1 Corinthians 12:14-20 - For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body.
3 choices followers of Christ must make every day
I. A Purposeful Decision to Deny Yourself (v. 34)
Mark 8:34 - And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
“The verb deny (from the Greek aparneomai) is a strong term, meaning ‘to have no association with’ or ‘to disown completely.’ The same word is used to describe Peter’s denial of Jesus (Mark 14:30–31, 72) and Christ’s denial in heaven of those who deny Him before men (Luke 12:9). The Lord’s point was that those who wished to follow Him must be willing to disown themselves and give up everything for His sake.” (John MacArthur, Mark 1-8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015)
“It is important to note that self-denial, cross bearing, and obedience are not meritorious works that somehow earn salvation. Nor do they comprise a list of sequential steps that must be followed to be saved from sin. Rather, they are the inherent characteristics of repentant faith and the new birth, which is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8; 2 Tim. 2:25) imparted by His Spirit at the moment of salvation. Those whom God saves He transforms, giving them a new heart (cf. Ezek. 36:25–27), so that out of love for the Savior, they eagerly deny themselves, endure suffering, and submit obediently to His Word.” (John MacArthur, Mark 1-8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015)
A. By putting God first
B. By putting others before yourself
Philippians 2:3 - Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves…
II. A Willingness to Daily Take Up the Cross of Christ
A. Because of your faith you may experience pain and shame
Mark 8:38 - For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
Hebrews 12:2 - …fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
B. Because God is using your faith as an example
2 Corinthians 1:6 - But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation…
C. Because of your faith, we must be ready to lay down our lives
“Not every believer will die as a martyr, but every faithful follower of Jesus will love Christ so fully that even death is not too high a price for eternal joy. All believers inevitably suffer to some degree because the world hates those who belong to Him (2 Tim. 3:12). Thus, to take up the cross is a metaphor for being willing to pay any price for the glorious gift of life He gives (cf. 1 Peter 4:12-14). True conversion causes a person to view the Lord Jesus and the hope of heaven as so precious that no personal sacrifice is too much.” (John MacArthur, Mark 1-8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015)
Mark 8:33 - But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
John 21:18-19 - “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
III. A Readiness to Follow Christ Wherever He Might Take You
“The verb follow (a form of the Greek word akoloutheō) is the same verb found in John 10:27, where Jesus described believers as His flock, ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.’ Like sheep submitting to the voice of their shepherd, genuine followers of Christ are characterized by loving obedience to Him and His Word.” (John MacArthur, Mark 1-8. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015)
John 21:20-22 - Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
Romans 9:19-20 - You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?
IV. The Results of The Choices God Calls Us to Make
A. Trying to save yourself will not work
Mark 8:35a - For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it…
Mark 8:36 - For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
Mark 8:37 - For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
B. The only way to be saved, is to surrender your life to Christ
Mark 8:35b - …but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.