Today’s World May Present Choices and Prioritizations that Conflict with Jesus’ Demand to “deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” – Make Careful Choices

Today’s World May Present Choices and Prioritizations that Conflict with Jesus’ Demand to “deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” – Make Careful Choices!

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

In a time in which we hear so much about self-help, self-image, and self-actualization, Jesus is saying self-denial is the way to life. Jesus tells us, in Matthew 16:24, that self-denial is a key element in following Him: “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’". “Taking up one’s cross” means to die to self-ambitions. When we die to our self-ambitious and put them on the cross, Jesus’ life moves through us: “Not my will but Thy will.”. Also, Jesus tells us in Mathew 10:38-39, about the catastrophic consequences of our not denying self to serve Him: “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.". Additionally, Paul’s life and ministry were all about his self-denial and suffering so that he could be a Follower of Jesus, as he tells us in Galatians 6:17: “From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.". By denying self, we become alive in Jesus; and His Spirit flows through us – we experience eternal life and abundant life

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Resentment. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Compassion. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 16:24; Mathew 10:38-39; Galatians 6:14-17; Psalms 141:1-10.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “We Need to Create a Culture of Grace and Kindness in Our Country Today Which Gives Others the Benefit of the Doubt and Visibly Values Other People", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “We All Need “Hope” in Today’s World of Fear, Doubt in Our Faith, and Feelings of “Hopelessness”; and God Is this “Hope””:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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