Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

 Matthew 16:21-26

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you." ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men." ²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?

Matthew 22:37-40

And he [Jesus] said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

Summary and Function

Summary: Jesus makes it very clear that, as his followers, we are to love God, ourselves and neighbors. Becoming like Jesus means loving God and others with the same type of love God has for us. Jesus also makes it clear that in order to follow him we must be willing to make sacrifices. That’s what ‘denying yourself and picking up your cross’ is all about. There’s a connection between love and sacrifice. Our love is not complete until we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others.

This is the example given to us by Jesus, God the Son. When Jesus became human, He sacrificed his Godly attributes and became dependant on God the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus maintained his perfect love relationship with God the Father. (In this way, Jesus is God showing us how to be a perfect human.) As a human who followed God the Father and depended on God the Holy Spirit, Jesus allowed himself to be falsely arrested, beaten, tortured, ridiculed and murdered on a cross. He sacrificed himself to save us from our sins. Jesus’ love for us became complete through His willingness to sacrifice Himself for our sake. Likewise, our love for God and others becomes complete when we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others and the Kingdom of God. It is this ‘complete love’ that will change the world. 

Purpose: To encourage the congregation to make sacrifices for the sake of others and the Kingdom of God.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Love and Sacrifice

II. Having all the right ingredients for love

     1) Cake as an example

• I present two cakes to the congregation. One cake is flat and unappetizing. The other one is fluffy and very appetizing.
• The appetizing cake was made with all the right ingredients (Flour, baking soda, eggs etc..) This cake is complete.
• The flat unappetizing cake was made with all the right ingredients except eggs.  This cake is not complete. It’s missing a vital ingredient.

     2) Love must have certain ingredients in order to be complete

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – patience, kindness, humility, courtesy, selflessness, not easily angered, rejoices in the right
• One potent ingredient that gives love its power: The willingness to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others and the Kingdom of God.

III. Love and our willingness to sacrifice ourselves

     1) Willingness to sacrifice demonstrates, beyond a shadow of doubt, our love

• My Dad never said, “I love you”
• I, however, always knew he loved me.
• I knew my dad loved me because he was constantly sacrificing something for the sake of us kids
• Dad sacrificed his time: After a hard day at work, he always stopped at my Pop Warner football practice to watch me play
• Dad sacrificed his money: Never had new clothes. All his money went to buy new clothes for me and my siblings

• Member of devout Dutch Christian family…lived with her sister and father in their Father’s clack repair shop
• Prior to WWII, Corrie spent 20 years ministering to the hanidicap
• During WWII, after the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, Corrie and he family began taking in Jewish refugees.
• February 28, 1944 entire Ten Boom family arrested. Corrie’s father and sister were killed in the concentration camps.
• In 1947 she was approached by a former concentration camp guard who asked for forgiveness. With God’s help she was able to forgive. She wrote about this experience in “Tramp for the Lord” She said, “For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.”

     3) The example of Jesus

• When Jesus became human, He sacrificed his Godly attributes and became dependant on God the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus maintained his perfect love relation
• ship with God the Father. (In this way, Jesus is God showing us how to be a perfect human.)
•  As a human who followed God the Father and depended on God the Holy Spirit, Jesus allowed himself to be falsely arrested, beaten, tortured, ridiculed and murdered on a cross. He sacrificed himself to save us from our sins.
• Jesus’ love for us became complete through His willingness to sacrifice Himself for our sake.
• Likewise, our love for God and others becomes complete when we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others and the Kingdom of God.
• It is this ‘complete love’ that will change the world. 

     4) Example: We should be willing to sacrifice our money for anyone in need.

• There are, however, many ways to sacrifice our money for those in need.  
• Rather than simply giving someone some money, you could buy that person a grocery store gift card or pay their rent directly to the landlord. That way you know the money is not being used to support a destructive lifestyle.
• In addition to buying a gift card or paying the rent, you could get them involved in a financial planning class, a celebrate recovery group, AA/NA, the recovery programs at City Rescue Mission or Trinity Rescue mission etc….
• Also, in addition to sacrificing your money, you pray for them. (Actually, you should already be praying for them.)

V. Assessing your love

• Is your love complete?
• Does your love have all the necessary ingredients?
• Does your love have the potent ingredient that gives love its power?
• Does your love have a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of others?