“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” —Matthew 16:24
The words of our text strike at the heart of the self-centeredness we see so often today in the Church of Jesus Christ. There are many people who profess to be Christians and are members of a congregation, but their only concern for the church is what they can get out of it. The words that come from their lips are, “What’s in it for me?” They are what we call consumers. They take as much as they can for themselves, but they never contribute to the life and health of the church. They do not understand what Jesus teaches about true discipleship and how He calls every believer to live a life of self-denial. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
Self-denial is a mark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ, and it is a principle that Jesus taught many times to His disciples. However, we must understand that Jesus is not saying to His disciples, I will love you and save you if you deny yourselves. Rather, Jesus is saying, because I have set my love on you and saved you by my grace, therefore deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me. Jesus is not talking about how to be saved, but rather, how those who are already saved demonstrate the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in their heart by living a life of self-denial.
And so, Jesus teaches His disciples the principle of self-denial. The word “deny” in our text means to disown or renounce one’s self. Jesus is teaching His disciples what it means to be in union with Him. In other words, to be a believer is to be spiritually united to Jesus Christ by true faith, and because of this union you now live a different life. You are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17); you are born from above by the Spirit of God (John 3); you are a true branch engrafted into the vine (John 15). Simply put, you now belong to Christ. And as a result, you begin a life-long journey of forsaking your sinful passions and desires to follow Jesus. As a true disciple of Christ, you recognize you are not your own, but you belong to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all your sins (Heidelberg Catechism #1). “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Does your life demonstrate that you are a true disciple of Jesus Christ? “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
Tuesday Encouragement: November 24, 2020
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry