The young husband was a troubled and he was going to a psychiatrist about
the problem. The doctor told him, "You don¡¦t have to let your wife bully you! Go home and show her you¡¦re the boss! The young man got home, slammed the door, shook his fist in his wife¡¦s face, and growled, "From now on, you¡¦re taking orders from ME! When I get home from work, I want my supper ON the table.
I want my clothes laid out.
I¡¦m will be going out with the boys.
Your will be staying home.
And another thing.
Do you know who¡¦s going to tie my tie
Yes she said: The undertaker.
Discussion:
Have you ever had to go to a wedding that you didn¡¦t want to? Several years ago I was the youth minister at a church in Bartlesville, Ok. A lady in the church was getting married and we hadn¡¦t been there very long. We planned on something else that afternoon ¡V but my nephew somehow got me invited ¡V we were expected to show up. Chris was very excited about the wedding ¡V he¡¦d never been to one before. On the way to the wedding I told him that he could go but would have to stay outside the church. He was mad ¡V because he really wanted to go. I told him that he couldn¡¦t go in because only married people could go to a wedding ¡V He looked at me ¡V I think he was 6 ¡V he said, ¡§But, uncle Jay ¡V I¡¦m too young to get married¡¨. He wanted to go to the wedding, but didn¡¦t want to pay the price.
¡§When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.¡¨ - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
If you get nothing else this morning get this ¡V Life is achieved not by clinging to it, but through loss or sacrifice. This is at the heart of the preaching of Jesus. You don¡¦t gain true life by holding on to this life ¡V you gain true life now ¡V when you let go. When you give, when you sacrifice.
Our scripture this morning tells us three ways to do what I call ¡V Living life at the wood pile ¡V we¡¦ll get to the meaning of that in a few minutes.
If you have your Bibles with you this morning turn with me to Luke 9:23-27 (Read) (Advance)
The first thing this text instructs us to do: (Advance)
I. Deny Our Lives (23)
¡§When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.¡¨ - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
a. Take up your Cross
The cross was literally a beam or a bar a person would lay across their shoulders to help them carry a heavy load.
When God calls you to follow him ¡V he wants you to give him everything.
i. Daily ¡V This word is added by Luke ¡V Matthew & Mark if you look at their accounts ¡V they don¡¦t have this word ¡§Daily¡¨.
The calling of discipleship is a calling to follow Jesus in the way of the cross. Daily means that we freshly approach this each day.
ii. And Follow ¡V (Advance)
1. When we follow him (Advance)
a. Our whole existence is patterned after Jesus on the cross. (Advance)
b. Our desires change (Advance)
c. Our thoughts change (Advance)
d. Our witness for him changes
Everything you do someone is looking at you. How do you conduct yourself when you get mad? How do you act when you are a winner at something? We must be clear about our calling to follow Jesus Christ as Lord. If he has called you to follow him ¡V regardless of the time, how long ago it was, or how recent it was ¡V it demands your everything, no matter the sacrifice that you have to make.
In the old testament ¡V God called his people to mourn for cities and groups of people who were following the wrong path ¡V people who are handcuffed to sin. At one point God called his people to place a mark on themselves and everyone else (Advance)
Ezekiel 9:4 ¡V and said to him, "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it."
The mark looked something like this in Hebrew form -- ƒ«ƒnThe mark today would look like this: (Advance) X or a +.
See church, the calling for a difference in the person who follows God goes back to the old testament. God¡¦s people should be different than the world ¡V we should act different, our love should be different ¡V the things that entertain us, should be different ¡V what we do for enjoyment, should be different. The places where we find our hope, our joys, our peace, our satisfaction with life ¡V should be different.
b. Are you different this morning?
i. Are you growing in Him?
ii. Are you reading His word daily?
iii. Are you praying to him daily?
iv. Are you finding your hope in the same place that you did before you became Christian?
v. Is your peace found in the same place? -- (Advance)
The call to discipleship is a call to follow Jesus in the way of the cross
Life at the wood pile also includes: (Advance)
II. Saving True Life (24-25)
Against a major teaching ¡V you won¡¦t save life when you cling to it. Life is not something that you should lock up and keep in a proverbial lock box.
a. Gain by losing
i. The world says:
1. You gain by storing up
2. You gain by keeping
3. You gain by getting ahead, being first in line
The world says that you Ascend into greatness ¡V you go up when you become great. Jesus is telling us very clearly that you descend into greatness.
One writer said that Jesus telling us this is like a field commander telling his men who are heading into battle that the person who moves forward with his weapon and fights will live to tell about it while the person who gets scared, turns to run and save his life will die.
b. The promise
i. You lose your life for ¡§me¡¨
1. Jesus said you gain life or you save your life.
Our lives aren¡¦t bound by the material or even death ¡V we have eternal life, the hope of the resurrection when we faithfully live for Jesus with the life we have here.
c. The question ¡V Vs. 25 (Advance)
Luke 9:25 ¡V What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
If I were able to offer you a free all expenses paid trip to Hawaii ¡V You didn¡¦t have to pay for anything ¡V 8 days on the beach. You didn¡¦t have to do anything except show up and enjoy it. Or I offered to dump 2 tons of sand in your yard that you could access 24/7 a week, we set it up in a nice sand box. Who would take the sandbox? This isn¡¦t a trick question ¡V of course you would take the trip ¡V the sand box is comfortable, it¡¦s easy to get to, it might be a discussion starter. The sand box doesn¡¦t cost you anything. God calls us to get out of our comfort zones and live life.
i. The answer --It is NO good!
1. Yes, the pleasure might be quick
2. Yes, it might fit your lifestyle
3. Yes, the world is present ¡V it¡¦s something that you can grab a hold of
Listen ¡V DON¡¦T you dare trade the temporary for the permanent. Don¡¦t you dare claim Christianity and stay in your comfort zone. Yes the world will hit you over the head with struggles, yes you will be tempted to give in, and you might even do it. God calls us to follow Jesus in the way of the cross, the way of suffering, the road less traveled, the narrow road ¡V It¡¦s not the easy way ¡V it¡¦s the best way.
In John chapter 20 Jesus appeared to His disciples and show them the scars in His hands and side. Then he issued this command: ¡§Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.¡¨ Doesn¡¦t that seem a little strange to you? He¡¦s literally saying ¡V ¡§I am sending you to a life of scars and death. But don¡¦t worry, peace will go with you.¡¨
The point is this: Fullness of life does not involve avoidance of pain but rather the courage to move through pain. The road down is a path that cuts through flesh and bone. Downward mobility is not just a matter of how much money we give away, but how much of ourselves we yield, how much sin and excess in our lives we are willing to tear away. It is an attitude marked by strength of character. And we don¡¦t grow in character without pain.
Living life at the wood pile means something else it mean that we:
(Advance)
III. Live Life Unashamed (26-27)
(Advance)
Romans 1:16 ¡V I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
a. ¡§If anyone¡¨ ¡V this applies to all of us regardless of our standing with Jesus
i. literally ¡V Lives ashamed
ii. Of me and my words
Of who I am and the things I say ¡V the claims I make about my life. This has context also in making Jesus less than who he said he was. Jesus said he was the only way to God ¡V it means ¡V he¡¦s the only way. Jesus was more than just a good man, a good teacher, a powerful preacher ¡V he was who he claimed to be.
b. Be proud
i. You follow Jesus as Lord
1. Be proud of that ¡V live that life to the fullest
2. Don¡¦t hide your light
No one lights a candle and then puts it under a bowl ¡V that¡¦s craziness. No you light a candle and put it on the table so that it will light the whole room. God lit a flame in you when you gave him your life, when you surrendered yourself to him. When Christians live ashamed ¡V when we cover up what we believe and who we say we follow ¡V it¡¦s a shame. The world might not understand us ¡V they might write us off as crazy ¡V they might start rumors about us ¡V Good! Paul said:
(Advance)
1 Corinthians 1:18 (msg) ¡V The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness (NIV says, ¡§Foolishness¡¨) to those hell bent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out.
c. Be committed
i. We can¡¦t be satisfied with just handed down religion.
ii. God has called us to love him with our minds ¡V we need to know what we believe and why we believe it. God has no grandchildren.
iii. Spend time in prayer ¡V if you don¡¦t know how to pray ¡V ask God to show you. Read Matt. 6 ¡V ¡§This, then is how you should pray¡¨. (Advance)
d. Be Full of Love (Advance)
i. Seek out those who don¡¦t have a relationship with Christ (Advance)
ii. Seek to look at the person, not the sin ¡V we all sin (Advance)
iii. Seek to lift those who are trapped in sin out of bottomless pit (Advance)
iv. Love those who are here ¡V as a Christian you must love your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Conclusion:
Jesus has called us this morning to be a church 100% dedicated to him and his will for our lives. He¡¦s called us to live our life at the wood pile ¡V I keep saying that and here¡¦s what I mean. Genesis Chapter 22 tells the story of Abraham and Isaac. The faith of Abraham was intense to follow God and take him at his word. When Jesus told the people that would follow him to take up their cross ¡V they understood it in the context of Isaac. Isaac was the one known by the Jews as the one who carried his own stake, who literally carried his own pile of wood. He didn¡¦t understand the purpose of his dad saying, ¡§hold out your arms.¡¨ But he had understanding and willingness when Abraham told him to set the wood down, and get on top of it. God calls us to set the wood down and get on the altar ¡V to understand that there is more to this life than just living and dying.
Jesus Christ came so that we could be free of this world and the troubles that come with it. He came to bring us life more abundant and free ¡V someone said ¡V Jesus came to offer you the very best of life ¡V not the leftovers, but the very best.
Will it require sacrifice ¡V Yes! Will other people misunderstand you ¡V Yes! Will you make mistakes ¡V of course you will ¡V God is bigger than any sacrifice, misunderstanding or mistake that you make. He¡¦s bigger than that. He offers you eternity ¡V don¡¦t accept the temporary.
I am not here to lay a guilt trip on you ¡V but if you aren¡¦t living life at the wood pile ask yourself WHY. What are the barriers in your life that keep you from giving everything you have to Christ? My encouragement is that you give your life to Christ once and for all ¡V and let him guide you, let him understand you. If you have never accepted an invitation and have never been baptized ¡V don¡¦t wait ¡V you will never know the power of the holy spirit till you make a commitment to him.
