The Cost of Discipleship

Let us now call upon the name of God in prayer.

Amen.

Gracious and ever-blessed God,

we seek grace today to approach a throne of grace together

as a worshipping people,

mindful that we draw near to one who is infinitely high above us,

one who is the King, eternal, immortal, invisible,

the only wise God,

the one who is worthy of all glory, all honour and all praise,

and we seek, therefore, to come with reverence and with godly fear

before one who is holy,

one who is high and lifted up,

the lofty one who inhabits eternity,

whose very name is holy,

and we seek to come with humility,

knowing what we are,

not only creatures of the dust,

but those who have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

we seek grace to confess our sins together,

to confess what we are,

to say with the psalmist,

my sins and faults of youth,

do thou, O Lord, forget,

after thy mercy think on me,

and for thy goodness great.

And we come confessing our sins with that great promise,

that if we do so,

that our God is faithful and just

to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And so, Lord, we pray thee today

to meet with us here as we worship.

That is our great desire,

not in the first place to receive,

although we know that thou art a God who is bountiful,

and one who gives freely.

But our first desire is to give,

to offer the sacrifices of praise,

the calves of our lips,

and to give to God the glory

that is due to his name.

We come giving thanks

that there is a new and living way

for us to approach,

and through the blood of Jesus Christ,

through his Persian and finished work,

that we are able to draw near

to a throne of grace with boldness,

that we might obtain mercy

and find grace to help us

in time of need.

And so, as we seek reverence

in our own hearts,

grant that we would know something

of the boldness of sons

approaching a father as well,

knowing that the Lord of hosts

upon our side

doth constantly remain,

the God of Jacob,

our refuge,

as safely to maintain.

And so, Lord, bless us together today.

Bless the children

as they go to their classes,

and their teachers.

Bless their parents,

be mindful of them,

raising children in these days,

and give them grace,

and give them strength,

and give them determination

to raise them in the Lord

for the glory of Christ,

and for the eternal good

of their own undying souls.

And so bless us now, Lord,

as we continue in thy presence.

Grant that all would be done

not to the glory of man,

but to the glory of the triune God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And we ask these things

in Christ's name,

and for his sake.

Amen.

Well, boys and girls,

I've been asked to say

a few words to you now.

I wonder if any of you know

what a martyr is.

Well, a martyr

is somebody

who was put to death

because they were a Christian.

Now, I'm sure you think

of being a Christian,

you think of yourselves

as Christians,

but you don't ever think

of being put to death

for being Christians.

But you know,

if we look at history,

if we look at history

throughout the nations

of the world,

there were actually

many people

who loved Jesus so much

that they were willing

to be put to death

to die for Jesus.

And I don't know

if you know this,

but you might hear

about it sometimes,

but in many countries

in our world,

even today,

across Africa and Asia,

different parts of the world,

there are Christians

being put to death

because they refuse

to deny Jesus.

And you think to yourself,

and rightly so,

well, that would never happen

in Scotland.

And we hope that it never

will happen again.

But you know what?

Many times in our history,

even in Scotland,

people were put to death

because they were Christians.

And I want to tell you

a wee story

about a girl

called Margaret Wilson.

And in these days,

there were different types

of churches.

And there were some churches

which preached Christ

and which held to the truth.

And there were other churches

which didn't.

But in these days,

the king wanted people

to go to his own churches

and not to the churches

that preached Christ.

And there was this girl,

Margaret Wilson.

She was 18.

And her sister was 13.

And they wanted to hear

the truth.

They wanted to hear

the Bible preached.

And they wanted to hear

about Jesus Christ.

So instead of going

to the main churches,

to the buildings,

they went out to the fields

and to the moors.

And there were ministers

who would preach out there.

And it was actually illegal

for them to do so.

But it was so important

for them to preach Christ

that that's what they did.

And that's where Margaret Wilson

and her sister went.

But something terrible happened.

And the police caught them.

And they were sentenced to death.

Margaret, who was 18,

and her sister, who was 13.

Now, her father went to the police

and he said,

Now, they're only young girls.

Please let them go.

And the police let one of them go,

Margaret's wee sister,

who was 13.

But they didn't let

Margaret Wilson go.

And Margaret Wilson

was sentenced to death

on the 11th of May, 1685.

That was about 340 years ago.

And she was sentenced to death

in a very awful way.

Herself and another Margaret,

called Margaret McLoughlin.

You've maybe heard the story,

The Two Margarets.

This is where it comes from.

They were tied to bits of wood

on a beach.

Okay?

And they waited for the sea

to come in.

And bit by bit,

the sea was getting higher

and higher.

And they put Margaret Wilson,

the younger girl,

they put her nearer the shore.

And what happened was

she could see Margaret McLoughlin,

the older woman.

She could see the waters

going over her head.

And Margaret McLoughlin died.

And Margaret Wilson saw that.

And when she saw that,

the soldiers came to her,

the policemen came to her

and said,

Now what will you do?

Will you deny Christ?

Will you give the oath

to the king?

And she said,

No way.

I love the Lord Jesus Christ

and I'm not going to do that.

And bit by bit,

the waters came higher

and higher

until Margaret Wilson

drowned as well.

Imagine that.

She was only 18,

a few years older

than some of you,

maybe the same age

as some of you.

And that's how much

she loved the Lord Jesus,

that she wasn't willing

to deny him.

Now I hope that you'll never

be asked to die

for the Lord Jesus.

But you will be asked

to deny yourself,

to make some difficult decisions

and to do some hard things.

And I hope when you're asked

to do these hard things

for Jesus,

to stand up for him,

to speak for him,

to refuse to yield for him,

I hope that when you do so,

you'll think to yourself,

Well, this is but a very small thing.

Compared to what that girl,

Margaret Wilson, did.

And it's a really,

really small thing

compared to what Jesus did

in dying for her sins.

That the Lord would bless

these thoughts to you.

Well, I've been asked now

to lead you

in the Lord's Prayer.

Our Father,

which art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth

as it is in heaven.

Give us this day

our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory,

forever.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, as the children

make their way out,

we're now going to sing again,

this time from Psalm 49.

Psalm 49

in the Sing-Sams version

of the Psalm.

And the tune is Sussex.

From verse 7,

that's page 65,

verse 7.

There is no one

who is able to redeem

a soul from death.

None can pay to God

the ransom

to prolong another's breath.

To redeem a life

as costly

none sufficient price

can pay.

So that one

should live immortal,

free forever

from decay.

That's saying,

no matter how much money

you have,

you're going to die.

You can't pay

your way out of that.

For we all

can see life ending,

wise and foolish,

all will die.

They must leave

their wealth to others,

none can death's demand defy.

So for endless generations

in their tombs,

they will remain,

though they owned

while they were living

lands to which

they gave their name.

Man, despite his wealth,

is mortal.

Like the beasts,

he fades away.

Thus the self-assured

will perish,

though renowned

for what they say.

I'm going to sing

then these verses,

Psalm 7 to 13

of Psalm 49,

to God's praise.

There is no one

who is able

to redeem a soul

from death.

Amen.

There is no one

who is able

to redeem

a soul

from death.

none can pay

to God

the ransom

to prolong

another's breath.

To redeem

a life is costly,

none sufficient

price can pay,

so that one should live

immortal,

free forever

from decay.

For we all

can see

life ending,

wise and foolish

all will die.

They must leave

their wealth

to others,

none can death

demand,

defy.

So for endless

generations

in their tomb

they will remain,

though they own

while they were living

lands to which

they gave

their name.

Man, despite

his wealth

is mortal,

like the beast

he fades away.

Thus the self-assured

will perish,

though renowned

for what

they say.

Well, let us now

read God's Word

as we find it

in the Gospel

according to Mark

and chapter 8,

picking up our reading

from verse 22.

Mark 28

from verse 22,

and we're reading

together

down to the end

of the chapter.

And they came

to Bethsaida,

and some people

brought to him

a blind man

and begged him

to touch him.

And he took

the blind man

by the hand

and led him

out of the village.

And when he had

spat on his eyes

and laid his hands

on him,

he asked him,

do you see anything?

And he looked up

and said,

I see men,

but they looked

like trees

walking.

Then Jesus

laid his hands

on his eyes again

and he reopened

his eyes.

His sight was

restored

and he saw

everything clearly.

And he sent him

to his home

saying,

do not even

enter the village.

And Jesus

went on

with his disciples

to the villages

of Caesarea Philippi.

and on the way

he asked his disciples,

who do people

say that I am?

And they told him,

John the Baptist,

and others say Elijah,

and others one

of the prophets.

And he asked them,

but who do you

say that I am?

Peter answered him,

you are the Christ.

And he strictly

charged them

to tell no one

about him.

And he began

to teach them

that the Son of Man

must suffer

many things

and be rejected

by the elders

and the chief priests

and the scribes

and be killed

and after three days

rise again.

And he said this

plainly.

And Peter took him

aside and began

to rebuke him.

But turning

and seeing his disciples,

he rebuked Peter

and said,

get behind me,

Satan,

for you are not

setting your mind

on the things

of God

but on the things

of man.

And he called

to him the crowd

with his disciples

and said to them,

if anyone would

come after me,

let him deny himself

and take up his cross

and follow me.

For whoever would

save his life

will lose it,

but whoever loses

his life for my sake

and the gospels

will save it.

For what does it

profit a man

to gain the whole world

and forfeit his life?

For what can a man

give in return

for his life?

For whoever is ashamed

of me and of my words

in this adulterous

and sinful generation,

of whom will the

Son of Man

also be ashamed

when he comes

in the glory

of his Father

with the holy angels.

Amen.

And we pray that the Lord

would bless his own word

to us.

And to his name

be all the praise

and all the glory.

Well, let us again

call upon the name

of the Lord in prayer.

Let us pray.

Gracious and ever-blessed God,

as we have read

the living and breathing

word together,

we pray that we would

have grace to receive it

and wisdom

to take it to heart.

Help us to be

not hearers

of the word only,

but to be doers

of it also.

Help us,

when we hear it,

not to harden

our hearts,

but to yield

our hearts

and indeed

to yield

our whole lives

to it,

knowing that the word

is good

and that it is

for our good,

that it is for

our instruction

in righteousness.

And so, Lord,

we pray for humility

and not to stand

over the word

and judgment,

but to sit under it

as humble disciples,

even as Mary of Bethany

sat at the feet

of Jesus

and chose

that good part

which could not

be taken from her.

And so, Lord,

we pray today

as we gather

in worship

that our hearts

would be lifted up

in praise

to the God

who is good

and who does good,

the God

who is love,

and that we would

remember

as thy people

that herein is love,

not that we loved God,

but that he loved us

and sent his Son

to be the propitiation

for our sins.

And so,

we pray, Lord,

now as we continue

that all would be

done to the glory

of the great name

of Jesus Christ,

that the people of God

might be strengthened

in their faith

and enabled to go on

in the truth,

and that those

who are yet

outside of Christ,

some perhaps

sitting on the fence,

others entirely unconvinced,

that the Holy Spirit

might challenge them,

that the sword

of the Spirit

might pierce

their very hearts

and minds,

and that they

might be convinced

that there is

a God in heaven,

a God to whom

we are all accountable,

a God before whom

we will all stand,

and that as the

prophet of old

has told us,

our great responsibility

and duty

in this life

is to prepare

to meet our God,

and so prepare us,

we ask.

Bless this congregation,

we pray for them,

asking thy blessing

to be upon them,

help them to be faithful

in their worship

and in their witness,

grant that the truth

that is proclaimed

from this pulpit

week by week,

that it might yield fruit,

and that it might

do so for eternity,

we pray for the

inter-moderator,

we pray for

Mr. Smith as well,

the assistant minister,

asking thy blessing

to be upon both of them,

and the office bearers here,

and all of the congregation,

we give thanks

that we have seen

so many young ones

worshipping the Lord,

and we pray that

they might grow up

as trees planted

in the house of the Lord,

that they might

in the future,

and even in these days,

bear fruit.

We pray for

a new generation,

a generation

which will be faithful,

indeed,

which will be more faithful

than our own generation

has been,

and so we pray

for the Church of Christ,

throughout our island,

and throughout our nation,

regardless of denomination,

where Christ is preached,

and where holiness

is exhorted.

Oh, we pray that

the Church might increase,

that the Word

might go forth with power,

that the Holy Spirit

might be poured out

upon us today,

and upon other congregations

throughout our land,

for we are mindful

that it is the Spirit

that quickens

and gives life,

and the flesh

profits nothing,

that without Him

we can do nothing,

and so, Lord,

meet with us

and bless us

and draw near to us,

that Christ

might be in our midst,

that we might hear

His voice,

that we might feel

His presence,

and that we might know

Him dwelling richly

in our hearts.

Remember our nation

and those who rule

over us particularly,

our King

and Royal Family,

our Prime Minister,

our First Minister,

our Members of Parliament

in Westminster

and Holyrood,

and our Councillors,

we ask Thee

to be mindful of them,

to give them wisdom,

because the truth

tells us that

righteousness

exalts a nation,

and that sin

is our approach

to any people,

and so we pray

that iniquity

might be restrained,

and that righteousness

might flow forth,

and we know, Lord,

that the Church

will be central to that,

indeed that the pulpit

will be central to that.

And so, Lord,

protect our pulpits,

raise up faithful men

of God,

who will preach

the unsearchable riches

of Christ,

and who will seek

to obey God

more than men.

And so bless us now

and go before us

and forgive us graciously

for all of our sin,

for Christ's sake.

Amen.

Well, we can sing again

to God's praise,

this time in Psalm 37,

and the tune is Moravia,

we're singing from

verse 25,

sorry,

verse 35,

Psalm 37,

Psalms 37:35

verse 35,

page 255,

I saw the wicked,

great in power,

spread like a green bay tree,

he passed,

yea, was not,

whom I sought,

but found he could not be.

Speaking of those

who reject the Lord Jesus Christ,

and they look so strong

and so powerful,

but in a short time

they are gone.

Mark thou the perfect,

and behold the man

of uprightness,

because that surely

of this man

the latter end is peace.

There is the great distinction

between the two types of men,

the two types of women.

But those men

that transgressors are

shall be destroyed together,

the latter end of wicked men

shall be cut off forever,

but the salvation of the just

is from the Lord above.

He in the time of their distress,

their stay and strength

doth prove.

The Lord shall help

and them deliver,

he shall them free and save

from wicked men,

because in whom

their confidence

they have.

Psalm 37,

Psalms 37:35–40

verses 35 to 40,

to God's praise,

I saw the wicked

great in power

spread like a green bay tree.

I saw the wicked

great in power

spread like a green bay tree.

He passed,

yea, was not him I sought,

but found he could not be.

Mark thou the perfect

and behold the man of a rightness,

because that surely of this man

the latter end is peace.

but those men that transgressors are

shall be destroyed together,

the latter end of wicked men shall be cut off forever.

forever.

But the salvation of the just is from the Lord above.

He in the time of their distress,

their stay and strength doth prove.

The Lord shall help and deliver,

He shall them free and save from wicked men,

because in him their confidence they have.

Amen.

Well,

now with a view to God's blessing,

if you would turn back with me

to the portion of Scripture,

which we read together in the Gospel

according to Mark and chapter 8.

We want to consider together verses 34 to 38,

but we can take our text from verse 36.

For what does it profit a man

to gain the whole world

and forfeit his life?

Well, at the center of Christianity

is the theme of sacrifice.

And when we think of Christianity and sacrifice,

we naturally think about the cross

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and rightly so,

of Jesus' sacrificing himself,

of denying himself,

and going through the agony

and the awfulness

and the horror of Calvary

in order that atonement might be made,

being wounded for our transgressions,

bruised for our iniquities.

So we think of his sacrifice

and the life and the forgiveness

and the glory that is ours

if we are in Christ as a result.

And that is given to us freely.

We do not earn it.

It is not of works,

Paul tells the Ephesians,

lest any man should boast,

but it is of grace.

That is, it is a free

and undeserved gift.

And yet it's been said,

and you've heard it said,

I'm sure,

that although the Gospel is free,

it will cost you everything that you have.

And you know there is truth in that as well.

Sacrifice is central to Christianity.

And that speaks of Christ,

but it speaks of his people as well.

Being a Christian is being somebody

who has sacrificed

and who does sacrifice.

And today I want us to consider

what that sacrifice looks like.

And I want to consider

why we ought to make that sacrifice.

What the alternative

to that sacrifice is.

And the first thing that I want us to consider,

to consider really three headings.

And the first is

the nature of discipleship.

When I speak of discipleship,

I just mean of the Christian life,

of being a disciple.

Christians in Jesus' day

were called disciples.

They were those who sat at his feet,

who learned from him.

They were those who went with him

wherever he went

and who sought to obey his commands.

So the nature of discipleship.

What does it look like

to be a Christian,

to be a disciple of Jesus?

Now, here in this section,

we have arguably

the clearest description

from Jesus' own lips

of what it means

to be a disciple,

what it means to be a Christian.

And we read in verse 34

that he calls to the crowd

with his disciples.

So he's not just talking to the twelve.

He's talking to the crowd,

those of them who are disciples

and any of them

who would become a disciple.

And he says to them,

if anyone would come after me,

let him deny himself

and take up his cross

and follow me.

Now, just briefly,

I think that there are

four things there

that we should consider.

Four things that are true

of the nature of discipleship,

of what it means

to be a Christian.

And the first thing

is perhaps quite basic

and we could skip over it.

And it is this,

there is willingness there.

There is a willingness.

If any man would,

I think in the authorised version,

it was if any man will.

We speak of

if any man is willing.

And when we read

would or willing,

it is talking about the will.

It is talking about

the man or the woman

volitionally.

You see, Christianity

doesn't just affect

your intellect.

It's not just about

learning things

and keeping things in there.

It's not just about

being convinced

of certain truths,

that certain things are true

and certain things are false.

Now, that is in it

and that is important.

But there is more than that

to being a Christian.

You can be convinced

of the truths of Christianity

and not be a Christian.

So, there is the intellectual element.

There is also

the emotional element.

Your affections are moved.

Those who are Christians

are those who love

the Lord Jesus Christ.

They are those who hate sin.

The affections are moved.

And as Christians,

there ought to be times

when we are moved.

Moved by what the Lord

has done for us.

Moved in our affections.

Moved in our feelings.

Moved about our sins.

And yet, you can be moved.

We all know people

who have sat under sermons

and they have been convinced

of the truth.

And they have been moved by it.

And like Felix,

their knees have trembled

or they have wept

knowing that there is truth in this.

That this is important.

That this is urgent.

That this is life and death.

And yet,

they have gone away

and they have never become Christians.

Why is that?

Well, because although

the intellect was persuaded

and although the affections

were moved,

the will remained unmoved.

But Christianity affects us

volitionally as well.

We become willing to follow.

You see,

Jesus doesn't drag anybody

kicking and screaming

into the kingdom of God.

You don't become a Christian

despite yourself.

You don't become a Christian

saying,

well, I really don't want to do this

but I'm just going to do it anyway.

That's not the way it works.

We read in Psalm 110

that the Lord will make

his people willing

in a day of his power.

That he doesn't drag us

kicking and screaming

but he calls us

with an effectual call

with irresistible grace

so that before we know it,

our own mind is changed,

our own will is altered

and the things that we

didn't want to do.

I mean, most of you

can remember a time

when you didn't want

to be a Christian.

Not all of you

but most of you.

And something changed

and then you found yourself

wanting to be a Christian

and then you found yourself

thinking,

well, the most important thing

in all of life for me

is to become a Christian.

You see, friends,

those who follow Jesus,

those who are disciples

are those who are willing

to do so.

And if you turn that

on its head,

then this is true also.

That if you're not

a Christian here today,

well, it might be

that there are certain things

that you're not fully

persuaded of.

And let's be honest,

that was true of all of us.

And you have to search

the scriptures

and you have to be in company

with the Lord's people

and you have to do it

all prayerfully

because you want

to be persuaded.

And that might be the case.

It might be the case

that you've never been moved

under the gospel.

But this is certainly the case

that if you're not a Christian,

it's because you don't

want to be a Christian.

It's because you don't

want to be a Christian.

Now, I don't mean to be harsh

to anybody there

because you might be there

here today

and you're thinking,

well, I'm not a Christian

but I really do want

to be a Christian.

I really do.

Well, there are promises

for you too.

Jesus says,

seek and you shall find.

Ask and it shall be given to you.

And if you really want

more than anything else

in life to be a Christian today,

then the chances are

that you've already

taken the first steps

to becoming a Christian,

that the Lord is already

working in your life

and let that be

an encouragement to you.

But if you're not a Christian,

the central thing

won't be a lack

of intellectual persuasion

or not having

your feelings moved.

It will be this,

that you just don't want to be.

That there are other things

that are more important

to you in life

than giving your life

to Jesus Christ.

Christ.

And so those who are disciples

are those who are willing

to follow.

The second thing,

and let me try to move

through them quickly,

if anyone would come after me,

if anyone is willing

to come after me,

let him deny himself.

There is self-denial.

And of course,

we've touched on this.

This is a great characteristic

of our Lord.

Though he was equal with God,

yet he made himself

of no reputation.

He humbled himself.

He emptied himself

of his glory.

He became obedient

to suffering and to death,

even the death of the cross.

He tells us about it.

That is a context.

He said plainly to the people

that the Son of Man

must suffer many things

and be rejected

by the elders

and the chief priests

and the scribes

and be killed.

This is the Son of God.

He didn't need to go

through any of this.

But he had entered

into a covenant to do so.

He had promised to do so.

And part of that

was self-denial.

And when you look

at the Lord,

that is what jumps

to you off the page,

that he is one

who denied himself.

But here he's telling us

to deny ourselves,

to be Christ-like

in this way as well.

And you know, friends,

by nature,

we want to do

the very opposite,

don't we?

We don't want

to deny ourselves.

We don't want

to deny ours.

We say,

I will not have this man

to reign over me.

If it means doing things

that aren't easy

for me to do,

doing things

that I don't want to do,

doing things

that are going to cost me,

that are going to

entail sacrifice for me,

then really,

really,

I would rather not.

And yet,

that's what Jesus

calls you to, friend.

He calls you

to self-denial.

To live

no longer for yourself,

but for him.

You remember

that that's what

the apostle said

in 2 Corinthians 5,

that the love of Christ

constrains us,

constrains us

or compels us

to do what?

To live no longer

for ourselves,

but for him

who died for us

and who rose again.

And so being a Christian

means denying yourself.

It means

putting the Lord first,

denying your own desires,

denying your own will,

denying your own way,

your own aspirations,

and saying,

Lord,

lead me.

Lord,

guide me.

Show me thy ways,

O Lord,

thy paths,

O teach thou me.

And do thou lead me

in thy truth,

therein my teacher be.

So there is self-denial

in the Christian life

and there will be

self-denial

in your life

if you're a Christian.

The third thing

is that

if any man's

going to come after Jesus,

that he must deny himself

and take up his cross.

Now,

you hear people saying

that we've all got

our cross to bear.

And yet,

we know what they mean,

but this isn't speaking

about general afflictions

or trials.

The cross was what

a criminal carried

to the place

of his execution.

Jesus had to bear

his own cross.

And other men

and men who were

sentenced to death

in these days,

they would carry

their own cross

on the way

to the place

of execution.

And when people

saw them,

well,

they knew what was

going on.

They would say,

well,

that person's

bearing his cross,

he's on his way

to be executed.

He's on his way

to die.

The cross was

a symbol of death.

That's what it was.

And what Jesus

is saying is this,

that if you're

going to follow me,

that you must be

willing not only

to deny yourself

on the smaller things,

but you must be

willing to lose

your life.

To lose it

metaphorically

in giving it to me

so that I can be

the master of it

and the king of it.

But also,

he goes further

and this is a thing.

He says,

you must be willing

to lose it physically

as well.

Physically.

And this is the very

fulfillment of self-denial.

You cannot deny yourself

further than this

to give your life,

to breathe your last breath

like Margaret Wilson did,

like Margaret McLaughlin did,

like what people

are doing all over

the world today,

dying for Christ

rather than denying him.

And you know,

friends,

Jesus was speaking

to the disciples here

and these very disciples

who would be apostles,

many of them

experienced this.

They paid

the highest price.

We know,

well,

we read in the scriptures

that James,

the brother of John,

was beheaded.

And that for Christ's sake,

tradition tells us

that Peter

was crucified

upside down,

that Paul,

the apostle Paul,

himself was put to death.

History is full

of instances,

friends,

of people giving

their lives.

And you know,

we're not living

in that kind of country today

and we're not living

in that kind of time.

But be under no illusions.

Christians,

there is a cross

to bear as well

today,

in different ways,

but there is a cross

to bear.

To be a Christian

is to lose your life

and that's becoming

increasingly evident

in a society

which is not just

post-Christian

but is becoming

increasingly

anti-Christian.

And the world today,

the word of God

today isn't just

unpopular,

but it seemed to be

actually dangerous.

And services of worship

like this,

where people take

the word of God

seriously,

they're seen to be

dangerous.

Prayer is seen

to be dangerous.

And so if you're

going to live out

the Christian life,

if you're going to

live it out

in your workplace,

if you're going to

live it out

in the school

or in the hospital

or in the surgery

or in the office

or whatever it might be,

then you will find

yourself being

increasingly marginalized.

You will find that.

And you know,

that cross doesn't

sit well on our shoulders.

Because our

inclination,

our natural

inclination,

is to shun that,

to run from it.

We can even see

that the natural

inclination,

human inclination,

of Jesus

was to shun it.

If it be possible

that this cup

would be taken

from me,

Jesus said,

but not as I will,

but as thou wilt.

Even Jesus felt

that horror

at what he saw

in the cup,

at what the cross

would entail.

And we do as well.

And yet at the same time,

as it was what

Jesus was called to,

it's what we're called to.

To give our life.

To give all of our life.

To give it metaphorically.

And whatever that

might mean,

might not mean

losing your life,

we hope not.

It may very well mean

losing your reputation.

It may very well mean

losing many other things.

We'll come to that.

But that's what

you're called to.

And fourthly,

and finally here,

the nature of discipleship

is just a general term.

He says that you're

to deny yourself

to take up your cross

and follow me.

To put it very simply,

the Christian is somebody

who follows Christ.

Not the whims

and the fashions

of this world.

Christ is king.

The word is truth.

That is law.

And to follow Christ

is to submit to him.

To submit to his will.

To submit to his word.

And to do that

at whatever cost.

And you know,

friends,

the cost can be high.

I've touched on it.

But even in our day,

you know that there are

lines of work

which really are closed

to many Christians.

Certainly Christians

who are going to be faithful.

Certainly Christians

who aren't going to bend

on things like

the Lord's Day.

There are lines of work

that are closed to them.

And being a Christian

in different parts

of our country

can lead to joblessness.

It can lead to being

ostracized and mocked.

We've all known a bit of that

if we're Christians.

It can lead to losing

acquaintances and friends.

It can even lead to

breakages in the family.

Jesus himself speaks

about father being divided

against son

and mother against daughter

and so on.

It can lead to suffering.

It can lead to isolation

and loneliness.

And yet,

yet you know that

and yet you continue

to follow the Lord Jesus.

Because Christ also

suffered for us,

as Peter says,

leaving an example for us

that we should follow

in his steps.

You know, friends,

we read this

and I hope we haven't

in any way

embellished it

or misexplained it.

But we read the very words

of Jesus

and we can say this.

Jesus doesn't lead us

down the garden path,

does he?

He tells us up front

what Christianity is,

what it's going to mean.

He doesn't say

that it's going to be easy.

He doesn't say

that there's going to be

no cost.

On the very contrary,

he says the very opposite.

He says it's a costly thing.

It's a sacrificial thing.

It's a difficult thing.

Jesus tells us that.

And you know, friends,

we shouldn't as churches

try to deceive people

into the kingdom of God,

deceive them into membership

by not telling them

really what's expected of them

and what the Christian life means

if it's lived,

if it's lived as the word

calls us to live it.

That's what Jesus calls

his people to be.

And let's be honest.

We want a strong church.

We want a church

which will leaven society

and have an impact

and have an influence

in our own workplaces,

in our own families,

in society at large.

And these are the kind

of Christians that we need.

These are the kind

of leaders that we need.

These are the kind

of men, friends,

that we need.

Men who will be strong,

who will be leaders,

who will guide their families,

who will guide churches,

who will guide societies.

These are the kind

of men who we need,

who will deny themselves

and take up their cross

and follow Jesus

regardless of the cost.

These are the kind

of women that we need,

the kind of mothers

in Israel,

the kind of women

that we need in churches,

that we need in workplaces,

that we need in homes,

that we need throughout society.

That is what Christ

calls us to be.

And friends,

if we were living this out,

what a difference

we would see.

Devoted,

selfless,

faithful Christians,

that's what Jesus

calls us to.

That's the first point.

Let us see,

secondly,

we've seen the nature

of discipleship,

the alternative

to discipleship.

Verse 35,

for whoever would save

his life will lose it,

but whoever loses

his life for my sake

and the gospels

will save it.

Now,

we've seen that being

a Christian is in many ways

to lose your life

or to lose it

as you want,

you would naturally,

let me say sinfully,

want to live it.

And the alternative

to that

is just to

take Jesus' words

with a pinch of salt

and to keep your life.

And you can do that

if you're not a Christian

here today

and not a member

of the church.

You could say,

well,

thanks,

but no thanks,

I'll leave it.

But you can also do this

if you are a member

in the church.

You can be a member,

you can sit at the Lord's table

and you can hear

many of the commands

of Jesus

and you can feel him

and know him

speaking to your heart

and to your mind

and you can say,

well,

no thanks.

Not that kind of Christianity.

To not lose your life

is to not surrender it

to Jesus Christ.

And what I want us

to consider just for a moment

is why.

Why would we not

surrender our lives

to Jesus Christ?

Why would we not

be willing to go through

all this pain and agony

and all this suffering

and self-denial?

Should it lead to that

or at least be willing?

Well,

the answer that Jesus

gives us here

is that

that people

will not make

these sacrifices

because they hope

to gain the world.

What shall it profit

a man

if he shall gain

the whole world?

So that is the context

here.

And that is often

what stops people

becoming Christians

or being faithful

in their Christianity.

Again,

not that they're not

persuaded intellectually

and not that they're not

moved under the truth

but that they're just

not willing.

And you know,

nobody expects

to gain the whole world

and you don't expect

to gain the whole world

but we expect

to gain parts of it,

to annex parts of it

to ourselves,

to claim things,

people,

places,

as our own.

And for these things

we live.

We live for family,

for friends.

People live for comfort,

for power,

for wealth,

for success.

People in our day,

friends,

they live for the holidays

that they go on.

They just plow their way

through the rest of the year

and then they've got

these times of holidays

that they look forward to

and they think of little else

and then oftentimes

before they've even

come away from their holiday

they're booking

and planning their next one.

People live for beauty,

for reputation,

for acclaim,

for praise.

All parts of the world

that we seek to annex

for ourselves.

And that's where people today,

and there are things

I've missed out,

I'm sure,

but generally speaking

that's where people

are seeking their satisfaction.

It's where they're seeking

their fulfillment in life.

That's where people

are looking for happiness.

And many people

will tell you

that this is what life

is all about.

These things.

And of course

they look for happiness

in these things

and they don't find it.

I was reading

not that long ago

an article

an article about

why rich people

aren't happy.

And studies

had been done

and surveys

had been taken

and there was a man

called,

he was a,

I think he was a Jew

living in America

but Russian by birth

and he's a novelist

but for one of his novels

he did a great amount

of research

into rich people

and whether they are happy

or whether they're not happy.

And he said

at the end of it

he said

here were people

who could purchase

anything they wanted

and whose wealth

was widely envied

by others

and yet even

they weren't content.

They weren't content.

And he went on

to say that

at the end of the day

I was just happy

to end this research

because it was

quite depressing.

People who had it all

who had all the things

that perhaps we would like

for ourselves

who had the money

to buy them

who had the time

to do them

and yet who weren't happy.

And there was

another survey

done around the same time

with billionaires

and with millionaires

to see how happy

they were

and they were told

to give an answer

out of ten

and most of them

were around four

some five.

Very famously

I can't remember his name

but the man

who founded

Phones for You

a billionaire

he said that often

he was at one or two.

One or two

out of ten.

Many of us

don't remember it

if we're young enough

but we've all heard

the song

by the Rolling Stones

I Can't Get No Satisfaction.

What's interesting

about that song

is that here were

a people

on top of the world

here were a people

who were rich

who were again

envied by many other people

who had everything

that the world

teaches us

to think that we want

and yet they were

singing this song

I can't get

I'm not satisfied

by it

everything that I have

it doesn't satisfy me

and what was even

more interesting

is that everybody

sang along to this

they weren't thinking

what on earth

are these people

talking about

they've got everything

that they're not satisfied

no they sang along

they knew what it meant

they knew exactly

what they were talking about

and yet

they

and indeed

we to an extent

continue

to chase after

these things

in the world

to think

that the world

can fulfill us

that if we just

try harder

and try things

a little differently

that we can get

the world

to work for us

and you know

that's why

it's all consuming

because it's always

promising us more

always promising us better

and yet never delivering

there was another

another survey done

by a guy called

Michael Norton

who's a professor

in Harvard

in America

and he's done

a lot of work

on wealth

and happiness

and he asked people

a question

and again

it was millionaires

and billionaires

how much more

if you're not happy

how much more

would you need

to be happy

and he said

basically everybody

in that survey

whether they had

a million dollars

to their name

or whether they were

billionaires

basically every single

one of them

needed two to three

times more

than they already had

in order

to be happy

and then they thought

well I'll be happy

I'll be fulfilled

I'll be satisfied

then