Terms and Conditions

Mark 8:34–38

    If you brought your bibles turn with me over to the Gospel of Mark chapter 8. The gospel of Mark chapter 8, and in a moment we are going to read verses 34-38 of the gospel of Mark chapter 8.

How many of you actually read the terms and conditions of the online apps you use?

Every website, social media platform, or online store that we use, have terms and conditions they want us to read, and agree to before we use their service.

And their terms and conditions are always updating, so they can protect themselves, and better serve their customers.

But I have to admit, I never read any of that stuff, I just scroll down and click the agree button, and continue about my business using their service.

I have no idea what I am agreeing to. They could be selling my information to online hackers all over the world for all I know.

 I cannot help but think, many of us in the church have done this same thing. We have agreed to the terms and conditions of what it means to be a Christian, without ever having read them.

Many of us have, repeated a prayer, or raised our hand, or walked the isle at the end of a service, and believe we have accepted Jesus Christ into our life, and we are saved and going o heaven. And we never really understood what it meant to be a follower of Christ.

Well, In our passage this morning Jesus gives us the terms and conditions of what it means to follow Him.

 The good news is, the terms and conditions Jesus gives us, never change, they will never update, they are the same yesterday, today and forever.

The bad news is, they call for sacrifice and commitment on our part. They are a call to total abandonment of self. To surrender our lives to Him as our Lord.

 Last week, we talked about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. And how a disciple must understand who Jesus is, and what He came to do.

This week, we are going to continue that same thought about discipleship. But, what we learn from this passage is: A disciple must understand what he is supposed to do, and why we must do it.

That is what we are going to talk about today. These are the terms and conditions of being a disciple of Christ.

Mark 8:34–38 KJV

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Lets pray together,

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word. I pray Lord, as we hear Your Word, You would enlighten our hearts. engage our minds, and speak to us about who we are, and who You want us to be.

I pray that Your Word, would have an impact on us, and change the way we think, act, and what we believe.

I pray this in Jesus name, Amen!

In our passage this morning, Jesus and His disciples are in the villages of Caesarea Philippi. In the first century, this was the very center of imperial worship in the world.

Jesus has brought His disciples here to make His identity clear to them. He wants them to know, He is the Lord and it is not Caesar.

Now, Jesus will begin His journey to the cross in Jerusalem, and He wants His disciples to understand the road that lies ahead of Him, is not going to be easy. It is going to be a road of suffering, persecution, and death.

He wants to be clear to them, that if they are going to truly follow Him, there is not only a cross waiting for Him at Jerusalem, but there will be a cross, they are going to have to carry as well.

The cross of Jesus, is a cross He would die on for the sin of the world. The cross of the disciple, is a cross he must die on to the sin of the world.

There is a distinct difference. Jesus died for the forgiveness of sin. Now, we must die to the selfishness of sin.

Many people today, believe they can live for God on their own terms. Many believe they can just say they are a follower of Christ, and live for the world.

And Jesus lets us know, in know uncertain terms, that idea is utterly false. If a person is going to be a disciple of Christ, there is going to be a cost.

This passage makes that abundantly clear: These are the terms and conditions for what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

The first thing I want to show you in this passage is:

I. The Call of Discipleship Vs 34a

Jesus calls his disciples and the crowds to Him, so they can hear what He has to say.

Notice the beginning of Vs. 34 “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, “Whosoever will come after me.”

The word “called” here means to “summons” someone to you, or to summons them for a purpose, and In this case, Jesus is doing both.

He is calling the crowds and His disciples to Him, because He wants to call them for a purpose.

Specifically, God’s purpose for their life. And He is going to give them the terms and conditions for what it means to follow Him.

A.  This invitation by Jesus, will be the most radical call He will ever give. In fact, It is the most radical call in the Bible.

Because, It is a call to leave behind the old self, and become Christ centered. This call defines what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.

I want you to notice there are two groups Jesus calls to Him, but they actually make up three different types of people. And all of us fall into one of these three categories.

First, there is the crowd at large. I call them the unconverted, because the crowds of people came to Jesus out of curiosity. The crowds loved to see the miracles and hear Him teach.

But, He was really more of a novelty to the crowds, they were not committed followers. They are the unconverted.

Second, there are the disciples. These are the men who were already following Him. I call them the converted.

They are already doing what a disciple is supposed to do. They are following and emulating their teacher. And what they will hear in this message from Jesus, is: to continue the course, to remain faithful. Keep doing what you are doing.

There are twelve of them, but there is one of them; Judas Iscariot, who is the third type of person in this story, I call him the counterfeit.

Because he is going to allow himself to be used by Satan to try and disrupt the plan of God. He is going to do everything he can to be a thorn in the side of Jesus.

But, Jesus even calls the counterfeit to Him in this story. Judas is given the opportunity to change his path in life, and to follow Christ.

So, there are three types of people Jesus calls to Him in this passage, and we all fall into one of these three categories. There are the converted, the unconverted and there is the counterfeit. The question is which one of those are you?

B. Notice, this is a universal call by Christ. Vs. 34 says, “Whosoever will come after me.” That tells us, this is a call that goes out to everyone.

No one in this crowd was excluded. Everyone was invited to hear the message, but Jesus makes it clear, true saving faith involves self-denial, sacrifice, and commitment, and not everyone will answer that call.

I can’t help but think: Jesus would have been a public relations managers worst nightmare. He could have never been the Pastor of a mega-church, because every time He began to attract a large crowd, He would say something, and the crowd would disappear.

But He does this on purpose. He wants them to know the truth. He wants to be transparent. He wants them to understand it is not cheap, or easy to be a disciple.

By the way, that is still true today. Becoming a Christian, making a profession of faith, and joining a church is something we need to take seriously, because there is a commitment involved.

C. Notice the phrase “come after me” in Vs. 34, literally means come behind me or follow me.

In Jesus’ day, great teachers would be surrounded by an entourage of students, who would be following them. The students in the first century were called disciples.

In fact, that is what a disciple is: a student or a learner. These students would emulate their teacher’s lifestyle. That is the picture Jesus is painting for us in this passage.

If you wish to come after me, this is the lifestyle you are going to have to live, a lifestyle of self-sacrifice and service.

It is the same invitation He calls us too today. He calls us to emulate His lifestyle in the world. It is a call to become Christlike, and make His purpose, our purpose.

To make His friends our friends, His enemies our enemies, His joys our joys and His sorrows our sorrows.

That is the call of discipleship, it is a call to become a life follower and it is the same call that He issues to us today.

In fact, it is the same call Paul gave to the churches when they were struggling with immorality and faithfulness to God. In 1 Corinthians 4:16 Paul says, “I exhort you, be imitators of me.”

In other words, watch me, do it like I do it, follow God the way I follow God.

The author of the book of Hebrews would pick up on this same thought in Hebrews 13: 7 he said, “remember those who led you, who spoke the Word of God to you; and considering the results of their conduct, imitate their faith.  

That is a very bold thing to say, I can only pray, that I could say the same thing and set that kind of example of what it means to live for Christ.

 That is the call of discipleship. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must understand what we are supposed to do, and why we are supposed to do it.

The next thing I want you to show you in this passage is:

II. The Cost of Discipleship Vs. 34b

Here Jesus begins to give us the terms and conditions of the call, because it is a call that comes at a cost.

The first thing I want to point out here is: the cost in this passage is defined by Christ. It is not defined by His followers, and it is not defined by us today either.

These terms and conditions are non-negotiable. The terms He lays out for us, are what it means to repent of sin and believe in Christ.

This is what the sanctification process should look like in the life of every believer on a daily basis. Jesus tells us three things expected from a disciple.

1. Is Self-denial

Notice Vs. 34, when Jesus says to His followers, “Let him deny himself.” This statement is emphatic.

That means this is not an option. In other words, we do not get to pick and choose which sins we keep and which we overcome.

This isn’t like choosing which cell phone service works for us. This isn’t like Burger King. You don’t get to have it your way.

And the word “deny” means to refuse to recognize or acknowledge something or someone. To totally reject or abandon a person or idea.

This is the same word that was used of Peter when He denied Christ at His arrest. Jesus said, “before the cock crows three times you will deny me.” You will abandon Me.

But exactly who or what does Jesus call us to abandon? Well ourselves, and you see that’s where we run into a problem, because there is nothing more important to us in the world, than ourselves.

But, you see we do not just add Jesus to our life. Jesus doesn’t become the co-pilot. He has to be the one flying the plane. He asks us to abandon our life for His, and that is unnatural for us.

Because we are used to fighting for our rights and standing up for ourselves. In fact, the problem we have in every relationship, whether it is marriage, family, or friends, is we refuse to deny ourself.

We always fight for what we want, and Jesus calls us to humbly surrender ourselves, and to trust Him.

Paul describes it in Galatians 2:20 ““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.”

So, the first thing Jesus expects from us is self-denial.

2. Jesus tells us there is a cross to bare

Notice the little word “and” here in Vs. 34. Because the word “and” connects denying self to taking up your cross.

The two are intrinsically connected. To deny oneself and take up your cross-go hand and hand, because self-sacrifice will always telescope into suffering.

Ask anyone who has ever been on a successful diet. They will tell you, Losing weight comes with intense hunger pains. In the same way, overcoming sin, and forsaking the world comes with suffering, and persecution.

  It is important we understand the cross was an instrument of death, not a piece of jewelry. It is ok to wear a cross around your neck, but you need to understand what the cross represents.

The cross was the most barbaric form of execution in the first century.  When a person committed a crime, and they were judged and found guilty, they were ordered to be executed immediately.

They immediately had the cross beam placed on their shoulders, and they began to carry it to the place they would die. There was no delay. There was no court of appeals. At the moment of sentencing, the person was as good as dead.

That is the picture Jesus is painting here for us of a believer. Judgement has already been passed on us. We have been found guilty of sin, there must be a death to self, and the world, to be a follower of Christ.

Jesus talks about this In John 15:18–21 ““If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”

Those who do not know God, will persecute those who do. Because when you identify with Jesus, you are separating yourself from the world. Not every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, will die for their faith, but every disciple will experience rejection, in one form or another.

 3. Jesus tells us obedience is expected.

Notice the end of Vs. 34, He says we are to “follow Him” that means to be obedient, and again He uses the word “and” here to connect it to the proceeding conditions He has already given us.

Obedience to Christ is expected. We are not to follow a Pastor. We are not to follow a church. We are not to follow a denomination; we are to follow Christ.

The word “follow” means to behave in accordance with, or in agreement with, and in this case, we are talking about Jesus.

 So, to follow Christ is to accept the terms and conditions, He has laid out for us of what it means to be a disciple.

It is to, say what He said, to live as He lived. To believe as He believed. Be rejected as He was rejected. To walk in His footsteps and to stand with Him.

Jesus will not follow us, we must follow Him. We must determine for ourselves that we are going to answer the call, and be willing to pay the price.

I heard a story this week about a woman named Qamar Zia. She was born into an Islamic family in India in 1929. At 17 she began attending a school where there were Christian missionaries.

And privately she began to read the bible. She became so inspired by the book of Isaiah, she gave her life to Christ. But she had to keep it a secret, she couldn’t tell anyone.

In 1947, Her family moved to Pakistan, where she continued to study the bible in secret. And after seven years, her family arranged a marriage for her to a Muslim man, and she ran away from home.

She took a job at an orphanage and changed her name to Ester John. She would spend the rest of her life working as a missionary in a local hospital and evangelizing in the villages of Pakistan.

In 1960 an Islamic zealot snook into her home and murdered her in her bed. There is a statue of her today, along with ten other Christian martyr’s, over the door of the Westminster Abby in London.

She is an example for all of us, of someone who, denied herself, carried her cross, and followed Jesus.

So, in this passage we see the terms and conditions for being a follower of Jesus Christ. First, we saw the call of discipleship, and then we saw the cost of discipleship.

The final thing I want to show you in this passage is:

III. The Explanation of Discipleship Vs. 35-38

These verses answer the question for us, of why anyone would do what Jesus has called us to do.

Why would anyone deny themselves when they can indulge themselves? Why would anyone follow someone who has told them they are going to suffer and die if you follow me?

Why would anyone do that? Well, these verses answer that question for us. He reasons with us and explains to us, why it is worth the cost.

I want you to understand though, Jesus did not owe us an explanation. He did not have to say another word. He could have just said, “do it because I said so.”  

But He gives us this explanation because He loves us and He knows how difficult these words are, for us to accept and understand.

Notice verses 35 and 36, begin with the word “For.” The word “for” is a grammatical key that indicates reason.

So, what Jesus is saying is: the reason for verses 35-38, are to explain verse 34.

You see in verse 34 He tells us what we have to do, and verses 35-38 tells us, why we have to do it.

And the way that Jesus explains this to us, it would be illogical not to accept His call at any cost, because if we do not, it will cost you your life for eternity.

A. Notice the cause and effect relationship of Vs. 35. “For whoever will save his life, shall lose it, but whoever shall loses his life shall save it.”

And again, we see this is a universal principle that applies to everyone in the whole world. Vs 34 says, “Whosoever” Vs. 35 says, “whosoever.” vs. 38 “Whosoever.”

Everyone has the opportunity to answer the call, and everyone has the opportunity to reject the call. Everyone has the opportunity to save their life, and everyone has the opportunity to lose their life.

 But what we learn from these passages is there is no middle ground. You are either all in, or you are all out.

The word “save” here in Vs. 35 means to save it for yourself. It is to cling to control of your life and refuse to accept the invitation of Christ.

To save your life in these passages is to trust in your own self-righteousness to get you to heaven. Jesus says, if you do that, you will lose your life, and you will lose it forever.

 There are a lot of things in this world, you can lose. We have all lost things like: our wallet? our cell phone, or our keys? And those things are terrifying when you lose them, but you do not want to lose your soul. Nothing is as infinitely as valuable, as your soul.

 Most people spend their lives chasing fleeting passions, pleasures, and possessions and never think for one moment of their eternity.

I am reminded of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-30. He came to Jesus and asks, “what must I do to inherit eternal life.” He had everything in the world that anyone could want. He had obtained riches and wealth and he just wanted to add salvation to his possessions.

He did not realize, he was speaking to God in the flesh, at that very moment, and he went away empty handed. He gave up eternity, just to keep what he had in the world.

I am reminded of King Solomon, the wisest, wealthiest man to ever live. He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, and he realized all of his wealth, wisdom, and possessions, were nothing because he was going to die one day and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. It was all vanity.

The point is: there is nothing this world has to offer that is worth throwing away eternity.

I have a friend that always said, “he who dies with the most toys wins.” But the truth is: The one who dies, dies no matter what he has. And at that point our eternity has already been determined.

Hebrews 9:27 says, “ it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”

That is an appointment each one of us will keep. It can’t be cancelled, and the life you live determines your destiny.

  Notice  Vs. 38 Jesus tells us, “if we are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us.”

To be ashamed of Christ is to reject Him for the sake of the world, a world He calls an adulterous generation, a world of immorality, a world that rebels against God, a world that doesn’t care about you.

What Jesus is teaching us is really pretty self- explanatory. There will come a day when each one of us stand before God, and we are going to need Jesus on that day.

The question is, will you be denied because you have denied Him. or will you be accepted because you have proclaimed Him!!

Conclusion

 Our eternity depends on our ability to trust Christ with our most precious possession: our self.

Christ is calling each one of us to step out of the culture we live in, and step into a commitment of faith. To leave behind our preoccupation with the world.

For the person who wants to straddle the fence remember, there will come a day when you will stand before God, and you do not want to be denied.

 These are the terms and conditions of being a disciple. It is a call to be committed, and it comes at a cost, but it comes with a reward. A reward that is more valuable than anything the world has to offer.

Denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Him is what we are supposed to do, and we do it because our eternity depends on it.

Lets pray together,

Heavenly Father, I come before you in the name of Jesus and I ask for Your mercy on us Oh God. Because we do not fully understand what it means to be commited to You.

But Lord You have given us Christ as our example. He willingly abandoned Himself and laid down His life that we might be saved.

I pray we could learn to be as devoted to You as You are to us!! I pray this in Jesus name, Amen!!