Young People's Group

“FOLLOW ME”

by Pastor Mitch
July 13, 2014

Deny Oneself

There are times when following the Lord Jesus would require us to suffer for Him. In the text of Mark 8:33, the Lord had just rebuked Peter because he rebuked Him for speaking about suffering and being killed (Mark 8:32). Then the Lord called the people to Himself and He taught them these words.

“Whoever desires to comes after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” 
Mark 8:34

If we truly seek to follow close behind the Lord, we must be expected to learn to set aside ourselves. The word “deny” in the Greek means to “totally disregard” self. Following the Lord Jesus means that we learn to put aside what we want in life and to bear the challenges that come with bearing our own cross. We are to take up whatever suffering that may come our way and follow Him. This is what a true disciple to the Lord Jesus would be willing to do. Young people, are you willing to deny ourselves and follow the Lord Jesus?

The Paradox Of Life

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospels will save it.” 
Mark 8:35

Following the Lord Jesus would require us to have a paradoxical approach to life. If a person is not willing to put his life on the line and be ready to lose all things, he will actually lose the only thing that is ultimately of eternal value, which is his own soul, in the afterlife. But if a person is willing to exercise faith and is able to lose his life and set aside the things of this world for the sake of the Lord Jesus and the truth of the gospel, his soul would have eternal life in heaven. The challenge is for us to look at the eternal things of heaven rather than the temporal things of this world.

The Worth Of Our Soul

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” 
Mark 8:36-37

The world is always looking at what people can gain and profit in life. It measures gain in terms of possessions. This is not the case with the Lord Jesus. His perspective of what true worth is with reference to the soul. In His raising of questions, the Lord was implying to all that the soul has far more of worth than the all the riches in the world combined. We cannot put a price on the value of our soul. If a man understands the eternal value of his soul, he would not exchange it for anything that is temporal. He will keep his soul and he is willing to forgo his own life for God.

Not Ashamed Of The Lord Jesus

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” 
Mark 8:38

The challenge for us is to not be ashamed of the Lord Jesus and His words as we live in this sinful world. Let’s be spiritually far-sighted rather than spiritually short-sighted. One day the Lord Jesus will return for us. If we are ashamed of Him now, He would be totally ashamed of us in the future. Let’s seek to not be ashamed of the Lord in living for Him and even suffering for Him if we have to. When He does come one day, He will not be ashamed of us too.

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