WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.360 Well, good morning again, and welcome to Church of the Advent. 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:07.520 My name is Jeff, and I'm one of the pastors here. 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:12.380 And especially if you are new here this morning, if this is your first time joining us, welcome. 00:00:12.980 --> 00:00:15.860 We'd love to meet you and say hello after the service. 00:00:17.219 --> 00:00:22.519 Our gospel reading this morning in Matthew chapter 16 doesn't pull any punches. 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:28.960 It gets straight to the heart of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:39.460 If you want to know what it means to be a Christian, if you want to know what it means to follow Jesus, to be a disciple, here it is in Matthew chapter 16. 00:00:40.420 --> 00:00:48.780 And it's that just as Jesus Christ faced the cross for us, so we must all take up our own cross and follow him. 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:53.579 That's what discipleship is, and that's what we see here in this gospel reading. 00:00:53.700 --> 00:00:56.040 We're going to look at three parts to this gospel reading. 00:00:56.039 --> 00:01:02.679 We're going to see the necessity of the cross, the centrality of the cross, and the glory of the cross. 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:07.379 The necessity of the cross, the centrality of the cross, and the glory of the cross. 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:13.939 So first of all, when it comes to being a disciple and following Jesus, we see the necessity of the cross. 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:19.980 Verse 21 says that from that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem 00:01:19.980 --> 00:01:27.380 and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. 00:01:27.939 --> 00:01:35.159 It took multiple conversations and occasions and moments for Jesus to get through to his disciples 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:39.520 that the end goal of his mission involved suffering and death. 00:01:39.960 --> 00:01:45.880 And the reason why it took so many conversations is because their expectations were way different for his ministry. 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:53.799 They expected Jesus' ministry to be success after success, victory after victory, triumph after triumph. 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:58.619 They saw the graph of Jesus' ministry trending up and to the right. 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:06.379 And nowhere do we see these expectations about Jesus' ministry more clearly than in the next verse 00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:11.539 when we see Peter's response to what Jesus says about the end goal of his ministry. 00:02:11.539 --> 00:02:18.199 Peter takes Jesus off to the side and he says, Lord, what in the world are you talking about? 00:02:18.939 --> 00:02:22.340 Suffering and death? This shall never happen to you. 00:02:23.259 --> 00:02:29.799 And to which Peter gets the most firm rebuke that he could ever receive from Jesus. 00:02:30.019 --> 00:02:33.859 Jesus responds to Peter and says, get behind me, Satan. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:40.280 You are a hindrance to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God but on the things of man. 00:02:40.280 --> 00:02:47.960 If you remember Tommy's sermon last week from Matthew 16, you remember that Jesus calls Peter the rock 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:50.979 upon which he will build his church. 00:02:51.780 --> 00:02:56.719 And this same Peter, who just a few verses earlier Jesus called the rock upon which he would build his church, 00:02:57.259 --> 00:03:00.840 Jesus now calls a hindrance, a stumbling block. 00:03:00.939 --> 00:03:04.759 The rock has become a stumbling block to Jesus' mission. 00:03:05.539 --> 00:03:08.280 Jesus' response to Peter could not have been sharper. 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:09.900 Why is that? 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:14.319 It wasn't just that Peter's theology was a bit off. 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:24.280 It was that to deny Jesus' mission towards the cross was to oppose the very center and meaning of his mission to redeem the world. 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:30.680 And this is something that was characteristic of Satan that he would do to oppose Jesus' mission in the world. 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:39.520 At the center of Jesus' mission was to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world as a substitutionary sacrifice. 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:49.520 There are many rich images and themes for how the Bible talks about salvation and redemption all throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:56.080 And we should, as Christians, we should emphasize and talk about all of them and their multifaceted beauty. 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:03.500 But at the heart of it all, at the heart of the gospel and why Jesus came, is substitutionary atonement. 00:04:03.980 --> 00:04:12.840 Jesus Christ bearing the wrath of God for sin in our place in order to offer us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with him. 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:23.500 And if you miss the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross for the sins of the world, you miss why Jesus came and you miss the gospel. 00:04:23.660 --> 00:04:34.939 And that's why, despite Peter's expectations and the expectations of the disciples, it was absolutely necessary for Jesus to face the cross in order to accomplish his mission. 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:37.399 And that's why his rebuke to Peter is so strong in this passage. 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:49.319 Yes, Jesus does talk about how he will inevitably experience the glory of his resurrection being raised on the third day, but not before he faced the shadow of the cross. 00:04:50.239 --> 00:04:59.659 Every generation, including ours, faces the same temptation and tendency that Peter and the disciples faced, 00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:08.280 which is to downplay or ignore or perhaps even reject the necessity of the cross. 00:05:08.960 --> 00:05:17.480 And there are some versions of Christianity out there that do this, that ignore and downplay the necessity of the cross. 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:27.740 Some people like to spiritualize the cross and only see it as just a metaphor of God's love that we abstract spiritual truth from. 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:31.900 And not as a historical event that Jesus came to do. 00:05:32.840 --> 00:05:40.420 But to do so is to operate by worldly wisdom instead of God's wisdom and to miss the very heart of the gospel. 00:05:41.740 --> 00:05:46.540 A crossless Christianity is a Christless Christianity. 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:49.680 And that is no Christianity at all. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:58.500 So, first of all, here in this passage, what we learn about being a disciple of Jesus is we see the necessity of the cross for Jesus' mission in the world. 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:03.040 The second thing that we see is the centrality of the cross for every disciple. 00:06:03.220 --> 00:06:05.100 We see the centrality of the cross. 00:06:05.220 --> 00:06:10.860 In the next verse, verse 24, Jesus clarifies that bearing the cross is not only necessary for him, 00:06:10.920 --> 00:06:15.100 but it is central for all who would claim to be his disciples and to follow him. 00:06:15.100 --> 00:06:27.080 Verse 24, then Jesus told his disciples, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 00:06:28.020 --> 00:06:34.360 Two thousand years later, we have beautiful images of the cross in our churches, in our artwork. 00:06:34.939 --> 00:06:38.860 We talk about the cross in reference to redemption and salvation, and rightly so. 00:06:39.780 --> 00:06:42.900 But for the disciples, the cross was not a theological concept. 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:44.719 It was not a work of art. 00:06:45.299 --> 00:06:49.979 It was a Roman instrument of execution and torture for some of the worst criminals. 00:06:50.739 --> 00:06:56.719 It was one of the most cruelest and most painful and even one of the most shameful ways to die. 00:06:57.779 --> 00:07:00.000 And Jesus says, that's where I'm going. 00:07:00.739 --> 00:07:04.919 I'm going to a place of self-denial and suffering and shame and death. 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:09.879 And if you want to follow me, that is where you must go as well. 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:12.759 How does that sound to you? 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:16.860 Who's ready to sign up for that as a disciple of Jesus? 00:07:17.540 --> 00:07:28.199 And as I was preparing this sermon this week, I was forced to confront my own vision of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus to the vision that we see here in this text. 00:07:28.259 --> 00:07:32.379 Am I just going to spiritualize the cross and see it as a metaphor for God's love? 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:35.839 Is my vision of following Jesus more like Peter's? 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:41.860 Up and to the right, success after success, triumph after triumph, victory after victory? 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:45.439 Or is it more like what Jesus actually says here? 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:50.699 Denying myself, taking up my cross, and following him. 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:52.779 What does it mean? 00:07:52.860 --> 00:07:57.379 What does it mean to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus? 00:07:57.379 --> 00:08:07.659 Does it mean that we're supposed to live lives of radical asceticism, where we deny ourselves basic necessities for us and for our families? 00:08:08.579 --> 00:08:14.620 Some Christians over the centuries have, like the Desert Fathers, have taken this approach and become Christian ascetics. 00:08:14.860 --> 00:08:18.620 And to be fair, I think that we have a lot to learn from Christians like these, 00:08:19.139 --> 00:08:25.439 especially in our modern 21st century where we live lives of relative comfort and ease and convenience. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:30.660 But radical asceticism isn't at the heart of what Jesus is teaching here. 00:08:31.339 --> 00:08:37.639 We know that because in other places in Scripture we see Jesus feasting and celebrating at parties. 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:40.779 In other places in Scripture we're commanded to provide for our households. 00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:45.299 And all of Scripture, of course, bears witness to the inherent goodness of creation, 00:08:45.740 --> 00:08:48.919 that the enjoyment of all things in creation is an inherently good thing. 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:54.299 So if what Jesus is saying here doesn't mean radical asceticism, 00:08:54.919 --> 00:08:59.819 what does he mean when he says we're to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him? 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:02.379 It means a couple things. 00:09:02.479 --> 00:09:07.299 First of all, it means that we put loyalty to Jesus above everything else, 00:09:08.299 --> 00:09:10.379 even above our deepest desires, 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:13.879 even desires that feel normal and natural. 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:18.759 It means that we put loyalty to Jesus above everything else, 00:09:18.939 --> 00:09:23.360 even among some of our deepest desires that feel normal and natural to us. 00:09:23.419 --> 00:09:29.200 We're to deny ourselves, yes, from things that lead us towards sin and away from Christ, 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:33.240 but also from desires that we have for even good things. 00:09:33.700 --> 00:09:39.240 We're to resist inordinate attachments to things like success and money and food and sex. 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:41.860 You know, our culture says to us, 00:09:43.139 --> 00:09:44.220 be true to yourself, 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:47.340 follow your desires, follow your heart. 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:50.899 But Jesus says to us, 00:09:51.960 --> 00:09:52.759 deny yourself, 00:09:53.779 --> 00:09:54.740 crucify yourself, 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:58.279 mortify the passions of your flesh. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:01.840 But this taking up our cross and following Jesus, 00:10:01.980 --> 00:10:04.899 this isn't just self-denial for its own sake. 00:10:04.980 --> 00:10:08.860 This isn't just denying ourselves as a way of self-improvement. 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:12.240 It's self-denial for the sake of following Christ, 00:10:12.340 --> 00:10:15.700 for the sake of being transformed to look more and more like Jesus. 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:19.480 Christian self-denial isn't just about saying no to sin. 00:10:20.060 --> 00:10:22.879 It's about becoming more like Christ. 00:10:23.620 --> 00:10:27.000 It's in Him that we truly find ourselves. 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:30.120 It's in Him that we truly find who we really are. 00:10:30.200 --> 00:10:32.920 It's in Him that we find the deepest fulfillment of our desires. 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:35.519 And that's why, generally speaking, 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:40.559 when you hear messages in the culture and in media that say, 00:10:40.839 --> 00:10:43.319 follow your heart and be true to yourself, 00:10:43.799 --> 00:10:46.439 it's generally pretty terrible advice. 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:48.839 It's generally pretty terrible advice 00:10:48.839 --> 00:10:51.039 because if we want to truly find life, 00:10:51.959 --> 00:10:53.199 then part of us has to die. 00:10:54.179 --> 00:10:55.479 Part of us has to be crucified 00:10:55.479 --> 00:10:57.839 if we want to follow Christ. 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:01.600 To deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:04.180 means that we put loyal to Him above everything else, 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:08.500 but it also means that we embrace difficulty and suffering 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:11.360 as part of our discipleship to Jesus. 00:11:11.879 --> 00:11:13.519 That we embrace difficulty and suffering 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:15.560 as part of our discipleship to Jesus. 00:11:15.560 --> 00:11:19.280 Not that we go look for difficulty or suffering or hope for it, 00:11:19.820 --> 00:11:21.300 but that when it comes, 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:22.800 we see it as an opportunity 00:11:22.800 --> 00:11:25.560 to identify with Christ and His sufferings 00:11:25.559 --> 00:11:28.219 and to be transformed to look more like Him 00:11:28.219 --> 00:11:30.619 in our love for God and love for our neighbors. 00:11:32.119 --> 00:11:35.519 Everybody who seeks to follow Jesus 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:40.339 and be His disciple has a cross to bear. 00:11:41.599 --> 00:11:43.019 Maybe for you today, 00:11:43.459 --> 00:11:45.699 it's a certain struggle with sin 00:11:45.699 --> 00:11:47.759 or an addiction or temptation. 00:11:48.699 --> 00:11:51.719 Maybe it's a physical illness or a chronic condition. 00:11:51.939 --> 00:11:54.459 Maybe it's a difficult relationship or marriage. 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:57.340 Maybe it's publicly identifying with Jesus 00:11:57.340 --> 00:11:59.400 in your school or in your workplace 00:11:59.400 --> 00:12:02.360 and even being ridiculed for it. 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:05.200 For many Christians throughout the centuries, 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:08.220 it has literally meant being imprisoned 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:10.980 and even being martyred for their faith. 00:12:11.060 --> 00:12:12.660 And that was true for some of the disciples 00:12:12.660 --> 00:12:13.600 Jesus is speaking to. 00:12:13.920 --> 00:12:16.780 It's even true for some Christians today 00:12:16.780 --> 00:12:18.920 that to take up their cross and follow Jesus 00:12:18.920 --> 00:12:23.580 meant ultimately facing martyrdom. 00:12:23.580 --> 00:12:25.580 And we shouldn't ignore that part 00:12:25.580 --> 00:12:28.860 of what it means to take up a cross and follow Him. 00:12:29.180 --> 00:12:32.200 Every follower of Jesus has a cross to bear, 00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:35.480 some that may last for a moment or a season, 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:38.120 and some that last every single day 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:40.020 for the rest of our lives. 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:41.759 And Jesus' words show us 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:44.680 this is not an interruption in the Christian life. 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:46.720 This is the Christian life. 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:50.820 Self-denial and cross-bearing is the Christian life 00:12:50.820 --> 00:12:52.340 because that is what Jesus uses 00:12:52.340 --> 00:12:55.480 to make us more like Himself 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:59.520 and to transform us into His image and likeness. 00:13:00.580 --> 00:13:02.260 So when it comes to following Jesus 00:13:02.260 --> 00:13:03.200 and being His disciple, 00:13:03.780 --> 00:13:05.340 we see the necessity of the cross, 00:13:06.180 --> 00:13:07.940 we see the centrality of the cross, 00:13:07.940 --> 00:13:11.379 and finally we see the glory of the cross. 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:13.080 The glory of the cross. 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:17.740 And here's where Jesus' words take a surprising turn 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:19.680 if you're reading this passage. 00:13:20.800 --> 00:13:21.379 You know, it's interesting. 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:23.040 He doesn't motivate His disciples 00:13:23.040 --> 00:13:24.720 to deny themselves and take up their cross 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:25.900 and follow Him by just saying, 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:27.759 just do it because I said so. 00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:29.540 Do it because God said so. 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:30.860 Do it because it's the right thing. 00:13:30.940 --> 00:13:32.800 Do it because it's part of the law. 00:13:33.460 --> 00:13:35.060 No, actually He motivates them 00:13:35.060 --> 00:13:37.840 with a sense of reward. 00:13:38.040 --> 00:13:40.680 He motivates them with a sense of desire and glory. 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:43.099 Verse 25, Jesus says, 00:13:43.239 --> 00:13:45.759 for whoever would save his life will lose it. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:49.620 But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 00:13:50.319 --> 00:13:51.500 For what will it profit a man 00:13:51.500 --> 00:13:53.599 if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? 00:13:54.099 --> 00:13:56.699 Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 00:13:57.799 --> 00:13:59.500 Do you see what Jesus is doing here? 00:14:00.359 --> 00:14:02.199 He's actually getting the disciples 00:14:02.199 --> 00:14:05.399 to do some cost-benefit analysis 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:07.779 about the core of their life. 00:14:08.219 --> 00:14:09.979 He's saying if you put what the world says 00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:12.180 is valuable at the center of your life, 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:14.240 whether it's money or success or fame, 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:17.000 in the end, you're gonna end up losing it all. 00:14:18.560 --> 00:14:20.259 In the end, you're gonna end up losing everything, 00:14:20.379 --> 00:14:21.320 including your own soul. 00:14:21.539 --> 00:14:23.200 And think about the value of your own soul. 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:25.580 What could you possibly give 00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:27.080 in exchange for that? 00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:28.600 Something as infinitely priceless 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:30.320 as your eternal soul. 00:14:30.379 --> 00:14:32.320 There's no amount of money or success 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:33.500 or fame in this world 00:14:33.500 --> 00:14:35.980 that can compare with the worth of your soul. 00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:38.779 But if you put following me 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:40.100 at the center of your life, 00:14:41.060 --> 00:14:44.180 in the short run, it may be very costly. 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:45.340 It may look like losing. 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:46.480 It may look like failure. 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:48.860 But in the long run, 00:14:49.940 --> 00:14:50.800 you'll gain everything. 00:14:51.500 --> 00:14:52.399 You'll gain everything. 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:55.779 You'll gain life that is really life. 00:14:55.879 --> 00:14:56.539 You'll find it. 00:14:56.620 --> 00:14:58.840 You'll find abundant life. 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:01.340 And so Jesus is getting them to ask the question, 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:02.519 what do you really want? 00:15:03.620 --> 00:15:07.680 What do you actually deeply want most in life? 00:15:07.780 --> 00:15:11.720 Do you want short-term gain 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:14.700 and long-term loss? 00:15:15.379 --> 00:15:18.379 Or do you want short-term cost and loss 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:19.740 and long-term gain? 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:23.060 Do you want short-term gain and long-term loss? 00:15:23.739 --> 00:15:26.939 Or do you want short-term cost and loss 00:15:26.939 --> 00:15:28.699 and long-term gain? 00:15:28.819 --> 00:15:32.399 Any investor on Wall Street worth their salt 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:34.299 is going to take the second option. 00:15:34.979 --> 00:15:38.699 Short-term gain, short-term loss for long-term gain. 00:15:38.839 --> 00:15:40.219 And that is what Jesus is getting at here. 00:15:40.259 --> 00:15:41.959 He's not motivating them by saying, 00:15:42.079 --> 00:15:43.639 just take up your cost and follow me 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:44.379 because it's the right thing. 00:15:44.439 --> 00:15:48.819 He's saying, do it because it's gonna maximize your reward. 00:15:49.199 --> 00:15:52.219 And this is what he continues on with verse 27. 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:55.460 He says, for the Son of Man and the final judgment 00:15:55.460 --> 00:15:57.560 is gonna come with his angels in the glory of his Father. 00:15:58.379 --> 00:15:59.920 And then he will repay each person 00:15:59.920 --> 00:16:02.580 according to what he has done. 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:07.399 Jesus is not, to be clear, teaching here salvation by works. 00:16:07.860 --> 00:16:10.660 But what he is teaching is that for those who follow Christ 00:16:10.660 --> 00:16:13.360 and bear all kinds of crosses, 00:16:14.620 --> 00:16:17.080 bear all kinds of costs, bear all kinds of difficulty, 00:16:17.240 --> 00:16:18.800 bear all kinds of suffering for his sake, 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:22.919 there will be glorious rewards for them, 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:25.579 some in this life, but ultimately in heaven. 00:16:26.579 --> 00:16:29.079 And this reward, this glory, 00:16:29.179 --> 00:16:31.439 will far outweigh any cost 00:16:31.439 --> 00:16:35.159 of taking up our cross and following Jesus. 00:16:36.259 --> 00:16:37.959 The infinite glory of heaven 00:16:37.959 --> 00:16:40.339 will outweigh any cost that we take. 00:16:40.419 --> 00:16:43.079 Jesus says, following me and taking up your cross 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:46.520 may look like failure and loss in the short term, 00:16:47.259 --> 00:16:48.620 but in the long term, 00:16:49.420 --> 00:16:52.160 the glory outweighs the cost. 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:53.879 How can we know that? 00:16:55.500 --> 00:16:57.060 How can we be assured of that? 00:16:57.340 --> 00:16:58.800 How can we take Jesus out of his word? 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:00.759 How can we trust him when he says that? 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:04.039 Because that is what happened 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:06.920 when Jesus bore his cross. 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:11.240 Jesus embraced pain and difficulty and suffering 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:12.519 in a short term cost, 00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:14.960 and it led to the eternal life 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:17.940 and glory and joy of his resurrection. 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:19.580 And Jesus promises the same 00:17:19.580 --> 00:17:22.200 for all of those who take up his cross 00:17:22.200 --> 00:17:23.600 and follow him. 00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:26.120 And so make no mistake, 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:28.200 Jesus is clear here. 00:17:29.380 --> 00:17:32.400 Following him is not a life of ease and convenience. 00:17:32.700 --> 00:17:35.560 Following Jesus is going to be costly. 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:38.720 You're going to have to deny yourself, 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:41.480 even some of your most natural, deepest desires, 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:44.240 and take up your cross and follow him. 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:49.900 But the reward is always far more glorious 00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:51.420 than the cost. 00:17:51.620 --> 00:17:52.940 The cost of following Jesus 00:17:52.940 --> 00:17:56.279 doesn't even compare to the glory that follows. 00:17:57.860 --> 00:18:01.360 And whatever cross you are facing today, 00:18:01.560 --> 00:18:05.019 whatever cross Jesus is asking you 00:18:05.019 --> 00:18:06.560 to bear right now in your life, 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:08.539 you can trust him. 00:18:08.600 --> 00:18:10.019 You can know that somehow, someway, 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:12.560 bearing that cross will always lead 00:18:12.560 --> 00:18:15.440 to life and joy and glory 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:17.460 because that is where it led Jesus. 00:18:18.539 --> 00:18:20.360 And if you are united to him by faith, 00:18:20.420 --> 00:18:23.100 then that is where it will lead you as well. 00:18:24.340 --> 00:18:28.320 Facing the cross was absolutely necessary 00:18:28.320 --> 00:18:29.860 for Jesus' mission. 00:18:31.100 --> 00:18:32.440 Bearing our own cross, therefore, 00:18:32.560 --> 00:18:34.100 is central to what it means to follow him 00:18:34.099 --> 00:18:36.699 and to be his disciples and to become like him. 00:18:36.699 --> 00:18:38.619 And the reason why we can do that 00:18:38.619 --> 00:18:42.839 is because the cross, no matter how much it costs, 00:18:42.959 --> 00:18:46.379 always leads to glory and resurrection. 00:18:46.380 --> 00:18:50.360 And somebody who knew that on a deep level 00:18:50.360 --> 00:18:54.700 was the 18th century Anglican pastor and hymn writer, 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:56.600 Henry Francis Light. 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:00.220 Henry Francis Light was no stranger 00:19:00.220 --> 00:19:05.720 to what it means to take up his cross and follow Christ. 00:19:05.860 --> 00:19:08.980 Most of his life, he suffered physically 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:10.880 from various respiratory illnesses, 00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:14.520 which later on in his life became incredibly debilitating. 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:18.320 But even beyond the physical suffering he faced, 00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:20.700 he had a terrible childhood. 00:19:21.700 --> 00:19:24.100 He had a wretched father growing up. 00:19:24.860 --> 00:19:26.140 When Henry was a young child, 00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:29.440 his father abandoned his marriage and his whole family. 00:19:30.100 --> 00:19:31.920 And he sent Henry and his older brother 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:32.900 off to boarding school. 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:36.840 And later, his father would write him letters. 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:39.059 And he would write him letters. 00:19:39.199 --> 00:19:41.599 And he would sign them, your uncle. 00:19:44.019 --> 00:19:46.179 In other words, he would sign them, your uncle. 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:50.039 In other words, his father never let him 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:51.879 call him father again. 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:53.019 He completely abandoned. 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:55.459 Can you imagine what that would be like? 00:19:56.819 --> 00:19:58.619 And yet, when you look at the hymns 00:19:58.619 --> 00:20:00.179 that Henry Light wrote, 00:20:00.259 --> 00:20:03.379 you see that these warm and worshipful references 00:20:03.379 --> 00:20:04.599 to God as father, 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:07.339 because he learned that in Jesus Christ 00:20:07.339 --> 00:20:09.980 that he had access to a true father, 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:13.740 a better father who was unimaginably rich, 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:15.939 who was unimaginably loving, 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:17.339 who was unimaginably gracious, 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:19.599 and that that was more valuable 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:21.259 than anything this world had to offer. 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:25.359 And that made the cost of taking up his cross 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:28.379 and following Jesus pale in comparison 00:20:28.379 --> 00:20:31.219 with the love of his father, 00:20:31.220 --> 00:20:32.420 a love that brought him 00:20:32.420 --> 00:20:35.079 what even the best earthly father 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:36.319 could not possibly bring him. 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:39.440 And here's a part of the hymn 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:41.220 that he wrote 00:20:41.220 --> 00:20:42.940 that we are going to sing in a moment. 00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:44.160 And I want to read it to you. 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:47.039 And he penned these words 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.860 as he thought about taking up his cross. 00:20:51.360 --> 00:20:52.059 He writes, 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:53.059 Jesus, 00:20:53.059 --> 00:20:53.899 Jesus, I my cross have taken, 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:56.859 all to leave and follow thee. 00:20:58.159 --> 00:21:00.319 Destitute, despised, forsaken, 00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:02.879 thou from hence my all shall be. 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:05.599 Perish every fond ambition, 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:09.720 all I've sought or hoped or known. 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:12.779 Yet how rich is my condition. 00:21:13.779 --> 00:21:15.579 God in heaven are still my own. 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:18.659 Go then, earthly fame and treasure. 00:21:18.660 --> 00:21:22.259 Come disaster, scorn and pain. 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:24.900 In thy service, pain is pleasure. 00:21:25.700 --> 00:21:28.220 And with thy favor, loss is gain. 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:30.380 I have called thee, Abba, Father. 00:21:30.500 --> 00:21:32.120 I have stayed my heart on thee. 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:34.640 Storms may howl 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:36.720 and clouds may gather. 00:21:37.860 --> 00:21:41.940 All must work for good to me. 00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:43.360 Let's pray. 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:47.059 Our Father in heaven, 00:21:47.659 --> 00:21:50.379 I pray that you 00:21:50.379 --> 00:21:53.119 would empower us here this morning 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:55.959 to take up our cross 00:21:55.959 --> 00:21:58.219 and follow Christ. 00:21:59.539 --> 00:22:01.219 Give us eyes to see 00:22:01.219 --> 00:22:04.459 that the glory of the reward 00:22:04.459 --> 00:22:06.819 of following you and knowing you 00:22:06.819 --> 00:22:08.679 far outweighs 00:22:08.679 --> 00:22:11.019 any cost of what it takes 00:22:11.019 --> 00:22:12.419 to follow you. 00:22:12.420 --> 00:22:14.019 We pray this in the name 00:22:14.019 --> 00:22:15.259 of the Father and the Son 00:22:15.259 --> 00:22:16.500 and the Holy Spirit. 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:17.240 Amen.