A sermon preached by Dr. John Clayton at Covenant Presbyterian Church of Fort Smith, Arkansas on May 11, 2025.
“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:23–27).[1]
When Jesus asked his disciples bluntly, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered on their behalf, “The Christ of God” (Luke 9:20). He was right of course: Jesus came as the prophesied Messiah, but there was more they would need to know. Speaking of himself in third-person, Jesus said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (9:22). A true confession of Christ includes not only his identity but his life, death, and resurrection too. But it is highly likely his disciples had no idea what he was talking about, because it didn’t fit the narrative of their Messianic expectations.
Afterall, wasn’t the Messiah, the Christ to come, the Prince of Peace who would reign over his worldwide government,[2] with equity, justice, righteousness, and faithfulness, as Isaiah prophesied?[3] Surely this is what the mother of James and John was thinking when she lobbied for positions of authority for both of her sons in Jesus’ kingdom.[4] And let us not forget that shortly before his crucifixion, Jesus’ disciples argued not over who would willingly fight to the death for him but over who was the greatest among them.[5] Whatever the disciples believed precisely about Jesus up to this point, suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection didn’t factor in. All along the way, their expectations seemed to be driven more by what they would get rather than what discipleship meant.
Of course, as Solomon reminds us, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles. 1:9). Today, for example, some promote a so-called Christian faith of health and wealth that promises physical and financial prosperity in this life. According to this belief, Christ’s death secured our health here and now and rescued us from financial poverty. With enough faith (and the right words and claims), they tell us, we should expect the health and wealth of our “best life now.” But as appealing as this sales pitch may be, it’s strikingly contrary to Jesus’ description of the Christian life.
To his misguided disciples, then and now, Jesus explains that following him involves self-denial, self-sacrifice, and absolute devotion, the paradoxical reality of the Christian life: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:24). Turns out, the Christian life is not characterized by worldly wealth and health but total loss for Christ’s sake.
Total Loss
If you’re looking for a one sentence description of Christian discipleship this will work: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). To understand this imagery, we must remember that his disciples did not know how Jesus would die. They didn’t hear “cross” and think of Christ’s crucifixion, but living under Rome’s rule, they knew well the graphic symbol of Roman power. They had likely seen the wooden instrument of torture and shame carried to the place where the guilty would be secured to it and hoisted upon it for everyone to see suffering and justice on display. The cross was the image of death, and to carry it daily metaphorically meant putting to death your best life now. Or, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”[6]
To this end, note the three verbs of Jesus’ clarion call: “deny,” “take up,” and “follow.” To deny ourselves is to put what pleases God first, not ourselves. This means not only denying the siren songs of the world, the flesh, and the devil, enticing us to put at the pinnacle of our pursuits what we want, but elevating everything that God wants. Such self-denial, for example, Paul says, is perfectly witnessed in the life of Christ,
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:6-8).
Jesus denied himself heavenly glory by becoming man. Jesus denied himself sinful pleasure by keeping the law. Jesus denied himself physical comfort by enduring the cross. Jesus denied himself spiritual amenity by dying for our sins. This is the mindset of the follower of Christ too.[7]
The second verb is translated “take up,” referring to Jesus’ metaphorical use of the cross. We are to figuratively carry the emblem of our execution. While this expression has become an idiom in our language for essentially putting up with something or someone difficult (As in, working with Greg and Brandon is my cross to bear!), what Jesus is referring to is our call to suffer for his sake. And it is not an on-occasion only call but “daily”! We are to lay ourselves “on the altar of daily obedience.”[8]
The third verb is “follow.” As Christians we do not follow the world, or its heroes; we do not follow ourselves, or our desires. We follow Jesus. Of course, this means that when someone who contradicts Jesus tells us to follow their way, we must reject their appeal. But contextually note this calling comes immediately after Jesus explained to his disciples that he would “suffer many things,” be “rejected,” and be “killed” (9:22). We may grimace at the word suffer. And who wants to be rejected? And none of us wants to be killed. Perhaps this is why the verb “follow” follows self-denial and cross-carrying. Following Jesus doesn’t simply mean knowing who he is; it means he is everything.
Of course, as Christians we do not always deny ourselves, daily take up our crosses, and follow Jesus in perfect obedience. For this reason, Christ’s calling calls for daily self-examination. For example, do you struggle with unhappiness? It could be that your self has become your central focus rather than Christ. Do you struggle with discontentment? It could be that you are not taking up your cross daily. Do you struggle with sinful thoughts or desires? It could be that who or what you are following is someone or something other than Jesus. These are only a few examples, but my point is our flesh will go at great lengths to preserve its pleasures, so we must actively engage against it, ever mindful that whatever we might indulge here pales in comparison to heaven’s reward.
Heavenly Profit
If following Christ includes, suffering, rejection, even death, what benefit is there? The answer, Jesus says, is “life”: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (9:24). It is one of the paradoxes of the Christian life. But what does Jesus mean by “save” and “lose”?
Most human beings believe in God, in some form or fashion. The number of true atheists worldwide is miniscule. This makes sense since Romans tells us God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Rom. 1:20). And yet, as a species, though made in his image and sustained by his common grace, we neither honor nor thank him for anything. Instead, as a means of self-preservation, we trust in ourselves, and worship what pleases us. And while most would not conceive of it as seeking to save oneself, life is lost apart from God’s provision.
But in his mercy and grace, God has given the provision of his only Son, that through faith in his life, death, and resurrection, we are given eternal life.[9] In this sense, we lose our life for his. The problem is we don’t inherently want to lose anything, and especially if it is something that does not satisfy our immediate desires or provide tangible profit to our life. We are tempted to believe that life is one of accumulation, whether it be money, memories, or more stuff. But didn’t Job say, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return” (Job 1:21a)? And what about Judgment Day? Will we lament our unfulfilled “bucket list” when standing before the judgment seat of Christ? “He is no fool,” Jim Elliot said, “who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”[10] Turns out, total loss in following Christ yields, what Paul calls, “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8).
Stated negatively, this is the point of Jesus rhetorical question, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25). Take a moment and consider all the world has to offer. Is there anything the world can give you, whether fortune, fornication, or fame, that is worth eternity in hell? J.C. Ryles says, “All other losses are bearable, or but for a short time, but the loss of the soul is for evermore. It is to lose God, and Christ, and heaven, and glory, and happiness, to all eternity. It is to be cast away for ever, helpless and hopeless to hell!”[11] Life is short; eternity is long. Examine your heart and evaluate the incalculable value of following Christ.
Guaranteed Return
Jesus’ terminology of profit and loss is borrowed from the terminology of finance. When considering the acquisition of a company or its stock, for example, investors seek to determine its intrinsic value, meaning what the company is worth. Once determined, an investor may bid below this number, hoping for a bargain, or above this number, hoping for future returns to justify the price. But the determining factor of whether something is a good or bad investment begins by determining value. Jesus is essentially teaching us to do the same thing but of greater significance: our soul.
And if you are looking for a guaranteed return on the investment on your life in Christ, here it is: The Lord Jesus Christ will return in his glory and the glory of God the Father who sent him, with his holy angels, to gather all who belong to him.[12] Guaranteed. Yes, Peter, James, and John, beheld Jesus’ glory at his transfiguration, as a precursor of the fulfillment of his kingdom, but when Jesus returns everyone will behold his glory. And on that day, he will personally judge the living and the dead. Those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who are in essence ashamed of the necessity of his saving provision, will be condemned to eternal torment in the lake of fire forever.[13] But everyone who believes, every follower of Christ, will experience on that day the incalculable value of following Christ, which will last not for a day but for eternity.
[1] Unless referenced otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001).
[2] Isa. 9:6
[3] Isa. 11:3-4
[4] Matt. 20:20-21
[5] Luke 22:24
[6] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Touchstone Publishing, 1995).
[7] Phil. 2:5
[8] Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, Vol. 1 (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2009), 460.
[9] John 3:16
[10] Elizabeth Elliot, Through Gates of Splendor (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1958).
[11] J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Luke, Vol. 1 (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2012), 237.
[12] Luke 9:26
[13] Rev. 20:15
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