“Uncomfortable: The Cost of Following Jesus – Deny Yourself”
Main Scripture: Mark 8:34 NLT
Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower (disciple), you must give up your own way (deny yourself), take up your cross, and follow me.
Big Idea: We have to deny ourselves.
Matthew 8:18-22 18 When Jesus saw the crowd around Him, He instructed His disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever You go.” 20 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay His head.” 21 Another one of His disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told Him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.”
- Why Deny?
Proverbs 27: 20-21 20 Just as Death (Sheol/Hell) and Destruction (Abaddon) are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied. 21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
Jeremiah 17:9 9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
- What does self-denial look like?
Titus 2:11-13 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
Mark 1:15 15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
- Identifying with the Lord Jesus
Philippians 2: 5-11 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.7 Instead, He gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, 8 He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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