If you love and follow Jesus as Lord and Saviour , this message is for you. Yes Christ is here, right now. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8). Today I want to focus on the "forever" part. Christ is the Christian's secure, eternal, and blessed FUTURE! And by Christian, I mean every sincere follower and believer in Christ. Peter tells us who the Christian is:
1 Peter 4:16 NKJV
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
And now for our key text:
MARK 8:34-35 NKJV
"When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will LOSE it, but whoever LOSES his life for My sake and the gospel’s will SAVE it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"
So discipleship looks like, from a natural perspective, a disciple who has given up on his or her natural future. They have thrown it away, or so it would appear. Just look at Peter or John or Paul, or Stephen the Martyr. Their earthly lot in life does not soar to wealth or fame. They end up persecuted and most often killed for their testimony of Jesus. But they followed Jesus their example to the end... to the FUTURE. Their FUTURE continues to this day! They live forever in Christ.
Jesus is our FUTURE! He told us so:
John 11:25-27 NKJV
And so, the disciples and apostles are wealthy in Christ, in spiritual things. So are we in Christ.
Salvation.
The Holy Spirit.
Resurrection.
Eternal Life.
The Calling of Christ for today.
Healing.
The Word.
The Gifts.
The inheritance of the Saints in light.
A New Heaven and a New Earth
The New Jerusalem in Heaven (which is the Bride of the Lamb Jesus , Rev 21:2,9-12)
All of these are Biblical examples of our spiritual wealth in Christ.
And others will think you are losing or "missing out". You could have had a bigger career. A bigger family. A nicer car (or any car for that matter - I am not a driver : ) )
A white picket fence.
A huge mansion on earth.
The "dream" of certain countries.
You could have had it all, according to people.
But instead you chose to lose it and gain CHRIST. You chose to loose your earthly lifestyle to GAIN CHRIST'S life in you. He is CHRIST in you, the hope of Glory (Col 1:27). Now, TO BE CLEAR, and to bring balance, This does not automatically mean your natural wealth or possessions are inherently evil, or that you must live in poverty to be spiritual. No, not at all. That is asceticism which is unbiblical. Asceticism teaches that one gains approval of God through severe voluntary poverty. That just is not the case. Salvation in Christ is a FREE gift, by GRACE. No one can boast in their works. We are all saved by GRACE through FAITH. (Eph. 2:8) Asceticism is just another works-based salvation doctrine and it is wrong. The Bible shows that both the rich and the poor can be saved by simple faith in Christ. It is harder for the rich, but not impossible with God.
So this just means you love Jesus MORE than anyone or any thing. Nothing comes between you and Christ. You may be led to give up certain things at the leading of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. That is good. It's ok if other disciples/followers of Jesus do not understand you in doing so.
You are making that sacrifice, not to GET saved, but because you ARE saved by Grace! You do it out of personal obedience to, and love for, Christ the KING who RULES in mercy and righteousness. These kinds of life choices can ONLY BE known or understood by having a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP to God through the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. You cannot know how to follow Christ without first KNOWING Christ in your spirit!
Life does not consist in the abundance of natural wealth or things. It consists in CHRIST ALONE. Jesus is the LIFE. (John 14:6- Jesus is the Way, the Truth, The Life, the only Way to God the Father)
In Mark 8:34, as quoted at the beginning of this entry, Jesus promises His followers a SECURE FUTURE.
In order to have a secure future in CHRIST, you must practice daily denial of self. You must lose the future you could have had in the world. Sounds weird, right? But look at what Paul taught about his own future and the resurrection!!
Philp. 3:7-11
"7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may GAIN Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Now here, we see that Paul, from a natural perspective, from a bystander's view, had thrown away his future. He chose NOT to stay with the Pharisees, and lost the prestige he had with them. He had no wife. He was beaten. Put in prison. Persecuted.
He had no natural progeny, no natural children.
BUT he did raise up spiritual children... he discipled believers like Timothy and Titus.
THAT was part of his future since Timothy and Titus both went on to carry forward the Apostle Paul's work and raise up even more spiritual children through the Gospel.
Again for clarity and balance, Biblical marriage between disciples (a man and a woman) is allowed and welcomed by Jesus. But it is not required for discipleship. Jesus supports and encourages the natural family unit. It is a blessing and a special ministry in and of itself. But again, as the Lord shows by his earthly walk, starting a natural family is not necessarily a requirement for discipleship or ministry (as in Paul and Barnabas - 1 Corinthians ch. 9). Why? Because Jesus fulfills it all (Mat 5:17, Gen. 1:28, Gen. 9:1 , Mat 28:18-20). So some Christians will be led to marry and have natural families. Others will be led to stay single. And still others will be led by the Holy Spirit uniquely in special circumstances. (for an example see: https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/called-to-childlessness-the-surprising-ways-of-god/?platform=hootsuite )
At the core of what Jesus says and what Paul echos is this:
FOR THE CHRISTIAN WHO IS SERIOUS ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP, (married or single, with natural family or natural without) CHRIST IS OUR FUTURE. Christ in you the hope of glory! (Col. 1:27) And let's not forget that even those who do not raise a natural family are indeed INCLUDED into the FAMILY OF GOD through Jesus!
MARK 8:34-35 NKJV
"When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will LOSE it, but whoever LOSES his life for My sake and the gospel’s will SAVE it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"
My original song "Song Of Discipleship" is about these very verses: Listen to it here:
Jesus' earlthy life, His earlthy future, on the earth appears to have been cut short. His carpentry career did not reach its maximum potential.
He did not have any natural children.
What WAS His future then?
He was crucified for our sins. He died. He was in the grave until the third day.
I can only imagine his natural family wondering why he didn't just settle down, use his woodworking skill to build a natural house, and take a wife and raise natural kids.
YET His future was to RISE FROM THE DEAD and live FOREVER as the Last Adam! The Heavenly Man. (1 Cor 15:45-47)
And His Progeny was the Spiritual Sons of God, you and me! Through His Blood He has built the ULTIMATE HOUSE OF PRAYER, a body of believers in the earth, He is the HEAD of that Body!
Jesus' earlthy life, His earlthy future, on the earth appears to have been cut short. His carpentry career did not reach its maximum potential.
He did not have any natural children.
What WAS His future then?
He was crucified for our sins. He died. He was in the grave until the third day.
I can only imagine his natural family wondering why he didn't just settle down, use his woodworking skill to build a natural house, and take a wife and raise natural kids.
YET His future was to RISE FROM THE DEAD and live FOREVER as the Last Adam! The Heavenly Man. (1 Cor 15:45-47)
And His Progeny was the Spiritual Sons of God, you and me! Through His Blood He has built the ULTIMATE HOUSE OF PRAYER, a body of believers in the earth, He is the HEAD of that Body!
Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Through His sinless and perfect blood He secured His Future. He "lost" an natural future on earth to GAIN an ETERNAL future of a spiritual house and spiritual children. He , the Son of God, pleased the Heavenly Father. We, through Christ alone, are God's SPIRITUAL ADOPTED CHILDREN, born from above. (John 1:12; John 3:3, Rom 8:15)
We ARE the house that Jesus is building, spiritually! (1 Cor 6:19)
And now, His FUTURE ON EARTH CONTINUES, because of us, His Body of sons. (Eph. 1:22-23, Eph 2:17-22). And He reigns in Heaven forever!
So, knowing who we follow, we can know what to expect as a follower of Christ Jesus.
Discipleship looks like loss on the surface. And that loss will take different forms for different Christians. It is important not to compare your walk with that of your brother or sister in Christ. God has a unique calling for you, within the greater unity of the Body of Christ, under the Head, Jesus.
Through His sinless and perfect blood He secured His Future. He "lost" an natural future on earth to GAIN an ETERNAL future of a spiritual house and spiritual children. He , the Son of God, pleased the Heavenly Father. We, through Christ alone, are God's SPIRITUAL ADOPTED CHILDREN, born from above. (John 1:12; John 3:3, Rom 8:15)
We ARE the house that Jesus is building, spiritually! (1 Cor 6:19)
And now, His FUTURE ON EARTH CONTINUES, because of us, His Body of sons. (Eph. 1:22-23, Eph 2:17-22). And He reigns in Heaven forever!
So, knowing who we follow, we can know what to expect as a follower of Christ Jesus.
Discipleship looks like loss on the surface. And that loss will take different forms for different Christians. It is important not to compare your walk with that of your brother or sister in Christ. God has a unique calling for you, within the greater unity of the Body of Christ, under the Head, Jesus.
Jesus says this about the disciples' loss:
Mark 10:28-31 NKJV
28 Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.”
29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s,
30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
So discipleship looks like, from a natural perspective, a disciple who has given up on his or her natural future. They have thrown it away, or so it would appear. Just look at Peter or John or Paul, or Stephen the Martyr. Their earthly lot in life does not soar to wealth or fame. They end up persecuted and most often killed for their testimony of Jesus. But they followed Jesus their example to the end... to the FUTURE. Their FUTURE continues to this day! They live forever in Christ.
Jesus is our FUTURE! He told us so:
John 11:25-27 NKJV
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
And so, the disciples and apostles are wealthy in Christ, in spiritual things. So are we in Christ.
Salvation.
The Holy Spirit.
Resurrection.
Eternal Life.
The Calling of Christ for today.
Healing.
The Word.
The Gifts.
The inheritance of the Saints in light.
A New Heaven and a New Earth
The New Jerusalem in Heaven (which is the Bride of the Lamb Jesus , Rev 21:2,9-12)
All of these are Biblical examples of our spiritual wealth in Christ.
And others will think you are losing or "missing out". You could have had a bigger career. A bigger family. A nicer car (or any car for that matter - I am not a driver : ) )
A white picket fence.
A huge mansion on earth.
The "dream" of certain countries.
You could have had it all, according to people.
But instead you chose to lose it and gain CHRIST. You chose to loose your earthly lifestyle to GAIN CHRIST'S life in you. He is CHRIST in you, the hope of Glory (Col 1:27). Now, TO BE CLEAR, and to bring balance, This does not automatically mean your natural wealth or possessions are inherently evil, or that you must live in poverty to be spiritual. No, not at all. That is asceticism which is unbiblical. Asceticism teaches that one gains approval of God through severe voluntary poverty. That just is not the case. Salvation in Christ is a FREE gift, by GRACE. No one can boast in their works. We are all saved by GRACE through FAITH. (Eph. 2:8) Asceticism is just another works-based salvation doctrine and it is wrong. The Bible shows that both the rich and the poor can be saved by simple faith in Christ. It is harder for the rich, but not impossible with God.
So this just means you love Jesus MORE than anyone or any thing. Nothing comes between you and Christ. You may be led to give up certain things at the leading of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. That is good. It's ok if other disciples/followers of Jesus do not understand you in doing so.
After Jesus prophecies the kind of death Peter will suffer for Christ, Peter then asked about John's walk of discipleship, and Jesus simply replied:
John 21:21-22 NKJV
21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
So no two disciples will have the exact same journey. One may be led to have a natural family for Jesus and also raise up spiritual sons. Another may be called only to raise up spiritual sons in Jesus. All are one in Christ.
You are making that sacrifice, not to GET saved, but because you ARE saved by Grace! You do it out of personal obedience to, and love for, Christ the KING who RULES in mercy and righteousness. These kinds of life choices can ONLY BE known or understood by having a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP to God through the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. You cannot know how to follow Christ without first KNOWING Christ in your spirit!
You must commune with Him daily. Regularly. Read the Word of God, and pray in Jesus' Name.
Listen to the voice of the Shepherd.
Life does not consist in the abundance of natural wealth or things. It consists in CHRIST ALONE. Jesus is the LIFE. (John 14:6- Jesus is the Way, the Truth, The Life, the only Way to God the Father)
In Mark 8:34, as quoted at the beginning of this entry, Jesus promises His followers a SECURE FUTURE.
In order to have a secure future in CHRIST, you must practice daily denial of self. You must lose the future you could have had in the world. Sounds weird, right? But look at what Paul taught about his own future and the resurrection!!
Philp. 3:7-11
"7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may GAIN Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Now here, we see that Paul, from a natural perspective, from a bystander's view, had thrown away his future. He chose NOT to stay with the Pharisees, and lost the prestige he had with them. He had no wife. He was beaten. Put in prison. Persecuted.
He had no natural progeny, no natural children.
BUT he did raise up spiritual children... he discipled believers like Timothy and Titus.
THAT was part of his future since Timothy and Titus both went on to carry forward the Apostle Paul's work and raise up even more spiritual children through the Gospel.
Again for clarity and balance, Biblical marriage between disciples (a man and a woman) is allowed and welcomed by Jesus. But it is not required for discipleship. Jesus supports and encourages the natural family unit. It is a blessing and a special ministry in and of itself. But again, as the Lord shows by his earthly walk, starting a natural family is not necessarily a requirement for discipleship or ministry (as in Paul and Barnabas - 1 Corinthians ch. 9). Why? Because Jesus fulfills it all (Mat 5:17, Gen. 1:28, Gen. 9:1 , Mat 28:18-20). So some Christians will be led to marry and have natural families. Others will be led to stay single. And still others will be led by the Holy Spirit uniquely in special circumstances. (for an example see: https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/called-to-childlessness-the-surprising-ways-of-god/?platform=hootsuite )
At the core of what Jesus says and what Paul echos is this:
FOR THE CHRISTIAN WHO IS SERIOUS ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP, (married or single, with natural family or natural without) CHRIST IS OUR FUTURE. Christ in you the hope of glory! (Col. 1:27) And let's not forget that even those who do not raise a natural family are indeed INCLUDED into the FAMILY OF GOD through Jesus!
Eph. 3:14-15 NKJV
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
First the natural then the spiritual! (1 Cor 15:46) Do you exist naturally? Good! Then you can move on to the Spiritual things of God in Christ! Use those things in the natural as God leads you, but never let them distract you. Never allow another disciple to project their own calling onto you. Only let the Lord lead you and guide you by His Spirit and His Word.
First the natural then the spiritual! (1 Cor 15:46) Do you exist naturally? Good! Then you can move on to the Spiritual things of God in Christ! Use those things in the natural as God leads you, but never let them distract you. Never allow another disciple to project their own calling onto you. Only let the Lord lead you and guide you by His Spirit and His Word.
This corruptible must put on incorruption (Christ).
He says He is the Ending, the Future. He is the Beginning and He is the End!
Rev 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
In Christ, your Biblical, Holy Spirit-led discipleship and ministry walk (married or unmarried, with natural family or no natural family) secures your PERMANENT AND GLORIOUS FUTURE! Christ is THE FUTURE. No one can take that away from you. If you choose Christ over the world, you are not throwing away your future, you are ENTERING INTO IT. Christ is our Eternal Joyous, and Glorious Future as Christians! Let us be faithful to serve Him to the end, to the FUTURE. Let's strive for that "well done, good and faithful servant!" (Mat. 25:21, 23; Luke 19:17)
God bless!
Pastor Curtis
Thu Oct 22 2020 3:40pm EST
1 Corinthians 15:50-54
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
SECURE your future by denying yourself and following Christ, who IS THE FUTURE.
SECURE your future by denying yourself and following Christ, who IS THE FUTURE.
He says He is the Ending, the Future. He is the Beginning and He is the End!
Rev 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
In Christ, your Biblical, Holy Spirit-led discipleship and ministry walk (married or unmarried, with natural family or no natural family) secures your PERMANENT AND GLORIOUS FUTURE! Christ is THE FUTURE. No one can take that away from you. If you choose Christ over the world, you are not throwing away your future, you are ENTERING INTO IT. Christ is our Eternal Joyous, and Glorious Future as Christians! Let us be faithful to serve Him to the end, to the FUTURE. Let's strive for that "well done, good and faithful servant!" (Mat. 25:21, 23; Luke 19:17)
God bless!
Pastor Curtis
Thu Oct 22 2020 3:40pm EST
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