That's good to see everybody
this morning. If you would, turn with me in
your Bibles to Luke chapter nine, book of Luke chapter nine. Scripture says that the word
of God was written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. That it's not of any private
interpretation. God himself breathed this word. And in the Gospels, his disciples recorded his words,
the Lord's words. And when wisdom himself speaks,
then our ears ought to perk up because he's about to speak of
weighty matters. And that's what we're going to
look at here in Luke chapter nine, verse 22. Our Lord says in verse 22, The son of man must suffer many
things and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and
scribes and be slain and be raised the third day. And he said to
them all, if any man, if any man, there he's talking about
professing believers, professing believers, if any man, will come
after me. Let him deny himself, take up
his cross daily, and follow me." Now, like I said, he says, if
any man, he's talking to us, those who follow Christ. Now,
we know that there are many that claim to follow Christ that are
not really Christians, but he says, if any man, and this is
a mark of a believer. I'm not going to go into depth
in this scripture because I'm going to tell you why in a minute.
But then he says to deny himself. The word deny means to abstain.
We're going to have to abstain from something. That's what he
says. Deny himself. And then he says take up his
cross daily. Notice what it says daily. He
says not when you think about it, but take up your cross daily. Now the word cross The word cross has two meanings,
one being a stake in the ground. Now we know that at this time,
the disciples did not understand that he was going to be crucified.
So the Lord here is not talking in particularly about the cross,
although that's part of it. He's not talking about, but he's
talking about it in the second, the second meaning of that word.
And what it means is denial of self, to the point of exposing
to death. And that's what our Lord did.
He denied himself. And he says, take up his cross.
So he's talking there about another cross, the implication there's
another cross, and he's talking about himself. And we just read
that in verse 22. He says, a son of man must suffer
many things and be rejected of the elders and chief priests
and scribes and be slain and be raised the third day. Here, the Lord's referring to
this cross. He's referring to his affliction
and his suffering that he expressed in verse 22. Isaiah 53, three
says this, and we're all familiar with this verse. He is despised
and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Now, I'm not gonna go into today
what it means to deny ourselves. Neither am I gonna go into what
it means to take up your cross daily. Because if I do that,
I'm just giving you my opinion. And the Bible and the scriptures
are not about opinions. Opinions in Christianity, particularly,
is what leads to contention and strife among believers. Opinions. You don't need my opinion. So
I'm not gonna talk about my opinion, what this denial means. We're
gonna read what the Lord has to say, that's it. This is cut
in stone. This is cut in stone. This is
what the Lord has to say. So in second, I'm gonna read,
and I'm gonna read a lot of scriptures, and I want you to read them along
with me, because this is, We find this from the Gospels to
all of Paul's epistles. He cautions believers about following
Christ, walking after the Lord. And we must look to him to see
what he's done and study what he's done. If we really want
to know his total suffering, we need to go to the book of
Psalms. Psalms over and over, he tells us of the spiritual
suffering that he went through. 2 Timothy 3.12, let's begin. I'll read this and then I'd like
for you to read some of them along with me, just to familiarize
yourself with the scripture. 2 Timothy 3.12 says, yea, and
all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall, shall Paul says,
suffer persecution. Now in our age, we're not suffering
physical persecution, but there is a spiritual persecution. God's
people are hated for their doctrine simply because it's the Lord's
doctrine. They hate God. Man by nature
hates God. This old nature within me wants
nothing to do with God. It's going to resist. This old
nature in me is going to resist what I'm about to read today.
It's gonna make excuses. It's gonna try to compromise
with me, with the word, to fulfill the lust of the flesh. That's
natural. Psalms 88, 15 says this. The Lord says, I am afflicted
and ready to die for my youth up. The Lord's cross started
in his youth. and went throughout his whole
life. We have no idea as a young man, as a child, as a young man
growing up, the scripture doesn't relate it except in Psalms. It
tells us somewhat of it, but he was afflicted among his peers. I often think what it must have
been for a righteous man to live through youth. We see this in
in the news all the time about kids being bullied, can you imagine
a righteous child? And his peers, the suffering
he must have went through, so he was afflicted. And again, Isaiah 53, he is despised
and rejected of men. His whole life, a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. But let me ask you this, what
was the established purpose of our Lord's coming? Well, Matthew
121 tells us that. It says, and she, that is the
Lord's earthly mother, shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now, the Lord's salvation, we
know, was from eternity past. And in time, the Holy Spirit
quickens the believer's heart and calls him. But but the following
of Christ begins today. Yesterday's gone, the following
of the Lord Jesus Christ begins today, and we're gonna read about
it in these scriptures. In 2 Corinthians 6-2, and I'm
gonna show you that right here. For he saith, I have heard thee
in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored
thee. Behold, this is what he says,
behold now, is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. If we've never followed the Lord,
I think of John Newton's song, that's what he said, let me begin
today. Today is the day of salvation, not yesterday. Yesterday's gone.
My faith yesterday's gone. I need new faith today. I need
new strength today to follow the Lord. In Colossians 3, Verses
one and two, it says this, if ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things that are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Listen carefully what he says
here, and I would like to enter into this last verse, but it's
gonna take more than my will and my own effort to do it. It
says, set your affection on things above, and not on things on the
earth. Now I want you to turn with me
to Romans 8.5. I'm going to have you turn to these scriptures
because we need to read these together. Romans 8.5. Here Paul felt it necessary to
remind the Romans, and remember, he never preached to the Romans.
This is his letter. He had never been to that church
to visit him, but he's writing this letter to those brethren.
Romans 8.5 says, for they that are after the flesh do mind the
things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the
things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Now flip right on over to verse
13, or chapter 13, verse 14. Romans 13, verse 14. It says, but put ye on the Lord
Jesus Christ. and make no provision for the
flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. And I see it in my own life. There's an old man, it mend me,
it loves the things of this life, the comforts, the pleasures.
As I said earlier, it wants nothing to do with God, but it wants
everything to do with this world. And there's a battle, there is
a battle. You know, we talk about man facing the world and the
devil and whatnot, but the real battle's right here. This is
where it's at. This is the struggle. And that's
why throughout all Paul's epistles and in the Gospels where the
Lord said that we're admonished, we're admonished to follow Christ. Now turn over with me to Ephesians
chapter two. This is Paul's writing, he's
writing to the churches. Ephesians chapter two. It says, for we are his workmanship,
that is God's. The believer is God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus under good works. And we're gonna talk
here in a minute about why, the purpose of good works. Created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained,
that we should walk in them. God ordained it. There's no middle of the road
for Christians. There's no compromise. If you read the old Puritans,
they used to talk about the believer, the true believer being a man
or woman of singularity. Closed mind, that's what it meant. Closed mind to the gospel, singular. And they were hated for it. Now turn over with me to Titus,
right after Timothy. Turn to Titus chapter two. Timothy. Titus chapter 2. Verse 11. Titus 2.11 says, For the grace
of God that bring us salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching
us Well, the grace of God doesn't teach unlost people, so he's
talking about believers here. The grace of God has come to
all of his children, teaching us that denying ungodliness and
worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly
in this present world. And we're not gonna go into detail
on what those mean. We know what that means. Worldly
lust, you're all familiar with that. You go through it every
day as I do. Soberly, that's conservatively
in my mind. Walking carefully. Says, should
live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world,
looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself
for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. That word
peculiar there means unusual. If I walk with the world and
I look like the world, then I'm not unusual. That's the truth,
that's the truth. Turn over to chapter three in
the same book, Titus three, three verse eight. Often think this scripture is
very profound. Paul writing to Titus says, this
is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou Listen
to what he says, affirm constantly. You teach the people, that's
what he said. These things I will that thou
affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be
careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable
unto man. It doesn't say unto God, we can
add nothing to the Lord. We add nothing to God. But we
know that good works, good deeds help one another. We help, we
show forth a witness of Christ, and certainly we encourage the
brothers and strengthen the brothers. It's a mutual thing of love for
the Lord, and it's profitable for all of us to do this. These things, he says, are good
and profitable. You got good versus evil, what's
the profitable? It's the good, it's not the evil,
that's for sure. We know that. Now, let's keep
turning, turn right over to 1 John, chapter two. 1 John, chapter
two. Brethren, remember, this is what
the Lord's saying. This is not me. I'm not gonna
give you my opinion. I have an opinion. And we can
discuss that, but not now. That's not the place. What we're
gonna do is emphasize what the Lord has to say. This is the
Lord speaking. This is not up for debate. We're
not gonna debate about it. 1 John 2, verse 15. John says, love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. What things is he talking about? We could go on probably quite
a while talking about what things that the world loves. What things
do we love? What are we seeking after? Where's
our heart? What is our goal? Where's our
treasure? Says love not the world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man loved the world, But St. Theus, the love
of the Father is not in him. I look like the world, and I
do as the world does. And he says, I'm not, the Father's
not in me. Okay, look at chapter two, oh,
verse 16, the same. He says, for all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, And
the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world.
And we could probably talk a whole sermon about pride, can't we?
We're all full of pride, aren't we? Pride of life, pride of life. I'm somebody. Let somebody say
something against you and you're ready to answer and rebuke right
away. Why? Because of pride. We like
to have the nice things. We like people to look at us.
That's the flesh. That's the flesh. And it's a
sad, sad state for us. Sandy and I were talking coming
down. We just don't see the spiritual
deadness of our own hearts, of the old man. We don't see the
spiritual deadness of an unregenerate person. It's that bad. It's worse than we can think.
God knows, I often think why, and this is a thought that comes
into my mind sometimes, why would God punish a person eternally? Just settle that in your mind.
What has he done, what have we done that he would punish us
eternally, never ending? Well, there's something there
we don't see, and I can't explain it, I wouldn't even try to, but
there's a depth of sin that we are blind to, that's a fact. But why? Why are we to walk? Why are we to walk and follow
the Lord according to his word here? Is it for salvation? We know that better than that.
Not by works of righteousness, which we have done. There's nothing
in us that can land anything. Our best works, our best works
are but filthy rags. but there's a better reason for
it, and here it is. God the Father will not have
the work of the Lord Jesus Christ slighted. Philippians 2, 9 and
10 says this. You don't have to turn, I'll
read it to you. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him. and given him a name which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should
bow at his very name, his very name. We ought to be down on
our knees and bowing to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the reason
for the believer's walk. It is to honor him. And if we
don't walk that way, then Christ is not going to receive the honor
he deserves. and we'll read something here
in a minute. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow
of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the
earth. The walk of the believer, and
this is it, is all about the exaltation of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's it. That's the purpose. God, has put everything in Christ. Our walk is a visible setting
forth of what he has done for us. Scott used to say, and I
don't know how many times I've heard him say this, God has put
all his eggs in one basket. It's Christ or nothing. I read something that said if
you have the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else matters. If you
don't have the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else matters. It's pointless. Christ is all. J.C. Rowe, and some of you are familiar
with Rowe's writings, an old preacher, very, very faithful
man, wrote a lot of books. I would encourage you, if you
get a chance, he wrote He's got a commentary on the four Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, very, very helpful. You can get
them in paperback, four volume set. But J.C. Rowell said this,
a crucified savior will never be content to have a self-pleasing,
self-indulging, worldly-minded people. And the scriptures we've read
so far bear that out. Brothers and sisters, there's
a great debt owed by all of us. Consider the price that was paid
for our redemption from this corrupt nature. There was a great
price, and I read it earlier, from his youth. He bore the cross
right up till he hung actually on that wooden stake. Isaiah
53, three and four, we're all familiar with this text. He is
despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. And what did we do? We hid as
it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed
him not. Yet surely he hath borne our
griefs and carried our sorrows Yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. Hebrews 12.3 says this, for consider
him that endures such contradiction of sinners against himself. Lest ye be worried and faint
in your minds. Ye. You have not resisted unto blood,
striving against sin. There's a striving, there's a
striving. The Lord in Matthew says, strive
to enter in at the straight gate. Strive, that means making an
effort, making an effort. We're in a battle in this old
nature. This old nature within us has no control. It has no
control, and we're in a battle. We have got to struggle against
this nature, because if we don't, it's gonna compromise with us.
Okay, turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 28. Paul, writing to the Hebrews,
says, he that despised Moses' law died without mercy under
two or three witnesses. Of how much sore punishment,
suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden underfoot
the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith
he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite unto the
spirit of grace. He's talking here about professing
believers again, where he says, wherewith he was sanctified.
A man claiming, man, woman claiming that they were sanctified by
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and walks contrary to what scripture
tells us and walks according to the world, it's not gonna
be good, no matter what we think. Second Corinthians 13.5 says
this. Examine yourselves. Paul, again,
writing to the Corinthians, in all the epistles, he writes about
believers following, following, following Christ. Second Corinthians
13.5, examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Prove your
own selves. Second Peter 1.10, wherefore
the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election
sure. For if you do these things, you
shall never fall. Our Lord demands obedience. I asked Gary to sing that song,
Trust and Obey. Well, that's it, obedience, following
Christ. Let me put this in a very simple
way that we can all understand. We got one go round in this life.
We can't afford to be wrong. We can't afford to be wrong.
Eternity depends on it. We can't afford to be wrong. So as I'm gonna close this out,
I want you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 26 as I close
it. And let's remember, brothers
and sisters, this is the Lord speaking. This is not Neil Locke.
This is not my idea, this is not my opinion. This is what
the Lord has to say. Matthew chapter 26. I'll get
there in a minute. Verse 36. Then cometh Jesus with them.
This is the night before he was crucified. Then cometh Jesus
with them into a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the
disciples, sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and
the two sons of Zebedee, that was John and James, and began
to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, my soul
is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death. "'Tear ye here and
watch with me.' And he walked off,' it says a short way, "'and
he went a little further and fell on his face, "'and prayed,
saying, O my father, "'if it be possible, let this cup pass
from me. "'Nevertheless, not as I will,
but as thou wilt. "'And he cometh unto the disciples
and findeth them asleep, "'and saith unto Peter, Could you not
watch with me one hour? Watch with him one hour. That
word watch means to be vigilant. Our life, the scripture says,
is but a vapor. And compared to eternity, our
life is not even an hour. And he asked the same question
of us this morning. Could you not watch with me for
one hour? Can you not watch with me? Can you not be on guard and
be vigilant over your soul and my glory for a short period of
time? And Mark, he says, and what I
say unto you, I say unto all, watch, watch, be vigilant, be
vigilant over your soul. God has saved us for a purpose. Salvation is today, not after
we die. I get tickled, not tickled, that's
the wrong word, but I see these guys on television, and one particular,
you wanna go to heaven when you die? Well, that's not what it's
about. That's absolutely not what salvation's about. Salvation
is about the glory of God, and it begins today. It begins today
in our walking. And then the last verse in 1
Thessalonians 5, 6, Paul writing again to the Thessalonians here,
he's writing to the church again. Therefore, let us not sleep as
others do, but let us watch and be sober. Brothers and sisters,
our duty, we owe a great debt unto our Lord for what he's done
for us. Can we not watch for an hour and follow him? I pray that Lord would help me.
I need to hear this. But you know, I can't do it of
myself. I have no strength within. This old man, this old man will
resist it. Like I said a little earlier,
he'll resist it all the way. It resists all these scriptures.
Well, and it begins something like this. Well, I don't think
it's wrong too. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Or I think it's okay. Blah, blah, blah, blah. It wants
a reason, the old flesh wants a reason with you, compromise.
And meanwhile, Satan and all his devils are standing in the
wings waiting, waiting for the opportunity to tempt us. But
we know that the Lord himself is on our side. And I pray that
he would strengthen me, he would strengthen each one of us. to
follow Him and glorify His holy name. Amen.