Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

Scripture

Luke 9:23

And he said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:57-62

As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." ⁵⁹ To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." ⁶⁰ But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." ⁶¹ Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." ⁶² Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Summation and Purpose

Summation: Prior to making a decision, it is prudent to consider the cost. This includes the decision we make for Jesus. Although the benefits of becoming a disciple of Jesus are out of this world, there is a cost. Jesus expects us to rearrange our priorities and focus our lives on him. In order to do this, we must be willing to make sacrifices. This is why Jesus stated, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices to become a disciple of Jesus? I hope so. There is no greater purpose on earth.

Purpose: To help the congregation understand the sacrifices that we must make in order to become a disciple of Jesus. To encourage the congregation to make these sacrifices.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: When I was a young Army lieutenant, I was like most red-blooded

American soldiers and considered the idea of applying for the Special Forces, the

Green Berets

A. I looked at the honor and prestige they enjoyed and I thought, “I could do that. I could be one of the best. I could discipline myself enough and work out enough to meet their standards” But then….

B. I looked at two of the sacrifices I would have to make

· I knew I wanted a family and going into the Special Forces would mean spending a whole lot more time away from my family

· I would be obligated to spend more time in the Army. For a certain period of time, I wouldn’t have the option of getting out of the Army.

· After considering these sacrifices, I decided the Special Forces weren’t for me

C. Whenever we make a life changing decision, we should consider the sacrifices or cost of our decision. This is true for our decision to follow Christ.

· Jesus is calling us all to be his disciples.

· There is no greater honor. Being a disciple of Christ is the most fulfilling endeavor anyone could ever pursue. It provides a love, joy and peace that is beyond understanding.

· There is, however, a cost. There are sacrifices that must be made. Jesus makes this very clear.

II. The sacrifices we must be willing to make in order to be a disciple of Jesus.

A. Being a disciple means that you are seeking to follow Jesus and become like him and He lived a life of sacrifice. If we are to become like Jesus, we are to live a life of sacrifice.

B. After feeding 5,000 people with 2 fish and five loaves of bread, Jesus went into prayer and then asked the apostles, “Who do you say I am?”

· Peter responds that He is the Christ of God.

· What’s interesting is what Jesus says right after this declaration

- Jesus doesn’t say, “Yes, I’m the Christ. I will use my power to get whatever I want. I’m going to have an easy and luxurious life.”

- Jesus says, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Luke 9:22)

- Right after this he says, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

- To paraphrase, Jesus said, “As the Christ, I’m going to allow myself to be beaten, tortured and murdered. On the third day I’ll rise. If you want to follow me, you must also be willing to sacrifice yourselves.”

C. Jesus says that we must be willing to ‘deny ourselves’ and ‘pick up our cross daily’

· Denying ourselves: Surrendering our wills to God’s will. Desiring our wills to become God’s will. IT’S NOT ABOUT ME. IT’S ABOUT GOD!

- Within a congregation, there are often differences of opinions concerning what songs to sing, how to conduct worship or how to spend money. When we remember that it’s not about me but about God, these issues become irrelevant.

- We must set ‘ourselves’ aside when we don’t get our way.

- This willingness to set ‘ourselves’ aside naturally leads to a willingness to sacrifice

· Taking up our crosses daily: A daily willingness to sacrifice for the sake of others and the Kingdom of Heaven

- Sacrifice our money

- Sacrifice our time

- Sacrifice our reputation, power and prestige

- Sacrifice our lives: Examples of Christians sacrificing their lives found on the voice of the Martyrs web site, www.persecution.com

D. These sacrifices don’t hurt us. They actually help us.

· They’re sacrifices because we are giving up something. We are letting go of something.

· By letting go of these things

- We draw closer to God. We make God our number one priority

- The more we do this the more God changes us and makes us more like Christ.

· So, ‘denying ourselves’ and ‘taking up our cross’ are actually good for us in the long run.

III. Conclusion: Do you want to answer God’s call to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices? If so, repent of your sins and trust Jesus as your Savior, Lord and Friend.