Deny, Take Up, and Follow

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 (Mark 8:34 NASB)

The Son of Man came to earth with the mission of going to the cross.

He would suffer.

He would be rejected.

He would die.

But…after three days, He would rise again.

A simple message, but some had a hard time coming to grips with it. Peter objected. He even dared to rebuke Jesus for the very notion. He did not want to Messiah’s life to end in suffering, rejection, and death. But this was not God’s plan. “Get behind Me, Satan,” said Jesus, “for you are not setting your mind on God’s interest, but man’s.” The way of Christ was not about satisfying one’s own self-interest.

Christ demands something far different.

Deny self.

Take Up the Cross.

Follow Me.

Christ’s followers must put away their own interest and by faith follow Him. It not simply joining a church, it also meant being conformed to the values and opinions of that group. It was dying to one’s own sin, and being born again in righteousness.

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