To Follow Jesus
Preached by Jason Abbott
October 29, 2017
Natalie and I are committed to raising our five kids to realistically understand what it means to follow Jesus—which means we often tell them the kinds of things that will likely make them hesitant to follow him. Things like: Some people will think you’re ignorant and narrow minded when you believe-in and live-out some of what Jesus teaches in Scripture. Or like: Following Jesus may cost you a friend or two down the road. Our goal isn’t to scare them but, instead, to be completely honest with them. These are things we’ve experienced; and, if they’re going to follow Jesus, our children need to know they’ll likely experience such things too.We’re confident this is the right thing to do. We don’t believe this, however, because it struck us as a particularly good idea. In fact, it’s rather counterintuitive. (You don’t usually entice people to join an organization by dwelling on how difficult it’ll make their lives!) On the contrary, we’re confident this is the right thing to do because this is what Jesus does when people want to follow him. He warns them about the costs of discipleship—self-denial and hardships. Yet, also, through union with him, by following him, he promises they’ll see unimaginable glory!Well, let’s begin by reading the passage and, then, pray for the Lord’s blessing as we study it together.
Luke 9:23-27
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.”
This morning we want to learn what it means to actively follow Jesus Christ. We’ll find it mean rejecting self, accepting hardships, and pursuing the will of God in our everyday lives. Yet, the good news is, when we follow Christ in these ways, we’ll begin seeing and experiencing the kingdom of God.
1. Following Christ (vv. 23-26)
We often tend to romanticize what it would’ve been like for Christ’s disciples. We think about how amazing it would’ve been to see, in person, Jesus walk on water or to eat from the multiplied bread and fish or to drink of the water turned into wine. Yet, for every mind-blowing miracle, which we would’ve been privileged to witness, there’d have been difficult and challenging and scary teachings like the ones we find Christ proclaiming here. Following Jesus wasn’t and isn’t romantic. Look with me at what the Lord says about it here:
If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (v. 23).
Jesus tells us there are three things we must actively do if we’re to follow him. We must reject selfish desires and accept our cross and then exclusively pursue him. Let’s consider practically what Jesus means by each.
a. Rejecting self
When I was in early grade school, I had a first-generation Greek soccer coach who was certain that his son, Ted, would be the next Pelé—the next soccer-superstar. Consequently, his coaching consisted of two basic strategies. His first was cussing at the officials in Greek when Ted fouled somebody or was fouled by someone else. I’m pretty sure he’s the only grade school soccer coach to be tossed out of a game by an official based only on the hunch that he’d said something profane.His second strategy was to yell the following sentences loudly and repeatedly throughout the game: Pass to Ted! Pass to Ted! Shoot, Ted! Shoot! It didn’t matter if Ted was open. It didn’t matter where (or if!) Ted was on the field. His strategy was Ted-centered—which ultimately was just self-centered. There was no such thing as rejecting self for him. It wasn’t even an option.Yet, Jesus says: Not so with my followers. My followers will be characterized by self-denial—by a selfless attitude.Friends, if you’re a believer this is where your Christianity began and remains. It began at—Not my will but yours, Jesus, be done. And it remains in that very place when you wake up each morning—Not my will but yours, my Lord, be done. This is what self-denial means. This is the call of Christ on your life.Most of us want to say Amen! to this. But, practicing it is a constant struggle because we’re naturally selfish, egotistical sinners. Moreover, we live in a country in which self-affirmation is king. Just think about it:
- If we have a friend who isn’t receptive or doesn’t meet our expectations, it’s called a “toxic” relationship, and we’re told to get rid of it.1
- When we want to lose weight, there are all kinds of programs promising we can and promising we won’t have to give up our favorite food to do so. Just try the “Dr. Oz—Eat What You Love Diet” now.2
- New studies suggest that even our social media use is driven and motivated by a desire for self-affirmation.3 How many Facebook friends do I have? How many Twitter or Instagram followers? How many “likes” did I get?
Friends, Jesus calls us to self-denial not to self-affirmation—to throw-away what’s perishable and to store-away what’s imperishable. Christ invites you:
…to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24).
This won’t be natural or easy for us, but it will be of infinite and eternal value. It’ll be the glorious realization of personal Christlikeness. You want that!Next, we find following Jesus means:
b. Accepting a cross
Now, if you feel uncomfortable with the idea of self-denial, then Jesus really pushes you here because the cross, of course, was a tool used for criminal executions. Today, Jesus might tell you to take up your electric chairs or your lethal injections. By saying this, Jesus tells us that following him will mean rejection and persecution. But, why is that? What about following Christ entails that?To answer this question, we need to put the statement in its historical context. The Romans were the ones who executed their enemies on crosses. Anybody who stood against Rome’s authority or violated its laws were made to carry their crosses to the place of execution. Often, they were left to hang there as a warning to everyone that this is what happens to those who oppose Roman power.Friends, if you’re a Christian, this fallen world is occupied territory for you. Now this is easy for us to forget, but it’s true. The United States isn’t your homeland. Norway isn’t your home. Congo isn’t your country. The Central African Republic isn’t your native land. And neither is Nepal. In this sinful world, we’re all foreigners; we’re all pilgrims on our way to God’s country—the New Heavens and New Earth. That’s our true home.And, again, this journey in life isn’t a leisurely one. We’re in a hostile land—an occupied territory—just like the disciples were as Jesus was teaching them this. To follow a different king than Cesar, to follow Jesus as Israel’s promised Messiah, meant going against Rome’s power. It would likely, literally mean taking up a cross and being nailed to it. In fact, some of the disciples would be crucified.Now at this point, you may be thinking: Sure. But that was then; this is now. We have freedoms the disciples didn’t have. We have protections they didn’t have. And, for sure, this is true…to some extent. But, from where we stand in history, following Jesus openly and faithfully still means carrying a cross. Just think about it for a moment.This fallen, secular world has an evolving orthodoxy—some commandments by which one is justified or condemned. You can peer back through history and see how they’ve changed. And, you can be certain that in the future they’ll change again. Simply think about how the secular orthodoxy concerning issues regarding mortality or sexuality or individuality have evolved in the last fifty years.In opposition to this, stands the unchanging orthodoxy of the kingdom of God. These commandments are forever set because they derive from the Lord’s character which is constant eternally. Consequently, when we follow Jesus, this is our standard regardless of where the secular orthodoxy of our day lands. And as we hold it openly, we can be sure there will be many ways in which we find ourselves in stark conflict with the fallen world around us. This is where we find our crosses.Jesus says: If you want to follow me, then don’t hesitate to accept your cross. There’s no such thing as following me without bearing a cross. This is a lesson many, who call themselves believers, need to consider. For, throughout Christian history, the devil has gleefully tempted believers to compromise with the secular orthodoxy of the day—to mix the kingdom of God with the kingdom of mankind. And sadly, this isn’t merely a history lesson. I’ve witnessed some, in the churches I’ve served, do precisely this because they’re ashamed of Christ and his word. Speaking to them and to us, Jesus warns:
…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 (v. 26).
Friends, if Scripture is the word of God, if it reveals the very character of God, then could there be anything more valuable in the entire universe to study and profess and live out…even if it means accepting a cross?! Don’t be ashamed of Christ Jesus and his word!Finally, we find that following Jesus means:
c. Pursuing Jesus
You may think: What’s the difference between pursuing and following Jesus? They seem like two ways of saying the same thing. And, in fact, when you think this, you’re on to something. They’re very similar. Jesus, however, isn’t being redundant. He’s making an important point about perseverance in discipleship.Think about it this way. When can you tell who a team’s sincerest fans are—when they’re losing or when they’re winning? The answer is when they’re losing because only the sincerest fans watch the games and wear the colors at those times. The fake fans all disappear when the going gets tough. (I know this to be totally true since I root for a team where the going is usually tough. Not too many Mizzou fans around these days!)Jesus is making a point akin to this. Self-denial and self-sacrifice are real parts of following Christ, but they’re only parts. They’re like snapshots of a disciple’s life. But they’re extremely important snapshots! You see, the stands will be packed full of disciples during the good times. That’s not really telling of sincere discipleship. What’s telling are the bad times. That’s when things become clear.So, Jesus says: When difficult moments arise, you must continue to pursue me. If you want to follow me now, then you must follow me through the bad times as well. In short, sincere pursuit of Christ is a continuous pursuit of Christ. It’s always active on both good days and on bad days. Truly following Christ will be very challenging, but, if we persevere, it will prove to be glorious too.And, this brings us to our second point and our conclusion, which is a preview for next week’s sermon.
2. Seeing and experiencing God’s kingdom (v. 27)
Look at what Jesus concludes by saying here:
…I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God (v. 27).
Some assume that Jesus was mistaken when he said this, but they’re mistaken. Jesus meant exactly what he said. Were there some listening to Christ on that day who’d witness his transfiguration—his glorious unveiling with Elijah and Moses? Yes, there were—Peter, James, and John. Were there some listening on that day who’d meet and embrace the resurrected Christ? Yes, in fact, many. Were there some listening that day who’d observe Jesus ascend gloriously into heaven to take his seat at the Father’s righthand? Yes!Friends, all of these were glimpses of the kingdom of God—previews of glory. Christ wasn’t mistaken. Jesus, as always, spoke truly.Yet, believers, today, are also able to catch glimpses and experience moments of God’s kingdom before tasting death. We have this divine blessing in the church. Now, I’m obviously not claiming the church is perfect. Clearly, that’s not the case. Yet, the church is a glimpse and foretaste of the kingdom of heaven. Consider this:
- When we worship God together, we are not alone. We worship the Lord along with those in the heavenly realm. Corporate worship in the church, therefore, reflects a glimpse here, on earth, of the unseen kingdom of God.
- As we fellowship in the church, we catch the flavor of the united society of heaven. We’re tasting, in part, what we will enjoy forever through union with Christ. These are supernatural friendships!
Would you skip Christ’s transfiguration? Would you pass on his resurrection and his ascension?Or, would you instead like to catch a glimpse and foretaste of the kingdom? If so, then take full advantage of the blessings of the church. Do not undervalue it! For, Jesus denied himself, bore a cross, and pursued the will of his heavenly Father to create the church—his bride—a preview and foretaste of his kingdom. Amen.
1 Read more here.2 Good luck with this.3 See "Self-Affirmation Underlies Facebook Use” here.
