Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23 KJV 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.

Three points:

If any one wants to come following me, then he must

1. Deny himself.

The word "will" is not indicating a future event. It is the word for making a decision to do something. In this case it is to follow Jesus. Deny according to Thayer is:

1) to deny

1a) to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone

1b) to forget one's self, lose sight of one's self and one's own interests

The same word is used in John 13:38. Jesus is speaking to Peter. It is a total denial of knowing or identifying with Jesus and His teaching. Thus God's will is the upmost importance. It comes before our will or want. God is kind and knows what is best, so we can be safe with Him. Psalms 100:3 ESV Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

2. Take up his cross daily.

The cross represents all that is difficult and burdensome because we identify with Jesus Christ. Matthew 10:38 ESV And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

3. Follow me.

Follow me. Jesus knows the way. He is our protection, when we are assaulted by spiritual enemies. He is our physician, when we are spiritually sick. He is our hope, when the way is hopeless. He is our light, when the way is dark. He is our supply, when we are needy.

If we love Him, we will obey Him. There are over 1,000 laws in the New Testament for Christians to obey.