1 Corinthians 12:14-20 - For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body.
3 choices followers of Christ must make every day
I. A Purposeful Decision to Deny Yourself (v. 34)
Mark 8:34 - And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
“The verb deny (from the Greek aparneomai) is a strong term, meaning ‘to have no association with’ or ‘to disown completely.’ The same word is used to describe Peter’s denial of Jesus (Mark 14:30–31, 72) and Christ’s denial in heaven of those who deny Him before men (Luke 12:9). The Lord’s point was that those who wished to follow Him must be willing to disown themselves and give up everything for His sake.” (John MacArthur, Mark 1-8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015)
“It is important to note that self-denial, cross bearing, and obedience are not meritorious works that somehow earn salvation. Nor do they comprise a list of sequential steps that must be followed to be saved from sin. Rather, they are the inherent characteristics of repentant faith and the new birth, which is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8; 2 Tim. 2:25) imparted by His Spirit at the moment of salvation. Those whom God saves He transforms, giving them a new heart (cf. Ezek. 36:25–27), so that out of love for the Savior, they eagerly deny themselves, endure suffering, and submit obediently to His Word.” (John MacArthur, Mark 1-8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015)
A. By putting God first
B. By putting others before yourself
Philippians 2:3 - Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves…
II. A Willingness to Daily Take Up the Cross of Christ
A. Because of your faith you may experience pain and shame
Mark 8:38 - 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.
Hebrews 12:2 - …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.
B. Because God is using your faith as an example
2 Corinthians 1:6 - But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation…
C. Because of your faith, we must be ready to lay down our lives
“Not every believer will die as a martyr, but every faithful follower of Jesus will love Christ so fully that even death is not too high a price for eternal joy. All believers inevitably suffer to some degree because the world hates those who belong to Him (2 Tim. 3:12). Thus, to take up the cross is a metaphor for being willing to pay any price for the glorious gift of life He gives (cf. 1 Peter 4:12-14). True conversion causes a person to view the Lord Jesus and the hope of heaven as so precious that no personal sacrifice is too much.” (John MacArthur, Mark 1-8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015)
Mark 8:33 - But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
John 21:18-19 - “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
III. A Readiness to Follow Christ Wherever He Might Take You
“The verb follow (a form of the Greek word akoloutheō) is the same verb found in John 10:27, where Jesus described believers as His flock, ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.’ Like sheep submitting to the voice of their shepherd, genuine followers of Christ are characterized by loving obedience to Him and His Word.” (John MacArthur, Mark 1-8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015)
John 21:20-22 - Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
Romans 9:19-20 - You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?
IV. The Results of The Choices God Calls Us to Make
A. Trying to save yourself will not work
Mark 8:35a - For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it…
Mark 8:36 - For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
Mark 8:37 - For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
B. The only way to be saved, is to surrender your life to Christ
Mark 8:35b - …but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.
I’m warning you all right now that this may be a tough passage for us to hear this morning. It was very convicting as I was reading the passage and writing up this sermon in the hopes that you would see
Three Choices Followers of Christ Must Make Every Day
I. A purposeful decision to deny yourself – v. 34
“And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”
I want you to see 2 overarching features out of what it means to follow Christ.
a. By Putting God first
b. By Putting others before yourself
You could summarize those two points this way: Being a follower of Christ means that you give up the rule of your own life. You give up all ambitions – all goals – all plans – any worldview you might hold to - your mind – your body – your everything.
To put it simply, you are giving up all claims upon yourself and surrendering it to another – wow.
Now at this point, some of you could be thinking – David – that sounds an awful lot like…slavery. You’re right…it does sound an awful lot like slavery…because that’s precisely what I’m saying.
The word for “deny” is from the Greek word aparneomai.
“to repudiate” “to disown completely” “to have no associate with.”
Let’s see how this is used – 24 hours before the death of Christ, Jesus prophesied to his disciples saying,
27“ …You will all fall away, because it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 29 But Peter said to Him, “Even if they all fall away, yet I will not!” 30 And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” 31 But Peter repeatedly said insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing as well.” – Mark 14:27-31
Well, you know what happened with that, right? Peter repudiated his Lord. When pressed, Peter disowned Jesus completely – he wanted no associating with Christ…all of them denied Christ and scattered…
Afterwards, we read that this strong man wept so bitterly…because he so denied his Lord in the strongest possible terms. Prior to Peter’s betrayal, Jesus foretold of Peter’s denial and later he and the apostles restoration.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you men like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail; and you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” – Luke 22:31-32
In other words, when you have denied the rule of your own life – when you have turned back – strengthen your brothers…
Denying yourself means you are owned. When you bow the knee before Christ, you are saying, “I no longer govern the rule of my selfish life, and that following you means a life of self-denial. Following Christ may mean a life of discomfort and rejection even from my own friends and family. I also understand that it may cost me my life…”
“Believers are not merely Christ’s hired servants; they are His slaves, belonging to Him as His possession. He is their Owner and Master, worthy of their unquestioned allegiance and absolute obedience. His Word is their final authority; His will their ultimate mandate.” – John MacArthur
Coming to Christ and following him is the highest calling – the highest mandate – the highest cost. And when Christ bids you to follow, you had better count the cost.
II. A Willingness to daily take up of the cross of Christ
Taking up the cross of Christ may mean the loss of a job. The loss of friends. The loss of family. I clearly remember that after I had become a follower of Christ, I told all of my friends – it was so excited! I didn’t realize at the time that I’d lose so many close friends. I didn’t realize at the time that my own father would ridicule my faith in Christ.
I didn’t realize that my closest friends would no longer invite me to their homes or call me up to talk…I lost virtually all of my friends. But in losing my grip upon this world I’ve gained so much more.
I’ve gained Christ. He’s given to me a spiritual family and friends of light who are this same pilgrim’s progress journey that I’m on. But it’s the willingness to daily take up the cross and follow Christ into the celestial city that far surpasses a world that is passing away….
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a person’s enemies will be the members of his household.” - Mark 10:34-36
This is what taking up your cross can look like. For you young ones who are here this morning. Taking up the cross of Christ may mean the loss of a boyfriend or girlfriend. It may mean for the first time in your life that you realized that this willingness to bear up under the cross of Christ means that you’ll have to stop watching pornography or engaging in sexual activity or going to parties to get wasted with your friends.
This is not a game, Christian. That’s why I grows concerned when I hear some people say, Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.
Hmmm….really? ok!
https://nearemmaus.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/1735_tract_for_prosperity_gospel.jpg
Transition: Coming to faith in Christ doesn’t guarantee health and wealth. It doesn’t promise a life of ease and comfort. Why?
A. Because of your faith you may experience Pain and Shame.
That’s the cross, my friends. Pastor of Faith West said that “the cross was all about pain and shame…you are nailed to a tree completely naked…not much more shame than that.”
That’s the cross, my friends – it’s a life of shame. In our country, persecution and a life of shame varies. For instance, you could lose your job. You may not be able to move up in a position. America is exceptional in the sense that the Lord has allowed a blanket of common graces for his people by given us protections and security from widescale persecution. The Gospel in the country has much free recourse in our country.
This was Paul’s prayer in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, “Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it was also with you.”
We haven’t reached the point of widescale bloodshed for our faith in this country. But in others however, you die for your faith. Are you ready to count the cost?
In other countries, in Muslim homes, when a father or mother, son or daughter comes to faith in Christ, in many cases, they are betrayed by members of their own families…my friends, are you ready to drink the cup of affliction that Christ had to drink?
37 “The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it.” – Matthew 10:37-39
There’s a level of strife in my own family because of my willingness and desire to carry the cross of Christ. Some of the members of my family are open and flagrant in living a homosexuality lifestyle – they carry it on their sleeve. So I carry the cross on mine. The result of that is a friction and a level of discomfort to be around me.
I can sense the level of discomfort. I can sense that as soon as I bring up Christ, some of my family bristle…I think that this is slowly changing though…please keep praying for the salvation of my family.
Transition: Are you ready to count the cost? If you are, then that’s good.
B. Because God is using your faith as an example
Bearing the name of Christ means that you are an example. If you are set apart for him he has indeed granted to you all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). If then he has granted this to you, then my friends, you will have the strength to the drink the cup of the cross of Christ…because you’ve counted the cost…
“But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; …” (2 Corinthians 1:6)
This is our calling, my friends. We need to have those uncomfortable Gospel discussions with the lost if they are open to listen to you. If we carry this cross, then it follows that others are watching and they gain strength too by our example. Children will watch the example set forth by their parents and they will learn. Employers will watch their employees and they might even say, sir, we wish to see Jesus!
In Luke 9:57-58 we read that as he and his disciples “were going on the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
In Matthew’s account (8:19), we learn that the man who desired to follow Christ was a scribe who wanted to learn from Christ. During the days of Christ, rabbis would often travel, and as they taught they would gain a small group of followers. Jesus travelled around as well – remember, he was sent first to the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24).
So here you have this scribe who had heard about Jesus and the miracles he performed. He wanted to be a part of Jesus’ entourage, and Jesus’ response to him was “foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”?
Commenting on this passage, John MacArthur wrote that, “the animals have fewer creature comforts than the animals he created”[1]
He told this scribe what the cost of following him was right in front of his disciples as an example to them! We never read about this scribe again….the cost was too high.
Are you sure you want to follow this Christ? Faith, the next generation needs to see that kind of example in the face of a withering world that is passing away…
There’s a old hymn that you might be familiar with that goes something like this:
I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; No turning back, no turning back.
“No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”- Luke 9:62
With one hand the farmer guides the plow, with the other hand he goads the Ox to keep straight. No sooner than he looks over his left shoulder or right shoulder results in a crooked furrow.
That is to say, when you follow Christ, there’s no turning back! That is the commitment he requires. Some of you may be discouraged. Perhaps you’re thinking…I can’t do this. You’re right…you can’t. But you are forgetting about the Comforter sent to keep you looking straight ahead as you set your gaze toward the celestial city who’s builder and maker is God.
I hope the late pastor Charles Spurgeon will give to you a dose of encouragement
“Are you willing? Then the Spirit of God will help you. You shall give up the world and the flesh without a sigh; you shall fight against your lusts and you shall overcome them through the blood of the Lamb. The tower shall be built and the Lord shall inhabit it. Cast yourselves on Jesus by a simple faith: rest in his power, and from day to day believe in his strength, and he will bear you safely through.”
C. Because of your faith, we must be ready to lay down our lives
According to Luke’s account, after Jesus had bodily resurrected from the dead, he remained on the earth for 40 more days prior to his ascension to heaven. While he remained, “presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of things regarding the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)
During his stay, Peter had been restored – then Jesus said to him
“Truly, truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to put on your belt and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will put your belt on you, and bring you where you do not want to go.” 19 Now He said this, indicating by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had said this, He *said to him, “Follow Me!” – John 21:18-19
And this happened – Peter would also be crucified and killed for his Lord. This is a deadly serious calling, church. Did you think it would be easy.
Listen, when you were an unregenerate wretch, you’d put on your belt too – you walked wherever you wished. But when Christ came to seek and to save you who were lost, he purchased you. He redeemed you from the marketplace of sin. He transferred you over from the domain of darkness into His Kingdom of light.
You became a slave of Christ. You knew the cost was high. You knew that to follow him would mean to give up the rule of your life. That’s what you’re saying when you turn away from sin to live in the narrow way. And wherever your Master goes, you follow…
“Not every believer will die as a martyr, but every faithful follower of Jesus will love Christ so fully that even death is not too high a price for eternal joy. All believers inevitably suffer to some degree because the world hates those who belong to Him (2 Tim. 3:12). Thus, to take up the cross is a metaphor for being willing to pay any price for the glorious gift of life He gives (cf. 1 Peter 4:12–14). True conversion causes a person to view the Lord Jesus and the hope of heaven as so precious that no personal sacrifice is too much(MacArthur, John. Mark 1–8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015.)
Transition: So then, because of our faith in Christ, there must be
III. A Readiness to follow Christ wherever he might take you.
That’s right – wherever he might take you…by trusting him by faith. Are you ready to follow? To the unbeliever who is here this morning – are you ready to give up the rule of your own life? Are you so weighed down by your sin? You don’t have the power to expiate your sin. You don’t have the power to wipe it away. And you cannot work to earn your salvation – that’s a lie from the pit of hell.
You must be ready to follow him!
Oh, and just a footnote:
The word to “follow” Greek word akoloutheō) is the same verb found in John 10:27, where Jesus described believers as His flock, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Like sheep submitting to the voice of their shepherd, genuine followers of Christ are characterized by loving obedience to Him and His Word” (MacArthur, John. Mark 1–8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015
In Matthew 8:21 we read about an account in which a disciple (not one of the twelve), said to Jesus, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Well this seems insensitive, doesn’t it? Not all, it was a customary for the oldest Jewish son to receive an inheritance from his father after he had passed away. The phrase, “bury my father” was a common Jewish way of saying, “I need to wait to receive my inheritance.”
In other words, this man was saying, “I will follow you after my father dies and I receive my inheritance.”
Jesus’ response must’ve stopped this man in his tracks…no….no…let those who are spiritually dead bury the dead – let them take care of that….you follow me. This man’s priorities were backwards – he did want to following after Christ, but following after his inheritance!
Is there anything holding you back from following after Christ? Perhaps it’s a particular sin you enjoy living in? Is it drugs? Alcohol? Sex?
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” – 1 John 2:16
You know “You cannot serve two masters”, right? – Matthew 6:24
IV. The Results of the Choices God calls us to make
My friend, what the whole point of this sermon? Here’s the answer. This is the way saved people act. The follow Christ – they don’t look back.
Transition: For the unbeliever here today
A. Trying to save yourself will not work.
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, —v 35a
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”—V 36
“For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” — V 37
“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.” —v 38
B. The only way to be saved, is to surrender your life to Christ
“But whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”—v 35b
Conclusion: Let me conclude by saying this – turn to Revelation 22:10-11
“And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”
Let me summarize the point of this passage by way of application. For the person who does not want to follow after Christ, there will come a time in which the Lord will petrify your existence, to your doom - so that you remain that way forever.
But to those who have denied their life and taken up the cross of Christ and followed after him, there will come a time in which he will seal you in righteousness – to your delight - so that you remain that way forever…
Choose you this day…whom you will serve.
Pray…
[1]John MacArthur, The Macarthur New Testament Commentary Luke 11-17 (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2013), 318.
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