The Cost of Discipleship

~ Luke 9:23-27 ~

God Gives Us His Words of Eternal LifeLuke 9:23-27

Found on page 867 in our guest Bibles.

Today’s Scripture:

Charlemagne (c.742-814 AD)

What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet loses his soul

?

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Luke 9:23-27

27 “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.Unison: Thanks be to God!

Luke 9:23-27

The Cost of Discipleship

~ Luke 9:23-27 ~

And he said to all, “If anyone would

Luke 9:23

come after me, let him deny himselfand take up his cross daily and follow me….”

Deny yourself…1

Deny yourself…1

Take up your cross daily…2

“To be crucified means, first, the man on the

cross is facing only one direction; second, he is

not going back; and third, he has no further plans

of his own.” ~ AW Tozer (1918-1963)

Deny yourself…1

Take up your cross daily…2

Follow me…3

“For whoever would save his life will

Luke 9:24

lose it, but whoever loses his life formy sake will save it….”

“For what does it profit a man if he

Luke 9:25

gains the whole world and loses orforfeits himself?”

#YOLO(you only live once)

What is your life? You are a mist that

appears for a little time and then vanishes.

~ James 4:14

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to

gain what he cannot lose.”

~ Jim Elliot, (1927-1056) Missionary Martyr

“For whoever is ashamed of me and

Luke 9:26

my words, of him will the Son of Manbe ashamed when he comes in hisglory and the glory of the Father andof the holy angels….”

“But I tell you truly, there are some

Luke 9:27

standing here who will not taste deathuntil they see the Kingdom of God.”

Why does Luke record this account in his historical

biography of Jesus?

Important Question

Real life is found in living for (& dying for) the Lord Jesus Christ.

Summary

Count the cost…

1

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)

Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998)

“I am—in Pascal’s famous phrase—

wagering my life on the faith that Jesus is the ultimate authority. My

answer is a confession: I believe….

Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998)

“The Christian commitment is

distinguished in that it is a commitment to a

belief about the meaning of the whole

of human experience in its entirety—

Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998)

“…namely, the belief that this meaning is to be found in the person

of Jesus Christ, incarnate, crucified,

risen, and destined to reign over all things.”

Find your identity as a follower of Jesus

2

The more we get what we now call ‘ourselves’ out of the way and let Him take us over, the more truly ourselves we become…. Give up yourself,

and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you

will save it.

Submit to death, the death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and the

death of your whole body in the end. Submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep

nothing back….

Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only

hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will

find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.

“Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will

get neither.”~ CS Lewis

Susanne Koch: http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanneanette/3048003703

Davide Restivo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/somemixedstuff/2403249501

Casey Bisson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maisonbisson/24630505

flickr images courtesy of:

other images:Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 & GFDL"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Charlemagne_Agostino_Cornacchini_Vatican_2.jpg

New York Public Library Archives, 27 Aug 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maugham_facing_camera.jpg

_Wiedz: http://www.flickr.com/photos/awiederhoeft/3268664372