By John W. Crowder
Next Step, Week 2: The Cost · Luke 9:23–24; Mark 1:16–20
We all grew up in a world that taught us to protect ourselves, take care of ourselves, watch out for ourselves, and promote ourselves. That’s how we learned life works. And then Jesus comes along with a radical statement. Those of us who grew up in church have heard it so often that we fail to see how radical it really is.
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23, ESV)
We’re taking four weeks to camp out in this one verse, phrase by phrase, because it describes the reality of discipleship. Last week we looked at the invitation: “If anyone would come after me.” It’s open to any one of us, regardless of our history, our background, our mistakes, or our failures. This week we look at the cost: “Let him deny himself.”
Not Something. Yourself.
Notice what Jesus does not say. He doesn’t say, “Deny yourself something.” Deny yourself chocolate. Deny yourself television for a while. Deny yourself Dr Pepper. (Well, He would never ask that of us.) It’s not “deny yourself of something.” It’s “deny yourself.” Period.
I’ve grown to have a deep respect for the season we call Lent. Many people set aside something that has become part of their lives so that they can focus on what’s more important as we get ready for Easter. That’s meaningful, and it’s beautiful. But that’s not what this is. This is not give up something. This is give up you.
True discipleship is denying self. In other words, He is King, and I am His subject. He’s the Master, and I’m His servant. He’s the Teacher, and I’m His student. He’s the Lord, and I’m the disciple.
The concept is easy enough to grasp. But what does it look like in real life? Luke 9 tells us. Mark 1 shows us.
Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. (Mark 1:16–20, ESV)
Peter and Andrew just went to work that day. So did James and John. They were working for the family business, Zebedee Fishing Company or whatever it was called. It was a normal, everyday day, and it was right out of that ordinary life that Jesus called them.
Earlier in our service on Sunday, we celebrated Michael’s story. Michael was a fisherman in a kayak on a river in the middle of what seemed like an ordinary day, and God had a divine appointment for him. That’s how Jesus calls us out of our ordinary lives. He sees us right where we are, and He says, “Let’s get something started here.”
So what did following Him cost those fishermen? Three things.
Surrendering the Right to Define Yourself
Who were they? Mark makes a point of it: they were “casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen” (Mark 1:16). I always thought that verse read kind of funny. Yes, we caught that. If they’re throwing nets into the sea, they must be fishermen. But I think Mark is emphasizing it on purpose. Don’t forget these guys are fishermen. It’s important to the story.
Think about how you introduce yourself. “I’m John. I’m a pastor. I live in West.” We define ourselves by what we do. I’m a pastor. I’m a plumber. I do construction work. I’m a teacher.
Jesus called these men, and the one thing most of us use to define ourselves, they set aside. They dropped the nets. They were no longer defined by the family business or the tradition of fishing. They were going to follow the Master.
Understand, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the family business. It’s all good. We’ve got to have it. This is a state of the heart. You could stay in the family business and keep fishing, but now you define yourself by who the Master says you are.
Denying yourself means surrendering the right to define yourself. Jesus says, “Stop insisting that you get to define yourself. Let Me tell you who you are.”
You know how businesses have those organizational charts, with the CEO at the top and the managers and assistant managers branching off underneath? Denying yourself means taking your name off the top of the chart. Now He’s the Master. Now He’s the boss. He’s the Lord. “You define me, Jesus. I am who You want me to be.”
Surrendering the Right to Direct Yourself
Jesus said, “Follow me,” and “immediately they left their nets and followed him” (v. 18). He called James and John, and “they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him” (v. 20).
If I’m really going to be a disciple of Christ, if He’s really my Lord and my Master, if I have honestly put all my faith and trust in Him, then He gets to decide which direction I take. Self-denial is not seeing how much I can give up. It is saying that Jesus has the first claim on me.
When Lisa and I were in college, our college minister used to love to say that either Jesus is Lord of all or He’s not Lord at all. Think that through. It makes sense, doesn’t it? If He’s Lord, He’s in charge. I don’t get to say, “Jesus, You can be Lord over this part of my life and this part, but this part over here is mine.” If I do that, I’ve just set the ground rules, and that makes me lord of my life, not Him.
Discipleship is not just saying, “Jesus, I believe You died on the cross for me.” That’s where the journey begins. I know I have sinned and I need His forgiveness. I know He paid the penalty for my sin, and I know He came back to life so that He could walk with me every day. That’s how my relationship with Him begins. Once it starts, my goal becomes to follow Him. He gets to determine where I go, when I go, how I go, and why I go.
Most of the time, we like to figure out where we’re headed and how we’ll get there. But Jesus says, “You follow Me. I get to decide where you’re headed, and I decide how you get there.” A true disciple says, “I’ll follow You. I trust You. You know better than I do. What is the next step for me?”
That’s why the very next verse says:
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (Luke 9:24, ESV)
If I hold on to my life, my dreams, my wants, and my way, I’m going to wind up losing that life, because the life I’m controlling will come to an end one of these days. But when I lose that life voluntarily by saying, “Jesus, You’re in charge now. This life is Yours,” then I find life. In Him there is abundant life and eternal life. That’s why He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
Simon and Andrew let go of their nets. Those nets represented their income, their security, their skill, their routine, and everything they knew about life. They dropped them all to follow wherever He led.
Trusting Jesus With What You Become
A couple of years ago, I wrote a little book and wanted to get it published. The publisher sent back a contract full of lawyer words and publishing words. The contract was bigger than the book! I read it, and I didn’t quite understand it, so I sent it to my cousin, who is a lawyer. He read over the legal stuff and said, “Well, you might ask him about this or that, but basically it’s a fine contract. Go ahead and sign it.” Once I had his approval, I signed it and turned it in.
Jesus says to us, “I want you to sign the contract to follow Me, but it’s a blank contract. You don’t get to read it and make choices ahead of time. You sign on the bottom line, and then I’ll fill in the details.” Faith says, “I trust that Jesus knows what should be in the contract. I’m going to follow Him.”
There was no negotiation with those four fishermen. Nobody said, “Hey, Jesus, if we follow You, what’s going to happen? Where are we going? What about Zebedee over here? Who’s going to help him? I’m supposed to bring fish sticks home for dinner. What’s the plan?” They didn’t have that conversation. Jesus said, “Follow Me,” and they knew they could trust Him with their very lives.
Remember why Mark wanted us to notice they were fishermen? Because then Jesus says, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). You don’t go learn how to serve Him and then come back and say, “Okay, Jesus, now I’m ready.” He says, “You follow Me, and I will make you who I want you to be.”
Denying yourself means trusting Jesus with what you become. Our goal is not to figure out God’s plan, make it happen, and come back to get Him to check it off. Our goal is to follow Jesus. As we do, He will make us into the ones He wants us to be.
The Right to Say “Not Yet”
Michael didn’t leave his kayak behind that night. He left behind his right to say “not yet.”
When they introduced me to Michael at our river baptism, I pulled him aside. I explained that baptism is a way to show others that you are already a Christian, and I asked him, “Are you a Christian? Have you trusted Christ?” He said yes. But after he accepted Christ, he never got baptized. He said he eventually just drifted. And lately, in his words, God had been calling him to get baptized and calling him back home.
Michael had missed his next step, and he got off track. That night he was there by God’s divine appointment, so he could get back on track and stop telling God “not yet.” That was his next step, and that night he took it.
I always have people register ahead of time for the river baptism, partly so they can get a T-shirt and partly so I can put their names on my list. I put the list in a baggie so it doesn’t get wet in the river. (I can’t remember thirty names on a good day. I can’t remember my own name half the time.) After it was over, Michael told one of the men in the river, “I wasn’t even on the list.” And the answer came back, “No, your name wasn’t on the list, but your name was in the book.”
Scripture talks about those “written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Michael’s question wasn’t about his salvation. It was about his discipleship. Would he follow?
The same is true for many of us. If you believe in Christ and you’ve trusted Him, I’m not talking to you about losing your salvation. What I am saying is this: even if you’re saved, there’s a next step for you. Are you ready and willing to let Him be in charge, to let Him be Lord? Will you follow the Leader?
What’s your next step?
Watch the full message, “The Cost,” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9soHWvk-qc. Listen to the audio at https://fbcwest.com/sermons/11513/. For reflection questions and a closing prayer, open this week’s Sermon Companion at fbcwest.com/companion.
Next Sunday in Next Step we take the next phrase, “take up his cross,” in “Dying to Live” (Luke 9:23; John 6:60, 66). Join us at 8:00 or 10:30 AM, or watch online at 10:30 at fbcwest.com/livestream.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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