The Cost of Following Jesus
February 28-March 1, 2009
Series: What Does it Mean to be "An Extraordinary Follower of Christ?"
Speaker: Brian T. Anderson
- Introduction
- “Transforming ordinary people into extraordinary Followers of Christ.”
- What Does It Mean to be “An Extraordinary Follower of Christ?”
- Commitment to Christ
- Received Christ as Lord and Savior (Born Again)
- Water baptized
- Worshipper of God
- Obedience to Christ and His Word
- Commitment to His Church
- Membership (Newcomer’s class)
- Consistent attendance
- Small group participation
- Giving of Finances
- Serving
- Commitment to His Cause
- Sharing your faith
- Being an inviter
- Leading and discipling others
- Ministering to others
- Ministering to the poor
- Local and global outreach
- The Cost of Following Jesus
- Self - Denial is required to Follow Jesus.
- Matt. 16:21-25 (NAS) 21From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
- Following Jesus may cost you a lot of things in this world .
- Luke 5:27-28 (NLT) 27Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
- Luke 9:57-62 (NLT) 57As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”58But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”59He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 60But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”61Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” 62But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
- Luke 14:26-27 (NLT) 26“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”
- Luke 14:33 (NAS) “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
- Following Jesus brings you to a place of finding your true self .
- Matt. 10:38-39 (NAS) 38“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”
- Conclusion