(My illustrations are from my files, primarily. No intention is implied that they are original. I have simply used them too much to remember where I found them. Variations of them can all be found on the internet, even on this site).
Jesus addresses the crowd to share with them the values required for discipleship.
Mark 8:34-38
I. The Plan.
Mar 8:34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
To follow, there is something you have to lay down. There is something you have to pick up. There is a way you have to go.
I cannot address this verse without pointing out one thing. There is an attraction to follow Jesus. For me, that attraction is really simple. First, my life didn't work. My way failed me. My resources were inadequate. In my efforts to find purpose, value and meaning in life, I was never satisfied.
Many would be fine with such dissatisfaction. Settling in life is considered a sane reality to some. But that urge to find purpose, value and meaning really never dies. And add to that the call of God, it creates a thirst that demand satisfaction.
When you turn down all the static of this life, you can hear His call. He has placed in you the desire to come to Him. Be still now and listen. But that invitation consists of these three requirements.
A. Lay down your life.
We often look at the death of Jesus and recognize that He laid down His life for us on the cross. However, there is another way to lay down your life besides death. It is not "dying for", but also "living for".
Here, the Greek word used implies disowning one's self. Giving up ownership is a prerequisite to following Jesus. This is where many people find difficulty.
Ill. I have been told that there is a certain live animal trap that, if the trapped animal would simply back up a little, the trapping devise would relax and he could escape.
That is the shape of mankind. If we would just let go of control of our lives, we would find the freedom we push for. If you give up the rights, responsibility and control of your life to Jesus Christ, you will find abundant life. Giving up is the first step.
Throughout this Christian life, we must continue to say "no" to ourselves. However, you will never successfully get past this step unless you admit that there is something naturally and inherent in you that resists laying down your life.
Many Christians continue to live to satisfy their own natural cravings. Paul described the enemies of the Kingdom of God to the Philippians, saying, "Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things."
This will be a lifelong struggle, and denying self is just a first step. However, it is worth the effort to lay down your life, give up your rights and say "no" to your natural tendencies.
That is a requirement for discipleship and a value to which we must cling.
B. Pick up the purpose.
What did Jesus mean about taking up his cross?
In the previous text, Peter has just tried to call Jesus away from His God-given purpose. After that statement, Jesus said, "I want you to hear this, but I want the whole crowd to hear it."
Setting down your plans, rights and desires is an important step. Picking up the destiny of God is another. The cross was Jesus destiny. All He did in life led Him to His destined purpose.
Jesus told the disciples that you need to also find your destiny in His kingdom. No, you will not find it until you lay down your life, giving it all to Him.
Many start until they find out what He has in mind, and they, having set their hand to the plow, look back.
Nothing is more fulfilling than finding and living out the purpose God has for you. But nothing is more scary than to let go and pick up.
C. Follow me.
You deny your self, pick up God's purpose for your life, and then you go.
The word "follow" implies walking behind. However, the Greek implies going the same with with, accompanying. Jesus is saying, if I will deny myself and pick up His purpose, He will walk with me. He will never leave me or forsake me. There is nothing I can go through that surprises Him. There is nothing that I can encounter that He cannot handle for His glory and my good.
As David said, He is my shield, my shelter, my rock and my fortress.
Oh, the denying of self may be painful. The picking up the cross may be scary and hard. But the presence of Jesus makes it all wonderful. Well beyond worth it.
II. The Payment.
Mar 8:35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
After Jesus gave the qualifications for discipleship, He emphasis the price. It will cost you your life, but will save your life.
You will get what you give up. Simply, if you live for yourself, you will lose your life. If you live for Christ, you will forever keep your life. In a sense, this is a living martyrdom.
One little girl saved up her money for weeks and weeks. She wanted to buy a pretty little plastic pearl necklace she had seen down at the store. At last, she had enough money to buy the necklace. She was so excited! Her Daddy took her down to the store so she could purchase the necklace of her dreams. She brought it home and paraded around in it proudly. That night, when her Daddy came in to kiss her goodnight, he asked her, “Selena, can I have your necklace?” Little Selena looked at her Daddy with a frown and said, “No, Daddy. It’s my necklace.” Her Daddy just smiled and kissed her and said, “I love you, Sweetie. Good night.” The next night the same thing happened. Her Daddy asked her if he could have her necklace, and her response was the same: “No, Daddy. I saved and saved and bought this with my own money.” Daddy just kissed her and said, “I love you, Selena. Good night.” On the third night, when her Daddy came in, Selena was sobbing, with big alligator tears streaming down her face. She handed her necklace to him and said, “Daddy, you can have it. I don’t need it anymore.” Her Daddy smiled and knelt down beside her and pulled her close for a great big Daddy hug. Then, he took her necklace and slipped it into his pocket. As he did, his hand came out with a thin black box with a velvety cover. He opened it and held it out to her. Her eyes got as big as saucers as she saw a string of real pearls shining back at her. “Oh Daddy,” she said. “Thank you, thank you! If I had known, I would have given you my necklace the first time you asked.” (Traditional, unknown).
III. The Profit.
Mar 8:36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Here we see a contrast between the worth of one soul compared to the wealth and riches of the whole world. We sometimes forget the worth of a soul. We see the destruction of sin, the devaluation of Satan and the comparisons with others and don't value the soul.
God loved us enough to redeem us. Jesus died for your soul.
I want to chase a rabbit here, and I don't do that often.
We don't love others because we don't value their souls like God values the soul of man.
It occurred to me in my devotional a few weeks ago that pornography was a form of hatred. As I was studying some passages about love, I realized, by the voice of the Spirit of God, that darkness is best defined by the absence of light. Cold is the absence of heat. Hate, therefore, is the absence of love.
It is unthinkable to a normal person for a father or grandfather to sexually abuse his daughter or granddaughter. That is hatred. It is unthinkable to us because love does not permit it.
The normal person would not find pleasure in viewing the nude pictures of his daughter or granddaughter. Why? Because of love.
So to view pornography is to not love, value and cherish the life of the model. The absence of love is hate. Hate is not evil or destructive feelings towards another, but the lack of love.
But we fail to love in other ways also.
Concerning abortion, we know we are not loving the unborn if we do not stand for their lives. But we are hating them if we are not loving them.
And then again, we are not loving the mothers of these children if we are not sharing with them about the damage of the rip that will occur in their souls if they abort their own child. We are hating the mothers.
We are not loving the people in our community if we do not share with them the message of salvation. We are hating them through the absence of love.
Jesus says the soul of man is worth more than everything in this world. It is worthy of love, no matter how messed up the package that carries the soul.
Now, for some of us, we are so filled with self-loathing we do not love ourselves. We try to compensate by loving ourselves in unsatisfactory, defeating ways. We are either losing our souls by try to save ourselves, or we have already given up hope.
We are called to give up to God and it will save us. Give up to the Lord, the redeemer of souls. Let God redeem your value and worth within His plan.
Without Christ, I am nothing. With Christ, however, I share His value. Lay down your self-life, pick up His purpose, walk with Him and let Him redeem your worth.
Ill. There is an old legend of a swan and a crane. A beautiful swan alighted by the banks of the water in which a crane was wading about seeking snails. For a few moments the crane viewed the swan in stupid wonder and then inquired:
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to heaven" replied the swan.
"And where is heaven?" asked the crane.
"Heaven!" said the swan, "Heaven! have you never heard of heaven?" And the beautiful bird went on to describe the grandeur of the Eternal City. She told of streets of gold, and the gates and walls made of precious stones; of the river of life, pure as crystal, upon whose banks is the tree whose leaves shall be for the healing of the nations. In eloquent terms the swan sought to describe the hosts who live in the other world, but without arousing the slightest interest on the part of the crane. Finally the crane asked: "Are there any snails there?" "Snails!" repeated the swan; "no! Of course there are not." "Then," said the crane, as it continued its search along the slimy banks of the pool, "you can have your heaven. I want snails!"
IV. The Poverty.
Mar 8:37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?
What do you give God when you have nothing else of value to Him?
The rhetorical question Jesus asked screams the obvious answer. We have nothing to offer God. We live in poverty compared to the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Whatever we can offer Him, it is valueless to Him. He can speak it into His own hands.
But in our priorities, we have a tendency to want to bargain with God. Jesus points out the futility of this in one question.
Whatever reason you are using to holding on to your life, let it go. Let Go and let God and He will share His eternal wealth with you.
V. The Pride.
Mar 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
What makes a person back down from the crowd when it comes to Christ? Pride? Shame? If so, it is misplaced.
Sometimes in misplaced pride, we value how men view us more than how God views us. Today, that is going to stop some people from making right with God. It will keep some from going to someone else today and making peace. It will stop us from asking forgiveness, forgetting trespasses. It may stop someone for repenting to God. It stops us from confessing our sins to one another. It causes us to pick up offenses, act hurt, pull away from God and others.
All misplaced pride is a higher regard for how others see us than how God sees us. Please, don't let that stop you today.
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Ill. Robert Oppenheimer was the one man responsible for the development for the atomic bomb the United States used against Japan at the close of World War II. He was born in 1904 in New York City, and showed an early interest in science. He entered Harvard at 18 and graduated 3 years later with honors. He continued his studies in theoretical physics at various universities in Europe prior to teaching at the California Institute of Technology. He was considered one of the top ten theoretical physicists in the world, and specialized in the study of sub-atomic particles and gamma rays.
From 1943 he began directing 4500 men and women at Los Alamos, New Mexico, whose sole purpose was to build an atomic bomb. Two years and two billion dollars later, they had successfully detonated the first atomic bomb. When he saw what he had made, Robert Oppenheimer underwent a radical revaluation of his values; a value inversion. Upon seeing the first fireball and mushroom cloud, he quoted from the Bagavad-gita, "I am become death."
Two months later he resigned his position at Los Alamos and spent much of the remainder of his life trying to undo the damage, trying to get the genie of atomic weapons back in the bottle. There are certain individuals who, in a flash so to speak, like Oppenheimer, see that all they once valued is really of no lasting value at all. Their entire life has been turned on its head, everything is upside down. They see with painful clarity that the very things they prized most in life are in reality worthless baubles.
