How to Get God Out of the Trunk & Into the Driver’s Seat
Luke 9:22-24
July 16, 2006 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction:
A "The closest contemporary word to "discipleship" is probably "apprentice". A disciple is more than a student who learns lessons by means of lecture and books. He is one who learns by living and working with his teacher in a daily "hands on" experience. Too many Christians today are content to be listeners who gain a lot of knowledge but who have never put that knowledge into practice." (Wiersbe)
1 "We are not saved from our sins because we take up a cross and follow Jesus, but because we trust the Saviour who died on the cross for our sins. After we become children of God, then we become disciples." (Wiersbe)
2 saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day." 23 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. Luke 9:22-24 (NASB)
B Jesus never envisioned the faith of His followers to be a "one-step" experience. (Essence of the Text in a Sentence)
1 Jesus saves people to change them, to make them different than they were before they came to Him. (Essence of a Sermon in a Sentence)
2 I pray you’ll commit (or recommit) to daily carrying your cross in an effort to follow after Jesus. (Objective)
3 What part of your discipleship journey is in greatest need of attention this morning? (Probing Question)
Transitional Sentence: Let’s look at 3 callings of discipleship that can help us to daily carry our crosses in an effort to follow after Jesus.
I Jesus called for His disciples to "deny himself."
A "Deny" in Greek can mean various things.
1 First, deny yourself, say "no" to something, give up yourself.
2 "Deny" can also be a negative (false) denial. (Peter denied 3 x’s)
B The opposite of confession is denial.
1 Countless souls have/will confess(ed) Jesus, yet never deny themselves.
2 Denying yourself is not simply saying "no" to simple pleasures/possessions.
a I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Gal 2:20 (NASB)
b But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Gal 6:14 (NASB)
C Denying can mean different things in different contexts.
1 Spouse, parent, colleague at work, student...all different!
2 "They act for Him, live for Him, transact business for Him, eat and drink for His glory, live and die to please Him." (Charles Finney)
"This self-denial is very extensive, and implies that we ought to give up our natural inclinations, and part with all affections of the flesh, and thus give our consent to be reduced to nothing, provided that God lives and reigns in us." (Calvin)
3 God?
a Eli showed it. So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him." 1 Sam 3:18 (NASB)
b Jesus showed it. saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Luke 22:42 (NASB)
4 For us?
a Seeking His will, not ours, "Thy will be done..."
b Spending time with Him (fasting)
c Letting Him guide us in the way we should go. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Gal 5:16 (NASB)
d Giving Him glory with our lives. Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31 (NASB)
II Jesus called for His disciples to "bear their cross daily"
A In the Ancient Near East mind/Roman world, the cross was an emblem of guilt, shame, suffering, and rejection.
1 The criminal would carry ½ his cross to the place of his execution (this was a one-way trip, he wasn’t coming back!)
2 He didn’t crucify himself...no one has ever killed themselves by crucifixion.
B Jesus is calling disciples to bear a cross.
1 2,000 years later, we still can’t crucify ourselves!
a Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
b Give yourself to God & He’ll do the rest...hold on
2 Sadly, many believers consider "bearing their cross" as a weekend hobby, not a full-time job.
a (IL) A rodeo rider rides a bucking bronco for as long as he can, usually well under a minute. Not really riding (Steve Herrell).
b Picking up your cross on Sunday is not really bearing your cross! (8 sec. is not 8 miles)
c Their cross has Velcro on it, not Super Glue!
3 Don’t be ashamed to bear the cross!
a If you’re ashamed of Him here, He’ll be ashamed of you when He returns. "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38 (NASB)
b And then, you’ll get to be ashamed again. Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 1 John 2:28 (NASB)
III Jesus called for His disciples to "follow Me"
A Following Jesus was a by-product of the "denying of self" & "bearing of the cross daily."
1 saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day Suffer, rejected by the elders, chief priests, scribes, killed, and be raised up on the 3rd day!
a We all want to be raised, but few of us are willing to suffer, be rejected, crucified!
b We can’t fully identify with Christ if we’re unwilling to journey with Him.
c We want Easter Sunday, not Good Friday.
2 If we’re not "denying self" & "bearing cross daily"...we’re not following Jesus (someone/thing else...not Jesus!)
a The elders, chief priests, scribes went after Jesus & got Him.
b Go after Him...you’ll get Him, too!
B We follow Jesus just like we take up our cross...daily.
1 Daily, and a step at a time.
2 Some of you are more committed, intense, determined to follow.
a If you’ve committed yourself to Sunday School...don’t miss
If you’ve committed yourself to AM service only...don’t miss
If you’ve committed yourself to PM service only...don’t miss
If you’ve committed yourself to teach...don’t miss
If you’ve committed yourself to read your Bible 3 x’s a week...don’t miss
If you’ve committed yourself to read your Bible daily...don’t miss
If you’ve committed yourself to pray for 5/10/30 minutes daily...don’t miss
b The closer we get, the more we’ll want!
Conclusion:
A Jesus never envisioned the faith of His followers to be a "one-step" experience. (Essence of the Text in a Sentence) Jesus saves people to change them, to make them different than they were before they came to Him. (Essence of a Sermon in a Sentence)
B We’ve looked at 3 callings of discipleship that can help us to daily carry our crosses in an effort to follow after Jesus:
1 Deny themselves
2 Bear their cross daily
3 Follow Him
C I pray you’ll commit (or recommit) to daily carrying your cross in an effort to follow after Jesus. (Objective)
D What part of your discipleship journey is in greatest need of attention this morning? (Probing Question)
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
