1 Transformed and Sold Out

Begin with wedding season and weddings. Vows and lifelong relationship. Celebrated our own 34th anniversary last weekend and it takes work, two-way communication and serving and giving.

You enter a marriage with high hopes and wanting to make it work. The only way to keep the person you love is to keep investing in the relationship ongoing. Daily. Moment by moment. It’s a life-long commitment. Especially if you are following the Scriptural model for marriage.

Scripture gives us the picture of marriage as our relationship to Jesus.

What if you stand at the altar and when time to read vows your spouse asks what is the minimum amount I have to do to stay married to you? Ok, I’ll give you some money sometimes and tell others you are my spouse, and come see you once a week or so. I’m looking forward to being married and living in your nice house and you’ll give me stuff that I need and make me happy.

Sadly, the American Church approaches salvation in this same way, not as a true marriage, but as a transaction with minimum requirements.

We want to avoid hell, we hear heaven is a great place and we want to go there, but our sin keeps us out. Thankfully, Jesus died for our sins so we can accept this free gift of salvation by praying and asking His forgiveness, asking Him into our heart, and then we’ll go to heaven.

Is that right? Is that really what it means to be saved?

Holy Spirit keeps bringing me back to Mark 8 passage that we’ve covered several times. We need to go deeper into what it is saying and what that means for us.

Over the next several weeks we will also be checking out the parallel passages in Matthew and Luke along with some other input.

Salvation is about transformation, not just saying a prayer.

Read Mark 8:34-38

Mark 8:34–38 CSB

34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it. 36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? 37 What can anyone give in exchange for his life? 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.”

Mark 8:34 CSB

34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

The first phrase of Mark 8:34 If anyone wants to follow me, If anyone wants to be my disciple

To follow . To come to where I am and to be with. To follow in order to learn from. more place and status.

Second follow in v.34 is To follow behind, must actively follow where I lead, direct, go, etc.

Why would anyone want to follow Jesus? Is He talking here about just going with Him on this journey, or anyone in any time going with Jesus?

Is this a requirement or something optional? Is that something extra? Bonus credit?

Is this true salvation and belief?

There is a lot in that passage. Not just a leisurely walk with the Savior. Life and death, giving up and receiving.

Is this in addition to “praying a sinner’s prayer of forgiveness and asking Jesus into your heart so you can go to Heaven?” Or is it different?

Following rules and being obedient is viewed sometimes as a means to get to Heaven, and sometimes more as a means to be acceptable to God after we have been saved. Maybe to become a better person.

Transformation

In His sermon on the mount Matthew 5-7 including beatitudes, Jesus taught it was not about following the rules but living out a transformed heart. A heart brought alive by the Holy Spirit. Living a Spirit-filled life which then produced transformed behavior.

Do we understand that transformation means our lifestyle is impacted? Our activities are impacted? More importantly, our attitudes are impacted. Our thought life is impacted. Our core affections are impacted. The desires of our heart are impacted.

Salvation is about coming back into right relationship with the Father, not just going to Heaven.

John 14:1–6 CSB

1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.” 5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:4 CSB

4 You know the way to where I am going.”

Begin reading John 14:1-4

not about Heaven and a personal mansion. About being with the Father.

home, rooms

where I am you may also be - not about place but about being together

Continue John 14:5-6

way, truth, life come (not to Heaven) to the Father, through Jesus.

John 14:6 CSB

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Also John 14:23 Father and Son make their home with us now

John 14:23 CSB

23 Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

It really is about living in the presence of God now

Again in John 15 with the relationship Father, Vine, Branches.

Jesus often referred to as Son of God. He referred to Himself frequently as Son of Man.

Jesus came down from God = Son of God. Establish the Kingdom. Seek and save lost. Bring life.

Son of Man = Jesus represents man to God. Jesus leads the way back to the Father.

Jesus rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and death. Gave His life for ours. Conquered death and hell. Rose to give us new life. returned to the Father to represent us and lead us back to Him.

How do we respond to this rescue?

Bob Hooper story. needed a kidney, woman gave. He continually showed gratitude and they celebrated the anniversary of his second chance at life.

Gratitude, celebration, relationship

Salvation is about completely selling out to Jesus, not just a spiritual transaction.

Read Philippians 3:5-14

Philippians 3:5–14 NLT

5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. 7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:7 NLT

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

Philippians 3:10–11 NLT

10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Mark 8:34 if any want to be my follower.

Mark 8:34 CSB

34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

Conclusion

Why do we need to get back to the Father? We’re lost and wandering in darkness without Him. He created us and loves us and invites us back.

Why do we need to follow Jesus? Because He is our only way to the Father.

Big Idea: True salvation is evidenced by a transformed heart and sold out living.

If you are not impacted by what Jesus did for you, if you are not changed, if you are not willing to give up everything to follow Jesus, then it’s time to go back and assess whether you are truly saved or just hoping to miss hell and go to “heaven”.

What About You?

Why are you here this morning?

Out of obligation? Someone makes you come or you feel it is your duty to be here?

Out of Fear? Fear that you will upset God if you don’t come to church?

I hope you are here to follow Jesus with the rest of us. To hear from Him and apply His word throughout the week. To worship and praise and fellowship.