Matthew 16: 24-25 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
When we truly understand the grace of God, we would want to make our lives count for the Lord. Yielding to God’s will for us and His leading is the right response of love and a grateful heart.
Many of us build our own identities through our own strength. We have our ideals, dreams, and ambitions. Some are willing to pay any price to achieve that goal in life—with or without God. Sadly, we often don’t realise it is shifting sand until that earthly identity is removed. Friction arises when we do not yield to God’s call or follow Him.
God’s ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). That is why Jesus says that if we want to find life, we need to deny ourselves, take up His cross, and follow Him, for only then will we find true meaning and fulfilment. Our identity is found in Christ.
Many of us would admit that before being saved, many of the world’s pursuits—wealth, social status, and material goods—were meaningless. They failed to satisfy us and left a void in our hearts that only Jesus could fill when we were saved. Being a child of God has a greater purpose: living out His will for us—that is the real meaning of life.
All believers have a calling in their lives. Therefore, we must seek out His will, because only then will we find true satisfaction, peace, and contentment. Running from what God has in mind for us leaves us frustrated, unsettled, and joyless—just like Jonah in the Old Testament.
To follow Him, we need to observe Jesus’ life and ministry and follow His example. Jesus obeyed the Father’s will, even to the point of being crucified on the cross. He walked in love and forgiveness towards those who persecuted, rejected, and betrayed Him. His main objective was to redeem mankind, which is why the Bible shows Him preaching the good news, ministering to the people, and doing good for them.
We are saved by the grace of God, not by works, but we are saved to do good works for Him. We must deny our own thoughts, will, power, and interests—everything that would hinder His will, power, and interests from being accomplished in us and by us.
God is our master craftsman. We all have different callings, gifts, and talents because He made us uniquely. God wants us to diligently seek His will, live by faith, and faithfully fulfil the work He has given us. He wants us to live for Him rather than for ourselves. God is looking for faith and obedience rather than sacrifice.
Reflection: Are you living for yourself or for the Lord? What do you need to surrender to Him to follow Him?
Sermon Series: Pick up the cross to follow Jesus
成为祂的随从
马太福音 16:24-25 于是耶稣对门徒说：“若有人要跟从我，就当舍己，背起他的十字架来跟从我。因为，凡要救自己生命的，必丧掉生命；凡为我丧掉生命的，必得着生命。”
当我们真正明白神的恩典时，我们就会想让自己的生命为主发光。顺从神的旨意和祂的带领，是爱和感恩之心的正确回应。
我们中许多人都是通过自己的力量建立起自己的身份。我们有自己的理想、梦想和抱负。有些人为了实现生命中的那个目标，愿意付出任何代价—无论有没有神。遗憾的是，我们往往没有意识到那是流沙，直到那个属地的身份被夺走。当我们不顺从神的呼召或不跟随祂时，摩擦就会产生。
神的道路非同我们的道路，祂的意念也非同我们的意念（以赛亚书 55:8-9）。这就是为什么耶稣说，如果我们想寻得生命，就需要舍己、背起祂的十字架并跟随祂，因为只有这样，我们才能找到真正的意义和满足。我们的身份是在基督里找到的。
我们中许多人都会承认，在得救之前，世界上的许多追求—财富、社会地位和物质财富——都是毫无意义的。它们未能满足我们，并在我们的心中留下了虚空，直到我们得救时，唯有耶稣填补了这一虚空。作为神的儿女有着更伟大的目的：活出祂对我们的旨意—这才是生命的真正意义。
所有信徒在他们的生命中都有一个呼召。因此，我们必须寻求祂的旨意，因为只有这样，我们才能找到真正的满足、平安和知足。逃避神对我们的心意会让我们感到沮丧、动荡和毫无喜乐——就像旧约中的约拿一样。
要跟随祂，我们需要观察耶稣的生活和事奉，并效法祂的榜样。耶稣顺服父的旨意，甚至到了被钉在十字架上的地步。祂对那些逼迫、弃绝和背叛祂的人满怀爱与饶恕。祂的主要目标是救赎人类，这就是为什么圣经展现了祂宣讲好消息、服侍百姓并为他们行善。
我们得救是本乎神的恩典，而不是出于行为，但我们得救是为了替祂行善。我们必须否定自己的想法、意志、能力和利益——凡是会阻碍祂的旨意、能力和利益在我们里面以及通过我们得以成就的一切。
神是我们的精湛匠人。我们所有人都有不同的呼召、恩赐和才干，因为祂将我们造得独一无二。神要我们殷勤寻求祂的旨意，凭信心生活，并忠实地完成祂赐给我们的工作。祂要我们为主而活，而不是为自己而活。神所寻找的是信心和顺服，而不是祭物。
默想： 你是在为自己活还是为主活？你需要向祂交托什么才能跟随祂？
讲章系列：背起十字架跟随耶稣