George Stormount, who wrote a biography of Smith Wigglesworth, said of him, “Once, he stayed in our home, he came down early one morning and told me, ‘God spoke to me on your bed.’ Stormount replied, ‘What did He say?’ ‘He said, ‘Wigglesworth, I am going to burn you all up, until there is no more Wigglesworth, only Jesus.’ Standing at the foot of our stairs, he raised his hands to heaven, and with tears running down his cheeks, he cried, ‘O, God, come and do it! I don’t want them to see me anymore – only Jesus. Is that where your heart is today? Are you a cross carrying disciple of Jesus?

Luke 14:25–33 (ESV)
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Real Disciples Don’t Look Like They Are Sufferers

• Let’s cast some vision for you here as to what a ‘cross carrying’ Christian looks like.
• The end result of carrying your cross has to be that Jesus is seen more in your life.
• Is that appealing to you?
• That is the goal; that is the target; that is the vision; to see Jesus only in your life.
• This is a picture of discipleship.
• Now, if we can just figure out what this cross is that we are supposed to carry, we are on the way towards being a disciple according to Jesus.
• So what is it?
• Well let’s look at one thing it isn’t.
• Carrying the cross doesn’t mean life long suffering.
• Some people think that carrying the cross is a life of suffering. That in order to be a disciple of Jesus, we face an entire life of hard times.

ILLUSTRATION: Marriage, A Three Ring Circus
Heard a famous comedy team on the subject of marriage say that marriage is a 3 ring circus. First, there is the engagement ring, then there is the wedding ring and then there is suffering.

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• Funny, but that’s what some people think about being sold out to Jesus.
• They think it is all a life of suffering and we have to some way, somehow carry the cross.
• People get together and compare ‘suffering notes’, and they try to outdo one another trying to garner sympathy.
• They compare war wounds and when they find a particularly most distasteful arena they say “Well, that’s not my cross to bear”.
• The way it has been portrayed is depressing.
• Some of those who think in these channels are depressed.
• There is several things out of balance here.
• First, you really cannot compare crosses.
• Notice the word ‘own’ in Luke 14:27.
• The KJV does not translate this word from the Greek but the word is there.
• Here it is again in John’s gospel.

John 19:16–17 (ESV)
16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.

• The cross each disciple is called to carry is personal and particular to that disciple.
• No, two have the same path or the same plan.
• Sometimes as a minister, I may share some experience that I have had with Him; but they are given to make a point or give an illustrative window into God.
• They are never meant to be copied.
• As a side note, don’t ever copy people, God is way big enough to give you your own personal experience with Him.
• The cross is personal. It is your OWN cross.
• Jesus is going to come and ask some things of your life that He is not going to ask of me.
• And, he is going to ask some things of me that He is not going to ask of you.
• There is also a joy element to ‘carrying the cross’ that has not been acknowledged.
• There has to be.
• Jesus wasn’t depressed every single day of ministry life about the cross He was to carry.
• He wasn’t a despondent Messiah.
• He was not dejected because He was on earth and His Father was in heaven.
• He was not down in the dumps about what was up ahead.
• You didn’t hear that element in His preaching.
• Yes, there was the extreme trial at the end of His journey but put that in perspective.
• How long was that trial?
• It was about a week.
• What about the other thirty three and one-half years?
• He lived every one of those days in God’s will.
• Every one of those days full of joy, full of peace, full of expectation.
• What we did with the ‘suffering’ piece is we took that one week that Jesus suffered and imposed it on a person’s entire life.

Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

• There is a joy component to ‘carrying the cross’ because there is a joy component to living the Christian life.
• If you are not having fun in your Christian life, then you are not doing it right.
• You ought to be having fun coming to church. If you’re not having fun, you are not doing church right.
• Are you having fun living for Jesus? If you aren’t, you are not looking at Christianity right.
• Praying should be fun.
• If you are not having fun praying, you’re not doing it right.
• Reading the Bible and getting revelation from God ought to be fun. If you are not having fun, you are not doing it right.
• Being led by the Spirit is all kinds of fun. If you are not having fun being led, you are not doing it right.
• Jesus did not live His life depressed.
• He was not a ‘depressed Jesus’ even though He knew in advance what was coming.
• Here Jesus is in Luke 14 talking about carrying the cross, which He wouldn’t experience until chapter 23.
• Carrying the cross is not about living a life of suffering and depression and no fun.
• So if carrying the cross, does not mean a life of suffering what does it mean? What is it about?

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Real Disciples Follow God’s Plan for Their Lives

• What was the whole thing about the cross in Jesus life?
• It was about what He was born to do.
• ‘Carrying the cross’ is about following God’s plan for your life.
• Jesus was born to die on a cross for mankind.
• That was His own particular purpose.
• That was the will of God and the plan of God for Him.
• The plan of God for Jesus life was super intricate.
• The plan for Jesus life was set forth before the foundation of the world.
• The plan for Jesus life had many steps in it.
• And it is another reason why you cannot compare crosses.
• The plan for your life is the same way.
• It is super intricate.
• The plan for your life was set forth before the foundation of the world.
• The plan for your life has many steps in it.
• And it is another reason why you shouldn’t copy someone else.
• The cross you have to carry is the particular and specific ‘will of God’ for your life.
• It is your job to find it and it is your job to walk in it.
• And I am here to tell you that you can have fun doing it.
• And if you don’t find it and you don’t walk in it, Jesus said, you cannot be His disciple.
• Disciples have the ‘carrying the cross’ issue settled.
• Now, have you noticed the common bond between these few verses in Luke that we have covered?
• Did you notice that these verses in Luke are all about priority?

Call to Action:

Do you have the cross carrying issue settled? Are you willing to follow God’s specific plan for your life? You can settle this on the inside of yourself today. Tell the Lord you surrender. Carrying His cross is way easier than carrying your own.

Question: At what point in your life, did you fully commit to become a real disciple of Jesus Christ? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.