January 12th, 2025

Estimated read time: 1:20

Summary

In this sermon, the speaker from the Central Church of Christ in Cleveland, TN, delves into the Christian concept of self-denial as taught by Jesus. Through an exploration of biblical passages, including Matthew 16 and Galatians 5, the sermon makes a case for the necessity and challenges of denying oneself to truly follow Christ. The speaker uses anecdotes and scripture to illustrate the difference between satisfying fleeting worldly desires and pursuing eternal joy through a life committed to Jesus. The sermon emphasizes that self-denial is not a path to misery but a route to find one's true self and deeper fulfillment in faith.

Highlights

The sermon started on a light note, acknowledging the mix-up of it being afternoon instead of morning 🤭.
Continuous emphasis on community activities like clothing drives and prayer requests showcases a tight-knit congregation 👐.
The sermon resonated with the audience by highlighting familiar struggles with sin and the pursuit of selfish desires 😅.
Matthew 16:24-26 was a central scripture, encouraging followers to deny themselves and take up their cross 📖.
The analogy of denying oneself as the antidote for a life of empty promises versus true fulfillment in Jesus was impactful 🎯.
Concluding with the option of living a self-centered life versus a Christ-centered life left the audience with deep reflections 🌌.

Key Takeaways

Self-denial is essential in following Jesus, contrary to popular belief that it leads to misery. Instead, it offers true fulfillment 🌟.
We struggle with selfish desires, but denying these aligns us more closely with God's will ✝️.
The sermon emphasized the importance of being intentional in our spiritual journey, choosing daily to follow the path of Christ ⛅.
Our worldly desires often conflict with spiritual growth; identifying and setting these aside brings us closer to God 🙏.
True self-discovery in Christianity involves denying one's old self and embracing a new life in Christ 🎉.
Baptism symbolizes the beginning of this journey: dying to our old self and being reborn in faith 🌊.

Overview

In this engaging sermon from the Central Church of Christ in Cleveland, TN, the listeners were invited to explore the transformative power of self-denial through the teachings of Jesus. With references from the Bible, particularly Matthew 16 and Galatians 5, the minister painted a vivid picture of the Christian journey as one that involves daily choices to abandon selfish desires and embrace spiritual growth.

Through a passionate delivery, the speaker emphasized that self-denial is often misunderstood. Contrary to the notion that it leads to a bleak and joyless existence, the sermon offered an uplifting perspective—self-denial is a pathway to discovering one's true self in Christ, fostering deeper relationships and lasting happiness that transcend worldly gains. Anecdotes about common human struggles added relatability, emphasizing the need for intentional living aligned with divine guidance.

Community announcements and expressions of gratitude punctuated the sermon, showcasing the church's active role in fostering supportive environments for its members. The message concluded with an impactful call for reflection, leaving the congregation to ponder the choices between a life dictated by earthly wants and one led by the eternal promises held in following Jesus. By offering a comprehensive view of this spiritual practice, the sermon inspired a renewed commitment to faith-based living.

Chapters

04:30 - 11:00: Introduction and Announcements The chapter covers introductory remarks made by the speaker, who provides an overview of the main topics to be discussed in the session. It includes a brief introduction to the session's agenda and the primary objectives. Additionally, there are several key announcements shared with the audience, regarding organizational updates, upcoming events, or changes in procedure. The Introduction and Announcements chapter sets the stage for the deeper discussions to follow, ensuring that all attendees are aligned on the purpose and expectations of the session.
28:30 - 31:00: Opening Prayer and Scripture Reading The chapter begins with an introduction focused on the significance of opening prayers in religious gatherings. It highlights the importance of setting the tone for the service and inviting a spiritual presence. The narrator provides examples of traditional prayers used to open ceremonies and discusses their historical context and variations across different cultures and religions.
33:00 - 68:00: Sermon - Self-Denial and True Discipleship This chapter delves into the profound concepts of self-denial and true discipleship from a sermonic perspective. It emphasizes the importance of forsaking personal desires and ambitions in order to follow a higher spiritual calling. The sermon likely illustrates how true discipleship requires sacrifice, dedication, and unwavering commitment to spiritual principles. The essence of the message revolves around prioritizing spiritual well-being over material possessions or selfish pursuits. Through scriptural references and motivational anecdotes, it challenges believers to live a life of service and humility, aligning closer with their faith's core teachings.
77:00 - 93:00: Communion This chapter explores the theme of communion, symbolized through various cultural and religious practices. As the narrative unfolds, characters engage in rituals that highlight their community bonds, personal faith, and the intersections between the spiritual and the mundane. The dialogue and scenes emphasize unity and shared beliefs, while also addressing individual struggles with doubt and faith. Through these interactions, the chapter delves into how communion can be a source of strength, connection, and understanding among diverse individuals. The chapter concludes with a thoughtful reflection on the enduring power of communal rituals in fostering understanding and cohesion within a community.
93:00 - 107:00: Closing Song and Prayer The chapter focuses on the concluding elements of an event or gathering, emphasizing the importance of a closing song and prayer.

January 12th, 2025 Transcription

00:00 - 00:30
00:30 - 01:00 for
01:00 - 01:30 for for
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02:00 - 02:30 for
02:30 - 03:00 for
03:00 - 03:30 e
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04:30 - 05:00 well good morning or excuse me good
05:00 - 05:30 afternoon it's 2 o'clock
05:30 - 06:00 know it kind of throws us all off but so
06:00 - 06:30 glad that you're here hopefully that you
06:30 - 07:00 had a chance to enjoy the snow enjoy all
07:00 - 07:30 the the fun that comes along with that but as always glad to see it leave so life can get back to normal but again thank you for uh being here make sure that when you walked in that you picked up two things that you picked up your communion packs if you need one and also your copy of your bulletin your announcements so you can keep up with what's going on if you don't have one of those those Now's the Time to to run get
07:30 - 08:00 those but just a couple of things uh before we begin our worship uh we do want to say congratulations again to Andrew and Ashley Sims on the birth of their son John David Sims um everyone's doing great so again continue to keep them uh in your prayers don't forget clothing Drive is going to be Sunday March the 30th they uh are accepting clothing items and they can put them in the put them in the youth office John's
08:00 - 08:30 office which is down this little hallway um right over here if you bring them and if you bring them maybe reach out to John or Leia and let them know that hey I'm bringing some clothes or I brought some clothes um if nothing else just go throw them all on their front porch good all right uh and don't forget to keep up with what the central youth group is doing you can see that there uh on the inside page at the bottom uh there will be no kids connect today uh because of the change in times and all
08:30 - 09:00 that and I know a lot of people are out and couldn't be with us uh and so hopefully if you're watching online the audio is back we had some audio problems last week but that should be back this week um two things I want to add or say about the prayer request uh continue or remember Donna ever saw I know she posted something on Facebook but her grandmother Corine green passed away I believe it was yesterday uh so continue to remember Donna in your prayers and I want to say thank you to all those that reached out on behalf of Jackson he's doing good I think uh and so he's going
09:00 - 09:30 to head back to school uh tomorrow but continue to keep him uh in your prayers he is still pretty sore and shooking up but he'll get better he'll get better he's a big boy he's a big boy and if you're visiting with us I don't know if you're visiting or not but if you are there should be a card in front of you you can fill that out or scan the QR code and fill that out on your phone but again thank you all so much uh for being here uh this afternoon and I hope that you'll uh prepare your
09:30 - 10:00 hearts and your minds as we begin to worship God together Richard please stand scripture reading this morning is Matthew 16: 24- 26 then Jesus told his disciples if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow
10:00 - 10:30 me for whoever shall save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul or what shall a man give in return for his soul let's go to God In Prayer our most gracious and loving Heavenly Father we come before you you
10:30 - 11:00 thanking you for this beautiful day we have and thank you Lord for this time that that we've been able to gather together as Christians and worship you and sing songs and praises to you and and study your word dear Lord be with those that have been unable to come today that they'll be able to return to whatever stands in their way to return and worship with us once again also Lord be with those that have been mentioned and that are in the bulletin that that are sick and and injured and and need to
11:00 - 11:30 recover help help the doctors and nurses working with them that they'll be able to return to their health once again Lord be with those men and women in our military Soldiers and Sailors and Airmen that they'll be that are assigned to places all over the world Lord Lord keep them safe and return them back to their families If It Be Your Will we ask this in Jesus name amen your [Music]
11:30 - 12:00 might e
12:00 - 12:30 unto thee Oh
12:30 - 13:00 Lord
13:00 - 13:30 e e
13:30 - 14:00 um our next song is uh just a verse from
14:00 - 14:30 the King James Bible we have I Le just grew up singing this song in like kids
14:30 - 15:00 connect Vacation Bible School that kind of thing where we sang it as fast as we absolutely could anybody raise your hand did you ever sing it as fast as you it gets very wordy there in the last few parts we're not going to sing it as fast as we can we are going to sing it a few times through so if you know this song sing out I am crucified with e
15:00 - 15:30 that gets real fun when it's
15:30 - 16:00 faster uh next song we're going to sing is um a pretty simple song but I don't think I've ever let it here called highest place um it is in the book and so we have the slides that's good we
16:00 - 16:30 e
16:30 - 17:00 e e
17:00 - 17:30 our next song is uh Lord reign in me if
17:30 - 18:00 you'll stand it's our song before the lesson and don't reminder don't send your kids out the back
18:00 - 18:30 who knows where they'll go over all the Earth
18:30 - 19:00 e
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19:30 - 20:00 please be
20:00 - 20:30 seated so over 2,000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth walked this Earth and he challenged people unlike anyone had ever seen he said things like turn the other cheek or to love your enemies he said to go the second and he said those who live by the
20:30 - 21:00 sword will die by the sword Jesus was a a warrior and the way that he defeated the enemy his enemy our enemy was unlike anyone had ever seen he wanted people to know that the enemy wasn't Rome the enemy wasn't Gentiles the the Real Enemy was the World the Flesh and the devil and the way he defeated the world's greatest enemies wasn't with a sword but a or a shield but it was with a cross and so in Matthew chapter 16 Jesus
21:00 - 21:30 was explaining to his disciples that I'm about to go to Jerusalem and I'm about to suffer I'm about to die and so he said I'm going to do this at the hands of the elders the chief priests the teachers the law and that I must be killed and on the third day raised to life and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him and said never Lord this is not going to happen to you and so Jesus turned and said to Peter get behind behind me Satan now if there's
21:30 - 22:00 one thing you don't want to be called by your teacher right I'm sure some of your teachers maybe were tempted to call you that but I know mine were growing up but one thing you don't want to be called by your teacher especially your Rabbi your master especially Jesus is Satan but I think what Jesus shows us and I think one of the reasons that we have this account is so it gives us sort of a look inside The Human Condition see for Jesus the way that Satan has
22:00 - 22:30 access to our life is often our refusal to adopt his way the way of Jesus and so Jesus says you know what you're a stumbling block to me you you don't have in mind the concerns of God the only concerns you have in mind are your own they're human concerns in other words Peter you're being very shortsighted you're not seeing the long-term goal here the long-term plan and so Jesus said to his disciples whoever wants to be my disciple must
22:30 - 23:00 deny themselves take up their cross and follow me whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it so in a world of um consumerism where where it's King in a world where self-fulfillment is most desired this message that we're going to talk about today the message of self-denial deny yourself has fallen really on hard times it's
23:00 - 23:30 fallen on hard times with our careers because that's what we often use to get ahead in life to make the most money in life to have the most relaxation one day or retirement in life we uh we lose you know our desire to to look better our desire to look younger our desire to just have more so that we can spend more and so that we can have nicer or maybe it's a desire to save everything you have like we saw last week right the fool who wanted to save up everything so that he just kick his feet up and Trust
23:30 - 24:00 in himself because he had done it and not trust in God overall I think we all struggle to have a vision of the good life where we don't get what we want Robert Roberts said we have been led to believe that the self is sacran just as in an earlier time it was never thought fitting to deny God now it feels never right to deny self in other words God used to be the one that was sacred and no one one ever thought about denying God and not putting God first
24:00 - 24:30 but he says the times have changed now it's all about self it's all about me it's all about how I feel right follow your heart just do it don't let anyone tell you what to do do what feels right the slogans of our day just abound in making sure that you take care of yourself and that you pursue yourself your dreams your desires we live in a world and we know it right we live in a world that's counter to the Jesus's teachings where
24:30 - 25:00 self- Pursuit is really just a daily struggle and so the dangers not only include conforming to the worldly standards but it's also the danger is also in just outright ignoring God's ways outright ignoring the way that God has set before us and if we aren't careful what tends to happen is is we take passages like this in Matthew 16 and we just sort of read over them where Jesus says to deny yourself to take up your cross and to follow me we just sort
25:00 - 25:30 of read over it as like maybe it's just some first century gibberish right we would never call it that but we just read over it and we move on to the next verse and we say what a what a powerful teaching Jesus or we or Worse we misinterpret it and we water it down but if Jesus was serious about what he said and and he was what does it mean what does it mean to deny yourself that's what I want to talk about just for a few minutes today and just you know to ensure that we grasp what Jesus meant when he commanded us to
25:30 - 26:00 deny ourselves understanding what it truly means and what it doesn't mean I think will lead to a better life for us a life free to live in his grace and I think it's important for us to grasp what it means I think it's important for us to understand what it means because I think sometimes we get the idea that to deny yourself really is just a miserable way of life and that's what Jesus is calling me that's why it's so hard for me to accept that's why it's so easy for me to just read over it and continue to
26:00 - 26:30 the next verse is because I Think Jesus is just calling me to live a a miserable life it's like we hear this voice in our head when we read this verse it says you know be miserable lose everything you love take your little portion of happiness and just step all over it trample on it just become a martyr and we aren't sold on that right admit it we're not sold on that we're not sold on that right be honest I mean I mean listen denying yourself is probably one of the hardest things that we will ever have to do I didn't say it
26:30 - 27:00 was the hardest I said it's one of the hardest things that we'll ever have to do and the reason for that is because we have this selfish we have this proud We have this sinful nature within us Paul says in Galatians 5:16 that the Christians have to intentionally walk by the spirit and not gratify the desires of the flesh that means it's possible Paul says for the Christian not to keep in step with the spirit it's possible for the Christian not to walk in step with the spirit and and we know what that looks like right we know what that
27:00 - 27:30 looks like in our own life we know what it looks like to gratify the desires of the flesh so what Jesus and the Flesh and the spirit what you'll notice in the New Testament they're always in opposition to each other and Paul calls them by many different names and we'll see that in just a moment but what Jesus is asking us to do when he says to deny yourself is to deny yourself of what's going to rob you of Eternal Joy that's what you deny yourself of so when Jesus talks about under you know denying our El he's not asking us to be miserable
27:30 - 28:00 he's asking us I want you to trust me I want you to trust me with your life with every single portion of your life I'm giving you a a re I'm not giving you a recipe for a miserable life I'm giving you the antidote for a sad and a pointless life and it's to trust me I'm giving you the antidote to a life that's full of empty promises and empty Pursuits remember Jesus says come to me all that are weary and have heavy burdens and I will give you rest take your yoke upon me and learn from me for I am gentle I am humble and when you do
28:00 - 28:30 that Jesus says you're going to find rest for your soul Jesus says the antidote the antidote is denying yourself and trusting me that's why Jesus is going to go on and we looked at it already and we're going to keep looking at it over the next few weeks but Jesus says if you want to save your life if you want to live eternally then you'll have to give me your life now on this side of Eternity you'll have to to trust me with your life but in self to now not only are we trusting in Jesus but we're also
28:30 - 29:00 finding Joy we're finding fulfillment in Jesus for all aspects of our life for all compartments of our life so and again in this society that prizes individualism as much as ours one of the fears we have when we hear the words deny ourselves not only do we think well it's going to be miserable but number two we often think that you know what I'm going to lose myself and and what I mean is so there's been
29:00 - 29:30 some bad teachers there's been some bad preachers false teachers radical preachers radical teachers whatever they've gone so far into this teaching of self-denial that when people hear that they must deny themselves they think you know I'm going to be deprived of everything that makes me me right um my dreams will be trashed my desires will be diminished and my personality is just going to be erased and there are a lot of societies there are a lot of Cults there are a lot of people who have given over to that and so to some extent it's it's
29:30 - 30:00 understandable it's an understandable fear because denying yourself after all means denying yourself it it is what it means it's removing all the roots of every tree that B that bears bad fruit in us it's getting rid of sin it's it's every part of me that does not reflect him has to be abandoned it has to be discarded it has to be thrown out so Luke when he record records his account there in Luke chapter 9 his
30:00 - 30:30 account of Jesus is called to follow him he says that denying yourself and carrying your cross it has to be a and it is a daily activity it's a daily sacrifice a daily decision to make sure that my dreams that my plans they don't leave out Jesus in fact they're Started With Jesus my dreams and my plans they all have Jesus in the will of his kingdom in the Forefront of our mind listen not all desire is wrong and I hope we know that in fact without
30:30 - 31:00 it most of us probably wouldn't have gotten dressed and came here this morning right you probably wouldn't have gotten out of bed this morning you wouldn't get out of bed any morning unless you had some sort of Desire behind you to get up get out of bed and maybe get to work there's nothing wrong with dreams there's nothing wrong with desires there's nothing wrong with what makes Ryan Ryan but if any of those things hinder my fellowship with God than Jesus commands that's when you have to deny yourself every single day John Mark Homer says
31:00 - 31:30 following Jesus is about those moments where you have that decision to make between the Flesh and the spirit following Jesus is a thousand small deaths that lead to one massive life and I think Jesus told a one- sentence Parable that goes along well with what John Mark says and what well what scripture teaches about denying yourself and about following after Jesus and he says the Kingdom of Heaven in other words the rule in the reign of God is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up then in
31:30 - 32:00 his Joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field so in other words he gave up he sold all that he had to gain he gave all of that up to gain something of more value and I think that's the whole message behind Jesus's command of self-denial Jesus Jesus's command of taking up a cross he says the sacrifice that we make in this world the the daily denial of ourselves is because we believe there is something more and eternally more
32:00 - 32:30 valuable when we deny ourselves but it doesn't mean you're going to lose who you are what self-denial does is that it helps you really find your true self I know we hear a lot about that in culture you know finding yourself finding your true self well Jesus here in Matthew chapter 16 he says if you want to know your true self if you want to find your true self then guess what you're going to have to make a decision you're going to have to make your decision and he says for whoever
32:30 - 33:00 wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me you will find it in other words if you want to find life that is truly life you'll have to lose your old self so again in this command in other places in scripture we are told we see that we have two two selves about us two selves right it's talked repeatedly about in the New Testament Paul calls them the spirit ual self and the natural self in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 right the
33:00 - 33:30 natural person is only concerned about themselves they're only concerned about what happens on this Earth in this life to me right now in this day that's all I'm concerned about I'm concerned about me the spiritual person he says though they pay a little bit more attention they understand something they understand the battle they they understand the the the battle that they face in life and I'm not saying that's a way of perfection because we all stumble
33:30 - 34:00 in that that's why it's called a battle but we're led by the spirit of God the natural self is the self we are to die to we are to deny in fact the word deny means to cast off to abandon uh it means to utterly disown it means to renounce but it also conveys a heightened sense of feeling and action so it's not like you're saying no to the 10th donut right you've already eaten nine Christmas creams and there's that tth and you're like no Ryan you can't
34:00 - 34:30 eat the whole box that would be crazy don't do that put it down that's not what he's talking about what Jesus means is that the person that you were before you were born again that person can no longer exist that person has to die you have to utterly disown or renounce listen we will never experience Resurrection without experiencing death you have to die so that you can
34:30 - 35:00 live Paul says we were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father we too might live A what new life Paul says in Galatians 5 what we think about already I've been crucified with Christ it's no longer I who live but it's Christ who lives in me and the life and I now live in the flesh I live
35:00 - 35:30 by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Paul says the old me was crucified with Christ and now I've been raised to walk in a new life in a new way of living see that's the other self that all of life is a battle between the two selves but the war we face after we become Christians is different than before we were a Christian what I mean is that when you become a Christian you move from a battle you
35:30 - 36:00 cannot win to a battle you can win Paul talks about that in Romans chapter 7 when you're raised with Christ he he becomes the answer to your struggle he becomes the answer to all the questions you have about life he becomes the purpose of your life and that's the choice Paul made and that's the choice we make and again it begins by being born again it begins by being baptized into Christ if you've been raised with Christ you now Paul
36:00 - 36:30 says have a new life a new life in Christ and you set your sights on the realities of Heaven you don't set yourself on the realities of Earth because you died to that life your your life is now hidden it's hidden with Christ in God and that's our motivation now is it easy no absolutely not again self-denial is one of the hardest things you'll ever do it's not a walk in the park it's it's it's messy the old self likes to poke its little
36:30 - 37:00 head out every once in a while and Paul says that in in his in in the newness of Life talk in the New Testament it always implies it always implies that it is a daily self-denial again Galatians chapter 5 he says if we live by the spirit we keep in step with the spirit if we live by the spirit it's a daily decision you have to be intentional which again isn't always easy it's why it's called Warfare It's why it's called a battle by Paul it's about seeking it's about finding fulfillment it's about finding
37:00 - 37:30 satisfaction in God rather than Earthly things and it's not that people and things and stuff doesn't matter but they don't matter more than our pursuit of Holiness you see whenever your self- desire whenever your self- fulfillment your self-made identity your self-chosen way of doing things whenever your s gets in the way of your relationship with God and you know when that is is right that's when you practice
37:30 - 38:00 self-denial and it can even be the good things in life you know I think we have a lot of good things to be thankful for amen we have a lot of good things to to remember we have a lot of good things that we enjoy every single day and but I think it's very easy at least in our culture in our lives for those good things to become Idols whenever Good Things become the most ultimate thing it's an idol and
38:00 - 38:30 that's when we practice self-denial so again back in Matthew chapter 16 when Jesus is uh talking to Peter and Jesus had just explained what was happening what was going to happen in Jerusalem and again Peter says no that's not going to happen you're not going to die and so in one in one sort of setting you've got Peter speaking from God that that Jesus is the Christ that that he is the Son of God and the next minute he's
38:30 - 39:00 the mouthpiece of Satan he's trying to step in front of the plan of God but listen it's not that Peter did that intentionally it's that Peter wanted a good thing he wanted Jesus as the Messiah to redeem all of Israel he wanted Jesus to come in and to the Messiah to come in and to remove them from Roman oppression their they're tired of the slavery they're tired of of the hard work they're tired of the
39:00 - 39:30 oppression they want to live freely and listen those are all good things right those are good things the problem was in Jesus's own words you're not setting your mind on the things of God you're setting your mind on the things of man so the good thing that Peter wanted had become the ultimate thing and Jesus had sort of had to put him in check and so he says Get Behind Me Satan you're not understand understanding it see Peter wanted his own way what he thought was right a a
39:30 - 40:00 deep conviction that he had maybe something he had always been taught and Jesus says the good thing you want is is trying to take the place of the will of God and so Jesus says listen if you're going to follow me if you're going to get to where the father is you're if you want eternal life you're going to have to deny yourself take up your cross and follow me back in Hebrews there there is back in Hebrews the writer encourages us to to lay aside every weight of sin that slows us down
40:00 - 40:30 especially the sin that trips us up to to run with endurance the race that is before us so you know how do you throw sin away how do you throw the the old self away how do you run with endurance how do you deny yourself the writer says plainly look at Jesus there's your example look at Jesus Keep Your Eyes on him I love the way sort of the message sort of translates Hebrews 12: 2 and 3 Keep Your Eyes On Jesus who both began and finished this race we're in study how he did it he never lost sight
40:30 - 41:00 of where he was headed that exhilarating finish in and with God he could put up with anything along the way the cross the shame whatever and now he's there in the place of honor right alongside God when you find yourselves flagging in your faith go over that story again listen to what he says item by Idol every detail go over it again that long Litany of hostility he plowed through that will shoot adrenaline into your
41:00 - 41:30 souls and he's right that's what the writer of Hebrews is trying to show us look to Jesus because he is the author and he is the perfector of our faith so in a world where self-denial has fallen on hard times I want to encourage us all to daily make the decision to follow Jesus all the sacrifices we make now Jesus says are worth it in the end because you're going to have eternal
41:30 - 42:00 life Jim Elliot said he is no fool who gives up what he can't keep to gain what he cannot lose and so in this life we've got two options option one is you can deny Jesus and you can follow yourself Dallas Willard said to live in the flesh to live with unjustified affections and desires is simply a matter of putting them in the AL ultimate position in our lives whatever we want becomes the most important thing
42:00 - 42:30 this is what happens he says when we are living apart from God we make our desires ultimate because they are all we have we look to them he says as if they're the only thing in our lives as if they everything in our lives thinking of my worth my glory my parents thinking of my power to sustain myself so option one will always leave you unsatisfied it will always leave you run
42:30 - 43:00 by desire it will always leave you in slavery to want in slavery to the next thing and Jesus says that option that Pursuit will ultimately end in you losing your life but option two is you deny yourself and follow Jesus which is a life where you've again you've died to yourself your old self and you live in the newness newness of life life of satisfaction a life that is
43:00 - 43:30 motivated by love free from the domination of want and in the end Jesus says you're going to save your life listen there's nothing wrong with a desire there's nothing wrong with a desire there's nothing wrong with being successful there's nothing wrong with being happy in this life but for the Christian there is something eternally wrong with placing those things before our ultimate Pursuit which should be keeping our eyes and our hearts and our minds on Jesus the author and the perfector of our faith that's what we sign up for when we're baptized into Christ right the symbolic Act of death
43:30 - 44:00 burial and Resurrection the moment when we die to our old self and we're raised to walk in newness of life there's a legend I don't know if it's true or not but it makes a pretty good application point in a sermon so we're going to pretend it is but there's a legend uh that before every battle the Knights Templar which is a Catholic military order during the Crusades they would be baptized and in their attempt at baptism it was rather
44:00 - 44:30 peculiar because as they went down into the water they would always leave one hand out and often in that hand it could be just their hand but often in that hand was their sword and they did that as if they were saying Jesus you can have all of me but this part I need for myself because I've got to kill now we might not hold up a sword but we might hold up a
44:30 - 45:00 wallet we might hold up an image of self we might hold up an attitude of selfishness an attitude of want we might hold up a relationship we might hold up a habit I don't know what it might be but I think we all do it I think we're all tempted and we often give into holding back a part of our lives and not giving at all and not dying to all I know what baptism is I know that baptism is complete immersion but the point I'm trying trying to make is this to follow God is to lay down all of self
45:00 - 45:30 and to live a new life in him so in keeping with the the series that we're going through to step forward what is it that you need to lie down in order to step forward in your relationship with Christ again self-denial isn't easy but it's possible and if you've been born again God has given you his spirit that empowers you to keep in step with him as we talked about last week yes it's an inch by inch it's a day day by day practice of self-denial you're going to mess up along the way right we all do
45:30 - 46:00 not excusing it not rationalizing it but we do you mess up along the way but it's in those moments we pray for forgiveness and it's in those moments God will give us that and God will give us his grace and if you haven't yet died to yourself you haven't been buried with Christ you haven't been raised to walk a new life I pray that you we could either make that decision today or you that you can begin contemplating what that means and if you need some help and trying to understand that I pray that you will ask me or anybody here
46:00 - 46:30 almost anybody here anybody here now ask them what it means to be a Christian ask them what it means to be born again and we'd love to sit down with you and talk about that uh if we can help you in any way won you come as Together We Stand and as we sing e
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47:00 - 47:30 we'll be Jesus Paid It All we'll do all
47:30 - 48:00 three
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50:00 - 50:30 anybody that hadn't got their packet yet
50:30 - 51:00 there's some in the
51:00 - 51:30 back good time to go get it I'm going to
51:30 - 52:00 read this morning from Isaiah
52:00 - 52:30 53 who has believed and I'll be reading
52:30 - 53:00 from the new King James version who has believed their report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground he has no form or combless and when we see him there is no Bea beauty that we should desire him he is despised and
53:00 - 53:30 rejected by Men A Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we did not esteem him surely he has borne our Grieves and carried our sorrows yet we esteem him stricken Smitten by God and Afflicted but he was wounded for our transgression he was bruised for our iniquities the Chas chastisement for our
53:30 - 54:00 peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned everyone to his own way and the lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he was led as a lamb to slaughter and as a sheep before his shears is silent so he opened not his
54:00 - 54:30 mouth he was taken from prison and from judgment and whom will declare his generation for he has cut off the land of the living for the transgressions of my people he was stricken and they made his grave with the wicked but with the rich at his death because he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he was
54:30 - 55:00 put he has put him to grief when you make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasures of the Lord shall prosper in his hand he shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify me many for he shall bear their
55:00 - 55:30 iniquities therefore I divide him in portion with the great and he shall divide his spil with the strong because he poured out his soul unto death he was numbered with the transgressions transgressors and he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors let's pray father we give thanks for to you for the for thy son which you give up to come to the Earth to save us from our sins we
55:30 - 56:00 ask father that you would go with us now as we partake of this bread which to us as Christians represents thy son's body forgive us of our sins in Jesus name we pray amen
56:00 - 56:30 let's continue our thanks father we thank you for this fruit of the vine which is to us as Christians represents thy son's blood that was shed on the PR for our sins we pray father that we would take this in a manner pleasing
56:30 - 57:00 unto thee in Jesus name we pray amen this concludes the Lord's Supper but we
57:00 - 57:30 are also commanded to lay by a portion of our get our goods and this is a convenient time to do it father we thank you for the many blessings that you have given us we thank you for our abilities to go to our jobs and to earn a living to support our families we pray father that we would give a of this back to you that thy Work may continue in this area and abroad we
57:30 - 58:00 pray father that we do this in a manner pleasing unto thee in Jesus name we pray amen for our last song today uh we're going to sing it Is Well with My Soul um please stand
58:00 - 58:30 stand um a few uh notes from the music on this one um if you'll notice well I don't even know if it says it up there but when we get down to this uh verse three there's some some notes r a l l period that's a fancy abbreviation or an abbreviation for a fancy Italian word rentando which means slow
58:30 - 59:00 down so at the beginning of verse three it tells us to go faster and then it tells us to slow down right in the middle of it and then sing broadly uh to the chorus so uh we're going to try to we're going to try to do that today so pay attention and maybe we'll get through it together when
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62:00 - 62:30 let us pray dear heavenly father we're
62:30 - 63:00 thankful for this Lord's day that you've given us and blessed us with we're especially uh thankful for this time that you've allow us to assemble here today and offer you this worship uh we
63:00 - 63:30 pray that uh everything that we have said and done has been acceptable and uh pleasing to thee and according to thy will Lord uh help us take this lesson that Ryan gave us and use it to help us to uh use our hearts and our minds to follow you Lord as we depart this place I pray that you would watch over us and guide us and keep us safe Lord to forgive us when we sin for we ask all these things in Christ's name
63:30 - 64:00 amen e