Luke 9 23 Luke 9 23 and he said to them
all if any man will come after me let him deny himself and take
up his cross daily and follow me For whosoever will save his
life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake
the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged
if he gain the whole world and lose himself or be cast away?
For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him
shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he shall come in his own
glory and in his father's and of the holy angels. But I tell
you of a truth there'll be some standing here which shall not
taste of death till they see the kingdom of God We have to remember again and
I'll be brief about this but this the context of this passage
of scripture Is so important that we have to again Review
just a bit remember what our Lord has just done in the last
several verses of this chapter First he establishes who he is
in verses 18 through 20 Then he teaches them in verse 22 what
he must do. What he must do. And that's the
gospel. Who Christ is and what he did. That's the gospel right there
in itself. Christ and him crucified. When we take the Lord's table,
it's his body, who he is, the bread, and his blood, what he
did. The wine, he was crucified. He shed his precious blood for
sinners. And now in our text, he is impressing
upon them what this has to do with them. Everybody believes
that a man named Jesus died on a cross a long time ago. But
do you know who he is? That's where it started. And
what does it have to do with you? What does he and his gospel
mean to you? That's what he's saying now.
Are you in on it or not? Do you believe on him or not?
Moses asked it this way in Exodus 22 36. He stood in the gate of
the camp And said who is on the Lord's side? Who is on the Lord's
side who's gonna quit worshiping everything and everybody that
can't save you And who's gonna trust the God of heaven and earth
That was the issue there in Exodus and it is today. I The Savior
said it this way in our text. Who's ready to come after me?
Who's ready to deny themselves? Take up their cross daily. Well, if you take up a cross,
we know what crosses are for, don't we? It's not jewelry. It's not a
religious symbol. A cross is something that people
die on. Why do you gotta do that every
day? Well, if you take up a cross, You die on it, you're dead. Well,
the thing about it is this flesh and this life, we gotta kill
it every day, don't we? We gotta kill it every day. Willingly,
we have to willingly say no to self. Every day. And he's saying, is any man willing
to do that? Is any man able to do that? Who's
gonna quit? Think about it this way, who's
gonna quit trying to please God with their own works, their own
way, with their own will, and cast their souls on Christ, the
Son of God, who alone pleased God in all that he did for his
people. He had just told them that he
must be slain, and now he's telling them, you've got to die too.
The Son of Man must be slain, and
if you're coming with me, you're going to die too. Not physically
like he did then. And then you can't accomplish
what he did by his physical death. That's not what it's about. You
don't contribute to that. You don't add to it, but you're
sure enough going to die. The you that trusts in the flesh,
the you that hides from God behind religion and so-called Christian
living and behind a profession of faith, The you that thinks
that you could ever do anything that measures up to God's standard
of righteousness. That you must die. And a new
you must be born. A you that says Christ is all
my righteousness. Christ is my sin offering. Christ
is my strength to obey and to serve God. A you that says with
Paul, not I, but Christ. Galatians 2.20. Now our Lord
is requiring the impossible. As he often did, and that's not
just my opinion. I'm not, that's not my opinion that it's
impossible when he says, take up your cross, follow me. You're
gonna die and you're gonna follow me. I'm gonna be your life from
now on. I told somebody, this one time
that it was impossible to do what the Lord commands. And they
scoffed at me. I've been scoffed at quite a
bit in my life. And they said this guy would
never ask a sinner to do something that they couldn't do, as though
it's ridiculous to see even suggest such a thing. And I said this,
what about Lazarus come forth? That kind of ended that conversation.
And I got to thinking about it later, and the truth of the matter
is, God's never commanded a sinner to do anything they can't do.
That's just the truth of it. Believe on me? You can't do that. Come to me? No man can come. The rich young ruler asked the
Lord in Luke 18, 18, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
And one of the things our Lord said to him was, if thou wilt
be perfect, if thou wilt be perfect. Go and sell all that thou hast
and give it to the poor and come follow me. He's telling him exactly
the same thing that our text is saying. Deny yourself, die
to self, make it so, make it so right now that I'm all you
have. And the rich man was unable to
do that. And our Lord told his disciples
with men, it's impossible to do that. And that's why he could not do
it. But our Lord also said, with God all things are possible.
And that's why a lot of people have done it. Some of us have done it. I don't know who has and who
hasn't, but you think with me this morning. We all need to
think very carefully about this. Because to deny self and follow
him means that everything that dishonors him, things and people,
have to go. Everything about you that dishonors
him has to go. He said if your right eye offends
you, pluck it out. If your right hand offends you,
cut it off. It wouldn't help to physically
do that. You'd chop your hand off, you'd be a one-handed sinner
hatin' God instead of a two-handed sinner hatin' God. He's not teaching
that. But this is strong spiritual
teaching that all the things that you think you need are important
to you, are vital to you, are part of you. You just have one
need. And anything that hinders you
from having Him has got to go. It's got to go. You need Christ. You want a lot of things, but
you need Christ. One thing is needful. So who
follows Christ and who doesn't? Is the difference a decision
they make? I have decided to follow Jesus. That's a song we
used to sing. I can sing it for you right now. I remember the
melody and all of it. I have decided to follow Jesus. No, our Lord said with men it's
impossible. So why sing that? God must make
the difference, but how does he do that? How does God make
that difference? He doesn't just make it as though we choose Christ
over all the riches in the world, we actually do. I know that it's the spirit that
worketh in us, but our Lord asked Simon Peter on the beat, do you
love me? He didn't say, does the spirit
love me? He said, do you love me? We know why we do if we do
is because of the Spirit of God has birthed us again from above.
But it's us. It's me. It's you. If you know
him, do you love me? So how does God make that happen? I know people who have done that.
I know people who have denied themselves and followed the Son
of God. They didn't just wake up one day wanting to follow
Christ. The answer is the first part of his passage. Who is he
to you? Who is he? That's the answer. That's why
he started it that way. He started this conversation
saying who do men say that I am? Now who do you say I am? If he's a great example, a great
leader, a great prophet, a great rewarder of the religious, that's
what he is to most people. If I pay my tithe and go to church
and be good to mama, he's going to bless me. That's all he is
to most people. The one who blesses them because
they do some things that make him happy. The rich young ruler
thought highly of him. He said, good master, what must
I do? And yet his stuff was worth more
to him than the son of God. That's why he could not do what
our text says do. The Lord said, if any man will
follow me, let him deny himself. The rich young ruler couldn't
do that. Why? Because he couldn't answer that
first question. Who is he? Who is he? Well, he's
the good master. But who is he to you? We found
out, didn't we? We found out where the Lord reigned
on that man's scale of valuable things. You see, it's one thing to say
good master. Our Lord even corrected him on
that, didn't he? Why are you calling me good?
There's only one good, but God, and clearly you don't believe
I'm God. If you did, you'd follow me. You could even say what Simon
did in the context. When he said, who do you say
I am? He said, you're the Christ of God. You could say that and
still walk away from it. There is a right answer and a
wrong answer in our context here. But those answers are just expressions
of what's in the heart. The words are not going to save
you. They have to be the true expression
of a changed heart. A new heart. For you to obey our Lord's requirement
in our text, you have to see Him. You have to know Him. Once
you do, what stuff? Leave what behind? Quit what? The words aren't going to cut
it, are they? It's not just the words. You don't have to know
him. It's interesting that we first
saw our Lord establish who he is Then he told them what he
must do then he told them what they must do Not a cooperation
but cause and effect What we do is the effect of what he did
what he does in us for us and in us then The next passage here,
the next passage that we'll look at next time, is the passage concerning what
happened on the Mount of Transfiguration. Where it says in that text, they
saw his glory, they saw his glory. that sounds a lot like what John
said in John chapter 1 verse 14 the word was made flesh and
dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory is of the
only begotten of the father full of grace and truth we beheld
his glory and in Matthew's account of what
happened at the Mount of Transfiguration listen to the language Matthew
17 5 while the Lord Jesus yet spake behold a bright cloud overshadowed
them Behold a voice out of the cloud which said this is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased Hear ye him and when the disciples
heard They fell on their face and were sore afraid and Jesus
came and touched them and said arise and be not afraid And when
they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only If you're gonna quit yourself
If you're gonna hate yourself, if you're gonna deny yourself,
if you're gonna reject yourself and all you've ever done, all
that you are, all you're ever gonna do, and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ
and him be your all, you're gonna have to see him in his glory
by the preaching of the gospel, and you're gonna have to see
him only. You're going to have to see him only if you're going
to sell out for him now. He's going to be the one, the
pearl of great price. There ain't but one. There ain't
but one thing needful. You see this ain't, religion
talks about Jesus needs a few good men. You know he's recruiting
people in his army and all that. This ain't Jesus needs a few
good men. This is do you want the pearl of great price or what's
in your bank account? What's more valuable to you?
Moses chose the reproach of Christ as greater treasures than all
the riches of Egypt Because God showed him who Christ is He had
regard unto the recompense of the reward He knew what he was
giving up and he knew who he was gaining and he said I'm in
That happens by the grace of God. That happens by God turning
the light on. You see why he started with this?
Who do you say that I am? That has to come before Moses
chooses anything good or right. He got to know who he is. Who
he is gives power and meaning to what he did. He died for the
sins of his people. He died. And when he, when and
if you know who he is and what he did, then you'll come after
him. You know him, you're gonna come after him. And you'll know
who he is and what he did when he shows you as he did at the
Mount of Transfiguration in the next passage in our text, who
he is and what he did. He spoke of the death that he
should accomplish and they heard it. And they fell on their faces
and they looked up and they couldn't see anybody but him. when he is transfigured before
you as he was on that mount and you see him in his glory by faith
as God's lamb who loved sinners like you so much that he gave
himself to redeem you and suddenly just by looking just by seeing
just by the light coming on at all cost you must have him You
must have him. And you're coming. You're coming. It is impossible for man to see
him that way. That's why it is impossible for
us to obey this. We can't see him like that. The
rich young ruler cannot see that his stuff is worthless in comparison
to the one before whom he stands. He can't see that. But God can
show it to you. With God, all things are possible.
You can't see it either. but with God it can happen if
God will just show you listen to this God can show him to you
listen to this all things are delivered to me of my father
and no man knoweth who the son is but the father and who the
father is but the son and he to whomsoever the son will reveal
him Guess where it says that? Next chapter, Luke 10, 22. You see what our Lord is, he's
teaching them who he is, what he did. And in teaching them
that, he's showing them that one thing is needful. He's showing
them the vanity of everything and everybody else. Come after
me. This whole world has got to go. What's this world worth to you? What is he worth to you? As we said, crosses just have
one purpose. They're not to wear as jewelry.
They're not religious aids. They never helped anybody worship
God. People die on them. And in the
context of what our Lord is teaching in our text, people die on them
because they don't want to live without him. Unless you die, you can't have
Him. And so, you know what makes a
sinner willing to die to self? Got to have Him. Can't live without
Him. So, where's that cross? It all revolves around knowing
who He is. The Son of God has revealed Himself to them and
they must have Him. To whom shall we go? It's the
everyday state of their lives. They ask themselves that question
every day. Where in the world would I be today without Him? Where would I be? When we see Him, we agree with
Him that the old us has to die. This is important too. Now we
take up our cross willingly because in seeing Him, we see ourselves.
If you ever see yourself as you are, you're going to say that
with Him, I got to die. I got to die. And there's different
levels of that. We're talking about now when
we receive him, when we follow him, when he reveals himself
to us, we die. But you know, I believe that
about this body. This body got to go. This flesh has got to
go. Do you know anything about your
flesh? Then you agree with me. Boy, I don't want to die. I kind
of do. Not today, not tomorrow. I want to die when he's ready.
But I want this body to die, don't you? I don't want to be
in this thing forever. Paul said, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? By his grace, I agree with him. And the old man, when we see
him, we agree with him. Job said, I've heard of you by
the hearing of the ear, but now, man, I see it thee. Wherefore,
I hate myself, I despise myself, I abhor myself, and I'm sorry. I repent in dust and ashes."
Now that's a key verse there for a couple of reasons. He said,
I hate myself and I'm sorry. He didn't start talking about,
I'm sorry I did that, I'm sorry I stole that candy bar. I hate
myself and I'm sorry for what I am. I'm sorry that I am what
I am. when that one thief on the cross
saw who Christ was. At some point, he changed his
tune, didn't he? They were both mocking the Lord
in the beginning. But then he realized who he was
talking to, and he said, we're getting what we deserve. This
man hadn't done anything wrong, but we're getting what we deserve. And he was literally on a cross
dying. And he said, this is what ought
to happen. That's what we'll say spiritually if we ever see
the Son of God as he is. Because we'll see ourselves as
we are. And when we take up that cross
that he's talking about, every day we'll say we're getting what
we deserve. He said, if any man will. With men this is impossible.
Our Lord said to the Pharisees, you will not come to me that
you might have life. And that's all of us by nature.
But if the father does draw you, if the son does reveal himself
to you, if you are willing, as he said, you would be in Psalm
one, 10, three in the day of his power, then deny yourself
and take up your cross and follow him. And this thing of following
the Lord Jesus Christ, that's a big subject. Of course it means
to imitate him because that's what the word means. Listen to
Ephesians 5.1. Be ye therefore followers of
God. If you look that word up, it
means be ye therefore an imitator of God. As do your children. Just like, you know, I'm in the
shop building a cabinet and my son is five years old. This has
never actually happened. It's just a story. Then he gets
his little plastic tools out. He's making his little cabinet
down there. He ain't ever going to make a cabinet at five years
old. You can't do that with a plastic
skill saw. But he wants to be like me, doesn't
he? That's us. We're not ever going to accomplish
anything, are we Sammy? We ain't ever going to do anything.
Don't need to. He's my righteousness. But I kind of want to be like
him, don't you? By his grace. I want to get my little plastic
saw out and I want to build something. And then when I realize the vanity
of this flesh, I'm going to get on my face and I'm going to say,
thank you, God, for building this. Be you, therefore, an imitator
of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also has loved
us. You see how all of it starts
with that, who am I? Who do you say that I am? Walk
in love as Christ has loved us. If you ever see how much He loves
you, how can you walk any other way? People say, oh, you know, you
just need to do this, you need to do that, you need to do more,
you need to do more. No, you just need to know Him better.
And then you'll do more. We got it backwards, y'all. We
got it backwards. We just need to know who he is
and what he did as he has loved you. What did he do? The son of God gave his soul as an
offering for a worm like me. Now, what are you going to do
today? What am I going to do? O may he reveal himself to us, an offering he hath given himself
for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be
once named among you, not once, as becometh saints, neither filthiness,
nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but
rather giving of things. For this you know, that no whoremonger,
nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath
any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no
man deceive you with vain words. For because of these things cometh
the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore
partakers with them. But also we are followers of
him in this sense. Think of this, we're imitators
of him. as dear children. But also, think
about this, Hebrews 6, 17, wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set
before us. Which hope? We have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and steadfast. and which entereth into that
within the veil, whither the forerunner is for
us entered, even Jesus, made in high priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. If Christ has entered into that
holy place not made with hands as your great high priest with
his own precious blood, not the blood of bulls and goats, but
with his own precious blood, then you're gonna follow him
there. One day you'll be in the very presence of God. Without sin in Christ. To follow
after Christ, he's got to be worth more to you than all that
you own and all that you want. Denying self and following him
are two sides of the same coin. You prefer him to self. You trust him and not self. You serve him and not self. Paul
said, I reckon we ought to live for him who died for us. You think on him and not self. We don't go through the day thinking
about ourselves all the time. Think about him. You promote
him and not yourself. Do we? You glorify Him and not self. We're glory hounds, aren't we,
by nature. We want to get the glory in everything. We don't want to cook a meal
that tastes good without everybody knowing about it. People don't
want to give anything without having their name put somewhere
where they gave something. That's us by nature now. We want
everybody to know, you know. That's why he said, don't you
be like those Pharisees. They love to be seen of men.
Guess what? We all got a Pharisee living
right inside of us. And it's not a foreign entity
of some kind. It's me. It's the old me. We believe him. And not ourselves. Not our own
heart. People say follow your heart.
That's the worst advice you could possibly get. Follow Him. Trust your gut. Nah. We don't lean on our own understanding. We trust what God said. It's
the Lord bringing us to this place. What about this? Is this part
of denying yourself and following him? You prefer what he does to what you wanted. You see why he said it's impossible
with men? He didn't say it's impossible.
He said with men it's impossible. Can God give us grace? To be
happy, it didn't happen the way we wanted it to. Your righteousness before God
is Him, and not you. You see how I say it's two sides?
It's not I, but Christ. You've got to deny yourself and
follow him. And it's two sides of the same
coin. John said he must increase and I must decrease. He must
get more glory. And this flesh has got to get
less and less every day. We're not really getting any
anyway. We just think we are. He's gonna get all of it. And
I'm more and more okay with that by His grace. Your righteousness before God
is all Him and none of you. Not anything you've ever done,
said, or thought, or haven't done, said, or thought, has anything
to do with where you stand before God. That's part of it. Christ crucified, the Son of
God, who he is and that he must be rejected, must suffer many
things, must be slain, and must rise again. He must be your only
hope to stand before God, sinless and accepted. And that's how
you need to stand before God. with no sin accepted of God. You see, salvation is not you
accepting Him. Religion has been lying to people
for a long time. It's not about that. It's about
Him accepting you. And He only accepts sinners in
His Son. And the day you see that is the
day you will pick up your cross willingly. And say, Lord, I got
to go and I know it. I wouldn't have it any other
way. You realize that's what Paul was doing in Philippians
chapter 3. Everything, all of my heritage,
all of my good works. In the sight of men under the
law, I was blameless. I count all of that, but dumb. That me is dead. And he's still got, tomorrow
he's gonna have to die again. Christ is all. Christ is all. May God give us grace. May he
bring us to that place. By his grace, let's pray.