Deciding to Follow Jesus

Folks, let me pray before we dive into that wonderful passage. Let's pray together.

Father, we come before you this morning and we come before this passage and we have questions

and maybe we have other thoughts and worries. Lord, we ask that you would still our hearts

and that the words of my mouth and the reflection of all of our hearts would be pleasing to you.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Do you know the story behind the well-known older hymn, I have decided to follow Jesus?

Well, it came about like this. A family in a small town in India became Christians years ago.

And when the village found out that they had become Christians, they were outraged.

And they pulled them into the town square.

The chief of that town told the father to renounce Jesus or his whole family would be killed.

And the words that came out of his mouth that day were, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.

And with those words, his children were killed.

Again, he was commanded to renounce his faith in Jesus.

But instead he said,

Though none go with me, still I will follow.

No turning back.

And with that, his wife was killed.

And then for the final time, this time with his own life in the balance,

the man was given the opportunity to renounce Jesus and live.

And yet what did he say?

The cross before me, the world behind me.

No turning back.

I have decided to follow Jesus.

And those were his last words.

Now the witness of that man and of his entire family as they suffered was the turning point for that entire village.

They saw that he was willing to suffer and die for his faith in Jesus.

And because of his devotion and love for Christ,

and his dying witness, and that of his entire family,

the people who killed him became Christians.

The only reason that man could stand in the face of such terrible suffering and persecution

was because he knew that he was not alone.

He knew that he was called by Jesus to deny himself,

to take up his cross and follow him.

But it's so easy for us to sing words like,

I have decided to follow Jesus, isn't it?

Words that are jam-packed with a desire to serve God and to give our all to him.

But do we really mean it?

Can we genuinely confess that our desire is to give everything to God?

See friends, the Christian life is costly.

Ask anyone who's been a Christian for any number of years,

and they will have stories of the cost of following Jesus.

Being a Christian is costly, but it is totally worth it.

This morning I want us to spend a few minutes in Luke 9,

particularly verses 23 to 26.

So it would be great if you have that passage open in front of you.

And I've chosen this because I want us to see that the life Christians are called to,

the life we're called to live, is costly but glorious.

And as we go into this new year,

this is a time where people often reflect on the year gone by,

and they plan to do things maybe a little bit differently in the coming year.

Wouldn't it be wonderful

if in this new year we as a whole church family,

as individuals as well,

decided to submit fully to Christ

in every area of our lives

and count the cost of following him.

This morning I want us to see that this message of hope and salvation,

that is the gospel of Jesus in the world,

is also a call to come and die.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian

from a number of years ago, put it this way,

when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.

We might think of death as only a negative thing.

But I hope that as we spend time in Luke 9,

we'll see that the death Jesus calls us to

is one that leads to glorious life,

true and lasting hope,

and an eternity that is beyond our wildest dreams.

Maybe this is your first time in church.

And you're investigating what this whole Christianity thing is all about.

Maybe you're a discouraged Christian who is weary of the daily battle.

Or maybe you're listening to this

and you're just really struggling

to find hope and meaning in this life.

As we look to the call to follow Jesus,

my prayer is that we would all be encouraged

encouraged and challenged at the same time.

So we'll look at these few verses

by thinking about three commands

and two reasons.

So the first thing we see in this passage

are three commands.

In verse 23, three commands.

So the three commands are to deny self,

to take up your cross,

and to follow Jesus.

Now in Luke 9,

Jesus asked his disciples

who they think he is.

Peter confesses in verse 20

that Jesus is God's Messiah,

the sent one from God

who would save God's people.

Peter is right,

even if he doesn't fully grasp

what he has just said.

And after that wonderful declaration of truth

that Jesus is God's Messiah,

Jesus says that he will be killed

by the chief priests

and the teachers of the law.

But on the third day,

he will rise again.

So the truth of who Jesus is

goes hand in hand with his death,

which is the means by which

he saves people

and therefore is fulfilling his role

as God's Messiah.

It's also a bit more than that,

isn't it?

Because Jesus,

after speaking of his own death,

turns to his disciples

and calls them to die too.

Read verse 23 with me.

Whoever wants to be my disciple

must deny themselves,

take up their cross daily,

and follow me.

And normally when you're trying

to enthuse people about something,

you start with the benefits first,

don't you?

For example,

if you're trying to convince

family members

to go on a holiday abroad,

you start by talking

about the lovely beaches,

about the warm weather,

the sunshine.

You don't talk about

the long flight.

You don't talk about

all the COVID tests

you've got to do.

You don't talk about

the quarantine on return

because you want people

to see the benefits

before they see the cost,

right?

Well, Jesus doesn't do that.

See, in the eyes of the world,

this is probably one of the worst

recruitment strategies

that exists.

Because Jesus says,

if you want to be

his disciple,

if you want to follow him,

you need to take up

your cross daily.

Now, to our modern minds,

that might not sound like much.

We don't have the same idea

of crosses today

as the first listeners did.

Today, a cross has become

a stylish accessory,

a nice necklace,

a bracelet,

or something like that.

But for these first listeners,

the cross meant only one thing,

death.

The cross was a means

of execution,

of punishment,

a sign of public humiliation,

and a visible reminder

never ever to cross

the Roman authorities.

All Christians are to deny themselves

and take up their cross

and follow Jesus.

All Christians are to

renounce our own plans,

renounce our own purposes

instead,

and follow Jesus,

to live for him.

And this isn't meaningless.

Jesus doesn't tell us

to do this just for fun,

or for some form of asceticism,

which is where we think

that this world or this life

don't matter at all.

No, Jesus tells us

to deny ourselves

so that we are enabled

and can follow him.

So the call

of the Christian life

is to deny self,

take up your cross,

to die to yourself,

and instead to live for

and follow Jesus.

To deny self

means to renounce

all the things

that would distract you

from Jesus,

to turn away from everything

that would cause you

to stumble,

and reject anything

that would demand

your worship

that is not Jesus.

It means that you are not

in charge of your life

any longer.

It means that you love Jesus

more than you love

the approval of others,

more than you love comfort,

more than you love life itself.

for some people

that means

leaving their home country

and comfort

that they've known

their whole lives

to go to a new place

and tell people

about Jesus.

For most of us

it means refusing

to go along

with our natural tendency

to sin.

It might mean

not engaging

in gossip

at work,

pulling the boss down

when he's not looking.

It might mean

denying ourselves time

in front of the TV

because we maybe

haven't read our Bible

that day

or prayed with the kids

before they go to bed.

Denying self

is hard.

It is going to be

a struggle

but as we'll see

in a moment

it is totally

worth it.

To take up your cross

means to be ready

and willing

to be opposed

for your Christian faith.

To be shamed

for holding

biblical views

that run

contrary to what

our current culture says.

to suffer

because you're

a follower of Jesus

and maybe

to die

because of your

allegiance to him.

To deny self

and take up your cross

means that Jesus

is more precious

to you

than anything else.

For the disciples

originally hearing this

it meant that they would

literally die

for their faith.

Church history

tells us how

most of them

were killed

for following Jesus.

for many Christians

in the world today

taking up their cross

really does mean

that they will be

executed for their

faith in Christ.

And we need to

consider that cost

and really be willing

to carry it.

A few years ago

my wife and I

spent some time

in the Middle East

and we were speaking

with a young

missionary family there

and he was asked

the husband was asked

by a group

aren't you afraid

to share the gospel

aren't you afraid

for your own life

that you might be killed

because you're here

and you're a missionary

where you're not allowed

to be.

And with dead seriousness

on his face

he looked at the group

and said

no

I consider the cost

of dying for Jesus

when I became a Christian

and nothing has changed.

carrying your cross

is a cost

that could lead

to death

and we must be aware

of that.

And the final command

is to follow Jesus.

This means to follow

his example

to walk in his footsteps

to live as he lives

brothers and sisters

you cannot separate

Jesus from the rest

of the Bible.

To be a follower

of Jesus means

to submit

to God's word

to live according

to it

in every area

of your life.

Following Jesus

means that you

intentionally live out

your faith

for him.

You need to be active

in your pursuit

of Christ.

Being a Christian

is not just about

coming to church

on a Sunday

to the Sunday services.

It means that

your entire life

the way you think

about things

the way you

interact with the ideas

of the world

and who you are

the way you live

is completely different.

You cannot coast

through the Christian life

but instead

we must intentionally

be becoming

more like Jesus

every single day.

So the call

of Jesus

is to die to yourself

and to live for him

and to be

like him.

Now maybe you're

sitting there

and thinking

well this all

sounds just a bit

too much for me.

This whole Christianity

thing is asking

quite a lot.

Maybe you're tired

and you're weary

and you're questioning

whether or not

Jesus really knows

what he's asking

of you.

Well brothers and sisters

Jesus knows

more than anyone

what it means

to carry a cross.

Jesus is the only one

who can call people

to deny themselves

and to carry

their cross

because he carried

a cross to his own

execution.

The place where he

bore the weight of sin

and God's wrath

so that sinners

like you and like me

could be made

right with God

and have life

in all of its fullness

so that we could live

the life we were

created to live.

Jesus went through

agony and death

so that we could

serve God

and out of our

devotion to him

have life.

There is great cost

in following Jesus.

There is no denying

that and as Christians

we need to be

upfront about that.

But there is also

great blessing.

There is true hope.

There is eternal life

spent in harmony

with God forever.

All of the suffering

we endure in this life

as we follow these

three commands

to deny ourselves

to take up our cross

and follow him

are completely worth it.

But maybe you are

still asking

well why?

Why should I do that?

Why should I give up

everything to follow Jesus?

What is in it for me?

That is exactly what

Jesus goes on to explain.

And the second thing

we see in our passage

the two reasons

why we should follow

Jesus' commands

in verses 24 to 26.

Two reasons.

Read those verses

with me.

Verse 24.

For whoever wants

to save their life

will lose it

but whoever loses

their life for me

will save it.

What good is it

for someone

to gain the whole world

and yet lose

or forfeit

their very self?

Whoever is ashamed

of me and my words

the Son of Man

will be ashamed

of them

when he comes

in his glory

and in the glory

of the Father

and of the holy angels.

So the two reasons

to follow Jesus' commands

are one

by losing your life

it will be saved

in verse 24

and two

Jesus will not be ashamed

of you

in the end

verse 26.

Now let's look

at those in turn

and see how these

are great reasons

and motives

to deny ourselves

to carry our cross

and follow Christ.

So verse 24 says

whoever wants

to save their life

will lose it

but whoever loses

their life for me

will save it.

That's the first reason.

Now here we get

a wake up call

which tells us

the reality

of how we respond

to Jesus

really matters.

Maybe you've been

flirting around

with Christianity

for a little while now

coming along

to church

saying and doing

the right things

but actually sitting

on the fence

not following Jesus

as you should

and as the Bible

says

or maybe you

are considering

Christianity

but you're

putting it off

for a more

convenient time.

Choosing Jesus

isn't something

you put off.

Too often

people reason

that they want

to live a little

before they become

Christians.

They want to go

out partying

have a few

sexual partners

and only after

that do they

maybe want

to become

Christians.

There is no

time to delay.

It is not

smart or wise

it is simply

deceiving yourself

and rejecting

Jesus to put it

off.

Jesus made it

abundantly clear

that a day is

coming where he

will judge the

world.

All those who

call on him

all those who

deny themselves

take up their

cross and follow

him will be

saved.

Meaning that

people, those

Christians will

spend eternity

in the presence

of God in

perfect harmony.

No more pain,

no more suffering,

no more death

and no more sin.

The place often

referred to as

heaven.

But those who

reject Jesus will

lose their souls.

Meaning that they

will spend their

eternity under the

just wrath and

judgment of God in

the place we call

hell.

the path of

denying self,

the path of

carrying your

cross, the path

of following Jesus

leads to eternal

peace and union

with God and the

path of self

pleasure, of

self-centeredness,

of self-worship

leads to separation

from God and

judgment.

The things that we

see in this world,

in this life, are

temporary.

They are fleeting,

running after them

may satisfy for a

moment or maybe

even a day or a

week or a few

months.

But one day it

will all be gone.

And on that day

the question won't

be, well how big

was your house?

How much money did

you have in the

bank?

The question will

be, how did you

respond to Jesus?

Did you live for

him or not?

The decision that

Jesus gives people

in verse 24 is

whether they accept

or reject him,

which has eternal

consequences.

And the same is

true today.

Will you accept

Christ and be

saved or reject

Christ and be

lost?

By denying

yourself and

carrying your cross

and following Jesus,

you are putting him

first.

You are submitting

to his will.

Submitting to the

word of God and

following Jesus with

everything you have.

As Bonhoeffer said,

when Christ calls a

man, he bids him

come and die.

You cannot gain

resurrection life,

true life,

without first of all

dying to yourself.

And Jesus reiterates

that in verse 25.

Read it with me.

What good is it for

someone to gain the

whole world and yet

lose or forfeit their

very self?

So you can have

everything in the

world, but it is all

worthless if in the

end you lose your soul.

Jesus isn't saying

that you gain salvation

by denying yourself.

A person is only saved

through Jesus.

but he is saying

there is no point

gaining the world

and losing your soul.

Now Jim

Kerry, an actor

and comedian,

has a net worth

of over

180 million

dollars.

He is arguably

someone who has

gained the world.

But he said this,

I think everyone

should get rich

and famous

and do everything

they have ever

dreamed of

so that they can

see it's not

the answer.

See, the place

to find life

is not in this

world.

It is only

in Jesus.

The one

through whom

we are saved.

The one who

calls us to

deny ourselves,

take up our

cross and

follow him.

Jesus calls us

to die so that

we can truly

live.

And the second

reason Jesus

gives for people

to deny themselves,

to take up their

cross and follow

him,

is so that

on that final

day,

as we all

stand before

God,

Jesus will not

be ashamed of

us.

Read verse 26

with me.

Whoever is

ashamed of me

and my words,

the Son of Man

will be ashamed

of them when he

comes in his

glory and in

the glory of

the Father

and of the

holy angels.

Everyone who

rejects Jesus

and does not

honour or put

their faith in

him,

as they stand

before God on

that final day,

Jesus says

he will be

ashamed of

them.

The assumption

here is that

those who have

gained the

whole world

in verse 25

think that by

doing so,

their souls

will be saved.

They think

that they can

do enough

or be good

enough to be

right with

God.

But Jesus

says that the

pursuit of

things in this

life,

at the neglect

of following

Jesus,

will result in

him being ashamed

of you on

that final

day.

Think of it

like this,

when a person

stands,

dies and they

stand before

God,

on that final

day as all

their thoughts,

all their

actions,

everything they've

ever done or

thought or said

in this life is

displayed on a

big screen in a

courtroom before

God.

It is very clear

that they are

guilty of sin,

they have broken

God's law and

therefore deserving of

God's wrath.

Every single one of

us has done

that.

But for the

Christian,

Jesus steps in

and he says,

paid for.

That person is

mine.

I was broken

for them.

I bore their

punishment on the

cross.

And Jesus took

the Christian's

sin and shame

on himself

and gave us

his righteousness,

his right

standing before

God.

But for the

person who

rejects Jesus,

for the

person who

refuses to

deny themselves,

to take up

their cross and

follow him,

Jesus stands

there as

judge.

Those who are

not disciples of

Jesus will lose

their lives and

he will be ashamed

of them on that

day.

And there are

people who have

all the knowledge

of the Bible

and of Jesus

that they need

to be saved,

but they are not

willing to submit,

to deny themselves,

take up their cross

and follow him.

They are ashamed

of following

Jesus.

And that's the

warning.

If that is you,

if you are ashamed

of Jesus in this

life, he will be

ashamed of you

in the end.

And why is this

such an important

message for us to

hear this morning?

Well, because

Jesus is saying

to each one of us,

come and die

with me daily.

Live for me

daily.

Deny yourself

and I will

satisfy you in

ways that you

cannot begin to

imagine both now

and forever.

It's an important

message for us to

hear because the

call to be a

radical disciple of

Jesus is the call

to die.

And through that

death, we discover

the fullness of

life that humanity

was created for.

Brothers and

sisters, do not

let a day go by

where the world is

more important to

you than Jesus

is.

Charles Studd was

a cricketer

turned missionary

to China from

many years ago.

And he loved his

wife, but taking

Jesus' words in

Luke 9 seriously

into his marriage,

he encouraged

his wife to say

a short prayer

every day that

would help her

focus on Jesus.

So every day she

prayed, dear Lord

Jesus, you are to

me dearer than

Charlie ever could

be.

And that is

how we live out

our identity as

radical disciples.

As men and

women who put

Jesus as our

priority in every

single day, it's

how we deny

ourselves, take up

our cross and

follow him.

Why not start

each day this

week with a

short, simple

prayer, dear Lord

Jesus, you are to

me dearer than

this life ever

could be.

I think back to

that family in

India who are

behind the song

I've decided to

follow Jesus, they

lay everything on

the line.

They gave their

lives because Jesus

was more precious to

them than the life

that they lived.

They didn't know

what would come from

their deaths, but

that entire village

was one for Christ

as they willingly

denied themselves,

took up their

cross and followed

Jesus until their

dying breath.

following Jesus is

the greatest

privilege there is

in this life.

Do not waste

time.

Do not run to the

fleeting things of

this world, but

instead listen to the

Savior who calls you

to die so that in

him you can truly

live.

Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father, we

thank you for sending

your son Jesus Christ.

Christ, we thank you

for the salvation that

he has made possible

through his death on

the cross.

And Lord, I pray that

you would give us all

strength as we reflect

on this coming year to

make that decision, to

die to ourselves every

day so that we can

live and follow you

with all of our

strength.

Lord, give us the

ability to do so by your

Holy Spirit and would we

bring you all the glory

and honor.

In Jesus' name, amen.