Secret Sauce: How to Live Victoriously

Introduction

When one reads the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, there are certain patterns and themes that begin to take shape. One of these patterns or themes is that of journey.

Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

Genesis 6:18 “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.” (Noah)

Genesis 12:1 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”

Genesis 22:2 “He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.””

Genesis 39:1 “Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.”

Exodus 3:10 “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.””

Exodus 13:21–22 “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”

Elisha following Elijah

Jonathon following David

Disciples following Jesus

Timothy following Paul

…on and on the list goes…

Matthew 16:24 “24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Mark 8:34 “34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Luke 9:23 “23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Here’s the key: each must decide for himself/herself

If…

In grammar, if usually connects to then or implies then

The if implies that this is a decision

Choosing to follow Jesus is not a one-off. We must decide daily to walk with him and allow his presence to change us into his image.

👉 Cold, hard truth: Many do not want to follow Jesus 👈

John 6:66 — “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

Luke 18:22–24 “When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”

There is a cost

Anything worth having has its price. — John Oswalt

Luke 14:28–33 “28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

Reject self-interest

Self-denial goes against everything we inherently know as humans

We are told of self-care, self-preservation, and we are taught to look out for number one.

👉 Rejecting self does not mean that we no longer care about our lives. It simply means that we care about what God wants first! 👈

Self-denial is a summons to submit to the authority of God as Father and of Jesus as Lord and to declare lifelong war on one’s instinctive egoism. — J. I. Packer

Self-denial is the very foundation of spiritual comfort. — Robert Wilson

Prepare to suffer

suffering is something we avoid at all costs, but for the Christian, suffering is part of the process.

Carrying the horizontal crossbeam en route to crucifixion (where the upright stake already stood awaiting the condemned person) meant enduring mockery and scorn on a path leading to death as a condemned criminal. Crucifixion was the worst form of criminal death, the supreme Roman penalty, inflicted only on the lower classes and slaves; even talk of it could evoke horror. - The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (16:21–28—Redefining Messiahship)

The cross was an instrument of violent and painful execution. To “take the cross” was to carry the horizontal beam of the cross out to the site of execution, generally past a jeering mob. In rhetorically strong terms, Jesus describes what all true disciples must be ready for: if they follow him, they must be ready to face literal scorn and death, for they must follow to the cross. Because life is worth more than the world itself, giving one’s life in this world to gain it in the world to come is a wise transaction - The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (8:31–9:1—Jesus Explains His Messianic Mission)

In rhetorically strong terms, Jesus describes what all true disciples must be ready for: if they follow him, they must be ready to face literal scorn on the road to eventual martyrdom, for they must follow to the cross. From the moment of faith believers must count their lives forfeit for the kingdom. - The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (9:18–27—The Cost of Following the Real Messiah)

To follow Christ means that we understand that we will encounter suffering as a result of our obedience to him and our walk with him.

👉Disciples must be prepared and embrace suffering, even if that means we suffer in the same manner Jesus did👈

Become like Jesus

The word translated as follow is deeper than what might initially see

Our actions, words, hearts, and attitudes should like up more and more with His as we journey with him

ἀκολουθέωb: to follow or accompany someone who takes the lead in determining direction and route of movement - Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains

akoloutheo (ἀκολουθέω, 190), to be an akolouthos, “a follower,” or “companion” (from the prefix a, here expressing “union, likeness,” and keleuthos, “a way”; hence, “one going in the same way”) - Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Follow, Follow After)

While follow certainly implies going in the same direction, which itself is a decision, it implies a union or likeness with Jesus.

In other words, becoming like Jesus

👉 Ultimately, the idea is to become like Jesus 👈

Conclusion

Becoming a traveling companion of Jesus means more than attending church, reading the Bible, giving, or even praying

Following Jesus means we give considerable effort to become like Jesus

👉 The goal is for the world to see Jesus in our lives 👈