Who are You Pt. 4

Well this weekend we’ve learned about a few things.

Yesterday morning we learned about who we’re becoming.

That we can’t love God and can’t love the world or the things of the world. Last night we learned that we’re a chosen race, royal priesthood, a holy nation. That we have value and dignity, not because we deserve it, not because we can earn it, but because he’s gracious and kind. We were once a people who didn’t receive mercy and now we have mercy Well as you guys know that Claire and I got married back in October, and one thing we learned very quickly about wedding planning is there’s an extra cost to everything associated with the word wedding.

There’s a wedding dress Wedding flowers

Wedding photographer

Wedding venue

Wedding rings

Wedding cake For the guests there’s a wedding gifts

Why are weddings so expensive. The average wedding cost $30 - $36 k. That’s insane.

Why would people spend so much money. It’s because the best things in life, things like weddings, extra special things. They have a cost to them. That’s why sometimes you pay premium prices for nicer items. There’s a cost to the extra expensive things in life.

Jesus tells us that there’s actually a cost in following him. Mark 8:34–38 “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. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”” 1. Deny Themselves

Mark 8:34 “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.”

We’ve had a weekend of identity. Knowing who we are in Christ. But the question that we have for you today is who will you chose to be? Who will you chose to be? Retreat’s are great time to get away, to learn, grow, connect with friends, and have fun, but what is the gain if we go home and nothing is changed. We just keep living our nomal lives. Who will you chose to be… Jesuus says here. If you want to be my child here’s what it looks like. If you want to come after me.

If you want to go all in.. Deny yourself. We talked yesterday about the flesh. The desires each of us have.

This is the temptation Jesus is telling us. Deny yourself. I love what Jesus says here because he’s after our hearts. He wants us. He’s saying you have to deny yourslef. If you are a child of God, this means, denying what the world has for you in identity. This means fighting off the pleasure that the world has to offer, possessions and covering and chasing anfter that next thing. And the pride of life of having it all together Chasing after Jesus. When I went to get my full lisence you have to take another road test. I remmeber being pretty nervous that day but also feeling like I could do this. I drove lots. It’s not new concept at this point. I just need to do it. They gave me one instruction to the test. They say listen to what I say to you. And when I say nothing, please follow the road signs. Of course that sounds pretty standard, so I just say yes and I start driving and we get maybe about half way through the test it’s going easy, then I’m in this right lane.

I’m looking ahead and I see that in this right lane you must turn right. You’re not allowed to go straight you have to turn. So I panicked and I got into the left lane, he didn’t say anything so I assumed he wanted to go straight. Well after the test he told me, that’s an automatic fail as I didn’t do what he told me. He said to follow the traffic signs and obey his command. That day ICBC denied me from getting my full licesnse.

On that day there wasn’t room for a conversation, it wasn’t oh can we talk about this more. There isn’t oh but..

It’s a full denial, turn around and go home.

Though that’s a sad moment of denial. Wouldn’t this be us with Jeuss. In our lives not giving a sliver of a foothold to the world. Fully fighting, fully denying what the world has for us, and giving him our whole lives.

Don’t say I’ll deny parts. Deny everything. So this morning, what do you need to deny in yourself and give over to the Lord, where in your identity have you been clinging to closely to something and need to give over to him.

2. Lose Your Life Mark 8:35 “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

Have you put your identity in the things of the world? Or in God? This verse is an awesome test for us.

Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Jesus here isn’t directly talking about being a martyr and actually dying for the gospel, though I think it would be included. He’s saying whoever’s willing to deny themselves, there desires, there pleasure. So many of us, we’re willing to sacrifice for the things that are important to us.

If this weekend I had an offer for you to sit courtside of your favourite basketball team instead of being here.

Or front row seats for your favourite musical artist.

Or 10,000 to not come

Many of us would take those things. This verse is saying, if you value Christ, what he’s done for you. You will sacrifice. How will you do that? By sacrificing anything. Willing to give up whatever it is that’s blocking you from Jesus and going all in.

So again we come back to the question, who will you chose to be. When you leave the retreat this weekend, will you go back to the world, pursuing pleasure, power, possessions, and looking like you have it all together? Or will you say, I see the cost of being a disciple of Jesus, and that’s all I want I’m all in.

The amazing promise about following Christ is that though we’re not promised wealth, and health. I’ve told you guys many times that I have a chronic illness that will likely never be healed, do you know what I do have. John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” A satisfaction in him. Though you’re denying yourself and the things of the world. You are fulll. Because Jesus gives you everything you could ask. Maybe you’ve had this moment before.

You’re with friends, and they start talking about someone behind their back.

Or they start doing something you know you shouldn’t be part of.

And in that moment you have a choice.

Do I go along with it so I fit in… or do I step away because I follow Jesus?

That moment right there?

That’s what Jesus is talking about.

Losing your life in that moment might mean losing popularity.

But you gain something far greater — faithfulness to Christ.

In our lives Jesus is challenging us, that we must be people who repeadetly deny ourselves, and lose our old selves if we want eternity with him.

Remember whoever does the will of God will abide with him forever. 3. Don’t Lose Your Soul Mark 8:36–37 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?”

I love how this closes our weeknd..

Let me ask it to you this way, what profit do you get going back home and living like you’re in the world?

What profit do you get?

You might gain popularity. You might gain success. You might gain money.

But Jesus asks the most important question anyone will ever ask:

What does it profit someone to gain the whole world and lose their soul? You’ve heard about people maybe athletes who are super wealthy and they’re promised a great return on an investment. You just need to give us 1 million dollars and we’ll give you a massive return..

Often times the return is nothing. It’s nothing.

Jesus is saying, why would you spend the time investing in the world, and the things of the world. Why would you put your identity, in pride pleasure, and possessions.

Why? What gain will you have. What gain will you have when you die, and stand before God, and you have to give an account for your life. Mark 8:38 “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”” What gain is it? If you go back after this weeekend… You go back chasing those things, if the Son of Man says I never knew you. I think in this passage Jesus wants to know 2 things

That God is a holy holy God. 1 sin against a holy God is eternity in hell. That’s the punishment. We’re only saved because of God’s graciousness to us. His goodness, his kindness. But what profit will you have if you to believe in that, remember belief leads to actions. Not the actions that save us. IF you’ve seen this. How gracious, and kind, and loving the Father has been to you. Because of what we deserve, that all of us have had moments, seasons years of our lives where we denied him, and onnly by His grace he chose us, and brings us into His family. Not only that but he chose you before you were created. You’re a holy priesthood, chosen race, a people for his own possession,

That all Jesus wants is you. You’re the thing he wants, not 5 years when you have a job and life is cleaned up. But now in whatever state you’re in YOU. If you’ve seen this, then the only possible response. The only thing we have to offer is EVERYTHING. Our whole lives, where the Lord convicts us of something we drop it. It’s not worth it, all I want is Jesus. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Sin is the thing that dishonours God. Each and every one of us is a sinner. We’ve each fallen short, and we know that the penalty the cost of that is eternal death Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” But what does the verse say in the end. It’s a free gift of God. Is eternal life. It’s free.

who doesn’t like a free gift?

It’s free. How is this possible?

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus paid the price for you and me, sinners, rotten humans that deserve eternal punishment and he paid the price for us. How do we get this free gift?

Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” ALl we have to do is believe. We trust in his goodness, not our own. We don’t have to work at it, do good, but we trust in Christ’s goodness for us.

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

There is therefore now no condemnation. This is a big fancy word that just means penalty or cost or punishment. What God does when we believe in Jesus work on the cross. What he does, is he says, I now view you how I view Jesus. You once, dirty rotten sinner deserving eternity in Hell. Now my child and I hold none of your sins against you. He doesn’t say man remember that one time you wronged me, no he views you with no condemnation. Like you never did anything wrong in your life. So this morning, I want to give you the oppurtunity to do this, I believe there may be some of you this weekend, the Lord brought here for this reason. He’s been working in your hearts. I think there’s some who maybe have never put there faith in Jesus, and there’s some who thought they did and are now realizing I never really believed, I just loved the world. Some of you have come to church, some of you maybe this is your first exposure. Some of you have known about him.

Some of you this morning have nerver surrendered to Him. So this morning, Jesus is asking the same question to you.

Are you willing to follow me? Are you willing you to deny yourself, and follow him?

Could we all just bow our heads. This morning if you would like to put your faith in Jesus, faith in Christ’s work on the cross, taking on your sin. Do that today, don’t wait.

I’m going to lead us in a prayer. If you would like to recieve Jesus, and put your faith in him I want you to repeat after me. Remember it’s not the prayer that saves you, but it’s the confession of sin, aligning with Jesus, and putting your faith in Him. Let’s pray:

Dear Lord,

I recognize that I’m a sinner, I have failed you.

Today I ask for forgivness of my sins to you.

I know I can’t earn my salvation.

It’s only through your grace you’ve had on me. Today I put my trust in you, I trust that Jesus died for me.

That he defeated death and sin and rose from the grace. Today would you be Lord of my life. I want to serve you from this day on. In Jesus name amen.

Please keep your head bowed. This weekend maybe you’re in the camp that you’re a child of God, you believe, but you’re struggling to live for Christ.

Going forward you want to recommmit, go back all in.

Would you just raise your hand.

My commitment to you is I will pray for you.