Lord’s Day, Vol. 14 No. 26

Take Up His Cross Daily

Luke 9:23-27 (KJV) And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.

Jesus speaks to the multitude and more specifically to His disciples concerning the life that God would like them to live. A life that Jesus exemplified. It is a life of self-denial and self-sacrifice, the precursor to a holy life. The Apostle Paul articulate this well in Galatians 5:24 (KJV) And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

“To deny self” is well explained by the Apostle Paul who contrasted the godly life with the fleshly life in Romans 8:13-14 (KJV) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

It speaks of yielding the whole life to the will of Christ. “To mortify” means to “put to death”, not allowing sin to have dominion in the believer’s new life in Christ. 

Jesus also exhorted His disciples to “take up the cross daily”. It means living a life of holiness in the sight of God and man, crucifying the vile affections and lusts to the cross, pointing to what Christ did on the cross to bear our sins.

Such a life of self-denial will seem a great loss in the eyes of the world. However, it is a life that will endure to eternal life (v24).

The Roman cross is a form of capital punishment where criminals are punished. Christ alluded to His coming crucifixion where He would bear on the cross the sins of His people. He used this illustration to help the believer to see that they have a cross to carry where their sins would be confessed and dealt with by God through Christ’s finished work of redemption.

The criminal carries his cross to the place of crucifixion before he is hung there! It speaks of the believer examining their hearts and confessing their sins and living an upright life in the sight of God and man. 

Jesus speaks of the reward that He would bring at His return from heaven for His faithful disciples (Matt. 16:27). Amen.