Bro Gary Sunday Evening 3/4/12

Bro Gary Sunday Evening 3/4/12

God ordained Jesus Christ to be the designated leader to our lives.  God gave this truth to Isaiah and Isaiah left those truths to us.  John recorded that Jesus is the true shepherd of the sheep and He goes before them and leads them out. 

On the Isle of Patmos John gave the description of the saints following the Lamb of God.  The reason that we can follow Him is because He gave His life’s blood so that you and I could have life, peace, and a clean conscience and so that we could draw nigh to God and He to us.

It took the cross for Jesus to shed His precious blood. 

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Jesus gave this message to His disciples: an old message but an ever new reality.  Jesus isn’t asking anything of us that He hasn’t already experienced.  Where ever you are tonight and whatever situation that you may be facing Jesus experienced the same things that you are going through.  You are not the first to have faced that situation.  Jesus was tempted in every point like we.  He is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.

“If any man will come after me.”  People that say they are not following anything don’t know what they are talking about.  Whether they are following the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the pride of life or are driven by success or whatever they may be driven by they are following something. 

Jesus spoke these words, “if any will come after me let him deny himself.”  We must be trained by Christ if we are going to follow Him.  One of the first trainings is “Let him deny himself.”

It is quite an experience to have a grandson that is able to talk.  It is an experience to visit with him.  He hasn’t learned to tell time yet.  The other day I said something to Cole to the affect of, “Do this or that.”  He said, “Grandpa, give me five minutes ok?”  It was humorous but it is pretty applicable to people and God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit of God.

Sometimes people ask for just a little bit more time.  There are various seasons in life where people feel they need time.  It is only for our good that at the earliest times we hear those words, “Let them deny themselves.”  It is not all about me. 

It will be all about someone in your life.  Jesus knew that.  People suffer great disappointments in life.  Men will fail.  People probably will not be able to live up to your expectations.  Most have a different yardstick for others than they use for themselves. 

If any follow me let him deny himself and take up his cross.  Jesus knew that He was headed to the cross.  Jesus knew and knows the wonderful affects the cross has on our lives.  He is not giving us bad counsel when He says, “Take up thy cross.” 

You children are blessed to have parents that love you and care for you as a treasure.  These parents don’t consider the problems of these children as a cross or a hard thing.  They consider it a high calling.  The reason they can face the issue is because they have counted the cost of the cross and choose to die to their own lives and choose to be an instrument to love, to teach, and to train. 

Jesus said, “If any will come after me let Him deny himself.”  It is not all about me.  Jesus knew that if we will take the cross with the thought, “Yes there is a cross but there is great value to me having a cross.”  It is not all about the pain or how hard it is.  Jesus took the cross because He recognized what it would do for others.  You and I are part of those others.  How grateful we are.

Jesus emphasized, “and follow me.”  We want to keep it real, deny self, take the cross, and follow Christ.

This idea is unaccepted in our society but believed and cherished by God’s people:

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

In both the New Testament and the Old, we are taught this by example over and over again.  In Isaiah, “Eye hath not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that wait on him.”

Psa 34:8  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Psa 37:3  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Psa 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Psa 37:5  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

The marvelous truth: “Whosoever will lose their life for my sake and the gospel shall find it.”

I think of losses and people that serve God have great losses.  The promise is whosoever forsakes father or mother, houses or lands, whosoever puts everything on the altar will receive a hundredfold. 

We may not always realize how much we are loved.  People that are not saved feel awkward when someone says that they love them.  People need to feel that they are loved.  We need to not feel awkward. 

Whosoever will save His life shall lose it.  Over and over again history has repeated:  People charting their life towards what they wanted.  When they got there they left the testimony, “I thought that was what I wanted.” 

If we try to save our own life we will lose it.  If we will lose our life and take the cross with the attitude that, “Yes there will be some suffering, some travail, some times of misunderstanding, times when my presence is not appreciated.  But I have the cross, I have Jesus and I am in obedience to the Word of God.  Whatever losses I have to take, I have to take the loss.  I don’t make a big deal out of it.”

Mat 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

If you gain everything that the flesh could want: from what I know of the flesh it has unnumbered seasons.  First they want this then they want that and then they want something else.  This is just how the flesh is.  If we gained everything that the world had to offer that the flesh wanted, all that still wouldn’t satisfy and we would lose our soul.

The lust of the eyes:  some like a clean house, some like tools to work with, some like to see the finished product, some like a clean car.  The eyes, the lust of the eyes: There are a lot of seasons to the lust of the eyes.  Often what people wanted, they have up for sale today. 

The seasons of the beauty change.  The lust of the eyes has lots of seasons.  There was a season in our lives when we were so poor that we couldn’t pay attention.  I thought I’d like to be able to own a Chevrolet Luv.  I can remember trying to figure out a way to buy one of them.  I saw one the other day and smiled.  I think they are about as comfortable as little red.  Our season has changed.

The pride of life: wanting to make a name for yourself, wanting to be somebody.  The thought of wanting to be: “It.”  That season changes, it is costly but it fades fast. 

I’m not saying this with an attitude but if you have an opportunity to look at a picture of Emily that Bud has above his bed, a beautiful young lady with long, flowing hair.  She liked Herefords and he liked Shorthorns.  How quickly time went from high school to ninety years old.  Now there are no more chapters of her life left. 

It costs something to be saved and we must count the cost.  If you could have everything of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the pride of life, it would cost you your soul. 

There is no gain when it costs your soul.  What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  I answered that question many years ago and answered it again today.  If I’m blessed to wake tomorrow I’ll answer that question again.

“Lovest thou me more than these?”  I love God more than skipping my devotions even if I’m sick.  I’m going to pray for you tomorrow; I count you of more value than me.  I don’t care what pleasures of sin will be offered me tomorrow; I know already that it is not worth it. 

To these that you and I are loving and trying to reach to, what the world is offering them is a giant and looks big today and tomorrow.  Jesus took the cross for us, may we take the cross for Him.  May we not only come after Him but may we follow Him all the way.