The Terms of Discipleship
Matthew xvi. 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.
Many a man thinks he is a Christian, who is not so; it is, therefore, important to understand what it is to be a Christian. Many a man persuades himself that he is willing to become a Christian, and would at once become one if he only knew how. Now the declaration of Christ in the text exactly meets this state of mind. It is a most beautiful passage, and so full of instruction, that if, by God’s favor, I can only spread it out before you, and rightly explain it, it can hardly fail to be profitable to you. If any man wishes to become a disciple of Christ, it teaches him what he must do. He must deny himself — take up his cross — and follow him. These three things he must do, or he can never become a Christian.
It is not every man who wishes to be a Christian. The great mass of men do not desire any such thing. Many do not think enough about it, to desire it; while very many who have thought, and do think a great deal about it, had rather not be Christians. They do not want the trouble, and anxiety, and responsibility; but greatly prefer to live on as they are. They do not wish to be singular; but choose rather the broad way with the multitude, than the straight and narrow way with the few.
! But there are those who are so convinced of the truth and importance of religion, that they desire to possess it. They have lost the interest in the things of this world which they once felt. They have no relish for its pleasures, and scarcely any heart left for its ordinary occupations. They are unhappy, and feel that they need something which this world cannot give them. Little as they once thought of Christ and religion, they have different views now, and wish to be Christians, and desire to become the true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Nor is this a vain and unmeaning desire. They wish to be instructed in the school of Christ, and to belong to his family. They wish to enlist under him as their Leader, in the conflict they are entering upon with sin and the world; to sign the articles of the engagement by which they bind themselves to him as their great Captain and Commander over the perilous voyage of human life. They do not wish to be Christians in name only, but in reality. They sincerely desire to consecrate themselves to Christ, and to be devoted to him in body, soul, and spirit. Just as some men desire to be learned, and others to be rich; just as one desires to be a merchant, another a mechanic, another a seaman; so those of whom we are speaking desire to be Christians. They desire above all things to be Christians; they never expect to be happy until they become Christians; they do not look in any way to better their condition, until they become Christians.
Are any of you, my friends, sensible of having such
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a desire? If it be so, give God the praise. A desire like this does not belong to low, earth-born desires. It does not originate in our corrupt nature; it does not take its rise in any worldly considerations. Fashion does not originate it; convenience does not originate it; no considerations of worldly interest, honors, or fame, give rise to it. When men desire to become Christians from such considerations as these, their desire is short-lived, feeble, spurious, and fails of its object. No, it is from no such sources as these. “It is not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” The desire to be a Christian is a very deep and strong desire, where it is found in the soul at all. It is above every other desire, and is not slow to show itself in ways that prove its true and deep sincerity.
It has been already observed, that, if a man truly wishes to be a Christian, there are three things which he must do: — he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Christ.
I. In the first place, he must deny himself. It is one of the mournful consequences of the apostasy of our race from God, that by it man became a supremely selfish being. Nor is there any one trait of human wickedness, all the world over, so strong as this. Men think of themselves, love themselves, live for themselves. They usurp the rights of the Godhead, substitute self in the place of God, and make themselves their Deity.
But if a man would become a Christian, this selfish spirit must be denied. God must no longer be dethroned from his heart, and the idol self set up in his place; self must be dethroned — self-righteousness, self-reliance, self-advancement, self in all its forms, and in
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every form where it comes in collision with God s claims, — and the first and best affections must be given to God, and he alone must have the throne within the heart. Those rights of God, of which he has been so sacrilegiously despoiled, must be restored. The strong and long-continued selfish habits of the soul must be subdued. They must be subdued in principle, and brought to that self-abasement and that disclaimer of personal claims and personal righteousness which magnifies the grace of God, and the righteousness of his Son. And they must be subdued in practice, and the self-denial which the Gospel enjoins, carried along in the actings of an every-day Christianity, and giving evidence that it belongs to the religion of the Bible to “put off the old man with his lusts, and put on the new man, which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness.” That man’s religion who is not thus clad in humble robes, and whose distinctive livery is not a self-denying heart and life is vain. The first thing which he must do, if he would be a Christian indeed, is to deny himself
II. The second is, to take up his cross. If he would think, and feel, and speak, and act like a Christian, he will have enemies to encounter, obstacles to surmount, and trials to endure, that are neither few nor small. He must come out from a world that lieth in wickedness; make the people of God his chosen companions, enter upon the path that is trodden by the few, and bear shame and reproach for the sake of Christ. The church of God is not yet a triumphant, but a militant community, opposed and opposing till its contests become victories.
The cross is the emblem of hope — sweet emblem; it is glad tidings of great joy to all people. But it is also the emblem of ignominy and suffering. It was so to the Saviour, it is so to his disciples. To a greater or less degree, they endure reproach and suffering, for being Christians. And in whatever form these come upon them on this account, this is their cross. This is the true idea of the cross as it is borne by Christians. It is a cross to stand almost alone as the friends of Christ and his Gospel in this fault-finding world. It is a cross to bear testimony against evil men and evil times, and faithfully to oppose the swollen current of evil example and influences. It is a cross to withstand vain and fashionable customs and usages, to contend with error and false religion, and stiff and bigoted formalism. It is a cross to be censured because we are singular, and to feel constrained to impose restraints upon an intercourse with those we love, because they endanger our piety. It is a cross, not only to contend with our spiritual enemies, but to turn our back upon them, to run away like cowards, because we are more afraid of ourselves than of them.
Nor is this all. The Christian may often be called to suffer in other ways, and for his faith and a good conscience. He may not have access to offices of emolument, honor and trust, merely because he is a Christian. Like Christians of other times, he may suffer the “spoiling of his goods” for his religion, and be treated as the oftscouring of the earth for the sake of Christ. He may be dragged before human tribunals, cast into prisons, be exposed to the fury of wicked men, and called to die for the faith and name he will in no wise renounce. In enduring these, or any of these, for Christ’s sake, the Christian takes up the cross. There is a cross for him to take up; he must suffer because he is a Christian, and “will live godly in Christ Jesus.” Those who have no cross to bear, may well be afraid that they have little, or none of the religion of Christ. If we were such Christians as Paul, and Peter, and John, the world would take knowledge of us that we had been with Jesus; “the meanest servants in the hall of Caiaphas would discover our true character; our speech would betray us.” If we would not deny our Maker at any price, we should be made to feel the consequences of our unflinching fidelity. This is a cross we shall take up if we would be Christ’s disciples. We may be called Christians, and have no cross to take up. We may side now with Christ, and now with the world; with a trembling servility to men we may hail from both sides, and have no cross to bear. But who wishes to be such a Christian as this; or to have anything to do with this bastard Christianity? No; if any man will be Christ’s disciple, he must take up his cross, and follow his Divine Master.
III. And this is the third thing: he must follow the Saviour. To such Christ is revealed in the threefold character of Teacher, Saviour, and Lord. The man who would fain become a Christian is a benighted man; he has a darkened understanding and an erring conscience. He needs a guide; and there is but one that he can safely follow; and he it is who is the “light of the world” and the “life of men.” He must seek his teaching, and follow it, or he cannot be his disciple. His first and his last lesson must be learned of Christ. His business is implicitly to follow Christ’s instructions. He will never be a Christian, if he does not meekly receive the ingrafted word, which is able to make him wise to salvation.
Nor is it as his Teacher only that he must’ follow Christ, but as his Saviour. He is a sinner; and nothing but the blood of Christ can wash away his sins, remove his fears, and give him pardon and peace with God. Perplexity, remorse, and terror, will be the portion of the soul that looks not to this great Sacrifice, and confides not in this great Atoning and interceding High Priest. It is a bloody path that we must tread, if we would follow Christ; but it is marked by his blood, and not our own. The blood of sprinkling is the true token of the way; follow it; trace it up to the cross.
It is equally true, that whoever would be a Christian, must follow Christ as his Lord and King. When you once know his will, never question its rectitude, or wisdom, just follow it. What he requires, perform; avoid what he forbids. When he speaks, be still. Ask no questions, where he has decided. Never hesitate, when he has once spoken. His is to command, yours to obey. The Christianity that does not do his will, neither believes his doctrines, nor trusts his grace. “AU power is given to him in heaven and in earth f but it is to govern, as well as save. When he calls, say to him, “speak. Lord, for thy servant heareth!” Follow wherever he leads the way. It is safe to walk in his footsteps. You will not indeed ever reach the high standard of his example; but this is the only standard that truly exemplifies the religion of the Gospel, and at which you must aim. In all dubious questions of moral conduct, it is always a safe- question to propose to ourselves, How did Christ act? and how would he conduct himself in my circumstances and responsibilities? No other example is worthy, in all respects, of being always imitated. Every grace, every virtue, in its highest perfection and untarnished beauty and loveliness, may be learned from him.
Once more, let us repeat the comprehensive instruction of the text. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Have you no desire to be Christians? Ye sons of the ocean, tell me, are not ye willing to be the disciples of Christ? Is it the drudgery of this world only that you love; is it enough for you to toil, and suffer, and die in the pursuit of things that are seen? Are you dead to every other call, but the call of Christ? Are you awake, active, and in earnest to every other interest, but the interests of eternity? Have you no desire to become Christians, and no courage to strive to enter into the streight gate? If you have, it is you the Saviour is speaking to in the text. He would have you holy, happy, and saved. He came for the great purpose of seeking and saving that which was lost. Listen to him. His counsels to you are, “Deny yourself; take up your cross; follow me!” Hear him. Hear him, I say; his voice is not the voice of storms; it is a still, small voice addressed to the inward ear. Hear him, and follow him wherever he goes. His path is sometimes in the bright sunlight; sometimes it is in the mighty waters; sometimes it is where you may not find a place to lay your head; sometimes it may be through the deep wilderness; and we know it must at last be through the dark and chilled valley; but wherever he goes, follow him. Swerve not from his truth, for it is the bread of life; nor from his promises, for they are sure; nor from his sacrifice, for it is your hope; nor from his presence, his love, himself, for they are your strength in weakness, your consolation in trial, your comforter in your short passage through this transitory world, your conquest over the last foe. Follow him to the last; and after having washed your robes and made them white in his blood; after having walked in some measure as he walked, participated with him in his trials and conflicts, and borne that measure of his cross which may be assigned to you, you shall follow him, not to his cross, but to his grave and his home.