Let Him Deny Himself...

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.--Luke 9:23-26

The cost of following after Christ is pretty clearly delineated here by Christ Himself.  "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself."  

I looked up "let him deny" in the lexicon results on the Blue Letter Bible.  Here is what I found and I think it really puts an interesting spin on things.

to deny

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

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

So denying oneself means literally to refuse to associate with yourself...you affirm that you have no acquaintance or connection with self....you lose sight of one's self and one's own interest.  

Fascinating...

Following Christ then is the end of "you" or the end of the big "I"...the end of "our" own personal dreams, goals, hopes, and desires.  The Christian life is not about self...it is not about us...it is about Him...it is about the denial of self.  When we come to Christ then, we literally yield up our empty life of self and sin...we no longer want anything to do with that person. 

The irony is that when we "forget" ourselves we actually become more ourselves than ever...we are in Christ, in fellowship with God, and that is where we were created to be.  Thus we can become more than ever the person we are because we are no longer missing the crucial piece of the puzzle. C.S. Lewis said it like this:

“The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. . .It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.”

"We" have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us. The life that we now live in the flesh, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.  

In that last sentence is the point..."who loved us and gave Himself for us.  This is why we are so willing and yes even grateful to give up the almighty "I".  

Really listen to what these next verses from the Book of Romans are saying:

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the UNGODLY. (emphasis mine) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.--Romans 5:6-8

Did you get that? There is the truth...Christ died for the UNGODLY.  It is true that someone might dare to die for a good person but Christ died for us when we were yet still His enemies.  Christ willingly died for the EVIL, THE VILE AND THE WICKED.  Picture yourself dying for a horrific serial killer...giving up your own life willing for their good.  This is what Christ did for us!!!  It wasn't based on our own worthiness...it was borne out of His love toward us...a love we did not deserve...a love we could not earn.  WOW!

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,
I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,
Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love,
How can it be
That You, my King, should die for me?
Amazing love,
I know it’s true.
It’s my joy to honor You,
In all I do, I honor You.--Amazing Love - Chris Tomlin

The cost of discipleship is high but the rewards are infinite. Truly it is and should be our joy to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with our entire beings...to be literally that living sacrifice in grateful acknowledgement of what He has accomplished in us and for us.  

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.--Romans 8:18

But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”--1 Corinthians 2:9