Take Up the Cross, and Follow Me
Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow Him, submitting to His will and trusting in the promise of the crown and weight of glory.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the necessity of accepting the cross that God has prepared for each believer, urging them to embrace it as a badge of discipleship rather than resist it. He reminds the congregation that while the cross may seem heavy and burdensome, it is not insurmountable, as Jesus Himself bore the cross and leads the way through suffering. Spurgeon encourages believers to submit to God's will and find strength in the promise of glory that follows the trials of this life. He reassures them that the cross, though challenging, is a path to safety and spiritual growth. Ultimately, he calls for a spirit of submission and readiness to face the daily challenges as true followers of Christ.
Text
You have not the making of your own cross, although unbelief is a master carpenter at cross-making; neither are you permitted to choose your own cross, although self-will would fain be lord and master; but your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you are cheerfully to accept it; you are to take up the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand cavilling at it. This night Jesus bids you submit your shoulder to His easy yoke. Do not kick at it in petulance, or trample on it in vain-glory, or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross-bearer; He leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide!
And if He carried a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The Via Crucis is the way of safety; fear not to tread its thorny paths.
Beloved, the cross is not made of feathers, or lined with velvet, it is heavy and galling to disobedient shoulders; but it is not an iron cross, though your fears have painted it with iron colours, it is a wooden cross, and a man can carry it, for the Man of sorrows tried the load. Take up your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it, that like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt.
Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble. The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the divine will ere you fall asleep this night, that waking with to-morrow's sun, you may go forth to the day's cross with the holy and submissive spirit which becomes a follower of the Crucified.
Sermon Outline
- The Nature of the Cross
- The Call to Take Up the Cross
- The Weight and Nature of the Cross
- The Reward of Carrying the Cross
- Love for the cross through the Spirit
- The promise of the crown and weight of glory
Key Quotes
“Take up your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it, that like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“The Via Crucis is the way of safety; fear not to tread its thorny paths.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- Submit your shoulder to God's easy yoke and take up your cross with a true follower's spirit.
- Remember that Jesus carried the cross and it will smell sweetly, followed by the crown and weight of glory.
- Trust in the power of the Spirit of God to help you carry your cross and love it as a follower of Jesus.