TOPIC: Commitment, Discipleship, Sanctification
TITLE: DENY THYSELF - Focus on the Object of Your Faith for a Straight Walk!
CONCISE OUTLINE:
I challenged you to take each stone one at a time through Saturday and then meet here the following Sunday to begin a new seven-day walk with the Lord. I challenged you to see this one hour each week as the kickoff point for a week long journey ... that wasn’t asking too much was it?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:
When Jesus teaches in this way there are two essential components to understand the teaching - first, what He in fact did say; second, what He in fact did not say!
Adam Clarke sees four principles of the Christian walk from verse 24:
TITLE: DENY THYSELF - Focus on the Object of Your Faith for a Straight Walk!
But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What two questions must be asked in order to properly understand the teachings of Jesus? (Not a trick question)
CONCISE OUTLINE:
I. WHAT DID JESUS SAY?TRUTH/CONTEXT: SURVEY TIME - ask some survey questions leading up to last week's challenge:
II. WHAT DID JESUS NOT SAY?
READER: "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." [Matthew 18:20]
- How many of you believe that? You do? You believe Jesus is here? His presence? Good!
- How many of you truly believe you are followers of Jesus and desperately want to feel His embrace and His presence this morning? Good!
- We all want to be known as disciples of Jesus, don't we?
I challenged you to take each stone one at a time through Saturday and then meet here the following Sunday to begin a new seven-day walk with the Lord. I challenged you to see this one hour each week as the kickoff point for a week long journey ... that wasn’t asking too much was it?
- How many of you actually practiced what I preached?
- How is it that we come here today, professing to desire to "worship Him in Spirit and in truth" when the facts say otherwise?
[GOD'S HOUSE] A missionary gave a sundial to a group of natives when he departed from them. They came to regard it as holy and wanted to protect it, so they built a roof over it to keep it safe. This of course, kept the sun away from it. Later they added walls.FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What two questions must be asked in order to properly understand the teachings of Jesus?
When He returned, he saw they'd rendered useless what they were protecting. They honored the image, but impeded its purpose.
That's how many regard Christianity today. It’s become something to enclose with walls and a roof. But, far worse, they've walled off the Christ of Christianity ... and in other ways they've done the same thing with their daily walk, literally saying to themselves, I walk with the Lord on Sundays, the rest of the week is mine.
If we behave this way about our walk with the Lord are we not denying Him rather than self? Will He not stay away if the testimony of our lives is, "Lord I'm too busy or distracted to pay much attention to Your stuff, leave me alone ... OKAY?" [Adapted from e-Sword ministries 2000+ Illustrations add-on]
EXPANDED OUTLINE:
When Jesus teaches in this way there are two essential components to understand the teaching - first, what He in fact did say; second, what He in fact did not say!
I. NOTICE WHAT JUSUS DID SAY -APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Someone said many of today's church people don't seem "chosen" because they're "frozen."
- notice the goal – “to come after Me” and “follow Me"
- notice the two things one must do if one wishes to achieve the goal - 1) “deny himself” and 2) “take up his cross”
- denial of self – “surrender"
Albert Barnes: Let him surrender to God his will, his affections, his body, and his soul. Let him not seek his own happiness as the supreme object, but be willing to renounce all, and lay down his life also, if required.
- taking up cross - your “calling” in life according to God's will
Albert Barnes: When persons were condemned to be crucified, a part of the sentence was that they should carry the cross on which they were to die to the place of execution. ... To carry it was burdensome, was disgraceful, was trying to the feelings, was an addition to the punishment ... we must endure whatever is burdensome, or is trying, or is considered disgraceful, in following Christ. It consists simply in doing our duty, let the people of the world think of it or speak of it as they may. It does not consist in making trouble for ourselves, or doing things merely “to be opposed;” it is doing just what is required of us in the Scriptures, let it produce whatever shame, disgrace, or pain it may. This every follower of Jesus is required to do.READER: So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, "We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done." [Luke 17:10]
- notice in Matthew 10:38 that anyone who is unwilling to do this “is not worthy of” Him. Ouch!
- notice the context [vv. 21-28] - has to do with Peter being a stumbling block to the Lord
- also, after Jesus rebukes Peter (Satan; “adversary"); He says, “for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's”
- we know the context doesn't stop with v. 24, because it didn't in Matthew 10:38-39; and the context for Mark 8:34-38; Mark 9:1, the parallel passage in Mark (Luke 9:23-27, as well) clearly includes the whole of Matthew 16:24-28
- Peter loved the Lord but the disciple exhibited behavior which, if left unchallenged, would stand in the way of God's plan and Jesus let him know it
- not the first time for Peter, he did likewise in John 13:8 with the washing of the feet
- Peter was guilty of what a lot of us are guilty of, horizontal thinking or horizontal faith
- notice Jesus defines the bedrock of His statement in [v. 25] – “for My sake” leading to “will find it”
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.” [Mark 8:35]
- Notice that Jesus addresses the horizontal problem of the disciples
- it doesn't work in God's system like it does in the world
- READER: “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong” [1 Corinthians 1:27]
- there are two lives -- temporal and eternal -- try to save the former and you lose the latter, to save the latter and you must lose the former
- any profit the world offers is not worth the price of the investment, your soul
- “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” [Matthew 6:33]
- v. 28 tells us those who do not die to self, who are not baptized in the death of Jesus [Romans 6:3] will not taste real death until it is too late
- do you think it was easy for Jesus to say “and so are some of you”? It's not easy for me, why would it be easy for Him
II. NOTICE WHAT JESUS DID NOT SAY!
He did not say "you are exempt from denying yourself and taking up your cross" if you …
- are too intelligent (not smart)
- are too old or too young
- are retired or employed job
- are too poor or rich
- don't belong to a church or are a deacon in a church
- have a spouse who won't join you or one who does it all
- find it's inconvenient
- feel embarrassed or ashamed
- don't feel called
Adam Clarke sees four principles of the Christian walk from verse 24:
- to sincerely desire to belong to Christ – “If any man wishes to come after Me,” etc.
- to renounce one's independent spirit, and self-centered pursuits – “he must deny Himself.”
- to embrace the condition which God has appointed, and bear the troubles and difficulties he may meet while on the Christian pathway – “take up his Cross.”
- to follow after Jesus, and do and suffer all in hisspirit – “let him follow Me."
[WELCH] Years ago a young man and his bride wanted to make a difference for God in this world; they applied and were accepted as missionaries to Africa. Following their arrival in New York to prepare for oversees service mission officials determined the rigors of Africa would put the wife at risk. The agency revoked their deputation.Bottom-line, I believe this is the teaching of this passage:
The couple returned home, brokenhearted, wondering how to rebuild their shattered dream. They decided to make money – lots of money – to support missions. They figured they could make it possible to send others to share the gospel of Christ even though they could not go themselves.
The young man's father had been making unfermented wine for their church’s communion services. His son soon became involved with him. Their name was Welch. They manufacture Welch’s grape juice to this day. The company has given millions to spread the gospel through missions. Did they rebuild their dream?
Despite our human frailty - God wants to use us in a positive way in negative world. Remember who we are; we are a people of God’s own choosing, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation.
It only takes a grain of salt in a substance to know it’s there. Even though you may feel small, weak, or insignificant - you're not! We are “the salt of the earth, the light of the world.”
- you and if, if we claim to be disciples, should be laboring under some calling of service and ministry
- absent the desires of the world, self, and the devil
- I think it is indicative of where you are at, in that so few of you can say that you are bearing a burden for Jesus alone, without any mixture of self, and following Him daily.
READER: Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [Hebrews 12:1-2]
[FIXED EYES] The snow covered the ground, and three young boys were playing in it. A man said to them, "Would you like to try to race, with the promise of a prize for the winner?"A long time ago, another man using similar words taught the same principle. It was Paul who said, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." [Philippians 3:13-14]
The boys agreed, and the man told them that his race was to be different. "I will go to the other side of the field," he said, "and when I give you the signal, you will start to run. The one whose footsteps are the straightest in the snow will be the winner."
As the race commenced, the first boy began looking at his feet to see if his steps were straight. The second lad kept looking at his companions to see what they were doing; but the third boy just ran on with his eyes fixed on the man on the other side of the field.
The third boy was the winner, for his footsteps were straight in the snow. He had kept his eyes on the goal ahead of him. [Ibid.]
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