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Matthew 16:24–28 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Peter is praised for his great confession and called the rock.

Then he turns around attempting to make his Lord stumble.

Jesus rebukes Peter and tells him to place his mind on the things of God.

What kind of Christ do we have?

Setting your mind on the things of God means embracing the cross before receiving the crown.

God’s way leads to the cross (Matthew 16:21)

Man’s way seeks a crown without the cross (Matthew 16:22-23)

What comes next is crucial for our discussion because Jesus throws down the gauntlet.

What kind of followers does Jesus demand?

Following Jesus requires rejecting man’s way in order to embrace God’s: deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Jesus, and save your life.

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

The term disciple is one who engages in learning through instruction.

A helpful equivalent is that of “apprentice” in modern terms.

An apprentice follows after a teacher to learn a trade from them.

We see this in professions like bricklayers, or electricians.

An apprentice initially knows nothing but grows in knowledge and skill as they walk with the teacher.

Jesus is calling these disciples to a new way of life.

Discipleship: The Process of Becoming More Like Christ

A disciple is a learner.

Then discipleship is the process of being conformed to the one you’re learning from.

What does our discipleship look like?

Heres the nub of it: we will either follow God’s path of discipleship or man’s path of discipleship.

A Different Master — Deny yourself vs. Please yourself

Our discipleship isn’t according to our perceptions.

It’s according to Jesus instruction.

Our discipleship to Jesus isn’t optional.

It is the overflow of the life that has been truly changed in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Denial here could also be to “renounce” or “disowning” oneself.

Discipleship begins with denying yourself in submission to Christ.

What exactly does Jesus mean by “denying yourself”?

Twisted men have understood what Jesus says here as a little more than “death to self.”

Immanuel Kant once said essentially that,

“You are most morally admirable when you do the right thing even when you don’t feel like it, don’t benefit from it, and may even want to do the opposite.” (Paraphrase from Kant’s famous quote)

Even Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said,

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

What does Jesus mean by “denying yourself”?

“If you asked 20 good men today what they thought the highest of virtues, 19 of them would reply, “unselfishness.” But if you asked almost any of the great Christians of old, he would’ve replied, “love.”

You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive and this is of more than philological importance. The negative ideal of unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others but of going without them ourselves as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point.

The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself…” —C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

We have to understand Jesus’ call to discipleship in the context of the Bible’s presentation of man great plight.

Our problem, as humans made in the image of God, is not solved by “death to self” as though the self is bad.

The self is good rightly understood.

Our problem is the fallen human nature that we share with all humanity.

We are deeply flawed, sinful, and broken before God.

Colossians 3:5–6 ESV

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

This is until God changes our desires.

Until God makes us new creatures in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 ESV

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

We can heartily rejoice when we hear Jesus say, “deny yourself” because He is referring to the old man within us.

He’s referring to the old man that has actually been buried with Jesus in His death.

Application to the Christian

1. You’re a new creature in Christ.

If you’re a Christian here you need to understand something about your journey.

Whether the gospel hit you like a ton of bricks, or it came to you like the dawn of the sunrise brings light gradually.

You were once an old creature that was bound by your sin.

You are a new creature in Jesus Christ.

2. Your loves have been reordered in truth.

The gospel does not destroy our loves, it re-orders them.

The truth of Jesus Christ, in his death and resurrection, re-prioritizes what we love.

It’s not that we hate our father and mother, but we love Jesus more than even our own father and mother—even our own self.

Loyalty to Jesus now governs us even before our own life.

A disciple is not necessarily “Christian.”

Everyone is a disciple to something or someone.

A person can be discipled to any number of things.

So we need to clarify that you’re either a disciple of Jesus, and you’re being conformed to Jesus Christ.

Or you’re a disciple of this world and you’re being conformed to all the folly thereof.

Man’s discipleship begins by following your passions.

When does this happen for people?

At birth.

Everyone follows their desires.

This is how people operate.

This is not necessarily a bad thing except for the fact that the desires of the old man lead us away from God.

Self-interest isn’t bad.

Self-interest apart from the holy desires that come from saving faith leads us to pursue the desires of the old man.

Self-interest is a slave to its passions.

Slaves to Sin and Unrighteousness

Romans 6:17–18 ESV

17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

The Christian who was once “handed over” to the life of sin (Romans 1:24, 26, 28) has now been “handed over” to the “teaching” of the Spirit as a fulfillment of the New Covenant that God would write His law upon their hearts.

Application to the Unbeliever

1. You’re a slave to your sin.

You may reason, “Nah, I know I’m not following Jesus, but I’m not a slave to my sin.”

You’re controlled and governed by the passions and desires of your old man.

You must believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and so be saved and the fruit of this is freedom.

Romans 6:22–23 ESV

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A Different Path — Take up your cross vs. Avoid the cross.

The path that Jesus demands is crucial for it will lead us to our intended outcome.

Discipleship involves taking up your cross daily.

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

The cross in the ancient world was a instrument of death. It would have had the same shock factor as saying, “Take up your electric chair!”

Luke 9:23 ESV

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.

This is not a one time decision. This is an intention following after Jesus by taking the cross up.

In what sense does Jesus mean to “die and follow me”?

It’s a seeming oxymoron here:

We are living dead men.

What does it mean to be a living dead man?

The cross here represents the death to a former way of life with its “rights”, “authority” to take control. As we’ve seen, discipleship isn’t about some strange “death to self” narrative. But following after Jesus will compete with our old nature. Jesus has already laid down His life. He has already died. In His death is our own death.

Romans 12:1 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Application various kinds of believers

In our vocations.

In our homes.

Dads

Moms

Children

Whats the alternative to this?

Man’s discipleship involves indulging passions.

Indulging passions is allowing your passions to drive your life. It what the Bible calls elsewhere, your god being your belly.

Example 1– Indulging passions is to serve your belly.

Romans 16:17–18 ESV

17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Indulgence of anger – Have you ever

someone blow up and say at the end, “I just felt like it!”?

Indulgence of “love” – Have you ever heard someone explain an affair by saying, "I just fell in love"?

The natural man treats his passions as king. If he’s angry, he vents. If he desires, he pursues. If he’s sad, he pouts. The world's creed is: "Express yourself." Jesus' creed is: "Deny yourself."

A Different Model — Follow Jesus vs. Follow man.

Not only is the master crucial, the path leads us to the outcome, but so does the example. The model answers the HOW for the Christian.

Matthew 16:25 ESV

25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Discipleship demands following Jesus’ example.

On the other hand…

Man’s discipleship demands following another person’s example.

Most of us, especially in the West, are not challenged on a daily basis with losing our lives.

But in the majority of the world, to be a Christian is a death sentence.

But we must grasp an important principle:

Whatever you’re willing to die for, you should be willing to live for.

What does it look like to “save his life”?

It’s crucial to observe that Jesus is moving beyond mere-physical life.

Losing your life looks like losing your reputation.

The Bible commends your reputation.

Proverbs 22:1 ESV

1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

The problem is not with your reputation per se, it’s with the purpose of the reputation.

Illustration of the Alexamenos Graffito

This dates to the late 100’s and early 200’s AD.

It was discovered on the Palatine Hill in Rome

It depicts a man worshipping a crucified figure with a donkey’s head.

The inscription reads, “Alexamenos worships his god.”

This image from antiquity shows us what people thought of Christians.

They were shamed.

They were mocked.

They were treated like scum of the earth for following their Lord.

2 Timothy 4:10 ESV

10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.

Losing your life looks like losing your comfort.

Following Jesus is hard.

The believers in the early church were known for adoption.

A common practice in the ancient Rome was infanticide, where infants were left outside to die in the streets.

Christians would take them in to care for them at their own expense.

It was so common that one emperor even commented,

"The impious Galileans support not only their own poor, but ours as well”

The Christians needed to adopt the children.

And they did it with joy.

They looked out for the weak, the oppressed and the downtrodden at their own expense.

Losing your life looks like losing your allegiances.

We obey the government.

Romans 13:1 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Until the government asks us to disobey God.

Then we obey God instead of the government.

Example of Daniel’s friends in Daniel 3

After Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar about the vision, it’s as if he received inspiration to set up a golden image of himself.

This vision seems to have confirmed and validated Nebuchadnezzar’s desire to be revered and prompts him to set up this image.

What should have served as a warning has encouraged him to act foolishly.

The king sets up a golden image and demands the people to worship it.

Daniel 3:16–18 ESV

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Losing your life looks like losing your relationships.

Losing your life looks like losing your career.

What does the prostitute do when she comes to Christ?

She quits.

Why? Because Jesus demands it.

What about the sleezy, unrighteous car sales man?

He may keep his job.

But he handles it entirely differently.

But what about for the person who says, “I can’t afford to take that stand!”

Man’s way ultimately says, “Protect yourself at all costs!”

Jesus’ way says, “Entrust yourself to God, even when obedience costs you everything.”

A Different Reward — Save your life forever vs. Gain the world now.

There’s a version of Christianity that is stale and stinted because it does not see the reward placed before it.

Matthew 16:26 ESV

26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

The men of faith resolved in themselves.

Discipleship aimed at the greater reward.

Hebrews 11:24–26 ESV

24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Even Jesus considered the reward before Him,

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

What is the greater reward?

Matthew 16:27–28 ESV

27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Man’s discipleship aims at gaining the whole world

Following Jesus requires rejecting man’s way in order to embrace God’s: deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Jesus, and save your life.