I Pray All Is Well With Everyone… And Your Hearts And Minds Are Full Of Love, Joy, And Compassion… For Yourselves And Everyone Else…All Around The World. And That Loving Energy And Sincerity Is Definitely What The World Needs Now; Not More Hatefulness, Lies… And Corruption; But a Worldly Environment… Including All Mankind Radiating The Love And Light Of The Living God… The Spirit Of The “I AM Presence”… That Is Our Salvation. That Is The Only Power On This Earth – Regardless Of All The Modern Day Ideas And Technology – That Can Save Mankind And All The World Around Us; And Raise Us Up… Into The Limitless Heights… Of Humanity’s… Next Level! Amen… 🤗💜💜💜
Give Thanks And Praises For Love And Life… 🙏🏾💞
And Y’all Be Love… 💗💗💗
“Christ, having shown his disciples that he must suffer, and that he was ready and willing to suffer, here shows them that they must suffer too, and must be ready and willing. It is a weighty discourse that we have in these verses. Here is the law of discipleship laid down, and the terms fixed, upon which we may have the honour and benefit of it, (Matthew 16:24). He said this to his disciples, not only that they might instruct others concerning it, but that by this rule, they might examine their own security.
Observe, (1), What it is to be a disciple of Christ; it is to come after him. When Christ called his disciples, this was the word of command, Follow me. A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall follow him to glory. He is one that comes after Christ, not one that prescribes to him, as Peter now undertook to do, forgetting his place. A disciple of Christ comes after him, as the sheep after the shepherd, the servant after his master, the soldiers after their captain. He is one that aims at the same end that Christ aimed at, the glory of God, and the glory of heaven, and one that walks in the same way that he walked in, is led by his Spirit, treads in his steps, submits to his conduct, and follows the Lamb, whithersoever he goes, (Revelation 14:4).
(2) What are the great things required of those that will be Christ’s disciples, If any man will come – ei tis thelei – If any man be willing to come denotes a deliberate choice, and cheerfulness and resolution in that choice. Many are disciples more by chance or the will of others, than by any act of their own will; but Christ will have his people volunteer, (Psalms 110:3). It is as if Christ had said, “If any of the people that are not my disciples, be steadfastly minded to come to me, and if you that are, be in like manner minded to adhere to me, it is upon these terms, these and no other, you must follow me in sufferings as well as in other things. And therefore, when you sit down to count the cost, reckon upon it.”
Now, what are these terms?
Let him deny himself. Peter had advised Christ to spare himself, and would be ready, in the like case, to take the advice; but Christ tells them all, they must be so far from sparing themselves, that they must deny themselves. Herein, they must come after Christ, for his birth and life and death, were all a continued act of self-denial, a self-emptying, (Philippians 2:7-8). If self-denial be a hard lesson, and against the grain to flesh and blood, it is no more than what our Master learned and practiced before us and for us, both for our redemption and for our instruction; and the servant is not above his lord.
Note: All the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ must deny themselves. It is the fundamental law of admission into Christ’s school, and the first and great lesson to be learned in this school, to deny ourselves; it is both the strait gate, and the narrow way; it is necessary in order to our learning all the other good lessons that are there taught. We must deny ourselves absolutely, we must not admire our own shadow, nor gratify our own humour. We must not lean to our own understanding, nor seek our own things, nor be our own end. We must deny ourselves comparatively; we must deny ourselves for Christ, and his will and glory, and the service of his interest in the world. We must deny ourselves for our brethren, and for their good. And we must deny ourselves for ourselves, deny the appetites of the body, for the benefit of the soul.
Let him take up his cross. The cross is here put for all sufferings, as men or Christians, providential afflictions, persecutions for righteousness’ sake, every trouble that befalls us, either for doing well or for not doing ill. The troubles of Christians are fitly called crosses, in allusion to the death of the cross, which Christ was obedient to. And it should reconcile us to troubles, and take off the terror of them, that they are what we bear in common with Christ, and such as he has borne before us.
Note: Every disciple of Christ has his cross, and must count upon it, as each has his special duty to be done, so each has his special trouble to be borne, and every one feels most from his own burden. Crosses are the common lot of God’s children, but of this common lot, each has his particular share. That is our cross which Infinite Wisdom has appointed for us, and a Sovereign Providence has laid on us, as fittest for us. It is good for us to call the cross we are under our own, and entertain it accordingly. We are apt to think we could bear such a one’s cross better than our own; but that is best which is, and we ought to make the best of it.
Firstly, every disciple of Christ must take up that which the wise God has made his cross. It is an allusion to the Roman custom of compelling those that were condemned to be crucified, to carry their cross. When Simon carried Christ’s cross after him, this phrase was illustrated. First, It is supposed that the cross lies in our way, and is prepared for us. We must not make crosses to ourselves, but must accommodate ourselves to those which God has made for us. Our rule is, not to go a step out of the way of duty, either to meet a cross, or to miss one. We must not, by our rashness and indiscretion, pull crosses down upon our own heads, but must take them up when they are laid in our way. We must so manage an affliction, that it may not be a stumbling-block or hindrance to us in any service we have to do for God. We must take it up out of our way, by getting over the offence of the cross – None of these things move me. And we must then go on with it in our way, though it lie heavy.
Secondly, That which we have to do, is, not only to bear the cross (that a stock, or a stone, or a stick may do), not only to be silent under it, but we must take up the cross, must improve it to some good advantage. We should not say, “This is an evil, and I must bear it, because I cannot help it”, but, “This is an evil, and I will bear it, because it shall work for my good.” When we rejoice in our afflictions, and glory in them, then we take up the cross. This fitly follows upon denying ourselves, for he that will not deny himself the pleasures of sin, and the advantages of this world for Christ, when it comes to the push, will never have the heart to take up his cross. “He that cannot take up the resolution to live a saint, has a demonstration within himself that he is never likely to die a martyr”, so says Archbishop Tillotson.
Thirdly, let him follow me, in this particular of taking up the cross. Suffering saints must look unto Jesus, and take from him both direction and encouragement in suffering. Do we bear the cross? We therein follow Christ, who bears it before us, bears it for us, and so bears it from us. He bore the heavy end of the cross, the end that had the curse upon it, that was a heavy end, and so made the other light and easy for us. Or, we may take it in general, we must follow Christ in all instances of holiness and obedience.
Note: The disciples of Christ must study to imitate their Master, and conform themselves in everything to his example, and continue in well-doing, whatever crosses lie in their way. To do well and to suffer ill, is to follow Christ. If any man will come after me, let him follow me; that seems to be idem per idem – the same thing over again. What is the difference? Surely, it is this, “If any man will come after me, in profession, and so have the name and credit of a disciple, let him follow me in truth, and so do the work and duty of a disciple.” Or thus, “If any man will set out after me, in good beginnings, let him continue to follow me with all perseverance.” That is following the Lord fully, as Caleb did. Those that come after Christ, must follow after him.
… The weight of that eternity which depends upon our present choice, (Matthew 16:25), Whosoever will save his life by denying Christ, shall lose it, and whosoever is content to lose his life for owning Christ, shall find it. Here are life and death, good and evil, the blessing and the curse set before us.
Observe, (1), The misery that attends the most plausible apostasy. Whosoever will save his life in this world, if it be by sin, he shall lose it in another. He that forsakes Christ, to preserve a temporal life and avoid a temporal death, will certainly come short of eternal life, and will be hurt of the second death, and eternally held by it. There cannot be a fairer pretense for apostasy and iniquity than saving the life by it, so cogent is the law of self-preservation, and yet even that is folly, for it will prove in the end, self-destruction. The life saved is but for a moment, the death shunned is but as a sleep, but the life lost is everlasting, and the death run upon is the depth and complement of all misery, and an endless separation from all good. Now, let any rational man consider of it, take advice and speak his mind, whether there is anything got, at long run, by apostasy, though a man save his estate, preferment, or life by it.
(2) The advantage that attends the most perilous and expensive constancy; Whosoever will lose his life for Christ’s sake in this world, shall find it in a better, infinitely to his advantage.
Note: First, many a life is lost, for Christ’s sake, in doing his work, by labouring fervently for his name, in suffering work, by choosing rather to die than to deny him or his truths and ways. Christ’s holy religion is handed down to us, sealed with the blood of thousands, that have not known their own souls, but have despised their lives, (as Job speaks in another case), though very valuable ones, when they have stood in competition with their duty and the testimony of Jesus, (Revelation 20:4).
Secondly, though many have been losers for Christ, even of life itself, yet never any one was, or will be a loser by him in the end. The loss of other comforts, for Christ, may possibly be made up in this world, (Mark 10:30); the loss of life cannot, but it shall be made up in the other world, in an eternal life, the believing prospect of which has been the great support of suffering saints in all ages. An assurance of the life they should find, in lieu of the life they hazarded, has enabled them to triumph over death in all its terrors, to go smiling to a scaffold, and stand singing at a stake, and to call the utmost instances of their enemies’ rage, but a light affliction.
(3) The worth of the soul which lies at stake, and the worthlessness of the world in comparison of it, (Matthew 16:26). What is a man profited, if he gains the whole world and lose his own soul – ten psychen autou – the same word which is translated his life, (Matthew 16:25), for the soul is the life, (Genesis 2:7). This alludes to that common principle, that whatever a man gets, if he lose his life, it will do him no good, he cannot enjoy his gains. But it looks higher, and speaks of the soul as immortal, and a loss of it beyond death, which cannot be compensated by the gain of the whole world.
Note: First, every man has a soul of his own. The soul is the spiritual and immortal part of man, which thinks and reasons, has a power of reflection and prospect, which actuates the body now, and will shortly act in a separation from the body. Our souls are our own, not in respect of dominion and property, (for we are not our own, all souls are mine, saith God), but in respect of nearness and concern. Our souls are our own, for they are ourselves.
… What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Note: If once the soul be lost, it is lost forever. There is no antallagma – counter-price, that can be paid, or will be accepted. It is a loss that can never be repaired, never be retrieved. If after that great price which Christ laid down to redeem our souls, and to restore us to the possession of them, they be so neglected for the world, that they come to be lost, that new mortgage will never be taken off, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, nor price for souls, but the equity of redemption is eternally precluded. Therefore, it is good to be wise in time and do well for ourselves.”
Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew 16:24-26, by Matthew Henry, 1706
The Mark Of God: Understanding Your "I AM Presence" 