Matthew 16:24-25

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.'”

This is a very deep and difficult passage. It’s one part of Christianity that we try and skip over while we are looking for the passages on “God shall supply all our needs,” Philippians 4:19, or, “We are more than conquerors,” Romans 8:31.

Jesus, who is going to die a gruesome, horrific death on a cross, is telling his disciples “If” you want to follow Me you “must” deny yourself, take up your cross, and then follow Me.

The truth is, at this point they have no clue what Jesus is about to face.

The disciples want King Jesus to take up his place on the throne and rule and reign right there and right then.

They haven’t learned yet that life comes from death.

Jesus said to his disciples, “unless a seed falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24.

Jesus is our example. He loved not his life unto death. He was more concerned about obedience to the Father and doing God’s will. Jesus gave his life so that we might live. He died an earthly death to give us eternal life. Jesus was born of a virgin in a moment of time, but he was from the beginning and he exists outside of time, and he understood that this life is temporary and he was doing something permanent for all eternity.

The place we have to get to in our life is understanding that we too need to die. To our flesh. It’s not an option my friend. Reread Jesus words. You must!

Our flesh and the Spirit are at war. Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other.” Galatians 5:17.

So is the Bible telling me to commit suicide? Do I end my life?

NO my friends. First of all you need to understand what the Bible is talking about when it talks about the flesh.

Lets look at Galatians 5:19-21. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”

This is what God is calling us to die to. Our selfish desires, our hurtful behaviors, our ungodly practices. If we choose to die then the Spirit of God will empower us and we will produce fruits of righteousness. That looks like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Jesus died in the flesh to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins. He did this once and for all. He paid for our salvation with his precious blood. Because God is a righteous judge, he won’t let our sins go unpunished. Jesus steps in as our savior and he pays the penalty for us if we accept the sacrifice.

Once you allow Jesus to pay the penalty and save you, it’s now time to follow his example. It’s time to die to the flesh and the things of this world. It’s time to live for eternity and the things of God.

This is a hard word. Death is painful. There is suffering.

This means your life as you know it ends. Some of the things you watch need to be turned off. Some of the company you keep needs to end. Some of the conversations, language, and forms of communication you have need to change. Some of your old stomping grounds will no longer be a place for you to go. Attitudes need to be killed. So much of your old ways and behavior must be crucified so that you can live the new live that Jesus died to give you.

We are spiritual and our life is not temporal. We were created to live for eternity. We have an eternal destination. There are only two option. Spending eternity in heaven in the presence of God or eternal separation in hell.

The cross wasn’t the end of the story. It was the empty tomb. Remember the seed? From death comes life! Jesus rose from the grave to give us new, abundant and eternal life.

You will find new life when you allow the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to cleanse you. When Jesus becomes your Savior all the old is passed away and all things become new. Jesus then says to you, pick up your cross and follow me. This is where a beautiful image of the One you follow will emerge.

Start taking inventory of your life today. First ask yourself, have I accepted Jesus as my Savior? Second, Have I picked up my cross and am I following Him? Third, am I living for the flesh or am I walking in the spirit?

The love of Jesus compels me to die. As Paul states, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21