Let Him Deny Himself

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)

There are three parts to Jesus’s statement.

1. Let him deny himself

Deny yourself? Stop and really think on this for a minute. Who can really say they can deny themselves, as in setting aside your own interests and placing the interests of another above your own? Are you willing to put Christ first when that means abolishing your carnal will and wishes?

In some cases, it is easier to lay down your life for someone than it is to lay down your lusts, wants and desires. It's a matter of will. To deny one's self is to go against your own will. That can be a very interesting battle.

Fortunately no one is a complete polar opposite of Jesus. We all have overlapping attributes to one extent or another, so our battle of will, will vary from person to person. But whatever is opposite of Christ has got to go. If it isn’t of Christ then it is of sin.

2.Take up his cross daily

For the most part, this is the easy part and is why so many participate in it. “Take up his cross daily” is the participation and practice of religion. But there is a big difference between the religion of Christ and having a relationship with Christ.

Participation in religion can be a detached, going through the motion’s kind of experience. People perform the perfunctory form and protocol of religion with the idea that in so doing they are paying the price for entry into heaven. Outside of Church, good deeds count the same as churchly duties. Carnal man understands things of the physical and material world. It is his senses that he wants to satisfy, which unfortunately leads him to sin. The act of doing involves most if not all the senses. It gives the carnal man the sense of accomplishment.

3.And follow me

This is where the rubber meets the road. This where doing transitions into being. Jesus gave us a perfect example of, “deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” in the parable of the rich man.

“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:16-21)

The rich man was “doing” religion. He followed the Ten Commandments. He loved his neighbor as himself. But when Jesus said, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me”, the rich man then balked. Why?

Jesus said to the rich man “if thou wilt be perfect”. Perfect is a reference to being complete or finished. Jesus was telling the rich man that if he wanted to be a whole Christian, to be Christ like, if he wanted to be complete, then participating in religion was not enough. To be “perfect” the rich man had to give of his heart, soul and spirit. He had to turn everything over to Jesus. But His heart, soul and spirit were not in it. He wanted the benefit of religion, but he didn’t want the commitment to Jesus.

The requirements of religion fell within his comfort zone. It really required nothing that the rich man didn’t already have to give.

Christ requires all, the good and the bad. Jesus requires what isn’t Christ like to be changed or done away with.

The rich man could not deny himself; the burden of the cross was too heavy for him to bear and the way of Jesus was too long to travel. Religion was easy. But when the rich man weighed the cost against the benefit, he chose today’s temporal world over tomorrows eternity in heaven. More than temporary against eternity, and more than the differences between the benefit of this world and heaven, what the rich man was saying no to was righteousness. That burden was just too heavy for him.

We must be righteous and perfect to be presentable to God. The only way to do this is to be Holy Ghost filled and in Christ. Christ is our covering. Refusing Christ is refusing righteousness. Conversely, refusing righteousness is to refuse it all.

Deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow Christ. There is no other way to God, righteousness, and eternal life.

Bill Hitchcock