Jesus lays down a difficult path of discipleship for any who wish to come after him: deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Him. In this message Pastor Brian shows us 3 reasons why we should follow Jesus whatever the cost.
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3 Reasons We Should Follow Jesus
Luke 9:24-26
Jesus in Luke 9:23 tells us exactly what the life of a true disciple looks like. A real disciple denies himself, takes up his cross, and follows Jesus. At first glance, this description of the Christian life doesn’t sound too attractive. I mean, who, in their right mind, would deliberately choose that kind of life? It really sounds as if Jesus is saying if we want to become a Christian, we must give up our life. Friends, that is exactly what Jesus is saying! If you want to become a Christian, you must not just be willing, but you must actually give up your life. You must understand that you have no rights, and Christ has all the rights. You have no authority, and Christ has all the authority. Since Jesus had to embrace a cross and die, every one of His followers must also embrace their own cross and die. To follow Jesus means we must die to self, embrace sacrifice, suffering, pain and rejection for His sake, and follow Him wherever He leads us.
So again, I ask, “Why would anyone do that?!” What could provide the incentive for thousands of people every year to die for Jesus Christ? What could possibly motivate thousands to be fed to lions or crucified or burned at the stake, rather than to deny Christ or His truth? What could cause millions of people every year to surrender the control of their lives to Jesus Christ and to seek to follow Him in obedience wherever He leads, whatever He commands?
Jesus, Himself, gives us the answer to these questions. You will notice that verse 24, 25, and 26 all begin with the word “for”. “For” introduces a reason for something. It’s another way of saying “because.” So, verses 24, 25, and 26 introduce three reasons for following Jesus, no matter the cost. As we look at those reasons, I pray that they will grip your heart and compel you to become a true follower of Jesus, not just in word, but in deed and truth.
Christ tells us we must deny our self, take up our cross daily and follow Him, because it will make the difference between
1. Losing or Gaining Your Life 9:24
For whoever wishes to save his life… What a strange paradox! The person who seeks to save his life loses it, but the person who loses his life for Christ saves it. Let’s see if we can break this down a little bit and understand it better. Who is the person who seeks to save his life? This is the person who doesn’t want to do what Jesus just said a person must do to be His disciple? This person doesn’t want to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. They don’t want to give up their life, give up their rights, give up any authority, and surrender all to Christ. They don’t like the idea of the pain and sacrifice and rejection that may come to them by following Christ. They don’t like the idea of a cross, and would like to avoid it at all costs. Instead they want to preserve their life, and spare themselves any of the painful and negative consequences of being one of Christ’s followers. Jesus is talking about those people who want to have their best lives now, and He says that they are headed for eternal destruction.
Will lose it. The strange thing is that the person who tries so hard to hang onto his life with all its comforts and luxuries, will eventually lose it. He will lose this present life, because 100 out of 100 people will die. We will all grow old, become decrepit, and finally die. The person who strives in vain to save his life, ends up throwing away the only God-given opportunity he has to live. The purpose of life is to know, glorify, and obey God. But the person who strives to hold onto his life, finds in the end that he has wasted his life. His life is gone. It is lost, and it can never be recovered. There is another sense in which he will lose his life. He will lose forever the opportunity to experience eternal life with God. Having forfeited eternal life, the only thing left for him to experience is Death – eternal death, the second death which is the lake of fire.
But whoever loses his life for My sake… The person who loses his life for Christ’s sake, is the person who obeys Luke 9:23. He denies himself, he takes up his cross daily, and follows Him. Note carefully, though, that he loses his life for Christ’s sake. This is not talking about the Buddhist priest who lights himself on fire to show his devotion to God, or to the Muslim who straps bombs around himself thinking he is going to wake up in Paradise with 72 dark-eyed virgins on green pillows. No matter how devoted a religious person may be, even to the point of killing themselves to show their devotion, it is meaningless unless it is done for Christ. Mark, adds “for My sake and the gospel’s”. Jesus wants us to lose our lives in serving Him by taking His gospel to the world. And, if we do that, we will save our lives. The measure of your life is not how much you’ve got, but how much you give. You were made, not to keep your life for yourself, but to spend your life for Christ.
he is the one who will save it. He will find real life, in this life, and in the world to come. He will find the abundant life now that Christ promised His followers, and he will find everlasting life in His presence in heaven.
The first motivation Christ gives for wholehearted obedience and submission to Christ is Life. Do you want life? In John Bunyan’s immortal classic The Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian asks Evangelist what he must do to be saved. Evangelist responds that he must flee from the City of Destruction and enter in at the wicked gate. At that, Christian begins to run from his home toward the wicked gate. When his wife and children cry out for him to return, he puts his fingers in his ears and cries out, “Life, Life, Eternal Life!” Folks, that’s what we need to do. There is life in Christ, and no where else. 1 Jn. 5:11-12 says, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” Oh, let the hope of life with Christ in glory motivate you toward complete dedication to Christ!
2. Losing or Gaining Your Soul 9:25
At this point it is interesting to note that Luke’s version is different than Matthew’s and Mark’s. In both Matthew and Mark it reads “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” Instead of forfeiting himself, the other gospels have it as forfeit his soul.
The second reason we should follow Jesus no matter how great the cost is because if you don’t, you will end up forfeiting your soul. Let’s take each line of this great verse and meditate on it.
For what is a man profited… Isn’t it interesting that Jesus appeals to what profits a man. On the one hand he calls us to deny our self, but on the other he expects us to be persuaded to make the decision that is most profitable.
If he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself. Let’s just imagine for a moment that you or I could gain the whole world. You own the world. You have all the world’s houses, cars, clothes, lands, prestige, and honors. You can go anywhere any time and enjoy every place on this globe… all the 5-star restaurants, all the ritzy vacation spots (Hawaii, Tahiti, Rome, Italy, Swiss Alps). It’s all yours. You possess all the wealth in the world. You have anything that money can buy, and are denied nothing. Yet, after living a life of opulence, luxury, comfort, and ease, you die and then face the wrath of Almighty God. You forfeit your soul. And for the rest of eternity, you are punished in the lake of fire. So, did gaining the whole world profit you? Would you do it all over again? Of course not! You would go back and be willing to be the poorest of the poor, living in suffering and misery your entire life, if you could just save your soul for all eternity. Think of it. The person who does not follow Jesus forfeits his soul. It is lost. There is no chance of ever regaining it. It is lost, lost, lost! Folks, no temporary pleasures are worth that!
Alexander the Great tried to gain the whole world. He conquered vast territories of the earth. He was undefeated in battle, and considered to be one of history’s most successful military commanders. At the height of his conquests, Alexander had conquered over 2 million square miles of land. He even demanded that he be worshiped as god. However, he became sick and died of a fever at the age of 32.
Adolph Hitler was another man who wanted to gain the whole world. However, when defeat was imminent, he committed suicide.
Both of these man at points in their lives were enormously successful. However, if they died and slipped into hell, did gaining the whole world profit them? If they had the chance, would they go back and change the course of their lives? You bet they would!
Here is the real question my friend. Are you willing to forfeit your soul for all eternity in order to have more of the world for a few dozen years? Think about the word “forfeit”. If you are in a baseball league, and the other time doesn’t have enough players to cover the positions, they forfeit the game. In other words, the game is lost, and can never be won. The loss is irretrievable. When Jesus spoke of the soul, He was talking of the real person. When he speaks of forfeiting the soul, He is speaking of your entire person being lost irretrievably forever.
But, let’s look on the flip side. There is something very wonderful that is implied in verse 25. What is implied is that if we do not chase after the world and its wealth and ease, but instead take the hard road of discipleship following Jesus, we will save our souls. The man who seeks to gain the world will forfeit his soul, but the man who seeks Christ at any cost does not forfeit his soul, but instead gains it. He saves it. His soul is safe with Christ. He will dwell with his Savior forever!
3. Losing or Gaining Your Savior 9:26
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words… What would cause someone to be ashamed of Jesus and His words? Why would Christ and His teaching embarrass us? Probably because the people we want to be accepted by don’t value Christ or His teachings. To them, following Jesus is a joke. We instinctively know that if we come out and show our true colors, we will be mocked or jeered or shunned by the very people we want to be accepted by. And so, for that reason, some will turn away from Jesus, ashamed of Him and His words.
The Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. There is coming a day when Jesus Christ will return in all of His glory, accompanied by the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Matthew adds “and will then repay every man according to his deeds.” Jesus obviously is speaking about His second coming in which He will judge all men. Interestingly, one of the things men will be judged by is whether they were ashamed of Him and His words. If they were, then the Lord will be ashamed of them on that day. During your life on earth, if you have not stood up for Christ, owned Him as your Savior and Lord, and counted Him as yours, when He comes again He will not stand up for you, or own you as His, or count you among His sheep. In other words, on that awesome day of judgment He will say, “I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Can you even imagine being summoned before the Lord Jesus in all His glory, while billions of men and angels look on, and being told, “I never knew you. You never knew Me. You would not stand up for Me and own Me as your Lord on earth. I will not stand up for you or own you as Mine now. Take your place among the goats.”
But there is also an implied blessing here as well. If it is true that Jesus will be ashamed of us then if we have been ashamed of Him now, it is also true that He will own us as His own, if we have owned Him as ours now. Instead of saying, “Depart from Me”, He will say, “Come to Me, you whom I have known from the foundation of the earth. Enter into the joy of your Master.”
Following Jesus will make the difference between whether you lose or gain your Savior. If you are ashamed of Him now, you will lose Him then. If you have stood up for Him now, you will gain Him then.
Lets pause and make some application at this point. Are you ashamed of Jesus and His words? Well, let’s test that question. Lets examine some of Jesus’ teachings to find out.
Jesus taught that a marriage was between one man and one woman. In Matthew 19:4-5, Jesus said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’” It seems apparent that Jesus believed that a man is to be joined to a woman in marriage. However, in our present culture, we are being bombarded with pressure from all sides to accept same-sex marriage as normal and legitimate. Are you ashamed of Jesus’ words, or will you stand up for His teachings?
Jesus taught “whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery” (Mt. 19:9). However, we live in a culture in which about half of all marriages end in divorce, and many of those are not for immorality. Our culture has accepted divorce and remarriage as normative and legitimate, even if there is no immorality involved. Are you ashamed of Jesus’ words, or will you stand up for His teachings?
Jesus taught more on Hell than anyone else in the Bible. Jesus taught that Hell is eternal conscious punishment. In our present evangelical culture the doctrine of Annihilation has become accepted. Many evangelicals now believe that the lost are simply annihilated after death and do not go to an eternal place of punishment. Are you ashamed of Jesus’ words, or will you stand up for His teachings when you warn people that they must flee from the wrath of God?
Jesus taught that no man can come to Him in saving faith unless His Father drew him. He further taught that only those that the Father gave to Him would come to Him, and that none of them would be lost, but raised up on the last day. He also said that He gave eternal life only to those the Father had given Him. He taught that no one knows God except for those the Son chooses to reveal Him. In all of this, Jesus taught that man is only saved by God’s sovereign grace. Fallen man has no will or power to come to Jesus, and can only come if God purposes to open His eyes and draw him to Christ. This teaching is not welcomed or popular today. We feel man is the one in control and if he is saved it is because he chose to exercise his free will. So, will you be ashamed of Jesus’ words, or will you stand up for His teachings?
Conclusion
We have seen three very powerful reasons why all of us should follow Jesus. It will mean the difference between losing or gaining your life, losing or gaining your soul, and losing or gaining your Savior. Now, as important and weighty as those reasons are, you will be tempted not to follow Jesus. As we draw this message to a close, I want to show you three hindrances to
following Christ from this text.
Desire For Worldly Comforts
That’s really what’s at the bottom of 9:24. Who is the one who wishes to save his life? It’s the one who wants all of the ease and comfort and luxury that this life can give. It’s the person who doesn’t want to embrace hardship, sacrifice, and suffering to follow Christ. They want the “good life”. They want an easy, comfortable, pain-free, and fun-filled life. My friends, you will be tempted not to follow Jesus because of your desire for worldly comforts. I’m convinced we will not be able to successfully overcome this temptation until we see in Christ something much greater than worldly comfort. We need “the expulsive power of a new affection” to quote the sermon title of Thomas Chalmers. When God opens your eyes to the glory of Christ, worldly comforts are not that important any more. The all-consuming desire is to follow Christ.
Desire For Worldly Riches
I believe this is the hindrance that is behind Jesus’ words about gaining the whole world. Love of money is a powerful temptation to many. The man who is motivated by worldly wealth, and riches will not follow Jesus, because following Jesus means that you don’t own anything, and He owns everything, and you must surrender all that you have to Him for His purposes. Is the desire for riches a temptation for you? If it is, you must fight it with all your might! Jesus said, “Oh how hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God!” (Lk. 18:24-25). Paul winds up his first letter to Timothy in chapter 6 verse 17-19 by saying, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
The Desire For Worldly Approval
This is the hindrance Jesus is describing in verse 26. Are you tempted not to follow Jesus because of a desire for the approval of others? Oh, fight to see Christ’s glory and man’s approval won’t matter. In John 12:42-43 the Scripture speaks of many rulers who believed in Jesus but would not confess Him for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.” It’s right here, that many of us get tripped up. Inwardly, we crave the approval of others. And, sadly, it will cause us to do or not do things that in our better moments we are astonished at. Just look at Peter. Because of the fear of man, he denied the Lord three times, even though just a few hours before, he boldly declared he would die for the Lord before he would ever deny Him. What about you? Is this a strong temptation for you? Oh, just see the beauty of Jesus, and His approval will mean 10,000 times as much as any man’s!
So, what has the Lord taught us this morning? He has taught us that if we are going to come after Him, we must deny our self, take up our cross daily and follow Him. He has give us three reasons why following Him is the best decision you can make. It will mean the difference between losing or gaining your life, losing or gaining your soul, and losing or gaining your Savior. However, to gain your life, gain your soul, and gain your Savior, you are going to have to fight the temptation to abandon Christ for worldly comforts, worldly wealth, and worldly approval.
Now the ball is in your court. What will you do with these words of Jesus Christ? The next time you have to choose between looking at pornography on the Web or choosing moral purity for Christ’s sake, what will you choose? The next time you are tempted to lie to get yourself out of trouble or tell the truth, what will you choose? The next time you are tempted to be lazy rather than working diligently, what will you choose? The next time you have the choice to serve someone, or pamper yourself, what will you choose? You see, it all comes down to this – deny your self, take up your cross daily, and follow Him! Let’s pray.
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