Sermon Tone Analysis

| *“/3 Keys To Walking With The King Of Kings/”* /“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Luke 9:23 / |

 

What a statement from the King of Kings ... that if *we are willing*, we can walk with Him on a daily basis!

Has a *better invitation* ever been extended to you in your life?

In anyone’s life?

Can *anything compare* to the abiding, affirming presence of Jesus Christ in your life on a daily basis as you make decisions, face difficulties and deal with a huge range of issues that you’d almost certainly bumble on your own?

We - you and I - don’t need to wait until we get to heaven to be/ intimate with Jesus Christ/.

We can walk with Him here and now.

There are three simple keys...

*1.

The DECISION of SEPARATION*.

Jesus begins this statement by saying, /“If any man will come after me”./

A decision must be made, a pursuit must begin.

We must be “/willing/” to go where Christ goes.

Walking with Him firstly means taking a step towards Him.

And then another step with Him.

Then keeping pace, *stride for stride*.

All the while walking further away from the world.

Our pathway becomes his pathway and the influence of the world grows weaker as we willingly move further away from it and closer still to Jesus.

This doesn’t happen by chance.

Nor does it happen by force.

Jesus uses the words /“if”/ and /“will”/ to describe our decision to pursue Him.

His hand stretches out to clasp ours.

His voice beckons us.

His heart longs for us to join Him.

He’s willing.

Are we?

*2.

The DENIAL of SELF*.

The Savior continues by saying,/ “let him deny himself”./

It’s easy to sit at the feet at Jesus and cling to Him when *we’re crying and He’s consoling*.

It’s no difficult thing to walk with Him when *we’re hurting and He’s healing*.

It’s not hard to follow Him when *we’re basking and He’s blessing*.

Those strolls along the peaceful shores of life and those times we sit atop the mountain when things seem to be going right sure are exhilirating.

But what’s this stuff about/ “deny himself”?!/

You see, walking with Christ - going where He goes - isn’t always a jaunt through sunny meadows.

There are times, perhaps many times, when our walk takes us into uncomfortable territory.

There are occasions, perhaps many occasions, when He leads us into unfamiliar places.

Our walk isn’t the only thing that must blend into His.

*Our wills must yield as well*.

We must push aside our plans to grasp hold of His.

/We must deny ourselves so we can embrace Him.

/

To /“deny”/ oneself means to surrender your life to the Lord and make Him alone the supreme object of your allegiance.

It goes way beyond a superficial walk with Christ of convenience.

It means sticking close to Him wherever He leads and whatever He instructs in a walk of absolute commitment.

And the road of commitment always leads to the same destination...

*3.

The DESTINATION of SACRIFICE*.

Jesus concludes this statement with, /“and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”/

When Jesus took up His own cross, where did He go? /He went to Calvary./

And what did He do? /He laid down His life for us./

What is Jesus saying here?

I believe He’s saying if we want to walk with Him, we need to walk with Him all the way.

All the way up that hill.

Cross on our back.

And lay down our lives for Him.

The Apostle Paul said it this way,/ “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”/

(Romans 12:1 KJV)

When we can get to that place, that place where we are willing to lay it all on the line for Christ, that’s when we will experience the */deepest, sweetest relationship this side of heaven./*

Is there any life better than the life centered on Jesus?

Is there any existence more blessed than the one awe-struck with the Savior?

Walk with Him.

All the way.

See you at the /top of the hill/.

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