Sermon Transcript Tone Analysis

I'm talking about the Life of Christ.

And this morning, we'll continue talking about the Life of Christ and Lord willing, we'll be talkin about the Life of Christ, till he comes.

But this morning, as we consider the laugh of cried, you want to take a look at more particular.

Concerning the key to eternal life.

Any idea about following Jesus Christ as the key.

It's all we've been talking to past couple weeks about what it means to follow Jesus.

What's involved in following Jesus Christ.

But this morning, you want to take a closer look to understand that Jesus never promised that following him would be easy.

You heard me say this before, but I think it's true and it's a apropos in a Lynn Anderson sale.

Country song, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.

Jesus never promised us a Rose Garden when it came to following him.

His wife serves as an example, as an illustration of that.

Very fact, people liked him and people did not like him, people wanted to love him.

People wanted to kill him.

And almost everybody gave up on them.

And they did Kill.

But God's work was done through Providence and it through and through that Providence, that was working in God, that he brought to this world price, went to the cross and fulfill the plan.

That was in God's mind in eternity.

That this man Jesus Christ would die for your sins and for my sins and then he calls us to continue to follow him.

But again, understanding that following him is not going to be easy.

It never has been and it never will.

You know, when Jesus said all those who desire to come after me, let him deny himself that is one of the hardest things to do in following Jesus Christ to continue to deny yourself.

There are certain things we want to do.

But because we deny ourselves, we're not going to do them, that's what it means.

It means perhaps I've lived a certain lifestyle Well, I no longer to live that lifestyle.

But why is that Doug?

Because I found purpose in Jesus Christ.

I found the reason for living and that's Jesus Christ.

And the only way that you can enjoy life to its fullest It's to live for Jesus Christ.

And that's what Jesus calls.

All of us, 4 + 2. To devote ourselves to him.

Right.

That he says that we are to fear God and keep his Commandments.

For this is the whole duty of man, what else is there?

Nothing greater nothing.

More noble.

And nothing.

More loving than to serve a risen savior to serve Jesus Christ and to follow him, until he says deny yourself and pick up your cross daily.

So again, a crucifixion has to take place on a daily basis.

The things we want to say to people.

But we can't say them and we shouldn't say them, because Christ would never say those things.

Price would never do those things and so therefore I did I myself I pick up my cross.

Not his but mine and I crucify my desires and live for the desires of Jesus Christ.

And Paul the Apostle Paul, we talked a little bit about him this morning and how great he was.

And yet he was moved by the guilt.

That ain't him up.

But understanding that it was the grace that could keep him humble and that could keep him driving forward to the upward call of Christ in Christ, Jesus.

and so, as we think about serving, Jesus and coming to the realization that there are difficult things in this life that we have to endure.

That's why the Bible over and over again.

Stresses the fact that we have to have endurance, we have to persevere because life is not easy.

Life is difficult.

And again, the life of Jesus points to that, very fact, So who are we to complain?

Jesus didn't complain about we just go through life.

Doing what Jesus asks us to do.

And it seems that all the worries and anxieties of Life disappear when our focus is upon him.

What our focus is finely tuned to his cause.

And that is to his church.

The cause of this life is that the church is to make known the manifold wisdom of God, Ephesians chapter 3, verse 10.

It's sold by so doing we follow Jesus.

We put him first in our lives, because Jesus said, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness desire and thirst for righteousness.

That keeps us occupied.

That keeps us, Focus.

That keeps us driven.

That keeps us encouraged.

And that keeps us motivated.

Without those things life is hard.

And very difficult to endure when we reach certain struggles and certain obstacles in our lives, brought that out in a few Chapter 70.

So Center in by the narrow gate for wide, is the gate and Broad is the way that leads to destruction.

And many.

Go in there by.

But he says entering at the narrow gate.

For narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to eternal life and very few find it.

We're talking about that this morning, you know, Jesus and that very fundamental teaching on the parable of the sower.

Teaches us that there's the word of God given to all mankind, but out of the Sea of mankind, there are four kinds of hearts.

And people who Jesus talked about were first, those who accepted the word of God, I believe in.

Jesus Is My Savior and I accept his word.

But they're quickly drawn away and they quickly leave, they give up like that.

And then the second part of the second group is that those who let the word of God, go a little bit deeper into their heart.

And they find themselves following Jesus to a larger degree than they did before.

But something happens.

You know, something happens in the church.

Someone got offended.

And all the sudden they just give up like that.

And then there are those who perhaps spend a good portion of their life.

Coming to church studying.

Anna and the cares of this world, the Troubles of this life, over, take them and the people that you once thought were sound in the face and the people that you would never think of ever walking away from doll, get up and walk away.

That's the third group.

But then, Jesus points out the fourth group, he says there's the word of God.

This heart, this individual has a heart for the word of God because it stands as the truth.

It stands as the only direction to Heaven at Sam's as a testament, to Jesus Christ, that's basically what Jesus said when he said this.

This is the New Covenant or the New Testament in my blood.

Jesus shed his blood for the New Testament for you and I to follow and to keep it our hearts.

And that we go through life by.

But as Proverbs 14:12 says there is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it sways death, you know, sometimes we can pull ourselves away from God's word.

And we begin listening to others talk and we begin to agree with them.

And we're green with your opinion rather than a bus say of the Lord and we're following man rather than Christ.

And so Jesus tells us that there is one word and he has given it and want to follow it and that we're not to rely upon the opinions of others.

But upon what he says and what he teaches That's why we can know the truth.

That's what Jesus meant when he said, you can know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

when you know the word, you know, Jesus,