Follower or Consumer?

Welcome some asserts good morning and all of our campus locations around the triangle from north Raleigh on one side to our Alamance County campus in the other side, and everywhere in between my younger Bible this morning.

Love you take it out and opened it to Mark chapter 8 Mark chapter 8 in your New Testament. If you have it is returning there. Most of you are.

Many of you hopefully know what an oxymoron is correct on an oxymoron as it would have been that long since English class oxymoron is when contradictory terms appear in conjunction with something like jumbo shrimp or act naturally genuine wine imitation tight slacks airline food would be a good adorable cat.

One of my favorites government efficiency or Microsoft works with these would all be oxymoron. Today I want to talk with you in her last summer series here called Santa Fe that want to talk with you and what is probably the worst oxymoron of the mall and that is half committed Christian. Many people try to be half committed Christians they want just enough of Jesus. It seems to get them to heaven, but not enough to make them radical, not enough to make them a fanatic, according to Jesus, as I hope to show you this weekend. There is no such thing as 1/2 committed follower of his there is is our final week in a series that we are calling bed size should be phantom faith. Workers were talking about people who go to the motions of Christianity do so without the soul. I really wanted to call this eerie zombie faith that our creative director told me there was no way in any chance were going to call any message, series the word zombie in it so we settled on phantom but I am my passive aggressive nature is work that is an illustration into every single message that I can stick it to her, but anyway phantom faith is here. The idea is you know I zombie the body without a soul at the body separated from a soul in their many people are going to the motions of Christianity but they're doing so without the soul, and they know something's missing.

There's there's there's joy missing in your life is motivation missing in your life. There's just too useful if you're going to the motions and there's a lot of people that that would describe so we look at three misconceptions that keep people from the soul of Christianity the very first week we looked at was how so few people understand what it actually means to be saved by faith had the idea that salvation is received not achieve there's very few people that were alive able to understand exactly what that means. Second week we explored how Christian salvation is is about more than just forgiveness but it is forgiveness. But it's also resurrection power that transforms your life from the inside out.

This week I want to look at what is perhaps the biggest contributor of the Malta phantom faith before I unpack what that is I want to remind you that we are following up each week with an invitation to be baptized.

Baptism is supposed to be your first act of obedience that you you you go through after you come to faith in Christ and there are many people that are listening to me this weekend that you've never been baptized. Some of you how you just came that Christ recently that we got some people come to Christ. This weekend I met at our previous services of youth in the last few weeks, others have you even Christian for years, but for whatever reason, you just never taken that step to publicly profess your faith in Christ. The baptism which is the first command that Jesus gives you when you become a disciple. Last week we had 130 people at our campus is come forward to be baptized, I'm sorry I just said last week we had 130 people comported outside. I know I know we had at least 15 last night and several today and so I'm looking forward to those you that are to take that step today on the largest contributor to phantom faith of them all is the idea that you can be partially committed to Jesus.

The misconception begins with how most people came to God. Most of us are seeking to God as a consumer. We felt like God had something that we needed how you were missing something in your life. Maybe this got to where he felt overwhelmed. Life was too big.

I.e. maybe went to a crisis.

And like I can't make it without gods that drove you back to him.

Some of you came to God because you're scared of going to hell if you're really honest.

That was the reason is like water want to go to hell in the seems all the keys to that so let me get a limiter how to get on his good side to you needed him to get you out of out of hell into heaven. Others have you felt like you needed religion to have a stable family can't tell you how many people I see is a pastor who knows when they have kids they start get back in church when it was just you you know you were worried about it. We was your wife, your dual income no kids worried about it and had kids. My kids are grown up to be pagans and I don't want them to grow up outside of the faith, and so I gotta get back in church and that's what brought you back or maybe this felt like you needed religion to be a good person, a complete balance person. Whatever it was you came to Jesus because you believed that he had something that you needed that he could supply something that you needed and honestly listen, there's nothing really wrong with that God uses our need to show us that we can't make it on around that's it. That's the way that he works with. Here was the mistake that we made. We thought that Christianity primarily consisted in us getting something from Jesus, rather than surrendering ourselves to Jesus. We assume that Jesus was someone that we could add to our lives rather than someone to whom we offered our lives. Jesus seems to have dealt with that all the time. Reason I say that is because over to look at today in Mark chapter 8 is a series of statements that every single gospel writer includes that which should be a minimum that significant EU but it draws how many things didn't get included in all four Gospels.

John 316 only appears one time, God's will the world he gave his only son. What you're looking at is something that appears in all four Gospels Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the guy who wrote was a German pastor who was executed for a failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Ida book called the cost of discipleship set said the documents recorded in all four Gospels indicates it must be something that Jesus just repeatedly work into every sermon so me all irritated. I tell the same story to make the same point in certain sermon Jesus did.

It's a deal with it all right but this is one that was central to his message. If the conversation he has for the future, head of the church himself. I would go mark a verse 27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way. Jesus asked his disciples, people say that I am mentally won't John the Baptist.

Some people say of the say Elijah and others.

One of the prophets. Verse 29 but he asked them who do you say that I am Peter answered him, you are the Christ. Now that's a big big deal.

The Jewish people been waiting for the Christ for 3000 years. Christ just means the promised one, it's the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah, that Christ God had said would overthrow Roman oppression or whoever was oppressing the Jews of the time that Messiah would right all wrongs. The Christ would stop injustice, the Christ would put an end to the curse and restore the kingdom of God on earth. And Peter says the big deal Jesus. We recognize that the one we been talking about for 3000 years. That one is you. Verse 31 Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and then after three days he would rise again and he said this very plainly without metaphor nuances came out and said it we already make any sense to Peter I Messiah that suffers the Christ was supposed to put an end to suffering not actually suffer himself.

So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him every week after the first service we do here at 4 o'clock I have a little team of people to meet me backstage and we go over the sermon line by line, at which point they tell me what I said that it makes sense.

What I said that was wrong way, tell me jokes that I made that were lame and I should not repeat again. They do that it takes a lot of nerve to do that with Jesus after he gets done teaching Peter take him aside the sermon critique with him. As is usually said that it was wrong. Verse 33, but turning and seeing his disciples. Jesus rebuked Peter to get behind me Satan, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God. You're setting them on in the things of man by the way, one of the reasons that we know the Bible's authentic is that it includes stories like this one were talking about the future, head of the church and Jesus calls him. Satan may ask you this if you were making up stories to try to bolster your floundering religious movement is that the kind of story that you would make up if you were trying to get a sinecure of the triangle to come visit our church would you got all you are pastor flunked out of seminary for cheating and Jesus was caught in the great Satan. No, that's not the kind of thing he would make up the only reason he put it in theirs could construe its true now. Usually when you rebuke somebody you do it privately. That's is polite right. The fact that Jesus does this publicly means that whatever Peter said was so dangerous and so wrong that Jesus felt like it needed a public rebuke. You see where it says, he said that he saw his disciples he saw is that we gotta correct this and run everybody so verse 34 calling the crowd to him with his disciples. He scanned not just the desire he gotta bring everybody in on Peter stupidity Heiser got your mom embarrassed you are always people and right on the Bible for 2000 years and we talk about what a dumb thing is that he said to them if anyone would come after me then to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me know what Jesus said here was shocking and sometimes a thought. We lose the impact of it because cross that were just as not conjure up the same images ferocity did for them cross the cross as a sentimental symbol of our faith. We decorate our houses with it and is the new somebody who you know. Their goal is to collect decorative crossmember kind in the world have all displayed in the living room for you. The cross is a piece of jewelry you wear around your neck that's made out of gold or diamond that man's this. How many of you right now at so on. Someplace on your body, whether it's in your ear or around your neck or you got it tattooed with the grills in your teeth I out of whatever you have, across either on your body or displaying it somewhere decoratively in your home. Adrian I.e. might suit like three quarters of us. Now I am not try to say that you shouldn't have that. I'm just trying to say there was something nothing.

It was nothing sentimental or decorative for them about the cross. It was an image of oppression of death of horror of torture to be like a freed slave in the 19th century, wearing a little lynching rope around her neck. Today you go to somebody's house never cross above the kitchen table or they have one about their you know in their babies room above the crib and you don't think anything about it. But imagine going over to somebody's house and above their table.

They have a picture of somebody standing in front of a firing squad, and then you go into their you into the nursery and dangling from the mobile about their babies crib parcel little hangman's nuisance you not about how sweet their religious you to say kids we don't really play this person's house right will spend any time alone there unattended, now I get I'm not trying to tell you that you should wear a cross and decorate your house with it. I was trying to make sure that you don't lose the shot of what Jesus said because Jesus uses this image to confront a satanic perversion of faith, the one that is still commonly held by Christians Christians rabbits crossed had to do their body or wearing it around her neck or have it hanging up in the home. I satanic perversion of faith, one that is held even by Peter at this point in his life is called consumer faith consumer faith and has three elements. Here they are for taking notes number one you have consumer faith and you expect Christ to remove all hardship from your life. Peter assumed that the Messiah would end suffering for God's people.

Yawn. This wasn't without warrants. The Old Testament repeatedly promised that I Messiah was going to come who would end injustice right wrongs and suffering restore the kingdom but see there was also a lot of talk in the Old Testament about a suffering servant, and the identity of the suffering servant confuse the Jewish people, but they never in a million years. Imagine that the suffering servant and the conquering Christ for the same person. So Peter, along with most Jews of his time could not conceive of a suffering Messiah. And so he expresses what I consider to be the heart of Christian immaturity. The heart of Christian immaturity. Is this Jesus Christ came so that I would not suffer Jesus says no Peter I'm not gonna save you from suffering.

I'm going to save you through suffering and in the same way. I'm not going to stop your pain in this life. I'm going to redeem that pain and I'm going to give that pain, meaning having the going to use that pain to bring life to yourself and your family in the world just like him to use my suffering and my pain to bring life to you and Jesus tells Peter that until he understands that he should stop speaking for the Messiah. You think it's hard to get behind me Satan is clear that Jesus and shut your mouth and you understand this event literally looking a Bible verse 30 in verse 30 it says you said do not talk about me any longer until you get this missing is a lot of immature Christians today who still believe in the newsstand and pulpits understandable, but for the still immature Christians who teach that salvation means an end to all suffering in your life and if you suffer God is somehow not keeping up his end of the deal were you still have enough faith. The end the suffering. But Jesus says salvation does not end the problems in your life back sometimes salvation means the problems in your life intensify. My problem is not my promise is not all these problems are to disappear. My promise is that in these problems I'm going to be working to produce life. When you discover when you find out that he may not remove every problem from your life you're going to go through a defining moment in your faith. You can go to a test like Peter did and that test that defining moment is, essentially, this question why are you following Jesus. Are you following Jesus because of something that you thought that he could do for you or you following him because you believe knowing him was more valuable than anything else that life could give you see every single one of us has certain expectations will become the Jesus your your expectations are not the same as Peter had made Peter believe the Messiah would overthrow Roman give freedom to Israel. Most of you didn't grow up dreaming about war with Rome and the short video gamer and then you probably thought about a lot, but most of us did grow up with a view of Jesus that corresponds to our American consumer is to culture our American consumer listed. Jesus was part genie in a bottle. These part therapist is part life coach. He's part personal cheerleader and part financial advisor. He's a Jesus who exists for our purposes, a Jesus who completes our life a Jesus who makes everything better. Jesus it was out our beckon call. Here is the question what are you going to do, what are you going to do when Jesus didn't quite lift a live up to those expectations, there's going to be a moment of truth and you haven't gone through it already. You're going to go through it.

Are you gonna throw up your hands and walk away. On record this year, but at another point in the Gospels. When Jesus said this, a lot of Jesus disciples of turn around and and and and left they quit following him and Jesus turns the Peter John chapter 6 as Peter eunuch. What followed me to know if it is honestly not very inspiring. Peter goes well. Some I can ago how to love the fishing business. I had nowhere else to go. You're the one with the words of eternal life.

In other words know you have about them expectations and there's some things I don't stand when you didn't do them and honest in what you say them and understand why he didn't do this, but I don't know anywhere else I can go because I know that ultimately life means knowing you and everything without you is nothing and I got to know you, even if it means it cost me everything. Peter passed his test. Are you going to pass your test. If you haven't gone through it yet. You're going to go through it where he doesn't do something you thought he should do the cancer doesn't go into remission. The marriage never gets better.

Your husband never comes back.

Your kids don't quite turn out the way that you thought they were going to turn out.

You don't get the job you don't get the raise. Whatever it was you thought he was going to give you and that you can't understand why he didn't give you if you love me. Why would you give me this and at that point it's going to be a defining moment. Why are you in this because it's a test for him are you in it because you're in it for him or you in it because of something you thought he could give you the greatest gift he gives us himself. Here's number two you have consumer faith if you think of discipleship in terms of self-fulfillment instead of sacrifice.

Peter thought of the crisis somebody would make his life better but now Jesus is talking about willingly picking up across why you in this Peter, are you thinking of following me. Complete your life. Are you thinking of following me as being an offering of your life for others the way I'm offering mine for you as a the time I think is really became clear to me is when I was a missionary in Southeast Asia. Been there for about a year and honestly, all things were not going well it it it had not turned out the way that I thought was gonna turn out. I was lonely, relationally, I was not fulfilled.

I didn't like I was growing spiritually. I wasn't fruitful on the mission field and at UTA. It just nothing's happened wow that was to happen and I was coming out on so's I was mad Jesus, you got nowhere. Here the methods are not well thought out thousands of people versus getting sales of the right books and and it's not happening. Remember a friend of mine invited me to a ritual sacrifice, a Muslim sacrifice I was shedding there was a Muslim and a good worshiper want to observe but it's once a year the door sacrifice that commemorates Abraham's offering of his son and so you have to dress in white and so that you put on the front row is like 500 people there. Somehow I'm on the front row and I'm already like Flint have told everybody.

And so it's like it's just like I'm just really one of the things bubble and so they that that need these seven men take this bowl may do the same with the Jews used to do. It made me think this bowl may lay the bold great forcible down on the ground in this Islamic version of a free stick the knife and began to say these ritual prayers have read and then at some point he reaches down and he begins to cut to the neck of this bowl. My goal, I do not want to give you the gruesome details, but it was the most horrendous thing I've ever seen in my life I knew they did it all the time, the Old Testament and I knew about it. In the Old Testament, but until you are face-to-face. I mean it literally made it to begin the cut to that neck and life just goes everywhere. I was at 4 feet from it on the front row and I'm covered in blood and for about 90 seconds. That animal was a cut to its trachea just lays there and thrashes and kicks has blood SKUs everywhere in wheezes and gasped and dies and I know that 90 seconds the salad a long time, but when you're standing there with nothing else to look at it seems like an eternity and I'm standing there just overwhelmed by this and the Holy Spirit puts one thought in my heart. Here's a thought. He said this is the picture that I gave to Israel about what I was going to go through for their sin. This is the sacrifice I was going to make sure that you could have me forever is also the picture that I gave to you about what following me was gonna look like. Is this what you signed up for right here because this is what you signed up for, then it doesn't make sense when you're complaining and mad at me because I am a live up to mind is even Jesus bids Amanda common followed Dietrich Bonhoeffer said he did some common die is that what you signed up for is that what you thought you were getting into when you came to Jesus. Are you ready for this to be the picture of your life what you think Jesus purpose was in saving you. Many people assume that it's just becoming a Christian means you clean up your life a little bit, morally, and in response you get. God's help, he takes you to heaven.

Jesus said that coming to him means offering your life to him without restriction, offering up your life for the world in sacrifice and service the way that Jesus did his here is my question. I know you say you come to Jesus. Have you ever offered yourself to God. This way one times say that you need to have a Copernican revolution of the soul when I don't take time to explain what I mean by here's what I mean. Copernicus was the guy who figured out that the earth wasn't in the middle of the universe. Up until that point, everybody thought that the universe is rotated around the earth because that's what it looked like Copernicus said no. The sun is at the middle lease of our solar system. We rotate around it.

It was a Copernican revolution in science, the discovery that we are not at the center that we orbit around something much bigger than ourselves. A Copernican revolution of the soul is when you finally discover that Jesus is not somebody that you get an orbit in your life that you but what you do is you discover how you get in orbit in his you see some of you came to Jesus because you like.

I need the song to Shauna my career. I need the sun to shine in my family honey dishonest on my relationship Jesus at night.*But that's not anywhere close to being complete. You don't come to me to add me to your life. You come to offer me to your life, you'll come to get me an orbit in your life you come to say God everything I have belongs to you and I want to know what you want to do with it.

I have no expectations because I'm laying it down as a sacrifice in front of you consumer faces.

God I need you to give me this discipleship says it all exist for you and offer my life as a blank check to you for the quote my friend on David Platt. Jesus did not save us to disinfect us and put us on the sanctified shelf.

Jesus saved us to put us into the service. My question for you is have you ever offered yourself to God. This way is Jesus someone that you tried to add to your life or is Jesus somebody to whom you offered your life. Here is number three yes consumer faith. If your obedience to Christ as limits your your consumer faith. If you are obedience rises on the spirit been excited about following Jesus women healing the power and popularity. If you remember even want to pay a hefty price to be identify with Jesus. He walked away from a lucrative fishing career. He's not JV and he's left everything but now Jesus is talking about following him into a life of suffering a life of sacrifice a life of service life. Would you give everything a get nothing back. So Jesus confronted Peter with a question.

You following me because of what you thought I could do for you.

Are you following me to be with me because really following Mimi's going with me to the highs and the lows, not because of what you can get out of it before who you get to be with Peter, is there a limit to.

Is there a condition on your surrender to me write this down. Salvation is free.

The cost is nothing but following Jesus will eventually cost you everything or at least the rephrasing policies will eventually cost you something, maybe everything. Salvation is free is a gift that gives you a cost you nothing but following Jesus will eventually cost you something, maybe everything you see at some point your desires are to go one way Jesus is gravitating on the other and at that point you have to decide how valuable Jesus is to you is a here's what I see on happening in our church.

We have people who come to Jesus and then as you begin to follow Jesus.

Jesus begins to point out that there's a certain relationship that you need in maybe it's that you're dating a non-Christian and he says I don't want you to have a family that's comprised of people who were not both. Following Jesus.

And so I don't want. I want to be in this dating relationship and you don't want to your desires. One one way and the Lordship of Jesus ago. On the other and you are hoping to have this relationship and Jesus and Jesus says no I want this and you want that.

And you gotta decide whether or not you can follow him or follow the relationship because you go somewhere in mission. He tells you to change your career or your major and it scares you till you make a financial sacrifice. He tells you to forgive, and you don't want to forgive because this person hurt you deeply and your desires are not to forget he tells you to speak to a certain person about the gospel for some of you. It's what he's telling you to get off the sidelines and join the church. There's very few things in Scripture is clear is the fact that Jesus does not want to create an audience of spectators. You don't want people to come and sit in the audience each week and take notes and come back in a couple weeks for another religious lecture that inspires them. These are the church as a community that you covenant with you, belong to it. It's a see you all for yourself to it and you become a part of the service and I'm speaking to a bunch of people that you've never thought of Jesus. There you come and you said you like while I Jesus I like to can those men. I love the music, the non-modeling anomaly like me about a group like that I don't get on her.

Jesus said that but I just rather not do it might be six or two. That's what you stop that's that's the point at which you like.

Nope, I'm not doing any longer. He told me to do that.

My desires are not to be in the church to be, just a comment to Dan, and his desires me to commit and I choose me a ram for some people it's it's it honestly is the question get baptized.

These are this is your first act of obedience and I know that some cannot understand sit this one out were talking about getting wet for Jesus and I'm going to humbly submit to you that if you can't get wet for Jesus, your don't really have what it takes to go the distance to hear the cross Jesus said when you come you don't come with a bunch expectations you will come with a bunch of conditions. You come delayed on your life and at some point, I'm telling you, salvation is for you, cost you nothing but at some point following Jesus is gonna cost you something in obedience to Jesus is going to take you in a direction, 180° opposite of what you want and that moment you have to answer the question that I come to Jesus to get something from them.

What I can't offer myself fully to him up at this in a pocket right for walked up here put out here right this is you that are under the age of 35.

This is called check.

This is how in the old days when we were horse and buggy beast to give money to each other, now we just pull this thing out right here and you put that will thing in your iPhone or swipe my card and then I give you $0.50 but on this is always to do it. I have here a check that this from my bank account and it just has my name on it right now to sign my name on the bottom. This piece of paper is pretty haggard, but this piece of paper if I gave it to you. You can fill in whatever amount you want and you would have access to the entirety of my bank account not not that awesome but everything that I have. You could have. This is a blank check. Some of you know that at some point in your life you were asked to give a blank check to somebody else because you owed to my unit on this how to print money and I didn't. How much is good be into this. I want you to give me a check sign your name to it and later I'll fill in the amount never have to do this is a defining moment in your relationship with that person because you ask do I really because I got I think I know you, but I've also seen enough movies to know that you know a man like you. My knobby you say you are you my work for the CIA or might be a terrorist also blacklisting the girls husband was like a terrace as I know you are sick maybe maybe your not who you say you are in my really going to give you something that which you can empty out every single thing that I have is scary when you come to Jesus what he says is this is what I want. This is the only thing that I'll take what all. How about I give you a gift card because a gift, I can be really generous. I can give you huge amount of the gift card. But the thing about a gift card as you're in control of if I fill out this check and I give you a certain amount that I'm still in control of it.

What Jesus said is I want you gift card. I don't want your check prefilled out doing that I think is a blank check. Peter. In other words, it's got to be no expectations.

Everything you have everything you are everything that you ever ever hope to be. You're going to lay down and say I have no expectations. It all belongs to you. Jesus demands on you are total and you know that's huge. It's huge. It's the biggest thing that you ever been asked in your life and if it doesn't scare you to death.

You haven't taken it seriously answer Jesus uses three motivations to try to move you to it. That's the last several verses there are three motivations of persons in verse 35 BC whoever would save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my sake go in the Gospels will actually save it only focus on the last part of that verse.

Here's A.

The first motivation God brings life through obedience, did you think you're losing your life. It feels like death, but actually it's how you gain your life. It's how I give life.

Obedience to Jesus y'all listen sometimes feels like death, obedience to Jesus sometimes feels like death, but through that obedience.

God brings life to that forgiveness that you extend that you don't want to extend the feels like death through that God restores a relationship back to life and he also releases you from bitterness in your own heart. The relationship that you walk away from that. You don't want to walk away from it feels like death. I can't tell you how many times I've seen this. It becomes the means by which God leads you into a new relationship by healthy life giving relationship for you and for them when you walked away from that relationship. Jesus was telling you not to be felt like half. I know I don't know how to survive without this you left and you follow Jesus and Jesus and watch what I do and he gave it back to you in a much better way. The ministry that you engage in a career change is not only going to bring life to somebody else. It's going to become a renewal of your own faith and maybe the faith of everybody in your family. God takes your financial sacrifice and he brings life fluid, not just to the people that you're giving it to not just of the ministries you support. But he brings life to your own heart into your your kids hard helps them not be materialistic when you obey and be baptize you get engaged in a church. What happens is it feels in some ways like death. I don't want to get wet front of people I don't want to be a part of a community that has problems and is messy but God uses that as a way of bringing life to you and your family. Obedience sometimes feels like death, but it is through that death that God brings life to you. That's his first motivation. Here's the cycle in verse 36 what is a profit a man anyway to gain the whole world. If he loses his soul. What would a man give in return for his soul. Here's a second motivation B.

You can hold onto it anyway.

Whatever you're holding onto the keeps you from full surrender to Jesus.

Inevitably, at some point you lose is a limit is ask you a very logical question. Why would you what would you hang onto now that you're going to say then was worth your soul. Fast-forward your life to five minutes after you die, what is there.

You held onto in life now that you would not answer yet that was totally worth it unless you forfeit a muscle for eternity so I can hang onto that wall was alive.

I talk to college students who tell me the reason they will consider the Lordship of Jesus as they want to hold onto their sexual freedom. I want to shake went on to say is that really worth it for you to give up your soul and they said well you have a lease on having fun now and I think you really feel like five minutes into eternity. The memory of a few brief sexual escapades which were not met the filling anyway you can do for like five minutes into eternity yet was worth me holding on to control my life and giving up my soul so that I could have that runner.

Many people reject the Lordship of Jesus because they went out of their marriage when they want to be with somebody new and I just want to ask them is leaving your marriage for a new spouse worth your soul if you can walk away from Jesus. Is it really worth what you can to comfort each other in hell is it is control over your career or your calendar or your finances. Is it really worth rejecting Jesus and losing your soul whatever you hang onto your you can end up losing. Anyway, art a guy say of days. As you know when the barrier to put you in a death suit. I guess it looks like real close, but a few differences that have a back and redo the nominee pockets. As you can put into your pocket and carry with you into the grave.

Whatever you're trying to hang onto your not to be a little hold onto anyway eternity yet. Jim Elliott the missionary who was martyred in Ecuador that the famous statement he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose you not afford to give up what you can never hang onto to gain what you can't lose.

You are a fool.

However your fool. However, if you give up your soul in order to hang onto something that you can hang onto anyway you usually when I talk to teenagers about this what all on every time a total teenager every Thomas Riggle has hosted and I I'm using this illustration because it almost always uses for someone to talk I'm always sated audience imaginable by some students. Unlike how valuable is your left pinky. Okay, here's my deal if I had $10 million in cash appear piled up on the stage, $10 million. I'm to give it to the one person in here who will walk up here standing or put their hand left hand on the table and let me cut off your left pinky with a butcher knife $10 million who's in now to say that to overbuy school students 99.98% of the students like you and I will happily give up my thinking on time to renegotiate this are so many volunteers I'm not just UFT telling all four fingers and left in present that has to be hands go down to that point with all the girls all the girls like nope not go to my four fingers all the guys like you and I say okay renegotiate again. I'm a cut off your arm at your elbow here left arm usually about two thirds of the remaining guys for their hands down the stool third and then on, and I'm right-handed so we know it little me coming in second.

I'm on REIT renegotiate one last time to you that have your hands raised. I don't want just your left arm. I'm in a cut off your left arm and then your right arm. Many left leg and right leg and then I'm going to put out your stuff up your cut off your nose and cut out your tongue $10 million you walk out or you are wheeled out here with $10 million.

Who's in there's always one there's always at which point I recognize said person is a put your hand out man, you're an idiot because nobody what could it is $10 million. If you have no faculties with which to enjoy it. Essentially what Jesus says in Mark 837 is is a lot of people who were given out far, far more to gain far far less what you holding onto that you can say is worth your soul. You know the answer, then the answer is nothing, there's nothing is worth your soul. Jesus pushes that logic on your now he says think about it now.

What are you hanging onto that is really worth the cost of your soul rejecting the Lordship of Jesus as a final motivation that he gives you. It's there in verse 38 for whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father, with all the holy angels. Here's third motivation C. Jesus is not ashamed to you if you know some ironing this verse and that irony is that Jesus who should have been ashamed of us.

One Jesus to diminishing the Peter Jesus should've been ashamed of all the disciples he should have been ashamed of you and me with the cross that he picked out for us was voluntary.

Jesus was the only one with nothing to gain and everything to lose. I have to obey Jesus because he's God.

Jesus didn't have to pick up the cross for me because I was at the rebel he could've destroyed me.

Yet, out of love for me. He identified himself with me and said I refuse to be ashamed of you and he picked up the cross to save me and the implicit question what Jesus says this is not this a God worth leaving everything for. What else would you want to give your life to here's God you didn't have to picked it up. I love for you. Why would you offer your life without restriction to him that the God you can trust that the God is worthy of your life time.

I felt like I understood this again to go back to the mission field. A been there about a year, no shimmy. I own in about four months and I got a call from a friend who was a Christian live three hours south of me is a man I need your help with something.

I so what is it is a Kantian phone so he said come down to where I am set on the boss that night and I drove three hours down to where he was. We had me meet him at a coffee shop after midnight in a back room. It was of me and him one of the guy that I'd never met my friend says this guy tell him your story and this other guy said he said I said my name is tell me his name is 32 years older than a Muslim all my life I had no ambitions of being anything but a Muslim. He said about a month ago he said II just had the strangest and most disturbing dream he said in this dream he said III woke as it were in this field where as far as I can see in front of me, behind me. To the left of the rice. It was just an expansive nothingness and I want what felt like years. As you notice that this kind of felt like my life. I just walked with nothing. He said man so I just kept walking and kept walking. He said after what felt like years.

Suddenly heard a voice behind me call my name is as I turned around there was somebody there who hadn't been there before. It was a man he said he said he was dressed in radiant white clothing. His face was shining split them out. The height like the sun, and he said he he called my name, and he reached inside of his robe and he pulled out a copy of the NGO which is, there were the Arabic word for gospel he receives out to many handed to me and he said that this is the only thing that will get you out of this field. Is it immediately. I recoil because that's a Christian a Christian book and I didn't want anything to do with a Christian book, he said, and when I record immediately. I woke up it was 3 o'clock in the morning. I knew that I made a terrible mistake. He said the second I don't want to sleep and had the exact same dream same deal wall for what seemed like days. Again he calls my name. I turned and he hands me the copy of the gospel and he said this time no said this time I wanted to take it easy, but I just could not couldn't do it. I couldn't get the willpower to reach my hands up and take it. So I just stood there paralyzed. He said, and then I woke up. He said it was again middle the night and I knew that I was making a terrible mistake. The third night I went to sleep. He said there was no walking to the field. This time I just appeared in the field and there he stood right in front of me and he called my name and he said this is the last time I will tell you this is the only thing that can get you on this field visit.

This time I watch my hands shaking at your site was in volunteer is reached up and took this copy of the gospel and I took it and acclimate to my chest. He said men I woke up as I will go I was in a cold sweat. He said no, my friend here tells me that you are from America and you are an expert at the gospel at the end you he says can you tell me what my dream means now I broke really conservative Baptist. When enrolled all dreams and visions thing we have class tonight at seminary and so I was like well bro, you are so would like dream interpretations. My spiritual gift and for the next the next two hours. Two hours south and explain what the gospel line. I got to the part about God dying on the cross for our sin, he memories Tommy said you mean to tell me that that the creator God. All will actually you're saying he died on the cross for what I did wrong yet that's what the Bible teaches memory, at least big tears well up in his eyes and kind of just looked up and said he said a lot want body, which means God is the greatest next plane to explain what the gospel is what a man after again about two hours. Said man is that you want to trust Christ as your Savior. He said I do so well on every about every eye closed and I guess we do the same wherever your bowed his head and I begin to leave them in the sinners prayer, which is what I do with you almost every weekend. Here you a chance go to the familiar phrases, Lord Jesus, and know that I'm a sinner on it that you got from us and I got about two phrases in constant stop must admit I'm sorry. I can look up here at Manhasset. You know what this means, right.

This means that Jesus is Lord and the first command he gave us for you to be baptized and you know in just a minute after this is over you but I need to get baptized and you know you and I both know that sometimes in your country that leads to you being kicked out. Your family, it probably can mean you lose your job and that you and I both knew stories of people lost their lives when I said are you sure you want to do this is all yeah I'm sure the men aren't you scared your like the worst evangelist I've ever heard you scared. I'm scared is what he think it took me a moment to work up the courage to talk to you is and here's what I decided to not move.

I knew you were to tell me that that was Jesus appeared in the dream I knew that I knew enough what Christians believe, and I knew I knew that Christians believe Jesus was somehow God.

What I decided in that month is if Jesus really did do with the Christian said he did and that is, he died for my sins and he died to save me and he was calling me to follow him that I would go with him no matter what I had to leave behind.

And if I lose my family want that if I lose my job.

I don't want that either want to live my life like I rather have Jesus than any of those things and if I can have Jesus and those things I'll take him over those things we said that I was like I thought I need to receive Christ. Could you pray for me. I know your conversion was not that dramatic, but the substance of it is the same.

What it means to come to Jesus is that you calm saying I'd rather have Jesus than anything I rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I'd rather have Jesus than riches and told him rather have Jesus houses or lands. I'd rather be led by is now starting. I just rather have him and I don't care when I leave behind is just a blank check because I just want him to come to Jesus. That way she for Peter. They would pass this test, one that he would actually get a real cross matching down on cross upside down cost you something eventually when people Mr. Prince that I can't believe you asked me to switch services again seriously, my small group is no longer meeting on the night that is preferable for me.

I'm a quick going. I can't believe this church talk volunteer in the nursery nerve of those people by parking cars given some money. Are you crazy, I might are we even have in the same conversation you're talking about.

I don't want to follow Jesus through inconvenience and meeting on a different matter.

Going to a different service or make a financial sacrifice and Jesus is talking about having your hands nailed to a cross and leaving and giving up your life and I want to say. Do you even understand the conversation that were having. I don't really want to get right when run for much of people in my family for like you're serious, you. You can't follow Jesus into a tub of water that you certainly can't follow him to the ends of the earth of the gospel. If any man will come after me, let him pick up his cross and follow when Jesus bids amend the following bids him, and I follow Jesus that we wanted to buy your heads all over campuses very given Jesus a blank check with your life. Having if not, it might sound something like this, Jesus. I know that you're the Savior. I know you die for my sin, but never received you before, I'm doing it right now and trust you as my Savior, I surrender everything I have everything I am everything I ever hope to be is yours no conditions. It's all yours. I will follow where you call to leave you in this for just a moment she keep her heads bowed all over campuses or campus pastors, worship leaders, again, in a moment is what you linger in this moment with the Holy Spirit and then our campus pastors can extend an invitation to those you need to be baptized into God's grace. You can follow that seem to stay here with you has about WORSHIP teams