• The expectation was that He would bring political victory & freedom from Roman rule.

“Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” (Luke 9:20 NIV)

• Jesus shifted the narrative by predicting His suffering, rejection, and death.

And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Luke 9:22 NIV)

• How could the Messiah surrender his life and be killed?
• Jesus was not the kind of Messiah they were expecting.

Jesus said yes to the cross, even before He was put on the cross.

• The cross did not begin with nails in His hands; it began with a “yes” in His spirit.
• Even before Calvary, Jesus carried the cross in His heart – by saying Yes! It was the cross before cross.

OPENING SCRIPTURE:

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? (Luke 9:23-25 NIV)

This was a turning point is Jesus’ Ministry.

What did the cross before the cross mean for Jesus?

• A choice of surrendering His will.
• Daily obedience: resisting temptation, serving others, waking in humility.

STATEMENT: Calvary for Jesus was not a sudden act – it was the culmination of a surrendered life.

What does the cross mean to us believers?

• Same as Jesus, daily surrender and daily obedience.
• We will never carry the cross on our back, unless we first embrace it in our hearts. The cross before the cross.

#1: The Cross Begins with Denial of Self

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must DENY THEMSELVES” (Luke 9:23 NIV)

• But Jesus was presenting them with the only acceptable way- “deny themselves”
• Denial of Self means releasing control to a loving God who wants the best for you.
• Denial of Self means rejecting a self-centered agenda to a loving God who has masterplan for your life.

Self-Denial is not about losing yourself – it’s about choosing who leads your life: you, or God.

I have been CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST and I NO LONGER LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME. THE LIFE I NOW LIVE in the body, I LIVE BY FAITH in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

• Crucified with Christ, means the old self no longer has authority.

You cannot follow Christ fully until you stop living as if you are still in charge.

Practical Application: Start each day asking: “Lord, what do You want, not what do I want?”

#2: The Cross Requires Daily Surrender

take up their cross DAILY and FOLLOW ME.  (Luke 9:23 NIV)

The cross is not something you face in crisis – it’s something you choose daily.

• “Follow Me” is not a casual invitation. It is a calling for complete alignment with Him: in mind, in will, in emotions.
• “Follow me” means imitating me, not just admiring me.

Imitate me, just as I also IMITATE CHRIST. (1Corinthians 11:1NKJ)

• Paul is not calling us to Follow him, the apostle, but to Follow Jesus, the Messiah by imitating him.

The cross before the cross is seen as daily imitation of Jesus.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1 NIV)

• A “living sacrifice” means continual surrender, not occasional obedience

Practical Application: Build daily rhythms of surrender (prayer, scripture, reflection)

#3: The Cross Leads To True Life

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but WHOEVER LOSES THEIR LIFE FOR ME WILL SAVE IT. (Luke 9:24 NIV)

• Jesus is not referring to an accidental loss of life here. He is talking about an intentional act. He is talking about a choice, a decision.
• “Will save it” – Jesus is talking about a new life with a greater purpose.
• Losing your life by renouncing the devil and embracing a greater life by saying yes to Jesus.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 NKJ)

• The cross before the cross decision is a decision that renounces the devil
• The cross before the cross decision is a decision that say yes to the abundant life in Jesus

Practical Application: Have you made that decision to an abundant life with Jesus?

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NKJ)

• That’s where true life begins – at the cross.

CONCLUSION

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?