“If Any Man Desires to Come After Me” “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” (Matthew 16:24)

Following Jesus “If any man desires to…” –A matter of will or choice (Joshua 24:15; Acts 2:40-41; Acts 13:46)

Joshua 24:15 “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Acts 2:40-41 “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”

Acts 13:46 “Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.’”

Following Jesus “If any man desires to…” –A matter of will or choice (Joshua 24:15; Acts 2:40-41; Acts 13:46) “Come after me…” –Many are following the wrong one, man… (1 Cor. 1:12-13; Gal. 1:6-7)

1 Corinthians 1:12-13 “Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

Galatians 1:6-7 “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.”

Following Jesus “If any man desires to…” –A matter of will or choice (Joshua 24:15; Acts 2:40-41; Acts 13:46) “Come after me…” –Many are following the wrong one, man… (1 Cor. 1:12-13; Gal. 1:6-7) –We must follow Christ for our salvation (1 Cor. 11:1; John 14:6)

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

Following Jesus “Let him deny himself…” –Surrender to God’s will. (Matt. 18:8-9; Ja. 1:27; Ro. 12:1-2; Phil. 3:4-8)

Matthew 18:8-9 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”

James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Philippians 3:4-8 “Though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

Following Jesus “Let him deny himself…” –Surrender to God’s will. (Matt. 18:8-9; Ja. 1:27; Ro. 12:1-2; Phil. 3:4-8) “And take up his cross…” –Endure burdens for Christ (Paul is an inspiring example. 2 Cor. 11:24-28)

2 Corinthians 11:24-28 “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness; besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”

Following Jesus “Let him deny himself…” –Surrender to God’s will. (Matt. 18:8-9; Ja. 1:27; Ro. 12:1-2; Phil. 3:4-8) “And take up his cross…” –Endure burdens for Christ (Paul is an inspiring example. 2 Cor. 11:24-28) “And follow me.” –To go to heaven, we must follow Christ’s steps. They lead there. (John 14:1-4)

John 14:1-4 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Following Jesus “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Pet. 2:21-24)