Count the cost - Mk8:34-38
Gospel of Mark: Jesus a life to serve • Sermon • Submitted
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· 27 viewsDiscipleship the cost; its a decision and a process
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Beginning to end, the middle too
Beginning to end, the middle too
Discipleship, it was a process from the beginning. For the disciples who became apostles to the disciples today, it is a process not an event.
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In the beginning Jesus called men to be disciples who would become apostles (MK1:16-20)
In the end Jesus commissioned and sent the apostles to go make more disciples and where to go (Mt28:19-20) and who (Mk16:15)
In the middle He predicted His suffering and death (MK8:31)
Today we are looking at the telling, teaching about the cost of discipleship (Mk8:34-35)and the warning and the promise (Mk8:36-38)
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You maybe familiar with this passage about, counting the cost and what you believe it means. Today may we spend some time in the passage with some history along the way.
In the beginning Jesus called men to be disciples who would become apostles (MK1:16-20)
16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Mk1:16-1
May we remember from previous lessons we know the place, by the Sea of Galilee, and we see the first two, Simon and Andrew, we see the setting they were casting their nets in the sea. We also see the instruction and that led to the response.
18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
In the middle He predicted His suffering and death (MK8:31)
Immediately! there was no delay. Then comes the calling of the 2nd pair, James and John they were called and the response to the call was immediate also.
Today we are looking at the telling, teaching about the cost of discipleship (Mk8:34-35)and the warning and the promise (Mk8:36-38)
In the beginning Jesus called men to be disciples who would become apostles (MK1:16-20)
In the end Jesus commissioned and sent the apostles to go make more disciples and where to go (Mt28:19-20) and who (Mk16:15)
At the end of Jesus ministry, before the ascension came the commissioning (giving the authority) and the instructions.
Today we are looking at the telling, teaching about the cost of discipleship (Mk8:34-35)and the warning and the promise (Mk8:36-38)
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Just can’t jump by this without a couple of questions
What were they told to do (v.19)?
Where were they to go (v.19)?
What were they to do (v.19-20)
What was the promises (v.20)
OK, lots to cover so need to move on.
In the middle He predicted His suffering and death (MK8:31)
In the end Jesus commissioned and sent the apostles to go make more disciples and where to go (Mt28:19-20) and who (Mk16:15)
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
looking at the telling, teaching about the cost of discipleship (Mk8:34-35)and the warning and the promise (Mk8:36-38)
In the middle He predicted His suffering and death (MK8:31)
Today we are looking at the telling, teaching about the cost of discipleship (Mk8:34-35)and the warning and the promise (Mk8:36-38)
In the beginning Jesus called men to be disciples who would become apostles (MK1:16-20)
In the end Jesus commissioned and sent the apostles to go make more disciples and where to go (Mt28:19-20) and who (Mk16:15)
In the middle He predicted His suffering and death (MK8:31)
Jesus had predicted His death after confirming they understood who He is.
Today we are looking at the telling, teaching about the cost of discipleship (Mk8:34-35)and the warning and the promise (Mk8:36-38)
One more quick thing then will get to our passage. A disciple is a learner a follower of a teacher. So to be a disciple of Jesus you have to follow the teachings of Jesus. Jesus tells them, teaches them, so we too can be instructed that there is a cost to discipleship.
Self-denial or denying self?
Self-denial or denying self?
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. 35 “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.
M8:3
We will get to the other verses shortly.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Jesus has come to another point of no return. He is going to deal with humanistic mindset and the radical mindset of the gospel that demands a response.
He has told them who He is (He is the Christ)
He has told them what it means to be Him (suffer, die and the resurrection)
Now what it means if they are going to follow Him
We are just as susceptible to the worldly, humanistic ways as the next guy
There is a quote from an author “Harry Blamiers in his book “The Christian mind” it is a little lengthy but I think it gives us some perspective
“The marks of the Christian mind are an eternal time perspective, an awareness of evil, a concept of revealed truth, an acceptance of God’s authority, an incarnational concern for people, and a sacramental cast. Ideally, each of us subscribes to these marks of a Christian mind. In practice, however; we fall far short. Unconscious victims of the “me” generation, we squeez time into the immediate, downplay the power of evil, give lip-service to the great doctrines, negotiate God’s authority, excuse our lack of compassion, and seek our joy only in the pleasures of life.”
So in other words, Christians oftentimes are consciously or unconsciously victims of the secular and humanistic mind which dominates our day!
So in our passage we are told several things to help us understand the cost of discipleship so as to protect us from the humanistic mind since the Christian is to be different.
One must deny self (Mk8:34; 1Pt2:11-12; 1Pt4:1-4)
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
This is who we used to be; so this is not who we are not, but the humanistic influence may try to bring these back, so we have to wage war.
“To deny righteous self, and renounce all his own works of righteousness, in the business of justification and salvation -ibid.”
1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;
So is this denying self or self-denial? = this is to deny self with it’s self-righteous pride and sinful lust from dominating you.
4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
Even the religious, t
In the denial it is manisfested
One must take up his cross (Mk8:34; Lk9:23)
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
This is parallel passage, but notice what more it says, DAILY!
Some examples the apostles (1Cor4:9-13)
Look at what the picking up the cross meant to some of the apostles
9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.
11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; 12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;
13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
For us today it may involve being ridiculed or reviled (1Pt4:4; Mt5:11) or even reproached (1Pt4:14)
4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;
or look at
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
And finally
4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
One must follow Jesus (Mk8:34; Lk6:40; Lk6:46 and 1Pt2:21-25)
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.
35 “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.
add in some Luke
40 “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.
So the disciple will follow, the disciple will be like his teacher, and the disciple will do what the teacher says
46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
And doing what He says oftentimes comes, it did for them, it may for us, comes with a great cost.
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;
23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
So, to be a disciple who counts the cost we must be one who let’s Jesus be Lord, Savior, mentor and example for us. That will lead to how it is manifested.
How it is manifested (Mt28:19; Mk16:15-16; Act2:38; Act22:16 and many more, but look at 2Pt3:18)
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By obeying the gospel of Christ (Mt28:19; Mk16:15-16; Act2:38; Act22:16)
By observing all that He commands (Mt28:20; Act2:42 and 1COr14:37)
And, ever growing in grace and knowledge of Christ (2Pt3:18)
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By obeying the gospel of Christ (Mt28:19; Mk16:15-16; Act2:38; Act22:16)
By observing all that He commands (Mt28:20; Act2:42 and 1COr14:37)
And, ever growing in grace and knowledge of Christ (2Pt3:18)
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
I know I only referenced some of the scriptures before, I challenge you to look them up; you may know them all, they are common, they are used often, they are very applicable, but that is not the final point I want to make this morning.
Counting the cost
Counting the cost
No closet Christianity so be sure you count the cost. No closet Christians, no secret saints or disguised disciples.
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It was not OK in the beginning (Gen3:9)
It was not OK in the time of Moses (Exo32:26)
It was not OK in time of entering the promised land (Jos24:15)
It was not OK in time of the prophets (1Kn18:21)
It was not OK in our passage today, nor today in our world.
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It was not OK in the beginning (Gen3:9)
It was not OK in the time of Moses (Exo32:26)
9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
It was not OK in time of entering the promised land (Jos24:15)
It wasn’t that God did not know where Adam was, He wanted Adam to come forth and admit his sin and be reconciled.
It was not OK in the beginning (Gen3:9)
It was not OK in time of the prophets (1Kn18:21)
It was not OK in the time of Moses (Exo32:26)
It was not OK in our passage today, nor today in our world.
It was not OK in time of entering the promised land (Jos24:15)
26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.
It was not OK in time of the prophets (1Kn18:21)
God, through Moses called for men to step up and stand for God. The sons of Levi did.
It was not OK in our passage today, nor today in our world.
It was not OK in the beginning (Gen3:9)
It was not OK in the time of Moses (Exo32:26)
It was not OK in time of entering the promised land (Jos24:15)
15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
It was not OK in our passage today, nor today in our world.
Joshua by faith called for the people to choose personally if they are going to be followers of the Lord or not. And made clear where he and his family stood.
It was not OK in the beginning (Gen3:9)
It was not OK in the time of Moses (Exo32:26)
It was not OK in time of entering the promised land (Jos24:15)
It was not OK in time of the prophets (1Kn18:21)
1Kn18:21
21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.
No fence sitters, we have these examples of people called, all were called to publically acknowledge God, it is the same today, we are to confess Him and He will confess us before the Father.
Jesus way was different then what was known before, He was a wave maker and a way maker, think about these things.
The masses wanted to make Jesus king; Jesus told the masses hey must eat his body and drink His blood (Jn6:53)
53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.
When revelation from Heaven was made known through Peter who Jesus was; Jesus then told them what He must suffer (Mt16:21)
21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
Then Jesus told the masses what they needed to do to follow Him (Mt16:24)
24 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.
Many have sanitized the cross, for Jesus it was a place of shame, a place of suffering, to the world today it is thing on the wall or something worn around your neck or on a T-shirt.
You may have had sermons on this passage when it is highlighted self-denial, so in your Christianity you are to deny yourself certain things, but that is not what Jesus is saying, is it?
It’s not a call for self-denial but to deny self - He set the example by picking up the cross and carrying it, and when He could carry it no longer God sent Joseph of Aramathea.
So picking up the cross, the cross we can’t carry, it is coming to Jesus knowing He will carry the burden, the shame, the humiliation of the cross for us. So it is denying yourself and your ability, your power; knowing the One who has it is waiting on us to fall on our knees before Him
denying self will equate to a real life in Christ, and abundant joy filled life in Christ and for Christ knowing He will never leave you nor forsake you. That He is always at the ready to come to your aid. when you deny self!
Lead to close and prayer