Luke 9:21-27 Being a Disciple of Christ is All or Nothing

Luke 9:21–27 NLT

21 Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. 22 “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” 23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.”

Have you ever heard a symphony orchestra play live or maybe seen one play on TV. You know the big full orchestra got the little guy with the two tailed coat and the long stick that comes up to the podium and beats that stick on the stand and then everybody sits up straight and as he moves the stick they play the music. Now they all have sheet music in front of them that is specific to their instrument and they are all playing their individual parts but they are directed when and what to play by the master…the leader. They did not get to sit in those seats and play those instruments because they paid money…. or because they attended a certain number of practice sessions…it was not even that they had a good audition and played well for a group of their peers…no.. they got to sit in those seats and play because they are 100% dedicated to the cause of playing music. All they think of is music. When they are at work..when they are at home…when they are out with friends….when they have any amount of down time they are practicing their craft they are reading sheet music..they are practicing when no one is looking or when they aren’t getting credit. Everything else in their lives is sacrificed at the altar of that music.

A disciples life is just like that. A disciple is dedicated to the cause of Christ. No matter what it costs no matter what they have to give up..nothing is more important to a disciple than following Christ. It is the first thought on their mind when they wake up and the last thought on their mind when they go to sleep. All they think about day in and day out all the time is being a better disciple….being more like Christ. They know that it is more than just church attendance and putting money in the plate and saying the right prayers and all the other things that are associated with church. No it is a dedication to the cause of Christ. All or nothing.

Jesus tells the disciples not to tell anyone who He was. Now this might sound kinda counterproductive since He was about to save the whole world by sacrificing himself to pay for our sins. Man what a message.…and a message by the way that the disciples would one day carry to the whole world and establish the church as we know it. He tells them how He will suffer and die to pay for the sins of the whole world. He lets them know that He will be killed but He also tells them there is hope in Him…. that He will raised on the third day. Imagine if you were sitting there with your mentor and He drops this in your lap that He is gonna die but that you can’t tell anyone about what is gonna happen. I am sure they were thinking to themselves wait we know that you are the Lord why are you doing this you don’t have to do this. You have the power and the ability to stop it from happening.

Jesus knew that if they told everyone around them about who He was and what was gonna happen His ministry would not have been what it was. It would have become them wanting Him to be king and throw off the oppression that they were suffering under. They would have made His ministry and purpose so much harder to accomplish.

What Jesus is doing is modeling the behaviors that will be required of them. He is letting them know by example that He is submitting to the will of the Father all the way..there is no way to just kind of submit to something…you either do or you don’t…your either committed or you or not. Jesus is laying the ground work with the disciples before he speaks with everyone else that is there. It’s all or nothing you are either committed to a relationship with God or you are not. Jesus is 100% committed to God the Father. His will is what matters most to Jesus. Jesus is showing dedication and a willingness to humble himself before the Father so that God’s will is accomplished through Him and His sacrifice.

Luke 9:23 NLT

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

Take up your cross daily and follow me. We often put this statement into the context of denying ourselves things or stuff….the things of the world. If we are truly honest some of those worldly things we are good giving up but only some..right? Some religious views actually view it from denying themselves what they call earthy things. I heard of a preacher one time that quit wearing any suit coat that had three buttons on it because that was the going fashion and he did not want to be associated with the world. When we view it in that light we all shake our heads and say “What was that guy thinking?” Truth be told we all go to that place with certain things….if I just quit doing this then it is proof that I am following Jesus…if I can just deny myself this or that then I am following Jesus. The issue with assigning stuff as something I can deny myself is that I am the one deciding what has to go. I am leaving no room for conviction to tell me what has to go….I am not following Jesus I am trying to follow Steven . I am trying to decide what has to go and what I have to do or not do in order to be right with God.

Those folks who play in that orchestra don’t look at what they are giving up as something they are missing. They are so focused on the goal of playing for the Master and being a part of the orchestra they don’t even count the cost of what is given up. They don’t miss it they are focused on being the best player of their chosen instrument that they can be. They are not angry that they can’t do what everyone else is doing it is the choice they have made and they remain steadfast in their devotion to it.

When I am the one deciding what is right and what is wrong…then I am trying to be the judge and jury as to what is right and what will get me a ticket to heaven. I am not trying to change my life and be transformed by the power of the Gospel....I am trying to just do enough or give up just enough to get by….I am not dedicated the the cause of Christ I am dedicated to getting to heaven.

This is not how this works by the way. What Jesus is talking about…He is saying you have to follow me but it’s not about denying yourself things it is about giving up control of your life you God. It’s about letting Jesus have total control of my life. It is about denying self and clinging to Christ. It’s all or nothing. Now this might not be a popular opinion in the world today but….. Jesus said if you want to be my disciple then you are gonna have to surrender to me all the way and give up who you think you are. The Bible is called a sword for a reason…it is not meant to make you feel good about yourself…..Jesus is laying it on the line follow me every day not just on the days that it is easy…follow me completely and submit to my will for your life. Practice following me all the time not just when someone is looking or when it is easy follow me when its hard.

Notice the daily part of that. Take up your cross daily. Everyday I make the decision to follow Christ. Everyday I choose to not be in charge but to give my life completely over to the will of Christ…everyday….This is not something I can choose for just a day or two and then change my mind….I am either all in or I am not. Those folks who play in that orchestra if they were not dedicated every day all the time they would not be able to play when the time came for the show.

Luke 9:24 NLT

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

Jesus says if you hang on to your life……if you want to save your life you will lose it…..however if you give up your life for the sake of Christ you will save it. Giving up my life means that no matter what I want….. what Jesus calls me to is more important. I am to live my life for Jesus and not for me. I now am second even in the mundane every day things that my life entails. No this does not mean that I am going to have to die to save my life. It means that I am willing to suffer any loss, any slight, any denial, anything for the glory of the Lord. I am no longer worried about what I want. The musicians who play professionally they give up everything in their lives so that music is the only focus they have short of making money to pay the bills. As long as the bills are paid every waking second apart from that endeavor goes to music and even when at work their focus remains on the music that they play. It is a life change for them they live out their dedication.

Luke 9:25–26 NLT

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

We may gain earthly things when we abandon Christ but we lose ourselves in the process. I have to choose. I cannot have both. All or nothing I can have Jesus or the world…but not both. Jesus said if you are ashamed of me and my message, then Jesus will be ashamed of us when He returns in His glory and in the Glory of the Father.

Jesus is coming back one day. We have a choice…we are not forced to choose Jesus…we are free to make a choice what we are not free from is the consequences of the choice that we make. Whatever I choose to dedicate my life to will be what consumes me….whether that be Jesus or the world either way.

Invitation…..