Let us now call upon the name of God in prayer.
Amen.
Gracious and ever-blessed God,
we seek grace today to approach a throne of grace together
as a worshipping people,
mindful that we draw near to one who is infinitely high above us,
one who is the King, eternal, immortal, invisible,
the only wise God,
the one who is worthy of all glory, all honour and all praise,
and we seek, therefore, to come with reverence and with godly fear
before one who is holy,
one who is high and lifted up,
the lofty one who inhabits eternity,
whose very name is holy,
and we seek to come with humility,
knowing what we are,
not only creatures of the dust,
but those who have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
we seek grace to confess our sins together,
to confess what we are,
to say with the psalmist,
my sins and faults of youth,
do thou, O Lord, forget,
after thy mercy think on me,
and for thy goodness great.
And we come confessing our sins with that great promise,
that if we do so,
that our God is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And so, Lord, we pray thee today
to meet with us here as we worship.
That is our great desire,
not in the first place to receive,
although we know that thou art a God who is bountiful,
and one who gives freely.
But our first desire is to give,
to offer the sacrifices of praise,
the calves of our lips,
and to give to God the glory
that is due to his name.
We come giving thanks
that there is a new and living way
for us to approach,
and through the blood of Jesus Christ,
through his Persian and finished work,
that we are able to draw near
to a throne of grace with boldness,
that we might obtain mercy
and find grace to help us
in time of need.
And so, as we seek reverence
in our own hearts,
grant that we would know something
of the boldness of sons
approaching a father as well,
knowing that the Lord of hosts
upon our side
doth constantly remain,
the God of Jacob,
our refuge,
as safely to maintain.
And so, Lord, bless us together today.
Bless the children
as they go to their classes,
and their teachers.
Bless their parents,
be mindful of them,
raising children in these days,
and give them grace,
and give them strength,
and give them determination
to raise them in the Lord
for the glory of Christ,
and for the eternal good
of their own undying souls.
And so bless us now, Lord,
as we continue in thy presence.
Grant that all would be done
not to the glory of man,
but to the glory of the triune God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And we ask these things
in Christ's name,
and for his sake.
Amen.
Well, boys and girls,
I've been asked to say
a few words to you now.
I wonder if any of you know
what a martyr is.
Well, a martyr
is somebody
who was put to death
because they were a Christian.
Now, I'm sure you think
of being a Christian,
you think of yourselves
as Christians,
but you don't ever think
of being put to death
for being Christians.
But you know,
if we look at history,
if we look at history
throughout the nations
of the world,
there were actually
many people
who loved Jesus so much
that they were willing
to be put to death
to die for Jesus.
And I don't know
if you know this,
but you might hear
about it sometimes,
but in many countries
in our world,
even today,
across Africa and Asia,
different parts of the world,
there are Christians
being put to death
because they refuse
to deny Jesus.
And you think to yourself,
and rightly so,
well, that would never happen
in Scotland.
And we hope that it never
will happen again.
But you know what?
Many times in our history,
even in Scotland,
people were put to death
because they were Christians.
And I want to tell you
a wee story
about a girl
called Margaret Wilson.
And in these days,
there were different types
of churches.
And there were some churches
which preached Christ
and which held to the truth.
And there were other churches
which didn't.
But in these days,
the king wanted people
to go to his own churches
and not to the churches
that preached Christ.
And there was this girl,
Margaret Wilson.
She was 18.
And her sister was 13.
And they wanted to hear
the truth.
They wanted to hear
the Bible preached.
And they wanted to hear
about Jesus Christ.
So instead of going
to the main churches,
to the buildings,
they went out to the fields
and to the moors.
And there were ministers
who would preach out there.
And it was actually illegal
for them to do so.
But it was so important
for them to preach Christ
that that's what they did.
And that's where Margaret Wilson
and her sister went.
But something terrible happened.
And the police caught them.
And they were sentenced to death.
Margaret, who was 18,
and her sister, who was 13.
Now, her father went to the police
and he said,
Now, they're only young girls.
Please let them go.
And the police let one of them go,
Margaret's wee sister,
who was 13.
But they didn't let
Margaret Wilson go.
And Margaret Wilson
was sentenced to death
on the 11th of May, 1685.
That was about 340 years ago.
And she was sentenced to death
in a very awful way.
Herself and another Margaret,
called Margaret McLoughlin.
You've maybe heard the story,
The Two Margarets.
This is where it comes from.
They were tied to bits of wood
on a beach.
Okay?
And they waited for the sea
to come in.
And bit by bit,
the sea was getting higher
and higher.
And they put Margaret Wilson,
the younger girl,
they put her nearer the shore.
And what happened was
she could see Margaret McLoughlin,
the older woman.
She could see the waters
going over her head.
And Margaret McLoughlin died.
And Margaret Wilson saw that.
And when she saw that,
the soldiers came to her,
the policemen came to her
and said,
Now what will you do?
Will you deny Christ?
Will you give the oath
to the king?
And she said,
No way.
I love the Lord Jesus Christ
and I'm not going to do that.
And bit by bit,
the waters came higher
and higher
until Margaret Wilson
drowned as well.
Imagine that.
She was only 18,
a few years older
than some of you,
maybe the same age
as some of you.
And that's how much
she loved the Lord Jesus,
that she wasn't willing
to deny him.
Now I hope that you'll never
be asked to die
for the Lord Jesus.
But you will be asked
to deny yourself,
to make some difficult decisions
and to do some hard things.
And I hope when you're asked
to do these hard things
for Jesus,
to stand up for him,
to speak for him,
to refuse to yield for him,
I hope that when you do so,
you'll think to yourself,
Well, this is but a very small thing.
Compared to what that girl,
Margaret Wilson, did.
And it's a really,
really small thing
compared to what Jesus did
in dying for her sins.
That the Lord would bless
these thoughts to you.
Well, I've been asked now
to lead you
in the Lord's Prayer.
Our Father,
which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day
our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
forever.
Amen.
Well, as the children
make their way out,
we're now going to sing again,
this time from Psalm 49.
Psalm 49
in the Sing-Sams version
of the Psalm.
And the tune is Sussex.
From verse 7,
that's page 65,
verse 7.
There is no one
who is able to redeem
a soul from death.
None can pay to God
the ransom
to prolong another's breath.
To redeem a life
as costly
none sufficient price
can pay.
So that one
should live immortal,
free forever
from decay.
That's saying,
no matter how much money
you have,
you're going to die.
You can't pay
your way out of that.
For we all
can see life ending,
wise and foolish,
all will die.
They must leave
their wealth to others,
none can death's demand defy.
So for endless generations
in their tombs,
they will remain,
though they owned
while they were living
lands to which
they gave their name.
Man, despite his wealth,
is mortal.
Like the beasts,
he fades away.
Thus the self-assured
will perish,
though renowned
for what they say.
I'm going to sing
then these verses,
Psalm 7 to 13
of Psalm 49,
to God's praise.
There is no one
who is able
to redeem a soul
from death.
Amen.
There is no one
who is able
to redeem
a soul
from death.
none can pay
to God
the ransom
to prolong
another's breath.
To redeem
a life is costly,
none sufficient
price can pay,
so that one should live
immortal,
free forever
from decay.
For we all
can see
life ending,
wise and foolish
all will die.
They must leave
their wealth
to others,
none can death
demand,
defy.
So for endless
generations
in their tomb
they will remain,
though they own
while they were living
lands to which
they gave
their name.
Man, despite
his wealth
is mortal,
like the beast
he fades away.
Thus the self-assured
will perish,
though renowned
for what
they say.
Well, let us now
read God's Word
as we find it
in the Gospel
according to Mark
and chapter 8,
picking up our reading
from verse 22.
Mark 28
from verse 22,
and we're reading
together
down to the end
of the chapter.
And they came
to Bethsaida,
and some people
brought to him
a blind man
and begged him
to touch him.
And he took
the blind man
by the hand
and led him
out of the village.
And when he had
spat on his eyes
and laid his hands
on him,
he asked him,
do you see anything?
And he looked up
and said,
I see men,
but they looked
like trees
walking.
Then Jesus
laid his hands
on his eyes again
and he reopened
his eyes.
His sight was
restored
and he saw
everything clearly.
And he sent him
to his home
saying,
do not even
enter the village.
And Jesus
went on
with his disciples
to the villages
of Caesarea Philippi.
and on the way
he asked his disciples,
who do people
say that I am?
And they told him,
John the Baptist,
and others say Elijah,
and others one
of the prophets.
And he asked them,
but who do you
say that I am?
Peter answered him,
you are the Christ.
And he strictly
charged them
to tell no one
about him.
And he began
to teach them
that the Son of Man
must suffer
many things
and be rejected
by the elders
and the chief priests
and the scribes
and be killed
and after three days
rise again.
And he said this
plainly.
And Peter took him
aside and began
to rebuke him.
But turning
and seeing his disciples,
he rebuked Peter
and said,
get behind me,
Satan,
for you are not
setting your mind
on the things
of God
but on the things
of man.
And he called
to him the crowd
with his disciples
and said to them,
if anyone would
come after me,
let him deny himself
and take up his cross
and follow me.
For whoever would
save his life
will lose it,
but whoever loses
his life for my sake
and the gospels
will save it.
For what does it
profit a man
to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
For what can a man
give in return
for his life?
For whoever is ashamed
of me and of my words
in this adulterous
and sinful generation,
of whom will the
Son of Man
also be ashamed
when he comes
in the glory
of his Father
with the holy angels.
Amen.
And we pray that the Lord
would bless his own word
to us.
And to his name
be all the praise
and all the glory.
Well, let us again
call upon the name
of the Lord in prayer.
Let us pray.
Gracious and ever-blessed God,
as we have read
the living and breathing
word together,
we pray that we would
have grace to receive it
and wisdom
to take it to heart.
Help us to be
not hearers
of the word only,
but to be doers
of it also.
Help us,
when we hear it,
not to harden
our hearts,
but to yield
our hearts
and indeed
to yield
our whole lives
to it,
knowing that the word
is good
and that it is
for our good,
that it is for
our instruction
in righteousness.
And so, Lord,
we pray for humility
and not to stand
over the word
and judgment,
but to sit under it
as humble disciples,
even as Mary of Bethany
sat at the feet
of Jesus
and chose
that good part
which could not
be taken from her.
And so, Lord,
we pray today
as we gather
in worship
that our hearts
would be lifted up
in praise
to the God
who is good
and who does good,
the God
who is love,
and that we would
remember
as thy people
that herein is love,
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us
and sent his Son
to be the propitiation
for our sins.
And so,
we pray, Lord,
now as we continue
that all would be
done to the glory
of the great name
of Jesus Christ,
that the people of God
might be strengthened
in their faith
and enabled to go on
in the truth,
and that those
who are yet
outside of Christ,
some perhaps
sitting on the fence,
others entirely unconvinced,
that the Holy Spirit
might challenge them,
that the sword
of the Spirit
might pierce
their very hearts
and minds,
and that they
might be convinced
that there is
a God in heaven,
a God to whom
we are all accountable,
a God before whom
we will all stand,
and that as the
prophet of old
has told us,
our great responsibility
and duty
in this life
is to prepare
to meet our God,
and so prepare us,
we ask.
Bless this congregation,
we pray for them,
asking thy blessing
to be upon them,
help them to be faithful
in their worship
and in their witness,
grant that the truth
that is proclaimed
from this pulpit
week by week,
that it might yield fruit,
and that it might
do so for eternity,
we pray for the
inter-moderator,
we pray for
Mr. Smith as well,
the assistant minister,
asking thy blessing
to be upon both of them,
and the office bearers here,
and all of the congregation,
we give thanks
that we have seen
so many young ones
worshipping the Lord,
and we pray that
they might grow up
as trees planted
in the house of the Lord,
that they might
in the future,
and even in these days,
bear fruit.
We pray for
a new generation,
a generation
which will be faithful,
indeed,
which will be more faithful
than our own generation
has been,
and so we pray
for the Church of Christ,
throughout our island,
and throughout our nation,
regardless of denomination,
where Christ is preached,
and where holiness
is exhorted.
Oh, we pray that
the Church might increase,
that the Word
might go forth with power,
that the Holy Spirit
might be poured out
upon us today,
and upon other congregations
throughout our land,
for we are mindful
that it is the Spirit
that quickens
and gives life,
and the flesh
profits nothing,
that without Him
we can do nothing,
and so, Lord,
meet with us
and bless us
and draw near to us,
that Christ
might be in our midst,
that we might hear
His voice,
that we might feel
His presence,
and that we might know
Him dwelling richly
in our hearts.
Remember our nation
and those who rule
over us particularly,
our King
and Royal Family,
our Prime Minister,
our First Minister,
our Members of Parliament
in Westminster
and Holyrood,
and our Councillors,
we ask Thee
to be mindful of them,
to give them wisdom,
because the truth
tells us that
righteousness
exalts a nation,
and that sin
is our approach
to any people,
and so we pray
that iniquity
might be restrained,
and that righteousness
might flow forth,
and we know, Lord,
that the Church
will be central to that,
indeed that the pulpit
will be central to that.
And so, Lord,
protect our pulpits,
raise up faithful men
of God,
who will preach
the unsearchable riches
of Christ,
and who will seek
to obey God
more than men.
And so bless us now
and go before us
and forgive us graciously
for all of our sin,
for Christ's sake.
Amen.
Well, we can sing again
to God's praise,
this time in Psalm 37,
and the tune is Moravia,
we're singing from
verse 25,
sorry,
verse 35,
Psalm 37,
verse 35,
page 255,
I saw the wicked,
great in power,
spread like a green bay tree,
he passed,
yea, was not,
whom I sought,
but found he could not be.
Speaking of those
who reject the Lord Jesus Christ,
and they look so strong
and so powerful,
but in a short time
they are gone.
Mark thou the perfect,
and behold the man
of uprightness,
because that surely
of this man
the latter end is peace.
There is the great distinction
between the two types of men,
the two types of women.
But those men
that transgressors are
shall be destroyed together,
the latter end of wicked men
shall be cut off forever,
but the salvation of the just
is from the Lord above.
He in the time of their distress,
their stay and strength
doth prove.
The Lord shall help
and them deliver,
he shall them free and save
from wicked men,
because in whom
their confidence
they have.
Psalm 37,
verses 35 to 40,
to God's praise,
I saw the wicked
great in power
spread like a green bay tree.
I saw the wicked
great in power
spread like a green bay tree.
He passed,
yea, was not him I sought,
but found he could not be.
Mark thou the perfect
and behold the man of a rightness,
because that surely of this man
the latter end is peace.
but those men that transgressors are
shall be destroyed together,
the latter end of wicked men shall be cut off forever.
forever.
But the salvation of the just is from the Lord above.
He in the time of their distress,
their stay and strength doth prove.
The Lord shall help and deliver,
He shall them free and save from wicked men,
because in him their confidence they have.
Amen.
Well,
now with a view to God's blessing,
if you would turn back with me
to the portion of Scripture,
which we read together in the Gospel
according to Mark and chapter 8.
We want to consider together verses 34 to 38,
but we can take our text from verse 36.
For what does it profit a man
to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Well, at the center of Christianity
is the theme of sacrifice.
And when we think of Christianity and sacrifice,
we naturally think about the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and rightly so,
of Jesus' sacrificing himself,
of denying himself,
and going through the agony
and the awfulness
and the horror of Calvary
in order that atonement might be made,
being wounded for our transgressions,
bruised for our iniquities.
So we think of his sacrifice
and the life and the forgiveness
and the glory that is ours
if we are in Christ as a result.
And that is given to us freely.
We do not earn it.
It is not of works,
Paul tells the Ephesians,
lest any man should boast,
but it is of grace.
That is, it is a free
and undeserved gift.
And yet it's been said,
and you've heard it said,
I'm sure,
that although the Gospel is free,
it will cost you everything that you have.
And you know there is truth in that as well.
Sacrifice is central to Christianity.
And that speaks of Christ,
but it speaks of his people as well.
Being a Christian is being somebody
who has sacrificed
and who does sacrifice.
And today I want us to consider
what that sacrifice looks like.
And I want to consider
why we ought to make that sacrifice.
What the alternative
to that sacrifice is.
And the first thing that I want us to consider,
to consider really three headings.
And the first is
the nature of discipleship.
When I speak of discipleship,
I just mean of the Christian life,
of being a disciple.
Christians in Jesus' day
were called disciples.
They were those who sat at his feet,
who learned from him.
They were those who went with him
wherever he went
and who sought to obey his commands.
So the nature of discipleship.
What does it look like
to be a Christian,
to be a disciple of Jesus?
Now, here in this section,
we have arguably
the clearest description
from Jesus' own lips
of what it means
to be a disciple,
what it means to be a Christian.
And we read in verse 34
that he calls to the crowd
with his disciples.
So he's not just talking to the twelve.
He's talking to the crowd,
those of them who are disciples
and any of them
who would become a disciple.
And he says to them,
if anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself
and take up his cross
and follow me.
Now, just briefly,
I think that there are
four things there
that we should consider.
Four things that are true
of the nature of discipleship,
of what it means
to be a Christian.
And the first thing
is perhaps quite basic
and we could skip over it.
And it is this,
there is willingness there.
There is a willingness.
If any man would,
I think in the authorised version,
it was if any man will.
We speak of
if any man is willing.
And when we read
would or willing,
it is talking about the will.
It is talking about
the man or the woman
volitionally.
You see, Christianity
doesn't just affect
your intellect.
It's not just about
learning things
and keeping things in there.
It's not just about
being convinced
of certain truths,
that certain things are true
and certain things are false.
Now, that is in it
and that is important.
But there is more than that
to being a Christian.
You can be convinced
of the truths of Christianity
and not be a Christian.
So, there is the intellectual element.
There is also
the emotional element.
Your affections are moved.
Those who are Christians
are those who love
the Lord Jesus Christ.
They are those who hate sin.
The affections are moved.
And as Christians,
there ought to be times
when we are moved.
Moved by what the Lord
has done for us.
Moved in our affections.
Moved in our feelings.
Moved about our sins.
And yet, you can be moved.
We all know people
who have sat under sermons
and they have been convinced
of the truth.
And they have been moved by it.
And like Felix,
their knees have trembled
or they have wept
knowing that there is truth in this.
That this is important.
That this is urgent.
That this is life and death.
And yet,
they have gone away
and they have never become Christians.
Why is that?
Well, because although
the intellect was persuaded
and although the affections
were moved,
the will remained unmoved.
But Christianity affects us
volitionally as well.
We become willing to follow.
You see,
Jesus doesn't drag anybody
kicking and screaming
into the kingdom of God.
You don't become a Christian
despite yourself.
You don't become a Christian
saying,
well, I really don't want to do this
but I'm just going to do it anyway.
That's not the way it works.
We read in Psalm 110
that the Lord will make
his people willing
in a day of his power.
That he doesn't drag us
kicking and screaming
but he calls us
with an effectual call
with irresistible grace
so that before we know it,
our own mind is changed,
our own will is altered
and the things that we
didn't want to do.
I mean, most of you
can remember a time
when you didn't want
to be a Christian.
Not all of you
but most of you.
And something changed
and then you found yourself
wanting to be a Christian
and then you found yourself
thinking,
well, the most important thing
in all of life for me
is to become a Christian.
You see, friends,
those who follow Jesus,
those who are disciples
are those who are willing
to do so.
And if you turn that
on its head,
then this is true also.
That if you're not
a Christian here today,
well, it might be
that there are certain things
that you're not fully
persuaded of.
And let's be honest,
that was true of all of us.
And you have to search
the scriptures
and you have to be in company
with the Lord's people
and you have to do it
all prayerfully
because you want
to be persuaded.
And that might be the case.
It might be the case
that you've never been moved
under the gospel.
But this is certainly the case
that if you're not a Christian,
it's because you don't
want to be a Christian.
It's because you don't
want to be a Christian.
Now, I don't mean to be harsh
to anybody there
because you might be there
here today
and you're thinking,
well, I'm not a Christian
but I really do want
to be a Christian.
I really do.
Well, there are promises
for you too.
Jesus says,
seek and you shall find.
Ask and it shall be given to you.
And if you really want
more than anything else
in life to be a Christian today,
then the chances are
that you've already
taken the first steps
to becoming a Christian,
that the Lord is already
working in your life
and let that be
an encouragement to you.
But if you're not a Christian,
the central thing
won't be a lack
of intellectual persuasion
or not having
your feelings moved.
It will be this,
that you just don't want to be.
That there are other things
that are more important
to you in life
than giving your life
to Jesus Christ.
Christ.
And so those who are disciples
are those who are willing
to follow.
The second thing,
and let me try to move
through them quickly,
if anyone would come after me,
if anyone is willing
to come after me,
let him deny himself.
There is self-denial.
And of course,
we've touched on this.
This is a great characteristic
of our Lord.
Though he was equal with God,
yet he made himself
of no reputation.
He humbled himself.
He emptied himself
of his glory.
He became obedient
to suffering and to death,
even the death of the cross.
He tells us about it.
That is a context.
He said plainly to the people
that the Son of Man
must suffer many things
and be rejected
by the elders
and the chief priests
and the scribes
and be killed.
This is the Son of God.
He didn't need to go
through any of this.
But he had entered
into a covenant to do so.
He had promised to do so.
And part of that
was self-denial.
And when you look
at the Lord,
that is what jumps
to you off the page,
that he is one
who denied himself.
But here he's telling us
to deny ourselves,
to be Christ-like
in this way as well.
And you know, friends,
by nature,
we want to do
the very opposite,
don't we?
We don't want
to deny ourselves.
We don't want
to deny ours.
We say,
I will not have this man
to reign over me.
If it means doing things
that aren't easy
for me to do,
doing things
that I don't want to do,
doing things
that are going to cost me,
that are going to
entail sacrifice for me,
then really,
really,
I would rather not.
And yet,
that's what Jesus
calls you to, friend.
He calls you
to self-denial.
To live
no longer for yourself,
but for him.
You remember
that that's what
the apostle said
in 2 Corinthians 5,
that the love of Christ
constrains us,
constrains us
or compels us
to do what?
To live no longer
for ourselves,
but for him
who died for us
and who rose again.
And so being a Christian
means denying yourself.
It means
putting the Lord first,
denying your own desires,
denying your own will,
denying your own way,
your own aspirations,
and saying,
Lord,
lead me.
Lord,
guide me.
Show me thy ways,
O Lord,
thy paths,
O teach thou me.
And do thou lead me
in thy truth,
therein my teacher be.
So there is self-denial
in the Christian life
and there will be
self-denial
in your life
if you're a Christian.
The third thing
is that
if any man's
going to come after Jesus,
that he must deny himself
and take up his cross.
Now,
you hear people saying
that we've all got
our cross to bear.
And yet,
we know what they mean,
but this isn't speaking
about general afflictions
or trials.
The cross was what
a criminal carried
to the place
of his execution.
Jesus had to bear
his own cross.
And other men
and men who were
sentenced to death
in these days,
they would carry
their own cross
on the way
to the place
of execution.
And when people
saw them,
well,
they knew what was
going on.
They would say,
well,
that person's
bearing his cross,
he's on his way
to be executed.
He's on his way
to die.
The cross was
a symbol of death.
That's what it was.
And what Jesus
is saying is this,
that if you're
going to follow me,
that you must be
willing not only
to deny yourself
on the smaller things,
but you must be
willing to lose
your life.
To lose it
metaphorically
in giving it to me
so that I can be
the master of it
and the king of it.
But also,
he goes further
and this is a thing.
He says,
you must be willing
to lose it physically
as well.
Physically.
And this is the very
fulfillment of self-denial.
You cannot deny yourself
further than this
to give your life,
to breathe your last breath
like Margaret Wilson did,
like Margaret McLaughlin did,
like what people
are doing all over
the world today,
dying for Christ
rather than denying him.
And you know,
friends,
Jesus was speaking
to the disciples here
and these very disciples
who would be apostles,
many of them
experienced this.
They paid
the highest price.
We know,
well,
we read in the scriptures
that James,
the brother of John,
was beheaded.
And that for Christ's sake,
tradition tells us
that Peter
was crucified
upside down,
that Paul,
the apostle Paul,
himself was put to death.
History is full
of instances,
friends,
of people giving
their lives.
And you know,
we're not living
in that kind of country today
and we're not living
in that kind of time.
But be under no illusions.
Christians,
there is a cross
to bear as well
today,
in different ways,
but there is a cross
to bear.
To be a Christian
is to lose your life
and that's becoming
increasingly evident
in a society
which is not just
post-Christian
but is becoming
increasingly
anti-Christian.
And the world today,
the word of God
today isn't just
unpopular,
but it seemed to be
actually dangerous.
And services of worship
like this,
where people take
the word of God
seriously,
they're seen to be
dangerous.
Prayer is seen
to be dangerous.
And so if you're
going to live out
the Christian life,
if you're going to
live it out
in your workplace,
if you're going to
live it out
in the school
or in the hospital
or in the surgery
or in the office
or whatever it might be,
then you will find
yourself being
increasingly marginalized.
You will find that.
And you know,
that cross doesn't
sit well on our shoulders.
Because our
inclination,
our natural
inclination,
is to shun that,
to run from it.
We can even see
that the natural
inclination,
human inclination,
of Jesus
was to shun it.
If it be possible
that this cup
would be taken
from me,
Jesus said,
but not as I will,
but as thou wilt.
Even Jesus felt
that horror
at what he saw
in the cup,
at what the cross
would entail.
And we do as well.
And yet at the same time,
as it was what
Jesus was called to,
it's what we're called to.
To give our life.
To give all of our life.
To give it metaphorically.
And whatever that
might mean,
might not mean
losing your life,
we hope not.
It may very well mean
losing your reputation.
It may very well mean
losing many other things.
We'll come to that.
But that's what
you're called to.
And fourthly,
and finally here,
the nature of discipleship
is just a general term.
He says that you're
to deny yourself
to take up your cross
and follow me.
To put it very simply,
the Christian is somebody
who follows Christ.
Not the whims
and the fashions
of this world.
Christ is king.
The word is truth.
That is law.
And to follow Christ
is to submit to him.
To submit to his will.
To submit to his word.
And to do that
at whatever cost.
And you know,
friends,
the cost can be high.
I've touched on it.
But even in our day,
you know that there are
lines of work
which really are closed
to many Christians.
Certainly Christians
who are going to be faithful.
Certainly Christians
who aren't going to bend
on things like
the Lord's Day.
There are lines of work
that are closed to them.
And being a Christian
in different parts
of our country
can lead to joblessness.
It can lead to being
ostracized and mocked.
We've all known a bit of that
if we're Christians.
It can lead to losing
acquaintances and friends.
It can even lead to
breakages in the family.
Jesus himself speaks
about father being divided
against son
and mother against daughter
and so on.
It can lead to suffering.
It can lead to isolation
and loneliness.
And yet,
yet you know that
and yet you continue
to follow the Lord Jesus.
Because Christ also
suffered for us,
as Peter says,
leaving an example for us
that we should follow
in his steps.
You know, friends,
we read this
and I hope we haven't
in any way
embellished it
or misexplained it.
But we read the very words
of Jesus
and we can say this.
Jesus doesn't lead us
down the garden path,
does he?
He tells us up front
what Christianity is,
what it's going to mean.
He doesn't say
that it's going to be easy.
He doesn't say
that there's going to be
no cost.
On the very contrary,
he says the very opposite.
He says it's a costly thing.
It's a sacrificial thing.
It's a difficult thing.
Jesus tells us that.
And you know, friends,
we shouldn't as churches
try to deceive people
into the kingdom of God,
deceive them into membership
by not telling them
really what's expected of them
and what the Christian life means
if it's lived,
if it's lived as the word
calls us to live it.
That's what Jesus calls
his people to be.
And let's be honest.
We want a strong church.
We want a church
which will leaven society
and have an impact
and have an influence
in our own workplaces,
in our own families,
in society at large.
And these are the kind
of Christians that we need.
These are the kind
of leaders that we need.
These are the kind
of men, friends,
that we need.
Men who will be strong,
who will be leaders,
who will guide their families,
who will guide churches,
who will guide societies.
These are the kind
of men who we need,
who will deny themselves
and take up their cross
and follow Jesus
regardless of the cost.
These are the kind
of women that we need,
the kind of mothers
in Israel,
the kind of women
that we need in churches,
that we need in workplaces,
that we need in homes,
that we need throughout society.
That is what Christ
calls us to be.
And friends,
if we were living this out,
what a difference
we would see.
Devoted,
selfless,
faithful Christians,
that's what Jesus
calls us to.
That's the first point.
Let us see,
secondly,
we've seen the nature
of discipleship,
the alternative
to discipleship.
Verse 35,
for whoever would save
his life will lose it,
but whoever loses
his life for my sake
and the gospels
will save it.
Now,
we've seen that being
a Christian is in many ways
to lose your life
or to lose it
as you want,
you would naturally,
let me say sinfully,
want to live it.
And the alternative
to that
is just to
take Jesus' words
with a pinch of salt
and to keep your life.
And you can do that
if you're not a Christian
here today
and not a member
of the church.
You could say,
well,
thanks,
but no thanks,
I'll leave it.
But you can also do this
if you are a member
in the church.
You can be a member,
you can sit at the Lord's table
and you can hear
many of the commands
of Jesus
and you can feel him
and know him
speaking to your heart
and to your mind
and you can say,
well,
no thanks.
Not that kind of Christianity.
To not lose your life
is to not surrender it
to Jesus Christ.
And what I want us
to consider just for a moment
is why.
Why would we not
surrender our lives
to Jesus Christ?
Why would we not
be willing to go through
all this pain and agony
and all this suffering
and self-denial?
Should it lead to that
or at least be willing?
Well,
the answer that Jesus
gives us here
is that
that people
will not make
these sacrifices
because they hope
to gain the world.
What shall it profit
a man
if he shall gain
the whole world?
So that is the context
here.
And that is often
what stops people
becoming Christians
or being faithful
in their Christianity.
Again,
not that they're not
persuaded intellectually
and not that they're not
moved under the truth
but that they're just
not willing.
And you know,
nobody expects
to gain the whole world
and you don't expect
to gain the whole world
but we expect
to gain parts of it,
to annex parts of it
to ourselves,
to claim things,
people,
places,
as our own.
And for these things
we live.
We live for family,
for friends.
People live for comfort,
for power,
for wealth,
for success.
People in our day,
friends,
they live for the holidays
that they go on.
They just plow their way
through the rest of the year
and then they've got
these times of holidays
that they look forward to
and they think of little else
and then oftentimes
before they've even
come away from their holiday
they're booking
and planning their next one.
People live for beauty,
for reputation,
for acclaim,
for praise.
All parts of the world
that we seek to annex
for ourselves.
And that's where people today,
and there are things
I've missed out,
I'm sure,
but generally speaking
that's where people
are seeking their satisfaction.
It's where they're seeking
their fulfillment in life.
That's where people
are looking for happiness.
And many people
will tell you
that this is what life
is all about.
These things.
And of course
they look for happiness
in these things
and they don't find it.
I was reading
not that long ago
an article
an article about
why rich people
aren't happy.
And studies
had been done
and surveys
had been taken
and there was a man
called,
he was a,
I think he was a Jew
living in America
but Russian by birth
and he's a novelist
but for one of his novels
he did a great amount
of research
into rich people
and whether they are happy
or whether they're not happy.
And he said
at the end of it
he said
here were people
who could purchase
anything they wanted
and whose wealth
was widely envied
by others
and yet even
they weren't content.
They weren't content.
And he went on
to say that
at the end of the day
I was just happy
to end this research
because it was
quite depressing.
People who had it all
who had all the things
that perhaps we would like
for ourselves
who had the money
to buy them
who had the time
to do them
and yet who weren't happy.
And there was
another survey
done around the same time
with billionaires
and with millionaires
to see how happy
they were
and they were told
to give an answer
out of ten
and most of them
were around four
some five.
Very famously
I can't remember his name
but the man
who founded
Phones for You
a billionaire
he said that often
he was at one or two.
One or two
out of ten.
Many of us
don't remember it
if we're young enough
but we've all heard
the song
by the Rolling Stones
I Can't Get No Satisfaction.
What's interesting
about that song
is that here were
a people
on top of the world
here were a people
who were rich
who were again
envied by many other people
who had everything
that the world
teaches us
to think that we want
and yet they were
singing this song
I can't get
I'm not satisfied
by it
everything that I have
it doesn't satisfy me
and what was even
more interesting
is that everybody
sang along to this
they weren't thinking
what on earth
are these people
talking about
they've got everything
that they're not satisfied
no they sang along
they knew what it meant
they knew exactly
what they were talking about
and yet
they
and indeed
we to an extent
continue
to chase after
these things
in the world
to think
that the world
can fulfill us
that if we just
try harder
and try things
a little differently
that we can get
the world
to work for us
and you know
that's why
it's all consuming
because it's always
promising us more
always promising us better
and yet never delivering
there was another
another survey done
by a guy called
Michael Norton
who's a professor
in Harvard
in America
and he's done
a lot of work
on wealth
and happiness
and he asked people
a question
and again
it was millionaires
and billionaires
how much more
if you're not happy
how much more
would you need
to be happy
and he said
basically everybody
in that survey
whether they had
a million dollars
to their name
or whether they were
billionaires
basically every single
one of them
needed two to three
times more
than they already had
in order
to be happy
and then they thought
well I'll be happy
I'll be fulfilled
I'll be satisfied
then
and do you think
they were
do you think
that this is what
life is all about
and I'm just not
talking about money
I'm sure there
probably aren't
many millionaires
in here today
and yet
we have our own
goals
aspirations
desires
perhaps even
idols
do these things
make us happy
outside of Christ
you know
you sometimes
you may be
sitting in a sun
lounge
if you're on a
holiday
or you're
maybe out for a
walk in the
castle grounds
or you're sitting
before the fire
at night
or you're out
in the garage
and you're doing
what you want
to do
and you sit back
and you say
to yourself
well this is
the life
this is the
life
but is it
is that the
life
really
sitting in a
sun lounge
working in a
garage
out for a
walk
now these things
are good
they're all very
good
but is that
what life
is all about
do you really
think that is
what life
is all about
you remember
what Jesus
said in his
high priestly
prayer in
John 17
he said
this is life
eternal
in other words
this is what
life is
this is what
life is all
about
that they
might know
thee the only
true God
and Jesus
Christ
whom you
have sent
that's what
life is
to know
God
to know
Jesus
that is what
life is all
about
that is why
we have been
made
that is a
purpose
for which
we have been
made
to glorify
God
and to
enjoy him
forever
and so to
live for the
world
and bear in
mind that
living for the
world and
living for
Christ are
mutually
exclusive
to live for
the world
instead of
living for
Christ
isn't
the life
it's to
miss out
on life
it is to
miss out
on the
point of
life
and it
is to
remain
unsatisfied
unfulfilled
unhappy
you know
we have
seen
that the
nature
of
discipleship
takes
in
hard
things
but I
don't mean
to paint
a dark
picture
there is
joy in
self-denial
there is
joy in
taking up
your cross
there is
great joy
heavenly joy
and peace
in following
Jesus
even when
that means
that there
are hard
decisions
to be
made
but let
us notice
this too
at the
flip side
of living
to gain
this world
is that
you must
lose
your soul
and that's
what we
read
Jesus
says
for whoever
would save
his life
will lose
it
and what
does it
profit a
man to
gain the
whole world
and forfeit
his life
or as
it's put
elsewhere
to lose
his own
soul
what will
it profit
you at
the end
of the
day
if you
gain
this
whole
world
and yet
lose
your own
soul
but what
does that
mean
I remember
once
speaking to
somebody
who was
working
in the
service
industry
and this
woman
was
slightly
annoyed
living
in this
town
and she
was annoyed
with the
amount
of Christians
who would
say to
her
how is
your soul
and she
didn't like
this she
didn't like
being challenged
in that
kind of
way
and she
made a
flippant
kind of
remark
about her
soul
about she
didn't even
know where
her soul
was
and I
remember
asking her
do you
know what
your soul
is
and she
stopped
and she
said
well
well actually
no I
don't really
know what
a soul
is
the soul
friends
is
your
personality
it is
your
consciousness
it is
your
thought
process
it is
you
that's
what the
soul
is
your
body
will
die
and yet
your soul
is the
part of
you
which
shall
be
conscious
throughout
all
eternity
it is
a part
of
you
which
is
immortal
it
is
a part
of
you
which
never
dies
and so
to lose
your soul
if your soul
is immortal
isn't for you
to have no soul
anymore
that's impossible
and so what
does it mean
to lose
your soul
to lose
your
personality
to lose
your thought
processes
what does
that mean
well
it doesn't mean
to cease
to have them
to cease
to have a
personality
to cease
to be
a
person
we're
actually
told
in the
context
what it
means
verse 38
for whoever
is ashamed
of me
and of
my words
in this
adulterous
and sinful
generation
of whom
will the
son of
man
be ashamed
when he
comes
in the
glory
of his
father
with the
holy
angels
what
Jesus
is saying
is this
life
will
shortly
end
for each
and every
one of
us
and we
shall
all stand
before the
judgment
seat of
Christ
revelation
chapter 20
tells us
that we
shall stand
before a
great white
throne
and the
books
shall be
opened
and everything
that we
have done
and everything
that we
have said
and everything
that we
have thought
even the
secrets
of our
hearts
will be
laid bare
before this
great judge
and then we
shall be
judged
and we
shall be
judged
on the basis
of what we
did with
Jesus
and what we
did with
his words
what a
response was
what was the
response of
your heart
did you
believe
what was the
response of
your life
did you
live it
out
did you
respond with
faith
or did you
respond with
unbelief
that's what
you will be
judged on
the deeds
done in the
body
Paul says
whether they
be good
or bad
and the
reality of
it is this
if you
have disregarded
your soul
and the needs
of your soul
if you have
been ashamed
to own
Jesus Christ
as yours
to deny
yourself
and to
take up
your cross
and to
follow him
then your
soul will
be lost
eternally
and it
will be
lost
eternally
we read
in the
rest of
scripture
when you
lift up
your eyes
in hell
as the
rich man
in the
story of
the rich
man
and Lazarus
the rich
man who
had it
all
the rich
man who
lived in
the nicest
house
and who
ate the
best food
and who
wore the
nicest
of
clothes
we're
told that
he died
and that
he lifted
up his
eyes
in
torments
that's
what it
means
friends
to lose
your soul
the rich
man was
conscious
in hell
and yet
it was to
him a
place of
weeping
and gnashing
of teeth
a place
of
outer
and utter
darkness
that's
what it
means
friends
to lose
your soul
that's
what it
means
and so
I want
to
to just
wrap this
up with
one final
and very
brief
point
and that
is the
choice
of
discipleship
because we
read in
verse 37
what can a
man give
in return
for his
life
or what
can a man
give in
exchange
for his
soul
what is
your soul
worth
you know
we
we live
in a day
when
people are
used to
exchanging
things
to buying
and selling
I think
that's
even
changed
in the
last few
years
many
people
now
use
things
like
vintage
and
ebay
they
see a
pair
of
trainers
or a
pair
of
trousers
whatever
it
might
be
and
they
think
well
I
could
sell
that
and
they
put
it
on
for
say
ten
pounds
and
hopefully
they'll
get
that
and
the
money
they
get
and
they
can
use
that
money
to
buy
another
many
people
that's
what
we're
used
to
and
the
important
thing
there
is
that
you
get
what
it's
worth
that
you
get
what
the
trousers
are
worth
and
that
what
you
buy
with
the
money
that
is
worth
at
least
as
good
as
what
you
sold
or
hopefully
even
better
but
the
great
question
here
the
great
exchange
question
here
is
what
is
your
soul
worth
is
your
soul
worth
is
anything
so
valuable
as
your
soul
is
anything
more
precious
than
that
because
what
Jesus
is
saying
here
and
bear
this
in
mind
and
never
forget
it
he's
saying
that
your
soul
is
worth
more
than
this
world
what
shall
it
profit
a
man
if
he
shall
gain
the
whole
world
and
lose
his
own
soul
your
soul
is
worth
more
than
the
world
and
he
made
the
world
and
he
knows
what
the
world
is
worth
and
he
knows
that
your
soul
is
worth
more
than
that
because
the
world
is
fleeting
its
gold
and
silver
will
perish
its
treasure
will
rust
and
corrupt
And
all
of it
at
the
end
of
the
day
will
be
consumed
by
fire
and
as
we
read
in
Psalm
49
as
we
sang
you
will
die
and
you
leave
all
these
things
behind
you
and
you
don't
know
who's
going
to
get
them
you
don't
know
who's
going
to
live
in
your
house
when
you
die
you
might
have
an
idea
but
you
don't
know
who's
going
to
inherit
your
money
who's
going
to
spend
your
money
who's
going
to
drive
your
car
you
don't
know
any
of
these
things
and
neither
do
I
it's
all
fleeting
but
what
is
the
soul
worth
well
Genesis
1
tells
us
that
your
soul
to
buy
it
back
what
did
it
cost
we
were
redeemed
not
with
corruptible
things
as
silver
and
gold
but
with
the
precious
blood
of
Christ
that's
what
your
soul
was
worth
and
who
can
put
a
price
on
the
precious
blood
of
Christ
you
know
friends
compared
to
your
soul
this
world
as
Daniel
told
Belshazzar
is
weighed
in the
balances
and
it
is
found
wanting
it
is
nothing
the
two
things
are
incompatible
let
me
ask
you
just
finally
what
would
you
really
love
in
this
life
we've
all
got
things
in
our
lives
which
we
wish
would
change
what
would
make
you
happy
perhaps
it
was
it's
better
health
maybe
it's
beauty
maybe
it's
just
to be
a bit
more
comfortable
to be
a bit
more
secure
to get
a promotion
at work
or to
be
respected
at work
more than
you are
to have
more
time off
to have
more time
with the
family
maybe it's
that the
family
circumstances
would be
better
maybe there's
some sort
of breach
in the
family
that there
might be
a reconciliation
that's
what you
want
maybe it's
riches
maybe it's
a new car
a new barn
I don't know
what it is
you know
what it is
but imagine
that you got
all of that
and that it
all from
tomorrow morning
you get up
in the morning
and it all
just started
to fall
in place
you got
an inheritance
the family
situation
just sorted
itself out
you got
a clean
bill of
health
everything
just went
as you
wanted
it to
go
every wish
was fulfilled
and that
for the rest
of your
life
and then
down the
line
say you're
88 years
old
you've
had a
good life
and you
die
peacefully
in your
sleep
and yet
that out
of Christ
not a
Christian
do you
think that
would have
been a
life well
lived
people are
walking down
Francis
Street
behind your
coffin
and they're
all speaking
well of you
and how good
a person
you were
is that a
life well
lived
or is it a
life wasted
because you see
now that all of
these things
are gone
are they really
worth it
were they really
worth the
exchange of
your soul
were they really
worth if they
meant denying
Christ
was this
perfect life
having all
that you had
for that
beautiful
family round
about you
and all
men speaking
well of you
was it
worth eternity
in hell
as Jesus
says what
shall it
profit a
man
what shall
it profit
you friend
if you
gain the
whole world
and get
all these
things that
you're seeking
after and
yet lose
your own
soul
you know
the pleasures
of sin are
but for a
season
but the
soul is
eternal
and it
will live
on
and the
question that
I want to
leave with
you is
where will
it live
on
where
in heaven
or in
hell
what are
you investing
in
in this
world
or in the
next world
you see
what Jesus
is saying
to us
he's saying
and he doesn't
beat about the
bush
he's saying
Christianity
if you're going
to live it
as I want
you to live
it
it's going
to cost
you
and it's
not going
to be
an easy
road
but in
the long
run
not
becoming
a
Christian
and not
following
me
and not
denying
me
and taking
up
your
cross
is going
to cost
you
infinitely
and eternally
more
and so
friend
the choice
is yours
amen
let us
pray
gracious
and ever
blessed
God
as we
come under
the solemn
teaching of
the Lord
Jesus
Christ
help us
to
follow him
closely
and help
us to
count
that cost
and help
us to
yield
ourselves
into his
arms
knowing
that he
is the
one
who will
uphold
us
and who
will
give us
grace
to help
in time
of need
and cause
his strength
to be made
perfect in
our weakness
go before us
and we pray
forgiving sin
for Christ's
sake
amen
well we
conclude our
worship
singing to
God's praise
in Psalm 37
the same
psalm that we
had but
reading from
verse 3
Psalm 37
verses 3
to 7
the tune
is free
church
set thou
thy trust
upon the
Lord
and be
thou
doing
good
and so
thou
in the
land
shalt dwell
and verily
have food
delight
thyself
in God
he'll give
thine
heart's
desire
to thee
thy way
to God
commit
him
trust
to bring
to pass
shall he
and like
unto the
light
he shall
thy
righteousness
display
and he
thy
judgment
shall
bring
forth
like
noontide
of the
day
rest
in the
Lord
and patiently
wait
for him
do not
fret
for him
who
prospering
in his
way
success
in sin
doth get
psalm 37
verses 3
to 7
to God's
praise
set thou
thy
trust
upon
the
Lord
and be
thou
doing
good
set thou
thy
trust
upon
the
Lord
and
be
thou
doing
good
and
so
thou
in
the
land
shall
dwell
and
they
really
have
food
delight
thyself
in
God
and
in
thine
heart's
desire
to
thee
thy
way
to
God
commit
him
trust
it
bring
to
pass
shall
he
and
like
unto
the
light
he
shall
!
thy
righteousness
display
!
he
shall
display
and
he
thy
judgment
forth
like
!
bring
forth
like
loontide
of
the
day
rest
in
the
Lord
and
patiently
wait
for
him
to
not
fret
for
him
to
for
him
who
prospered
in
his
ways
success
in
sin
not
care
not
may the
Jesus
the love
and the
the Holy Spirit
be with you all
amen!
voy
!
voy
!
voy
!
voy
!
voy
!
voy
!
voy
!
voy
Thank you.