WEBVTT

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 This order of revealed truth is important.

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 And it starts there with Peter's confession in verse 29.

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 You can look at it there.

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 And he asked them, but who do you say that I am?

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 And Peter answered, you are the Christ.

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 There's this initial moment of revelation that was so necessary

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 because it's necessary that God convince us of Jesus's identity

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 because you cannot rightly understand what Jesus did apart from believing in who he is.

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 It had to start there.

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 And that's the structure of Mark's gospel.

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 He spends the first eight chapters really focusing in on who Jesus is.

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 And the disciples have now come to see that the Lord has opened their eyes to that.

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 In fact, in Matthew's account, Jesus immediately follows Peter's confession by saying,

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 blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,

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 but my father which is in heaven has revealed this to you.

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 God was opening their eyes.

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 This was a great moment, but it was a significant moment in the order.

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 They're seeing who Jesus is.

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 And then Jesus begins to plainly tell them about his coming suffering, death, and resurrection.

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 But that can only be understood in light of the fact that they had just acknowledged

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 who he is.

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 And now he opens up about what he is there to do.

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 You see that in verse 31.

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 We read it.

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 Let's read it again.

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 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things,

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 be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes.

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 That is a representation of the Sanhedrin.

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 And he would be killed.

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 And after three days, rise again.

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 Now, this truth was not easy for these men to understand or accept.

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 And of course, that's represented in the fact that Peter,

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 who had just made this great confession of Christ,

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 then pulls Jesus to the side and scolds him

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 because Jesus' mission didn't meet Peter's expectations.

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 And then what follows that is the most severe rebuke

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 that we see Jesus giving anyone in the Gospels who desired to follow him.

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 What was it that he said?

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 Get behind me, Satan.

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 And it wasn't that Jesus was insinuating that Peter had been possessed by the devil

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 or that he was otherwise under the influence of Satan in a very specific sense.

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 What he was saying is that the men in rejection of Christ's mission

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 had inadvertently set themselves in opposition to the will of God.

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 Because they did not accept the word of God,

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 they set themselves as adversaries to the will of God.

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 And then what was it that Jesus said immediately following?

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 You do not have your mind set on the things of God.

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 You know what your problem is, Peter?

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 You only want what you want.

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 You're not thinking about what God's desire,

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 what God's will is for this.

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 And isn't that the place that we often find ourselves in?

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 In the struggle, we're constantly fighting our tendency to only look at the eyes of man,

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 only to set our minds on the things of man,

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 rather than setting our minds on the things of God.

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 And look where it got Peter in this passage in the other men.

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 And then it's going to continue to be a theme as we get into these next verses.

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 Because they misunderstood the mission of Jesus,

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 they also misunderstood what it means to follow Jesus.

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 And now that he had plainly spoken about his purpose,

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 it was necessary that Jesus explain the true meaning of discipleship.

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 What does it really mean to follow Christ?

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 That's what he's getting at now.

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 And you see the progression now, right?

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 You see the order of revelation.

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 He focuses on his identity first.

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 Who do you say that I am?

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 And from there, he moves on to his purpose.

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 Now that you know that, this is the gospel.

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 Crucifixion and resurrection.

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 And once Jesus has initiated that revelation,

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 then he says, now here's what it means to follow me.

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 Here's what it means to follow me.

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 Because it is not enough, hear me,

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 it is not enough to acknowledge the truth of who Jesus is.

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 To acknowledge the truth of Jesus's purpose in an intellectual way.

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 Simply acknowledging those things is not enough.

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 You must follow Christ.

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 And so he doesn't just stop with the explanations.

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 He then calls them.

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 Here's who I am.

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 Here's what I'm doing.

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 Here's what it means to actually follow me.

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 And that's where we get here.

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 What Jesus called them to is radically different than what they expected.

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 And it may be that as we get into these verses,

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 it's radically different than your expectations too.

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 His teaching here is not hard to understand,

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 but it is very hard to receive.

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 After hearing his teaching,

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 the question for the 12 disciples,

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 and what will be the question for us,

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 the conclusion of this passage is this.

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 Is Jesus worth what it cost to follow him?

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 Is Jesus worth what it cost to follow him?

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 Look with me at verse 34.

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 Calling the crowd to him with his disciples,

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 he said to them,

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 if anyone would come after me,

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 let him deny himself,

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 take up his cross,

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 and follow me.

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 That's an intense call to discipleship.

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 If anyone will come after me,

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 if anyone desires to follow after me,

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 he must forget himself.

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 He must take up the cross.

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 Luke adds daily.

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 He must take up the cross daily.

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 And he must follow me.

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 There's been a significant amount of disagreement over the years

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 as to what Jesus means in this call to follow him.

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 And some have suggested that Jesus is referring to

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 sort of an elite category of Christian experience

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 that requires a higher level of commitment.

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 In their minds,

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 discipleship is this high level.

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 It's a believer that just decides,

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 okay,

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 I'm going to really give this all that I've got at this point,

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 that that's what discipleship is.

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 And so they reason that what Jesus is getting at here

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 is that if you really want to be a good disciple,

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 a good follower,

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 this is what will be true of your life.

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 And they say that a believer and a disciple

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 are two different things.

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 In their minds,

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 Jesus is referring to a Christian

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 that just wants to take their faith to the next level.

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 But Jesus makes no such distinction anywhere,

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 anywhere in the Gospels.

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 Jesus never says that there's two categories of Christians.

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 He never says that to be a disciple

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 is a different thing than being a believer.

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 And the summoning of the crowd here in verse 34

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 signals that the call to discipleship

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 is not exclusive to the individuals

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 that desire to go deeper in their faith.

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 Think about this.

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 In the last two conversations,

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 it's been private with his disciples.

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 On the road to Caesarea Philippi,

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 that's where the confession comes,

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 the confession of Christ.

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 It's once the,

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 or excuse me,

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 on the road to Caesarea Philippi.

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 And when they get there,

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 that's when this conversation takes place

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 about his purpose.

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 And now after those conversations has taken place,

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 notice what Jesus does.

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 Apparently there's nearby crowds,

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 no doubt desiring to be close to Jesus.

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 And what does he do

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 before he gets to the call to discipleship?

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 He calls the crowds.

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 He calls the crowds.

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 Meaning that this message is not merely

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 for those who were already intrigued by him,

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 that were already following him.

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 This is the message for everyone.

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 It's not an exclusive group of Christians.

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 Jesus never called someone to believe in him

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 that he didn't expect to repent and follow him

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 as a faithful disciple.

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 Discipleship is not an exclusive category of Christianity.

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 It is Christianity.

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 And to be a believer in Christ is to be a disciple.

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 And what follows in Jesus's teaching here in these verses

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 is not a description of an elite Christian.

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 It is a description of a true Christian.

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 And I want to draw your mind for just a moment

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 back to Mark chapter four.

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 In Mark chapter four,

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 remember Jesus is telling these parables

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 and he opens with this parable about the soils.

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 Do you remember?

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 Jesus says there's four types of soils

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 and only one of those soils actually produces fruit.

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 The other three,

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 or in the other three types of soil,

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 the seed is ultimately destroyed

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 or it is removed in some way or another.

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 And later on, on that day,

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 Jesus is explaining what this parable was about.

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 And he says that the soils represent the heart of man.

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 Every man has a type of soil that is their heart.

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 And it falls into one of these four categories.

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 And then he says,

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 the seed is the word of God,

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 that as the seed,

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 the word of God is sown on man's heart.

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 There's only one type of heart

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 that will actually produce spiritual fruit

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 that will actually indicate genuine salvation.

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 And that is the fertile soil,

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 as you remember the parable.

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 But I think as Jesus gets here to Mark chapter eight

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 in this call to discipleship in verse 34,

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 he's anticipating those people

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 who are represented by the soil

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 that is rocky and weedy.

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 Remember?

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 Let me read it to you.

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 Mark chapter four, verse 16.

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 These are the ones, Jesus said,

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 that were sown on the rocky ground.

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 The ones who, when they hear the word,

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 immediately receive it with joy.

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 But they have no root in themselves.

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 They endure for a while.

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 Then when tribulation or persecution arises

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 on account of the word,

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 immediately they fall away.

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 And others are the ones sown among thorns.

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 They are those who hear the word,

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 but the cares of this world

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 and the deceitfulness of riches

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 and the desires for other things

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 enter in and choke the word

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 and it proves unfruitful.

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 Notice the things that ruin the seed in these soils.

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 First, persecution,

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 suffering,

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 tribulation,

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 difficulty,

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 not just difficulty in general,

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 difficulty as Jesus says,

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 on account of the word.

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 And they fall away.

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 What's the others?

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 The cares of this world.

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 The deceitfulness of riches,

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 following after wealth,

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 caught up in our own sin,

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 caught up in our own lives,

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 the desires for things other than the world,

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 than the word.

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 And what happens?

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 The word is choked out.

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 Now what's the common denominator

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 in both of these soils?

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 As Jesus told Peter in verse 33,

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 they have their minds set on the things of man

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 rather than the things of God.

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 And so these people at some point come to the word

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 and perhaps for a little while,

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 they receive it with joy

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 and they appear as far as we can tell

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 to be true Christians.

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 But whenever the hardship comes,

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 whenever somebody doesn't appreciate their Christianity,

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 they immediately fall away,

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 it's not worth it to them.

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 Or it gets choked out by the sin of their life

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 or their other pursuits of their life.

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 They never really follow Christ.

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 They're intrigued by Christ.

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 They're enamored by Christ,

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 but they never actually follow him.

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 And so ultimately,

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 they prove to be unfruitful.

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 And I think Jesus has these categories in mind

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 as he's calling the crowds to him in Mark chapter 8.

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 He's thinking,

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 listen, you may acknowledge who I am.

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 You may even see my purpose.

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 But so did the people who received it with joy.

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 So did the rocky soil people.

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 So did the weedy soil people.

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 But it didn't mean that they were true Christians.

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 When Jesus calls the crowds,

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 he anticipates that many would make a profession of faith

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 only to later abandon that faith

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 when following Christ just cost too much.

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 He warned that those who thought they could gain salvation

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 by merely acknowledging his identity and purpose

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 but never truly following him,

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 it was impossible.

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 So he proclaimed that the way of discipleship

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 includes total self-abandonment.

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 And it inevitably leads

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 to some form of suffering on account of Christ.

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 Jesus here is teaching the crowd to count the cost,

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 which is actually exactly what he said

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 when saying this same thing in another moment.

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 We find that in Luke 14.

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 In fact, why don't you turn there?

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 Luke chapter 14.

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 And read this with me.

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 Now great crowds accompanied him.

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 And he turned and here's what he said.

00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:44.620
 If anyone comes to me

00:14:44.620 --> 00:14:47.279
 and does not hate his own father and mother

00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:50.959
 and wife and children and brothers and sisters,

00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:53.379
 yes, in his own life,

00:14:53.899 --> 00:14:57.459
 he cannot be my disciple.

00:14:57.460 --> 00:15:01.720
 Whoever does not bear his own cross

00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:02.580
 and come after me

00:15:02.580 --> 00:15:05.040
 cannot be my disciple.

00:15:06.660 --> 00:15:09.180
 Now, of course, Jesus isn't advocating

00:15:09.180 --> 00:15:11.740
 that we actually hate those that we love.

00:15:11.860 --> 00:15:13.220
 That's not what he means here.

00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:15.800
 What he means is that

00:15:15.800 --> 00:15:18.820
 those who would love father and mother more than him,

00:15:18.900 --> 00:15:20.100
 as he says in Matthew 10,

00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:21.360
 are not worthy of him.

00:15:21.460 --> 00:15:23.740
 Those who would love son or daughter more than him

00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:25.139
 are not worthy of him.

00:15:25.139 --> 00:15:27.720
 That our love for Christ

00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:31.720
 will make our lesser loves

00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:33.620
 seem actually more like hate.

00:15:34.060 --> 00:15:34.220
 Okay?

00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:35.399
 That's what he's getting at.

00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:38.279
 Abandonment of self following him.

00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:39.840
 Now continue on with me.

00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:44.060
 For which of you desiring to build a tower

00:15:44.060 --> 00:15:47.440
 does not first sit down and count the cost,

00:15:47.660 --> 00:15:49.720
 whether he has enough to complete it?

00:15:51.060 --> 00:15:52.860
 Otherwise, when he's laid the foundation

00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:54.360
 and is not able to finish,

00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:56.759
 all who see it begin to mock him,

00:15:56.899 --> 00:15:57.160
 saying,

00:15:57.159 --> 00:15:58.740
 this man began to build

00:15:58.740 --> 00:16:00.000
 and was not able to finish.

00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:02.219
 Or what king going out

00:16:02.219 --> 00:16:03.980
 to encounter another king in war

00:16:03.980 --> 00:16:05.839
 will not sit down first

00:16:05.839 --> 00:16:07.039
 and deliberate

00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:09.299
 whether he is able with 10,000

00:16:09.299 --> 00:16:11.419
 to meet him who comes against him

00:16:11.419 --> 00:16:12.519
 with 20,000?

00:16:13.339 --> 00:16:14.240
 And if not,

00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:16.539
 while the other is yet a great way off,

00:16:16.959 --> 00:16:18.139
 he sends a delegation

00:16:18.139 --> 00:16:20.059
 and asks for terms of peace.

00:16:21.139 --> 00:16:22.120
 So therefore,

00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:24.939
 any one of you who does not renounce

00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:26.660
 all that he has

00:16:26.660 --> 00:16:29.620
 cannot be my disciple.

00:16:30.060 --> 00:16:32.580
 Those are hard words.

00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:35.600
 Hard words.

00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:38.960
 What is Jesus calling us to?

00:16:39.640 --> 00:16:41.540
 He's calling us to repentance.

00:16:42.760 --> 00:16:45.980
 To abandon everything else in this life

00:16:45.980 --> 00:16:48.800
 to follow him.

00:16:49.460 --> 00:16:51.400
 And an unwillingness to turn

00:16:51.400 --> 00:16:54.800
 means that we are not actually

00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:56.379
 his disciples.

00:16:57.519 --> 00:16:58.620
 So in Mark 8,

00:16:59.319 --> 00:17:01.339
 he's calling them to count the cost.

00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:06.019
 We've said this the last couple of weeks

00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:07.599
 and I think it's just helpful

00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:08.379
 to be reminded

00:17:08.379 --> 00:17:10.759
 that true conversion

00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:13.359
 does not only produce

00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:14.960
 a confession of Jesus,

00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:17.480
 but a follower of Jesus.

00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:21.319
 And a true follower of Jesus

00:17:21.319 --> 00:17:24.140
 will inevitably display

00:17:24.140 --> 00:17:25.779
 the marks that Jesus teaches

00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:26.660
 in this passage.

00:17:28.180 --> 00:17:29.339
 Isn't that what James

00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:30.240
 was getting on about

00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:32.019
 in his letter in James chapter 2?

00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:34.240
 Show me your faith

00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:35.180
 without your works

00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:37.940
 and I'll show you my faith

00:17:37.940 --> 00:17:39.700
 by my works.

00:17:40.360 --> 00:17:41.079
 In other words,

00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:43.099
 it's not the works that save us,

00:17:43.099 --> 00:17:44.679
 but true faith results

00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:46.679
 in radical change.

00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:50.919
 So true conversion

00:17:50.919 --> 00:17:53.899
 is not merely saying intellectually

00:17:53.899 --> 00:17:56.119
 giving assent to the things of Christ.

00:17:56.219 --> 00:17:58.199
 It is actually abandoning all

00:17:58.199 --> 00:17:59.859
 to follow after that Christ.

00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:01.839
 And the true disciple

00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:03.379
 ultimately will demonstrate

00:18:03.379 --> 00:18:04.299
 these marks here.

00:18:04.639 --> 00:18:05.859
 Jesus gives three imperatives

00:18:05.859 --> 00:18:06.599
 in this verse.

00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:09.319
 They all picture together

00:18:09.319 --> 00:18:10.259
 repentance, don't they?

00:18:10.259 --> 00:18:11.599
 You understand repentance.

00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:13.319
 Repentance, it literally means

00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:14.259
 to turn away.

00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:15.259
 It's a 180.

00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:18.180
 It's to be going in one direction

00:18:18.180 --> 00:18:20.099
 and then make a complete turn

00:18:20.099 --> 00:18:21.160
 and go in the other direction.

00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:23.539
 And Jesus gives these three imperatives

00:18:23.539 --> 00:18:25.099
 that together picture this perfectly.

00:18:25.299 --> 00:18:25.960
 He says, first,

00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:28.420
 you're heading down the way of self.

00:18:28.619 --> 00:18:29.559
 And if you're heading down

00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:30.279
 the way of self,

00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:31.180
 the first step is that

00:18:31.180 --> 00:18:32.839
 you have to turn away from self.

00:18:32.980 --> 00:18:33.720
 And in the process

00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:34.879
 of turning away from self,

00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:35.920
 you're picking up your cross

00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:36.680
 and then what are you doing?

00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:38.059
 You're following him.

00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:39.980
 You're going in the other direction.

00:18:40.259 --> 00:18:40.579
 Okay?

00:18:40.819 --> 00:18:42.200
 That's what Jesus is getting at

00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:43.319
 with these three imperatives.

00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:44.500
 Let's talk about them quickly.

00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:45.779
 Number one, he says,

00:18:46.099 --> 00:18:47.019
 deny yourself

00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:48.660
 or deny himself.

00:18:48.980 --> 00:18:50.440
 If anyone would come after me,

00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:53.259
 let him deny himself.

00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:55.759
 Many people don't make it past

00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:56.640
 this first item

00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:59.299
 because it goes against everything

00:18:59.299 --> 00:19:00.420
 in our nature, doesn't it?

00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:03.319
 Our culture idolizes self.

00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:06.440
 Self-love, self-care,

00:19:06.859 --> 00:19:08.079
 everything's me.

00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:10.859
 Everything's there to serve me.

00:19:12.359 --> 00:19:13.899
 It's my truth.

00:19:15.899 --> 00:19:17.779
 We are our own gods

00:19:17.779 --> 00:19:19.460
 and we worship daily

00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:22.419
 at the altar of self-pleasure.

00:19:23.099 --> 00:19:24.740
 That's the culture in which we live.

00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:26.059
 That's the nature

00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:28.319
 with which we are born.

00:19:28.699 --> 00:19:30.759
 But Jesus says that to follow me,

00:19:30.919 --> 00:19:33.299
 you're going to have to forget yourself.

00:19:33.919 --> 00:19:35.000
 Forget yourself.

00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:38.500
 This word for deny here

00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:39.559
 literally means disregard.

00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:41.859
 He's not talking about

00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:43.279
 the mere denial of pleasures.

00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:46.180
 He's not advocating an ascetic life.

00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:47.660
 That's not what Jesus is saying.

00:19:47.900 --> 00:19:49.779
 He's saying that when you come to me,

00:19:49.900 --> 00:19:51.259
 you forget everything else.

00:19:51.619 --> 00:19:52.940
 Forget yourself.

00:19:53.339 --> 00:19:54.000
 Forget yourself.

00:19:54.940 --> 00:19:56.839
 Stop following self.

00:19:57.220 --> 00:19:59.119
 Stop following what you want

00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:00.619
 and set your thoughts

00:20:00.619 --> 00:20:02.420
 on the things of God.

00:20:02.420 --> 00:20:05.019
 That's what a true disciple does.

00:20:05.800 --> 00:20:07.480
 Denies himself.

00:20:08.560 --> 00:20:09.880
 It's the total disregard

00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:11.120
 and an abandonment

00:20:11.120 --> 00:20:12.759
 of selfish desire

00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:14.279
 and ambition.

00:20:15.539 --> 00:20:16.460
 And then he says,

00:20:16.580 --> 00:20:17.480
 take up his cross.

00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:20.600
 If anyone wants to come after me,

00:20:21.259 --> 00:20:23.000
 let him deny himself

00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:24.019
 and take up his cross.

00:20:24.700 --> 00:20:25.539
 What does this mean?

00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:28.380
 We've all probably heard people make

00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:30.740
 silly statements about this, right?

00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:32.059
 Perhaps you've made them

00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:32.920
 even as a joke.

00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:36.599
 I got a headache today.

00:20:37.500 --> 00:20:39.059
 It's just my cross to bear.

00:20:40.660 --> 00:20:42.319
 No, that's not your cross to bear.

00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:45.200
 That's not what Jesus means here.

00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:47.420
 What was the cross?

00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:49.380
 It's interesting in this passage

00:20:49.380 --> 00:20:51.120
 because Jesus has not yet,

00:20:51.180 --> 00:20:52.339
 as far as we can tell,

00:20:52.660 --> 00:20:55.380
 actually plainly mentioned crucifixion

00:20:55.380 --> 00:20:56.839
 as the means of his execution.

00:20:56.839 --> 00:20:58.359
 He's just told them

00:20:58.359 --> 00:20:59.539
 that he's going to be killed

00:20:59.539 --> 00:21:02.000
 and that he's going to rise

00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:02.819
 three days later,

00:21:02.819 --> 00:21:03.899
 but there's no indication

00:21:03.899 --> 00:21:04.879
 that he's actually said

00:21:04.879 --> 00:21:06.139
 crucified yet.

00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:08.619
 So Jesus isn't necessarily

00:21:08.619 --> 00:21:10.139
 appealing to

00:21:10.139 --> 00:21:13.459
 his specific form of death,

00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:15.179
 even though that's an implication.

00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:16.659
 That's not necessarily

00:21:16.659 --> 00:21:17.779
 the primary appeal

00:21:17.779 --> 00:21:18.480
 that he's making.

00:21:18.679 --> 00:21:19.879
 He's appealing to what

00:21:19.879 --> 00:21:20.740
 their understanding

00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:21.579
 of crucifixion

00:21:21.579 --> 00:21:22.559
 would have been to begin with.

00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:23.980
 Well, what was crucifixion?

00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:26.759
 It was the Romans' favorite way,

00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:27.579
 at least in this time,

00:21:27.660 --> 00:21:29.220
 it seems to be their favorite way

00:21:29.220 --> 00:21:31.400
 of criminal execution.

00:21:32.360 --> 00:21:33.559
 And every one of the people

00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:34.500
 listening to this

00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:35.140
 would have known

00:21:35.140 --> 00:21:36.620
 exactly what Jesus meant.

00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:39.980
 The cross represented shame.

00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:43.200
 It wasn't a cultural icon

00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:44.640
 in their days like it is today.

00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:46.180
 Nobody wanted to be associated

00:21:46.180 --> 00:21:47.019
 with a cross.

00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:49.079
 That's the worst.

00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:50.120
 It's like being associated

00:21:50.120 --> 00:21:51.240
 with the electric chair

00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:52.099
 in our culture.

00:21:52.099 --> 00:21:53.519
 Nobody wants to be associated

00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:54.119
 with that.

00:21:54.419 --> 00:21:55.219
 That's shame.

00:21:55.500 --> 00:21:56.500
 It's reproach.

00:21:57.240 --> 00:21:57.759
 Criminal.

00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:02.459
 There was a Roman general

00:22:02.459 --> 00:22:04.319
 in around the time

00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:05.539
 of Jesus' birth.

00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:07.959
 His name was Verus.

00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:09.419
 He was assigned

00:22:09.419 --> 00:22:10.759
 to the Palestinian area

00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:11.379
 at the time.

00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:12.659
 There was a Jewish revolt

00:22:12.659 --> 00:22:13.699
 after the death

00:22:13.699 --> 00:22:14.939
 of Herod the Great.

00:22:15.879 --> 00:22:17.759
 And in this Jewish revolt,

00:22:18.679 --> 00:22:19.859
 Verus was called on

00:22:19.859 --> 00:22:20.679
 to subdue it.

00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:21.160
 And of course,

00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:22.180
 he easily did that.

00:22:22.259 --> 00:22:23.580
 But to make a point

00:22:23.580 --> 00:22:24.500
 in Galilee,

00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:27.580
 when Jesus was a child,

00:22:28.299 --> 00:22:31.740
 he crucified 2,000 Galileans.

00:22:32.320 --> 00:22:33.480
 And he did so

00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:34.840
 by lining their crosses

00:22:34.840 --> 00:22:36.500
 down the major road system

00:22:36.500 --> 00:22:37.740
 that went through Galilee

00:22:37.740 --> 00:22:38.980
 so that when you're taking

00:22:38.980 --> 00:22:40.200
 your kids to the market

00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:40.840
 in the morning,

00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:42.000
 what you're walking by

00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:44.060
 is cross after cross

00:22:44.060 --> 00:22:45.060
 after cross

00:22:45.060 --> 00:22:46.000
 after cross

00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:48.380
 of brutally executed

00:22:48.380 --> 00:22:49.279
 neighbors.

00:22:51.960 --> 00:22:53.079
 That's what the cross

00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:54.140
 meant to these people.

00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:56.519
 So when Jesus says,

00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:57.400
 if you're going to follow

00:22:57.400 --> 00:22:58.059
 after me,

00:22:58.119 --> 00:22:58.680
 you're going to have

00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:00.259
 to identify with the cross.

00:23:00.380 --> 00:23:01.119
 When the Romans

00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:02.160
 crucified somebody,

00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:03.299
 you know this

00:23:03.299 --> 00:23:04.579
 from Jesus' crucifixion,

00:23:04.619 --> 00:23:05.279
 but it was common.

00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:06.119
 They would have to

00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:07.160
 literally carry

00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:08.660
 a portion of their cross

00:23:08.660 --> 00:23:09.460
 to the place

00:23:09.460 --> 00:23:10.200
 of their execution.

00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:11.240
 The criminal would do that.

00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:11.980
 Remember,

00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:12.440
 in Jesus'

00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:13.339
 own execution,

00:23:13.579 --> 00:23:14.299
 he had to carry

00:23:14.299 --> 00:23:15.039
 his own cross,

00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:16.039
 but he was so weak

00:23:16.039 --> 00:23:16.839
 under the weight of it,

00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:18.059
 he couldn't go any further.

00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:19.019
 And they had to call

00:23:19.019 --> 00:23:19.740
 on somebody else

00:23:19.740 --> 00:23:20.240
 from the crowd

00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:21.240
 to actually finish

00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:22.240
 carrying the cross

00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:23.399
 to the place of execution.

00:23:23.619 --> 00:23:24.500
 That was common.

00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:27.259
 Jesus is literally saying,

00:23:27.579 --> 00:23:27.980
 if you're going to

00:23:27.980 --> 00:23:28.639
 come after me,

00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:29.500
 you might as well

00:23:29.500 --> 00:23:30.539
 go pick up a cross

00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:31.740
 because that's the direction

00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:32.240
 I'm headed.

00:23:32.419 --> 00:23:33.399
 It's going to be the direction

00:23:33.399 --> 00:23:34.299
 you're heading to.

00:23:36.579 --> 00:23:37.779
 People are going to look at you

00:23:37.779 --> 00:23:38.519
 when they find out

00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:39.480
 that you're following me.

00:23:39.539 --> 00:23:40.319
 They're going to look at you

00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:41.279
 with disdain.

00:23:42.680 --> 00:23:43.339
 Do you understand?

00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:44.859
 And the world hates us.

00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:47.000
 They hate us

00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:49.740
 because they hated Christ.

00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:51.099
 And isn't that what

00:23:51.099 --> 00:23:52.059
 he told his disciples

00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:53.539
 just before his crucifixion?

00:23:53.959 --> 00:23:54.779
 They've hated me.

00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:55.759
 They're going to hate you too.

00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:56.159
 Hey,

00:23:56.220 --> 00:23:56.879
 all of your friends

00:23:56.879 --> 00:23:57.419
 at the synagogue,

00:23:57.579 --> 00:23:58.159
 they're going to throw you

00:23:58.159 --> 00:23:58.899
 out of the synagogue.

00:23:59.139 --> 00:23:59.980
 And every one of you

00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:01.699
 are going to suffer for me.

00:24:01.939 --> 00:24:02.919
 And every one of them

00:24:02.919 --> 00:24:04.199
 did suffer for him.

00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:06.119
 All of them,

00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:06.659
 but one,

00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:07.480
 were executed

00:24:07.480 --> 00:24:09.159
 for the gospel.

00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:10.220
 And the one

00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:11.259
 who wasn't executed

00:24:11.259 --> 00:24:12.059
 was John.

00:24:12.460 --> 00:24:13.539
 And he might as well

00:24:13.539 --> 00:24:14.279
 have been executed.

00:24:14.819 --> 00:24:16.140
 He was boiled in oil

00:24:16.140 --> 00:24:16.960
 according to

00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:18.619
 Christian tradition

00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:19.859
 and somehow survived it

00:24:19.859 --> 00:24:20.680
 and was exiled

00:24:20.680 --> 00:24:21.379
 to an island

00:24:21.379 --> 00:24:23.160
 where he lived out

00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:23.940
 the rest of his life

00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:24.920
 and ultimately succumbed

00:24:24.920 --> 00:24:28.080
 his own injuries

00:24:28.080 --> 00:24:28.640
 or health

00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:29.360
 or whatever it was

00:24:29.360 --> 00:24:30.240
 that killed him.

00:24:32.100 --> 00:24:33.580
 That's what Jesus means.

00:24:34.860 --> 00:24:36.240
 To follow me means

00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:38.600
 no one's going to exalt you.

00:24:40.900 --> 00:24:41.720
 They're actually going to do

00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:42.779
 the opposite of that.

00:24:43.940 --> 00:24:44.920
 In Matthew 10,

00:24:45.019 --> 00:24:45.500
 Jesus said,

00:24:45.580 --> 00:24:46.800
 I did not come to bring peace

00:24:46.800 --> 00:24:47.519
 but a sword.

00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:49.640
 And then he talks about

00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:50.720
 family relationships.

00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:52.640
 And he says,

00:24:52.700 --> 00:24:54.360
 my gospel will divide families.

00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:55.379
 In some cases,

00:24:55.459 --> 00:24:56.079
 by God's grace,

00:24:56.159 --> 00:24:57.459
 it actually unites families

00:24:57.459 --> 00:24:58.439
 but in other cases,

00:24:58.439 --> 00:24:59.740
 it's going to divide families.

00:25:03.219 --> 00:25:04.759
 If your kids grow up

00:25:04.759 --> 00:25:06.159
 to deny Christ

00:25:06.159 --> 00:25:08.240
 and to deny you

00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:09.079
 if you continue

00:25:09.079 --> 00:25:10.019
 following Christ,

00:25:10.219 --> 00:25:11.179
 will he be enough?

00:25:18.219 --> 00:25:20.119
 If those who are closest to you

00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:21.179
 decide that if you're going

00:25:21.179 --> 00:25:22.399
 to continue on this path

00:25:22.399 --> 00:25:23.319
 of Christianity,

00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:24.419
 I don't think that we can

00:25:24.419 --> 00:25:25.379
 be friends any longer,

00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:28.319
 will you still follow Christ?

00:25:29.899 --> 00:25:30.879
 Is he enough?

00:25:32.939 --> 00:25:34.339
 Jesus isn't talking about

00:25:34.339 --> 00:25:35.740
 having a headache.

00:25:37.259 --> 00:25:38.759
 Jesus isn't talking about

00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:40.359
 the general hardships

00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:41.439
 that we all go through.

00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:44.419
 He's talking about persecution

00:25:44.419 --> 00:25:45.720
 for sake of the gospel

00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:47.039
 and he says it's inevitable

00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:48.019
 for all of us.

00:25:48.019 --> 00:25:51.000
 And then he says,

00:25:51.180 --> 00:25:52.440
 follow me.

00:25:53.799 --> 00:25:55.119
 What is it to really

00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:56.019
 follow Christ?

00:25:56.839 --> 00:25:57.200
 Well,

00:25:57.639 --> 00:25:58.920
 deny ourselves,

00:25:59.980 --> 00:26:01.019
 take up the cross,

00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:03.059
 and then we follow.

00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:06.180
 Isn't that the conclusion

00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:06.779
 of repentance?

00:26:08.779 --> 00:26:10.319
 He's not just calling us

00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:11.460
 away from something.

00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:13.400
 Get this.

00:26:13.400 --> 00:26:14.880
 This is the good part

00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:15.300
 of this.

00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:18.420
 He's not just calling us

00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:19.380
 away from self.

00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:20.580
 It's not what he's doing.

00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:21.759
 He's calling us

00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:23.300
 to himself.

00:26:24.320 --> 00:26:25.259
 Do you see it?

00:26:26.740 --> 00:26:27.620
 Deny yourself

00:26:27.620 --> 00:26:29.000
 because you can't follow me

00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:30.140
 and follow self

00:26:30.140 --> 00:26:30.780
 at the same time.

00:26:30.840 --> 00:26:30.940
 You see,

00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:31.740
 you can't do it.

00:26:34.300 --> 00:26:34.860
 He's saying,

00:26:35.259 --> 00:26:36.600
 leave yourself behind

00:26:36.600 --> 00:26:37.880
 and come to me

00:26:37.880 --> 00:26:38.980
 because what I have

00:26:38.980 --> 00:26:39.420
 to offer

00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:40.500
 is so much greater

00:26:40.500 --> 00:26:41.759
 than anything you think

00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:42.400
 you can provide

00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:43.059
 for yourself.

00:26:43.460 --> 00:26:44.259
 Follow me.

00:26:44.539 --> 00:26:45.460
 Come after me.

00:26:45.740 --> 00:26:46.720
 Come to me.

00:26:46.879 --> 00:26:48.220
 This is an invitation.

00:26:48.879 --> 00:26:49.799
 It's an invitation.

00:26:52.180 --> 00:26:53.079
 Do you have to count

00:26:53.079 --> 00:26:53.519
 the cost?

00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:54.460
 Of course.

00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:56.160
 Did Jesus sugarcoat

00:26:56.160 --> 00:26:56.920
 the process?

00:26:57.079 --> 00:26:58.379
 By no means.

00:26:59.240 --> 00:27:00.539
 But it was an invitation

00:27:00.539 --> 00:27:01.059
 nonetheless.

00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:02.879
 Follow me.

00:27:02.980 --> 00:27:03.319
 And if you're going

00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:03.980
 to follow me,

00:27:04.059 --> 00:27:04.660
 it means you've got to

00:27:04.660 --> 00:27:05.359
 stop following

00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:06.160
 everything else.

00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:08.279
 Follow me,

00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:08.980
 he says.

00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:09.740
 What does that mean?

00:27:10.140 --> 00:27:11.400
 You go where he goes.

00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:13.160
 You do as he does.

00:27:13.420 --> 00:27:15.180
 You suffer even as he

00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:16.440
 suffered, perhaps.

00:27:17.300 --> 00:27:17.580
 Now,

00:27:17.700 --> 00:27:18.400
 before I move on,

00:27:19.360 --> 00:27:20.740
 it's essential to know,

00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:21.840
 please hear me.

00:27:22.700 --> 00:27:22.820
 See,

00:27:22.860 --> 00:27:23.519
 I don't want to be

00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:25.000
 confusing on this.

00:27:26.580 --> 00:27:27.780
 These marks

00:27:27.780 --> 00:27:30.540
 do not provide salvation.

00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:34.700
 They are not what saves you.

00:27:36.120 --> 00:27:37.380
 Jesus isn't going to look

00:27:37.380 --> 00:27:37.960
 at your life

00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:39.000
 10 years from now

00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:39.560
 to make sure

00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:40.839
 that you make the cut

00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:41.960
 before he actually

00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:43.099
 provides his grace.

00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:44.460
 That's not what Jesus

00:27:44.460 --> 00:27:45.519
 is saying here.

00:27:46.139 --> 00:27:46.960
 These aren't

00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:48.799
 prerequisites for salvation.

00:27:49.019 --> 00:27:50.599
 They are proofs

00:27:50.599 --> 00:27:51.779
 of salvation.

00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:54.460
 Salvation comes

00:27:54.460 --> 00:27:55.539
 by God's grace

00:27:55.539 --> 00:27:56.119
 alone.

00:27:56.259 --> 00:27:57.000
 Ephesians 2,

00:27:57.319 --> 00:27:58.240
 for by grace

00:27:58.240 --> 00:27:59.000
 are you saved

00:27:59.000 --> 00:27:59.919
 through faith

00:27:59.919 --> 00:28:00.919
 and that not of yourselves.

00:28:01.139 --> 00:28:02.559
 It's the gift of God,

00:28:02.700 --> 00:28:03.500
 not of works,

00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:04.759
 lest any man should boast.

00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:06.099
 That's salvation.

00:28:06.099 --> 00:28:07.439
 It's none of you

00:28:07.439 --> 00:28:08.639
 and it's all of him.

00:28:09.099 --> 00:28:10.119
 But those who have

00:28:10.119 --> 00:28:11.719
 truly experienced

00:28:11.719 --> 00:28:13.539
 the regenerative work

00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:14.480
 of the Holy Spirit

00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:16.439
 will display these marks.

00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:17.480
 Not perfectly,

00:28:17.779 --> 00:28:19.259
 but they will display them.

00:28:19.419 --> 00:28:21.099
 They will turn from self.

00:28:21.379 --> 00:28:23.019
 They will take up the cross

00:28:23.019 --> 00:28:26.599
 and they will follow Christ.

00:28:27.639 --> 00:28:29.559
 Bible knows no form

00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:30.740
 of true Christianity

00:28:30.740 --> 00:28:32.059
 that doesn't produce

00:28:32.059 --> 00:28:33.699
 a fruitful faith.

00:28:33.700 --> 00:28:36.299
 it's not there.

00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:38.140
 It's not there.

00:28:39.660 --> 00:28:40.880
 True faith

00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:42.140
 always produces

00:28:42.140 --> 00:28:44.620
 a faithful disciple.

00:28:45.840 --> 00:28:47.160
 And so what is Jesus

00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:47.980
 saying here?

00:28:48.860 --> 00:28:49.860
 Follow me.

00:28:50.799 --> 00:28:51.539
 Follow me.

00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:54.180
 He wants you to follow him.

00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:55.580
 But then notice,

00:28:55.840 --> 00:28:56.840
 as we move on,

00:28:57.480 --> 00:28:59.259
 he expands upon this cost.

00:28:59.420 --> 00:29:01.200
 He explains it further.

00:29:02.620 --> 00:29:03.200
 At this point,

00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:04.080
 the people in the crowd,

00:29:04.180 --> 00:29:05.120
 they had to have been thinking,

00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:07.420
 maybe as you are perhaps thinking

00:29:07.420 --> 00:29:08.740
 even now,

00:29:09.259 --> 00:29:10.240
 why would anyone

00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:11.580
 follow that call?

00:29:12.860 --> 00:29:13.779
 It sounds like

00:29:13.779 --> 00:29:14.920
 a lot of sacrifice.

00:29:16.779 --> 00:29:17.720
 And I don't see

00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:18.519
 a lot of gain,

00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:19.259
 you may say.

00:29:22.539 --> 00:29:24.120
 But as we study this further,

00:29:24.200 --> 00:29:24.840
 we find that

00:29:24.840 --> 00:29:25.600
 what he offers

00:29:25.600 --> 00:29:26.380
 is far greater

00:29:26.380 --> 00:29:27.299
 than what we give up.

00:29:28.700 --> 00:29:29.580
 Isn't that true?

00:29:30.580 --> 00:29:31.460
 Do you find that

00:29:31.460 --> 00:29:31.960
 to be true?

00:29:33.779 --> 00:29:34.720
 Jesus didn't come

00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:35.759
 to take your life.

00:29:36.840 --> 00:29:38.680
 He came to give you life.

00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:40.920
 Isn't that what he said?

00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:42.160
 John chapter 10,

00:29:43.120 --> 00:29:44.779
 I came that they may have life

00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:46.539
 and that they may have it

00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:47.720
 abundantly.

00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:49.440
 That was the purpose

00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:50.160
 of his coming.

00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:52.400
 What is it that John

00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:54.160
 chapter 3 says?

00:29:54.299 --> 00:29:55.680
 Just after the famous verse

00:29:55.680 --> 00:29:56.220
 in 16,

00:29:56.340 --> 00:29:57.360
 we read in verse 17

00:29:57.360 --> 00:29:58.420
 that God did not send

00:29:58.420 --> 00:29:59.160
 his son to the world

00:29:59.160 --> 00:29:59.960
 to condemn it,

00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:00.960
 but that the world

00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:02.800
 would be saved through him.

00:30:02.800 --> 00:30:04.539
 He came to give life,

00:30:04.539 --> 00:30:05.720
 which means that

00:30:05.720 --> 00:30:06.800
 in this call to discipleship,

00:30:07.539 --> 00:30:08.539
 he's not only calling you

00:30:08.539 --> 00:30:09.259
 away from whatever

00:30:09.259 --> 00:30:10.140
 your pursuit is now,

00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:10.940
 he's calling you

00:30:10.940 --> 00:30:11.380
 to do something

00:30:11.380 --> 00:30:13.140
 far, far greater.

00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:14.220
 And he explains that

00:30:14.220 --> 00:30:14.960
 here.

00:30:15.180 --> 00:30:15.880
 Verse 35,

00:30:16.300 --> 00:30:17.140
 whoever would save

00:30:17.140 --> 00:30:18.200
 his life will lose it.

00:30:18.779 --> 00:30:19.680
 Whoever will lose

00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:20.940
 his life for my sake

00:30:20.940 --> 00:30:21.800
 and the gospels

00:30:22.320 --> 00:30:23.560
 will save it.

00:30:24.080 --> 00:30:25.000
 For what does it

00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:25.720
 profit a man

00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:26.860
 to gain the whole world

00:30:26.860 --> 00:30:28.900
 and forfeit his soul?

00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:31.319
 What can a man

00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:32.120
 give in return

00:30:32.120 --> 00:30:33.519
 for his soul?

00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:34.360
 Literally there

00:30:34.360 --> 00:30:35.380
 in that last question

00:30:35.380 --> 00:30:36.360
 is what man

00:30:36.360 --> 00:30:37.420
 can give the price

00:30:37.420 --> 00:30:38.100
 for his soul?

00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:40.799
 No man.

00:30:43.059 --> 00:30:46.380
 There's a Greek word here

00:30:46.380 --> 00:30:47.620
 that I don't want

00:30:47.620 --> 00:30:48.279
 to bore you with,

00:30:48.380 --> 00:30:49.819
 but I find it helpful

00:30:49.819 --> 00:30:50.620
 in understanding

00:30:50.620 --> 00:30:51.839
 the sequence

00:30:51.839 --> 00:30:53.759
 in these three verses here.

00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:56.259
 The word is psuche.

00:30:57.059 --> 00:30:59.839
 It's where we get psyche from.

00:31:00.019 --> 00:31:01.220
 It can be translated

00:31:01.220 --> 00:31:02.799
 as either life or soul.

00:31:03.099 --> 00:31:03.980
 And it's translated

00:31:03.980 --> 00:31:04.799
 as both things

00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:05.519
 here in these verses.

00:31:05.700 --> 00:31:07.079
 It's mentioned four times.

00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:08.079
 If you notice

00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:08.859
 in verse 35,

00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:10.640
 it's translated as life.

00:31:10.980 --> 00:31:11.839
 But if you notice

00:31:11.839 --> 00:31:12.799
 in verse 36

00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:13.359
 and then again

00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:14.220
 in verse 37,

00:31:14.220 --> 00:31:16.440
 it's translated as soul.

00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:19.220
 And Jesus is using it here

00:31:19.220 --> 00:31:21.440
 to introduce this paradox.

00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:23.000
 This paradox

00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:23.820
 where somehow

00:31:23.820 --> 00:31:25.840
 we lose our life

00:31:25.840 --> 00:31:27.039
 if we actually

00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:28.320
 attempt to save it.

00:31:28.820 --> 00:31:31.860
 But we gain our life

00:31:31.860 --> 00:31:34.539
 if we lose it.

00:31:35.080 --> 00:31:36.799
 But how can we both

00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:39.259
 gain and lose?

00:31:39.779 --> 00:31:40.820
 Does it make sense?

00:31:41.559 --> 00:31:42.880
 Here's what Jesus is doing.

00:31:43.600 --> 00:31:44.820
 He's acknowledging

00:31:44.820 --> 00:31:46.259
 the fact that

00:31:46.259 --> 00:31:47.660
 our physical life

00:31:47.660 --> 00:31:48.539
 is temporal.

00:31:48.539 --> 00:31:48.619
 temporal.

00:31:49.019 --> 00:31:50.559
 It will not last.

00:31:50.659 --> 00:31:52.319
 But there is a part of us

00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:53.759
 that will live on

00:31:53.759 --> 00:31:54.379
 in eternity.

00:31:54.599 --> 00:31:55.920
 That's our soul.

00:31:56.619 --> 00:31:57.960
 So Jesus is presenting

00:31:57.960 --> 00:31:58.740
 this paradox.

00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:00.299
 What good is it?

00:32:00.539 --> 00:32:01.940
 What good is it

00:32:01.940 --> 00:32:04.279
 to live all of your life

00:32:04.279 --> 00:32:05.259
 pursuing something

00:32:05.259 --> 00:32:06.359
 that's going to be over

00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:07.180
 before long?

00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:09.420
 Why would you forfeit

00:32:09.420 --> 00:32:10.180
 eternity

00:32:10.180 --> 00:32:11.539
 for something

00:32:11.539 --> 00:32:12.539
 that will be gone

00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:13.859
 perhaps today?

00:32:13.859 --> 00:32:18.099
 whoever loses his life

00:32:18.099 --> 00:32:19.000
 for my sake

00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:19.819
 in the gospel

00:32:19.819 --> 00:32:21.039
 will save it.

00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:22.179
 He doesn't have

00:32:22.179 --> 00:32:23.359
 necessarily in mind

00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:24.279
 this could be an implication

00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:25.000
 but I don't think

00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:25.819
 he has necessarily

00:32:25.819 --> 00:32:27.539
 in mind this scenario

00:32:27.539 --> 00:32:28.699
 where someone comes

00:32:28.699 --> 00:32:29.500
 into our church service

00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:30.299
 today and they hold

00:32:30.299 --> 00:32:31.579
 a gun to your head

00:32:31.579 --> 00:32:32.119
 and they say

00:32:32.119 --> 00:32:33.159
 recant Christ

00:32:33.159 --> 00:32:35.139
 or we will kill you.

00:32:35.339 --> 00:32:35.719
 I don't think

00:32:35.719 --> 00:32:36.419
 that's what Jesus

00:32:36.419 --> 00:32:37.439
 has in mind here

00:32:37.439 --> 00:32:39.939
 because our ability

00:32:39.939 --> 00:32:40.879
 to be weak

00:32:40.879 --> 00:32:41.419
 or strong

00:32:41.419 --> 00:32:42.139
 in that moment

00:32:42.140 --> 00:32:43.360
 is not the basis

00:32:43.360 --> 00:32:44.940
 of our salvation.

00:32:45.140 --> 00:32:46.580
 He will not reward us

00:32:46.580 --> 00:32:47.860
 for staying strong

00:32:47.860 --> 00:32:48.660
 and he will not

00:32:48.660 --> 00:32:50.200
 take away our salvation

00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:51.360
 if we have a moment

00:32:51.360 --> 00:32:51.820
 of weakness

00:32:51.820 --> 00:32:52.500
 or timidity

00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:54.180
 though God will give us grace.

00:32:54.600 --> 00:32:56.140
 That's not the point

00:32:56.140 --> 00:32:57.120
 that Jesus is making.

00:32:57.320 --> 00:32:58.180
 He's saying that

00:32:58.180 --> 00:32:58.660
 if you're willing

00:32:58.660 --> 00:33:00.060
 to let go of self

00:33:00.060 --> 00:33:00.500
 if you're willing

00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:01.220
 to abandon

00:33:01.220 --> 00:33:02.160
 all of those things

00:33:02.160 --> 00:33:02.840
 for my sake

00:33:02.840 --> 00:33:03.340
 in the gospel

00:33:03.340 --> 00:33:03.920
 guess what?

00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:05.759
 You get this life

00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:06.480
 that I offer.

00:33:07.640 --> 00:33:08.920
 That's the point here.

00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:10.740
 There's this gap

00:33:10.740 --> 00:33:11.640
 that he's bridging

00:33:11.640 --> 00:33:13.320
 between the temporal life

00:33:13.320 --> 00:33:14.800
 and the eternal soul

00:33:14.800 --> 00:33:16.500
 and what he's saying

00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:17.960
 is that our temptation

00:33:17.960 --> 00:33:18.820
 is to hold on

00:33:18.820 --> 00:33:19.960
 to both things.

00:33:21.259 --> 00:33:22.640
 Do you feel this struggle?

00:33:23.259 --> 00:33:24.300
 It's a daily struggle

00:33:24.300 --> 00:33:24.720
 isn't it?

00:33:25.040 --> 00:33:25.940
 It's a daily struggle

00:33:25.940 --> 00:33:27.000
 to hold on

00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:27.759
 on one hand

00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:28.620
 to eternity

00:33:28.620 --> 00:33:29.460
 and to Christ

00:33:29.460 --> 00:33:30.840
 but to have such a hard time

00:33:30.840 --> 00:33:31.940
 letting go on this hand

00:33:31.940 --> 00:33:33.020
 the things that you want

00:33:33.020 --> 00:33:34.200
 and the things that you pursue

00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:34.700
 and the sins

00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:36.440
 that really bring you pleasure

00:33:36.440 --> 00:33:37.400
 and Jesus is saying

00:33:37.400 --> 00:33:38.820
 you can't have this

00:33:38.820 --> 00:33:39.900
 and this

00:33:39.900 --> 00:33:40.840
 at the same time

00:33:40.840 --> 00:33:41.840
 it doesn't work.

00:33:42.180 --> 00:33:43.160
 Whoever gives

00:33:43.160 --> 00:33:44.360
 or saves his life

00:33:44.360 --> 00:33:45.860
 will ultimately lose it

00:33:45.860 --> 00:33:47.140
 and whoever loses

00:33:47.140 --> 00:33:47.680
 his life

00:33:47.680 --> 00:33:48.440
 for my sake

00:33:48.440 --> 00:33:50.100
 will save it

00:33:50.100 --> 00:33:51.720
 will gain it.

00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:54.680
 Jesus illustrated this

00:33:54.680 --> 00:33:56.300
 in one of my favorite ways

00:33:56.300 --> 00:33:56.860
 in Matthew

00:33:56.860 --> 00:33:59.460
 I think it's chapter 13

00:33:59.460 --> 00:34:02.380
 he said in verse 44

00:34:02.380 --> 00:34:03.300
 the kingdom of heaven

00:34:03.300 --> 00:34:04.120
 is like a treasure

00:34:04.120 --> 00:34:04.820
 in the field

00:34:04.820 --> 00:34:06.720
 a man found

00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:07.460
 and covered up

00:34:07.460 --> 00:34:08.460
 then in his joy

00:34:08.460 --> 00:34:10.039
 he goes and sells

00:34:10.039 --> 00:34:11.159
 all that he has

00:34:11.159 --> 00:34:12.220
 and buys that field

00:34:12.220 --> 00:34:14.119
 and again

00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:14.980
 the kingdom of heaven

00:34:14.980 --> 00:34:15.780
 is like a merchant

00:34:15.780 --> 00:34:17.260
 in search of fine pearls

00:34:17.260 --> 00:34:18.780
 who on finding

00:34:18.780 --> 00:34:19.460
 one pearl

00:34:19.460 --> 00:34:20.460
 of great value

00:34:20.460 --> 00:34:21.199
 went and sold

00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:22.119
 all that he had

00:34:22.119 --> 00:34:23.820
 and bought it.

00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:25.179
 I love that illustration

00:34:25.179 --> 00:34:25.960
 so much.

00:34:26.199 --> 00:34:27.139
 That's what Jesus

00:34:27.139 --> 00:34:27.780
 is getting at

00:34:27.780 --> 00:34:28.619
 in Mark chapter 8.

00:34:29.599 --> 00:34:31.099
 Jesus is that treasure.

00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:34.019
 Jesus is that pearl

00:34:34.019 --> 00:34:35.400
 and what he's saying

00:34:35.400 --> 00:34:36.280
 is that when someone

00:34:36.280 --> 00:34:37.579
 finally sees me

00:34:37.579 --> 00:34:38.259
 as the treasure

00:34:38.259 --> 00:34:39.099
 when they see me

00:34:39.099 --> 00:34:39.820
 as the pearl

00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:41.460
 there's no cost

00:34:41.460 --> 00:34:42.139
 that they're willing

00:34:42.139 --> 00:34:43.000
 to give up

00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:43.960
 in order to have me.

00:34:44.699 --> 00:34:45.940
 I'm that treasure.

00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:47.800
 I'm that pearl.

00:34:48.239 --> 00:34:49.360
 What a wonderful illustration

00:34:49.360 --> 00:34:50.400
 of discipleship.

00:34:51.059 --> 00:34:52.599
 This life isn't worth it.

00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:53.960
 There is nothing here

00:34:53.960 --> 00:34:54.759
 that's worth it.

00:34:55.739 --> 00:34:56.780
 And Jesus follows it

00:34:56.780 --> 00:34:58.219
 with two rhetorical questions.

00:34:59.519 --> 00:35:01.139
 What is it benefiting you

00:35:01.139 --> 00:35:02.360
 to gain the whole world

00:35:02.360 --> 00:35:03.820
 if in the end

00:35:03.820 --> 00:35:04.920
 you forfeit your soul?

00:35:06.840 --> 00:35:07.820
 What good is it?

00:35:08.740 --> 00:35:09.680
 It's no good.

00:35:10.780 --> 00:35:12.120
 That's a bad bargain

00:35:12.120 --> 00:35:13.079
 Jesus is saying.

00:35:14.300 --> 00:35:15.400
 And then he says

00:35:15.400 --> 00:35:17.079
 even if you were

00:35:17.079 --> 00:35:18.240
 to gain the whole world

00:35:18.240 --> 00:35:19.800
 what could you possibly

00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:20.900
 give to God

00:35:20.900 --> 00:35:21.920
 in redemption

00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:23.140
 of the soul

00:35:23.140 --> 00:35:24.300
 that you lost?

00:35:26.099 --> 00:35:27.039
 The answer?

00:35:28.240 --> 00:35:28.760
 Nothing.

00:35:29.920 --> 00:35:30.340
 Nothing.

00:35:31.220 --> 00:35:32.300
 Literally this phrase is

00:35:32.300 --> 00:35:33.780
 what man can give

00:35:33.780 --> 00:35:35.220
 the price for his soul?

00:35:35.620 --> 00:35:36.680
 And the answer is

00:35:36.680 --> 00:35:38.820
 no man can do that.

00:35:39.840 --> 00:35:40.680
 No man.

00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:42.360
 Which reminds me

00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:43.140
 of another parable

00:35:43.140 --> 00:35:43.600
 of Jesus

00:35:43.600 --> 00:35:44.660
 in Luke chapter 12.

00:35:46.360 --> 00:35:47.720
 The land of a rich man

00:35:47.720 --> 00:35:48.340
 Jesus said

00:35:48.340 --> 00:35:49.320
 produced plentifully.

00:35:50.380 --> 00:35:51.260
 And he thought to himself

00:35:51.260 --> 00:35:52.080
 what shall I do?

00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:53.080
 For I have nowhere

00:35:53.080 --> 00:35:54.120
 to store my crops.

00:35:54.780 --> 00:35:55.940
 He said I will do this.

00:35:56.539 --> 00:35:58.100
 I will tear down my barns

00:35:58.100 --> 00:35:59.100
 and build larger ones.

00:35:59.099 --> 00:36:00.779
 And there I will store

00:36:00.779 --> 00:36:01.639
 all my grain

00:36:01.639 --> 00:36:02.339
 and my goods.

00:36:02.659 --> 00:36:03.679
 And I will say

00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:04.440
 to my soul

00:36:04.440 --> 00:36:05.360
 soul

00:36:05.360 --> 00:36:07.099
 you have ample goods

00:36:07.099 --> 00:36:08.380
 laid up for many years.

00:36:08.799 --> 00:36:09.279
 Relax

00:36:09.279 --> 00:36:10.299
 eat

00:36:10.299 --> 00:36:11.440
 drink

00:36:11.440 --> 00:36:12.299
 and be merry.

00:36:13.059 --> 00:36:14.159
 And then Jesus said

00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:15.400
 but God said to him

00:36:15.400 --> 00:36:16.579
 fool

00:36:16.579 --> 00:36:18.599
 this night

00:36:18.599 --> 00:36:19.119
 your soul

00:36:19.119 --> 00:36:20.219
 is required of you.

00:36:21.360 --> 00:36:22.199
 And the things

00:36:22.199 --> 00:36:22.980
 you have prepared

00:36:22.980 --> 00:36:24.519
 whose will they be?

00:36:24.519 --> 00:36:27.139
 Jesus says

00:36:27.139 --> 00:36:27.960
 so is the one

00:36:27.960 --> 00:36:28.880
 who lays up treasure

00:36:28.880 --> 00:36:29.579
 for himself

00:36:29.579 --> 00:36:30.699
 and is not rich

00:36:30.699 --> 00:36:31.259
 toward God.

00:36:33.019 --> 00:36:34.099
 Jesus isn't saying

00:36:34.099 --> 00:36:35.780
 that wealth is sinful

00:36:35.780 --> 00:36:37.199
 in and of itself.

00:36:38.059 --> 00:36:39.059
 He's not saying

00:36:39.059 --> 00:36:40.780
 that if we don't have room

00:36:40.780 --> 00:36:41.500
 that we shouldn't

00:36:41.500 --> 00:36:42.679
 make more room

00:36:42.679 --> 00:36:43.320
 for the blessings

00:36:43.320 --> 00:36:44.119
 that God has given us

00:36:44.119 --> 00:36:44.619
 is not the point

00:36:44.619 --> 00:36:45.559
 that he's making there.

00:36:46.940 --> 00:36:47.820
 What's he saying?

00:36:48.079 --> 00:36:48.840
 What's the point

00:36:48.840 --> 00:36:49.659
 in living this life

00:36:49.659 --> 00:36:50.239
 for yourself

00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:51.519
 if at the end of it

00:36:51.519 --> 00:36:53.099
 or what if tonight?

00:36:53.099 --> 00:36:55.920
 In relation to this parable

00:36:55.920 --> 00:36:57.519
 up to this life

00:36:57.519 --> 00:36:58.139
 you're just doing

00:36:58.139 --> 00:36:58.900
 everything for yourself

00:36:58.900 --> 00:36:59.420
 trying to pursue

00:36:59.420 --> 00:37:00.259
 everything for yourself

00:37:00.259 --> 00:37:01.299
 little regard

00:37:01.299 --> 00:37:02.799
 for anything that God wants.

00:37:03.559 --> 00:37:04.380
 Setting your mind

00:37:04.380 --> 00:37:05.119
 on the things of man

00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:06.099
 on the things of God.

00:37:06.480 --> 00:37:08.159
 All of these great dreams

00:37:08.159 --> 00:37:09.179
 that you may have

00:37:09.179 --> 00:37:10.079
 but what happens

00:37:10.079 --> 00:37:11.380
 if God calls

00:37:11.380 --> 00:37:12.119
 for your soul

00:37:12.119 --> 00:37:13.000
 tonight?

00:37:13.980 --> 00:37:15.299
 What good is all of that?

00:37:16.420 --> 00:37:17.360
 It's no good.

00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:19.400
 It's no good.

00:37:21.480 --> 00:37:22.980
 Man spent his entire life

00:37:22.980 --> 00:37:24.380
 pursuing selfish ambition

00:37:24.380 --> 00:37:25.400
 and ignored the fact

00:37:25.400 --> 00:37:26.539
 that this life

00:37:26.539 --> 00:37:27.420
 is only temporary.

00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:30.019
 Every one of us

00:37:30.019 --> 00:37:30.820
 will stand before

00:37:30.820 --> 00:37:31.519
 God's judgment.

00:37:32.679 --> 00:37:33.559
 No amount of wealth

00:37:33.559 --> 00:37:34.500
 will be able to purchase

00:37:34.500 --> 00:37:34.960
 forgiveness

00:37:34.960 --> 00:37:35.880
 and eternal life.

00:37:37.880 --> 00:37:38.800
 But Jesus

00:37:38.800 --> 00:37:42.000
 paid the full price

00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:42.960
 for sin

00:37:42.960 --> 00:37:44.800
 and he offers

00:37:44.800 --> 00:37:45.320
 forgiveness

00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:46.420
 and life

00:37:46.420 --> 00:37:48.199
 to all

00:37:48.199 --> 00:37:49.260
 who will follow

00:37:49.260 --> 00:37:50.119
 him.

00:37:50.380 --> 00:37:51.159
 That's the point.

00:37:51.159 --> 00:37:53.500
 he's calling you

00:37:53.500 --> 00:37:54.539
 to himself.

00:37:56.059 --> 00:37:56.819
 Jim Elliot

00:37:56.819 --> 00:37:57.799
 was one of the five

00:37:57.799 --> 00:37:58.480
 missionaries

00:37:58.480 --> 00:37:59.559
 who lost their lives

00:37:59.559 --> 00:38:01.879
 in martyrdom

00:38:01.879 --> 00:38:03.359
 to the Alka Indians

00:38:03.359 --> 00:38:03.899
 in Ecuador.

00:38:04.139 --> 00:38:05.099
 This was in the 50s,

00:38:05.139 --> 00:38:05.339
 right?

00:38:06.460 --> 00:38:07.779
 And after the fact

00:38:07.779 --> 00:38:08.579
 they began to go

00:38:08.579 --> 00:38:09.019
 through

00:38:09.019 --> 00:38:10.339
 Jim's stuff

00:38:10.339 --> 00:38:10.879
 and they found

00:38:10.879 --> 00:38:11.460
 in his journals

00:38:11.460 --> 00:38:12.159
 where he had written

00:38:12.159 --> 00:38:12.899
 a famous line

00:38:12.899 --> 00:38:13.319
 that you've heard

00:38:13.319 --> 00:38:14.219
 many times before.

00:38:14.819 --> 00:38:15.799
 He is no fool

00:38:15.799 --> 00:38:16.839
 who gives

00:38:16.839 --> 00:38:18.019
 what he cannot keep

00:38:18.019 --> 00:38:18.980
 to gain

00:38:18.980 --> 00:38:20.340
 what he cannot lose.

00:38:22.340 --> 00:38:23.039
 It's true.

00:38:25.039 --> 00:38:26.039
 But lest we think

00:38:26.039 --> 00:38:26.659
 that Jim Elliot

00:38:26.659 --> 00:38:27.639
 is the word of God,

00:38:28.360 --> 00:38:29.320
 let's mention

00:38:29.320 --> 00:38:30.039
 what Paul said

00:38:30.039 --> 00:38:30.500
 about it.

00:38:31.360 --> 00:38:31.800
 Remember,

00:38:31.960 --> 00:38:32.559
 Paul's pursuit

00:38:32.559 --> 00:38:32.980
 in life

00:38:32.980 --> 00:38:33.760
 was not wealth.

00:38:33.900 --> 00:38:34.420
 Paul's pursuit

00:38:34.420 --> 00:38:34.820
 in life

00:38:34.820 --> 00:38:36.360
 was religious acumen.

00:38:36.519 --> 00:38:37.240
 And if you're

00:38:37.240 --> 00:38:37.599
 going to point

00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:38.240
 to anyone

00:38:38.240 --> 00:38:38.960
 who was

00:38:38.960 --> 00:38:41.500
 the greatest

00:38:41.500 --> 00:38:42.599
 religious mind

00:38:42.599 --> 00:38:42.980
 of their day,

00:38:43.039 --> 00:38:43.340
 you'd say,

00:38:43.440 --> 00:38:44.480
 surely it's Paul.

00:38:45.659 --> 00:38:45.980
 And yet,

00:38:46.039 --> 00:38:46.619
 what did he say

00:38:46.619 --> 00:38:47.559
 in Philippians 3?

00:38:48.679 --> 00:38:49.279
 Whatever gain

00:38:49.279 --> 00:38:49.719
 I had,

00:38:49.779 --> 00:38:50.139
 I counted

00:38:50.139 --> 00:38:50.679
 as loss

00:38:50.679 --> 00:38:51.159
 for the sake

00:38:51.159 --> 00:38:51.659
 of Christ.

00:38:52.819 --> 00:38:53.219
 Indeed,

00:38:53.339 --> 00:38:54.079
 I count everything

00:38:54.079 --> 00:38:54.739
 as a loss

00:38:54.739 --> 00:38:55.519
 because of the

00:38:55.519 --> 00:38:56.619
 surpassing

00:38:56.619 --> 00:38:57.739
 value

00:38:57.739 --> 00:38:59.059
 of knowing

00:38:59.059 --> 00:38:59.940
 Christ Jesus,

00:39:00.199 --> 00:39:00.819
 my Lord.

00:39:01.380 --> 00:39:02.119
 And then he says,

00:39:02.219 --> 00:39:03.059
 for his sake,

00:39:03.159 --> 00:39:03.880
 I have suffered

00:39:03.880 --> 00:39:04.339
 the loss

00:39:04.339 --> 00:39:05.039
 of all things

00:39:05.039 --> 00:39:05.839
 and count them

00:39:05.839 --> 00:39:06.719
 as trash

00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:07.659
 in order that

00:39:07.659 --> 00:39:08.920
 I may gain Christ

00:39:08.920 --> 00:39:09.799
 and be found

00:39:09.799 --> 00:39:10.380
 in him,

00:39:10.579 --> 00:39:11.199
 not having

00:39:11.199 --> 00:39:12.179
 my own righteousness

00:39:12.179 --> 00:39:12.819
 that comes

00:39:12.819 --> 00:39:13.420
 from the law,

00:39:13.579 --> 00:39:14.339
 but that which

00:39:14.339 --> 00:39:14.900
 comes through

00:39:14.900 --> 00:39:16.119
 faith in Christ.

00:39:16.619 --> 00:39:17.199
 The righteousness

00:39:17.199 --> 00:39:17.739
 of God

00:39:17.739 --> 00:39:18.299
 that depends

00:39:18.299 --> 00:39:18.859
 on faith.

00:39:19.299 --> 00:39:19.819
 He's using

00:39:19.819 --> 00:39:20.779
 accounting terms

00:39:20.779 --> 00:39:21.319
 for those of you

00:39:21.319 --> 00:39:21.739
 that are good

00:39:21.739 --> 00:39:22.219
 with money.

00:39:22.599 --> 00:39:23.400
 And he breaks

00:39:23.400 --> 00:39:24.179
 out his spiritual

00:39:24.179 --> 00:39:24.659
 ledger.

00:39:25.079 --> 00:39:25.739
 And he says,

00:39:25.839 --> 00:39:26.519
 on this side,

00:39:26.559 --> 00:39:27.079
 at one point

00:39:27.079 --> 00:39:27.500
 in my life,

00:39:27.519 --> 00:39:28.119
 I thought all

00:39:28.119 --> 00:39:28.859
 of these things

00:39:28.859 --> 00:39:29.279
 were in the

00:39:29.279 --> 00:39:30.799
 credit column.

00:39:31.839 --> 00:39:32.539
 I thought all

00:39:32.539 --> 00:39:32.960
 of these things

00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:33.259
 were in the

00:39:33.259 --> 00:39:33.619
 credit column,

00:39:33.659 --> 00:39:34.059
 but when I

00:39:34.059 --> 00:39:34.679
 found Christ,

00:39:34.759 --> 00:39:35.400
 I actually realized

00:39:35.400 --> 00:39:35.799
 all of those

00:39:35.799 --> 00:39:36.219
 things are actually

00:39:36.219 --> 00:39:36.819
 in the debit

00:39:36.819 --> 00:39:37.319
 column.

00:39:37.739 --> 00:39:38.420
 I was actually

00:39:38.420 --> 00:39:39.019
 bankrupt

00:39:39.019 --> 00:39:40.559
 until I found

00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:41.139
 Christ.

00:39:41.319 --> 00:39:42.039
 And all of that

00:39:42.039 --> 00:39:42.699
 stuff was so

00:39:42.699 --> 00:39:43.279
 easy to leave

00:39:43.279 --> 00:39:43.719
 behind.

00:39:44.059 --> 00:39:44.440
 Why?

00:39:44.659 --> 00:39:45.460
 Because of the

00:39:45.460 --> 00:39:46.420
 surpassing

00:39:46.420 --> 00:39:47.860
 value that I

00:39:47.860 --> 00:39:49.320
 found in Christ

00:39:49.320 --> 00:39:50.039
 Jesus,

00:39:50.300 --> 00:39:51.099
 the treasure in

00:39:51.099 --> 00:39:51.599
 the field,

00:39:51.760 --> 00:39:52.599
 and the pearl

00:39:52.599 --> 00:39:53.880
 of great price.

00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:55.099
 That's what Jesus

00:39:55.099 --> 00:39:56.139
 is saying in Mark

00:39:56.139 --> 00:39:56.460
 8.

00:39:56.700 --> 00:39:57.720
 Follow me.

00:39:57.880 --> 00:39:59.139
 I have way more

00:39:59.139 --> 00:40:00.039
 for you than what

00:40:00.039 --> 00:40:00.659
 you think.

00:40:01.460 --> 00:40:02.360
 What I have

00:40:02.360 --> 00:40:03.639
 is worth

00:40:03.639 --> 00:40:04.880
 whatever it

00:40:04.880 --> 00:40:05.360
 takes.

00:40:06.320 --> 00:40:06.680
 Follow

00:40:06.680 --> 00:40:07.599
 me.

00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:09.819
 And then we

00:40:09.819 --> 00:40:10.259
 get to verse

00:40:10.259 --> 00:40:10.659
 38,

00:40:10.659 --> 00:40:11.980
 and we see

00:40:11.980 --> 00:40:12.519
 what is the

00:40:12.519 --> 00:40:13.699
 consequence of

00:40:13.699 --> 00:40:14.519
 refusing this.

00:40:15.599 --> 00:40:16.079
 Look with me.

00:40:16.139 --> 00:40:16.679
 For whoever is

00:40:16.679 --> 00:40:17.380
 ashamed of me

00:40:17.380 --> 00:40:18.259
 and of my

00:40:18.259 --> 00:40:18.839
 words in this

00:40:18.839 --> 00:40:19.639
 adulterous and

00:40:19.639 --> 00:40:20.579
 sinful generation,

00:40:20.779 --> 00:40:21.940
 of him will the

00:40:21.940 --> 00:40:22.460
 Son of Man

00:40:22.460 --> 00:40:23.519
 also be ashamed

00:40:23.519 --> 00:40:25.319
 when he comes

00:40:25.319 --> 00:40:26.019
 in the glory of

00:40:26.019 --> 00:40:26.579
 his Father

00:40:26.579 --> 00:40:28.119
 with the holy

00:40:28.119 --> 00:40:28.599
 angels.

00:40:30.039 --> 00:40:30.779
 Notice Jesus

00:40:30.779 --> 00:40:31.799
 uses this title

00:40:31.799 --> 00:40:32.139
 again,

00:40:32.259 --> 00:40:32.900
 Son of Man.

00:40:33.519 --> 00:40:34.199
 He used that

00:40:34.199 --> 00:40:34.500
 before.

00:40:34.579 --> 00:40:35.000
 We talked about

00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:35.539
 it last week,

00:40:35.579 --> 00:40:35.799
 right?

00:40:35.800 --> 00:40:36.460
 It's from

00:40:36.460 --> 00:40:37.280
 Daniel 7.

00:40:37.460 --> 00:40:37.980
 It's a

00:40:37.980 --> 00:40:39.019
 messianic title.

00:40:39.780 --> 00:40:40.160
 Here's what

00:40:40.160 --> 00:40:41.039
 Daniel said about

00:40:41.039 --> 00:40:41.160
 it.

00:40:41.220 --> 00:40:41.760
 Daniel 7,

00:40:41.860 --> 00:40:42.300
 14.

00:40:42.640 --> 00:40:43.120
 And to him

00:40:43.120 --> 00:40:43.580
 was given

00:40:43.580 --> 00:40:44.740
 dominion and

00:40:44.740 --> 00:40:45.880
 glory and a

00:40:45.880 --> 00:40:46.980
 kingdom that

00:40:46.980 --> 00:40:47.560
 all peoples,

00:40:47.740 --> 00:40:48.039
 nations,

00:40:48.160 --> 00:40:48.600
 and languages

00:40:48.600 --> 00:40:49.380
 should serve

00:40:49.380 --> 00:40:49.640
 him.

00:40:49.900 --> 00:40:50.620
 His dominion

00:40:50.620 --> 00:40:50.900
 is an

00:40:50.900 --> 00:40:51.360
 everlasting

00:40:51.360 --> 00:40:52.720
 dominion which

00:40:52.720 --> 00:40:53.260
 shall not

00:40:53.260 --> 00:40:53.960
 pass away,

00:40:54.380 --> 00:40:54.720
 and his

00:40:54.720 --> 00:40:55.360
 kingdom one

00:40:55.360 --> 00:40:55.800
 that shall

00:40:55.800 --> 00:40:56.160
 not be

00:40:56.160 --> 00:40:56.620
 destroyed.

00:40:57.320 --> 00:40:57.940
 That's what

00:40:57.940 --> 00:40:58.560
 the disciples

00:40:58.560 --> 00:40:59.300
 were expecting

00:40:59.300 --> 00:41:00.039
 in this coming,

00:41:00.400 --> 00:41:00.880
 and they were

00:41:00.880 --> 00:41:01.580
 surprised to hear

00:41:01.580 --> 00:41:02.140
 Jesus say,

00:41:02.220 --> 00:41:02.580
 no, that's not

00:41:02.580 --> 00:41:03.060
 actually what I'm

00:41:03.060 --> 00:41:03.700
 doing this time.

00:41:03.700 --> 00:41:04.400
 What I'm doing

00:41:04.400 --> 00:41:05.160
 this time is I'm

00:41:05.160 --> 00:41:05.539
 going to

00:41:05.539 --> 00:41:06.159
 suffer,

00:41:06.279 --> 00:41:06.420
 and I'm

00:41:06.420 --> 00:41:06.619
 going to

00:41:06.619 --> 00:41:06.920
 die,

00:41:07.059 --> 00:41:07.259
 and I'm

00:41:07.259 --> 00:41:07.440
 going to

00:41:07.440 --> 00:41:08.460
 raise for

00:41:08.460 --> 00:41:09.219
 your sins.

00:41:09.980 --> 00:41:10.579
 But they

00:41:10.579 --> 00:41:11.199
 were expecting

00:41:11.199 --> 00:41:11.880
 Daniel 7.

00:41:12.039 --> 00:41:12.779
 Now what is

00:41:12.779 --> 00:41:13.279
 Jesus doing?

00:41:13.340 --> 00:41:13.960
 This would have

00:41:13.960 --> 00:41:14.559
 been so great

00:41:14.559 --> 00:41:15.039
 for these men,

00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:15.420
 wouldn't it?

00:41:16.059 --> 00:41:16.800
 In the very

00:41:16.800 --> 00:41:17.699
 next conversation,

00:41:17.980 --> 00:41:18.480
 he gets to

00:41:18.480 --> 00:41:18.960
 Mark 8,

00:41:19.000 --> 00:41:19.340
 38,

00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:20.099
 and here's what

00:41:20.099 --> 00:41:20.800
 Jesus says,

00:41:21.079 --> 00:41:21.559
 that the Son

00:41:21.559 --> 00:41:22.000
 of Man is

00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:22.259
 coming.

00:41:22.380 --> 00:41:22.719
 Fellas,

00:41:22.980 --> 00:41:23.619
 I know that's

00:41:23.619 --> 00:41:24.119
 not the purpose

00:41:24.119 --> 00:41:24.619
 of my coming

00:41:24.619 --> 00:41:24.860
 now,

00:41:24.940 --> 00:41:25.420
 but I can

00:41:25.420 --> 00:41:26.360
 assure you what

00:41:26.360 --> 00:41:27.039
 you're expecting

00:41:27.039 --> 00:41:28.019
 will come.

00:41:28.739 --> 00:41:29.400
 It's coming.

00:41:30.059 --> 00:41:31.059
 This time my

00:41:31.059 --> 00:41:32.119
 glory is veiled

00:41:32.119 --> 00:41:32.860
 as I have taken

00:41:32.860 --> 00:41:33.679
 on humanity.

00:41:33.960 --> 00:41:34.619
 It's veiled.

00:41:34.619 --> 00:41:35.500
 This time I

00:41:35.500 --> 00:41:36.139
 came alone,

00:41:36.139 --> 00:41:36.759
 but I'm going to

00:41:36.759 --> 00:41:38.679
 come later in the

00:41:38.679 --> 00:41:39.480
 fullness of the

00:41:39.480 --> 00:41:40.199
 glory of God,

00:41:40.259 --> 00:41:40.739
 and I'm going to

00:41:40.739 --> 00:41:41.319
 have the holy

00:41:41.319 --> 00:41:42.319
 angels with me who

00:41:42.319 --> 00:41:43.480
 are my messengers of

00:41:43.480 --> 00:41:44.539
 judgment, and I

00:41:44.539 --> 00:41:45.839
 will judge the

00:41:45.839 --> 00:41:46.079
 earth.

00:41:46.199 --> 00:41:47.159
 What's the point of

00:41:47.159 --> 00:41:47.940
 Jesus' statement

00:41:47.940 --> 00:41:48.299
 here?

00:41:48.440 --> 00:41:49.539
 That I may not

00:41:49.539 --> 00:41:50.460
 look like much to

00:41:50.460 --> 00:41:51.199
 you now, folks,

00:41:51.239 --> 00:41:51.900
 but I am

00:41:51.900 --> 00:41:53.039
 returning, and when

00:41:53.039 --> 00:41:54.000
 I return, it will

00:41:54.000 --> 00:41:54.980
 be for judgment.

00:41:55.359 --> 00:41:56.440
 Are you ready for

00:41:56.440 --> 00:41:57.139
 that judgment?

00:41:58.179 --> 00:41:59.480
 Are you ready for

00:41:59.480 --> 00:42:00.279
 him to return?

00:42:00.280 --> 00:42:02.960
 Because he says,

00:42:03.040 --> 00:42:03.860
 when I return,

00:42:04.180 --> 00:42:05.160
 whoever it is that's

00:42:05.160 --> 00:42:05.980
 been ashamed of

00:42:05.980 --> 00:42:06.480
 me, I'm going to

00:42:06.480 --> 00:42:07.500
 be ashamed of them

00:42:07.500 --> 00:42:08.380
 before the Father.

00:42:09.580 --> 00:42:10.100
 And he's not

00:42:10.100 --> 00:42:10.700
 talking about

00:42:10.700 --> 00:42:11.400
 embarrassment.

00:42:12.720 --> 00:42:13.080
 I've heard

00:42:13.080 --> 00:42:13.840
 preachers use this

00:42:13.840 --> 00:42:15.300
 verse to coerce

00:42:15.300 --> 00:42:16.180
 people in an altar

00:42:16.180 --> 00:42:16.940
 call at the end of a

00:42:16.940 --> 00:42:17.240
 service.

00:42:17.420 --> 00:42:19.060
 They say, if you

00:42:19.060 --> 00:42:19.580
 really want to follow

00:42:19.580 --> 00:42:20.180
 Christ, you raise

00:42:20.180 --> 00:42:20.780
 your hand, you stand

00:42:20.780 --> 00:42:21.400
 up, you come down

00:42:21.400 --> 00:42:22.160
 and fill out the

00:42:22.160 --> 00:42:22.840
 card or whatever it

00:42:22.840 --> 00:42:23.680
 is that you need to

00:42:23.680 --> 00:42:23.880
 do.

00:42:24.280 --> 00:42:25.420
 And they say,

00:42:25.460 --> 00:42:25.900
 now remember,

00:42:26.240 --> 00:42:27.019
 Jesus said, whoever

00:42:27.019 --> 00:42:28.180
 is ashamed of him,

00:42:28.179 --> 00:42:28.980
 that he will be

00:42:28.980 --> 00:42:29.819
 ashamed of them

00:42:29.819 --> 00:42:31.000
 before his Father.

00:42:31.139 --> 00:42:31.679
 That's not what

00:42:31.679 --> 00:42:32.519
 Jesus means here.

00:42:32.919 --> 00:42:33.339
 You're not talking

00:42:33.339 --> 00:42:34.139
 about embarrassment.

00:42:34.839 --> 00:42:35.359
 Listen to me, if

00:42:35.359 --> 00:42:35.879
 you're a believer

00:42:35.879 --> 00:42:37.719
 today, if you're a

00:42:37.719 --> 00:42:39.259
 believer today, there

00:42:39.259 --> 00:42:41.059
 is no shame in

00:42:41.059 --> 00:42:41.879
 Christ for you.

00:42:42.059 --> 00:42:43.319
 You are loved by

00:42:43.319 --> 00:42:43.619
 him.

00:42:44.460 --> 00:42:45.779
 Your position with

00:42:45.779 --> 00:42:47.119
 him is settled.

00:42:47.539 --> 00:42:48.379
 It's settled.

00:42:48.559 --> 00:42:49.279
 Whether you raise

00:42:49.279 --> 00:42:50.019
 your hand or stand

00:42:50.019 --> 00:42:50.659
 up or fill out the

00:42:50.659 --> 00:42:51.779
 card or not, it's

00:42:51.779 --> 00:42:52.139
 settled.

00:42:52.379 --> 00:42:53.219
 That's not what

00:42:53.219 --> 00:42:54.119
 Jesus is saying.

00:42:54.299 --> 00:42:55.139
 He's talking about

00:42:55.139 --> 00:42:55.779
 rejection.

00:42:56.319 --> 00:42:57.039
 Those who have

00:42:57.039 --> 00:42:57.859
 refused,

00:42:57.860 --> 00:42:58.800
 to abandon

00:42:58.800 --> 00:42:59.880
 self, to follow

00:42:59.880 --> 00:43:01.120
 me, I will

00:43:01.120 --> 00:43:03.140
 reject them in

00:43:03.140 --> 00:43:03.660
 the judgment.

00:43:05.160 --> 00:43:05.700
 And it's not

00:43:05.700 --> 00:43:06.240
 something he

00:43:06.240 --> 00:43:06.880
 glories in.

00:43:07.000 --> 00:43:07.820
 It's something that

00:43:07.820 --> 00:43:09.120
 he warns of here.

00:43:09.480 --> 00:43:10.640
 He says, follow me

00:43:10.640 --> 00:43:11.220
 because if you

00:43:11.220 --> 00:43:12.780
 don't follow me, I'm

00:43:12.780 --> 00:43:13.539
 going to reject you

00:43:13.539 --> 00:43:14.120
 in the judgment.

00:43:14.880 --> 00:43:15.579
 And he's coming

00:43:15.579 --> 00:43:16.039
 back.

00:43:17.200 --> 00:43:18.280
 Are you ready?

00:43:21.140 --> 00:43:22.480
 Martin Ross lived

00:43:22.480 --> 00:43:23.539
 just outside of

00:43:23.539 --> 00:43:24.400
 Ithaca, New York

00:43:24.400 --> 00:43:26.240
 at the turn of the

00:43:26.240 --> 00:43:27.059
 20th century.

00:43:27.860 --> 00:43:29.880
 He was an

00:43:29.880 --> 00:43:31.120
 alcoholic man that

00:43:31.120 --> 00:43:32.260
 had no interest in

00:43:32.260 --> 00:43:33.160
 religion of any

00:43:33.160 --> 00:43:33.460
 sort.

00:43:34.300 --> 00:43:35.320
 But he had a

00:43:35.320 --> 00:43:36.039
 faithful wife.

00:43:36.120 --> 00:43:36.539
 Her name was

00:43:36.539 --> 00:43:37.000
 Bertha.

00:43:37.740 --> 00:43:38.720
 And she was a

00:43:38.720 --> 00:43:39.579
 believer that prayed

00:43:39.579 --> 00:43:40.059
 for him.

00:43:40.180 --> 00:43:40.800
 Their church

00:43:40.800 --> 00:43:42.400
 prayed for him

00:43:42.400 --> 00:43:43.480
 that he would be

00:43:43.480 --> 00:43:43.820
 saved.

00:43:44.980 --> 00:43:46.000
 And through God's

00:43:46.000 --> 00:43:47.000
 grace, eventually

00:43:47.000 --> 00:43:48.740
 Martin became a

00:43:48.740 --> 00:43:49.420
 Christian and he

00:43:49.420 --> 00:43:50.140
 actually spent much

00:43:50.140 --> 00:43:51.059
 of his life preaching

00:43:51.059 --> 00:43:53.019
 that gospel that had

00:43:53.019 --> 00:43:53.680
 so radically

00:43:53.680 --> 00:43:54.860
 transformed his

00:43:54.860 --> 00:43:55.200
 life.

00:43:55.199 --> 00:43:58.919
 they had a one

00:43:58.919 --> 00:43:59.439
 daughter named

00:43:59.439 --> 00:43:59.839
 Ray.

00:43:59.980 --> 00:44:00.739
 And as an adult,

00:44:00.739 --> 00:44:01.279
 her name was

00:44:01.279 --> 00:44:01.960
 Ray Miller.

00:44:03.159 --> 00:44:04.460
 She reflected on

00:44:04.460 --> 00:44:05.460
 her father's testimony

00:44:05.460 --> 00:44:06.559
 of following Christ.

00:44:07.699 --> 00:44:08.339
 And she remembered

00:44:08.339 --> 00:44:10.299
 that he had on

00:44:10.299 --> 00:44:11.139
 several occasions

00:44:11.139 --> 00:44:11.739
 made this

00:44:11.739 --> 00:44:13.099
 proclamation of

00:44:13.099 --> 00:44:14.599
 how valuable Jesus

00:44:14.599 --> 00:44:15.500
 was to him.

00:44:16.299 --> 00:44:17.099
 That he was more

00:44:17.099 --> 00:44:18.379
 valuable to him

00:44:18.379 --> 00:44:19.239
 than any of the

00:44:19.239 --> 00:44:19.939
 other things that

00:44:19.939 --> 00:44:20.579
 this life could

00:44:20.579 --> 00:44:21.159
 ever offer.

00:44:21.159 --> 00:44:23.379
 And in 1922,

00:44:23.579 --> 00:44:24.440
 Ray Miller sat

00:44:24.440 --> 00:44:25.679
 down as a 28-year-old

00:44:25.679 --> 00:44:26.839
 adult reflecting

00:44:26.839 --> 00:44:27.659
 on the testimony

00:44:27.659 --> 00:44:29.379
 of Christ as the

00:44:29.379 --> 00:44:30.119
 example of her

00:44:30.119 --> 00:44:30.859
 father's life.

00:44:30.920 --> 00:44:31.519
 And she wrote a

00:44:31.519 --> 00:44:33.379
 poem that 10

00:44:33.379 --> 00:44:35.259
 years later was

00:44:35.259 --> 00:44:36.079
 picked up by

00:44:36.079 --> 00:44:37.099
 George Beverly

00:44:37.099 --> 00:44:39.099
 Shea, set to

00:44:39.099 --> 00:44:40.920
 music, and sung

00:44:40.920 --> 00:44:41.960
 probably all over

00:44:41.960 --> 00:44:42.819
 the world at the

00:44:42.819 --> 00:44:43.819
 various Billy

00:44:43.819 --> 00:44:44.799
 Graham crusades.

00:44:45.299 --> 00:44:46.219
 He would go and

00:44:46.219 --> 00:44:46.960
 travel with Billy

00:44:46.960 --> 00:44:47.319
 Graham.

00:44:47.320 --> 00:44:50.260
 And so as Ray

00:44:50.260 --> 00:44:51.180
 Miller would reflect

00:44:51.180 --> 00:44:52.000
 on her father's

00:44:52.000 --> 00:44:52.760
 testimony, here's

00:44:52.760 --> 00:44:53.480
 what she sat down

00:44:53.480 --> 00:44:53.960
 to write.

00:44:55.600 --> 00:44:56.800
 I'd rather have

00:44:56.800 --> 00:44:58.840
 Jesus than silver

00:44:58.840 --> 00:44:59.660
 or gold.

00:45:00.800 --> 00:45:02.620
 I'd rather be his

00:45:02.620 --> 00:45:04.200
 than have riches

00:45:04.200 --> 00:45:04.880
 untold.

00:45:06.059 --> 00:45:07.360
 I'd rather have

00:45:07.360 --> 00:45:09.519
 Jesus than houses

00:45:09.519 --> 00:45:10.240
 or lands.

00:45:11.260 --> 00:45:12.880
 I'd rather be led

00:45:12.880 --> 00:45:14.960
 by his nail-pierced

00:45:14.960 --> 00:45:15.240
 hand.

00:45:15.680 --> 00:45:16.380
 You know this song,

00:45:16.440 --> 00:45:16.720
 don't you?

00:45:17.320 --> 00:45:19.340
 than to be the

00:45:19.340 --> 00:45:20.320
 king of a vast

00:45:20.320 --> 00:45:22.720
 domain and be

00:45:22.720 --> 00:45:23.800
 held in sin's

00:45:23.800 --> 00:45:24.580
 dread sway.

00:45:25.780 --> 00:45:27.059
 I'd rather have

00:45:27.059 --> 00:45:28.180
 Jesus than anything

00:45:28.180 --> 00:45:30.300
 this world affords

00:45:30.300 --> 00:45:30.720
 today.

00:45:32.260 --> 00:45:33.360
 She went on to

00:45:33.360 --> 00:45:34.519
 write, thinking of

00:45:34.519 --> 00:45:35.500
 her father, I'd

00:45:35.500 --> 00:45:36.460
 rather have Jesus

00:45:36.460 --> 00:45:37.720
 than men's applause.

00:45:38.620 --> 00:45:39.800
 I'd rather be

00:45:39.800 --> 00:45:40.780
 faithful to his

00:45:40.780 --> 00:45:41.580
 dear cause.

00:45:42.380 --> 00:45:43.680
 I'd rather have

00:45:43.680 --> 00:45:44.480
 Jesus than

00:45:44.480 --> 00:45:45.680
 worldwide fame.

00:45:45.679 --> 00:45:47.940
 I'd rather be

00:45:47.940 --> 00:45:49.599
 true to his

00:45:49.599 --> 00:45:50.359
 holy name.

00:45:51.480 --> 00:45:52.619
 Because he's

00:45:52.619 --> 00:45:53.339
 fairer than

00:45:53.339 --> 00:45:55.119
 lilies of rarest

00:45:55.119 --> 00:45:55.559
 bloom.

00:45:56.019 --> 00:45:57.199
 And he's sweeter

00:45:57.199 --> 00:45:58.659
 than honey from

00:45:58.659 --> 00:45:59.500
 out of the comb.

00:46:00.359 --> 00:46:01.480
 He's all that my

00:46:01.480 --> 00:46:02.500
 hungering spirit

00:46:02.500 --> 00:46:03.219
 needs.

00:46:03.699 --> 00:46:04.739
 I'd rather have

00:46:04.739 --> 00:46:06.599
 Jesus and let him

00:46:06.599 --> 00:46:06.960
 lead.

00:46:06.960 --> 00:46:08.960
 God's

00:46:08.960 --> 00:46:08.960


00:46:08.960 --> 00:46:09.960
 saved.

00:46:09.960 --> 00:46:10.539
 I think Martin

00:46:10.539 --> 00:46:11.800
 Ross and Ray

00:46:11.800 --> 00:46:13.720
 Miller and Jim

00:46:13.720 --> 00:46:15.420
 Elliot and the

00:46:15.420 --> 00:46:17.360
 Apostle Paul and

00:46:17.360 --> 00:46:18.000
 George Beverly

00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:20.059
 Shea understood what

00:46:20.059 --> 00:46:21.099
 Jesus meant when he

00:46:21.099 --> 00:46:21.480
 said,

00:46:21.980 --> 00:46:23.320
 whosoever would save

00:46:23.320 --> 00:46:24.440
 his life will lose

00:46:24.440 --> 00:46:24.699
 it.

00:46:25.280 --> 00:46:26.320
 And whosoever will

00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:27.659
 lose his life for my

00:46:27.659 --> 00:46:28.639
 sake and the gospel

00:46:28.639 --> 00:46:29.980
 will save it.

00:46:29.980 --> 00:46:33.019
 I think Martin

00:46:33.019 --> 00:46:33.880
 Ross would agree

00:46:33.880 --> 00:46:34.659
 with Paul in

00:46:34.659 --> 00:46:35.719
 Romans 8 when he

00:46:35.719 --> 00:46:36.000
 wrote,

00:46:36.360 --> 00:46:37.300
 for I consider that

00:46:37.300 --> 00:46:38.199
 the sufferings of

00:46:38.199 --> 00:46:39.280
 this present time are

00:46:39.280 --> 00:46:40.340
 not worth comparing

00:46:40.340 --> 00:46:41.840
 with the glory that

00:46:41.840 --> 00:46:42.780
 is to be revealed in

00:46:42.780 --> 00:46:43.139
 us.

00:46:45.840 --> 00:46:47.199
 At the heart of

00:46:47.199 --> 00:46:48.980
 verses 31 to 38

00:46:48.980 --> 00:46:50.000
 is love.

00:46:51.800 --> 00:46:52.920
 Jesus says in

00:46:52.920 --> 00:46:53.679
 verse 31,

00:46:53.679 --> 00:46:55.940
 I love you so

00:46:55.940 --> 00:46:57.579
 much that I'm

00:46:57.579 --> 00:46:58.480
 coming to suffer

00:46:58.480 --> 00:47:00.279
 and to die and

00:47:00.279 --> 00:47:01.279
 to rise for your

00:47:01.279 --> 00:47:02.399
 justification and

00:47:02.399 --> 00:47:03.460
 forgiveness in life.

00:47:05.460 --> 00:47:06.639
 And then in verse

00:47:06.639 --> 00:47:08.219
 34, he says that

00:47:08.219 --> 00:47:10.759
 the disciple will

00:47:10.759 --> 00:47:12.419
 love me enough to

00:47:12.419 --> 00:47:14.239
 deny themselves and

00:47:14.239 --> 00:47:15.279
 take up their cross

00:47:15.279 --> 00:47:17.019
 and follow me.

00:47:18.059 --> 00:47:19.159
 And so the question

00:47:19.159 --> 00:47:20.339
 for each of us is,

00:47:20.799 --> 00:47:22.940
 do you find him

00:47:22.940 --> 00:47:23.399
 worth?

00:47:23.679 --> 00:47:24.279
 following.