Crossroads Church - Plymouth, IN
Daily Denial - Matthew 16:21-26 (Commissioning Sunday)
Worship Gathering
Locations & Times
Crossroads Church
1650 N Oak Dr, Plymouth, IN 46563, USA
Sunday 7:00 AM
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https://crossroadsefc.churchcenter.com/people/forms/478788Commissioning 2025
Luke 17:15–16 (ESV) - Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
Why?
Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV) - And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
What? Be disciples who make disciples locally, regionally and globally.
What is a disciple? Follower of Christ who loves others and pursues living like Jesus
How? Our mission to “love, connect and serve on the journey with Christ”.
Core Values – Jesus, transformation, prayer, community, family, gifting, going, simplicity, stewardship
1 Corinthians 12:18 - 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
Ephesians 4:11–16 (ESV) - And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 11-13 (ESV) - Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…11All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Luke 17:15–16 (ESV) - Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
Why?
Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV) - And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
What? Be disciples who make disciples locally, regionally and globally.
What is a disciple? Follower of Christ who loves others and pursues living like Jesus
How? Our mission to “love, connect and serve on the journey with Christ”.
Core Values – Jesus, transformation, prayer, community, family, gifting, going, simplicity, stewardship
1 Corinthians 12:18 - 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
Ephesians 4:11–16 (ESV) - And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 11-13 (ESV) - Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…11All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Daily Denial
Matthew 16:21–26 (ESV) - From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 10:34–39 (ESV) - “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Luke 9:19–25 (ESV) - And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” 21And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” 23And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
What Jesus didn’t mean was that we have to go out and look for ways to suffer for Him.
The cross a symbol that reminds us of the incredible sacrifice Jesus made.
Jesus takes it further – He wants the cross to represent our willingness to die too.
Many in the crowds who followed Jesus did so because of what they believed they would get from Jesus. But now he is asking them to give up their life – to die – in order to be His disciple.
Matthew 16:21–26 (ESV) - From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 10:34–39 (ESV) - “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Luke 9:19–25 (ESV) - And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” 21And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” 23And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
What Jesus didn’t mean was that we have to go out and look for ways to suffer for Him.
The cross a symbol that reminds us of the incredible sacrifice Jesus made.
Jesus takes it further – He wants the cross to represent our willingness to die too.
Many in the crowds who followed Jesus did so because of what they believed they would get from Jesus. But now he is asking them to give up their life – to die – in order to be His disciple.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV) - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 5:16–26 (ESV) - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
In 2025, what needs to die in your life so you can live more fully for Jesus?
Luke 9:23 (ESV) - And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
Galatians 5:16–26 (ESV) - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
In 2025, what needs to die in your life so you can live more fully for Jesus?
Luke 9:23 (ESV) - And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
Discussion Questions – Read Matthew 16:21-26 and pray before beginning discussion.
1. What do you think about when you see a cross?
2. Why does Peter rebuke Jesus in verse 22? How does the response of Jesus is verse 23 teach us about prioritizing God’s will over our own desires?
3. What does Jesus mean when he says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” in verse 24? Does this make you hesitant to follow Jesus (read John 6:66)?
4. Explain the reward Jesus spoke of in verse 25, “whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
5. How can we apply this call of Jesus in our daily lives? Think about the various aspects of life like: work, friendships, marriage, hobbies, politics, etc.
1. What do you think about when you see a cross?
2. Why does Peter rebuke Jesus in verse 22? How does the response of Jesus is verse 23 teach us about prioritizing God’s will over our own desires?
3. What does Jesus mean when he says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” in verse 24? Does this make you hesitant to follow Jesus (read John 6:66)?
4. Explain the reward Jesus spoke of in verse 25, “whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
5. How can we apply this call of Jesus in our daily lives? Think about the various aspects of life like: work, friendships, marriage, hobbies, politics, etc.