Choosing to follow Jesus means we are often saying no to many things: no to the what the world calls success, no to what the world call pleasure, no to what the world calls popular. Are we consistently willing to pay the cost of standing apart of Jesus, no matter the cost? (Matthew 16:24-27)
Sermon OutlinE
The Definition: A disciple is someone who is following Jesus, is being transformed by the Holy Spirit and is committed to the Mission of God.
The Choice: “Whoever wants to be my disciple”
The Path: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me”
- Deny Ourselves (Galatians 2:20)
- Take Up Our Cross (2 Timothy 3:10-13)
- Follow Him (Matthew 7:13-20)
The Result: Three Promises “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”
- Promise One: You’ll Find Your Life
- Promise Two: You’ll Keep Your Soul
- Promise Three: You’ll Enter Glory
Application:
- Make a Choice
- Have a Vision
- Bring a Friend
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Open Up (answer one of these two questions):
- When you were a teenager, what was a “fad” you followed or participated in?
- What is a symbol/logo that when you see it, you immediately experience a strong emotion (be it disgust, joy, hope, etc.)? Why?
Dig In
- Pray for God to reveal the truth of His word to you in this study.
- Read Matthew 16:13-28
- If you have already made a decision to follow Jesus, what did you not realize about that decision that you would want someone trying to decide whether to follow Him now to know? Why?
- When you think of what it means to deny yourself, what has been the hardest part of your life to submit to Jesus’ leadership? What has helped in that process?
- What advice would you give to someone on how to crucify a particular habit, action, or attitude for Christ? Give specific examples.
- What do you think Jesus meant when He said, “whoever loses their life for me will find it.”? What does it mean to find our life?
- If you were to consider your calendar this week (or your spending), would you say you have prioritized denying yourself and following Jesus? Why or why not? What do you think those things would look like if we were truly denying ourselves and following Jesus?
Live it Out (answer one of these questions):
- If you haven’t yet made a decision to follow Jesus, why not? What will you do to come to that decision?
- If you are a disciple of Jesus, what is one area of your life you still need to submit to God (ie. deny yourself in)? How will you take steps to do this this week
- Who in your life can you help understand that value found in Jesus’ statement, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” How will you begin to do this with them?