Three Things Jesus Requires of You
Notes
Transcript
Every person will come to several forks in the road of life. When we are at these forks, we must make a decision of which path to take. And that choice will lead us to another fork and another to where we will have determined our life’s goal and plans.
These forks in the road include choices of friends, school/college, careers, spouse/having children, hobbies/recreation, religion/worship.
In the last message I preached in Mark 8, we saw where Jesus told his disciples what must take place in the near future with Him. He is the Messiah, the Anointed One from God, and he has come to fulfill God’s will in the salvation of man. This would mean Jesus would suffer God’s wrath on our behalf. Jesus came to a fork in the road in The Garden of Gethsemane, and He had a decision to make.
36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
This morning you made a decision to get up and come to worship, for that I am glad and very grateful. But now since you are here, I want you to know there is a fork in the road and there is another decision you will have to make before you leave. That decision is the same one that Jesus presents to his disciples and the multitude that were with Him on this day in Mark 8.
Text; Mark 8:34-38
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
There were many people following Jesus that day and after most of them heard His rebuke of Peter, Jesus addressed the crowd along with the disciples, on their desire to come after Him. In this Jesus states “Three Things He Requires from You” to come after Him!
1. Deny Self; 34a
1. Deny Self; 34a
Deny Self- the willingness to deny oneself possessions or status, in order to grow in holiness and commitment to God. Denying self implies that I stop listening to my own voice. I stop leaning on my own power. I stop trying to fulfill my own will and wishes.
Romans 6:11–13 (NKJV)
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Paul is saying that when Christ saved me from sin, He saved me from myself and my selfish ways. Just as John the Baptist said;
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
2. Take Up Your Cross; 34b
2. Take Up Your Cross; 34b
Take up your cross- Too many christians get this wrong. We cannot take up the cross of Christ because we are sinful men who cannot fulfill the perfect will of God for mankind, “salvation”.
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
39 They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;
40 but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”
And a cross is not a burden we are supposed to bear the rest of our lives. Jesus was on the cross from about 9am to 3pm, six hours, and then He was laid in the tomb. Jesus bore His cross so we would not have too!
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Cross-bearing was not an established Jewish metaphor. But the figure was appropriate in Roman-occupied Palestine. It brought to mind the sight of a condemned man who was forced to demonstrate his submission to Rome by carrying part of his cross through the city to his place of execution. Thus “to take up one’s cross” was to demonstrate publicly one’s submission/obedience to the authority against which he had previously rebelled. To tell a man he must be ready to take up a cross was to tell him he must be ready to be regarded as a criminal and to die. [The Bible Knowledge Commentary]
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
20 I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me.
So to take up “our cross” Jesus is calling us to willingly bear the shame, the reproach, the humiliation, the suffering, the hatred, the alienation and even the death that may come to those who are associated with Him. To take up your cross means that you are willing to identify yourself with Jesus Christ, His death and His word, regardless of what it costs you personally, publically or financially!
Carr, A. (2015). No Cheap Seats (Mark 8:34–38). In The Sermon Notebook: New Testament (p. 765).
Too often this is where the christian compromises with the world to avoid humiliation, set backs and persecution. But if we would put to death “self”, we wouldn’t have to carry the burden of that cross anymore!
14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
3. Follow Me; 34c
3. Follow Me; 34c
Follow- loyalty, obedience, become a companion, disciple. It is an active commitment and walk with Christ. It is going after Christ with all your energy, seeking to follow in His footsteps no matter the cost. Remembering that His steps lead to death before they lead to glory.
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 159). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
4. Which Path; 38
4. Which Path; 38
Jesus tells all who are listening that they are at a fork in the road. It is time to make a decision. And the decision they make today will affect other decisions the rest of their life and for eternity.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Close;
You have a decision to make right now. You are at a fork in the road. You can choose to be ashamed of Jesus and His words and you can count on Him being ashamed of you in the judgement!
Or, you can make the decision for Christ right now, and walk through the narrow gate of salvation and discipleship in Christ. And in doing so, you will have the joy of serving Him and the glory of eternal life in heaven one day!
It is a costly walk with Jesus here, but the rewards are out of this world!