"Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever
will lose his life for My sake shall find it" (Matt. 16:24,25).

Our Lord turns to the disciples and puts before them that not merely is He going to the cross, but
they must be prepared to follow Hun there. If I am to be in the true path of Jesus, I must deny
myself and take up the cross and follow_not the disciples, not this church or that church, but_
Jesus Himself. I must turn from what is pleasing to my heart naturally. I must meet with shame
and rejection in this present evil world. If not, depend upon it, I am not following Jesus. And
remember, it is a dangerous thing to believe in Jesus without following Him. Following Jesus may
be like losing one’s life. At the present time much confession of Christ is, comparatively, an easy
matter. There is little opposition or persecution. People imagine that the world is changed; they
talk of progress and enlightenment. The truth is, Christians are changed. Let us ask ourselves
whether we desire to be found taking up our cross and following Jesus.

The flesh easily assumes superiority over the spirit; and indulgence to the path of ease comes in
(though of Satan) under the plea of love and kindness. Is the cross of Christ our glory? Are we
willing to suffer in doing His will? What a delusion is present honor and enjoyment!

(From Lectures on the Gospel of Matthew.)

"And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the
elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain.. . . And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels
round about the throne and the beasts and the elders:and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and
blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such
as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever" (Rev. 5:6-
14).

In the midst of the heavenly scene stood a Lamb as slain. The wound prints in Him as risen beheld
by the disciples (John 20:20,25,27) are now seen by John in Him glorified. The memories of
Calvary are treasured in heaven. John the Baptist first points out Jesus on earth as the "Lamb of
God" (John 1:29-36); John the apostle now beholds Him in that same character on high. But how
different the position! There, wounded and slain (Isa. 53); here, the center of heaven’s strength
and glory, yet bearing in His Person the marks and scars of the cross.

In the previous chapter Jehovah in the greatness and eternity of His Being, as also in His relation
to all creation as its Lord, its Sustainer, and Creator, evokes the profound worship of the living
ones and elders. No angels are mentioned as taking part in the worship. But here we have as the
center of heaven’s worship the slain Lamb, and accordingly all creation is stirred to its depths.
There are additional features of heart interest, added grounds and reasons of worship, not found
when Jehovah, as such, is in view. The slain Lamb brings before us the holy Sufferer of earth
given up to insult and wrong, rejected and crucified, uttering no word of reproach, nor exercising
power on His own behalf save the passive might to suffer. Now all is blessedly changed. The
Lamb once stood in the midst of the ribald band (Matt. 27:27-31), silent, meek, unresisting, alone
in holiness, in calm dignity, enduring to the utmost the mean and cruel contempt of the ferocious
men around Him, who rained their blows on His defenseless head, bowed before Hun the mocking
knee, covered Him with their disgusting spittle, crowned and pierced Him- with the prickly thorn,
thrust a reed into His bound hands, stripped Him, and with blow and taunt indulged their vile and
depraved nature. Silent and patient in His agony He stood in the midst. Now the selfsame Lamb
bearing in His Person the marks of His suffering is here seen as the object of heaven’s worship.
No voice is, nor can be, silent when the slain Lamb appears.

"Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof" (v. 9). It is remarkable how the
introduction of the Lamb shuts out all else. In that character which presents Him as slain He
absorbs the attention of heaven. Where is the Lion of the tribe of Judah? The Lion gives place to
the Lamb. Under the former title, which is one of might and power, He will defend the cause of
His oppressed people of Israel, and in His career of victory He does not rest till the triumph of
that people is secured. But that title of assertive power is meantime in abeyance, and the Lamb
is all the glory in heaven and earth. Of course the power of the Lion and grace of the Lamb center
in Jesus. Here the Lamb is personally addressed in song. His worthiness to disclose and to execute
the counsels of God are celebrated. Next, the ground of the Lamb’s worthiness to carry out the

purposes of God into full and glorious result is stated.

"For Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation." As the Lion of the tribe of Judah He acts in power, but as the
Lamb He was slain. Here the accomplishment of God’s counsels of grace and glory is traced to
the cross as the basis. Without the cross, Christ would have entered into spheres of glory alone;
without it there could have been no redemption for sinners. The cross is the grandest counsel of
eternity and the grandest fact of time. It is the immovable basis on which rests the blessing of
Israel and creation, as also the glory of the Church and of saints in the heavens.

"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne." The introduction
of angels into the heavenly scene and the place which they occupy is of profound interest. They
announced the birth of Jesus and praised God in words of never-dying fame (Luke 2:8-14); an
angel ministered to Him in the gloomy garden as the dark shadow of the cross and agony rested
on His spirit (Luke 22:43); two angels witnessed to His resurrection (John 20:12,13); and two also
testified of His ascension (Acts 1:10,11). The whole system of Christianity is a matter of inquiry
and interest to the heavenly hosts (1 Peter 1:12). They delight to serve the heirs of salvation now
(Heb. 1:14), even as it will be their joy to serve them in glory (Rev. 21:12).

In the center stands the slain Lamb, around the throne the living ones and the redeemed, while the
outer circle is formed of angels whose numbers are beyond human computation (see Dan. 7:10).
In the response of the angelic hosts to the song of the redeemed they say, whereas the elders sing.
There is more than a verbal difference in this, for while angels know the Lamb they cannot say,
"He was slain for us." We know Him in a deeper, fuller, more personal way than do angels. He
died for us, not for them; hence the difference, we sing, they say. Angels are never said to sing.
Observe, too, that the elders in their song directly address the Lamb, whereas the angels, in
keeping with their place and service, adopt a more distant form of address. The former sing to
Him, the latter speak of Him. The full burst of praise from the angelic hosts is grand. The
symphony is unmarred by one discordant note.

They ascribe to Him the fullest number (seven) of attributes. "Power" is first named because the
circumstances call for its immediate exercise. Power in its widest and most comprehensive
character is ascribed to Him. "Riches," the wealth of the universe, physical and moral, is His due.
"Wisdom" as seen in all the ways and works of God next follows in the list. "Strength" is that
quality which enables one to execute what the will determines to be done. "Honor" implies that
every mark of public distinction is worthy to be conferred on the Lamb. "Glory" refers to public
and moral display, of which the Lamb is deemed alone worthy. "Blessing," every form and
character of blessedness or happiness, is here ascribed to the Lamb.

But the full tide of praise is not yet exhausted. It rolls on, gathering force and volume, till the
whole universe is embraced. "Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them" takes in the vast universe of God in all
its parts. Jehovah on His throne and the Lamb are the objects of universal adoration. The fourfold
ascription of praise_ "blessing, and honor, and glory, and power"_marks the universality of this
spontaneous burst of worship. The praise is never ceasing_"for ever and ever."

(From Exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.)

How very solemn is the thought that the Son of God was found in this world as a sufferer. Well
He knew the path that lay before Him before He came into the manger:every pang, every sorrow,
every painful circumstance, every trial. All that came out in His path, all that the cross involved,
was known; yet He came, a Man of Sorrows, to suffer in this world. His sufferings are told out
prophetically in the Old Testament Scriptures, the Spirit of Christ breathing out the deep feelings
of the heart of Christ in language that speaks of depths into which the soul of man cannot enter.
But we can contemplate in some feeble way the sufferings of the Christ, realizing in our spirits
that we are on holy ground. And as we thus meditate a solemn stillness holds the heart, and the
spirit bows in worship before God and His blessed Son.

The apostle Peter touches this precious subject in each chapter of his first Epistle, telling us in
Chapter 1 that the prophets of old searched in their own writings to discover the meaning of what
the Spirit of Christ wrote by them of the sufferings which belonged to Christ, and the glories after
these. It is not difficult to realize that David could not enter into the real meaning of Psalms 22
and 69 which he wrote by the Holy Spirit, or Isaiah know the enigmas of his 53rd chapter. Yet
how blessedly do these and other Scriptures of the prophets tell of the suffering Messiah and of
the glories that should follow His path of suffering. The salvation and the grace of God toward
us are bound up in the sufferings and glory of Christ. Not one soul could ever have known
salvation apart from those holy sufferings. He must endure the divine wrath, and cry from the
depths of His soul, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me," before we could escape
from that dread judgment that our sins merited. But how blessed that by faith we now have the
assurance of the salvation of our souls as the fruit of the travail of His soul.

But we have been called to a path of suffering in this world, and Christ is brought before us as a
model in 1 Peter 2:21. It is not long before the faithful Christian realizes that the path of God’s
will for him is not an easy one. If the eye is fixed upon the Lord, the path will be simple but full
of trials; and in these trials he will find that for conscience’ sake toward God he will need to
endure griefs, suffering unjustly. This is the path that our blessed Lord trod. How He suffered
unjustly at the hands of sinners! What a path of grief was His! But it is acceptable with God if we
follow in the steps of Jesus, suffering for righteousness’ sake, enduring suffering for the good we
do. There is ever the danger of our rebelling against the wrong done to us when conscious that
it is for good which we have done, not for ill; and for this the blessed Lord is brought before us
as a model. Whenever a rebellious thought or feeling would rise within our breast, let us think of
Him. Perfection was with Him "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; who, when
He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself
to Him that judgeth righteously." What an example for us! Alas! how little have we followed Him.
The trouble with us is that even in our good there is something of the flesh mixed with it, and in
our suffering there is something of the chastening of God because of the flesh. And the measure
of the flesh connected with the good will determine the measure of our resentment of the reviling
and the suffering. But how blessed to have a perfect example and a perfect object upon which to
rest the eye and the heart in passing through the scene and circumstances of trial. But if there were
the sufferings of the path in which Christ is an example for His own, the Spirit of God would have
us realize that there was also the suffering in which we could have no part, except that our sins

made those sufferings necessary- "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree"
(verse 24). The sufferings of the cross were for our sins:yours and mine.

Again the sufferings of Christ are brought in in connection with the path of the saints (Chapter
3:16-18). We live in a world where men slander the Christian manner of life, speaking evil against
those who follow in the steps of the Lord Jesus. But it is better, if such be the will of God, that
we suffer for well-doing rather than for evil-doing. Then we see the extent to which Christ went:
He not only suffered in the cause of righteousness, for well-doing, but He suffered for the sins of
others. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (verse 18). He was our
Substitute; in love He bore the judgment we merited, and now we know what it is to be brought
to God. The contemplation of such suffering love will surely make it easier for us to suffer for
well-doing in this poor world.

"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same
mind:for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the
rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God" (Chapter 4:1,2). Christ’s
whole course down here was one of suffering; suffering in His holy nature as passing through a
world of sin; suffering the contradiction of sinners against Himself in the conflict of good against
evil; suffering because He chose the will of God rather than the alleviation His divine power could
procure (as in the wilderness when He refused to satisfy His hunger because He had no word from
God); suffering as learning obedience; suffering as taking upon His own spirit what He relieved
in others:"Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:17). But all this
suffering ended for Him in the dread sufferings of the cross, where He died in the conflict of good
against evil, resisting unto blood; where He gave Himself to secure the glory of God in relation
to sin, and for us. What is our attitude toward suffering? Are we prepared to suffer rather than
to gratify the desires of the flesh? If we suffer rather than give way to sin we have the attitude of
mind in which we can do the will of God. The armor against sin is in the mind that is prepared
to suffer rather than yield to temptation; and Christ manifested this in perfection.

There are not only the sufferings of the pathway, in the normal walk of life, but there are also
times of persecution when the saints of God are tried in the fire. Christ also had to suffer this,
even to death. Here indeed are the martyr sufferings in which the Christian can have part (Chapter
4:13). How must the blessed Son of God have suffered to see men take Him to the brow of the
hill to cast Him headlong down; to see them take up stones to cast at Him. And see how they
constantly beset His steps, sending officers to take Him, trying to catch Him in His words; and
at last covenanting with Judas to betray Him, and heaping every dishonor upon Him before
handing Him over to the shameful death of the cross. If we are privileged to share His martyr
sufferings we are to rejoice, because "when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy" (Chapter 4:13). Paul desired the fellowship of His sufferings, even to be
conformed to His death_to die as a martyr, seeing His Master had done so. Peter too was to have
this privilege, even as the Lord had predicted, "When thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth
thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not" (John 21:18).
In old age Peter was to die with outstretched hands, like His Master, upon a cross. This was not
a way in which nature could delight. Yet, through grace, it was a way that Peter could rejoice in,

and a way that we can rejoice in through the divine nature.

At the beginning Peter speaks of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow; now at
the close, in exhorting the elders, he speaks of himself as "a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed" (Chapter 5:1). No doubt Peter had suffered
much, but he will not speak of this; rather does he speak of the sufferings of Christ that he had
witnessed. What were his sufferings compared with the sufferings of the Christ that he had
witnessed? But he would indeed partake of the glory about to be revealed. And this is God’s grace
for us also. Who among us can speak at all of suffering when we think of the suffering of the
Christ? But we can exult in the glory that we shall surely share, and this because of Christ’s
sufferings for us.

In Chapter 1, then, we are introduced to a Christ who suffered; in Chapter 2, we see that if we
have to suffer unjustly, Christ is our model; in Chapter 3, if we have to suffer for well-doing,
Christ went much further, suffering for sins and for sinners; in Chapter 4:1, we are to be prepared
to suffer in the flesh so as to do God’s will, as Christ did in perfection; in Chapter 4:13, if we are
called upon to pass through persecution, it is to share in the martyr sufferings of Christ; in Chapter
5, we shall partake of the glory because of Christ’s sufferings. In the light of these solemn and
precious portions of Scripture we do well to meditate upon this wonderful subject, so that we may
come out more like our blessed Master in the world out of which He has gone, joining with the
writer to say, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Hun be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

(From An Outline of Sound Words, Number 25.)