Let's open God's Word this morning to Matthew 16. Matthew 16. We will take up our reading beginning at verse 13. We will read through the end of the chapter, and the text for this morning's sermon will be verse 24. Matthew 16, beginning at verse 13. This is the inspired and therefore infallible Word of our God. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples saying, whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist, some, Elias, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, "'But whom say ye that I am?' And Simon Peter answered and said, "'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said unto him, "'Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, "'for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, "'but my Father which is in heaven. "'And I say unto thee that thou art Peter, And upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time forth, began Jesus to show unto His disciples how that He must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord! This shall not be unto Thee. But He turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an offense unto me, for thou savest not the things that are of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. But what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." We end our Scripture reading at that point. The text for this morning's sermon is verse 24. Then said Jesus unto His disciples, if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. The passage before us this morning, congregation, gives us instruction regarding true discipleship. And thus, such a passage is appropriate for this occasion, the occasion of a public confession of faith. For when we make confession of faith, as you have done this morning, Melody, we are thereby declaring I am a follower. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. Not in the same sense as the twelve disciples who were apostles in training, but in that broad sense of a disciple, one who believes in Jesus Christ and one who intends to live according to His Word. As believers, we are disciples. And it's good for us to receive instruction, therefore, regarding what it truly is to follow Jesus Christ. And this passage gives us that sort of instruction. And specifically, this text sets before us the requirements of those who would follow Jesus Christ. If any man will come after me, Let Him deny Himself and take up His cross and follow Me." Those are the requirements of one who would be a disciple. And they are no easy requirements. This is a hard word. But yet, an important one for us. And it's important that we consider this. so that we're left terrified, not to scare us, but so that we have a proper, realistic understanding of the expectations of those who are the disciples of Christ. And that's so important, because it's only then that we come to recognize the only possibility of following Jesus Christ is if we find all of our strength in our Savior, the One who Himself denied Himself and took up His cross. The One who did the very things that He now requires of us, albeit in a far greater way. That's the conclusion that we need to walk away with this morning as we consider the requirements of true discipleship. First, we will look at the discipleship itself. Second, the requirements that are spelled out for us here in this passage. And then the possibility of living according to this Word. The requirements of true discipleship. The discipleship, the requirements, and the possibility. Then said Jesus. Those are the opening words of this passage, which remind us the need to understand this passage in light of its broader context. Then said Jesus. Then being after, His disciples had made a beautiful confession. For Jesus had asked His disciples in v. 15, "'But whom say ye that I am?' It's one thing to know what others are saying about Me. Some think I'm John,' you say. Others think I'm Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. But whom do you say that I am?' to which Simon Peter responded on behalf of the other disciples as he did in v. 16, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are the promised Messiah. The One who has come down from heaven into this world to save Your people. He made a beautiful confession. But upon hearing that confession, Jesus, our Savior, who always spoke just the right words at just the right time, gave instruction to His disciples regarding His work as the Messiah. And that's what we find in verse 21. Verse 21, from that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples how that He must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and raised again the third day. Simon Berjona, you are correct. I am the Christ, the promised Messiah. But let me tell you how I'm going to accomplish salvation. Let me tell you how I'm going to establish my kingdom. By going down the path of suffering. By giving my life. That was the message Jesus had to teach them. And evidently, this was the first time He taught His disciples this. It's clear from the Gospel accounts that there are at least three different times where Jesus sat His disciples down, as it were, to give them this instruction to tell them what was coming, that when we get to Jerusalem, I'm going to suffer, I'm going to be rejected, and I am going to be put to death. And this is the first instance of that. And thus, this is a message that the disciples were not prepared for. This is a message that caught them off guard. And a message to which Simon Peter did not respond well. We read of his response in verse 22, Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be far from thee, Lord. This shall not be unto thee. No, my Lord. That's not how it's supposed to go. You're the Messiah. It's with great power and glory that you're supposed to establish your kingdom. Simon Peter dared to rebuke his Lord and Master. And in response, Jesus Christ rebuked him. Verse 23, But he turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an offense unto me, for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Simon Peter, you're a snare to my soul right now. you tempt me to do the will of men rather than to do the will of my heavenly father and thus right now you are functioning as an instrument of the devil to lead me astray then said Jesus at that point after this Conflict between the will of man and the will of God after this clash between light and darkness, between flesh and spirit, between Christ and Satan. After Jesus Christ, the one who is the light of the world, rebuked the darkness. Then said Jesus. He spoke just the right words. at just the right time. This is a word in season. So that the manner of what He says, the content of what He says is in perfect harmony with the occasion. Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." In this moment, Jesus Christ gives instruction regarding true discipleship. And that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is in view, is clear from the language of the passage. For Jesus Christ says here in verse 24, if any man will come after me, and literally it's, If any man wills after me to come, and that more literal rendering is helpful because it indicates to us that that word will is not simply indicating a future tense. He who will come in the future, but it's a separate verb. He who wills to come so that what's in view is our desires, what we want and our corresponding decisions. He who wills after me to come. We also recognize in a more literal rendering of it, the emphasis on following Christ. He who wills after me to come. He puts the after me out in front of the verb to come so that we recognize that all the focus is on Jesus Christ. And thus when he speaks these words, of coming after him, it's clear that he's talking about coming after him as one who is an adherent, a follower, a disciple of Jesus Christ. And that's confirmed by the very last words of the text. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. That is, follow me as a disciple. So there's instruction here for us regarding discipleship. But that raises the question, what is a disciple of Jesus Christ? And from a general point of view, there are two main ideas. On the one hand, a disciple is one who receives instruction from some teacher so that we can think of an apprentice. who's learning from his Master in this apprentice, follows his Master everywhere that he goes because he wants to hear everything that his Master has to say. He wants to watch everything that his Master does so that he can learn from this teacher. A disciple, on the one hand, is somebody who is receiving instruction, who is being taught by another. But it's more than that. Because on the other hand, a disciple is one who then lives according to that instruction, who implements the things that he has learned. He follows his Master by applying everything that he's learned. He follows in his footsteps so that the Word of his Master becomes the controlling and guiding principle for everything that he says, for everything that he does. That's a disciple. And the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ understood this. They were familiar with the concept of a disciple from a general point of view. But what they did not yet know, at least not fully, at least not clearly, what they did not yet know was what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. And here in this passage, Jesus Christ is giving instruction in that area. Specifically, He is dispelling misconceptions of what it means to be a follower of Him. He has already made a beginning in dispelling misconceptions about Himself. as the Christ, as the Savior. That's what He was doing back in verse 21 when He told them that we must go to Jerusalem and there I'm going to suffer many things and I'm going to be killed. Peter had indeed made a good confession. But at that point, for Simon Peter and the other disciples, the name Christ, the Messiah, was synonymous with glory and power. To them, the Messiah would ascend to the mighty throne of David in the way of conquest, in the way of victory. That's what Peter thought. And thus Christ told them, I must suffer and be killed. To be sure, the Messiah will have glory and power. To be sure, he will ascend to the mighty throne of David, but not in the way of this grand, mighty conquest from a human point of view, but instead in the way of suffering, by going to the cross. to suffer and die for the sins of His people. He's dispelling their illusions about His work. At least that's what He has done. And now in verse 24, He's dispelling those similar illusions, those similar misconceptions about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Because they had this misconception To be a disciple of Christ meant glory and power. What do they fight about later on? Who shall be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? What is one of their mothers asking? Can you grant that my sons can sit upon your right hand and upon your left hand? They thought that because Christ was all about glory and power in this grand show, that to be a disciple meant future prestige, future power. And so Christ tells them, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross. to be sure there will be future glory. There will be everlasting life with God, but only in the way of suffering. For the path to glory for Jesus Christ was the path of shame and humiliation, and the servant is not greater than his master. And therefore, we must walk that same path of pain, humiliation, and suffering. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. So would you, would I, come after Jesus. Will we follow Him? Understand, that means receiving, embracing His Word. Not just certain parts of it, the parts that are acceptable to us, but the whole of it. Not a twisted, distorted version of it, whereby the truth is changed into a lie. But we must receive the Word of Jesus Christ as it's found in the Scriptures, so that we must receive Him not just as the King of glory, but as the Man of Sorrows. We must receive Him not as a halfway Savior who leaves it up to us to complete our salvation, but as a complete Savior to whom alone belongs all glory and honor. We must receive His word that's a part of what it means to be a disciple, but then more than that, we must live according to it. So that His word is that controlling, guiding principle for everything that we say, for everything that we do. It means being holy, even as He is holy. Forsaking the world and the lusts of the flesh, fighting the good fight of faith. So would you, would I, come after Jesus? If we are going to follow Him, then we must have a clear understanding of what's required of us as His disciples. And that especially is what this passage sets before us, the requirements of true discipleship. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross. There we have two closely related requirements. And at the outset, let's make clear that when we speak of requirements, we're not talking about the things that I'm required to do in order to become, in order to make myself a disciple. But instead, the idea is as those who are disciples of Jesus Christ by faith, This is what's now expected of us as we follow our Savior Jesus Christ. And first, the expectation is self-denial. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. And understand that means much more than denying ourselves certain things. Because that can be comparatively easy. There are many things that men, even by nature, are willing to give up, to deny themselves. Some will deny themselves rest and leisure for the sake of getting ahead in work. Others will deny themselves certain foods and drinks for the sake of health or a certain body image. Even fallen man is willing to deny himself certain things, but when he does that, it's still in the service of self. It's still for his own self-promotion so that it's still self that is in view. That's not what this is talking about. Because the language of the text is let a man deny himself. And that's the opposite of maintaining oneself. It's the opposite of seeking our own ease and comfort, one's own popularity and prestige. To deny oneself means being willing to become nothing. It's a willingness to give up one's glory and power. One's right in his position. One's means in his possession. If it's the Lord's will, one's life. To deny oneself is to forget about oneself. To lose sight of one's own interests. If any man will come after Jesus Christ, let him deny himself. That's the first requirement. is cross bearing. For Jesus goes on to add, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross. And when he speaks of taking up and cross, he has in view the practice of the Romans in that day, who would require one who was about to be executed by crucifixion to take up that cross, to pick it up and to carry that cross to the execution site, even as Jesus Christ Himself would be required to do. And now Jesus Christ tells His disciples, you must be willing to take up your cross. And now, the point is not that you must atone for your sins the way that I will atone for my sins when I go to the cross. That cannot be. But rather the idea is that we must be willing to suffer Pain. Reproach. Persecution. For the sake of Jesus Christ and His cause. And those last few words are very important. For the sake of Jesus Christ and His cause. Because cross-bearing is not a matter of enduring trials and afflictions from a general point of view. It's not talking about the suffering that's common to all men, whether believer or unbeliever. But instead, cross-bearing is uniquely Christian suffering. It's enduring pain, reproach, persecution, on account of our connection to Jesus Christ, on account of our confession of Jesus Christ with our mouths. And the calling here is to be willing to endure this. Because the language of the text, somewhat surprisingly, is not, let a man deny himself and bear up under his cross. But the calling is to take it up. So that what's in view here is a certain willingness so that there's a submissive attitude, even a cheerfulness. An enduringness for the sake of Jesus Christ so that the idea is we're to have the same attitude as the apostles in Acts 5. After suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ, rejoiced. that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. We are to do this willingly. And that must be our attitude regardless of what our particular cross may be because there is a unique one for each one of us. Let Him deny Himself and take up His cross. It's not the same generic cross that's given to each and every one of us, but there is a particular, a unique, a specific cross that God gives to each one of His children. For some, it may mean enduring rejection from others, from classmates, from co-workers, For others, it means a close relationship to a spouse, a parent, or sibling is completely changed. So that whereas before there was warmth and love There's now enmity and hatred coming from that person on account of our faith in Jesus Christ. Whatever the case may be, each disciple, each follower of Christ must take up and bear His cross. So we have these two requirements. self-denial, and cross-bearing. We've explained each in turn, but if we stopped here, we would not be doing full justice to the text. Because there's something more, another requirement, really a third requirement that comes out when we put these two together. And what comes out when we put the two together is the calling as disciples to die to our own sinful desires. Because we're called to, on the one hand, to deny ourselves, and certainly that includes denying that old self, that old man of sin, that corrupt nature that's been passed down to us from our first parents, Adam and Eve. We're to deny Him. And what is more, Jesus Christ taught us to take up our cross, and we have to remember that yes, that includes enduring pain, suffering, reproach for the sake of Jesus Christ, but let's not forget that the cross is an execution device. If you were called in that day to pick up a cross, it means you were about to die. And thus, there's a sense in which we must die to ourselves. There's a calling to mortify those sinful deeds of the flesh. When we take the two together, deny yourself and take up your cross, they clearly imply then is the calling to put to death our sinful desires. And it's painful. Because it's a matter of dying to self. There's nothing pleasant about it. But yet it's necessary. Even as the rich young ruler who came to Jesus had to learn, we read about him in Mark 10. Mark 10. This rich young ruler comes to Jesus Christ. And he asks our Savior in v. 17, good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Jesus Christ tells him to keep the commandments in v. 19. This young man says, Master, all these I have observed from my youth. And then we read in v. 21, then Jesus, beholding him, loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest, go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, take up the cross, and follow me." We find that same language of taking up your cross here in this context as Jesus is giving instruction to this young man that It's fine you've kept these other commandments, but you must take all of your possessions and sell it off and give it to the poor if you are going to follow Me." He says this not because it's wrong to be rich. It's not wrong to have many earthly possessions. But evidently for this young man, these things had become an idol. He had set his heart upon these things. And thus, his possessions were really standing in the way between him and his God. So Jesus Christ says, get rid of them. And His response is in verse 22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved, for he had great possessions. Congregation, do you know that sadness? something very dear in your life that has been hindering you in your walk with God, and you do not want to give it up, and there's a certain grief in your heart at the thought of giving it up. Almost certainly, that's the old man of sin crying out. And we must be willing to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow Him, which includes denying that old man of sin, putting to death those sinful desires. Because so long as we fail to do so, they will hinder us. They will drag us down as so many weights as we run the race that's been set before us. So congregation, would you, would I, come after Jesus? The only possibility of doing this is found in Jesus Christ. Which is to say, the only possibility is in the one who did Himself in a far greater way what He requires of us, His disciples. For did not our Savior deny Himself? He did. For He was willing to leave behind the glory of heaven and earth and to come down into this sin-cursed world. He denied Himself the privileges that were due to Him as the promised Son of David, the promised King. When He was born, not in a palace, but in a manger and laid in a feeding trough. He denied himself in that all throughout his life, at least his earthly ministry, he did not have so much as a place to lay his head. He denied himself ease and comfort when he refused to turn those stones into bread to satisfy the hunger pains of his hungry body. He denied himself popularity and prestige when he refused to jump from the top of the temple in front of all the crowd of people that were gathered below. He denied himself an earthly kingdom when he refused to bow the knee to Satan as they stood upon the top of a mountain. And there's a thousand other ways in which our Savior Jesus Christ denied himself. And on top of that, He was willing to take up His cross. And it was indeed unique to Him. Yes, it included the shame, the reproach, the suffering, the humiliation that we must endure. There's a parallel. There's a similarity between what He had endured and what we must endure. But yet, it's His cross. It's distinct. It's unique. It's different from anything that He requires of us to bear. Because for Him, the cross was a symbol of God's curse. For Him, the cross was the place where He must endure the very agonies and torments of hell itself. And yet He took it up, willingly. submissively, cheerfully even. For he did not fight when the mob came to arrest him in the garden. He did not protest against the false accusations brought against him at his trial. He did not wrestle against the soldiers who pierced His hands through with nails. And He did not come down in spite of all of the mockery of the bypassers walking along their way. He took it up willingly, voluntarily, And He willingly laid down His life for us as sheep. And in all of this, He has accomplished our salvation. Which means that when He calls us to deny Himself and take up His cross, even as He did, it's not that His self-denial, His cross-bearing is an example that we have to follow, or a mere example that we have to follow, so that He's giving to us a new standard, a new law, this is what you must, this is the standard you must meet. If you want to be my disciple, that's not the idea. But by denying Himself, by taking up His cross, He accomplished our salvation, for He paid the debt that we owe for our sins. and he fulfilled all righteousness on our behalf. He kept the law perfectly, and thereby earned for us all the blessings of salvation, including eternal life with our God. So that the good news of the gospel is that my salvation does not depend on my choice to be his disciple. It's not conditioned upon how well I do in denying myself or taking up my cross. But it's a free gift of grace. Bestowed upon us without any merits of ours. By His self-denial. By His cross bearing. He has accomplished our salvation. And wonder of wonders, a part of that salvation is that He now works in us to make us willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. Apart from this work of grace, we never would. We've asked the question, would you, would I come after Jesus Christ? And if left to ourselves, the answer would be no. I would never make a decision for Jesus Christ. Because what's appealing to human flesh about self-denial, about suffering, reproach, and agony for the sake of another? Of ourselves, we would reject Him, we would scorn Him, we would mock Him. You expect us to do that for you? But now, praise be to God, we are not left to ourselves. But He works powerfully in us by His Spirit. As prophesied in Psalm 110, He makes us willing in the day of His power. That is, He works in us both the will to believe and the act of believing. Both the desire and the actual performance of that which is good. And thus, as those who are His blood-bought sheep, When we hear His voice, we follow Him. And as a congregation this morning, Melody, we rejoice that God has worked this in your heart. That He has led you to confess your faith, thereby giving evidence of this work of grace in your heart and life and for working in you, a desire to now follow your Savior. And the encouragement for you and the encouragement for all of us is that He will continue to grant us that grace. Having begun a good work in us, He will complete it. He will perform it until the last day. And that's our hope. Because if we're honest with ourselves, there are many times we have no interest in denying self. There are many times we want simply to promote ourselves, to maintain ourselves, to seek what I want in life. And what is more, there are many times that we do not want to suffer. for the sake of Jesus Christ. We would rather hide our Christianity. We would rather hide our faith than endure the mockery, the reproach that would otherwise come to us. These are not easy requirements. This is a hard word. But praise be to God, His strength is made perfect in our weakness. His grace is sufficient, and He will grant us that grace so that you, so that I, come after Jesus, denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following Him. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, we thank Thee for Thy work of grace in our hearts, and we pray that Thou will work mightily in us by Thy Spirit, a willingness to heed this word to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow our Savior. We pray that Thou will indeed strengthen us in and through Him, the One who in a far different and greater way denied Himself and took up His cross, and now out of gratitude for what He has done for us, May we be found faithful as his disciples. Hear this prayer for Christ's sake. Amen.