WHAT MUST I DO?
DENY YOURSELF, TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW JESUS**
LUKE 9:18-26
Big Idea: The way of costly obedience is the way that leads to joy.
Intro:
Imagine that you made a visit to your doctor and he told you that you had a disease. He tells you that you can survive the disease if you make some specific and challenging changes to your lifestyle. But, then, your doctor only tells you half the changes required and, so, the disease kills you. You’d want to sue your doctor for malpractice … ‘cept you’d be dead and couldn’t. You would be justified in your dismay because he knew the cure and only told you half of it.
Might I suggest that there is, sometimes, a similar thing that happens when we share the Gospel; when we invite friends to follow Jesus? Sometimes we give them half the solution.
Jesus tells people to “believe” in him about five times in the Gospels. He tells people to “follow” him about twenty times. Yet, sometimes, we fail to give people the whole remedy. We make it “easy” without recognizing that there is no forgiveness without repentance; no salvation without surrender, and no believing without following.
Listen to this story from the Gospels. I want you to listen to what Jesus tells his followers right after they confess him to be the “Christ of God” -- right after they “believe” the right things about Jesus.
LUKE 9:18-26
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God." Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self ? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Whoa! Those are powerful words. There’s no getting around what Jesus says is required. We discover that there is no real believing without following.
The Bible calls it ‘denying yourself” or even “dying to self.”
Denying self and taking up your cross is a matter of the heart. The heart (our spiritual center) is mentioned 592 times in Scripture. With unwavering clarity the Scriptures take us to this deep inner source of passion, convinced that the matter of the heart is the heart of the matter.
So let’s talk a bit about the self-denial; about what it means; the difference in simply believing and following. You see, self-denial and following Jesus shows itself in the choices we make.
SO, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR?
Is it your comfort and convenience? I remember setting in my truck behind the church in Baltimore staring at the garbage bins telling God I wanted to leave; I told Him that metropolitan life did not suit me well. I remember as clear as the day it happened the Father impressing upon me these simply words, “Ken I did not call you to be comfortable. I called you to be faithful.” That moment in the parking lot changed me from that day to this as God impressed upon me the truth that following him required self-denial and surrender.
“The Hobbit”
In the movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” there is a scene where the Bilbao Baggins, the Hobbit who is accompanying 13 dwarves on a mission, unexpectedly disappears and seems to have abandoned the dwarves during a crucial battle. They were losing. Biblao does return and the dwarves are victorious. Afterward Thorin (the dwarf leader) and Bilbao have a conversation.
[Thorin:] “Why did you come back? It matters! I want to know: why did you come back?”
[Bilbo:] “Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you’re right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See, that’s where I belong. That’s home. And that’s why I came back, cause you don’t have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can.”
Bilbao understands what denying one’s self means and we can take lessons from him. As long as people do not have the eternal home that we do; as long as people have no rest and no peace, as long as there is a battle for the souls of men we must deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Jesus.
Denying yourself is a moment (or more accurately a lifetime of moments) when we surrender control of ourselves and yield to God in obedience and trust. Denying yourself is absolutely essential if you want to follow Jesus. You cannot live for yourself and live for Jesus. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25)
CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA BY WHICH YOU MAKE LIFE DECISIONS?
Since this is Father’s Day, let me select an interesting topic to address.
“Josh Elliot’s Commencement speech”
In a Quinippiac commencement this year (2013), speaker Josh Elliot (a host on ABC’s Good Morning America) tells the graduating class to live for their dreams as he “lives for his daughter who is his guiding light and what he lives for.”
Now I don’t want to rain on Elliott’s parade but that is a common modern day form of idolatry. As sacred and important as our children are, God never condones or tells you to make your life choices based upon them or even what is “best” for them.
And, hear me now, this “idol” has been embraced by the church. I see Christians who make life decisions by the criteria of what is best for their children. We have created sanctimonious rationalization for it but it is still an idol. You are never given a green light in the Bible to make life’s decisions by what is best for your kids. In fact, Deuteronomy 1 tells the story of the spies that went in to check out the Promised Land and then 10 of the 12 gave excuses as to why Israel should not enter. Did you know one of their excuses for not obeying God and following Him into harm’s was way the safety of their children? Moses and God rebuke this in verse 39: “And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.”
Don't use children's wellbeing as an excuse to not deny yourself and obey God. It is pure idolatry. It is no different than letting the pursuit of money or the god Marduk make your choices for you.
Jesus says, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26, KJV).
What we are seeing in culture (and the church) today is a reaction to the neglect that many children have suffered in the past. But we have let the pendulum swing too far. Of course our children’s well-being is important but the last thing your kids need is to know that they are your criteria for decision-making. They need to know that God leads the family in real, sacrificial, and tangible ways.
Vickie and I never made life decisions based upon what was “best” for our children. We loved them; we took care of them; and we wanted them to be happy but our life decisions were based upon what we sensed was God’s leading not our children’s convenience (or even “needs”). In fact, on more than one occasion our children had to sacrifice greatly (even move 2,500 miles away from grandparents and friends). But you know what? God took care of them just as he told the Israelites that he would have taken care of their children if they’d followed him into the Promised Land. My children are adults now; they are happy, they love mom and dad, they love Jesus and they serve His church. To God be the glory! I could not ask for more. And I am grateful that they learned that following the Savior required real-time sacrifice.
If you will deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus, He will go with you; he will take care of you and yours.
CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU ACTUALLY SAID “NO” TO YOUR DESIRES AND FOLLOWED GOD IN SACRIFICIAL OBEDIENCE?
This is an expectation for every child of God. But hear me; the way of costly obedience is the way that leads to joy.
“Faith Helped Woman Confront British Terrorists”
Remember a few weeks ago when the British soldier was beheaded in broad daylight outside his barracks?
The Telegraph, a British paper, reported that a mother and Cub Scout leader, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, age 48,confronted the terrorists immediately after the grisly murder. She was one of the first people on the scene. While one of the terrorists held a bloodied knife, she selflessly engaged the terrorist in conversation in an attempt to prevent him from killing oters. A Christian blog for “First Things” noted the real factor that motivated Ms. Loyau-Kennett to risk her life and get involved was her Christian faith. She said, "I live my life as a Christian. I believe in thinking about others and loving thy neighbor. We all have a duty to look after each other."
Denying self is seldom that dramatic or high profile but it is often that demanding. Mrs. Loyau-Kennett understood that her faith is about faaaar more than her own personal well-being. It is about obeying God and loving humanity.
Again, there is no forgiveness without repentance; no salvation without surrender and no believing without following.
Wrap-Up
Prayer changes things
Have you heard about the lady that placed a magnet on her refrigerator that said “Prayer changes things” and her husband came along behind her and removed it?
She asked him why, “don’t you like prayer? The husband replied, “Oh sure, I like prayer; I just don’t like change.”
Friends, Jesus is calling you and our church to change. Jesus is calling us to do hard things … to sacrifice … to serve. Jesus is calling every one of you to give yourself away. I can guarantee you that today … today … God is calling every one you to surrender and yield your life … to obey … to follow.
And I can also guarantee you one other thing too. Do you remember what it is? I told you when I began this series (What Must I Do?) that there was one great truth that serving as an undercurrent for all I’d say … WHAT GOD SAYS YOU “MUST” DO; GOD KNOWS YOU CAN DO!
You see, you can do all things through Christ which strengthens you and you can choose to deny yourself. You can choose to take up your cross and follow Jesus. You can do it! And it starts by surrendering, confessing your sin, repenting, and then looking to God’s Holy Spirit to fill you.
You can leave here today, Christian, with a fresh start, a renewed spirit, and a sense of joy!
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self ?
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** I owe a debt of gratitude to James Harnish’ book “You Only Have to Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life” and Kyle Idleman’s book (Not a fan) for the inspiration (and some of the content) of this sermon.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
