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this is our second session on mark 8:34 238 one most important past season the nature of Christian discipleship last time we focused on the content of Jesus command if anyone would come after me let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me and talked about what it means to take up a cross what it means to deny ourselves and we noticed last time how this whole text is structured namely that there's a command and then there are four arguments one two three four four ways that Jesus intends to motivate and strengthen us for the obedience of this horrific requirement of cross dying cross suffering cross shaming cross bearing and today we've done it we're going to deal with just this one so father as we take up now this first argument that Jesus gives for why we should follow him why we should deny ourselves why we should take a cross open our eyes to see the glory of the incentive the glory the motive so that we are in power to do this this hard work following the narrow way that leads to life I pray this in Jesus name Amen if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me and we said that cross bearing signifies willingness to embrace opposition probably official willingness to embrace shame people were stripped and hung up on a cross in a horrible way suffering it was painful to the max to have nails driven through your hands and feet and you die this suffering has no happy ending on earth you die so that's what it means you're going to you're going to take up a cross and follow me you must be ready for my sake and the gospel's to endure opposition shame suffering and die now here comes here comes the motive the power for whoever would save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it so there is save leading to lose right whoever would save will lose so save leads to lose and whoever loses his life for my second that will save it so there's there's losing lose life leading to save what does this first save me whoever would save his life will lose it because that's what we want to avoid right we don't want to lose our lives that's the way Jesus is arguing you don't want to lose your life so don't save it that sways arguing whoever would save his life will lose it so don't save it so you won't lose it well what a save means save means I'm going to avoid opposition I'm going to avoid shame I'm going to suffering I'm going to avoid dying that's what save means or you could put it more positively I'm going to what would be the opposite of each of these I'm going to pursue acceptance not opposition I'm going to pursue glory not shame I'm going to pursue comfort not suffering and I'm going to pursue safety not death so that's save a life devoted to being accepted getting earthly glory avoiding all suffering and having as much comfort as you can and being as safe as you can and not putting yourself in any risk that's saving your life result lose it meaning what forever right okay look at this here's a parallel statement in John 1225 whoever loves his life loses it and whoever hates his life so it looks like you hate it because you're enduring so much ever hates his life in this world will keep it keep it be saved for eternal life so this is eternal so when mark says when Jesus says in mark whoever would save his life love his life in this world will lose it it means forever so don't lose it therefore don't save it he puts it another way whoever would whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it so this losing leads to saving so what is this losing involved surely this losing is this self-denial and this cross to lose life means except opposition except shame accept suffering accept death and when when the old self old self says no I don't want to be opposed and shame suffer and die then the new self says well I deny you you don't get your way I want to be saved and therefore I am NOT going to let you say no to losses I will embrace losses whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it so this losing here is this self-denial and this cross bearing and notice it is not whimsical or willy-nilly you don't go out looking for suffering your embrace opposition shame and suffering for nothing it's for from for Christ's sake for the Gospels sake notice back here in the full chapter it talks about whoever is ashamed of me and my words so that's the same as my sake and the gospel's so the losing here is the embrace of opposition shame suffering and death and the saving here is forever this is eternal life so if you decide you're going to devote your life to being accepted by people getting all the earthly glory you can having some as comfort as you can being as safe as you can you won't have eternal life but if for Christ's sake not your own whimsical ideas of what it involves for Christ's sake you embrace the cross then you will save yourself for ever and clearly then you can see there is no such thing as ultimate self-denial there is an old self the self that will not do this the self that must do this that old self must be denied but there is a self there is a you who is saying no to this old self and that self will be saved and Jesus wants it to be saved it's an incentive that preachers have used ever since the beginning here's Peter preaching in acts 2 verse 40 and with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them saying save yourselves from this crooked generation so it would be folly to say that self-denial here means you don't want to be saved you want to deny the self that thinks it can only seek salvation through acceptance and glory and comfort and safety that you know better through opposition and shame and suffering and death for Jesus sake and for the Gospels you will have eternal life and that self will not be denied it will have its eternal joy and God's presence forever [Music]