Counting The Cost Of Following Jesus
Counting the Cost of Following Jesus
Text: Luke 9:23–27
There is a difference between admiring Jesus and following Jesus.
Many people are attracted to what Jesus can give them—peace, healing, provision, protection, hope, and eternal life. These are wonderful blessings, and the Word of God assures us that every good gift comes from God. But Jesus never presented discipleship as a life without sacrifice.
When Jesus called people to follow Him, He told them plainly that there was a cost.
Luke 9:23 says:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
These words challenge us to examine what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Following Christ is not simply attending church, reading Christian materials, or identifying ourselves as Christians. It means surrendering our lives to Him and allowing Him to become Lord over every area of our lives.
1. Following Jesus Requires Self-Denial
Jesus said, “Let him deny himself.”
Self-denial does not mean denying our value or believing that we are worthless. Rather, it means refusing to make ourselves the centre of our lives.
Before we come to Christ, we naturally want our own way. We want to make our own decisions, pursue our own desires, and determine our own direction. But when we follow Jesus, we surrender our right to rule ourselves.
The question changes from:
“What do I want?”
to:
“Lord, what do You want?”
Following Jesus means that His will becomes more important than our personal preferences.
Sometimes following Christ will require us to say no to something we desire. Sometimes it will require us to forgive when we would rather hold a grudge. Sometimes it will require us to remain faithful when obedience appears difficult. At other times, God may lead us in a direction that is completely different from the one we had planned.
Self-denial is therefore an essential part of discipleship.
2. Following Jesus Requires Taking Up Our Cross
Jesus continued:
“Take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
The cross speaks of sacrifice, surrender, and death to self.
Jesus was not calling His followers to seek suffering for suffering sake. Rather, He was teaching that genuine discipleship requires us to put God’s will above our own comfort.
The word “daily” is important.
Following Christ is not a decision we make only once. It is a daily walk.
Every day we have opportunities to choose obedience over disobedience, truth over falsehood, holiness over sin, forgiveness over bitterness, faith over fear, and Christ’s will over our own.
There may be days when following Jesus feels easy. There may also be days when obedience is costly.
But the disciple says:
“Lord, whatever it costs, I will follow You.”
3. Following Jesus May Cost Us Our Own Plans
We often have plans for our lives—plans for our careers, families, finances, relationships, ministries, and future.
There is nothing wrong with making plans. But the follower of Christ must be willing to surrender those plans to God.
Proverbs 3:5–6 teaches us to trust in the Lord rather than leaning on our own understanding.
Following Jesus means that we no longer insist that our way must be God’s way.
Sometimes God closes a door we desperately wanted opened.
Sometimes He asks us to wait.
Sometimes He redirects us.
Sometimes He calls us to do something that requires courage and faith.
In those moments, discipleship means trusting the wisdom of Christ even when we do not understand His direction.
4. Following Jesus May Cost Us Our Comfort
Jesus never promised that following Him would always be comfortable.
There will be times when standing for Christ may make us different from those around us. There may be situations where obedience to God’s Word is unpopular.
The Christian must not measure truth by popularity.
If everyone approves of our decisions but those decisions contradict God’s Word, we have a serious problem.
Jesus calls us to faithfulness, not merely popularity.
Our desire should be to please Him.
This may mean walking away from sinful practices that others consider normal. It may mean refusing dishonest gain when others are benefiting from it. It may mean maintaining purity when the culture encourages immorality.
The cost may be real.
But Christ is worth the cost.
5. We Must Consider What We Gain by Following Jesus
Jesus said:
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”
This is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life.
The world tells us:
“Protect yourself. Pursue yourself. Put yourself first.”
Jesus tells us:
“Surrender yourself to Me.”
The world says that the greatest life is found in getting everything we want.
Jesus teaches that true life is found in giving ourselves to God.
This does not mean that Christians receive nothing from following Christ. Quite the opposite. In Christ we receive forgiveness, reconciliation with God, eternal life, spiritual transformation, and the privilege of knowing Him.
The temporary sacrifices of discipleship cannot be compared with the eternal value of belonging to Christ.
6. What Profit Is There in Gaining the World and Losing Our Soul?
Jesus asked a searching question:
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?”
This question reaches beyond money.
A person may gain wealth, recognition, education, influence, possessions, and worldly success—and yet lose what matters most, his soul.
What is the value of gaining everything this world can offer if we lose our relationship with God?
Nothing in this world is worth exchanging for our eternal destiny.
Success without Christ cannot satisfy the deepest need of the human soul.
Possessions cannot save us.
Fame cannot save us.
Influence cannot save us.
Money cannot save us.
Only Jesus Christ can save.
Therefore, we must never allow the temporary things of this life to become more important than our eternal relationship with God.
7. Do Not Be Ashamed of Jesus
Jesus also warned:
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed…”
Following Christ requires courage.
We live in a world where biblical truth is sometimes rejected, mocked, or misunderstood. There may be pressure to remain silent about our faith.
But Jesus calls us to remain faithful to Him and to His Word.
We should never be ashamed of the One who was not ashamed to go to the cross for us.
He gave Himself for our salvation.
How then can we be ashamed to identify ourselves with Him?
Our faith should not merely exist inside the church building. Christ should be seen in our words, conduct, decisions, relationships, work, and everyday lives.
8. Counting the Cost Does Not Mean Jesus Is Not Worth It
When Jesus tells us to count the cost, He is not trying to discourage us from following Him.
He is calling us to understand the seriousness of discipleship.
Jesus is worth everything.
Whatever we surrender for Christ cannot compare with what we gain in Him.
We may surrender our own plans, but we gain His purpose.
We may surrender sinful pleasures, but we gain freedom and holiness.
We may surrender worldly priorities, but we gain eternal priorities.
We may lose the approval of some people, but we gain the approval of God.
We may experience difficulties because of our faith, but we have the promise of His presence.
The cost of following Christ is real, but the value of Christ is infinitely greater.
Conclusion
Jesus does not call us merely to admire Him.
He calls us to follow Him.
And following Him requires us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and walk with Him.
The question is not simply:
“What will Jesus give me?”
The deeper question is:
“Am I willing to give myself completely to Jesus?”
Every believer should honestly examine his or her heart.
What am I unwilling to surrender to Christ?
Is there a desire that has become more important than obedience to God?
Is there a habit that I know I must abandon?
Is there a relationship that is drawing me away from Christ?
Is there fear preventing me from obeying Him?
Is there a worldly ambition that has become more important than God’s will?
Following Jesus is a lifelong journey of surrender.
But we do not walk this journey alone.
The One who calls us is faithful.
The One who asks us to take up our cross is the One who first carried the cross for us.
Therefore, let us count the cost—but let us also remember the immeasurable worth of the One we are following.
Jesus Christ is worth everything.
Let us deny ourselves.
Let us take up our cross daily.
Let us follow Him faithfully.
And let our lives continually declare:
“Jesus, You are worth it all.”
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