Following Footprints: part 1

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Announcements – upcoming events, new sermon series, moving back to church, Pray.

Have you ever been told by someone of authority – someone who is supposed to be your leader - do as I say not as I do? If so, how did that make you feel? I for one wouldn’t want to follow someone who couldn’t lead by example – after all, actions speak louder than words. At one point or another we have all been told to “be a leader, not a follower” - as if being a follower is a bad thing. The world needs good leaders, but who those leaders are, and how they became leaders and why we follow them is an important thing to grasp.

Have you ever been told by someone of authority – someone who is supposed to be your leader - do as I say not as I do? If so, how did that make you feel? I for one wouldn’t want to follow someone who couldn’t lead by example – after all, actions speak louder than words. At one point or another, we have all been told to “be a leader, not a follower” - as if being a follower is a bad thing. The world needs good leaders, but who those leaders are, and how they became leaders and why we follow them is an important thing to grasp.

Nowadays, everyone thinks they can be a leader, and we go out of our way to prove that we are a better leader than the person we are supposed to be following. What this shows is that there are many different types of followers. Depending on the situation, there might be someone in a group that is a better leader than the person who is leading, but if that is the case, he will lead by the way he follows. In other words, there is a reason the leader is the leader. I think to be a good leader we must not only be a good follower, but we must be following the right leader – one that is trustworthy, who even when you are going into danger can be trusted – because his actions have spoken louder than his words. Furthermore, a good leader teaches his followers, this is part of the discipleship process. Now, of course, there’s going to be stipulations to this discipleship process. If you truly trust the person you are learning from, you will obey them even when you don’t quite understand what is going on. Now obviously, if you don’t trust them you won’t listen to them, and you’ll do things your way. A lot of times this desire to do things our own way is because of our ego, but many times it’s because of our lack of trust. You can’t hardly say, I fully trust you, and I am following you, but I am not going to listen to you. But the thing is, sometimes because we don’t look into the mirror of our lives we don’t realize this is exactly what we are doing.

Now a days, everyone thinks they can be a leader and we go out of our way to prove that we are a better leader than the person we are supposed to be following. Depending on the situation, there might be someone in a group that is a better leader than the person who is leading, but if that is the case, he will lead by the way he follows. In other words, there is a reason the leader is the leader. I think to be a good leader we must not only be a good follower, but we must be following the right leader – one that is trustworthy, who even when you are going into danger can be trusted – because his actions have spoken louder than his words. Furthermore, a good leader teaches his followers, this is part of the discipleship process. Now of course there’s going to be stipulations to this discipleship process. If you truly trust the person you are learning from, you will obey them even when you don’t quite understand what is going on. Now obviously, if you don’t trust them you won’t listen to them and you’ll do things your way. A lot of times this desire to do things our own way is because of our ego but sometimes it is because of our lack of trust and desire to

Into:

Nowadays, everyone thinks they can be a leader, and we go out of our way to prove that we are a better leader than the person we are supposed to be following. What this shows is that there are many different types of followers. Depending on the situation, there might be someone in a group that is a better leader than the person who is leading, but if that is the case, he will lead by the way he follows. In other words, there is a reason the leader is the leader. I think to be a good leader we must not only be a good follower, but we must be following the right leader – one that is trustworthy, who even when you are going into danger can be trusted – because his actions have spoken louder than his words. Furthermore, a good leader teaches his followers, this is part of the discipleship process. Now, of course, there’s going to be stipulations to this discipleship process. If you truly trust the person you are learning from, you will obey them even when you don’t quite understand what is going on. Now obviously, if you don’t trust them you won’t listen to them, and you’ll do things your way. A lot of times this desire to do things our own way is because of our ego, but many times it’s because of our lack of trust. You can’t hardly say, I fully trust you, and I am following you, but I am not going to listen to you. But the thing is, sometimes because we don’t look into the mirror of our lives we don’t realize this is exactly what we are doing.

During our time together today, I hope you will take an honest look in the mirror of your life and reflect on who you are following and what type of a follower you are. Because rather you admit it or not we are all following someone or something. And don’t think, I am not following anyone – that just means you are following yourself.

After today I hope to challenge each of us to follow in the footprints of Jesus. As the leader in the jungle, there are stipulation and reasons the disciples of Jesus are commanded to follow in his footprints. In today’s passage, we are going to see Why following in Jesus’ footprint is the only way to be his disciples? So, if you will turn with me to we will answer this question.

During our time together today, I hope you will take an honest look in the mirror of your life and reflect on who you are following and what type of a follower you are. Because rather you admit it or not we are all following someone or something. And don’t think, I am not following anyone – that just means you are following yourself.

Have you ever been told by someone of authority – someone who is supposed to be your leader - do as I say not as I do? If so, how did that make you feel? I for one wouldn’t want to follow someone who couldn’t lead by example – after all, actions speak louder than words. At one point or another we have all been told to “be a leader, not a follower” - as if being a follower is a bad thing. The world needs good leaders, but who those leaders are, and how they became leaders and why we follow them is an important thing to grasp.

My (Purpose of the sermon) purpose today is to challenge each of us to follow in the footprints of Jesus. Now I must warn you there are stipulation and reasons the disciples of Jesus are commanded to follow in his footprints. How many of you would say, that you want to follow Jesus? - Let me see a show of hands. How many of you want to live your life for Jesus? – let me see a show of hands. I know we have all heard the phrase anything, anytime any place – How many of you would say that to Jesus – again let me see a show of hands. Now how many of you want to die for Jesus? Did you know that all those questions are stipulations for being a disciple of Jesus’? In today’s passage, we are going to see (Theme /subject) Why following in Jesus’ footprint is the only way to be his disciples? So, if you will turn with me to we will answer this question.

Now a days, everyone thinks they can be a leader and we go out of our way to prove that we are a better leader than the person we are supposed to be following. What this shows is that there are many different types of followers. Depending on the situation, there might be someone in a group that is a better leader than the person who is leading, but if that is the case, he will lead by the way he follows. In other words, there is a reason the leader is the leader. I think to be a good leader we must not only be a good follower, but we must be following the right leader – one that is trustworthy, who even when you are going into danger can be trusted – because his actions have spoken louder than his words. Furthermore, a good leader teaches his followers, this is part of the discipleship process. Now of course, there’s going to be stipulations to this discipleship process. If you truly trust the person you are learning from, you will obey them even when you don’t quite understand what is going on. Now obviously, if you don’t trust them you won’t listen to them and you’ll do things your way. A lot of times this desire to do things our own way is because of our ego but many times it’s because of our lack of trust. You can’t hardly say, I fully trust you, and I am following you, but I am not going to listen to you. But the thing is, sometimes because we don’t look into the mirror of our lives we don’t realize this is exactly what we are doing.

My (Purpose of the sermon) purpose today is to challenge each of us to follow in the footprints of Jesus. Now I must warn you there are stipulation and reasons the disciples of Jesus are commanded to follow in his footprints. How many of you would say, that you want to follow Jesus? - Let me see a show of hands. How many of you want to live your life for Jesus? – let me see a show of hands. I know we have all heard the phrase anything, anytime any place – How many of you would say that to Jesus – again let me see a show of hands. Now how many of you want to die for Jesus? Did you know that all those questions are stipulations for being a disciple of Jesus’? In today’s passage, we are going to see (Theme /subject) Why following in Jesus’ footprint is the only way to be his disciples? So, if you will turn with me to we will answer this question.

My purpose today is to challenge each of us to follow in the footprints of Jesus. Now I must warn you there are stipulation and reasons the disciples of Jesus are commanded to follow in his footprints. How many of you would say, that you want to follow Jesus? - Let me see a show of hands. How many of you want to live your life for Jesus? – let me see a show of hands. I know we have all heard the phrase anything, anytime any place – How many of you would say that to Jesus – again let me see a show of hands. Now how many of you want to die for Jesus? Did you know that all of those questions are stipulations for being a disciple of Jesus’? In today’s passage, we are going to see Why following in Jesus’ footprint is the only way to be his disciples? So, if you will turn with me to we will answer this question.

We are starting a new sermon series today. Over the next several months we are going to be looking at what it means to be a disciple of Jesus – what it means to follow Jesus. How many of you would say, that you want to follow Jesus? - Let me see a show of hands. How many of you want to live your life for Jesus? – let me see a show of hands. I know we have all heard the phrase anything, anytime any place – How many of you would say that to Jesus – again let me see a show of hands. Now how many of you want to die for Jesus?

Sub-intro:

During our time together today, I hope you will take an honest look in the mirror of your life and reflect on who you are following and what type of a follower you are. Because rather you admit it or not we are all following someone or something. And don’t think, I am not following anyone – that just means you are following yourself.

Sub-intro:

While you are turning there, let me fill you in on the context. Everything with the gospel of Mark is a summary event. A recurring theme for Mark is the word immediately.

My purpose today is to challenge each of us to follow in the footprints of Jesus. Now I must warn you there are stipulation and reasons the disciples of Jesus are commanded to follow in his footprints. How many of you would say, that you want to follow Jesus? - Let me see a show of hands. How many of you want to live your life for Jesus? – let me see a show of hands. I know we have all heard the phrase anything, anytime any place – How many of you would say that to Jesus – again let me see a show of hands. Now how many of you want to die for Jesus? Did you know that all of those questions are stipulations for being a disciple of Jesus’? In today’s passage, we are going to see Why following in Jesus’ footprint is the only way to be his disciples? So, if you will turn with me to we will answer this question.

While you are turning there, let me fill you in on the context. Jesus is starting to teach his disciples that he must suffer much pain and die then after three days be resurrected. is the first of three spots, Jesus, teaches about this. All these places in the book of Mark are easy to remember – , ,. How ironic is that 31, 31, 33? It’s easy to remember. But anyway. Before Jesus was able to give them the reason of why he must die and be resurrected – you’ve gotta understand, they did not have a clear understanding of who the Messiah was or what he was to accomplish. In other words, the Jews knew when the Messiah came he would rein forever, but first off they didn’t realize he was going to be God in the flesh and they missed the early prophesies that the Messiah was going to be a suffering servant that would take the sins of the world on his shoulders before he would rule the world with power and authority – before Jesus was able to give them the reason Peter interrupted Jesus, (in ) basically saying that he would not let this happen to Jesus. That is what is implied when it says Peter rebuked Jesus. In other words, Peter was trying to lead the leader down a different path. Because of this Jesus said,

While you are turning there, let me fill you in on the context. Jesus is starting to teach his disciples that he must suffer much pain and die then after three days be resurrected. is the first of three spots, Jesus, teaches about this. All these places in the book of Mark are easy to remember – , ,. How ironic is that 31,31,33? It’s easy to remember. But anyway. Before Jesus was able to give them the reason of why he must die and be resurrected – you’ve gotta understand, they did not have a clear understanding of who the Messiah was or what he was to accomplish. In other words, the Jews knew when the Messiah came he would rein forever, but first off they didn’t realize he was going to be God in the flesh and they missed the early prophesies that the Messiah was going to be a suffering servant that would take the sins of the world on his shoulders before he would rule the world with power and authority – before Jesus was able to give them the reason Peter interrupted Jesus, (in ) basically saying that he would not let this happen to Jesus. That is what is implied when it says Peter rebuked Jesus. In other words, Peter was trying to lead the leader down a different path. Because of this Jesus said,

Text:

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Sub-intro:

“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” ().

Now, this was not to say that Jesus was insinuating that the Devil was controlling Peter. You gotta remember the name Satan means adversary. But notice, Jesus commanded Peter to “Get behind him” This implies that Peter was trying to take the lead. Because to follow someone is to be behind them.

While you are turning there, let me fill you in on the context. Jesus is starting to teach his disciples that he must suffer much pain and die then after three days be resurrected. is the first of three spots Jesus teaching about this. All these places in the book of mark are easy to remember – , ,. How ironic is that 31,31,33? It’s easy to remember. But any way. Before, Jesus was able to give them the reason of why he must die and be resurrected – you’ve gotta understand, they did not have a clear understanding of who the Messiah was or what he was to accomplish. In other words, the Jews knew when the Messiah came he would rein forever, but first off they didn’t realize he was going to be God in the flesh and they missed the early prophesies that the Messiah was going to be a suffering servant that would take the sins of the world on his shoulders before he would rule the world with power and authority – before Jesus was able to give them the reason Peter interrupted Jesus, (in ) basically saying that he would not let this happen to Jesus. That is what is implied when it says Peter rebuked Jesus. In other words, Peter was trying to lead the leader down a different path. Because of this Jesus said,

Conclusion:

Now, this was not to say that Jesus was insinuating that the Devil was controlling Peter. You gotta remember the name Satan means adversary. But notice, Jesus commanded Peter to “Get behind him” This implies that Peter was trying to take the lead. Because to follow someone is to be behind them.

Jesus used this opportunity to teach not only his disciple a lesson but also the crowds that followed them, on what it means to be a disciple of his. And this leads us to our text. We are going to take quite a few weeks in this text; so, get used to seeing it. It would be a great text to memorize. And although we are only going to have two lessons with the primary focus on this text this text is the theme for our “new life series” (instead of teaching lesson or sermon series).

Jesus used this opportunity to teach not only his disciple a lesson, but also the crowds that followed them, on what it means to be a disciple of his. And this leads us to our text. We are going to take quite a few weeks in this text; so, get used to seeing it. It would be a great text to memorize. And although we are only going to have two lessons with the primary focus on this text this text is the theme for our “new life series” (instead of teaching lesson or sermon series).

Jesus used this opportunity to teach not only his disciple but also the crowds that followed them a lesson on what it means to be a disciple of his. And this leads us to our text

“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” ().

Text:

Now this was not to say that Jesus was insinuating that the Devil was controlling Peter. You gotta remember the name Satan means adversary. But notice, Jesus commanded Peter to “Get behind him” This implies that Peter was trying to take the lead. Because to follow someone is to be behind them.

Text:

Mark 8:34–38 ESV

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Jesus used this opportunity to teach not only his disciple but also the crowds that followed them a lesson on what it means to be a disciple of his. And this leads us into our text

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Text:

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

Conclusion:

37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Before we get into the heart of this text, I want to point out the structure of this text. Jesus gives one command, and then he gives four reasons to follow this command. When you see the word “for” it should turn a light bulb on in your brain that says, this word means purpose, reason, cause, or result. In other words, Jesus doesn’t just say do this because I said so. He gives us four reasons why we must do them. And in this case, he is giving four reasons his disciple must follow him.

Before we get into the heart of this text I want to point out the structure of this text. Jesus gives one command and then he gives four reasons to follow this command. When you see the word “for” it should turn a lightbulb on in your brain that says, this word means purpose, reason, cause, or result. In other words, Jesus doesn’t just say do this because I said so. He gives us four reasons why we must do them. And in this case, he is giving four reasons his disciple must follow him.

So, why is following in Jesus’s footprints the only way to be his disciple? – Because it separates the posers from the pupils.

So, why is following in Jesus’ footprints the only way to be his disciple? – Because it separates the posers from the pupils.

Let’s make a few observations about this passage:

And this is you first fill in the blank.

Let’s make a few observations about this passage:

Following in Jesus’ footprints it the only way to be his disciple because it separates the posers from the pupils.

Let’s make a few observations about this passage:

Notice in v. 34 Jesus differentiates between his disciple and the crowds by the little preposition “with.” This word in Greek has several similar but different meanings. But just like in English they all differentiate two different things. If everyone in the crowd was his disciple Jesus would have just called his disciples not the “crowds with his disciples.”

Notice in v. 34 Jesus differentiates between his disciple and the crowds by the little preposition “with.” This word in Greek has several similar but different meanings. But just like in English they all differentiate two different things. If everyone in the crowd was his disciple, Jesus would have just called his disciples not the “crowds with his disciples.”

So, what does that mean for us?

Jesus, not only loved and taught his disciples but he also loved and taught people who where interested in who he is and what he was teaching but yet were not full on followers. You see, Jesus did not show partiality. He always gave opportunities for those who were not his followers to be his followers. You see, just because the crowd was with the disciples doesn’t mean they are the disciples. In other words, there are pupils and there are posers. The problem is that many people think they are pupils because they are amongst them. This was as much of a problem when Jesus walked the Earth as it is for us today in the church. There are many who come to church but are not disciples – they are only posers. They come and hear the word but do nothing with it. To those people Jesus says in ,

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Jesus, not only loved and taught his disciples but he also loved and taught people who were interested in who he is and what he was teaching but yet were not full on followers. You see, Jesus did not show partiality. He always gave opportunities for those who were not his followers to be his followers. You see, just because the crowd was with the disciples doesn’t mean they are the disciples. In other words, there are pupils, and there are posers. The problem is that many people think they are pupils because they are amongst them. This was as much of a problem when Jesus walked the Earth as it is for us today in the church. There are many who come to church but are not disciples – they are only posers. They come and hear the word but do nothing with it. To those people, Jesus says in ,

Luke 6:46 ESV

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

In other words, if someone is a follower of Jesus, they will obey Jesus. Jesus’s brother James, who wrote the book of James, said it like this,

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

In other words, if someone is a follower of Jesus, they will obey Jesus. Jesus’s brother James, who wrote the book of James, said it like this in

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James 1:22 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Many scholars say that James is a commentary on the Sermon on the mount, that was wrote by Jesus’ half brother James. James is the son of Joseph and Mary. Remember Jesus had no Earthly father, but his step father was Joseph.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

That’s just a little side note but:

Many scholars say that James is a commentary on the Sermon on the mount, that was written by Jesus’ half-brother James. James is the son of Joseph and Mary. Remember Jesus had no Earthly father, but his stepfather was Joseph.

In the sermon on the Mount Jesus warns us of the deception of being a false disciple. Many of us know about how He warned us about false teachers, and we are always keeping watch for those – at least we should be – but many of us miss his warning about false disciples. It is easier to watch when others are doing wrong, but we don’t want to look in the mirror. Jesus said in

That’s just a little side note but:

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns us of the deception of being a false disciple. Many of us know how He warned us about false teachers, and we are always keeping watch for those – at least we should be – but many of us miss his warning about false disciples. It is easier to watch when others are doing wrong, but we don’t want to look in the mirror. Jesus said in

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

So, you see, not only will a true disciple obey Jesus, but they will know him and be in a relationship with him. Notice Jesus said, “I never knew you.” There is a difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus.

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Many of us use the word believe as a sense of knowledge; as if knowing what Jesus did and who he is, is enough to make us a follower of his. That is not the case. James said just a few verses down in ,

So, you see, not only will a true disciple obey Jesus, but they will know him and be in a relationship with him. Notice Jesus said, “I never knew you.” There is a difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus.

Many of us use the word believe as a sense of knowledge; as if knowing what Jesus did and who he is, is enough to make us a follower of his. That is not the case. James said just a few verses down in ,

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Many of us use the word belief as a sense of knowledge; as if knowing what Jesus did and who he is, is enough to make us a follower of his. That is not the case. James said just a few verses down in ,

James 2:19 ESV

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

In other words, the demons had knowledge of Jesus also; does that make them followers? —No.

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

In other words, the demons had knowledge of Jesus also; does that make them followers? —No.

But I want to be real cautious here. When we start to talk about obedience, especially in the context of who is or isn’t a disciple of Jesus, there becomes a lot of opposition. Let me tell you what I am not saying. I am not saying that we should go around doubting someone’s salvation. That is not your place to judge.

In other words, the demons had knowledge of Jesus also; does that make them followers? —No.

I am also not saying that you must earn your salvation by being obedient. But what I am saying is that if you are saved by grace through faith it will produce obedience and good works. Many people quote but never read the next two verses,

But I want to be real cautious here. When we start to talk about obedience, especially in the context of who is or isn’t a disciple of Jesus, there becomes a lot of opposition. Let me tell you what I am not saying. I am not saying that we should go around doubting someone’s salvation. That is not your place to judge.

I am also not saying that you must earn your salvation by being obedient. But what I am saying is that if you are saved by grace through faith it will produce obedience and good works. Many people quote but never read the next two verses,

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

I am also not saying that you must earn your salvation by being obedient. But what I am saying is that if you are saved by grace through faith, it will produce obedience and good works. Many people quote but never read the next two verses,

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Let me summarize this point, A disciple is someone who not only is in an intimate relationship, but they are obedient.

Let me summarize this point, A disciple is some who not only is in a personal relationship, but they are obedient. There is a big difference between religion and the gospel.

(Transitional Statement) Why is following in Jesus’ footprints the only way to be his disciples? - Because it separates the posers from the pupils. By differentiating between false disciples and true disciples.

Let me summarize this point,

A disciple is someone who not only is in an intimate relationship with Jesus, but they are also obedient to Jesus.

It also Differentiates religion from the gospel.

(Transitional Statement) Why is following in Jesus’ footprints the only way to be his disciples? - Because it separates the posers from the pupils. By differentiating between false disciples and true disciples.

There’s a big difference between religion and the gospel. The gospel is something that is done for us and as a response to that gift we do something. Whereas, religion is something we do to gain acceptance. (Read Timothy Keller quote).

It also Differentiates religion from the gospel.

There’s a big difference between religion and the gospel. The gospel is something that is done for us, and as a response to that gift, we do something. Whereas, religion is something we do to gain acceptance. (Read Timothy Keller quote).

(Transitional Statement) So, Following Jesus’s footprints not only separates posers from pupils but is also separates religious rituals from gospel truth.

Then Illustrate some religious rituals.

(Transitional Statement) So, Following Jesus’s footprints not only separates posers from pupils but is also separates religious rituals from gospel truth.

The next observation I want to draw your attention to is the little word “if.” If you learn nothing else from me I at least hope you learn to pay attention to those little conjunctions and prepositions. They control all of the logical arguments of a text. Now some have more authority than others depending on the context. I call these “big bones and little bones.” And in this case the word “if” is a big bone because it is a conditional clause. It says, “as a result of you doing A, B will happen.” Now the thing about this text is that it says,

34 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

The next observation I want to draw your attention to is the little word “if.” If you learn nothing else from me, I at least hope you learn to pay attention to those little conjunctions and prepositions. They control all of the logical arguments of a text. Now some have more authority than others depending on the context. I call these “big bones and little bones.” And in this case, the word “if” is a big bone because it is a conditional clause. It says, “as a result of you doing A, B will happen.” Now the thing about this text is that it says,

Mark 8:34 ESV

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

34 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

This phase “come after me” is the same Greek word that is translated “follow me.” But if it was translated in English this way it would sound redundant. It would read “If anyone would follow me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” In other words, “if anyone wished to follow me let him follow me. But you see because there is that conditional clause at the beginning of the sentence we know that the statements in between the redundancy have the most weight to them.

This phase “come after me” is the same Greek word that is translated “follow me.” But if it was translated into English this way it would sound redundant. It would read “If anyone would follow me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” In other words, “if anyone wished to follow me let him follow me. But you see because there is that conditional clause at the beginning of the sentence we know that the statements in between the redundancy have the most weight to them.

So, let’s look at these two conditions that a disciple of Jesus must follow for Jesus to consider him/her a disciple. Jesus said, “let him/her [which shows a command, so it is in the imperative mood] deny himself and take up his cross” Let’s look at these in more detail but in reverse order and by asking the same question.

What does it mean to take up your cross? Or What do you think of when you think of the cross. Many people simple think taking up his cross means to be able to deal with someone bulling you, or going through some depression, of being fired form a job. And of course, the cross of Christ can help you to find your rest in Jesus at the times of adversity. But it that is the only way you see the cross you are missing the point and the blessings of the cross.

What does it mean to take up your cross? Or What do you think of when you think of the cross. Many people simply think taking up his cross means to be able to deal with someone bullying you, or going through some depression, of being fired from a job. And of course, the cross of Christ can help you to find your rest in Jesus at the times of adversity. But if that is the only way you see the cross you are missing the point and the blessings of the cross.

There are four major things that the cross point to.

1. Opposition

There are four major things that the cross point to.

When someone was crucified, it wasn’t just a few bad apples randomly bullying someone. This was an official death sentence. The person being crucified would stand before a public trial.

1. Opposition

When someone was crucified, it wasn’t just a few bad apples randomly bullying someone. This was an official death sentence. The person being crucified would stand before a public trial.

2. Suffering

Now, before they would be put on the cross there would be much suffering inflicted to the person who was to be crucified. They would be publicly flogged, and beaten all before they had to carry they upper cross section on their back before they went through the pain of being nailed to the cross. And then of course, there is the pain of not being able to breath because of the way you were hanging. You would have to keep yourself up (so that you could breathe) by pushing on your feet that had a giant nail through them to hold you to the cross. However, as you pushed yourself up by your feet (to relax your arms and breathing canal) you would be rubbing your back on the cross that was missing half your skin because of the flogging. Now above and beyond all this pain was the shame that went with it.

Now, before they would be put on the cross, there would be much suffering inflicted on the person who was to be crucified. They would be publicly flogged and beaten all before they had to carry they upper cross section on their back before they went through the pain of being nailed to the cross. And then, of course, there is the pain of not being able to breathe because of the way you were hanging. You would have to keep yourself up (so that you could breathe) by pushing on your feet that had a giant nail through them to hold you to the cross. However, as you pushed yourself up by your feet (to relax your arms and breathing canal), you would be rubbing your back on the cross that was missing half your skin because of the flogging. Now above and beyond all this pain was the shame that went with it.

3. Shame

Not only would people be laughing and making fun of you, they would be spitting on you. This was just a totally shameful way to die. Moreover, don’t let the modern-day pictures full you. Jesus was naked. When they crucified someone, they humiliated them by hanging them naked. That is what is meant by “they cast lots for his cloths” ().

3. Shame

4. Death

Not only would people be laughing and making fun of you, but they would also be spitting on you. This was just an utterly shameful way to die. Moreover, don’t let the modern-day pictures full you. Jesus was naked. When they crucified someone, they humiliated them by hanging them naked. That is what is meant by “they cast lots for his clothes” ().

4. Death

Now, of course, this would ultimately lead to an excruciating death. This was not something that anyone could survive. The flogging alone was a guaranteed death. But many of use don’t take this into consideration. We see the nice gold crosses that we wear for jewelry and never full reflect on what it is. The cross was the torcher chamber of antiquity. It would be like wearing a gas chamber emblem around your neck. Or a noose, or a lethal injection needle. However, none of them come close to comparing to the pain and suffering of the cross.

Therefore, when Jesus said, “a disciple must take up his cross and follow me” he was saying you must be willing to die for him. Notice in v.35 he said all of this wasn’t for no reason it was “for my sake and the gospels.” So, Jesus says, if you’re not willing to face opposition – for my sake; suffering – for my sake; shame – for my sake; or death – for my sake, you’re not worthy of me. Go follow someone else. As a matter of fact, this is exactly what Jesus said in ,

Now, of course, this would ultimately lead to an excruciating death. This was not something that anyone could survive. The flogging alone was a guaranteed death. But many of us don’t take this into consideration. We see the nice gold crosses that we wear for jewelry and never fully reflect on what it is. The cross was the torcher chamber of antiquity. It would be like wearing a gas chamber emblem around your neck. Or a noose, or a lethal injection needle. However, none of them come close to comparing to the pain and suffering of the cross.

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Therefore, when Jesus said, “a disciple must take up his cross and follow me” he was saying you must be willing to die for him. Notice in v.35 he said all of this wasn’t for no reason it was “for my sake and the gospels.” So, Jesus says, if you’re not willing to face opposition – for my sake; suffering – for my sake; shame – for my sake; or death – for my sake, you’re not worthy of me. Go follow someone else. As a matter of fact, this is precisely what Jesus said in ,

Matthew 10:38 ESV

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

If take up our cross and following Jesus is the only way to be his disciple what does self-denial mean? Well, the self doesn’t like these four things that Jesus says we must do. The self says no to opposition, suffering, shame, and death. Self says no way, I am outa here. I am not going to go through opposition, I am not going to go through suffering and shame. And I definitely do not want to go through death. It says I am outa here.

Well then what is self-denial then? Well, I have to say “no” to myself. I have to say, I know you don’t like these things “self,” but I am saying “no” to you. Did you hear that? —I’m saying no to you, self. Well, who is the “I” that is saying no to “self?” So, clearly implied in saying no to myself, is another self that is denying you. There are two selves. And there are. One of them is to be denied. The old self who says I want to live opposition free, shame free, pain, free and I don’t want to die -thank you very much I am outa here. The old self wants to live for the opposite things that the cross represents. He wants to live for acceptance, honor, comfort and safety. That old self is who dies when you become a Christian. The old self is who dies when you are willing to strap that cross on our back. It is the new self that says I want Jesus and the gospel more than I want to be free from opposition, suffering, shame and death.

If take up our cross and following Jesus is the only way to be his disciple what does self-denial mean? Well, the self-doesn’t like these four things that Jesus says we must do. The self-says no to the opposition, suffering, shame, and death. Self-says no way, I am outa here. I am not going to go through opposition, I am not going to go through suffering and shame. And I definitely do not want to go through death. It says I am outa here.

Disciples of Jesus follow him by taking up the cross of opposition, shame, suffering, and death - while denying their old self who live for the human approval, honor, comfort, and safety – because they love Jesus more than life.

Well, then what is self-denial then? Well, I have to say “no” to myself. I have to say, I know you don’t like these things “self,” but I am saying “no” to you. Did you hear that? —I’m saying no to you, self. Well, who is the “I” that is saying no to “self?” So, clearly implied in saying no to myself, is another self that is denying you. There are two selves. And there are. One of them is to be denied. The old self who says I want to live opposition free, shame-free, pain, free and I don’t want to die - thank you very much, I am outa here. The old self-wants to live for the opposite things that the cross represents. He wants to live for acceptance, honor, comfort, and safety. That old self is who dies when you become a Christian. The old self is who dies when you are willing to strap that cross on our back. It is the new self that says I want Jesus and the gospel more than I want to be free from opposition, suffering, shame, and death.

This is what Paul means when he said in

Trying to save your life with human approval – acceptance, honor comfort, and safety – will result in losing your soul but accepting the cross of opposition, shame, suffering, and death, because you love Jesus and the gospel you will save your soul.

Colossians 1:24 ESV

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

You see Christianity is not a religion that you do because it makes you feel good; It’s not something you do because it is a means to your happiness. Being a Christian is something that is done to you; it is radical – not passive. It’s not something that you can say I am a Christian, but I have no desire to do anything fruitful, I won’t do anything that is going to cause me discomfort. That’s not biblical Christianity. That is fake Americanized Christianity. Being a Christian is a radical life.

Paul said I rejoice in my suffering. This doesn’t mean Paul is crazy. This means that He loves Jesus more than anything life can offer that is good or bad.

He said, “I’m filling up what is lacking in Christ.” What he is saying here is that a Christian is the visible image of the invisible Christ. Just a few verses up in Paul says,

Colossians 1:15 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

15 Jesus is the image of the invisible God,

So, as Paul suffers, and Christians suffer because we are the body of Christ we become the visible image of Christ to the none believer.

Let’s summarize this by filling in the MAP.

Disciples of Jesus follow him by taking up the cross of opposition, shame, suffering, and death - while denying their old self who live for the human approval, honor, comfort, and safety – because they love Jesus more than life.

So, Follow the Footprints; because it separates the posers from the pupils. – it also separates perversion from purpose.

Jesus doesn’t just tell us to do this because he said so, he gives us four reasons; or you could call these: argument, incentives or motivations. These are all easily identified by those little prepositions “for” again these are logical connectors, and in this context, they are big bones to the argument. We are going to conclude our time by looking at one of these arguments. Jesus said in ,

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Mark 8:34–35 ESV

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he 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 gospel’s will save it.

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

What does that mean? That sounds like a paradox. First off, we’ve gotta remember that Jesus is giving us this argument, or you could say motivation or reason – why disciples need to “deny themselves and take up their cross.” Secondly, you’ve gotta notice there is a contrast between these two clauses. That is what the word “but” means; after all, we know butts are big in the Bible right? So, to understand both clauses and how they contrast to one another let's look at them individually.

We can see that the desire to save your life corresponds to losing life. Whereas, losing your life, for Jesus’s sake and the gospels, corresponds to saving it in the second clause. Jesus is arguing if you want to save your life lose it; if you don’t want to lose your life – don’t save it! If you desire to save your life, that is, avoids opposition, shame, suffering, and death, if you don’t deny yourself, you will lose your life.

This is the perversion of this fallen world. We have this idea that we should live our best life now. And what Jesus is saying, is if you try to live your best life now – trying to live for human approval (acceptance, honor, comfort, and safety) you will lose your life.

But contrary to this, if your desire is to have eternal life with Jesus (because you love Jesus) you will choose to save your life by losing your life. A parallel passage to this that gives us some clarity on what it means to save your life is .

John 12:25 ESV

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

This isn’t saying that everyone dies because it is the facts of life but if you die hating your life Jesus is going to give you eternal life in torment; therefore, live your best life now. It is saying the same thing as our passage accept it is putting a definition of what it means to save your life for Jesus’ sake and the gospel. It is saying if, from a worldly perspective, you appear to hate your life, because you care more about Jesus’ purpose and the gospel, more than you care about your own life will give you the assurance that you have eternal life with Jesus.

But I want to be clear here, yes true Christianity is radical it is not just say a prayer and because God is a God of love you don’t need to worry about anything because he will protect you. Yes, to follow the footprints of Jesus he is calling you to die to self, to take up your cross and follow him. But this is not radical denial, living a careless life seeking martyrdom. Notice He said in ,

Mark 8:35 ESV

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

This isn’t radically seeking martyrdom, but it is radically living for Jesus and the gospel. Both clauses are focusing on saving your life. The difference is that one is focused on your fallen life and one is focused on a redeemed life.

So, I’ll conclude with a summary of this last point which is also your final fill in the blank.

Trying to save your life with human approval – acceptance, honor comfort, and safety – will result in losing your soul but accepting the cross of opposition, shame, suffering, and death, because you love Jesus and the gospel you will save your soul.

So, why is following in Jesus’ footprints the only way to be his disciples? – Because it separates the posers from the pupils.

Application:

In what ways are you not denying yourself and taking up your cross? How can you follow Jesus more faithfully this week?