Radical Discipleship: Dying to Self and Following Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: Radical Self-Denial and Surrender

Denying oneself and taking up the cross daily is a profound call to radical self-denial and surrender to God. This concept challenges the modern understanding of comfort and convenience, as it requires a daily commitment to prioritize God's will over personal desires. In Jesus' time, the cross symbolized a painful and humiliating death, and taking up one's cross means dying to oneself. This is not about bearing life's burdens but about a wholehearted commitment to follow Jesus. It involves a conscious decision to put aside personal ambitions and embrace the path of discipleship, which may include suffering and sacrifice. [14:05]

Galatians 2:20 (ESV): "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Reflection: What is one specific desire or ambition you need to surrender to God today, and how can you practically take steps to do so?

Day 2: Understanding the Messianic Secret

The concept of the "messianic secret" refers to Jesus' strategic revelation of His identity as the Messiah. This was done to ensure that His ministry was not prematurely ended by the Pharisees. Jesus understood His purpose and the path He had to walk, which included suffering, death, and ultimately, resurrection. This understanding was crucial for His disciples and remains important for believers today. It reminds us that God's plans unfold in His perfect timing, and we are called to trust in His wisdom and sovereignty. [08:44]

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to trust God's timing and wisdom, and how can you actively practice patience and faith in this area?

Day 3: Prioritizing God Over Worldly Idols

Idolatry is anything we place above God in our hearts, and it is a significant obstacle in our spiritual journey. We are called to examine our lives for idols and choose to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, as commanded in Deuteronomy 6. This requires a conscious effort to prioritize our relationship with God over worldly desires and distractions. It is not enough to dedicate just an hour on Sunday; our devotion to God demands our whole being. By identifying and removing idols, we can deepen our relationship with God and align our lives with His will. [15:33]

1 John 5:21 (ESV): "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

Reflection: Identify one thing in your life that you have placed above God. What steps can you take today to realign your priorities and put God first?

Day 4: The Role of Community and the Holy Spirit

In our faith journey, we are not alone. The Holy Spirit empowers us, and the church community provides a space for encouragement and growth. Together, we can support and spur one another on in our walk with Christ. The Holy Spirit guides us, offering strength and wisdom, while the church community offers fellowship and accountability. This collective support is essential as we strive to live out our faith and overcome challenges. By engaging with the community and relying on the Holy Spirit, we can grow spiritually and fulfill our calling as followers of Jesus. [22:30]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Reflection: How can you actively engage with your church community this week to both give and receive support in your faith journey?

Day 5: Urgency in Sharing the Good News

The world desperately needs the good news of Jesus, and as His followers, we are called to share it boldly and courageously. This requires overcoming passivity and fear, trusting that God will use our efforts to lead others to Him. There is an urgency in sharing our faith, as many are searching for hope and truth. By stepping out in faith and sharing the gospel, we can make a significant impact in the lives of others. We are challenged to reflect on the obstacles that prevent us from fully following Jesus and to seek ways to overcome them, so we can effectively share His love and message with the world. [26:54]

2 Timothy 4:2 (ESV): "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."

Reflection: Who is one person in your life that you can share the good news of Jesus with this week, and what specific steps can you take to initiate that conversation?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound call of Jesus to His disciples in Luke 9:23-25, where He invites them to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. This call is not about bearing life's burdens but about a radical self-denial and surrender to God. The cross, in Jesus' time, symbolized death by crucifixion, a painful and humiliating end. Thus, taking up one's cross means dying to oneself, a concept that challenges our modern understanding of comfort and convenience.

We delved into the idea of the "messianic secret," where Jesus strategically revealed His identity as the Messiah. This was to ensure His ministry was not prematurely ended by the Pharisees. Jesus knew His purpose and the path He had to walk, which included suffering, death, and ultimately, resurrection. This understanding of His mission was crucial for His disciples and is equally important for us today.

The sermon also highlighted the importance of prioritizing our relationship with God over worldly desires. Idolatry, or placing anything above God, is a significant obstacle in our spiritual journey. We are reminded that our relationship with God requires more than just an hour on Sunday; it demands our whole heart, soul, and strength.

Furthermore, we discussed the role of the Holy Spirit and the church community in supporting us as we strive to live out our faith. The Holy Spirit empowers us, and the church provides a space for encouragement and growth. We are not alone in this journey; we have each other and God's Spirit to guide us.

Finally, we were challenged to reflect on the obstacles that prevent us from fully following Jesus and to seek ways to overcome them. The world desperately needs the good news of Jesus, and as His followers, we are called to share it boldly and courageously.

Key Takeaways

1. denial and following Jesus wholeheartedly. This requires a daily commitment to prioritize God's will over our desires. [14:05]
2. The Messianic Secret: Jesus strategically revealed His identity to ensure His ministry was fulfilled. Understanding this helps us appreciate the timing and purpose of His actions, reminding us that God's plans unfold in His perfect timing.

3. Prioritizing God Over Idols: Idolatry is anything we place above God in our hearts. We must examine our lives for idols and choose to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, as commanded in Deuteronomy 6.

4. Community and the Holy Spirit: We are not alone in our faith journey. The Holy Spirit empowers us, and the church community supports us. Together, we can encourage and spur one another on in our walk with Christ.

5. Urgency in Sharing Faith: The world needs Jesus, and we are called to share the good news with urgency. We must overcome passivity and fear, trusting that God will use our efforts to lead others to Him.

** [14:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:46] - Gratitude and Fire Story
[02:16] - College Christmas Tree Incident
[03:24] - Hero of A1
[04:58] - Quick Responses in Crisis
[05:53] - Jesus' Identity Questioned
[06:52] - The Messianic Secret
[07:56] - Jesus' Strategic Revelation
[08:44] - Jesus' Purpose and Mission
[10:17] - Turning Point in Jesus' Ministry
[11:43] - Misunderstanding the Cross
[13:24] - True Meaning of Taking Up the Cross
[14:05] - Dying to Self
[15:33] - Idolatry and Prioritizing God
[18:44] - The Challenge of Following Jesus
[20:37] - The Blessing of Obedience
[22:30] - Community and the Holy Spirit
[24:01] - God's Unconditional Love
[26:10] - Urgency in Faith Decisions
[28:19] - Reflection and Prayer

Sermon Clips

"Because he knew that he had much to accomplish on this earth, and if word had spread too quickly about his true identity, then his ministry would have been cut short by the Pharisees. You see, there's a lot of times that Jesus in his ministry, he affirmed his identity as the son of God, but the first time that Jesus fully and publicly proclaimed that he was the Messiah was in the triumphal entry. He was riding into Jerusalem on a colt with people shouting, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest." [00:08:44] (35 seconds)

"And so I think for us as a church, if we are to understand what these verses truly mean, we need to first start with what they don't mean. You see, a lot of people interpret the cross to be taken up as some burden that they must carry in their lives. Maybe it's a strained relationship, a thankless job, or a physical illness, or whatever it may be. But you hear people, they look at their difficulty and they say something along the lines of, well, that's just my cross I have to carry. Or, well, that, yeah, that's really hard, but that's just my cross to bear." [00:11:43] (32 seconds)

"When a person carried a cross in Jesus's day, no one thought of it as a persistent annoyance or symbolic burden. To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only. It was death by crucifixion. To carry a cross was to face the most painful and humiliating form of death at the time. But what's hard for us is that in our modern day context, that we look at a cross and we see a cherished symbol of atonement and forgiveness and grace and love. We see the cross and we are reminded about Jesus' sacrifice and what that accomplished. And that's not wrong or bad, but that was not always the case. The symbol of a cross did not always mean that." [00:13:24] (47 seconds)

"To pick up your cross and to follow Jesus simply means to die to yourself. Following Jesus is about self-sacrifice, a total surrender to God. And when you consider the meaning of the cross in the first century as a symbol of death, to pick up your cross daily is to die to yourself. You see, but even before... Before the cross, this idea of surrender has always been a benchmark in following God. Even when you look at the Old Testament, it's coincidental that Jackie mentioned Deuteronomy 6. It includes the Shema. She read it, but I'm going to read it again. It says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." [00:14:05] (46 seconds)

"Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your strength. These are words echoed by Jesus when he's explaining the greatest commandment, but it also later says in Deuteronomy 6, Fear the Lord your God and serve him only. Guys, we cannot do that without giving up ourselves, without dying to ourselves, without a surrender or submission to God. It says... It does not say that, oh, you should love God with most of your heart or most of your soul, that we should love God with all of it." [00:15:33] (33 seconds)

"Now, what would happen to that relationship if you started to choose things over them all the time? Hey, I know you really want to spend time with me this weekend, but you know what? Instead, I'd actually rather go do this. Now, sure, once or twice is fine, but over time, those types of decisions break down the relationship. Or if you really wanted to break down a relationship, you just don't communicate with them at all. I could tell you right now that if I just suddenly stopped talking to my wife, that's not going to go over very well. Guys, this is relationships. They require certain things." [00:18:44] (45 seconds)

"Why would our relationship with God be any different? Do we honestly think that just maybe spending one hour on a Sunday morning will lead to a thriving relationship with God. I mean, would a marriage be thriving if they only spent one hour together a week? We know this. We know that relationships take more work than that. And so may we treat our relationship with God even more so. So, far too often, far too often we choose things over God. Now, there's a biblical word for choosing something over God. It's called idolatry." [00:20:37] (43 seconds)

"Because we have the Holy Spirit. And let me just encourage you with this, too. If that's where you are this morning, if you feel like you're just stuck, and if you feel like you're alone, or if you feel like you just keep failing, please do yourself a favor and read John chapter 14. It is this such an encouraging chapter where Jesus promises so much, but one of those things is the gift of the Holy Spirit. But here's the beauty of it. It doesn't stop. It doesn't stop there, is that it's one of the most beautiful purposes of the church, is that we get to do this together, that we engage in our faith together." [00:22:30] (42 seconds)

"Guys, this gathering that we do on Sunday mornings, yes, it's about a lot of different things. It's about worshiping God. It's about responding to Him. But it's also getting together as a body of Christ to encourage one another, to lift one another up, to spur one another along in our faith. But man, I also know this, that God loves you. God loves you. Gosh, He loves you." [00:24:01] (30 seconds)

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