And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “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.” 23 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? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:21-27

Introduction

In life, we regularly make cost-benefit calculations in our heads. We might weigh the cost of expensive organic food verses cheaper, but more hormone laden non-organic food. We might consider whether the cost of buying a new car is more favorable than buying a used car or leasing a new car. We might wrestle with the benefit of renting a home versus buying a home. We might mull over eating that chocolate truffle late at night versus the cost of extra work on the treadmill, or paying for private school versus a mediocre public school for our kids, or waiting for a godly man to marry or turn to a non-Christian to marry, etc. We make many such considerations, some of little import and some of vital import.

Furthermore, there are many instances where the cost, despite its large price, is far worth it. For women who are mothers, you bore your children (especially your second, third, and even fourth children) knowing that there would be a heavy price to pay in bearing them. You went through months of nausea, vomiting, immobility, weight-gain, hair loss, sleeping on your side, giving up your favorite vices like coffee and diet coke. And then the day of the birth comes and you experience pain and agony and discomfort. And then following the birth, there is the weariness, anxiety (is the baby still breathing), vomit (not yours, the baby’s), diapers, crying, tantrums, whining, etc. And then there is the monetary cost of having children, not to mention the limitation to your freedom to do what you want when you want to do it. What a cost! But how many of you would say that you would like to trade in your child, to get back your money, your time, your energy because of that cost? No, the cost, no matter how great a child might be, is still worth it.

But though a child is far worth the great cost of having that child, God’s Word teaches us in Luke 9:21-27 that the worth of having a child, as great as that is, pales in comparison to the worth of Christ’s love for us and following Christ as a result of that love. Jesus is worth following, worth being a disciple of His, regardless of any cost we might bear. And this text gives us 5 reasons why He is worth any cost. I’d like to cover the first and primary reason why following Christ is worth any cost and what that cost is and then next week give you four other reasons from the rest of the passage as to why following Christ is worth any cost.

Reason #1: The Sacrifice (vv. 21-22)

The first and primary reason following Christ is worth the cost is His sacrifice because of our sins. Peter had just confessed that Jesus truly was the Christ, the King, the Anointed One of God who would save His people. And Jesus then adds in verses 21-22: “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.” For Peter and the disciples, surely this left them utterly confused. Jesus thus far had done nothing wrong. Instead, He had shown a power and authority through his teaching and miracles that was unparalleled. Who could harm Him? Besides, Peter had just stated that He was the Christ, the One who would reign on the earth to lead the people to a new Kingdom. Christs did not suffer and die. That just didn’t make sense.

But Peter and the rest failed to see that indeed, the Christ, must suffer many things and be rejected or else He would never truly be Christ. They failed to remember the words of Isaiah 53:4-6:

Surely he [the Christ] has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

And Paul reminds us that it would take Jesus not simply suffering and dying, but dying on a cross (tree) for our sake. The implications of which were staggering as Paul tells us in Galatians 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” We simply cannot comprehend how wretched this death was for Jesus. First, physically speaking, you have to remember that in Jesus’ day crosses were symbols or torture, heinous crime, and disgust. Crosses did not crown the steeples of churches in their day. No one wore a cross around one’s neck, anymore than an electric chair is worn on the neck today. John Stott describes the cross this way:

Crucifixion seems to have been invented by ‘barbarians’ on the edge of the known world, and taken over from them by both Greeks and Romans. It is probably the most cruel method of execution ever practised, for it deliberately delayed death until maximum torture had been inflicted. The victim could suffer for days before dying. When the Romans adopted it, they reserved it for criminals convicted of murder, rebellion, or armed robbery, provided that they were also slaves, foreigners or other non-persons. (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, 24.)

Roman citizens were exempt from crucifixion and the Roman statesman Cicero explained why,

To bind a Roman citizen is a crime, to flog him is an abomination, to kill him is almost an act of murder: to crucify him is—What? There is no fitting word that can possibly describe so horrible a deed. (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, 24.)

And so if Romans thought this way of the cross, then surely when Jesus tells his disciples that he was to suffer and when they saw Him hanging on that cross, words would not do justice what such a scene would convey to His disciples.

But as terrible as this physical agony and emotional humiliation Jesus had to endure, the dereliction he faced as a result of the curse of sin He bore for us was an infinitely greater agony. The Christ had to suffer and become a curse for us in order to redeem us as Gal 3:13 states. In other words, when Jesus died on the cross, He died as though He were absolutely the worst possible sinner before God. He died as God’s cursed sinner. Martin Luther explains why this must be so:

If you deny him to be a sinner and to be cursed, you must also deny that he was crucified and died…But because he bears the sins of the world, his innocence is burdened with the sins and guilt of the whole world. Whatever sins I, you, and all of us have done, or will do later, are Christ’s own sins, as truly as if he himself had done them. In short, our sin has to become Christ’s own sin, or else we will perish forever. (Martin Luther, Galatians (Crossway Classic Commentaries)¸ 152.)

This is the marvelous love of our God through Jesus His perfect Son. The perfect, blameless, good, righteous, loving, gracious Son of God would die a sinner, with my sins. Peter was looking for a Christ who would rule for a moment. Jesus died an unthinkable excruciating death in every way so that we could be with God forever without ever being concerned about perishing. If you truly know this reality, there will be no cost too great for you that you will not continue to follow Him.

The Cost (vv. 23-24)

So what exactly is this cost? Jesus tells us in verses 23-24: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Jesus begins by telling us that a follower of His, a Christian, is anyone. Christianity is not a religion of the elite. You do not have to have a college education, or dress in a certain style, or even have sobered yourself up to follow Jesus. Christ is not solely for the lower or upper class. Anyone can come, which is a second characteristic of this disciple: He comes after Jesus. This person actually wants to follow Jesus. He’s not forced to follow Him by his parents. He’s not doing this so he can marry a Christian woman. He’s not following so that he can have social connections with people. He is coming after Jesus. He’s not a Christian because he wants to bring about social change, or make a difference in the world. He’s not even following so that he can tell the world about Jesus. First and foremost, a Christian desires Christ. Christians actually want to be a relationship with Christ more than anything else. This is Jesus’ presumption.

So that’s the first question you need to ask yourself. Why do you want to be a follower of this Jesus Christ? Is it because when you were a child, your parents took you to church and old habits die hard? Is it because your spouse feels like it would be a good place to raise children? Is it because all your friends are at the church? Is it because you like the children’s program? Jesus tells us that such reasons fall far short of what He says a follower of His is. No, a Christian, that is, a follower/disciple of Christ, is one who is running after him, wanting to know him, wanting to pursue Him, wanting His love and care.

Moreover, the costs of following Him have three commands: deny, take up, and follow. What’s interesting to note about these three commands is that the first two are in the past tense and the third is in a present tense that has ongoing effect. In other words, when we deny ourselves and take up the cross daily, this directly leads to our following Jesus. You cannot follow Him without regularly doing the other two. Which is why it is so important that we understand what it means to deny oneself and take up the cross daily.

The first part of the cost is that the follower of Christ (the Christian) denies himself.

Now what does this mean? The words ‘deny himself’ have very strong undertones. It leaves no room for the self. In other words, to follow Christ means that you have to forget yourself completely in order that you might know how to fully follow Christ. Now, if you think of what Jesus is saying here, you begin to realize how his words directly contradict the spirit of the world and our sinful human condition. We are taught to grab hold of what we want before anything else. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard parents say these words, “Children should be allowed to be children. Therefore, I let them get what they want.” Is it any wonder then that those same children grow up to be adults who strive to get whatever they want, regardless of whether it honors God or not? How regularly are we in conflict with one another, friends, parents, spouses, where we are so convinced that our perspective is the right one, that rather than denying ourselves, we are uplifting ourselves so that our personal righteosunessness will be proven for all to see? Jesus’ words of complete self-denial counters our very basic human and societal instincts.

Now you might be thinking, “Self-denial sounds so drab, so dull. Why should I deny myself of anything?” Sure, you might find that there are some things you should deny yourself. You shouldn’t punch your boss when you’re angry with him. You shouldn’t have an affair with another woman regardless of her attractiveness. You shouldn’t drink 2 bottles of wine regardless of how expensive the wine is. Most people consider a little self-denial to be wise. But what about self-denial in watching what you feel like watching on TV or in the movies, eating whatever foods that make you happy, buying the clothing you want, driving the car you feel like you deserve? Is Jesus asking us to consider self-denial in all things?

The funny thing about self-denial and a person like me is that I think the concept of self-denial is great until someone (like my wife) confronts me with self-denial. If she were to say, “Sam, I don’t think you should eat that steak, your cholesterol is pretty high,” or “Sam, do you really need the new computer,” suddenly self-denial is no longer a nice, spiritual thought, it’s an obstacle to, what I believe to be, my happiness. You see, Jesus is not asking me, but commanding me to deny myself because in doing so, I remind myself that nothing can replace the joy and satisfaction that only He can give. And should I attempt to do so, I will find myself eventually in an incredibly empty and disillusioned state. J. C. Ryle makes this point:

The possession of the whole world, and all that it contains, would never make a man happy. Its pleasures are false and deceptive. Its riches, rank, and honours, have no power to satisfy the heart. So long as we have not got them they glitter, and sparkle, and seem desirable. The moment we have them we find that they are empty bubbles, and cannot make us feel content. And worst of all, when we possess this world’s good things, to the utmost bound of our desire, we cannot keep them. Death comes in and separates us from all our property for ever. (J. C. Ryle, Luke, 311)

Self-denial is not Jesus’ command to keep us glum and solemn. No, not at all. It’s to help us to remember that what we have is so limited in its pleasure, so fleeting. But remember reason #1? He died so that you and I would have as Psalm 16:11 reminds us, “pleasures evermore.” Jesus’ command is a protective command to make sure that we do not settle for empty bubbles that sparkle for the moment but fade away. For example, every year, I stop drinking coffee for a couple of months. People always ask me why I would do such a thing. After all, there is nothing I find so enjoyable as a great cup of coffee to start my day. But taking a break from coffee reminds me that it’s God’s mercy that I even have the resources to afford coffee and that I have the taste buds to enjoy it. But by denying myself coffee, I also remember that as great as coffee is, there is something of infinite worth that overwhelms any joy there is in coffee, it’s Christ. And so whether it’s coffee, or sports, or exercise, or television, or the computer, or good Christian books, or talking, or friendships, or food, or water, there is a place for self-denial. I want to encourage you to consider something in your life, perhaps something I have listed as something you would like to fast from, not to say that such things are bad. But instead, so that you might enjoy God more and trust that in your self-denial, you will enjoy Christ all the more.

The second part of the cost is that the follower of Christ (the Christian) takes up his cross daily.

This was nothing less than the ultimate in self-denial since to take up a cross meant that you would go out to die, much like Jesus had to carry His cross to be crucified. Taking up one’s cross is not merely hardship due to the circumstances of life. Rather, it is for the sake of Christ. That is, something happens in your life that is difficult simply because you trust in Jesus. If there is one person who would have the right of viewing ‘taking up the cross,’ merely as difficult circumstances, it would be Joni Erickson Tada. As a 17-year old, a diving accident left her a quadriplegic in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. But here is what she writes about taking up the cross:

I have learned that it’s a passion for God that will give you a passion for people. And this utter delight in Him will come from the toughest of trials that you are about to face. Our affliction becomes that which pushes and shoves us down the road to the cross…And that’s what it means to become like him in His death. Don’t think that the cross is simply the wheelchair, or an irritating job, or an irksome mother-in-law. The cross is the place where you die to sin and live to God. (Phil Ryken, Luke Volume 1, 460)

In other words, taking up the cross is facing life’s difficulties because of your love for Jesus. Perhaps there are difficulties with an irksome mother-in-law, which in itself is not cross-bearing, but if you decide to love her and care for her and even put up with her abuse, not because you need to be a dutiful daughter-in-law, but simply because you love Jesus, that’s cross bearing. My mother faced this reality with my grandmother (dad’s mother), who was not a believer. I remember faint memories of my childhood where my mother and grandmother fought bitterly, even to tears. I remember my mother’s hatred towards my grandmother. But in the last years of my grandmother’s life, my mother voluntarily went to care for her in Korea for about a month. She bathed her, changed her bedpans, cooked every meal, but most importantly she shared the Gospel with her praying with her every day. And my grandmother came to know Christ before she died through my mother’s faithful witness. My mother came back home exhausted and warn out from caring for a person who could not care for herself, but she took up her cross for the sake of Christ. Maybe for you, you decide you’re going to make your boss look good, you’re going to work hard for him because you trust in Jesus, despite the fact that he treats you like dirt. Or maybe if tragedy strikes you, like Terry Stauffer or Rachel Barkley, you take up your cross to get through each day by living, but still telling others through your suffering about Jesus. Taking up the cross is not the mission of super-Christians, but of everyday, ordinary followers of Jesus.

Also, this taking up of the cross is a daily act. Cross-bearing is not something you do once and assume you’ve done your work. It’s not something that you do when you first become a Christian and then graduate from cross-bearing. This is a daily act of obedience and trust. You refuse to take part in gossip regardless of other’s disdain for you because you have taken up the cross. You choose not to swear when all of your buddies do so because of you have taken up the cross. You choose not to cheat on your taxes even though you could ‘use the money.’ You choose to forgive your husband for his hurtful words because of your love for Christ. The cross is not an abstraction to you. You recall Jesus’ forsakenness regularly, by recalling His Word, by remembering His great love for you through that cross.

The third part of the cost is that the follower of Christ (the Christian) follows Jesus.

Really, this is the natural progression of the first two. When you deny yourself, and you take up the cross, you will truly follow Christ. And we must never forget that following Christ meant following Him to the cross. And if that cross symbolizes humiliation, rejection, suffering, can we see that we too must come to see that that is the cost that He is asking us to pay? I constantly remind myself and others that I do not worship a God who drove around in a BMW, ate fancy meals, and lived in a castle to a ripe old age. I worship a God who died on a cross. And he asks me and you, those who call themselves Christians, followers of Jesus, to do the same. There is no middle ground.

If Jesus then is asking for everything, asking for our grace to our enemies, our love to irksome parents-in-law, forgiveness for insensitive spouses, purity from pre-marital sexual relationships, trust in job loss, grace and hard work for insecure and frustrating managers, love for those who persecute us, is it worth it to be a Christian? The answer is ABSOLUTELY yes. Remember, the first and fundamental reason why the cost is absolutely worth it. Jesus died on the cross bearing our sins as if he had not only committed all of my sins, but all of yours as well. God gave us everything so we can enjoy Him eternally, that we would not perish in hell, but have eternal life. The fact is, no matter the cost, it will always be a temporary cost. The pain of childbirth, by God’s grace is so short. The blessings of having a child lasts a lifetime. Well, the timeframe of any cost for the sake of Christ is infinitely short compared to the blessings of enjoying sweet fellowship with Him eternally. Jesus illustrates this so well in the parable of the hidden treausre in Matthew 13:44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” IN HIS JOY he sells all that he has. There is a cost. His life. But he found the field worth every bit of that cost. The cost of following Christ is worth it!

Next week, I want to give you 4 more reasons why following Jesus is worth any cost we could ever have while living in this world. But let me leave you with a quote from Martin Lloyd-Jones, as to why the reality of Christ’s cross empowers us to deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Him:

Though you may be the vilest man or woman ever known, and though you may until this moment have lived your life in the gutters and the brothels of sin in every shape and form, I say this to you: be it known unto you that through this man, this Lord Jesus Christ, is preached unto you the forgiveness of sin. AND BY HIM ALL WHO BELIEVE, you included, are at this very moment justified entirely and completely from everything you have ever done—if you believe that this is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and that he died on the cross, for your sins and to bear your punishment. IF YOU BELIEVE THAT, and thank him for it, and rely utterly upon him and what he has done, I tell you, in the name of God, all your sins are blotted out completely, as if you had never sinned in your life, and his righteousness is put on you and God sees you perfect in his Son. That is the message of the cross. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Cross, 36)

And that is why He is worth following. We can trust Him. He will never let you down. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. And the cross is proof that any cost is worth following Him.