Foundry Community Church
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Year A
  • Church, we have gathered not merely to hear about God, but to encounter Him.
    He is the God who calls.
    He is the God who saves.
    He is the God who strengthens His people when the road becomes difficult.
    So let us worship the Lord with open hearts, attentive minds, and willing spirits.
    Matthew 16:21–28 ESV
    21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
    Matthew 16:21–28 ESV
    This is the Gospel of our Lord! ALL: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ!

    When Following Jesus Costs You Something

    Big Idea:
    Following Jesus means trusting Him enough to surrender our lives—even when discipleship costs us something.
    “I have learned something about myself: I really like comfort.”
    I like knowing what's coming.
    I like having a plan.
    I like knowing where I'm going, how I'm going to get there, and preferably how everything is going to turn out.
    And if I'm honest, sometimes I want God to lead me—but I would prefer that He give me the itinerary first.
    “Lord, I'll follow You. Just tell me where we're going, how long it's going to take, what it's going to cost, and whether I'm going to be comfortable along the way.”
    But that's not usually how God works.
    Because throughout Scripture, God has a habit of calling ordinary people beyond what feels safe and familiar.
    He called Abraham to leave home without knowing where he was going.
    He called Moses to walk back into the place he had run away from.
    He called the disciples to leave their nets and follow Jesus.
    And then Jesus says something that still confronts us today:
    “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
    That's not a comfortable invitation.
    And maybe that's where some of us are today.
    God is calling—but we're comfortable.
    He's asking us to forgive someone we'd rather hold a grudge against.
    He's asking us to step out in faith when we would rather have guarantees.
    He's asking us to serve when we'd rather be served.
    He's asking us to let go of something we've been holding onto.
    He's asking us to say yes when we'd really prefer to say, “Maybe later.”
    And here's what I've discovered:
    God's call will often take us beyond our comfort before it takes us into our calling.
    Because comfort says, “Stay here.”
    Faith says, “Follow Him.”
    So today I want us to wrestle with a simple question:
    What might God be asking you to leave behind so that you can follow Him forward?
    Because sometimes the greatest barrier between where we are and where God wants us to be isn't our ability.
    It's our willingness.
    And that's exactly where we find Moses.
    Moses had become comfortable.
    He had settled into a new life.
    He had a family.
    He had a job.
    He had a routine.
    And then one day, God interrupted his comfort with a calling.
    God called his name.
    And Moses answered:
    “Here I am.”
    That's the kind of response God is looking for from us.
    Not:
    “Here are my conditions.”
    Not:
    “Here is my five-year plan.”
    Not:
    “Here is what I'm willing to do.”
    But simply:
    “Here I am.”
    And then Jesus takes that same idea of surrender even further.

    1. JESUS DOESN'T HIDE THE COST

    Matthew 16:21

    Matthew tells us:
    “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things... and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
    Jesus is now telling His disciples exactly where this road is going.
    Jerusalem.
    Suffering.
    Death.
    Resurrection.
    And Peter doesn't like the plan.
    Peter takes Jesus aside and says, essentially:
    “Jesus, this isn't how this is supposed to work.”
    Peter had expectations.
    Peter wanted a Messiah who would conquer.
    Jesus was talking about suffering.
    Peter wanted glory.
    Jesus was talking about a cross.
    And Jesus responds with some of the strongest words He ever speaks to Peter:
    “Get behind me, Satan!”
    Why such a strong response?
    Because Peter was trying to convince Jesus to choose the easier road.
    Peter wasn't necessarily trying to be evil.
    He was trying to be comfortable.
    But the problem was that Peter's idea of God's plan was different from God's plan.
    And sometimes we do the same thing.
    We say:
    “God, I want You to lead me—but I already know where I think You should take me.”
    We want Jesus to bless our agenda.
    But Jesus didn't come to follow our agenda.
    We follow His.

    2. FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS SURRENDERING OUR AGENDA

    Jesus continues:
    “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
    Notice what Jesus doesn't say.
    He doesn't say:
    “If anyone wants to follow Me, make Me part of your existing plan.”
    He doesn't say:
    “Add Me to your schedule.”
    He says:
    “Deny yourself.”
    That doesn't mean that you don't have value.
    It doesn't mean that your needs don't matter.
    It doesn't mean that Christianity is about hating yourself.
    It means:
    Jesus is Lord—not me.
    My desires don't get the final word.
    My comfort doesn't get the final word.
    My preferences don't get the final word.
    My reputation doesn't get the final word.
    My plans don't get the final word.
    Jesus does.
    That's surrender.
    And surrender is difficult because we like control.
    We want God to be Lord—as long as He agrees with us.
    We want God's will—as long as God's will looks like our will.
    But following Jesus means we eventually have to pray:
    “Not my will, but Yours.”
    That's the prayer of surrender.
    And sometimes that prayer changes everything.

    3. THE CROSS IS NOT AN ACCESSORY

    Jesus says:
    “Take up your cross and follow me.”
    We hear that phrase so often that we can miss how shocking it would have sounded to Jesus' original audience.
    The cross wasn't jewelry.
    It wasn't decoration.
    It wasn't something hanging on a wall.
    The cross represented suffering, sacrifice, surrender, and death.
    Jesus was saying:
    “If you follow Me, there will be moments when following Me costs you something.”
    Sometimes the cross looks like forgiving someone who hurt you.
    Sometimes it looks like serving when nobody notices.
    Sometimes it means giving when you'd rather keep.
    Sometimes it means telling the truth when lying would be easier.
    Sometimes it means remaining faithful when quitting would be easier.
    Sometimes it means loving someone who doesn't love you back.
    Sometimes it means walking away from something that everyone else says is acceptable because you know God is calling you somewhere different.
    The cross means that Jesus gets to determine the direction of our lives.
    And here's the thing:
    Jesus never asks us to go somewhere He hasn't already gone.
    He doesn't say:
    “Take up your cross while I watch from a distance.”
    He says:
    “Follow Me.”
    He's already walking the road.

    4. WHAT WE LOSE FOR CHRIST IS NEVER GREATER THAN WHAT WE GAIN

    Jesus says:
    “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
    That sounds backwards.
    The world says:
    Protect yourself.
    Jesus says:
    Give yourself.
    The world says:
    Hold on tightly.
    Jesus says:
    Surrender.
    The world says:
    Build your life around yourself.
    Jesus says:
    Give your life to Me.
    And that brings me to a simple picture.

    THE BACKPACK ILLUSTRATION

    Imagine that this backpack represents your life.
    And inside it are all the things we carry.
    Our plans.
    Our need for control.
    Our reputation.
    Our fear.
    Our resentment.
    Our security.
    Our dreams.
    Our agenda.
    And here's what's strange:
    We know the backpack is heavy—but we're afraid to put it down.
    Because we think:
    “If I surrender this to God, I'm going to lose something.”
    Maybe it's your plans.
    Maybe it's a relationship.
    Maybe it's your need to control the outcome.
    Maybe it's your anger.
    Maybe it's your fear about the future.
    Maybe it's your insistence that things have to happen your way.
    And we've convinced ourselves that surrender means loss.
    But Jesus says:
    “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
    Jesus isn't saying:
    “Give Me your life and I'll make it smaller.”
    He's saying:
    “Give Me your life, and I'll give you the life you were created for.”
    Sometimes what we're calling loss is actually freedom.
    Sometimes surrender isn't God taking something good away from us.
    Sometimes surrender is God taking something heavy off our backs.
    And look at the cross.
    From the world's perspective, the cross looked like Jesus losing everything.
    His comfort.
    His reputation.
    His freedom.
    His life.
    But what looked like the greatest loss in history became the greatest victory in history.
    The cross proves that God can take what looks like loss and turn it into life.
    So perhaps today the question isn't:
    “What am I going to lose if I follow Jesus?”
    Maybe the better question is:
    “What am I carrying that Jesus is asking me to surrender?”
    Because you can trust Him with it.
    You can trust Him with your future.
    You can trust Him with your family.
    You can trust Him with your plans.
    You can trust Him with your reputation.
    You can trust Him with your dreams.
    You can trust Him with your life.
    Because Jesus says:
    “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

    5. DISCIPLESHIP BECOMES VISIBLE

    And here's where Romans 12 comes into the picture.
    Because following Jesus isn't simply something we say.
    It becomes visible in the way we live.
    Paul says:
    “Let love be genuine.”
    Then he begins describing what a surrendered life looks like.
    “Rejoice in hope.”
    “Be patient in tribulation.”
    “Be constant in prayer.”
    “Contribute to the needs of the saints.”
    “Seek to show hospitality.”
    And then Paul gets really difficult:
    “Bless those who persecute you.”
    Maybe those words have some additional importance since Jesus said them first…
    He then says:
    “Repay no one evil for evil.”
    And finally:
    “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
    That's what happens when the cross gets into our hearts.
    It changes how we live.
    It changes how we treat people.
    It changes how we respond when we're hurt.
    It changes how we handle conflict.
    It changes what we do with our resources.
    It changes how we love our enemies.
    Because here's the truth:
    You can't truly follow Jesus without becoming more like Jesus.
    The cross changes us.
    And when the cross changes us, the way we love changes.

    CONCLUSION

    The Way of the Cross Is the Way to Life

    So let me bring all of this together.
    God called Moses beyond comfort.
    Jesus called His disciples beyond comfort.
    And Jesus calls us beyond comfort.
    The invitation isn't:
    “Come follow Me when it's easy.”
    It's:
    “Take up your cross and follow Me.”
    And maybe today God is calling you beyond something.
    Beyond comfort.
    Beyond fear.
    Beyond control.
    Beyond your agenda.
    Beyond resentment.
    Beyond what everyone else thinks you should do.
    Maybe He's asking you to surrender something.
    And perhaps you've been afraid.
    You've been thinking:
    “If I give this to God, what will I have left?”
    Jesus answers:
    Life.
    Because the way of the cross is ultimately not the way of death.
    It is the way to life.
    The world says:
    “Find yourself.”
    Jesus says:
    “Lose yourself in Me.”
    The world says:
    “Protect your life.”
    Jesus says:
    “Give Me your life.”
    And Jesus promises:
    “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
    So today, the question isn't simply:
    Do you believe in Jesus?
    The deeper question is:
    Are you willing to follow Jesus?
    Even when it's uncomfortable.
    Even when it's inconvenient.
    Even when it costs you something.
    Because Jesus is worth following.
    His way is worth trusting.
    And His promise is worth believing.
    So what is Jesus asking you to surrender?
    What are you carrying?
    What have you been holding onto?
    What obedience have you been avoiding?
    Where have you chosen comfort over faithfulness?
    Where is Jesus saying:
    “Follow Me.”
    And perhaps our response needs to become the same response Moses gave:
    “Here I am, Lord.”

    COMMUNION TRANSITION

    From the Sermon to the Table

    Leader:
    Following Jesus is costly.
    But there is something we must never forget:
    We do not follow Jesus in order to earn His love.
    We follow Him because He has already loved us.
    We don't take up our cross so that Jesus will save us.
    Jesus took up His cross because He came to save us.
    That's the difference.
    Before Jesus ever asked us to surrender anything,
    He surrendered everything for us.
    Before He told us to take up our cross,
    He carried His cross for us.
    Before He asked us to give our lives,
    He gave His life.
    And that's why we come to this Table.
    Not because we have followed perfectly.
    We haven't.
    Not because we have surrendered completely.
    We haven't.
    Not because we have earned a place here.
    We haven't.
    We come because Christ is gracious.
    We come because Christ is faithful.
    We come because Christ gave Himself for us.
    At this Table, we remember the body that was broken.
    We remember the blood that was poured out.
    We remember the Savior who willingly walked the road to the cross.
    And we remember that what looked like defeat became victory.
    What looked like death became resurrection.
    What looked like loss became life.
    So as we come to the Table today, perhaps we should bring more than our hands.
    Bring your burdens.
    Bring your fear.
    Bring your plans.
    Bring your agenda.
    Bring the things you've been trying to control.
    Bring the things you aren't sure you're ready to surrender.
    And lay them before the One who has already given everything for you.
    Because the invitation of Jesus is still the same:
    “Take up your cross and follow me.”
    And the promise is still the same:
    “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
    So come to the Table.
    Come remembering the cross.
    Come receiving grace.
    Come surrendering your life.
    And come trusting that the way of the cross is the way to life.
    Amen.

    COMMUNION CONFESSION

    Leader:
    Lord Jesus Christ,
    we come to Your Table with grateful hearts and humble spirits.
    We confess that we have often wanted the crown without the cross,
    the blessing without the obedience,
    and the resurrection without the surrender.
    Forgive us for the ways we have resisted Your call.
    Forgive our selfishness.
    Forgive our pride.
    Forgive our unwillingness to follow when the road became difficult.
    Thank You for carrying the cross we could never carry.
    Thank You for giving Your life so that we might have life.
    Teach us to receive Your grace
    and to become people who freely give ourselves in love.
    Make us faithful followers of Jesus.
    Amen.

    ASSURANCE BEFORE COMMUNION

    Leader:
    Hear the good news:
    Christ gave Himself for us while we were still sinners.
    The Table is not a reward for those who have followed perfectly.
    It is a gift of grace for those who trust in Christ.
    So come with humility.
    Come with faith.
    Come with gratitude.
    Come remembering that the Savior who calls you to follow Him
    is the Savior who gave Himself completely for you.
    Amen.

    THE LORD'S SUPPER

    Words of Institution

    Leader:
    On the night when Jesus was betrayed, He took bread.
    And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said:
    “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
    In the same way, He took the cup after supper, saying:
    “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
    Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup,
    we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

    The Lord’s Prayer

    Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
    And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

    COMMUNION PRAYER

    Leader:
    Gracious God,
    thank You for the gift of Your Son.
    Thank You for the cross.
    Thank You for forgiveness.
    Thank You for resurrection.
    As we receive this bread and cup, strengthen our faith and renew our commitment to follow Jesus.
    Where we are weak, make us strong.
    Where we are fearful, give us courage.
    Where we are selfish, teach us generosity.
    Where we are bitter, teach us forgiveness.
    Where we have wandered, bring us home.
    And send us from this Table ready to live as people who have encountered the risen Christ.
    In the name of Jesus Christ,
    Amen.

    The Body of Christ, the Bread of Heaven

    The Blood of Christ, His cup of Salvation.
    Doxology
    Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
    Praise Him all creatures here below
    Praise Him above ye heav’nly host
    Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
    Amen.

    FINAL SENDING

    “Jesus isn't asking you to follow Him because the road is easy; He's asking you to follow Him because He knows where the road leads.”
    And then:
    “The road leads through the cross—but the cross leads to life.”

    Final Charge

    Church, Jesus has called you.
    Don't just admire Him.
    Follow Him.
    Don't merely believe His words.
    Live them.
    Don't run from the cost of discipleship.
    Trust the One who calls you.
    Take up your cross.
    Follow Jesus.
    Love genuinely.
    Overcome evil with good.
    And wherever He leads,
    let your answer be:

    “Here I am, Lord.”

    Go in peace.
  • Nothing But The Blood

      • Psalm 26:1–8ESV

      • Romans 12:9–21ESV

  • The Old Rugged Cross

      • Matthew 16:21–28ESV

      • Matthew 16:24ESV

      • Exodus 3:4ESV

      • Matthew 16:21ESV

      • Matthew 16:23ESV

      • Matthew 16:24ESV

      • Matthew 16:24ESV

      • Matthew 16:24ESV

      • Romans 12:9ESV

      • Romans 12:12ESV

      • Romans 12:13ESV

      • Romans 12:13ESV

  • Doxology
  • Rock Of Ages (Toplady)
  • Now Unto Him
Foundry Community Church
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