Somebody Loves You

Raul Ries: He is calling people to a total commitment. To come to that place where you don't look at physical death, but he makes the call so that you can surrender all of your life to him fully and completely, to love him and to serve him. Because those who come to Jesus Christ with self-renouncing faith receive true eternal life.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio, the Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. It is great to have you with us today. As we continue our focus on the transformative power of Jesus' cross, Raul will urge you to fully surrender to your Savior.

Jesus died to secure the way to heaven, but only those who repent of sin, turning to him with all of their hearts, will experience that gift of eternal life. Jesus will return one day for his people, and you want to be ready. The title of today's study is "The Cost of Discipleship." In Matthew chapter 16, beginning in verse 24, here is Raul Ries.

Raul Ries: If you have your Bibles, turn with me to the book of Matthew. We are in the gospel of Matthew. We are in the 16th chapter of Matthew, chapter 16, verse 24 through 26 this morning. It is always hard when you know as a leader, and you are leading people, what is ahead. Jesus already knew what was going to happen.

In the mind of the disciples, they were beginning to imagine how cool it was going to be to go to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, the Lord was going to fight against Rome, and Rome would be defeated, and then the Lord would set up his throne, and they would rule with Christ for a thousand years. But the Lord began to share with them that this was not true.

The Lord now, as Peter made that great confession and took him up to Caesarea Philippi, he said, "Who do men say that I am?" Peter stepped up to the plate and said, "Many say you are John the Baptist, some say you are Jeremiah the Prophet, some say you are Elijah." Then he said, "But who do you say that I am?" He turned to a personal relationship with God.

That is really important today because for the next event that he is going to talk to us about, you are going to have to make a choice today in your lives, whether you are a parent, a son or daughter, single, or married. It does not really matter. The reason is because we are heading in a time where the actual church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is coming to a close.

So I am really excited as I have been studying for weeks now, and then coming to this passage this morning, the Lord really just spoke to my heart because you think about Christ now talking to Peter, and Peter gave the confession. Then the Lord in the next verses, he opens his heart and he says, "Okay, you guys, I want to make it once again clear to you."

The Son of Man is going to Jerusalem, and he is going to be betrayed. He is going to suffer many things, and he is going to be killed. Imagine what they must have thought in their own minds and hearts when their ears heard that. "What do you mean you are going to die? I thought you said we were going to Jerusalem to set up your kingdom."

Then Jesus must have turned to them and said, "You know what, you guys? Let me explain it to you. First of all, before you could ever become a disciple of Jesus Christ, the title of my message this morning is you need to learn the cost of discipleship." What does it cost to be a disciple of Christ? In one word: all. Everything, if you really want to be a disciple of Christ.

It is really important for me as Christ is speaking as a pastor teacher, as an evangelist, as a sheep, a lamb of God, to be able not to be deceived by anyone else, but to believe what God's word says. This is exactly what Jesus is doing with his disciples. He is bringing them to that place where he is going to ask the great question.

Not only "Who am I?", but now as they are moving toward Jerusalem and they know that he is going to suffer, he is going to be betrayed, he is going to die, and he is going to rise again on the third day, they are bummed out. They are bummed out, and Jesus now in verse 24 of chapter 16 of Matthew, look at what he says to them.

Observation number one: he makes a call to follow Jesus Christ. He says this, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, not to the crowd. If anyone desires to come after me, number one, let him deny himself. Number two, take up your cross. Number three, follow me." Three principles to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.

It is interesting because these are things that Jesus said to men again and again. Not only the Messiah, but all his followers must tread the way of suffering in this life in order to enjoy the future life to come. It is not going to be a bed of roses, because roses even have thorns. They stick you. The thorn at the beginning of the book of Genesis, in the fall, is spoken there also of the curse.

It is really important that we understand that a man must be willing to follow Christ. But there are conditions given to us to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ. The suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ cannot be served by self-sparing disciples, people that say something but they do not do what they say. They contradict the word of God, especially when the pressure is on.

To give one's life is not to save one's life. It is to give your life once and for all and say, "This is not my life. This is the life of Christ. I give you my hands, my feet, my ears, my eyes. I give you my heart. I give you my all, Lord. Not my will, but thy will be done." That is what Jesus did.

That is why in the Old Testament, the priests would take the oils and he would take the oil upon his right thumb and he would dip it, put it on the right toe, and put it on the right arm. Why? It would be in the right hand that I was able to anoint what? My hands to worship the Lord, my feet to walk in the ways of God, and to put in my ears to hear the law of God and obey it, and to know him intimately.

Jesus repudiates here a self-serving attitude as unworthy of his kingdom. The way of death is the way of life, the beginning of true life. If physical life is one's highest good, he will deny the Lord in order to spare himself from suffering and death. You won't do it. When it really comes down to it, people will not do it.

He is calling people to a total commitment. To come to that place where you do not look at physical death, but he makes the call so that you can surrender all of your life to him fully and completely, to love him and to serve him. Because those who come to Jesus Christ with self-renouncing faith receive true eternal life. They are not phonies. They really believe what they believe and they live by it.

That is why here in the first observation that we have before us in verse 24, Jesus said to his disciples... Notice the invitation. If anyone... Notice the invitation. If anyone... It is not the elite. If anyone has the desire to come after Jesus, number one, let him deny himself or herself.

You know what the word "deny" means literally here? It means to forget about yourself. Yourself. Because the whole world is full of self. Me, myself, and I. Think about that today. People who are career people, what happens when you are in a career? People are always trying to get in front of you and step over you to get to your position.

The world is selfish. The world has only one agenda: me, myself, and I. But in Christianity, being a Christian, that is not the truth. If you want to rise up, you have to die to yourself. It is not by me promoting myself, it is the Lord who promotes whoever he wants to whatever level he wants.

In this way, you do not have to covet. You do not have to be selfish. You do not have to be unforgiving. Because I understand that you got promoted and you go to that place because God put you there, and it was not anybody else but God. So I am satisfied with what God is doing. I did not get the promotion, you got it. But in the world, think of how people think. Friendships are lost. Families are broken because of that word "selfishness."

And yet Jesus here in teaching us today, he is talking about this whole thing. If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself. Remember in Genesis chapter 22, where Abraham was called by God? He did not even talk to his wife. The Lord came by night and said, "Tomorrow morning, I want you to get your son, Isaac. He is 33 years old. You are over 100 years old. I want you to get a couple of mules, and I want you to get your servants and get some wood, get a knife, and then I want you to go a three-day journey to Jerusalem, and I want you to kill your son."

He had another son, older, remember? His name was Ishmael, but he was not the promised son. It was Isaac that was promised by God. And so Abraham, early in the morning, in Genesis 22, it says what? He rose up early in the morning, he got his mules together, he got his servants together, and he got his son. He did not even talk to his wife, and he started in obedience to the cross. He started to Mount Moriah on a three-day journey.

And when he got to Mount Moriah, all of a sudden they set camp and he said, "Listen, you guys. You guys will stay here, but me and my son, the lad, are going to go up there and we are going to come back." He spoke words of faith. Even if I have to kill my son, God can raise him from the dead. I will come back with my son. Incredible faith.

Abraham understood what it was that if he desired to come after Jesus Christ, he was denying himself fully and completely, completely forgetting about himself. How do we know that? When he got up with his son, and his son carried the wood and he had the big knife, and they started walking up Mount Moriah, 2200 feet up in the air there, a little mountain.

And he got up to the top of the mountain, and there was an altar that was already set. Remember what Isaac his son said, 32 years old? He said, "Hey, Dad. The altar, the wood, the knife, but where is the sacrifice, the lamb?" And in chapter 22, verse eight, Abraham answered and said, "Son, God will provide himself a sacrifice." 2000 years later in that same place, Jesus Christ died on the cross. And God provided for Abraham and his son a ram that was caught in the thickets.

Think how gracious and how loving God is when he sees people who are truly, truly disciples of Christ. Abraham was blessed. God gave him back his son. They both walked down that mountain together. It is interesting that here Jesus in his call is calling out because he is calling out so that we do not love ourselves, but that we love Christ.

Remember in Matthew 6:33, above that as you begin the chapter and you come to the end of the chapter, he says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplications." Why? He says because a lot of people, when you do not have food or you do not have clothes, God says what?

"If I provide for the sparrows and the birds of the air, I give them fig trees, I give them apple trees, I give them anything they need. How much more valuable are you to me?" But what I want you to do is Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and my righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." True discipleship is trusting Christ for every one of my needs.

So here Jesus Christ, talking to his disciples, says, "Listen, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself." Number two: take up your cross. What is the cross? The cross is the instrument of death. Many people wear a cross with Jesus still hanging on it. Jesus is no longer on the cross; he resurrected. The empty cross speaks of self-denial. Christ died; Christ rose again from the dead. We serve a living God, not a dead God.

And Jesus here is making the example not only in Matthew, listen, in Mark 8:34 he says, "And when he had called the people to himself, his disciples came also and said to them: Whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.

"For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul eternally? Or what will a man or a woman give in exchange for his or her soul?" Listen to Luke 9:23: "Then he said to them: If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily."

He is the only one in the gospel who adds the word "daily" to that same passage. Daily. Not monthly, not yearly. Every day you have to take up your cross and follow me. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

"And what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world?" So you get millions of dollars, who cares? What are you going to do with it when you die? Are you going to give it to people so they can ruin themselves and not really invest in the kingdom of God and destroy your children and your grandchildren if they do not know how to use it?

Think about what Jesus is saying here. "What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, but yet himself is destroyed or lost eternally? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and his Father's and his holy angels. But I truly tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."

And then in Luke 14:25-26, he says: "Now great multitude went up with him and they turned and said to them: If anyone comes to me and does not hate..." Listen to what he says, not love. "If you do not hate your father, your mother, your wife, your children, your brothers, your sisters, yes, and even your very own life, you cannot be my disciple." I did not say it; Jesus said it.

The word "hate" there is to love less. Christ has to be what? Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Not your wife, not your husband, not your children, not your grandbabies. Jesus Christ is number one. That is a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

He is written in the word of God. In verse 27, he says: "And whoever does not bear his cross and comes after me, he cannot be my disciple." Notice that. John 12:25: "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." For eternal life, he will keep it. You will live forever and ever with the Lord.

If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and thirdly: follow me. Capital M-E, Me, Jesus Christ. Notice that. It is a path of obedience, not a path of disobedience. To follow Christ, you have to obey what he says. Those are his qualifications. Otherwise, you cannot be a disciple of Christ.

Check this out, observation number two. Let's look at it. Verse 25: The choice to follow. A choice has to be made. He says: "For whoever..." Anybody again. "For whoever desires to save his life, will lose it." What does that mean? It means you lost it eternally. You are done.

He says, "But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it spiritually and eternally." Write that down. Eternally you will find it. Spiritually you will find it. There is no other way to follow Jesus Christ. You have to make the choice to follow Christ.

And then he says this incredible thing in verse 26, observation number three. Listen carefully. The sacrifice to follow Christ. He says, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world?" Just stop there for a second.

What profit does a person have when he gains the whole world, he comes to the end of his life, he dies, and then what happens? Everything is left behind. The only thing you can take when you die is your soul, your spirit. That is it. Even this body, this tent goes back into the earth and it becomes earthly, and it becomes full of worms, and it goes back into the earth.

But the spirit that is in me lives on. And so he is asking a tremendous question here of sacrifice. "What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" Wow. You know what it means there? The word "to lose" here means if he forfeits. Write that down. What is it going to take for you to forfeit your soul? To forfeit your soul because you would not give first place to Christ. Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Guest (Male): If you have never fully surrendered your heart and life to Christ, it is our prayer that you will not hesitate to begin that relationship with him today. You are listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. Today's lesson was titled "The Cost of Discipleship." If you would like to get an unedited version, we will be happy to send one to you for a donation of five dollars or more. Just call us at 800-634-9165.

We would also like to tell you about this entire series from Raul. It is titled "Why the Cross Mattered and Still Does." Available on CD and USB, all 13 lessons underscore the Lord's unconditional sacrificial love for his creation. As you learn more about why the cross was necessary for our redemption, you will also find out what a difference-maker it is to live in submission to God's will.

Visit somebodylovesyou.com or call 800-634-9165 to order "Why the Cross Mattered and Still Does." We will send you this 13-part study on CD for 25 dollars or if you would like, on a flash drive for just 16 dollars. That is 800-634-9165. You can also order by writing us at Somebody Loves You Radio, PO Box 4440, Diamond Bar, California, 91765.

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Next time on Somebody Loves You Radio, we will continue this series centered on Jesus' saving love. Together we will consider the amazing gift of Jesus' care as he tends to us like a shepherd looking after his sheep. Now, here is Raul once again.

Raul Ries: What is it, the thing or the person or the possession in your life that is holding you back from a full commitment to Jesus Christ? Before he comes again, time is running short. The Lord is coming soon, and people are mocking the idea that he is coming soon again. But they can laugh all they want. I believe what God's word teaches.

And I believe in a personal love relationship with Jesus Christ, that Christ has said what he said, and he means what he means. He is going to do exactly what he has said. And the time is ripe in the world today for war, for the Antichrist, the number system, and the financial chaos that is going on in the world today.

Everything has to collapse before it can be built up by the Antichrist for seven years before the second coming of Christ. But God will take his church before the seven years and take us to heaven to be with him so that we can come back to the battle of Armageddon to set up the kingdom age for a thousand years. That is why I get so excited about the word of God.

So finally, in conclusion, get this: "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?" What are you going to give? Are you going to give your life to Christ or are you going to reject Christ? You have to make the choice.

Guest (Male): This program is sponsored by Somebody Loves You Radio in Diamond Bar, California.