23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:23-26
Luke 9:23-26
Jesus was talking to the twelve when He made these statements. He had taken them aside and questioned them about His Deity. Peter declared His Godhood by revelation from the Father. (Matthew 16:17) He then began to outline the process that would allow Him to be sacrificed for our sin. He explained that He would suffer greatly, be rejected by the Jewish leaders, die, and be raised on the third day. While they stood there Jesus shared the process for becoming a disciple:
1.) Volunteer daily to give up your own agenda for Christ’s.
2.) Take upon yourself His best interests at your own expense.
3.) Believe that He will recompense you His life for yours.
4.) Do not be ashamed of what you are doing.
Remember that Jesus was talking to believers. He was talking to us; those who have trusted in Him for salvation. Jesus was telling us there was more to this life than faithfully waiting for His return so we could live happily ever after. He wants us be full participants in our family. We are part of what God is doing. Our joint-heir status allows us to operate the family business. We are graciously given the dignity of real duties, costs and rewards. We are not given made-up work so we can feel good. We actually can effect outcomes in God’s Kingdom!
Praise You, Jesus! You have treated us with grace and truth! We are legitimate brothers and sisters. We matter because of Your might victory over sin and death!
Proud Of My Big Brother,
Pastor Jason
No comments:
Post a Comment