Deny Yourself - Means More than not Eating Carbs

It must have been really cool to hang out with Jesus.  I mean everyone likes to be around the cool kid, the popular guy…the next “hot” thing right?  Well Jesus was turning things upside down and it had to be amazing, inspiring and awe-provoking to be around Him during this time.  But just when you are drunk on His popularity and the fact that you are with Him, He says something that sobers you up and makes you question whether you want to continue with Him.  This is exactly what happens in the discussion that is captured in Luke 9.  After the miracle of the 2 fish and five loaves, Jesus is chatting with His disciples.  He asks them the people’s opinions of Him. They tell Him the speculations about His identity.  He then gets personal with them by asking their opinion of Him.  Peter spoke for the group.  "You are the Christ, the Messiah."  Jesus then makes this startling statement to them.

²¹And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,  ²²saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” ²³Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross ^£daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:21-23(NKJV)

The rejoicing at knowing He was the Messiah abruptly stops.  They repeat the words in their hearts.  As the fullness of the meaning deepens within them, a hush takes over the room.  What did He say to them?  He is going to die. I am not sure they could focus on the words that He would be raised three days later.  They definitely heard their promised Messiah was going to die.  But Jesus doesn't stop there.  He goes on to tell them they (and we) must also die.  That's what the statement translated to.  Let's look at the scripture more closely.

1.      If anyone desires to come after me – Jesus asked the disciples to follow Him.  Now, He was really asking them if they still wanted to follow Him because things were about to change.  They had seen and experienced the miracles, healings and teachings of the Christ, but following Him required so much more.  Were they willing to pay the price? He was telling them (and us) if they like what they saw and wanted more, more would be required of them.

2.      Let him deny Himself - When we think of denying ourselves, we equate it to something like denying ourselves carbohydrates or a new gadget or something.  It is so much more than that.  Deny here means no acquaintance or connection with someone or something.  In other words, to follow Jesus meant a complete and utter denial of all things that were valued within them prior to following Him.  When we choose to follow Christ, we become new people where all old things are gone and everything becomes new (2 Corinthians 5:17).  This is not about what other people think of you or of what you should do or who you should be?  This is about your own dreams, interests and all the things you value being willfully and voluntarily killed off by YOU! 

3.      Take up His cross daily -   The disciples were very familiar with the cross during their times.  It did not represent the place where their Messiah died at that point.  Nope, it represented the place where criminals, the worst of the worst, died.  These rejects of society were hung on the cross on open display as a deterrent to others who may commit crimes.  It was a slow, painful, humiliating death.  Can you imagine what the disciples were thinking?  You want us to do what!?  God knows the power that is in the flesh and the dreams it can produce in our hearts.  Each and every day, those things must die.  We must kill off every self-created plan  allowing them to die that slow and painful death as we embrace the amazing promises of God.  It is only in the daily death of self, that we find life and purpose and can move continuously on mission for Him.

4.      Follow Me -   Following Jesus meant following Him to the cross spiritually (He went physically) and then following Him in what He said and did.  After denying ourselves, dying to our plans and purposes and finding life in Christ, we are to Follow HIM.  We are not called to follow the format, schedule, or culture of the local assembly, We are to follow Christ.  We are to follow conforming wholly to His example as He made us His disciples.  This includes  living a lifestyle that pleases Him and moving in the same authority and power as He did.  Most of all, it means loving like He did.  He is love.

Beloved, let me ask you?  Are you following Him on His terms of denial of self and taking up your cross daily?  Denial of self + Dying on your cross = Following Him in the beauty of being a child of God and being salt and light with power and authority wherever we go.

Follow Him!