Picking Up The Cross
The Radical Call: What It Really Means to Take Up Your Cross
There's something deeply uncomfortable about the phrase "take up your cross." In our modern world, we've softened it, domesticated it, turned it into a metaphor for minor inconveniences. A difficult boss becomes "my cross to bear." A chronic headache, a challenging relationship, an old car that keeps breaking down—we've learned to call these things our crosses.
But what if we've missed the point entirely?
The Original Meaning of the Cross
In the first century, when Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, no one misunderstood what He meant. The cross wasn't a piece of jewelry. It wasn't a symbol of hope or redemption. It was an instrument of torture, a tool of execution, the most humiliating and painful death the Roman Empire could devise.
When condemned criminals carried their crosses through the streets, onlookers didn't think, "Oh, there goes someone with a persistent burden." They thought, "That person is about to die."
So when Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24), He wasn't talking about enduring life's minor frustrations. He was issuing a call to radical self-sacrifice. He was saying that following Him might cost you everything.
The Questions That Cut to the Heart
Consider these searching questions:
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your friends?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your dreams?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your career?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?
These aren't theoretical questions for millions of Christians around the world. In many countries, confessing Christ means facing imprisonment, persecution, or death. But even for those of us who live in relative comfort and freedom, the question remains: Which do you love more—Jesus or the comforts of this life?
It's Not About Giving Things Up—It's About Surrender
Here's where the message becomes beautifully nuanced. Following Jesus isn't necessarily about giving things up. It's about putting Jesus at the center of your decisions. It's about surrendering to His will instead of insisting on your own.
God knows the desires of our hearts. Like a good Father, He wants good things for us. But the question is: Are you willing to give Him your dreams? Are you willing to say, "Your will be done" instead of "My will be done"?
The difference is profound. One path leads to a life controlled by our limited understanding and selfish ambitions. The other leads to abundant life—a life filled to overflowing with purpose, meaning, and divine direction.
The Promise of Abundant Life
Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10).
Abundant life doesn't mean a life filled with stuff. It means a life filled with Christ. It means walking in your God-given purpose. It means experiencing joy even in trials, peace even in storms, and hope even in darkness.
Too many believers settle for just barely making it into heaven "by the hair of their chinny chin chin." But God's desire is that we experience fullness of life right now, on this side of heaven. He wants our cups to overflow, not just to have a few drops at the bottom.
The Cold Water Baptism: A Picture of God's Faithfulness
There's a powerful illustration in the story of a recent baptism in the Virgin River. The water was brutally cold—so cold it felt like knives on the skin. From the shore, the prospect of going deeper seemed unbearable.
But something remarkable happened. As they moved into the deeper water to complete the baptism, the water didn't feel as cold anymore. What seemed unbearable from a distance became manageable in God's presence.
This is often how God's will works in our lives. From a distance, the trials look too difficult, too painful, too costly. We don't want anything to do with them. But when God guides us through them, when He walks with us into the deep water, we discover that His presence changes everything. The trial that seemed unbearable becomes the very place where we encounter His faithfulness most profoundly.
The Half-Hearted Followers
In Luke 9:57-62, three people approached Jesus with varying degrees of commitment. One said, "I will follow you wherever you go," but Jesus warned him about the cost. Another wanted to follow but asked to bury his father first. A third wanted to say goodbye to his family before committing.
Jesus' response was stark: "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
These weren't bad people. They weren't rejecting Jesus outright. They were just holding back, keeping one foot in their old life, maintaining an escape route. They wanted some Jesus, but not that much Jesus.
The challenge for us is clear: Are we all in, or are we hedging our bets? Are we following with reservations and regrets, or with wholehearted abandon?
How to Know God's Will
So how do we actually live this out? How do we know God's will for our lives?
Romans 12:1-2 provides the answer: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The key is renewal of the mind. This happens through regular engagement with God's Word, through fellowship with other believers, and through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As we grow in Christ, we begin to think differently, to see with His eyes, to desire what He desires.
We also have the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us. When we face decisions, He provides that inner check, that divine nudge, that supernatural wisdom that doesn't always make sense to the world but leads us into God's perfect plan.
Daily Cross-Bearing
Notice that Jesus said to take up your cross daily. This isn't a one-time commitment. It's an ongoing, intentional choice we make every single day.
Each morning, we must decide again: Will I live for myself today, or will I live for Christ? Will I pursue my agenda, or will I seek His will? Will I hold tightly to my plans, or will I surrender them to His purposes?
This daily surrender is what transforms us more and more into His image. It's the sanctification process that makes us increasingly like Christ.
The Reward Is Worth the Price
Yes, the call is radical. Yes, the cost can be high. But the reward is matchless.
What in this world is worth passing up eternal life? What temporary pleasure, what earthly achievement, what material possession could possibly compare to knowing Christ and being known by Him?
Jesus asked, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Matthew 16:26). The answer is obvious. There is no profit in gaining everything if we lose our eternal soul in the process.
But beyond eternal life, there's also the promise of abundant life now. When we surrender our will to His, when we take up our cross daily, when we follow Him wholeheartedly, we discover a life of purpose, power, and profound peace that the world simply cannot offer.
Go Big or Go Home
In Christ, there's no middle ground. We're called to go all in, to hold nothing back, to love Him with everything we have.
This isn't about religious obligation or earning God's favor. It's about responding to His incredible love with wholehearted devotion. It's about trusting that His plans are better than ours, His ways higher than ours, His will perfect even when we can't see the full picture.
So the question remains for each of us: Will you take up your cross? Will you follow Jesus, not just with words but with your whole life? Will you surrender your will, your dreams, your very self to Him?
The cross is heavy, but He walks with us. The path is narrow, but it leads to life. The cost is high, but the reward is eternal.
More of Him and less of us. His will before our will. This is the radical call of discipleship—and it's the only path to true, abundant, overflowing life.
ToWatch Full Sermon "Picking Up The Cross" Click Here
But what if we've missed the point entirely?
The Original Meaning of the Cross
In the first century, when Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, no one misunderstood what He meant. The cross wasn't a piece of jewelry. It wasn't a symbol of hope or redemption. It was an instrument of torture, a tool of execution, the most humiliating and painful death the Roman Empire could devise.
When condemned criminals carried their crosses through the streets, onlookers didn't think, "Oh, there goes someone with a persistent burden." They thought, "That person is about to die."
So when Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24), He wasn't talking about enduring life's minor frustrations. He was issuing a call to radical self-sacrifice. He was saying that following Him might cost you everything.
The Questions That Cut to the Heart
Consider these searching questions:
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your friends?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your dreams?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your career?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?
These aren't theoretical questions for millions of Christians around the world. In many countries, confessing Christ means facing imprisonment, persecution, or death. But even for those of us who live in relative comfort and freedom, the question remains: Which do you love more—Jesus or the comforts of this life?
It's Not About Giving Things Up—It's About Surrender
Here's where the message becomes beautifully nuanced. Following Jesus isn't necessarily about giving things up. It's about putting Jesus at the center of your decisions. It's about surrendering to His will instead of insisting on your own.
God knows the desires of our hearts. Like a good Father, He wants good things for us. But the question is: Are you willing to give Him your dreams? Are you willing to say, "Your will be done" instead of "My will be done"?
The difference is profound. One path leads to a life controlled by our limited understanding and selfish ambitions. The other leads to abundant life—a life filled to overflowing with purpose, meaning, and divine direction.
The Promise of Abundant Life
Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10).
Abundant life doesn't mean a life filled with stuff. It means a life filled with Christ. It means walking in your God-given purpose. It means experiencing joy even in trials, peace even in storms, and hope even in darkness.
Too many believers settle for just barely making it into heaven "by the hair of their chinny chin chin." But God's desire is that we experience fullness of life right now, on this side of heaven. He wants our cups to overflow, not just to have a few drops at the bottom.
The Cold Water Baptism: A Picture of God's Faithfulness
There's a powerful illustration in the story of a recent baptism in the Virgin River. The water was brutally cold—so cold it felt like knives on the skin. From the shore, the prospect of going deeper seemed unbearable.
But something remarkable happened. As they moved into the deeper water to complete the baptism, the water didn't feel as cold anymore. What seemed unbearable from a distance became manageable in God's presence.
This is often how God's will works in our lives. From a distance, the trials look too difficult, too painful, too costly. We don't want anything to do with them. But when God guides us through them, when He walks with us into the deep water, we discover that His presence changes everything. The trial that seemed unbearable becomes the very place where we encounter His faithfulness most profoundly.
The Half-Hearted Followers
In Luke 9:57-62, three people approached Jesus with varying degrees of commitment. One said, "I will follow you wherever you go," but Jesus warned him about the cost. Another wanted to follow but asked to bury his father first. A third wanted to say goodbye to his family before committing.
Jesus' response was stark: "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
These weren't bad people. They weren't rejecting Jesus outright. They were just holding back, keeping one foot in their old life, maintaining an escape route. They wanted some Jesus, but not that much Jesus.
The challenge for us is clear: Are we all in, or are we hedging our bets? Are we following with reservations and regrets, or with wholehearted abandon?
How to Know God's Will
So how do we actually live this out? How do we know God's will for our lives?
Romans 12:1-2 provides the answer: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The key is renewal of the mind. This happens through regular engagement with God's Word, through fellowship with other believers, and through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As we grow in Christ, we begin to think differently, to see with His eyes, to desire what He desires.
We also have the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us. When we face decisions, He provides that inner check, that divine nudge, that supernatural wisdom that doesn't always make sense to the world but leads us into God's perfect plan.
Daily Cross-Bearing
Notice that Jesus said to take up your cross daily. This isn't a one-time commitment. It's an ongoing, intentional choice we make every single day.
Each morning, we must decide again: Will I live for myself today, or will I live for Christ? Will I pursue my agenda, or will I seek His will? Will I hold tightly to my plans, or will I surrender them to His purposes?
This daily surrender is what transforms us more and more into His image. It's the sanctification process that makes us increasingly like Christ.
The Reward Is Worth the Price
Yes, the call is radical. Yes, the cost can be high. But the reward is matchless.
What in this world is worth passing up eternal life? What temporary pleasure, what earthly achievement, what material possession could possibly compare to knowing Christ and being known by Him?
Jesus asked, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Matthew 16:26). The answer is obvious. There is no profit in gaining everything if we lose our eternal soul in the process.
But beyond eternal life, there's also the promise of abundant life now. When we surrender our will to His, when we take up our cross daily, when we follow Him wholeheartedly, we discover a life of purpose, power, and profound peace that the world simply cannot offer.
Go Big or Go Home
In Christ, there's no middle ground. We're called to go all in, to hold nothing back, to love Him with everything we have.
This isn't about religious obligation or earning God's favor. It's about responding to His incredible love with wholehearted devotion. It's about trusting that His plans are better than ours, His ways higher than ours, His will perfect even when we can't see the full picture.
So the question remains for each of us: Will you take up your cross? Will you follow Jesus, not just with words but with your whole life? Will you surrender your will, your dreams, your very self to Him?
The cross is heavy, but He walks with us. The path is narrow, but it leads to life. The cost is high, but the reward is eternal.
More of Him and less of us. His will before our will. This is the radical call of discipleship—and it's the only path to true, abundant, overflowing life.
ToWatch Full Sermon "Picking Up The Cross" Click Here
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Posted in Picking up the cross, gods will, discernment, his will, His Plan
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