BIBLE FACTS OF THE DAY

Bible Facts Of The Day, September 09, 2026 “THE JOY SET BEFORE US – Part II”

PART II — TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY

The Cost of Following Jesus

Luke 9:23

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Jesus gives us three unmistakable commands:

DENY YOURSELF.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS.

FOLLOW ME.

You cannot remove the middle statement and retain biblical discipleship.

Christianity without self-denial is not the discipleship Jesus described.

Following Christ means something must die.

1. “LET HIM DENY HIMSELF”

Notice Jesus did not merely say:

“Deny yourself certain things.”

He said:

“Deny himself.”

There is a deeper issue.

Who sits on the throne of my life?

Christ or self?

The fallen nature says:

“My life.”

“My plans.”

“My desires.”

“My comfort.”

“My rights.”

“My will.”

But surrender says:

“Lord, my life belongs to You.”

Paul describes this in Galatians 2:20:

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”

The Christian life is not Jesus becoming an addition to my old life.

It is Christ becoming Lord of my life.

2. TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

The cross in the Roman world was not jewelry.

It was not decoration.

It was an instrument of execution.

Therefore, when Jesus spoke about carrying a cross, His hearers understood the seriousness of His words.

The cross represented death.

For the believer, taking up the cross means accepting the cost of obedience and putting sinful self-rule to death as we follow Christ.

Paul says:

Galatians 5:24 — “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

There are desires within us that must not be negotiated with.

They must be crucified.

Pride must go to the cross.

Lust must go to the cross.

Greed must go to the cross.

Bitterness must go to the cross.

Selfish ambition must go to the cross.

The desire for human approval must go to the cross.

Our insistence upon having everything our own way must go to the cross.

3. JESUS SAID “DAILY”

This may be the most challenging word in Luke 9:23:

DAILY.

Not Sunday only.

Not during revival meetings only.

Not when life is convenient.

Not when everyone agrees with you.

Daily.

Yesterday’s surrender does not replace today’s obedience.

Every morning, the believer awakens to another opportunity to say:

“Not my will, Lord, but Yours.”

Jesus Himself prayed:

Luke 22:42 — “Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Gethsemane teaches us something profound.

Before Jesus carried the wooden cross toward Calvary, He surrendered Himself to the Father’s will in the garden.

And our daily cross begins in the same place:

Surrender.

4. THE CROSS COMES BEFORE “FOLLOW ME”

Look carefully at Christ’s order:

Deny yourself → Take up your cross → Follow Me.

We sometimes want to reverse it.

“Jesus, I will follow You as long as You walk where I want to go.”

But that is not following.

That is asking Jesus to follow us.

True discipleship says:

“Wherever You lead, I will follow.”

Even through valleys.

Even through rejection.

Even through misunderstanding.

Even when obedience costs something.

Even when everyone else walks another direction.

Revelation 14:4 beautifully describes faithful followers:

“These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”

What a description!

Wherever the Lamb goes, they follow.

Closing

The question is not merely:

“Do you believe in Jesus?”

The question of discipleship is also:

“Are you following Jesus?”

And Jesus says that the road of discipleship requires a daily cross.

“Maranatha! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

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