly brought to people's minds the picture of crucifixion and all that it stood for. 34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. That is your portfolio as a Christ follower. But what does the idea of “taking up your cross” mean for us today? Then the third step is, "Follow me." For most of us, that kind of cost Paul paid for following Christ isn’t anything we can conceive of. Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, And Follow Me. Jesus said “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Take up your cross, not your pillow. What does true discipleship look like? Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost September 16, 2018 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Decorah, Iowa Rev. Listen to Jesus’ words one more time … and let them sink deeply into your heart and mind: 23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” For you know how your Jesus took up, not a pillow, but his cross to rescue you. Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus 24 Then Jesus told his disciples , “ If anyone would come after me , let him w deny himself and x take up his cross and follow me . I don’t know of many verses in scripture that have been so misused, so twisted, until they end up meaning something completely opposite of how they were intended. The Lord's command that if any wish to follow him he must deny himself, seems hard and difficult. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). The word translated “deny” in the original language is built from two words which mean “from” and “deny.” It means to disable and run away from. Take up your cross daily: A condition for discipleship “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’” Luke 9:23. What will you do today to follow Christ, deny yourself, and take up your cross. Rather than worry about being a life disciple of Christ, choose to be holy today. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." Lose your life for Jesus and you'll save it. Some Here Will See Me In My Kingdom. You Must Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross And Follow Me. Sermon ~ Take up Your Cross. But after all, it is not hard and difficult seeing that it is the command of him who himself aids in the carrying out of what he commands. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. You know what this is, don't you? Sermon for Sunday, September 16, 2018 – “Deny Yourself and Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me” September 17, 2018 by Jane Kemp. Christ said: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” ( Luke 9:23 ). But the word of Jesus is, "If you're going to be my disciple, deny yourself, and take up your cross." For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:34–36) If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. The Lord said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Check Out a List of Scriptures in this Article that shows how a Believer in Jesus Christ is to Biblically Deny Self. Take Up Your Cross Scripture: Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross , and be following Me. If you do it everyday, you have all of eternity to look forward to. Of course you do, it is a Dear brothers and sisters! And tomorrow (or a few dozen years from tomorrow) you can live like no one else in the glories of heaven. Get upset about it." Matthew 16:24-26 English Standard Version (ESV) Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus. We too are disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, because we are Christians.