Follow Jesus to the Cross

🎧 Listen on the go: Audio Narrative

This message invites us to return to the centre of our faith—the cross of Jesus Christ—and to rediscover what it truly means to follow Him.

Introduction: Never Lose Sight of the Cross

Easter calls us back to the very centre of our faith — the Cross of Jesus Christ.

I want to begin with a personal story. I grew up in a traditional Christian home, and my father was deeply passionate about correct biblical teaching and theology. In the week before he passed away, he was very weak and confined to a hospital bed at home. Though physically frail, his spirit was alert and focused.

During those final nights, my sisters and I took turns staying with him. I stayed during the nights, holding his hand, singing worship songs, and praying together. One night, as we were worshipping quietly, he became deeply focused and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since.

He said, “Never, never lose focus on the significance of the cross. Too many Christians focus on everything else, trying to make Christianity friendly, but we must never lose focus on the cross.”

He repeated it again and again: “The cross. The cross. The cross.”

In those moments, it felt as though he could see it clearly — the very thing that had shaped his faith and was now anchoring him as he prepared to leave this world. The blood of Jesus and the cross of Christ had changed everything for him, and indeed, they have changed everything in history.

Without the cross, we have nothing. It is the foundation of our faith, the pivotal point of all history, and the greatest expression of love ever displayed.

The Cross: The Radical Love of God

As I prepared for this message, I spent time meditating on the meaning of the cross. The cross is the most radical expression of love the world has ever known.

The God who created the universe — who exists outside of time, who is present everywhere, who holds all things together — chose to display His love in the most confronting and sacrificial way possible. He sent His only Son to die a cruel death on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin, so that we could receive forgiveness, freedom, and eternal life.

At the heart of the gospel is radical love, and that love is centred on the cross.

Following the Leader: A Personal Illustration

I love hiking, and one of my most memorable hikes was Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, which I climbed when I was 15 years old on a church outing. It was my very first real hiking experience.

I remember the journey clearly. About halfway up the mountain, there was a lake view that was absolutely breathtaking. Even now, that image often comes to mind when I sing certain hymns. And then there was the summit — snow-covered, stunning, and unforgettable. The sense of achievement and wonder was overwhelming.

It wasn’t an easy climb. I was young, inexperienced, and had never been on that mountain before. But I was determined to keep going because I trusted the leaders who knew the path. I followed them step by step, knowing they had already walked the way before me.

Looking back, I realise something important: I could never have completed that hike on my own. I needed leadership, guidance, and people around me who were walking the journey with me. I was a follower, trusting those who knew the way — and the reward at the summit made every difficult step worthwhile.

In the same way, when we follow Jesus, we are following someone who knows the path ahead. He has already walked the road of suffering, obedience, and sacrifice. He knows where the journey leads, and He knows the joy that awaits at the end.

In the same way, following Jesus is not a journey of ease, but of trust—step by step, even when the path is difficult.

A Gentle Moment of Reflection

Following Jesus to the cross is not only about suffering — it is about true life.

The cross is the centre of the gospel and the greatest expression of love ever displayed. As we journey through life, we bring our burdens, our failures, our fears, and our hopes to the cross. There, we find forgiveness, restoration, and new life.

And one day, when we speak our final words to those we love, may we also point them to the cross — the place where love was poured out, and hope was secured forever.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,

We choose to follow You.

Teach us the way of surrender.

Anchor us in the power of Your cross and the joy of Your resurrection.

May we live lives that reflect Your love, Your hope, and Your victory.

Amen.

A note from the speaker: "It is my prayer that as you engage with this message, you gain a deeper understanding of how precious you are to our heavenly Father. Remember, hope is not optional—it is essential for the journey ahead."

Ps Salome

Living Faith Community Church

Ps Salome is a leader dedicated to sharing the life-transforming message of Jesus Christ. Her heart is to help you move from a place of uncertainty into a confident, biblical expectation that is rooted in God's deep love for you.

"God invites us to live with hope—not because life is easy, but because He is faithful."

Following Jesus: A Journey of Surrender

The gospel invites us on a journey — a journey of following Jesus, not only to places of blessing and miracle, but to the cross and beyond the cross.

When Jesus began His ministry, His invitation was simple and confronting: “Follow Me.”

The disciples left everything and followed Him, without fully knowing where the journey would lead.

They did not know the challenges ahead, the joys ahead, or the suffering ahead. They simply knew they were compelled to follow this man called Jesus. It was the work of the Holy Spirit drawing them, even before they fully understood who He was.

Jesus later made the cost of following Him very clear.

📖 Mark 8:34–35 (NKJV)

“Whoever 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 and the gospel’s will save it.”

Jesus spoke these words not only to His disciples, but also to the crowds. Many were willing to follow Him when miracles were happening — but Jesus asked a deeper question: Are you willing to follow Me to the cross?

To follow Jesus means to deny ourselves, to surrender our own agendas, and to embrace His ways — obedience, prayer, forgiveness, service, humility, and love. This is the way of the cross. It is radical. It goes against our natural self-preservation. But it leads to true life.

To “take up the cross” does not mean seeking suffering, but choosing obedience to God’s will even when it costs us personally.

Jesus Goes Before Us

Jesus never asks us to walk a path He has not already walked Himself. He knows the difficulty of the journey, the suffering along the way, and the joy at the end.

Just as a guide leads hikers along an unfamiliar mountain path, Jesus leads us. He is the light on the path, the one who knows the way, and the one who promises that the journey is worth it.

The promise Jesus gives is profound:

📖 Mark 8:35 (NKJV)

“Whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

True life is not found in self-gratification or earthly success alone. True life is found in surrender — a life invested into eternity.

Jesus Prepares the Way to the Cross

Throughout His ministry, Jesus intentionally prepared His disciples for the cross.

📖 Mark 9:31 (NKJV)

“The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”

Just before the cross, Jesus spent precious time in prayer with the Father, recorded in John 17. He prayed for His disciples — and for us — that we would be kept, protected, and anchored in His love.

Yet when the moment came, the disciples struggled. Fear caused them to flee. We, too, know what it is like to momentarily step away from the cross. But Jesus, in His grace, forgives, restores, and teaches us obedience through these moments.

The Cross: The Exchange of Love

At the cross, Jesus displayed the eternal love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in one act of obedience. He willingly gave His life as the only perfect sacrifice for sin.

📖 1 Peter 2:22–24 (NKJV)

“Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth… Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.”

Jesus exchanged His life for ours. He answered hatred with mercy, violence with grace, and suffering with surrender.

Even in His suffering, He cared for others.

📖 John 19:26–27 (NKJV)

“When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”

Following Jesus to the cross also means caring for one another. This journey was never meant to be walked alone.

Beyond the Cross: Resurrection and True Life

The cross is not the end of the story. Jesus died — and He rose again.

If we forget the resurrection, the journey feels unbearable. But because He is risen, suffering is not the final word. Victory is.

📖 Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

Paul is describing a life where self-rule is replaced by Christ’s life within us.

📖 Hebrews 12:1–2 (NKJV)

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross.”

The joy beyond the cross is what sustains us. Jesus endured because He knew what lay ahead — resurrection, victory, and eternal life.