The Cost of Following Jesus

Matthew 16:24-28

Introduction

Prayer

If You Want To Follow Jesus

I would wager that there are many things in this world that we seek to follow. Whether a sports team, a singer, an author, or even a car brand, we follow many things. And some of these things are not bad to follow, but still, some may take more time than we want to admit. We may have more of an emotional tie into something we follow than we let on, or maybe people are well aware of it.

Today, I want to look at what it takes to follow Jesus. If we truly want to come after and follow Christ, what will that require? Whether we realize it or not, when we follow something it requires a cost. If you follow a sports team, you now spend time and money on that. The same can be said for music, cars, or any other hobby. But following Jesus is more than just a hobby that we do on Sundays. And I know speaking to this crowd today, it is more than a hobby for us.

The passage from Matthew 16 tells us what the high cost of following Jesus is. Jesus gives three points of emphasis for the follower to realize. These are the terms set by Jesus to follow Him. There are no bends or breaks to them, and there will be rewards for those who are loyal to Him. This is what sets Christianity apart from many other things in our life. There are clear and succinct terms that explain what it will take to follow Jesus. Not many other things in clear have as rigid boundaries as this, but that should not deter us but encourage us.

So, in verse 24 Jesus tells us that the true follower of him must do these things. The way that the original writers expressed these statements does not directly translate to our modern English. There is no direct wording that would explain the drive and force behind what Jesus is implying here, let him be too weak, but He must, carries a strong sense of what the original language would have said.

If you want to be a true follower of Jesus, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. So, do you? Do you really want to follow Jesus? Do we understand what it will take to follow Him? And if we do, are we willing to place ourselves in the passenger seat, and trust Him?

Deny Yourself

Jesus starts off the requirements with quite a doozy. To truly follow Him, we must deny ourselves. As a person I know, this is no easy task! The word here, aparneomai, does not just mean to deny ourselves but to utterly deny ourselves. At the deepest depth of our self, we put ourselves aside for Him. The only other time this word is used in the Gospels is during the denial of Christ by Peter. Think of the emotion behind that moment as Jesus tells us that to follow Him will cost us denying ourselves.

What are we denying though? Our desires, our wants, our cravings. We even have to push aside things we may think are worthwhile or good if it is contrary to the call to follow Jesus. What things in our life are hindering our life with Him? What have we given so much importance to that our relationship with Jesus has been sacrificed? To be honest, we all, including me, have things that get in the way.

But, if I want to follow Jesus, I must deny those things. I must strive to deny myself and not have an ounce of self-centered thought. I want to be devoted to the work of Jesus in the world around me. I must be willing to let go of anything that could compete with the work of Jesus.

Listen, this is not easy. If anyone could just easily deny themselves, Jesus would not have given us a command to do it. But it is worth the work. Maybe right now you are thinking of something that is drawing you away from God. Again, it may not be something bad, it could be the phone, social media, tv, or something else. But when we let it become a god to us, we have given it an importance it should not have.

Take Up Our Cross

This phrase may get a little lost in translation today. We so easily associate a cross with Christianity now that asking someone to take up their cross may not sound like a challenge. But to the first-century Jewish men that Jesus is instructing, this was counter-cultural.

Crucifixion was a horrific and grotesque way to die. It was only reserved for criminals, foreigners, and slaves. It involved being hung up on a cross after a beating. Being left to die by suffocation as you become too weak to lift yourself to breathe. It was a barbaric form of death and execution, and Jesus was telling his disciples that a true follower of Him must be willing to take up his cross. He must be so devoted to following Jesus that he would be willing to die in the worst imaginable way.

This paints the image of us daily picking up the cross, never knowing what day may be the one that ends our journey on earth, but willing to lay down our life for the work of the kingdom. This may sound extreme, but for a follower of Jesus that has denied themselves, and are working to not focus on their person but on the work of the gospel in their world, then being willing to lay down their life for Jesus makes logical sense.

But the call is not to simply lay down your life, but to carry the mark of being a true follower with you. The cross was not a small device, it would have been a large heavy wooden structure. You could not hide it under a sweater or tucked it away in a bag. This would have been very public to see, and when someone was crucified, it was a public display. We must be willing to deny ourselves and let our faith be on display for the world to see.

How do you carry your faith today? Charlene has said before, that if you were to go on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence for you to be convicted? Would your cross be on display? Would the world look at you and say, this one follows Jesus? Or have we learned to tuck it away? Learned to hide it? Can I implore you today to put your faith on display? Yes, some may not agree with you, but not everyone agrees with Jesus either. The crowd that shouted “Hosanna” screamed “Crucify Him” only a week later.

Do not be pressured by this world to hide your faith away. Do not be pressured to cave to their commands or outcry. Stand on the word of God. Stand on the side of Christ. Pick up your cross daily, and let the world know who your savior is.

Follow Him

Finally, if we truly want to be a follower of Jesus, then we must do just that, follow Him. We have to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus, wherever He may lead us. This is a great way to remind us, we do not lead in our Christian walk. We do not get to lead God, we follow His lead.

When I was a kid in Alabama, each year we had to learn how to square dance. We would have to pick a partner and spend a week learning how to do the different moves and such. Then on Friday our parents would all come and watch us do our little square dance performance. I was good at square dancing because I was able to remember what to do when the record told us to do something.

I think in this there is a picture of us following God. He calls out, shows us the next step, gives instructions, and we have to be willing to follow Him. To trust Him. To know that he is leading us to a place and step that He needs us to be. Just like in square dancing, I can hear the call but I can choose to not do it. It will cause chaos, disorder, anger, and upset parents. Or I can follow the master’s leading, knowing He sees the whole path and is guiding my next step.

Following Him is trusting Him. Trusting His word. Trusting that God is God and I am not. How do I find guidance to follow Him? I seek His word. I seek Him. I learn more about Him. By being in a relationship with God, I learn to know His voice and trust where it calls.

Following Him also means trusting where He leads. Trusting that God is leading us in ways we may not understand, but knowing He is still to be trusted. Letting God light the path for us, trusting the steps that he has illuminated for us.

So, do you actually follow Him? I mean do you really? Do you really trust Him with the next step? With the path?

Most importantly do you follow Jesus? Are you a true follower of Him?