The Way of the Cross | Pastor Dylan Johnston

A new series titled Lose Your Life frames discipleship as a costly, daily call that flows from the resurrection: following Jesus begins not with gain but with loss. Matthew 16’s stark command — deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow — becomes the organizing principle. The cross, once an emblem of execution and shame, now exposes the discipline of surrender: followers must renounce self-centered desires, accept hardship for allegiance’s sake, and persist in a lifelong movement toward Christlikeness. Denying self means recalibrating motivation away from autonomy and momentary feeling, placing Jesus’ will at the center rather than personal preference.

Taking up the cross includes solidarity with Jesus’ suffering and the paradoxical comfort that Christ already bore the penalty, enabling a different way of living. Following is ongoing; discipleship requires daily intentional choices, not one-time decisions. The image of a clenched fist versus open palms clarifies the spiritual economy: hoarding life limits what God can do, while open-handed surrender enlarges capacity for kingdom fruit and others’ flourishing. Stewardship reframes identity and goals — life becomes a trust to invest for God’s purposes rather than a trophy to accumulate.

Practical illustrations show how lordship and stewardship play out in family and everyday choices: parental responsibility and the impulse to control reveal deeper questions about who governs the heart. The cross reorders values — success, security, purpose — away from status and comfort toward service, eternal perspective, and generosity. The paradox Jesus names remains decisive: clinging to life for its own sake forfeits what matters; losing life for Christ’s sake leads to true, resurrected life. The call closes with an invitation to decisive, moment-by-moment surrender: not an abstract ideal but a lived, daily relinquishing of control so that Christ can be Lord. Those who embrace this upside-down way find renewed purpose, capacity to bless others, and the hope that death itself does not end the story but opens the way to resurrection life.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Deny Yourself Every Day Denial starts as a repeated, intentional refusal to make personal desire the default authority. This discipline reshapes priorities so decisions align with allegiance rather than convenience, teaching the heart to prefer God’s aims over momentary comfort. Over time, daily renunciation uncloaks idols that pose as necessities and frees moral imagination to pursue holiness. It becomes the engine of spiritual formation, not a one-time act but a lifelong habit. [04:58]
• 2. Take Up Your Cross Taking up the cross names willingness to endure shame, loss, and opposition for fidelity to Christ. It binds suffering to purpose: hardship enters a redemptive story because Christ carried the penalty, transforming endurance into witness. This practice removes illusion that faith is a comfort guarantee and locates hope in what Christ accomplished, not in avoidance of pain. Cross-bearing cultivates courage to follow where cost and compassion intersect. [06:32]
• 3. Live with Open Hands An open-palms life swaps clinging control for generous stewardship, increasing capacity for God’s work through and around a person. Releasing ownership moves focus from accumulating to investing in others, which multiplies meaning and impact. Open-handedness invites risk but enlarges spiritual bandwidth, allowing God to fill and use what surrender makes available. It transforms scarcity-minded faith into a multiplying presence in people’s lives. [09:40]
• 4. Surrender Leads To True Life Surrender appears counterintuitive: death to self yields life in Christ, because loss under Christ’s lordship reorders what endures. The kingdom’s upside-down logic makes last the first and smallness the soil for growth; surrender reframes success in eternal categories. This yields resilience against temporary highs and locates identity beyond achievements. In surrender, resurrection hope becomes present experience, not future abstract. [15:38]
• 5. Live As A Steward For God Viewing life as stewardship displaces personal ownership and shifts decisions toward legacy and responsibility. That posture reframes family, career, and possessions as entrusted means for kingdom ends, not trophies for self. Stewardship demands intentionality, discipline, and daily navigation rather than passive drift or consumer impulse. It anchors priorities in eternity and reorients ambition toward service. [12:48]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:35] - Series Launch: Lose Your Life
• [02:15] - Matthew 16: The Call to Follow
• [02:42] - The Cross: From Shame to Salvation
• [04:58] - Deny Yourself Defined
• [06:32] - Take Up Your Cross Explained
• [08:10] - Follow Me: A Lifelong Journey
• [09:03] - Paradox: Lose Life, Find Life
• [12:48] - Stewardship, Not Ownership
• [15:38] - Surrender Leads To True Life
• [23:02] - Invitation To Surrender
• [29:30] - Closing Prayer and Commitment

1. What three actions does Jesus command in Matthew 16:24 for those who want to follow Him?
2. How does the sermon describe the original cultural meaning of the cross in Jesus’ time compared to how we view it today? [02:42]
3. According to the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), what responsibility do stewards have with what they’ve been entrusted?
4. What paradox does Jesus highlight in Matthew 16:25 about losing and finding life?

1. Why might Jesus use the cross—a symbol of shame and death—as a metaphor for discipleship? What does this reveal about the nature of following Him?
2. How does viewing life as “stewardship” (rather than ownership) change the way we approach decisions about money, relationships, or careers? [12:48]
3. The sermon contrasts a “clenched fist” and “open palms” lifestyle. What might these images represent in daily choices and priorities? [09:40]
4. Jesus says gaining the world but losing your soul is worthless. How does this challenge common cultural definitions of success or security?

1. What is one area of your life where you’re tempted to “clench your fist” (control, fear, or self-reliance) instead of living with “open palms”? What would surrender look like there? [09:40]
2. The sermon emphasizes daily denial of self. What’s a practical way you could intentionally say “no” to a personal desire this week to align with Jesus’ priorities? [04:58]
3. How could you reframe a current responsibility (parenting, work, finances) as stewardship for God’s purposes rather than personal achievement? [12:48]
4. The pastor’s daughter said, “Jesus is the boss.” Where in your life do you struggle to let Jesus be the boss, and what step could you take to surrender that area? [12:12]
5. What’s one tangible way to “invest” time, resources, or energy this week into something eternal rather than temporary? [14:29]
6. The sermon warns against clinging to comfort. What’s a situation where following Jesus might require enduring hardship or shame—and how can you prepare for it? [06:32]
7. Reflect on a time when surrendering control led to unexpected freedom or purpose. How does that experience encourage you to trust God with something you’re holding onto now? [15:38]