Reasons to Lose your Life

Reasons to Lose your Life

Ma 8:34 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.

Caesarea Philippi seems to have been a religious center from its earliest days. The Canaanite god Baal-gad, the god of good fortune, was worshiped here in OT times. Later, in the Greek period, a shrine in the cave was dedicated to the god Pan. In addition, many niches in the cave held statues of the Nymphs. When Herod the Great was king of the Jews, he built a temple out of white marble near the same spot and dedicated it to Emperor Augustus. It was a very heathen are not a jewish area

Mark alone notes the unexpected presence of a crowd up here near Caesarea Philippi in heathen territory. In the presence of this crowd Jesus explains his philosophy of life and death which is in direct contrast with that offered by Peter and evidently shared by the disciples and the people

Peter was rebuking the Lord BecauseThe Lord said he must suffer be rejected of the elders and chief priests and be killed.

That was not what peter had planned for life and for his leader. Peter not only had plans for himself but he had plans for the Lord.

We are like that not only do we have our life planned out but we have the Lords schedule planned out as well we tell him when to bless when to promote when to pay the bills we treat him like peter as if he is our avenue to greatness.

Jesus took this opportunity when he happened upon this crowd of people to give them a message. I do not know if he ever saw them again. This was probably the only time they heard of Jesus and the only time they heard him and this was the only moment in their life once in a lifetime moment.

And he gave them this message.

but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

That is what he wanted them to do.

If you had one message to preach what would it be ?

Because this was his one message to them.

I want you to imagine you were in the crowd that day. You are walking along a dusty trail. Maybe you have your lunch. Maybe you have an offering for pan. You are on your way to this celebration with family and friends. It is your culture it is all you know. It is a moment your are looking forward to. And along the trail you see this man with a beard and robe and 12 mewn around him and he calls you all said guys come over here.

Here get rid of that offering come one follow me. Where are you going? I am going to the cross. Not much longer I will be on the cross and than you can hang out with these guys. I got plans forget about that and from now on. I will make your plans. But I have investments forget about them from now on I am your investment. But I have family no matter from now on I am your family. I want to make it clear what I am asking, I want you to lose your life.

What would you have done?

Really think about it. He did not ask them in jest he was not joking. He did not ask them as if ti could not happen or should not happen he asked them expectantly. And they did not even know him. He did not die for them yet. They did not have the resurrection. They did not know about the miracles.

Yet they should of followed him. They should have lost their lives.

Why should I lose my life ?

It is a Great Opportunity

Ma 8:34 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.

If you think about yourself and your mistakes and who you are

And he says whosoever that means me

Look at how many times that coccus in these verses .

I do not know about you but I got picked last for everything. Volleyball basketball singing.

When I got saved and stopped being amish it took me a while to make friends. I remember all the people I was trying to be friends with. Talk about going somewhere they say that is fun jump in the truck and go.

Many times in my life that I did not fit in. I did not have a connection and I longed for that connection.

Volleyball, basketball girls would say how do you tell someone if you like them. I would do like Haman i would write it on the side of the water tower in John deer green. I would give them a big kiss in public and tell everyone this is the one. Than they would say good idea I like your friend.

I am sure I am not the only square in here..

But jesus said whosoever

Think about who they were

Think about who you are. The mistakes you have made. The sins you have committed.

Think about Who he is it is Jesus.

Think about who is with him Peter walked on water , James died with head off , John , Mathew

You can stand with them

Think about the great cloud of witnesses.

Moses Abrham David Elijah

You know who they were whosoevers

You can go stand with them.

How do I get to?

Takes desire

Ma 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me,

act of the will

You have to choose it.

Abrham choose it. He answered the call.

Sameul said here am I

Moses approached the bush

You can stand beside them if you choose him.

The more you choose him the more he chooses you.

It has yet to be scene what God will do with a man that will give him everything.

I have no doubt that anyone of you here can go as far for God as any man in the bible. Not in the same way but just as useful to God. IF you want to. If you choose that.

We have a whosoever God.

Choose him in your personal devotions, in your marriage in your child training in your thought life.

Denial

Ma 8:34 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.

It is a pathway of self denial.

You can't come after him if you are still thinking I do not know if this is what I want

To refuse , to withhold , to refrain from to abstain

To deny self is to shun what is holding you back.

What is holding you back from losing your life?

What will you not turn loose of?

Your lifestyle ?

Pride ? insecurity is Pride in disguise?

What do you have that is better than Jesus.

Deny self your image who you think you are what you could never see self doing. I could not do that. Deny self and confess christ.

Let me ask you when have you denied self to follow Christ ?

Salvation. Clear as day a place where two roads met. One road was glittering and broad. One road was neon lights and exhilarating. One road was exciting and took my breath away.

And the other road was right. The other road was good.

I choose Jesus what about you?

Was there again as an adult deciding the path of life. The one road had money and four wheel drive trucks. And the other road had a trailer at bible school working for a dude making 7 dollars an hour.

The point is seeking first the kingdom of God.

George beverly

Determination

Take up his cross

Deny what holding you back and the cross is what is keeping you from going forward.

Take it up and go

Look we are not getting out of this alive.

None of us are. It is just how you want to die.

I want to die on the battlefield. He said lets go to the cross.

What is keeping you ? take it up lets roll

Devotion follow me

He will lead the way

You know what happend in my life

I got the desire

I got the deny self

I got the take up the cross

But then i forgot the most important part follow me.

I made my own way.

I tried to map it out figure it out myself and I got lost.

It is a terrible world out there and I can't make it on my own I need someone to follow and he will never lead you astray.

How could it be scary if you have someone to follow?

Listen it is a great opportunity

But it is intentional

It is cost counted

It is a conviction

It is this is my whole life forever with not thought of returning. This is spiritual d day.

Jesus assumed that if you were to confess him than you would also follow him.

This idea that I can have my jesus and fornication to. Is crazy.

Why should you lose your life it is a great opportunity.

Not talking about becoming a preacher not talking about something that whosoever will cannot do every one of you can leave here and seek first his kingdom.

There is no excuse it is whosoever will. Will you?

It has Great Benefits

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.

Noticve the whosoever this is a story about you put your name there. On the page read it if bez

There is a great paradox

If you try to save it you loose it if lose it you save it.

What does it mean to save your life ?

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

I am going to eat this seed instead of planting it.

Enjoy instead of Invest.

Consume the things of God but not continuie in them

To love life so much that you keep it all for you and what you want to do.

It is like the person said after a service I do not have a lot of time and I believe i could do better things with my time. Like what and those things were not spiritual but carnal.

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

It is let me find out what i enjoy doing what i want to do

Pro_18:2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

They say I have found my purpose. Were did you find it. Because if it is a purpose outside of this it is wrong.

You saved your life.

It has to do with tring to preserve.

Seeking silver, seeking to be rich , what to wear what to eat werewithall shall we be clothed

It has to do with following your passions and the motions of sin

Not getting any younger. Trying to die with the most toys.

IF that is your priority what you can make of this life what you can become how much you can bring home how pretty your spouse is you will loose your life.

But if you lose it you save it.

Lose means to misplace

You have misplaced it

No knowledge of were it went .

Were are the last ten years? What do you have to show ? will it make it past the judment seat of Christ or willit all turn to dust?

Is it wood hay stuble ?

Did you go to the cosino of life ? and see all you could get and put your life in one day at a time and pull the lever?

Now you not only do not have your life but you do not have the potetial of it any longer.

or is tere some suffering for christ?

Is the ship of life wrecked on the shores of life and lost to the waves of time?

How do you save it ?

By reversing the order loose it first get it later

Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

You save it by investing it. Loose first save later.

Marshmellos 4 year olds.

The ones that did wer the ones that did well in high school finished colledge and got good jobs.

Loose life , I do not control it he does, I cast it on the water , I leave it in christ

Able i put the lamb on the alter my wealth

I stop my plans and begin building the ark I give up the world and get it all back later.

I put issac on the alter , my furture.

Elon Musk. Who would do that? Especially if you are lost. Going to mars takes 300 days and coming back does. I am not going to mars I do not want to sbe in a place that i cannot control for 2 years.

Loosing life is getting in the ship with jesus.

It is for my sake for the glory of God

It is for the gospels sake the etenal good of man

It is investing in the local church. It is investing in missions , it is working in the ministeries of the church. IT is sitting down thinking for two hours about him instead of watching tv.

You know what will happen to this 100 dollar if i hid it in the earth in time for hundrend years buy a happy meal

The enemy of money sitting in your attic is time.

But if you invest it time becomes its friend.

If you are saving your life time is your enemy. But if you are investing it is your friend.

You want to save it because it is finite. You try to capture the moment you try to savour the moment. But it flies away and you can't capture it.

If you are investing your life the longer you live the sweeter it gets. If you saving your life the longer you live the worse it gets.

No other job in this world can preserve your life.

Listen nothing else can do this nothing else can preserve your life.

Nothing can take what is precious and make it better.

What are you doing water bottle. You trying to catch it savour it or are you investing it ?

Let me ask you when is the last time you lost your life? Your time what you wanted for my sake and for the gospels sake?

You will get that back.

Do you trust him to preserve it to make it grow ?

Or do you hide it ?

It is Very Secure

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?

Profit is advancement

Profit is bigger and better

Gain is when you leverage something to make it bigger better.

What most men do is they take their life and leverage it to gain a piece of the world.

But the Lord said even if you gained not just an apple size chunk or a steve job size chunk

But if you gained the whole world it would not be worth it.

If you lost your soul you would look at the world as dust.

Luk_4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

Luk_4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

To gain that means you lost this.

You gain this and that is added

First you leave

Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.

And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Loose soul can you imagine

That means you lose the ability to enjoy to choose loose life

By trying to get in control you lose it all.

Or what shall a man give in exchange?

You may have profited you may have gained in this worlds eyes

But you put a lien on your soul.

And you can't redeem yourself you can't pay the lien.

They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

That he should still live forever, and not see corruption.

But if you go with him

He will secure it he will redeem you.

Don't die without christ

Because all you thought you gained will turn to dust and you will lose your soul.

Don't lose your soul it is precious.

Would you sell one of your eyes a million bucks? Two for ten million?

No one would why precious yet they do not know how valuable it is.

Rush and roulette for a million dollars ? One gun 6 chambers 5 to one odds

Listen, do not gamble with your soul trust christ secure it today what do you hope to gain it will not profit you.

He is saying nothing is worth it.

He is saying listen guys anything you hope to gain down there in caesarea philippi is not worth it.

That boyfriend girlfriend is not worth it.

Christian nothing you hope to gain is worth putting christ in the back seat.

It is the only secure thing you can do.

It is only safe thing you can do.

Stop taking risks with your soul. Do not go to hell trust christ

It is the only way to make your life matter

It is Very Rewarding

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.

Whosoever therefore

For the people it was salvation for the disciples it was service

Ashamed of Christ.

You ever been ashamed? Think about something you done you say not going to bring that up makes you uncomfortable?

Are you ashamed of Christ ? in this wicked generation?

Tony Stevens old tercel spoiled milk

Are you ashamed of Christ

Have no company with him ?

You refuse him and do not receive him. Than one day the tables will turn.

of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Jesus is not a big deal now to the world

It is a reproach to be called a christian. You have a lot less people you can date it is harder to meet a spouse. Christian mingle has lots of women with big hearts but not all christian men just want a big heart they want someone with all their teeth as well. All the crazy cat ladies are on christian mingle.

And the pretty ones they are on plenty of fish. Listen every christian young man knows there are not plenty of fish. It may seem to complicate things.

But one day Christ will be a big deal He will occupy the throne in jerusalem for a thousand years. And we get to reign with him if we suffer with him.

We get to our life than if we lose it now.

There is a certain way it makes you feel to be called onto a stage. To be able to receive a diploma , to receive honor. To be talked about on Television.

I am sure that if you were the president there would be something about walking onto air force one. Something about about stepping onto that helicopter and having these guys protect you.

But it will be a far greater honor to be called onto the stage by the Lord in front of the world and receive a crown.

One day he is coming back in glory

With the holy angels. People say they seen angels maybe unawares I do not want to see one unawares I want to see one awards. There he is that is an angel.

Amen bro phil.

White horse king of kings and Lord of Lords

In glory and we will get to share in that glory.

HE will say cummings laubach come here remember when you lost your life. Lord I did not really lose it. He will say well here is your reward. Lord you are so good. You take the little effot and you reward us you are so good.

How could you not want to do it ?

It blows my mind that xbox and netflix and lost family members are more exciting than this.

Now what would you do if you were them ? would you do what they did and keep on walking they did not know him that was all they heard about him.

What are you going to do ? because you have a lot more info than they did they did not have the resurrection or even the cross but you do.

Most keep on walking. IF you are not saved do not just keep walking shrug it off and loose your soul.

The only thing we can be sure of is if they do9d not do this they lost their life and the only thing we can be sure of is if you do not do this you will lose your life.