Good News Baptist Church
Sundays March
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  • Graves Into Gardens
  • Still The King
  • Thank You Jesus For The Blood

  • Introduction

    Before we get into the message, I want to ask a question. You do not need to bow your head or close your eyes for this one, but I will ask that you raise your hand if the answer is “Yes, this statement applies to me/describes me,” and I will ask that you do this honestly. I will also ask you to wait until I finish the statement. So here it is: How many of you would say, “Mike, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I am not perfect; I get selfish and do my own thing sometimes and do my own thing, but generally speaking, I am a follower of Jesus, and He occupies first place in my life.” You may be a new Christian that doesn’t know very much or someone that has been a Christian for decades, it does not matter. If you can honestly say that you are following Jesus to the best of your ability, and you are seeking to keep Him in first place in your life, that is what I’m asking. So, if that statement is true of you, will you raise your hand with mine?
    If that statement does indeed apply to you, then you are a disciple of Jesus. Disciple means follower, imitator, student.
    You can put your hands down. Keep your answer in mind as we continue through our study today.
    We left off last week with Jesus asking the all-important question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers this question in the best way possible by saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” acknowledging Jesus not only as Messiah, but also God in the flesh.
    We saw that this statement is the foundation of of our faith and that Jesus would build His church upon himself. The promise of Jesus building His church goes much deeper that what some people might tend to think. This is a promise from God Himself. He will build His church, and is now doing so, and will continue to do so until the day He the church joins Him in heaven. That means that we do not have to worry about building the church, nor are we responsible for it. We are responsible for obeying, for following the guidance of God, for joining Him in the work that He is doing — that is what we are responsible for. He will give the growth, both physical and spiritual, in His time if we are faithful.
    Next we saw that Jesus said that the gates of hell, the gates of death, would not prevail against the church. The church, as we will see today, will suffer many things, and has suffered many things throughout the ages, yet the Christ’s church will not be defeated, will not retreat in shame, and will not be overcome by death or the threat of death.
    In fact, we can see throughout history that where the church is persecuted, the church continues to grow and spread in a mighty way. Take, for instance, the country of Iran, a country that was named “The [Christian] Persecutor of the Year” in 2023 by the International Christian Concern. In 2016 there were an estimated 117,000 Christians in Iran. By 2023, that number had risen to around300,000, and now there are anywhere between 500,000 to over a million Christians, depending on sources of estimates. Meaning that in the lower estimates, in 10 years, the amount of Christians in Iran has grown by a factor of 5, if not 10. Many of those are converts from Islam. Though some groups of Christians are formally recognized by the Iranian government, converting from Islam to Christianity is a a crime punishable by death. But despite that, Iran has the fastest growing church in the world. Many people are converting to Christ, leaving Islam and Allah and Mohammed behind.
    Judging by the current rate of growth of Christianity and supposing that the persecution will remain at the same intensity, experts believe that in 20 years the number of Christians will more than double once again in Iran.
    Death cannot defeat the church. Death cannot stand against the church. The church assaults the gates of death every time that we share the Gospel, and every time we shut up about it, death launches a successful counter attack.
    It is in this context that we have the following passage that we will study today. Matthew 16:21-28. We will read through the complete passage and then break it down into its two natural groupings.
    Matthew 16:21–28 KJV 1900
    21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. 28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

    The Crucified Savior

    The first thing that Jesus does is that He announces to His disciples that He will go to Jerusalem and that there in Jerusalem, He will suffer many things at the hands of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the Jewish religious governing body. It had both legislative and judicial authority — that is, it could enact laws and preside over cases in which a law was had been broken. They had oversight of religious and political matters until they were dissolved after the destruction of the Second Temple.
    The Sanhedrin was made op of Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees. The High Priest was also a part of the Sanhedrin, and would have belonged to the sect of the Sadducees. So Jesus says, “I am going to go to Jerusalem, and there, I will suffer many things at the hands of the Scribes, the elders (leaders of the Pharisees and Sadducees), and chief priests [all together known as the Sanhedrin]. After suffering at their hands, I will be killed, but I will rise again on the third day.”
    The book of Mark tells us that Jesus said this very clearly. Mark 8:31-32
    Mark 8:31–32 KJV 1900
    31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32a And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
    So Jesus is speaking openly, plainly, to His disciples. Up until now, He has taught about and mentioned His death in a way that is obscure. These had not been understood by the casual followers, the Pharisees, or even the disciples themselves, as we can see by Peter’s reaction.
    So now they begin to understand what Jesus is saying, and as they comprehended it, they are deeply moved by the dark portion of Jesus revelation, failing to understand the implications of the second part that says, “And after three days, I will rise again.”
    What is Peter’s rebuke? Matthew tells us very plainly. Matthew 16:22
    Matthew 16:22 KJV 1900
    22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
    It is possible that Peter had thought Jesus as overcome by despondency or sorrow, and in Peter taking Jesus away from the rest of the disciples, it may be that Peter was worried that Jesus’ talk would discourage the others. So Peter, assuming that he knows better than the Master, takes Jesus aside and says, “Jesus, that is never going to happen. You can’t say things like that.” And with that, Peter oversteps the the laws of discipleship, trying to tell the Master what is the best course of action.
    The disciples, though readily accepting of the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, still had trouble with their understanding about how the Messiah would liberate. Again, their thoughts are on the physical liberation of Israel. A Messiah that suffers and then dies does not fit into that narrative. So Peter says to Jesus, “Jesus, that cannot happen to you! That will NEVER happen!” Matthew and Mark both make it clear that this is a rebuke coming from Peter. Peter is getting on to Jesus!
    So Jesus then rebukes Peter. Matthew 16:23
    Matthew 16:23 KJV 1900
    23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
    He gets onto Peter and corrects him. Where just recently he had called Simon, Peter, the small stone that would be laid beside the cornerstone along with the other apostles to form the foundation of the church, now Jesus calls him Satan — the enemy, the adversary, the tempter. The way that Jesus speaks to Peter is reminiscent of the way that Jesus spoke to Satan when He was being tempted in the wilderness. After the third temptation, Jesus says to Satan, “Get the hence,” or “Get out of here!” Now He tells Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.”
    And it is not that Peter had been possessed by Satan at this time, nor was it that Satan was directly manipulating Peter’s mouth to form such words. But Peter was espousing an idea that was not of the Holy Spirit, it was of men. In Peter’s confession, Peter had spoken boldly that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. This revelation had been given to him by none other than God. That Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God was in agreement with everything that Jesus had said before.
    Now, Peter shoots from the hip in a way that directly contradicts Jesus, promoting in the process, the ideas that the rest of the Jews had about the Messiah. These are ideas that Satan would directly lift up, because he knows that if Jesus can be crowned king instead of executed, this messes up eternity’s plan to sacrifice Jesus for the complete payment of the sins of the world. So Jesus calls Peter, “Satan,” the adversary, the enemy. “Peter, what you are saying to me is directly opposed to my plan. What you are saying to me negates all that I have been preaching, even what you have been preaching. You are being my enemy. Get behind me.” Peter words were a temptation. Obviously not much of one, as Jesus’ immediate response is to tell Peter that he is wrong. But Jesus models for us once again what to do with temptation — we are to put it behind us, out of our sight. We are to look upon things that way that God would look upon them, not the way that men would look upon them.
    The words Peter spoke were a stumbling block and a trap. This is why Jesus says, “You are an offense to me.” Where previously his words had glorified Jesus, now Peter’s words are a stumbling block.
    The word behind means exactly that, and it also carries the meaning of “follow.” So in a sense Jesus is saying to Peter, “Fall in line behind me. You are trying to lead me to a place I am not meant to be. Let me lead, and you get behind me.”
    Peter had become and unwitting spokesperson for Satan, and just like him, we can also fall for the same thing. Whenever we turn from God’s perspective to our own (or anyone else’s), we become a mouthpiece of Satan, a stumbling block and a snare for all around us.
    When we lose sight of God’s plan for us, we become stumbling blocks. This happens when our focus becomes our careers, our possessions, our security, our comfort, our own expectations, our desires, and the things of this world instead of focusing on the sacrifice and service that it takes to proclaim God’s message.
    When Peter’s focus shifted, Jesus rebuked him. I’m sure it was not a fun experience for Peter. But thank God Peter had enough maturity to not run away like the others that heard hard sayings from Jesus. Peter did not quite understand the rebuke, and we see this in the way that Peter acts upon Jesus’ arrest, drawing his sword and attacking the servant of the high priest. He still was not ready to see Jesus as the Suffering Savior. But later, he would understand. In Acts 3:17-18 we see Peter preaching to a crowd after having healed a man outside the Temple, and this is what he says:
    Acts 3:17–18 KJV 1900
    17 And now, brethren, I wot [know] that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. [Did what out of ignorance? If you read the previous verses, Peter is telling them that they delivered up and crucified Jesus, the Son of God.] 18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
    At this point, Peter understands that it was necessary for Jesus to suffer and be crucified. He realizes now what he didn’t realize back in Matthew 16 — that Jesus needed to be crucified. It was a fulfilment of prophecy, and it was the only way for us to be saved. And it is at this point that Peter understood that death could not prevail against Jesus’ church, because it could never prevail against Jesus, on whom the church is built.
    And you and I may not always understand a rebuke at first, but if we continue in the Lord, humbly serving Him and following Him, in due time we will.
    It would cost Jesus much suffering and even His life to continue to fulfill the calling that the Father had laid upon Him. And it would cost the disciples as well.

    The Crucified Disciple

    Not only is it Jesus that was called to suffer by the Father, not only was it Jesus that was called to die by the Father, but everyone that would follow Jesus is called to suffer and to die to their own flesh. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it well when he said:
    “The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ.
    As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.
    When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at His call. “
    And Jesus turns and summons not only the disciples to listen to Him, but a crowd that has been gathering also. Mark 8:34-38
    Mark 8:34–38 KJV 1900
    34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
    There is a crowd following Jesus. Not just the disciples, but a crowd is following, and after rebuking Peter, Jesus calls not only the disciples to listen to Him, but the crowd as well.
    And He begins to say lay out the conditions of being a disciple, the conditions for following Him.
    The conditions are three. These are the things that must be true about you before you can even be considered a follower of Jesus.
    Look back at verse 34 that we just read and you find them all there.

    The Conditions for Being a Disciple

    Deny yourself — If you and I want to be a disciple, we must deny our own selves. This is not the stuff that the sovereign citizens try to pull in court to get out of tickets — “I am a not Billy Robinson; I am a flesh and blood man< and I am an authorized representative of Billy Robinson.” That is definitely not what we are talking about today. This is also not just some petty denial of ourselves. This is not, “Well, I guess I will deny myself for 2 hours on a Sunday and go to a church meeting.” No, no, no. This is a very specific word in the Greek language. The word is aparnéomai (accent added for pronunciation only). The word aparneomai does not mean simply to deny. Listen to the full definition — to utterly deny; to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone; to forget one's self, lose sight of one's self and one's own interests. If you and I want to follow Jesus, we must have lost sight of our own interests so much that it looks like we are foreigners to our own selves. When we look in the mirror, our own reflection should wonder who we are. The wants, the desires, the goals of our flesh should be absolutely foreign to us, even though they once belonged to us. This is to deny one’s self. Christians get this wrong all the time. We think that if we wake up a little bit earlier to do our Bible reading, or skip a lunch here and there to spend time in prayer we are fulfilling this. We think that if we serve in a ministry, and we put in an hour and a half into the children’s class on a Sunday after having spent a couple of hours studying throughout the week, that this helps us fulfill this requirement. (Story of Damara not recognizing me after growing a beard and growing out my hair. She would have denied any acquaintance with me had someone told her, “you know that man.” Until I went and talked to her, she thought Tahsha had shown up to the event with another man!) This denial of one’s self is the kind of denial that makes an old friend say, “I don’t even know who you are anymore.” Not because of a beard or different hair color, but because you are so changed by Christ that there is nothing that ties you to your old self. And I don’t just mean people that have been saved out of drugs and alcohol and gangs. I mean people that are saved and they led a pretty good life before. There should be such a drastic change in thought processes, in what you and I hold dear, in what motivates us that friends that knew us before we started following Jesus passionately would say, “I can’t even recognize you anymore.” If you and I want to be disciples of Jesus, we first must utterly deny ourselves.
    Take up your cross — The cross was an instrument of execution. To take up one’s cross does not mean to go and buy cross jewelry and wear it daily, though there is nothing wrong with that. It does not mean to go and get a tattoo of a cross, though there is nothing wrong with that either. It also does not mean to go and build yourself a cross and carry it around everywhere you go. Taking up your cross is about the mortification of the flesh. Putting to death the part of us that fiercely wants to be in control.
    This is what it means to take up your cross. Why? Because once we have denied ourselves, there will be times when our own flesh will be stronger than simple denial, and at that time it take an execution. You and I, as followers of Christ, must be ready to violently and mercilessly kill the part of us that wants to be in control.
    When you find yourself in an argument with your spouse, that part of you that gets inflamed and is ready to let loose the magic words that will shut her up/shut him up, before your mouth does, kill it!
    When its time to tell someone about Jesus and there rises up within a part of you that is scared, that is trying to tell you not to do it, kill it!
    When someone points out some sin or shortfall and the prideful, defensive self wants to lash out, kill that part of yourself!
    When you are tempted to do the wrong thing, say the wrong thing, pursue the wrong relationship, that part of you must be violently and mercilessly put to death.
    That is what the cross is for. Why is this so necessary in the life of a Christian? Because we are debtors. Every Christian is in debt. Oh, we are not expected to pay the debt of sin, that was paid for and forgiven by Jesus Christ when He died on the cross and we trusted in Him and received Him as our savior. But the Bible says that we are debtors. Romans 8:12-13.
    Romans 8:12–13 KJV 1900
    12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
    We are not indebted to the flesh, to live after it, we are indebted to live after the the Spirit of God. The question, the very important question, is then: “HOW do I mortify the flesh? How do I kill that part of me that raises itself up in pride and tries to take control of the life that is supposed to be controlled by the Spirit?” And the answer is in Romans 8:13 - we mortify the flesh, we put our flesh to death through the Spirit. In fact, that is God’s doing.
    That is God’s working in us. As we deny ourselves, the Holy Spirit within us puts our flesh to death. But we must be the bearers of that cross. We must have the willingness to lay our hands and lay our feet upon the cross that we carry so that the Holy Spirit can kill the prideful part of us. And how often does that need to happen? It would be great if it were one time. But after interviewing all the eyewitnesses he could to compile the Gospel that he wrote, Luke records something that the others do not. Luke 9:23
    Luke 9:23 KJV 1900
    23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
    It is a daily discipline
    3. Follow Jesus — The word translated follow is, in the grammatical sense, a particle of union. It is a part of speech that means implies unity with something or someone. We are to be joined with Jesus. This is not a follow from a far kind of deal. No, Jesus says, “You want to come after me, you want to follow me? Join me. Be united with me. Walk in lockstep with me.” The definition of the word means to join as a disciple; to follow in a pathway one that precedes. This seems like it is simple to understand, but I don’t think we grasp the gravity of this phrase. It means that every step I take, I took because Jesus just took it. It means that every action I take, I do because Jesus just did it. Every word I speak is spoken because Jesus just spoke it. If you are feeling like this has added a bit of weight to the whole thing, then good. It should feel that way. Think of the last conversation you had. Are those the words that Jesus would have said? Think of the last joke you told. Is that something that Jesus would have said? Think of the last shortcut you took at work. Was that done following Jesus? Were you following Jesus when you slammed the door or hung up the phone or made that snarky remark? Were you following Jesus when opportunities to serve came up and you said, “No thanks.” And let me be clear, not every opportunity to serve is for everyone. It is me following Jesus that does not permit me to be a youth worker or a toddlers teacher. But my decisions to participate or not participate in a ministry better be because Jesus walked me through that decision.
    These three things come in a very specific order. We cannot mix them up. First we must deny ourselves. That has to come before we crucify ourselves. And that must come before we can follow Jesus and be united in Him completely.
    Because if I am not dead to myself, when Jesus leads me to do something or participate in something, I might say something to the effect of, “But I don’t want to.” But if I have denied myself and am dead to my wishes and desires, that does not even come into play.
    If Jesus calls me to join a Home Group or a ministry, and someone else is serving that I just do not get along with, I might say something like, “But I don’t really like talking to this person. I feel like we just don’t click.” Well, if I am dead to myself, then who cares, because none of that matters. What matters is, am I doing (or not doing) things because that is where Jesus just led me? And I cannot be led out of my comfort zone unless I am first dead to myself. I will never let the Holy Spirit crucify my flesh if I have first not willingly denied myself so utterly, that Mike Jones no longer exists in desires, in goals, in preferences, in accomplishments, or in any other way. What exists is a person so dedicated to being united with Jesus that others see Jesus instead of seeing me.
    I cannot walk in unity with others of the church of Jesus that He calls me to walk in unity with if I do not first die to self and deny myself. Because I cannot walk in unity with fellow members if I do not open myself up to fellow members. I will not open myself up and become vulnerable with other unless I deny myself and let the Holy Spirit crucify my flesh because doing that is extremely uncomfortable. And guess what, Jesus has called us to walk in unity with the body, to be so attached to each other that we feed off of each other, that we share in our experiences, that we share our burdens, that we share our struggles with sin and with the world, that we would be accountable to each other. That is where He is leading, and very few are following. And you know what? He calls us to do this with every member of the church, not just those that we click with.
    In western shows and movies like Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Rifleman, or the majority of “The Duke” John Wayne’s movies, you often find wanted posters. They say things like, “Wanted - dead or alive, Deadeye Dan Smith. Reward: $5,000 alive, $2,000 dead.”
    The title of today’s message takes on a bit of that, but it is simply,

    Wanted Dead: Self

    Jesus cannot fully use Christians who are not fully dead. Dead to ourselves. Dead to our desires. Dead to our preferences. Dead to our goals. Dead to sin. Dead to unforgiveness. Dead to bitterness. Dead to grudges. Dead to pride. Dead to discomfort.
    I’ve told y’all that I used to work at a funeral home. I did a lot of things from being an usher at funerals to preaching funerals to dressing and putting make up on bodies. One thing that never happened, and never will, is for a dead body to complain about anything. I broke a woman’s hip one time as I was dressing her, and you might be surprised, but there was not a peep out of her. There was certainly a peep out of me! But not from her.
    Occasionally, though the utmost care is taken that this would never happen, but occasionally, a body may slip off the table where it is being embalmed or dressed or prepped, and fall on the floor. I have witnessed this twice. It is a sickening thud when it happens, but not a single one of those bodies ever complained… crazy.
    We ought to stop complaining when Jesus leads us to difficult situations, conversations, ministries, and interactions. It is not a fake it until you make it, it is total death to self and self-comfort that makes me not complain.
    And you might think that this is a very high cost. And it is. But let me tell you of the reward before I close.
    Mark 8:35 KJV 1900
    35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
    Lose your life. It is the only way to save it. Jesus came, He said, to give life and give it more abundantly. Not just in heaven, but here. You will find no greater joy than in sacrifice for the savior. And you will find no miserable a person as the Christian who is not dead to self.
    The following verses in Mark say, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose His soul?” Nothing! And what does it profit you, a Christian, to have lived a comfortable life, meeting your goals, doing what you want to do, spending your time like you want to spend it, spending your money like you want to spend it, accumulating degrees and awards and accolades? What does it profit you if you were not fully following Jesus while you did all this? Nothing.
    Listen, no one, and I mean no one, will get to heaven and say, “I wish that instead of spending time with the church, reaching others, following Jesus, I would have instead spent some more ‘me” time, some more time hanging out with my friends. Some more time watching TV.”
    In heaven, no one will ever regret living for Jesus and for the Gospel, no matter how uncomfortable it made them or how much pain it caused.
    Paul says it well in Romans 8:18
    Romans 8:18 KJV 1900
    18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
    The reward for us is that we get an abundant life here, and untold glorious reward in heaven. But ultimately, the reward is Christ. The reward is hearing Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

    Invitation

    Wanted: Christians who are dead to self.
    I will ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes.
    At the beginning of this sermon I asked for you to raise your hand if the statement was true of you that You are a follower of Christ. You are His disciple.
    After viewing and studying what it means to even begin to follow Jesus, I want to ask the same thing. Again, I’ll ask that you not raise your hand until I finish.
    Who would say, “Mike, though I am not perfect, I can honestly say and it can be witnessed that my life is all about following Jesus. I know I do not do it perfectly, but there is evidence in my life, proof positive that I am continually dying to self, carrying my cross, and following Jesus. Not just in the easy paths, but in the hard ones too.” If that applies to you, and only if that applies to you, would you raise your hand high to the God that sees your heart?
    If you could not raise your hand, why not? What area are you struggling in? Where do you find that you are not denying yourself?
    Are you going to leave here the same way that you came?
    Altar Call.

    Life Group

    small men/women groups (Wednesday groups?)
    1. What stood out to you about the sermon? Any comments, questions, or concerns?
    2. When you first started following Jesus, what did you think being a “disciple” meant, and how has that understanding changed over time?
    3. If someone asked your close friends or family, “Who or what is in first place in their life?” what do you think they would say, based on what they see?
    4. Can you think of a Christian (personally or from history) whose costly obedience to Jesus really challenges you? What about their life stands out?
    5. Work together in a group to explain why Jesus’ call to lose your life for His sake is not ultimately a loss, but a different kind of saving.
    6. Where do you most feel the tension between Jesus’ call and your own desires: comfort, safety, reputation, control of your schedule, relationships, or something else?
    7. What is one specific area where you sense Jesus is asking you to “deny yourself” right now—something you need to release, surrender, or say “no” to? What makes that so hard?
    8. Before you leave today: Choose one daily moment or habit (first 10 minutes of your day, commute, lunch, bedtime) where you will intentionally pray, “Lord, today I deny myself; help me take up my cross and follow You.” What time will that be, and how will you remember?

      • Matthew 16:21–28ESV

      • Mark 8:31–32ESV

      • Matthew 16:22ESV

      • Matthew 16:23ESV

      • Acts 3:17–18ESV

      • Mark 8:34–38ESV

      • Romans 8:12–13ESV

      • Luke 9:23ESV

      • Mark 8:35ESV

      • Romans 8:18ESV

Good News Baptist Church
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