March 29, 2026

                                                                                                INVITATIONS:
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TAKE UP YOUR CROSS?

March 29, 2026

Senior Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Over the past several weeks, we have studied instances in which Jesus invited people to follow Him. Some were on the seashore, fishing, others were in trees, or sitting at their places of business. They immediately obeyed. They did not have to prepare themselves, clean the sinful parts of their lives, or tell parents goodbye. They followed. Have you decided to follow Jesus? This past month, our church committed to handing out Bibles to every home in our town. For some, it was the first time they had ever knocked on the doors of strangers in the name of Jesus, and it was somewhat scary. But doing so showed obedience to Matthew 28:19-20! Does anything keep you from following Jesus? Study with us on this last Sunday of our series, as we see Jesus offering you an invitation to follow and learn from Him. You will never regret it.

Focal Passages: Matthew 16:24-26, 1 Corinthians 13:11, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Samuel 15:22.

Giving up to grow up:

  • Read Matthew 16:24. Does it seem as though you usually have to give up something when something better comes (i.e., you need a new car: you get rid of the old one, get the new one, etc.)? In general, do you accept this? If you said yes, then shouldn’t it seem understandable that you must give up the things of the world that hold back your spiritual growth in order to follow Jesus? Is this taking up your cross daily, to follow Him?
  • Read 1 Cor. 13:11. Give examples of things from your childhood that you gave up as you aged? An accurate analogy would be eating lots of ice cream and/or candy: as children, our metabolisms were high, and our energy constantly burned up calories. What happens to us as adults if we consume too much sugar and don’t exercise—do we give up the sugar for the sake of the body’s health? What else can you think of?
  • What change should others see, as we go from being an unsaved sinner to someone who has repented, believed in Jesus, and asked God for salvation? Read 2 Cor. 5:17, Eph. 4:22-24, Rom. 12:2, Psa. 51:10, James 4:4. Should we now have new desires because we have turned from the things of this world? Why should there always be a change in us?
  • Read I Sam. 15:22. Which is God more interested in: our cry to Him for salvation, or our walk in life after we say we believe? How do you see the example in Mark 4:13-20 (the Parable of the Soils) in this? Why did Jesus often say, “Go and sin no more,” after healing someone? Is this taking up our cross daily, so we grow in faith and knowledge of Him?

Giving up to gain more: 

  • What are some of the things in this world that we work so hard for? Read Luke 12:34. What do we keep getting more and more of (this will vary by person)? Have you given those things up?
  • What are the three temptations in the world that we need to beware of, according to 1 John 2:16? What does Jesus offer when we give up the world for Him in John 10:10?
  • What did Solomon give as examples of futility in Ecclesiastes 2, and what was his conclusion in verse 11? Read Luke 12:15. Do we really believe this? Why is it so hard to be content with what we have, rather than always desiring the latest or greatest?

Giving up to gain all:

  • Read John 14:1-3 and 1 Cor. 2:9. What does Jesus promise in the passage from John? Can we trust Him? Can He lie? In that passage, what is He preparing for us? How did Paul describe what Jesus had gone to prepare? Can we depend on that? Why?
  • Read Matt.14:26. What things are in your house that are priceless to you? Do any of your children want them when you die? If they don’t, what will you do—take the stuff with you?
  • Do you own anything that competes with the kingdom of God? If Jesus knocked on your door today, are there things you would want to hide from His eyes? Do you realize He sees those every day as you use/read/look at them? Why would it bother you if He came in the flesh, since the Holy Spirit is in you and your home every day?
  • Why does it matter so much what Jesus thinks about you if you ignore His standards in your life? Why do we have to remember that He gave the greatest gift He could—His Son—and yet we often try to get by with the minimum, and ride the fence? Get off the fence and get sold out to God.

The Points:

  • Following Jesus is not simply a decision made now for a future destination! It is a decision made now to start walking a different path.
  • Following Jesus is the recognition that the greatest accomplishment we can ever achieve is not something the world holds out as valuable. It is in living as a child of God.
  • Following Jesus is the only way to accept the hard things of life as a bump in the road rather than considering them to be a roadblock in our faith.

Close: 

In ancient Israel, the Rabbis typically taught younger children to read the Torah. This was their education. At the end of that period, it is alleged that the ones who showed promise in their studies would be tapped on the shoulder, so to speak, as the Rabbi would tell the child, “Follow me.” That meant the child would move up to more schooling, learning more of what the Rabbi knew. He would teach those for a period. When that time ended, those who had excelled above and beyond were again tapped and told to “Follow me” by the Rabbi. They had every right to hope they, too, could someday perhaps be a Rabbi. As you see that practice, it is much easier to visualize Jesus walking along the shore, calling to Andrew, Peter, John, and James, “Follow Me!” They would know they would learn from the Teacher, and one day be like Him. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we, too, would grasp that by following Jesus, we will be just like Him—or, as the disciples, people could tell we have been with Jesus? It doesn’t have to wait until heaven, for we can grow in our faith every day. Oh, that it would happen as we learn from Him daily!

By Sandy Day
March 29, 2026

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