WEBVTT 00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:05.980 In August of 2003, the building of a New York 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:11.419 City church was broken into. And it, as you know, 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:14.500 buildings that get broken into was robbed. Now, 00:00:14.519 --> 00:00:17.660 the first time this building was robbed. The 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:21.359 thieves broke in and they stole a metal money 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:24.039 box that was in the foyer, just like, you know, 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:26.739 we've got our offering box out there. Easy pickings, 00:00:26.780 --> 00:00:28.519 right? You come in, you see the offering box, 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:30.960 you rattle it, there's some money in there, you 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:34.000 take it, okay? So the thieves did that. Now, 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:36.679 what was really strange is three weeks later, 00:00:36.899 --> 00:00:40.140 the thieves came back and they broke into the 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:42.380 church building again. And what they stole this 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:46.179 time was actually kind of wild. What they stole... 00:00:46.590 --> 00:00:50.929 was Jesus. They unbolted a four foot long, 200 00:00:50.929 --> 00:00:54.490 pound plaster statue of Jesus off of a meditation 00:00:54.490 --> 00:00:57.250 area or from a meditation area. And they took 00:00:57.250 --> 00:01:00.450 it with them. The crazy part about this though, 00:01:00.630 --> 00:01:04.569 is not that they stole Jesus, but they stole 00:01:04.569 --> 00:01:08.810 Jesus from the cross. You see this statue of 00:01:08.810 --> 00:01:11.730 Jesus was bolted to a cross and they unbolted 00:01:11.730 --> 00:01:13.969 him. They left the cross there and they took 00:01:13.969 --> 00:01:17.280 Jesus. And so when being asked about this, the 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.900 church caretaker, he said this, they just decided 00:01:19.900 --> 00:01:21.799 we're going to leave the cross and take Jesus. 00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:25.099 We don't know why they took just him. We figure 00:01:25.099 --> 00:01:28.280 if you want the crucifix, you take the whole 00:01:28.280 --> 00:01:31.680 crucifix. In other words, if you want Jesus, 00:01:31.980 --> 00:01:36.780 you take the cross too. But so many of us, we 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:40.879 want what the thieves wanted. We want just Jesus. 00:01:41.709 --> 00:01:45.170 We want salvation. We want comfort. We want encouragement. 00:01:45.269 --> 00:01:50.329 But we don't want the cross. And in Luke 9, Jesus 00:01:50.329 --> 00:01:53.930 makes something very clear. You can't have Jesus 00:01:53.930 --> 00:01:57.989 without the cross. You're not allowed. It's not 00:01:57.989 --> 00:02:01.409 possible. You cannot have Jesus without the cross. 00:02:01.629 --> 00:02:05.569 You have to have the whole crucifix. And that 00:02:05.569 --> 00:02:07.510 brings us to our scripture this morning in Luke 00:02:07.510 --> 00:02:10.110 chapter 9. You see, last week we walked through 00:02:10.110 --> 00:02:12.469 some astonishing miracles that Jesus did and 00:02:12.469 --> 00:02:15.650 some teachings that Jesus spoke. We saw how he 00:02:15.650 --> 00:02:17.770 sent the 12 out to do these incredible things 00:02:17.770 --> 00:02:20.810 themselves. And now the disciples, they've returned 00:02:20.810 --> 00:02:23.469 from their journey. Peter has declared Jesus 00:02:23.469 --> 00:02:25.930 to be the Christ, to be the Messiah. And Jesus 00:02:25.930 --> 00:02:28.389 begins teaching them something that they were 00:02:28.389 --> 00:02:31.159 not expecting. And so I want you to look with 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:34.300 me in Luke chapter 9, verses 21 through 22. Remember, 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:36.719 if it's underlined, I want you to read that with 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:39.639 me, okay? And he strictly charged and commanded 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:42.419 them to tell this to no one, saying, the Son 00:02:42.419 --> 00:02:45.479 of Man must suffer many things and be rejected 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:48.379 by the elders and chief priests and scribes and 00:02:48.379 --> 00:02:52.610 be killed and on the third day be raised. You 00:02:52.610 --> 00:02:55.229 see, Jesus has been declared Christ. He's been 00:02:55.229 --> 00:02:57.969 declared Messiah, the Savior, the one that the 00:02:57.969 --> 00:03:01.689 Jews have been waiting for all this time. Yet 00:03:01.689 --> 00:03:04.889 he immediately tells them that he has to suffer. 00:03:05.810 --> 00:03:08.930 And not just suffer, but he has to be killed. 00:03:09.770 --> 00:03:16.259 You see, Jesus says this. And he says that he's 00:03:16.259 --> 00:03:18.520 going to die, but he also gives them the hope 00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:20.419 at the end of he'll be raised on the third day. 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:23.379 But still the idea that the Messiah would be 00:03:23.379 --> 00:03:26.319 rejected, that the Messiah would be killed was 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:28.680 shocking. Now, if you know Jewish history, if 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:30.800 you've read the Old Testament, you know that 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:32.759 this should not have been surprising to them. 00:03:33.210 --> 00:03:35.430 But the Jewish people, they were expecting this 00:03:35.430 --> 00:03:37.810 conquering king, this king that would come in 00:03:37.810 --> 00:03:40.810 and overthrow the sinful kingdoms of the world 00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:43.310 and establish God's kingdom on earth. But what 00:03:43.310 --> 00:03:47.810 Jesus describes is exactly what had been prophesied 00:03:47.810 --> 00:03:51.030 long before, what they should have been expecting. 00:03:52.250 --> 00:03:55.810 And after explaining his own suffering, Jesus 00:03:55.810 --> 00:03:58.490 immediately explains what following him will 00:03:58.490 --> 00:04:02.379 require. And it's exactly what the song we just 00:04:02.379 --> 00:04:06.639 sang insinuates. This is what he says in Luke 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:10.819 9, verses 23 through 26. If anyone would come 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:13.840 after me, let him deny himself and take up his 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:17.240 cross daily and follow me. For whoever would 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:19.579 save his life will lose it, but whoever loses 00:04:19.579 --> 00:04:22.379 his life for my sake will save it. For what does 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:25.439 it profit a man if he gains the whole world and 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:28.790 loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed 00:04:28.790 --> 00:04:31.689 of me and of my words, of him will the Son of 00:04:31.689 --> 00:04:34.730 Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory, in 00:04:34.730 --> 00:04:37.149 the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.600 If you've been here, you've heard me say that 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:43.139 being a disciple is like being an apprentice. 00:04:43.259 --> 00:04:46.339 It's an apprenticeship and apprentice will eventually 00:04:46.339 --> 00:04:50.319 go and do what his mentor does. So if I was a 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:52.860 welding apprentice, well, when my apprenticeship 00:04:52.860 --> 00:04:55.980 is done, I'm going to go be a welder. If I'm 00:04:55.980 --> 00:04:58.560 a electrical apprentice, when my apprenticeship 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:00.540 is done, I'm going to go be an electrician and 00:05:00.540 --> 00:05:02.480 I'm going to do what electricians do and I'm 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:05.680 going to fix things like I had been taught. And 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:09.680 so when Jesus says, you are my disciples, if 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:11.040 you're going to follow me, if you're going to 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:13.680 be my students, well, then eventually you're 00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:16.480 going to do what I do. So if we are apprentices 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:20.240 of Jesus, we follow his way even unto death. 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:23.899 If he sacrifices, we sacrifice. If he carries 00:05:23.899 --> 00:05:30.120 a cross, we carry a cross. If he dies, we die. 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:34.379 Jesus is telling his disciples something very 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:37.600 unmistakable. He's saying, you cannot follow 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:42.480 me without my cross. Just like those thieves 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:45.040 in New York City, we sometimes, we want to take 00:05:45.040 --> 00:05:46.959 Jesus and we want to leave the cross behind, 00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:50.339 but Jesus says discipleship means denying ourselves. 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:52.959 It means surrendering control. It means putting 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:55.060 ourselves in harm's way if that's what the gospel 00:05:55.060 --> 00:05:58.379 calls for. It means following him even when obedience 00:05:58.379 --> 00:06:02.449 costs us something. Even when being obedient 00:06:02.449 --> 00:06:05.649 may cost us our fortune, even when being obedient 00:06:05.649 --> 00:06:07.870 may cost us our friendships, even when it may 00:06:07.870 --> 00:06:12.970 cost us our family, it means obedience even when 00:06:12.970 --> 00:06:17.069 it costs us. Because Jesus never promised his 00:06:17.069 --> 00:06:20.709 followers comfort. He promised a cross. You know, 00:06:20.730 --> 00:06:23.680 I think about... When you want to be good at 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:25.779 something, it requires practice. And if you want 00:06:25.779 --> 00:06:27.959 to practice, you've got to carve out time to 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:30.379 practice. If you want to learn a language, you've 00:06:30.379 --> 00:06:32.379 got to carve out time to learn that language. 00:06:32.540 --> 00:06:35.230 And that may mean giving up something. You know, 00:06:35.250 --> 00:06:37.350 when you're in high school and you're playing 00:06:37.350 --> 00:06:39.550 a sport, maybe it's football, and you've got 00:06:39.550 --> 00:06:41.769 to give up your summer mornings so that you can 00:06:41.769 --> 00:06:44.029 go to football practice and football workouts. 00:06:44.269 --> 00:06:46.990 You know, I grew up at the beach, and so I loved 00:06:46.990 --> 00:06:49.129 going to the beach during the summer. That was 00:06:49.129 --> 00:06:50.810 my favorite thing to do, even though I don't 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:53.410 really like the beach. I hate sand, but I liked 00:06:53.410 --> 00:06:54.990 going to the beach because that meant I could 00:06:54.990 --> 00:06:56.750 go fishing. It meant I could go swimming. It 00:06:56.750 --> 00:06:59.089 meant all these things. And so in the summer, 00:06:59.129 --> 00:07:00.670 I wanted to go to the beach, but when you get 00:07:00.670 --> 00:07:03.649 to high school and you're playing football, you 00:07:03.649 --> 00:07:05.170 don't get to... to go to the beach during the 00:07:05.170 --> 00:07:07.970 mornings because you've got to go to workouts. 00:07:08.810 --> 00:07:11.810 And the workouts weren't fun. They actually really 00:07:11.810 --> 00:07:15.509 stunk. They were hot. It was humid. It was awful. 00:07:15.810 --> 00:07:18.389 And you're getting run to death. You're having 00:07:18.389 --> 00:07:20.209 to lift heavy weights and you're having to do 00:07:20.209 --> 00:07:21.810 these things that you may not want to do. You're 00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:24.889 giving up sleep. But you have to do it if you 00:07:24.889 --> 00:07:27.649 want to have success in whatever it is that you're 00:07:27.649 --> 00:07:30.069 doing. And you know what that's like if you've 00:07:30.069 --> 00:07:31.930 got a job. You've got to give up eight hours 00:07:31.930 --> 00:07:34.509 of your day every day to go to this job. And 00:07:34.509 --> 00:07:36.389 you may have to sacrifice time with your kids. 00:07:36.470 --> 00:07:38.410 You may have to sacrifice time with your friends 00:07:38.410 --> 00:07:43.470 to go to this job. What you want often comes 00:07:43.470 --> 00:07:45.990 with sacrifice. And what Jesus is saying is if 00:07:45.990 --> 00:07:48.410 you want to come with me, if you want to be with 00:07:48.410 --> 00:07:50.329 me for eternity, if you want to have the life 00:07:50.329 --> 00:07:53.750 that the Messiah promises, you've got to sacrifice, 00:07:53.850 --> 00:07:59.079 even if it means... being uncomfortable. And 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:01.079 I think baptism is actually one of the clearest 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:03.000 pictures of this because when someone is baptized, 00:08:03.339 --> 00:08:05.600 they're not just participating in this religious 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:08.540 ritual. They are declaring something. They're 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:11.459 declaring that they are willing to murder the 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:14.480 old flesh, that they are willing to bury that 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:17.259 old self, to leave it behind, and that they are 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:19.600 going to rise up to live a new life that says, 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:26.819 even if it costs me real death, I'm going. Just 00:08:26.819 --> 00:08:30.160 as Jesus said he would die, be buried, rise again, 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:33.820 baptism reflects that same reality. The old person 00:08:33.820 --> 00:08:37.320 goes down into the grave and rises up to walk 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:41.399 in a new life. When Jesus died, and we'll see 00:08:41.399 --> 00:08:44.039 this in a few weeks on Easter, he did not come 00:08:44.039 --> 00:08:47.419 out of the grave the same person. In fact, when 00:08:47.419 --> 00:08:50.580 you see this encounter of Jesus walking beside 00:08:50.580 --> 00:08:55.149 the disciples, they're walking. And Jesus is 00:08:55.149 --> 00:08:56.370 walking by them and they're like, who's this 00:08:56.370 --> 00:08:58.529 guy? They don't know who this is. They don't 00:08:58.529 --> 00:09:01.730 recognize him at first because he looks different. 00:09:01.789 --> 00:09:04.629 When you come up, you are different. And what 00:09:04.629 --> 00:09:07.049 Jesus is saying is, I want you to die to yourself. 00:09:07.190 --> 00:09:09.970 And when you die, you will also have life. And 00:09:09.970 --> 00:09:14.029 when you have life, it'll look different. We 00:09:14.029 --> 00:09:18.269 have to choose the full path of Jesus, even if 00:09:18.269 --> 00:09:22.169 it means death. And I want to ask this question. 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:24.220 together out loud this morning. It's going to 00:09:24.220 --> 00:09:26.340 be on the screen, and I want us to say it all 00:09:26.340 --> 00:09:30.879 together. Am I willing to pay whatever it costs 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:37.799 to follow Jesus? Am I? Am I willing? Are you 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:42.769 willing? Because too often, I think we say we 00:09:42.769 --> 00:09:45.210 want to follow Jesus. We say we want to be Christians. 00:09:45.309 --> 00:09:47.409 We say we want to be disciples. And we'll do 00:09:47.409 --> 00:09:49.470 the Christian things, right? We'll come to church. 00:09:49.529 --> 00:09:51.350 We'll go to the Bible studies. We'll go to the 00:09:51.350 --> 00:09:53.669 small groups. We'll pray for people. We'll even 00:09:53.669 --> 00:09:56.090 go and visit people in hospitals and in nursing 00:09:56.090 --> 00:09:58.929 homes. But do we really mean we'll do whatever 00:09:58.929 --> 00:10:02.909 it takes to follow Jesus? You know, I had something 00:10:02.909 --> 00:10:04.409 in my notes and I took it out, but I'm going 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:07.750 to bring it back. In America, we talk about how 00:10:07.750 --> 00:10:09.549 Christianity is being persecuted and they're 00:10:09.549 --> 00:10:11.629 making it hard to be a Christian. And Christians, 00:10:11.789 --> 00:10:14.370 we don't have the religious freedom that we're 00:10:14.370 --> 00:10:16.169 supposed to have. And we complain about these 00:10:16.169 --> 00:10:18.289 things and we cause fear about these things. 00:10:18.409 --> 00:10:22.190 But let's go look at other countries. There is 00:10:22.190 --> 00:10:25.370 real persecution going on where it really is 00:10:25.370 --> 00:10:28.870 causing death to follow Jesus. You have people 00:10:28.870 --> 00:10:30.750 that are meeting in underground churches. They 00:10:30.750 --> 00:10:32.370 don't have these nice church buildings that you 00:10:32.370 --> 00:10:34.610 can see from the highway. They have to be hidden 00:10:34.610 --> 00:10:37.649 about it. But guess what they're still doing? 00:10:38.169 --> 00:10:42.350 They're still following Jesus, even if it means 00:10:42.350 --> 00:10:46.429 death. They're just being a little creative about 00:10:46.429 --> 00:10:52.769 it. But are we? Are we willing to follow him 00:10:52.769 --> 00:10:56.809 even if it means death? And maybe for us, death 00:10:56.809 --> 00:10:58.990 isn't really on the table because we do live 00:10:58.990 --> 00:11:01.490 in a place that has religious freedom. But maybe 00:11:01.490 --> 00:11:04.639 it's being ostracized by family. You know, I've 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:07.720 mentioned to you before, I've got a friend, he's 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:09.740 a college student back in Montgomery. He's a 00:11:09.740 --> 00:11:12.580 Muslim. He grew up Muslim and he wants so badly 00:11:12.580 --> 00:11:15.200 to be a Christian. In fact, last two weeks ago, 00:11:15.240 --> 00:11:18.340 when I drove to Montgomery for a baptism, I got 00:11:18.340 --> 00:11:19.820 to see him and he ran up and he gave me a big 00:11:19.820 --> 00:11:21.879 hug. And I'm like, hey, buddy, I've got my swim 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:24.519 trunks ready. The water's warm. It's going to 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:27.679 get used tonight. You want to go too? And you 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:31.919 could just see his joy kind of fell out. Because 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:36.620 he knows what happens if he does. And he said, 00:11:36.779 --> 00:11:38.759 you know, I've been thinking about it and maybe 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:41.519 when I live on my own and I have a little bit 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:44.860 more independence, I'll do it. And I'm just like, 00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:49.480 man, that's not what Jesus calls for. And I sympathize 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.100 with him, I do. And I didn't say, well, Jesus 00:11:52.100 --> 00:11:55.080 says you gotta, I didn't do that. I just, I told 00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:56.460 him, well, buddy, I'm gonna be praying that that 00:11:56.460 --> 00:12:00.570 decision happens quicker. Because. Jesus says 00:12:00.570 --> 00:12:03.330 even if it means your family is going to kick 00:12:03.330 --> 00:12:05.330 you out, even if it means you're going to be 00:12:05.330 --> 00:12:07.809 removed from your social circles, even if it 00:12:07.809 --> 00:12:09.669 means you'll lose your job, even if it means 00:12:09.669 --> 00:12:12.350 you won't have the status that you want, regardless 00:12:12.350 --> 00:12:14.690 of what it costs, you've got to be willing to 00:12:14.690 --> 00:12:17.509 pay it. If you aren't, you cannot follow me. 00:12:18.590 --> 00:12:21.750 What Jesus is saying is where I'm going is to 00:12:21.750 --> 00:12:26.970 a grave. Are you willing to go too? You see, 00:12:26.990 --> 00:12:32.879 we want to answer this question so quickly. But 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:35.519 I don't know that we can. I think it takes a 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:38.480 little more thought. And then right after Jesus 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:40.720 says this, something remarkable happens in Luke 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:43.779 chapter 9, verses 28 through 36. Jesus takes 00:12:43.779 --> 00:12:46.039 Peter, James, and John up on a mountain, and 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:48.639 he's going there to pray. And he wants them to 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:50.360 come and pray with him. Notice Jesus, a lot of 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.059 times when he goes to pray, he brings the disciples 00:12:52.059 --> 00:12:54.480 with him. So he brings these few with him. He 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:56.659 goes up to pray. And while he's praying, something 00:12:56.659 --> 00:12:58.600 incredible happens. I want to first note that 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:01.830 they're sleeping. And why do they always sleep 00:13:01.830 --> 00:13:04.129 when Jesus is trying to pray these serious things? 00:13:04.990 --> 00:13:08.129 We'll have that conversation later. But here's 00:13:08.129 --> 00:13:12.129 what it says in verses 29 through 30. As Jesus 00:13:12.129 --> 00:13:14.649 was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, 00:13:14.830 --> 00:13:18.789 and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, 00:13:19.070 --> 00:13:22.429 two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 00:13:22.769 --> 00:13:25.690 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, 00:13:25.970 --> 00:13:28.389 which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:31.279 Now, if you're not familiar with the Old Testament, 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:33.840 those names, Moses and Elijah, they may not mean 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.980 much to you, but for the Jewish people, those 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:39.000 two men represented something enormous. Moses 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:41.899 represented the law. Through Moses, God gave 00:13:41.899 --> 00:13:43.860 Israel the commandments. He gave them the covenant 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:46.340 that shaped their entire way of life. This is 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:48.720 the law that they're still following. Elijah 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:50.980 represented the prophets. He stood as one of 00:13:50.980 --> 00:13:53.500 the greatest voices, calling God's people back 00:13:53.500 --> 00:13:55.340 to faithfulness when they had wandered away. 00:13:56.299 --> 00:13:59.379 And so when the disciples, they see Moses and 00:13:59.379 --> 00:14:01.980 they see Elijah standing with Jesus, something 00:14:01.980 --> 00:14:04.899 powerful is being revealed. The law and the prophets, 00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:07.059 the entire story of the Old Testament, they're 00:14:07.059 --> 00:14:11.240 all pointing to Jesus. And notice what they are 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:14.080 talking about. In verse 31, it tells us that 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:18.190 they're talking about Jesus' departure. which 00:14:18.190 --> 00:14:20.289 he's about to accomplish in Jerusalem. And I 00:14:20.289 --> 00:14:22.990 think it's interesting that these two Old Testament 00:14:22.990 --> 00:14:25.070 heroes are the ones that are talking with Jesus 00:14:25.070 --> 00:14:28.509 because if you know their stories, Moses departed 00:14:28.509 --> 00:14:31.659 from this earth in a very interesting way. And 00:14:31.659 --> 00:14:34.519 Elijah departed from this earth in a very interesting 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:38.019 way. And so when they appear to talk with Jesus 00:14:38.019 --> 00:14:40.600 about his departure, because he's going to depart 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:43.679 from this earth in a very interesting way, it's 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:46.279 like this full circle moment of God saying, these 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:49.539 two men represent the law, they represent the 00:14:49.539 --> 00:14:52.220 prophets, and they represent leaving this earth 00:14:52.220 --> 00:14:54.340 in a very interesting way. And that's exactly 00:14:54.340 --> 00:14:56.460 what Jesus is going to do. And so immediately 00:14:56.460 --> 00:14:58.879 when Peter sees this, he wants to build tents. 00:14:59.059 --> 00:15:01.679 He's trying to either, there's two. ways to think 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:03.519 about this. He either wants to preserve this 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.019 moment and make sure that they remember it, that 00:15:06.019 --> 00:15:07.980 they can commemorate it by having these tents 00:15:07.980 --> 00:15:11.120 here, or he's trying to give them a place to 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:13.519 stay because he wants them to stay. But what 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:16.720 Jesus says, well, actually what God says, he 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.539 does something, is he proves that Peter is misunderstanding 00:15:19.539 --> 00:15:22.440 this moment. This is what happens in verses 34 00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:25.620 through 36. As Peter was saying these things, 00:15:25.779 --> 00:15:28.220 a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they 00:15:28.220 --> 00:15:30.649 were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a 00:15:30.649 --> 00:15:33.330 voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my 00:15:33.330 --> 00:15:37.570 son, my chosen one, listen to him. And when the 00:15:37.570 --> 00:15:40.269 voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone and they 00:15:40.269 --> 00:15:43.049 kept silent and told no one in those days anything 00:15:43.049 --> 00:15:47.029 of what they had seen. You see, that cloud is 00:15:47.029 --> 00:15:50.230 God. And so God represents, or the cloud represents 00:15:50.230 --> 00:15:53.289 God coming in, wrapping them up and saying, this 00:15:53.289 --> 00:15:57.509 is my son. This is the Messiah. This is the one 00:15:57.509 --> 00:16:00.429 you've been waiting for. This is the one that 00:16:00.429 --> 00:16:03.610 Moses was pointing to. This is the one that Elijah 00:16:03.610 --> 00:16:06.889 was calling you back to. This is the Messiah 00:16:06.889 --> 00:16:09.690 that you have, that we have been waiting on. 00:16:10.029 --> 00:16:16.529 Listen to him. And so I can imagine if I'm in 00:16:16.529 --> 00:16:18.769 the shoes of Peter, James, and John up here on 00:16:18.769 --> 00:16:22.049 the mountain, and God has just told me to listen 00:16:22.049 --> 00:16:25.110 to this man. I'm thinking about everything he 00:16:25.110 --> 00:16:27.970 has told me beforehand. And you know what the 00:16:27.970 --> 00:16:31.570 most recent thing he told me was? If you want 00:16:31.570 --> 00:16:37.950 to follow me, it may cost you your life. And 00:16:37.950 --> 00:16:41.080 that's all I can think about. is if I'm going 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:43.500 to follow this man, the one that God just came 00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:46.820 in and told me is the son, the chosen one, the 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:49.840 one we've been waiting on, I have to listen to 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:52.659 him. And if I have to listen to him when he says 00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:56.379 I may have to die, guess what I have to do? I've 00:16:56.379 --> 00:16:59.320 got to follow even if it means I may have to 00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:05.220 die. And I asked myself, why show the disciples 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:09.119 this moment right after Jesus talked about the 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:11.549 cost? And I think it's because he's revealing 00:17:11.549 --> 00:17:15.269 something essential. You see, in this moment 00:17:15.269 --> 00:17:20.250 of transfiguration, Jesus starts to glow. His 00:17:20.250 --> 00:17:24.349 clothes transform into dazzling white. And there's 00:17:24.349 --> 00:17:26.789 something special about him. As the kids would 00:17:26.789 --> 00:17:31.529 say, there's an aura about him. And Jesus is 00:17:31.529 --> 00:17:39.650 glowing. He is magnificent. And what I think, 00:17:40.289 --> 00:17:44.450 Jesus is illustrating here is that the cross 00:17:44.450 --> 00:17:47.549 he will bear and the cross he calls us to bear 00:17:47.549 --> 00:17:54.470 is not the end. Glory is. You see, we can get 00:17:54.470 --> 00:17:57.369 caught up, and I imagine the disciples got caught 00:17:57.369 --> 00:17:59.470 up when Jesus says, I'm going to die, I'm going 00:17:59.470 --> 00:18:01.490 to be buried, and I'm going to be raised on the 00:18:01.490 --> 00:18:03.509 third day. I can imagine they got caught up on 00:18:03.509 --> 00:18:06.940 the die part. Like, there's no way. In fact, 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.180 you can see throughout the rest of the time that 00:18:09.180 --> 00:18:11.619 the disciples have with Jesus, they think, there's 00:18:11.619 --> 00:18:15.539 no way. We're not letting you die. And then when 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:18.059 he says, and you also are going to have to die. 00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:20.180 I mean, just imagine if I told you, hey, I'm 00:18:20.180 --> 00:18:21.819 throwing a party. And if you want to come to 00:18:21.819 --> 00:18:24.859 the party, I have to slice your hand at the door. 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:27.539 You're like, there's no way. What's wrong with 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:29.519 you? You'll probably call somebody and tell them 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:32.039 that I'm a cult leader. Because who does that? 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:35.019 And so when the disciples hear the Messiah is 00:18:35.019 --> 00:18:38.240 going to die, you may die, they're probably thinking, 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:43.440 this guy has lost his mind. But Jesus told them, 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:48.700 the resurrection comes. I'm going to rise. And 00:18:48.700 --> 00:18:51.700 then he shows them, because maybe they didn't 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:54.599 get it. And so he shows them this transfiguration, 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:57.900 and he shows them the glory that's coming. You 00:18:57.900 --> 00:18:59.890 see, he's not... asking his followers. He's not 00:18:59.890 --> 00:19:02.730 asking you and me. He's not asking us to suffer 00:19:02.730 --> 00:19:05.750 for nothing. What he is showing us is who he 00:19:05.750 --> 00:19:08.990 truly is. He is the glorified son of God who 00:19:08.990 --> 00:19:12.109 death has no power over. And he's inviting us 00:19:12.109 --> 00:19:16.029 into the same path, the same life to die and 00:19:16.029 --> 00:19:21.170 be raised again into glory. If we follow Jesus 00:19:21.170 --> 00:19:25.750 to the cross, we follow him unto death. We will 00:19:25.750 --> 00:19:29.119 also follow him into resurrection. and glory. 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:32.440 And if you believe that to be true, can you please 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:38.000 say amen? Amen. We will follow him into glory, 00:19:38.200 --> 00:19:42.440 but the path to that glory, as it always does, 00:19:42.460 --> 00:19:45.799 still runs through the cross. You can't have 00:19:45.799 --> 00:19:50.099 Jesus without the cross. I didn't mean to use 00:19:50.099 --> 00:19:54.119 another football reference, but Nick Saban, greatest 00:19:54.119 --> 00:19:56.240 football coach of all time, even if he coached 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:59.279 at an awful school, remember where he won his 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:03.200 first championship at. Nick Saban, when he would 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:05.740 have these big five -star recruits come in, these 00:20:05.740 --> 00:20:07.900 kids that everybody's promising the world and 00:20:07.900 --> 00:20:09.700 they're telling them, you can be a first -round 00:20:09.700 --> 00:20:11.460 draft pick and you'll have millions of dollars 00:20:11.460 --> 00:20:14.660 in your bank account before you turn 25. He gets 00:20:14.660 --> 00:20:17.440 these recruits and he sits them down and he asks 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:19.980 them, Because they're asking him, what's your 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:21.900 school going to do for me? What's your program 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:23.720 going to do for me? What's this going to do for 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:25.420 my draft stock? How's it going to make me millions 00:20:25.420 --> 00:20:29.539 of dollars? And he asked them, he says, yeah, 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:32.299 we can get you to the NFL. That's not a problem. 00:20:32.859 --> 00:20:34.759 We can win you championships. We can get you 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:37.240 a Heisman. We can get you the millions of dollars. 00:20:38.140 --> 00:20:41.619 But are you willing to give up sleep? Are you 00:20:41.619 --> 00:20:43.500 willing to spend hours in the film room? Are 00:20:43.500 --> 00:20:46.559 you willing to... Get up early and work out in 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.200 the hot sun. Are you willing to do the things 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:53.400 that you have to do to get to glory? Are you 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:55.400 willing to not hang out with the same people 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:57.400 because they're dragging you down? Are you willing 00:20:57.400 --> 00:20:59.960 to not go to the family cookout because there's 00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:01.319 some things going on there that you don't need 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:03.559 to be wrapped up in? Are you willing to not mess 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:05.660 with those girls because they will drag you down? 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:08.119 Are you willing to leave these things behind 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:13.369 so that you can achieve that glory? And depending 00:21:13.369 --> 00:21:15.150 on how they would answer, he would know exactly 00:21:15.150 --> 00:21:18.809 what kind of player they would be. And when Jesus 00:21:18.809 --> 00:21:22.230 is telling us, I want you to follow me, and if 00:21:22.230 --> 00:21:25.369 you follow me, it leads to glory, he asks us, 00:21:25.390 --> 00:21:28.390 are you willing to give up all of those things, 00:21:28.490 --> 00:21:33.930 to sacrifice those things for the sake of glory? 00:21:34.769 --> 00:21:37.349 Because it comes with sacrifice. You see, after 00:21:37.349 --> 00:21:39.859 this moment, on the mountain, we see urgency 00:21:39.859 --> 00:21:42.720 in Jesus' teachings. He continues reminding his 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:44.920 followers what lies ahead. And at the end of 00:21:44.920 --> 00:21:47.980 Luke 9, he makes this, the cost of discipleship 00:21:47.980 --> 00:21:51.880 unmistakably clear. He says, someone said to 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:55.680 him, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:58.259 said to him, foxes have holes and birds of the 00:21:58.259 --> 00:22:01.019 air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere 00:22:01.019 --> 00:22:04.460 to lay his head. To another he said, follow me. 00:22:04.970 --> 00:22:08.049 But he said, Lord, let me go first to bury my 00:22:08.049 --> 00:22:10.589 father. And Jesus said to him, leave the dead 00:22:10.589 --> 00:22:13.890 to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and 00:22:13.890 --> 00:22:16.829 proclaim the kingdom of God. Yet another said, 00:22:17.049 --> 00:22:20.109 I will follow you, Lord. But let me first say 00:22:20.109 --> 00:22:22.990 farewell to those at my home. And Jesus said 00:22:22.990 --> 00:22:25.450 to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow 00:22:25.450 --> 00:22:28.230 and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. 00:22:29.569 --> 00:22:32.390 Do you see the costs that appear in this passage? 00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:39.579 The first cost is comfort. It's security. You 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:42.039 know, we love our homes. We love the comfort 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:46.319 of our beds. You know, after a long day, you've 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:48.039 been working, you've been on your feet all day, 00:22:48.140 --> 00:22:50.079 you've been running around, getting kids to ball 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:52.460 practice and doing all the stuff that you've 00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:57.279 got to do. There's nothing better than propping 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:01.059 up and laying down in your bed, putting your 00:23:01.059 --> 00:23:06.599 head to the pillow. But what Jesus says is, I 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:09.839 don't have that. I don't have a place to lay 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:12.359 my head. I don't have a place to call home. I 00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:14.940 don't have the comforts of this world. I don't 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:16.920 have all the things that everybody else wants. 00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:19.259 I can't, and what he said, I can't promise you 00:23:19.259 --> 00:23:23.200 those things either. I can't promise that you 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:25.140 will have comfort. I can't promise that you'll 00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:27.779 have security. You know, we live in a world that 00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:30.880 teaches and tells us we need to be worried about 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:33.309 tomorrow. We need to have. the nicest things. 00:23:33.349 --> 00:23:34.630 We need to have the most comfortable things. 00:23:34.750 --> 00:23:37.430 We need to have our 401k set and we need to have 00:23:37.430 --> 00:23:39.650 the retirement plan and we need to have the bank 00:23:39.650 --> 00:23:41.529 account and we need to have the house and we 00:23:41.529 --> 00:23:43.410 need to have the car. We live in a world that 00:23:43.410 --> 00:23:46.490 says you need comfort and security. But what 00:23:46.490 --> 00:23:49.210 Jesus says is, yeah, that stuff's nice, but it's 00:23:49.210 --> 00:23:54.410 not the thing you need. You need me. And where 00:23:54.410 --> 00:23:58.390 I am, where Jesus is, those things are not promised. 00:23:59.190 --> 00:24:02.309 He's not saying they're bad. But they're just 00:24:02.309 --> 00:24:06.849 not promised. And they're not essential. And 00:24:06.849 --> 00:24:11.730 ultimately, they're not priority. You see, there's 00:24:11.730 --> 00:24:13.470 the man and he wants to go home and bury his 00:24:13.470 --> 00:24:16.470 father. And I mean, who wouldn't? That's a pretty 00:24:16.470 --> 00:24:19.809 noble thing. You want to make sure that your 00:24:19.809 --> 00:24:23.190 father is laid to rest in an honorable way. And 00:24:23.190 --> 00:24:26.329 you want to be there for him. But Jesus says, 00:24:26.450 --> 00:24:29.990 you don't get it. And then the other one is like, 00:24:30.049 --> 00:24:32.349 I'm going to follow you wherever you go, but 00:24:32.349 --> 00:24:35.130 I need to go back and tell everybody bye. It's 00:24:35.130 --> 00:24:40.869 like, you don't get it. What is the priority? 00:24:42.009 --> 00:24:44.609 You see, Jesus makes it clear that the kingdom 00:24:44.609 --> 00:24:50.250 cannot come second. It can't. He has to come 00:24:50.250 --> 00:24:54.609 first. Even when it costs us our comfort. Even 00:24:54.609 --> 00:24:58.329 when it costs us our security. when it costs 00:24:58.329 --> 00:25:01.329 us the priorities. And think about the priorities 00:25:01.329 --> 00:25:07.289 we have. Our jobs, our school, our clubs, our 00:25:07.289 --> 00:25:11.009 sports. Now I saw a post the other day, it said, 00:25:11.130 --> 00:25:13.750 you know, parents, if you get more excited about 00:25:13.750 --> 00:25:15.609 your kid hitting a home run than you do about 00:25:15.609 --> 00:25:17.769 them memorizing a passage of scripture, you've 00:25:17.769 --> 00:25:20.230 got your priorities messed up. And here, I'm 00:25:20.230 --> 00:25:22.450 going to say this, yes, but I want my kid to 00:25:22.450 --> 00:25:24.190 hit a home run and memorize scripture. How about 00:25:24.190 --> 00:25:27.799 that? Right? Can we not have both? But you know 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:30.599 what I want first? I want my child to be a child 00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:34.339 of God. And if my kid never hits a home run, 00:25:34.460 --> 00:25:37.440 if they never score the winning goal, if they 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:40.059 never get the college degree, do you know what 00:25:40.059 --> 00:25:41.920 I'll be satisfied with at the end of the day? 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:45.279 If they are a baptized believer proclaiming the 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:48.920 kingdom of God to all the world. I'll be satisfied 00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:52.400 if my child is with me in heaven. Because guess 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:56.670 what? Maybe we'll have baseball in heaven. And 00:25:56.670 --> 00:26:00.069 maybe I'll get to throw my kid a pitch and strike 00:26:00.069 --> 00:26:02.450 him out. I'm not giving him any soft tosses. 00:26:02.450 --> 00:26:04.930 We're not letting him hit home runs. But maybe 00:26:04.930 --> 00:26:08.069 he'll get one and he'll take it for a ride. But 00:26:08.069 --> 00:26:12.730 for right now, the priority is clear. Kingdom 00:26:12.730 --> 00:26:17.269 first. Regardless of what sacrifices have to 00:26:17.269 --> 00:26:20.950 come. Do I sacrifice the paycheck? Do I sacrifice 00:26:20.950 --> 00:26:23.809 the retirement plan? Do I sacrifice the house? 00:26:23.950 --> 00:26:28.220 Do I sacrifice the scholarship? Yes. And if that 00:26:28.220 --> 00:26:31.240 sounds too radical for you, I'm sorry. That's 00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:36.880 what Scripture says. You have a Bible. There's 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:38.440 a Bible in the seat. If you don't have one, take 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:40.339 it with you, read it. That's what Scripture says. 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:45.880 Whatever it costs, kingdom first. And I know 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:49.460 this might, it's radical, it's heavy, and it's 00:26:49.460 --> 00:26:51.640 very challenging. And so I want to make sure 00:26:51.640 --> 00:26:53.859 I leave you with some hope. Because like I said, 00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:55.819 maybe we'll have baseball in heaven. I don't 00:26:55.819 --> 00:26:57.480 know about the baseball part, but do you know 00:26:57.480 --> 00:26:59.359 what I do know about heaven? I know what John 00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:03.299 says in Revelation chapter 21. This is a bit 00:27:03.299 --> 00:27:06.960 lengthy, but it's worth it. Because this is the 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:11.660 gospel. This is the truth of the gospel of what 00:27:11.660 --> 00:27:14.640 it was all about. This is why Jesus had to die, 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:20.559 and it is why we might have to die. Then I saw 00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:23.250 a new heaven. and a new earth, for the first 00:27:23.250 --> 00:27:26.710 heaven and the first earth had passed away, and 00:27:26.710 --> 00:27:29.430 the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, 00:27:29.470 --> 00:27:31.730 the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven 00:27:31.730 --> 00:27:35.130 from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her 00:27:35.130 --> 00:27:37.769 husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne 00:27:37.769 --> 00:27:40.609 saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is 00:27:40.609 --> 00:27:43.470 with man. He will dwell with them, and they will 00:27:43.470 --> 00:27:46.869 be his people, and God himself will be with them 00:27:46.869 --> 00:27:49.799 as their God. He will wipe away every tear from 00:27:49.799 --> 00:27:52.819 their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither 00:27:52.819 --> 00:27:56.059 shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore 00:27:56.059 --> 00:27:59.960 for the former things have passed away. And he 00:27:59.960 --> 00:28:02.779 who was seated on the throne said, behold, I 00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:06.700 am making all things new. Also, he said, write 00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:08.839 this down for these words are trustworthy and 00:28:08.839 --> 00:28:12.779 true. And he said to me, it is done. I am the 00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:15.480 Alpha and the Omega and the beginning and the 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:18.180 end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring 00:28:18.180 --> 00:28:20.839 of the water of life without payment. The one 00:28:20.839 --> 00:28:23.940 who conquers will have this heritage and I will 00:28:23.940 --> 00:28:32.859 be his God and he will be my son. Degrees are 00:28:32.859 --> 00:28:37.720 nice. Scholarships are nice. Salaries are nice. 00:28:39.470 --> 00:28:42.309 Comfort is nice. Being in the nice social groups 00:28:42.309 --> 00:28:45.089 is nice. Living in good neighborhood, all of 00:28:45.089 --> 00:28:49.130 those things, it's nice. But I was listening 00:28:49.130 --> 00:28:53.710 to a book yesterday and the concept came up of 00:28:53.710 --> 00:29:03.869 resume or eulogy. When you leave this earth, 00:29:03.950 --> 00:29:09.119 nobody is going to sit up there and read your 00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:12.440 resume. They're not going to read off your bank 00:29:12.440 --> 00:29:15.019 account. They're not going to talk about the 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:16.380 cars you had. They're not going to talk about 00:29:16.380 --> 00:29:17.960 the lake house. They're not going to talk about 00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:21.240 any of that stuff. They're going to talk about 00:29:21.240 --> 00:29:25.440 the life that you lived. They're going to talk 00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:28.460 about the fruit that you bore. They're going 00:29:28.460 --> 00:29:30.579 to talk about... the fruit of the Spirit that 00:29:30.579 --> 00:29:32.880 people saw in you. They're going to talk about 00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:35.519 the type of person that you were, the God that 00:29:35.519 --> 00:29:38.119 you proclaimed, the life that you lived. They 00:29:38.119 --> 00:29:43.480 are not going to talk about the resume. Now, 00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:45.599 they may say he was a very successful businessman, 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:49.420 and they may say she was a very prominent nurse. 00:29:49.640 --> 00:29:52.339 They may say those things, but the focus will 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:55.980 be on the type of person you were and the God 00:29:55.980 --> 00:29:59.440 that you proclaimed. And so what I'm asking you 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:02.940 is when you die, what will be said? Because when 00:30:02.940 --> 00:30:05.799 you rise, what is said at your funeral will show 00:30:05.799 --> 00:30:10.859 in where you go. And I personally want to go 00:30:10.859 --> 00:30:14.059 to the place where God dwells with man and man 00:30:14.059 --> 00:30:17.660 dwells with God and where God says, this is your 00:30:17.660 --> 00:30:21.420 heritage. This is your inheritance. I didn't 00:30:21.420 --> 00:30:23.500 grow up in a family of wealth. I didn't grow 00:30:23.500 --> 00:30:26.700 up in a family of success. I think. Yeah, nobody 00:30:26.700 --> 00:30:29.740 in my family has a college degree. There is nobody 00:30:29.740 --> 00:30:32.000 in my family that you would look at and say that 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:34.380 is a prominent person in their community. There 00:30:34.380 --> 00:30:36.900 is nobody in my family that you would say anything 00:30:36.900 --> 00:30:41.259 like that about. The resumes aren't great. But 00:30:41.259 --> 00:30:44.880 I'm okay with that if it means we get to heaven. 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:49.079 Now there's some work to do with my family. Maybe 00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:52.940 there's some work to do in yours. But I can make 00:30:52.940 --> 00:30:56.529 the choice of chasing. All of those things are 00:30:56.529 --> 00:30:59.990 following Jesus. And I do believe, and someone 00:30:59.990 --> 00:31:02.109 can correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe 00:31:02.109 --> 00:31:06.750 following Jesus leads to a far better life than 00:31:06.750 --> 00:31:11.349 chasing the world. I think the wisest man ever 00:31:11.349 --> 00:31:15.170 lived has something to say about that. And so 00:31:15.170 --> 00:31:19.609 this morning, what I'm asking you, if you're 00:31:19.609 --> 00:31:21.470 a disciple of Christ, if you have claimed to 00:31:21.470 --> 00:31:24.779 be a follower of Jesus, but you've not truly 00:31:24.779 --> 00:31:26.859 committed to paying the cost that he calls us 00:31:26.859 --> 00:31:32.259 to pay, please don't allow yourself to miss the 00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:35.660 reward because you became too comfortable with 00:31:35.660 --> 00:31:39.880 a consumer version of Christianity. And if you 00:31:39.880 --> 00:31:43.559 haven't started following him at all, I invite 00:31:43.559 --> 00:31:47.079 you to take the first step, to die to yourself. 00:31:47.950 --> 00:31:51.049 to bury the old life in the watery grave of baptism 00:31:51.049 --> 00:31:54.690 and to rise to new life committed to following 00:31:54.690 --> 00:31:58.990 Jesus with everything you have wherever he leads. 00:32:00.710 --> 00:32:05.950 We can't have Jesus without the cross. If you 00:32:05.950 --> 00:32:09.309 want, if we want to be with the Father in that 00:32:09.309 --> 00:32:11.170 glorious home that's described in Revelation, 00:32:11.609 --> 00:32:16.410 we have to follow Jesus completely, whatever 00:32:16.410 --> 00:32:20.769 it costs. Wherever it leads, we have to follow 00:32:20.769 --> 00:32:24.710 him. So wherever you stand this morning, I want 00:32:24.710 --> 00:32:27.369 you to know that we want to support you. We want 00:32:27.369 --> 00:32:29.049 to be there for you. We want to walk alongside 00:32:29.049 --> 00:32:32.089 you as you decide and you make those steps to 00:32:32.089 --> 00:32:35.869 following Jesus. If you want to follow the Jesus 00:32:35.869 --> 00:32:39.289 way in a better way, we invite you now to come 00:32:39.289 --> 00:32:40.430 as we stand and as we...