If Any Man Will be My Disciple

Introduction

I invite you to open your Bibles to Luke 9. We’ll be reading from that passage in a moment. But at the beginning, let me thank you so much for the opportunity to be here. I thank you. I thank the elders of this congregation for the wonderful opportunity that I’ve had this week, this weekend, to study the Word of God with you and to worship with you. It has been a great privilege. And forgive me because I always feel inadequate making these announcements at the end of a meeting because my words fall far short of the appreciation to you for your kindness this week. For those of us, for those of you who have been very kind and provided us with your time and with our food.

Thank you so much for that. For those of you who have been encouraging and spoken kind words, thank you so much for that. May God bless all of you and hold you in his hands. A few years ago I had the opportunity to be here, and I can remember at that time, one of the high school students here wanted to meet with me at my hotel and talk about the possibility of coming to Florida College.

And I’m glad the Lord has blessed him and given him that opportunity. He did a very good job teaching Matthew 19 just a moment ago. And it’s been good to be with Adam as well. Adam used to preach where my brother presently preaches in Monticello in the northern part of the state. And I can remember he was the one who informed me that my brother was trying out there. And but it’s been good to be with him. He has been very patient and very helpful with this PowerPoint this week. I need somebody to travel along with me and clean up my messes. And he has done a very good job with that. And may God bless Greg. May God bless Adam in the good work that they are doing with you.

And they are truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with Brother Bob in this kind of situation. It is painful when you occasionally hear of a congregation that has an arrangement like you have. Where you hear of an older preacher badly mistreating a younger preacher. That is so disheartening to hear. And I got a report of something like that just recently. And you guys are blessed to be able to work with a man who’s trying to preach and teach the word, and a man who is not worried about promoting himself in the kingdom, but is worried about encouraging you and worried about helping you be all you should be. And I do appreciate Brother Bob for that and the encouragement that he is to Greg to Adam, the encouragement he has been before to Josh and David Banning, people like that.

God bless you all in your work. And also Brother Harkrider’s dad at 103 has been here every service except yesterday’s class about raising children. And I said, Do you think you don’t need to learn anything about that?

I know my words are inadequate because there’s so many people to think, thank, and so much to say. Thank you for all the students who’ve been through FC, and even the one or two of you that took my class. But thank all of you. And Lord willing, in heaven, we’ll have opportunity to praise God and to be with each other through all eternity. God bless you. Let’s open today by reading the words of Luke 9, verses 18 through 27. And it happened, it happened as Jesus was praying alone, that the disciples were with him. And he questioned them, saying, Who do people say that I am? They answered and said, John the Baptist, and others Elijah. But others that one of the prophets of old has risen again.

And he said to them, But who do you say that I am? Then Peter answered and said, The Christ of God. But he warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and raised up on the third day. And he was saying to them, if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

For whoever is ashamed of being my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I say to you truthfully, that there are some of those standing here who will not taste of death until they see the kingdom of God.

1. Who Do You Say That I Am?

But let’s begin by looking at the text here in Luke 9 and verse 18. The text says in Luke 9, verse 18, that Jesus was praying. Luke puts special emphasis on Jesus praying. And sometimes pictures Jesus praying. At times the other gospels do not mention prayer. For example, in Luke 3.21, in connection with Jesus’ baptism, he’s pictured as praying. In Luke 5, verses 15 and 16, he would often withdraw from the crowds to pray. In Luke 6, verse 12, he prays all night. And then the next verses give the names of the apostles. It seems like he’s praying all night on the night before he chooses the apostles. Also, in Luke 9 28, right in this context, Jesus is going to the mountain to pray when he is transfigured.

But here at Luke 9, verse 18, only Luke tells us that Jesus was praying alone, and his disciples come to him and he questions. Who do people say that I am? And they say John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the prophets. If you look back at verses 7 and 8 of this chapter, you find that Herod was saying the same kind of thing. When Herod was hearing about all that Jesus was doing, he was perplexed. He thought John had risen from the dead, or that Elijah had appeared. Or others were saying that one of the prophets of old had risen. So we saw those varying opinions on Jesus in verses 7 and 8. And now the apostles, the disciples expressed the same thing. John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the prophets.

But the question is asked in verse 20, but who do you say that I am? He’s taking the emphasis now off of what everyone else is saying. What do you say? And this is a question that each of us is forced to answer in our lives. Who do we say that Jesus is? It is interesting how frequently in the gospel of Luke we are left with the question, who is this? When Jesus had pronounced the man’s sins forgiven in Luke 5 20. In Luke 5 21, the Pharisees and scribes are asking, Who is this man? Who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins? Who is this man? Who is he? The text is forcing us to face this question. Who is this man? In Luke 8, verse 25, after Jesus had quiet and the storm, the text is to ask, who then is this that even the winds and the water obey him?

And so the text is forcing us to answer this. And Jesus asked his apostles, he asked his disciples, Who do you say that I am? And they say the Christ of God. Matthew 16 gives us a fuller explanation of this answer. As Peter said, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus said, Blessed are you, Peter, son of John, for flesh and blood is not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And upon this rock I’ll build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom, and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew is a fuller explanation of what they ask and are an answer here in the book of Luke. Luke, they say, You are the Christ of God. But let’s focus on this question just a moment. You are the Christ of God. What does this text tell us about who Jesus is? Well, first of all, in verse 20, he is the Christ. The Christ anointed one. It’s the Hebrew term Messiah, the Greek term Christ. They speak of him as one anointed by God. And here in verse 20, you are the Christ of God. In verse 22, Jesus describes himself as the Son of Man. In verse 26, he talks of himself as the Son of Man. He is the Christ. He is the Son of Man. And the Son of Man seems to go back to Daniel 7, verses 13 and 14, as one like a son of man, ascends to the ancient of days to receive glory, dominion, and power.

Jesus is the Son of Man. Jesus is the Christ. Much more could be said about who he is. But one of the things that’s interesting here in context is the text tells us in verse 21 that he warned them, he instructed them not to tell this to anyone. Why would Jesus tell them not to tell that he is the Christ? Well, understand one thing. This prohibition is not permanent, it is temporary. Remember later, Jesus is going to say, go therefore and teach all nations in Matthew 28 in verse 18. It is a temporary prohibition. In Matthew 17 in verse 9, when coming from the mountain of transfiguration, Jesus tells Peter, James, and John, tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.

Again, not a permanent prohibition, but tell this vision to no one until the Son of Man has been risen. That will be the time when they will need to tell. But I would say another reason in context why they don’t need to tell at this time that Jesus is the Christ. Because they don’t understand what that means. How do I know that? This is clearer in Matthew’s gospel if you want to look there. In Matthew 16, beginning with verse 21. From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised up on the third day. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, God forbid it, Lord, this shall never happen to you.

But he turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me, for you’re not setting your mind on God’s interest, but man’s. Peter had confessed, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus had pronounced a blessing upon him in verse 17. But now as Jesus begins to drive home the fact that he is going to be rejected, that he is going to be killed, but that he’s going to be raised again the third day. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. And the one who was blessed with in verse 17, in verse 23, is given a very strong rebuke. Get behind me, Satan. Get behind me, Satan. Peter did not recognize that being the Christ meant that he was going to be rejected, that he was going to be crucified.

He didn’t recognize that. They knew the Old Testament spoke of a coming Messiah. They highlighted those passages that spoke of the Messiah as a conquering king. Passages like Psalm 2. Passages like Psalm 72. They highlighted those passages. But they didn’t also understand that the Old Testament taught that the Messiah would be a suffering servant, as Isaiah 42 spoke about. As Isaiah 52 and 53 spoke about. Jesus is going to be a conquering king, but he is also going to be a suffering servant. All those Old Testament passages are going to be fulfilled in Jesus. And Jesus told his disciples, don’t tell anyone that I’m the Christ. Because right now, they don’t understand all that means. Now we can go into more depth with that. But for today, that’s sufficient.

What do you believe about who Christ is? And how are you acting upon it in your life? First of all, from the text, we see who Jesus is.

He is the Son of Man. He is the one who must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed and raised on the third day. That’s who he is.

2. What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus?

The second question I want to ask from Luke 9, what does it mean to follow Jesus? And before I start talking about this, I will state to you that I am more nervous about what I am about to say than anything I’ve said this weekend. I’m not more nervous because I don’t think I’m right. I’m not nervous because I think you’re going to criticize me or rebuke me for what I’m about to say. I’m nervous because of what this demands of me. And because I must ask myself, do I understand this? Do I practice this? The Son of Man is going to suffer many things and be rejected and be killed and be raised on the third day. And Jesus says, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

They did not understand that Jesus was going to be rejected and crucified. They did not understand that the Messiah was going to be a suffering servant. And therefore they did not understand what following Jesus meant. They were always debating among themselves, as we saw today in Bible class, about who’s going to be the greatest in the kingdom. If they understood what it was all about, they wouldn’t have had that debate. When Peter, when James and John come to Jesus and said, Can we sit on your right hand and your left in your kingdom in your glory? He said, Are you able to drink the cup that I drink and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? They said, We are able. He said, You will indeed drink of my cup and be baptized with my baptism.

But to sit on my right and my left is not mine to give, but it’s from the Father. They didn’t understand what it meant. Greatness did not consist in sitting on a pedestal and being praised and being honored. It meant lowly service. It meant self-sacrifice. It meant for James and the apostles following him even to death. And Jesus says, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. All of the gospels record this statement, or Matthew, Mark, and Luke do. John has a similar statement in John 12. But only Luke records the word daily in verse 23. A man must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Do we understand what it means to be his disciple?

Have we denied ourselves? It is not what we want, it is what he wants. It is not our will, but his will be done. We deny ourselves, we take up our cross. We follow him wherever he leads in good times and in bad. Are we his disciples? Look at Luke 14 and let’s see a statement that Jesus made in Luke 14, beginning with verse 25. Now large crowds were going along with him. And he turned and said to them, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life.

Whoever does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. In verse 33, so then none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. Truly the demands of Jesus are great. Large crowds are following him. Many are following him. But Jesus wants them to be fully aware of what they’re getting into as his disciples. None of you can be my disciples who does not give up all his own possessions. The rich young ruler refused to do that, as we talked about in class today. You find other examples, though like Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus, who when the Lord says, Zacchaeus, I’m coming to your house today, the crowd begins complaining. This man’s gone to be the guest of a man who’s a sinner.

Zacchaeus says, Lord, here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I’ve cheated anyone of anything, I’ll pay him back four times the amount. None of you can be my disciple who does not give up his own possessions. And if anyone comes to me, he must and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, and brothers and sisters, he cannot be my disciple. Jesus said in Matthew 10, verses 34 through 37, think not that I’m come to bring peace on earth. I’m not come to bring peace, but a sword, for I’ve come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter in law against her mother in law, and a man’s foes will be those of his own house.

But he who loves father or mother more than me, he is not worthy of me. He who loves son or daughter more than me, he is not worthy of me. I am not claiming. Those are easy words. I am claiming though they are his words. May God help us, Obey.

And whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. One man that I do believe knew what it meant to follow Jesus in such a way is Paul. Listen to his words in 2 Corinthians 5. Verses 14 and 15. 2 Corinthians 5, 14 and 15. The love of Christ controls us, having concluded that one died for all, therefore all died, and he died for all. So they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. One died for all.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I am crucified with Christ, Paul said. If any man come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, it is Christ who lives in me. Deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow me. As Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John in Luke 5, 1 through 11. As they called a great number of fish, Peter said, Go away from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man.

Jesus said, Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men. And Luke 5, 11, when they brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. In Luke 5, verses 27 and 28, the Bible says, after that he went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth. And he said to him, follow me, and he left everything behind and got up and began to follow him. If any man wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Whoever loses his life will find it. But whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. May God help us all to seriously reflect on those words. We’ve asked who is Jesus. We’ve asked what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?

3. The Blessings of Following Him

But I want to point out that the text also shows us the blessings of following him and the consequences of not following him. In verse 24, whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. Is this another way just to express the same thing verse 23 did? That anyone who wishes to come after me must deny himself and take up his cross and follow, take up his cross daily and follow me? Is this just an explanation? Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake is the one who will save it. Is this talking about martyrdom? Is this saying that the only way to really understand and live life is to totally abandon ourselves to Jesus in this in this fashion?

Is it saying that when you lose your life for me in this sake, you find out what real life is? I think both of those meanings may be involved in that particular passage. In verse 26, whoever is ashamed of me in my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father and the holy angels. In Luke 12, verses 8 and 9, a statement similar to verse 26. I say to you, everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man will confess him before the angels of God. He who denies me before men, the an uh the Son of Man, excuse me, he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

The blessings of following Jesus, we find real life, and he will confess us before the Father.

4. The Dangers of Not Following Him

Yes. He was my disciple. That will be life indeed. But on the other hand, the text warns us about the dangers of not following him. In Luke 9, verse 25, what will a man be profited? If he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself. You may be more familiar with the, and it may be rendered this way in your translation. If a man loses his soul, what will a man be profited if he gained the whole world and lose his soul? If a man was the richest of men, if he was the most powerful of men, if he was praised and adored by people, and he had a prolonged lifespan of two hundred years. What profit is it? What does it profit a man if he gained the whole world and lose his soul?

Conclusion

Lost, lost. Oh, what a cry from souls along the shore. Remember those words from our song book? How terrible to hear him deny us. I don’t know what awaits us as disciples of Jesus. The world has always been a hostile place to faith in the true God. Paul spoke of his world as the present evil world in Galatians 1 in verse 4. And we see signs of hostility to God in all the world. And in our country as well. And I worry for myself. But a lot more so for those of you who are younger and for my children. But if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. It does not yet appear what we shall be.

But we know that when he appears, that we shall be like him. What a bright future awaits us beyond this life. I don’t know what awaits us here. But what a bright future awaits us in eternity when there’s no sickness, no death, for all these things will have passed away. May God bring you and me to that day. Let us pray. Oh Lord our God, how awesome you are. How mighty and majestic and glorious you are. You are so great, O God, that our entire universe is small by comparison. Help us to remember that. Forgive us for our failures and sins. Forgive us for our stumbling. May we confess you before men. May we not be ashamed of you and your words. Help us to deny ourselves to take up our cross daily and follow you.

We are thankful for your love. For the cross assures us of your love and your desire to save us. And we pray, O Lord, that this will be for us what life is all about. Being a follower of yours, being a disciple.

May this be what our life is so that we might live with you eternally. Hold all the people here and those we love in your hand. And by your mercy and by the sacrifice of Jesus, we pray you bring us home to heaven. In his name, we pray. Amen. Remember the words of Luke 923. But remember a God who waits to receive you with open arms, like the Father of the Prodigal Son that we talked about at the 9 o’clock hour. Do you want to be his disciple? Do you want to be his follower? We hope that you do. If you believe Jesus died and rose again, if you’re willing to repent of your sins and confess your faith in him and be baptized, be immersed for omission of sins.

You can have your sins forgiven and take the first steps as a disciple, as a follower of His. If we can assist you, if the brethren here can assist you in making your life right with God, invite you to come as you stand and sing.