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Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome back to Reform Thinking. Great to have you with us as we
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will dive deep again. Good to be here.
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Today we're getting into something really central.
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What does it actually mean to follow Jesus?
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It sounds simple, but there's a lot packed into those words.
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There really is. We're going to use our sources,
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mainly drawing from John Piper's work on this to sort of unpack
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the full picture from, you know, the literal walking behind him
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to what it means for us right here, right now.
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Looking at the costs involved, which are real?
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Definitely real costs, but also the rewards, which our sources
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say are unparalleled. So the goal is to get a handle
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on just how big this call is for anyone, anytime.
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Let's get into it. OK, so starting at the
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beginning, when Jesus first said follow me, it wasn't like a
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metaphor initially, was it? Not at all.
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The sources describe it as a very concrete physical act.
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Right you picture Peter and Andrew, right?
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Fisherman or Levi the tax collector?
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Mending that sitting at the tax booth.
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Ordinary life. And Jesus walks by and says
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follow me and the accounts they show them literally putting
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their feet on the ground and walking behind him.
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It meant joining his travelling team right then and there,
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leaving things behind. That example of Levi and Mark is
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so vivid. He just gets up, leaves the tax
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booth his whole career pretty much instantly.
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He rose and followed him. It shows that immediate physical
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response. It really grounds of the command
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in that specific time and place with Jesus physically present.
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And it helps to remember who Jesus was in those moments.
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He wasn't, you know, God just wearing a human suit, so to
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speak. Not a veneer as one source puts.
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It no fully human, fully God, a real flesh and blood man from
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Nazareth, walking, talking, eating with him.
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So when this man said follow me, it was understood exactly as
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that, a physical command get up and come with me.
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Given his presence, that was the natural direct understanding.
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It adds weight to it knowing he was truly there.
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But crucially, Jesus knew he wouldn't always be physically
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there. He was already thinking beyond
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that, wasn't he? Absolutely.
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The sources make that very clear.
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He was fully aware his physical time was limited.
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He talks about it quite openly, like in John 16.
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I'm going to him who sent me. And he even says it is to your
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advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the
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helper will not come to you. That's a huge statement.
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It shows he knew the movement he started wasn't tied just to his
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physical body being there. It would continue.
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It had to. He was planning for its
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continuation after he returned to the father.
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And even after the resurrection, think about John 21, he tells
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Peter. You follow me.
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Right. And that's after he's died and
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risen, and he's even talking about Peter's future suffering
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long after Jesus himself ascends.
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So the command clearly endures beyond his physical presence.
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It wasn't just for those three years.
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It was always meant to be bigger than just walking the roads of
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Palestine with. Him.
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Which brings us to the implications for us, doesn't it?
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Following Jesus isn't limited to that physical act.
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No, his ascension changed how we follow, but not the command
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itself. The sources say the command
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became relevant not only for his physical days on Earth, but for
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all time. For all time.
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So what does it look like now for me?
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For anyone listening. Well, it's a command, the
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sources say, from every person in every country, in every age.
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Universal. Universal.
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It implies this broad spiritual allegiance, yes, but also a very
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practical alignment of your whole life with him.
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So not just believing something, but living a certain way
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oriented around him. Regardless of where you live or
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when you live, it's about your whole life direction.
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OK, so if following isn't just walking, what are we joining him
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in? What's the core mission he
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invites us into? Well, Jesus himself tells us why
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he came. The sources pulled together
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several key statements. Like Mark 10.45, the Son of Man
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came to give his life as a ransom for many.
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That's foundational. Foundational and Luke 19.10.
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The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
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Also Luke 5.32 I have not come to call the righteous, but
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sinners to repentance. A clear focus there.
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And don't forget John 10.10 I came that they may have life and
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have it abundantly. Life, salvation, Repentance.
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Ransom. It paints a picture, doesn't it?
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A picture of rescue and restoration.
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It does, and the sources synthesize this beautifully.
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Jesus's mission was to gather a people, specifically to gather a
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people in allegiance to himself for the glory of His Father by
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dying to save them from their sins, and to give them eternal
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life and a new ethic of love like His.
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Wow, so it's about forming a community, a people bound to
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him, saved by him, living differently because of him,
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God's glory. That's the core task, and
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following him means joining in that task, participating in that
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gathering work. It's not just about getting your
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own ticket to heaven then, it's about being part of something
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much bigger. Being part of his work in the
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world, aligning with his purpose.
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Which leads to that stark choice Jesus lays out the gathering
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versus scattering idea. Right, Luke 11.23.
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Whoever does not gather with me scatters.
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Pretty clear cut. The sources say this means no
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neutral followers. You're either actively
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contributing to his mission, helping to gather people into
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allegiance with him. Or you're effectively working
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against it, scattering even unintentionally perhaps.
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It implies passivity isn't really an option for a follower,
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it's an active thing. That's a challenging thought.
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How does this gathering work play out practically for people
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today? Well, if there's no neutrality,
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then continuing his work means everyone who claims to follow
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him is involved in gathering. In some way.
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In some way, it's definitely about sharing the gospel.
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Direct evangelism, sure, but it's broader.
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Broader how? It touches everything.
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How you live at home, how you act at work.
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The way you love others. Your integrity, your priorities.
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So your whole life becomes part of this gathering or scattering
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dynamic. That seems to be the
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implication. Your life either points people
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towards Jesus, helps gather them in, or it pushes them away at
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scatters. Every action, word, choice, it
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either builds up or tears down in relation to his mission.
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Our lives are meant to actively contribute, not just sort of
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exist alongside the mission. OK, now this mission, this
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gathering, it wasn't presented as easy, was it?
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Following Jesus often involves, well, suffering.
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That's a major theme in the sources, and Jesus himself
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walked that path first deliberately.
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Deliberately, the sources say, he actually designs his entire
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life and ministry to go to Jerusalem and be killed.
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That's intense phrasing. It is.
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It highlights his resolve. Luke says.
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He set his face to go to Jerusalem, determined.
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And he didn't hide it from his disciples.
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He told them what was coming. Very specifically, Mark records
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him saying they would mock him and spit on him and flog him and
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kill him and after three days he will rise.
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He knew the details and crucially, the sources remind us
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this wasn't just bad luck or human evil winning.
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It was all planned by his father.
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That's key. His suffering wasn't Plan B, it
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was the plan. And he knew this path wouldn't
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be just for him, right? He connects his suffering to
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ours. He does.
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He knew his followers would face similar opposition.
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He said. If they persecuted me, they will
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also persecute you. That's John 15.
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So he's preparing them. This is part of what it means to
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follow me. It's a realistic description of
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the path. Aligning with him means the
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world might react to you like it reacted to him.
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Opposition, hardship, maybe even outright persecution.
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It's part of the package potentially.
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It's a reality woven into the call itself.
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Which leads us straight into that really challenging command
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in Matthew 16. If anyone would come after me,
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let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
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A foundational command for discipleship.
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Self denial, cross bearing. The sources say Jesus put the
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emphasis right there. What does that actually mean for
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us? Deny yourself.
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Take up your cross. Good question.
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It's easy to misunderstand. Taking up your cross isn't about
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looking for pain or making yourself miserable for the sake
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of it. OK so it's not self punishment.
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No, it's about readiness. Readiness to endure hardship,
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pushback, difficulty, even loss for Christ's sake, if that's
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where obedience leads. So if following him leads to a
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difficult place, you go willingly.
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Willingly and self denial is tied to that.
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It means saying no to your own comfort, your own desires, your
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own safety. Sometimes when they conflict
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with his call. It's about priorities.
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Whose will comes first, yours or his?
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It's a willing submission to God's plan, even when it costs
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you personally. Your life isn't just your own
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anymore. Now this next point feels kind
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of upside down to how we usually think about value and happiness.
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How so? Well, the sources argue that
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Jesus did not die to make this life easy for us or prosperous.
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That counters a lot of popular ideas, doesn't it?
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It really does. Instead, the text says He died
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to remove every obstacle to our everlasting joy and making much
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of him. So the goal isn't earthly ease,
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but everlasting joy in him, right?
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And here's the twist. The sources suggest that joyful
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suffering, for Jesus sake, actually shows his supreme
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value. How does that work?
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How does suffering show value? Well, if you're willing to
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joyfully endure hardship for him, it demonstrates that he
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means more to you than the comfort or approval you're
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giving up. I see it's a demonstration.
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If we only follow when things are good, the world might think
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we just love the good things. And Jesus is just a means to get
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them. But if you suffer for him
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willingly, maybe even joyfully, because he is your treasure.
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Then it's obvious your heart is set on something different,
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something more valuable than what the world chases.
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The sources say it shows that he is more valuable than all the
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earthly rewards that the world lives for.
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It makes your ultimate allegiance visible.
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That's why the call to deny self and bear the cross is there.
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It's a testimony. A powerful testimony to his
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supreme worth. OK, but all this talk of
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suffering and cost could sound pretty bleak, but the sources
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immediately bring in hope, right?
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A massive contrast. Oh, absolutely.
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The balance is crucial, it states very clearly.
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Suffering for Jesus is temporary.
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Temporary, finite. Pleasure in Jesus is eternal.
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Eternal, infinite. That contrast is stark.
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Jesus himself talked about this trade off.
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John 12 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his
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life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
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Hating your life in this world meaning valuing allegiance to
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him above earthly life and comfort.
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And Mark 8 puts it this way. Whoever loses his life for my
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sake and the Gospels will save. It so any loss now is temporary
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and leads to an eternal gain. It reframes the idea of
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sacrifice. It does.
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The sources basically say there is no ultimate sacrifice in
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following Jesus because the return is infinitely greater.
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You get repaid, Luke 14 says at the resurrection of the just.
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And Matthew 5 promises your reward is great in heaven.
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So it's an investment really, trading temporary comfort for
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eternal treasure. But.
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It's not just future reward, is it?
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The sources mentioned present joy too.
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Yes, joy abounds along the hard Rd., it says, even now.
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Jesus promised to be the light of the world for his followers,
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meaning they won't walk in darkness.
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That's John 8. Light even in difficulty and His
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presence. Matthew 28.
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I am with you always, to the end of the age.
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That presence brings joy, joy and sorrow for now, but joy
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nevertheless. That's drawing from John 15.
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So it's complex picture, costly, yes, difficult potentially, but
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also filled with present light, present joy and eternal reward.
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A very compelling picture when you see it all together.
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Now following this path, embracing this cost, it
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inevitably causes some friction. Some ruptures, as the sources
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call them, particularly in our relationship.
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Yes, the call can disrupt our connections with people, even
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those closest to us. Jesus used some well, jolting
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language about this. Didn't.
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He he did like in Matthew 8, telling the man who wanted to
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bury his father first follow me and leave the dead to bury their
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own dead. That sounds incredibly harsh to
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our ears. It goes against deep cultural
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and familial instincts. It does.
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And then there's Luke 14, which is even stronger.
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If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and
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mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and
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even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
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Hate that word is shocking. What's going on there?
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The sources are careful to explain this isn't about literal
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emotional hatred. That would contradict everything
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else Jesus taught about love. What does it mean?
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It means following Jesus is so supremely important that it
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calls for behaviors that are sometimes going to look like
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hate to the world. OK, explain that behaviors that
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look like hate. Well, the example given is
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missionaries making agonizing choices, maybe taking their kids
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into dangerous areas for the gospel sake.
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Or leaving elderly parents knowing they might not see them
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again this side of eternity, even if they ensure they're well
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cared for. To someone outside that
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commitment, it might look cold or loveless, like hate your
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family. But from the perspective of
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obedience to Jesus's call, especially his focus on reaching
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the nation's. It's seen as prioritizing the
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ultimate allegiance. It shows that love for Christ
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must surpass even the deepest human affections when they come
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into conflict. Allegiance to him has to be #1
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above everything and everyone else.
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And these ruptures aren't just with people.
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They extend to our stuff, our possessions.
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Yes, the relationship with material wealth following Jesus
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ruptures our relationship with possessions.
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We see that crystal clear with the rich young man, don't we?
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Absolutely, Jesus tells him. Go sell what you possess and
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give to the poor and come follow me.
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The sources say Jesus cut to the heart of his idolatry.
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His possessions owned him in a way.
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They were the obstacle, the thing he couldn't let go of to
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follow Jesus completely. And the source material stresses
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this isn't just a one off story for that specific guy, no.
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The principle applies broadly. Luke 14 Again, any one of you
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who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
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Renounce all. Does that mean everyone has to
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sell everything? Not necessarily literally
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selling everything. The sources clarify that.
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They point to Zacchaeus. Right.
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He gave half away and repaid those he cheated.
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Jesus declared salvation had come to his house.
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So renouncing isn't always identical to selling, but it
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does. Mean what?
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The core principle. That everything we have is
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totally at Jesus's disposal for purposes that please Him.
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OK, so it's held loosely available for his use.
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And, crucially, it must never get in the way of radical
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obedience to his command of love.
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Possessions become tools, not masters.
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That's a huge shift in perspective from how the world
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often views wealth. A complete shift.
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And there's one more area of potential rupture.
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Our work, our vocation. Yes, following Jesus can disrupt
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our careers too. Think about those first
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disciples again. They weren't theologians or
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professional religious people. Fishermen, tax collectors, they
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had jobs, livelihoods. And then Levi at the tax booth,
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Jesus says follow me. And bang, he gets up, leaves it
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all a radical vocational shift. So does that mean everyone is
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called to leave their job to follow Jesus, like become a
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pastor or missionary? The sources say no, not everyone
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should leave his vocation to follow Jesus.
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There's that example in Mark 5, the man healed from demons.
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Right, Jesus tells him, Go home to your friends and tell him how
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much the Lord has done for you. He sends it back into his
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community, not away from it. So for many, maybe most, the
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call is to follow Jesus right where they are.
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Exactly, the sources say most of us should stay where we are and
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follow Jesus and all the radical ways of love demanded by our
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present position and relationships.
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Use your current job, your current context, as the place to
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live out your allegiance. But.
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There's a but. What's a but?
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For some, perhaps you even as you hear this, following Jesus
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will mean a risky rupture in your vocation.
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So some might be called to make a change to leave the familiar.
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It's possible. The encouragement is do not be
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afraid to follow Him away from the familiar, if that is indeed
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his call for you. It requires listening
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discernment. OK.
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So we've talked about the call, the mission, the suffering, the
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ruptures. It's clear this is a serious
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undertaking. Very serious, and Jesus doesn't
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try to hide that. No, the sources emphasize his
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honesty. He has no desire to trick you
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into following him with a kind of bait and switch.
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He's. Completely upfront about the
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cost, he even tells people to count it.
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Those analogies in Luke 14, building a tower, a king going
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to war, you need to assess if you have the resources, the
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resolve to see it through. It's a call for clear eyed
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commitment knowing what's involved.
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Let the call be clear and honest as the sources.
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And part of that honesty is the promise of hardship in the
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world. You will have tribulation.
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John 16.33 It's part of the deal.
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It's. Costly.
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It is costly. But, and this is the crucial.
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But it is worth it. That's the resounding
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conclusion. Costly and worth it.
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We keep coming back to that contrast.
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Temporary pain. Eternal pleasure.
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Eternal life, great reward in heaven.
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The ultimate gain far surpasses any temporary loss.
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Finding life, not losing it in the end.
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Finding everlasting joy in Jesus Himself.
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That's the true fortune. Not earthly stuff, but heavenly
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treasure. It makes the sacrifices seem
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small in comparison. Aligning ourselves with the
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greatest reality, the highest value.
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And even with the promise of tribulation, Jesus doesn't leave
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us there. He adds that incredible
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assurance right after, doesn't He?
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He does, but take heart. I have overcome the world.
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That changes everything. His victory becomes our victory.
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It means that despite the costs, the ultimate outcome is secure.
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Because of him. There's hope and power even in
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the midst of the struggle. So this deep dive really shows
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following Jesus isn't just adding a religious activity to
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your life. It's, well, it's everything.
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A complete reorientation. Allegiance Lordship affecting
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every single part. Relationships, money, work,
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suffering, joy. It touches it all.
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It really does. So for everyone listening as you
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think about this Jesus being so honest about the cost but also
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so clear about the ultimate worth and his victory, maybe
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consider how that lands with you.
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How does it shape the way you look at your own life, your own
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pursuits? Is there maybe an area, your
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family life, how you handle your possessions, your career path,
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where this call to follow this realignment of priorities might
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be prompting some fresh thought or even change?
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Something to really chew on, perhaps?
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Where does your ultimate allegiance truly lie in
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practice? A challenging question, but one
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worth asking. Thanks for joining us on
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Reformed Thinking.