The Cost of Following Jesus

Wednesday May 12, 2010

Pastor Shane was preaching on how the American Church today is getting too comfortable and how we need to remember what Christianity is all about.

As youth, we go to church on Wednesday night and get to hang out with our friends, play Basketball, listen to Shane give an awesome message, accept Jesus as Lord so you don’t have to go to hell, then do what you want to do and still know that you will go to heaven. Is that what Christianity is all about?

Our Key Verses: Luke 9:57-62… talks about someone telling Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus told them that foxes have dens to live in and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head. He told another person to come and follow him. The man agreed but told Jesus he had to return home and bury his dead father first. Then Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” Another person wanted to follow Jesus but wanted to say good-bye to his family first. Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” NLT

In the first part of Luke 9, Jesus sends out his disciples…before that we learned that it was a Come and see who Jesus is…Luke 9 changed all that to Come and spiritually die to make Jesus Lord of your life. We must die spiritually to ourselves and start putting Jesus first. What that means is to ask yourself…if Jesus is real in my life…I will die to my selfish desires and do what He wants me to do. It is God that should be glorified, not us. To follow Christ means to take all of me…holding nothing back. We have gotten to comfortable with the American Church today. We want cool air in the summer, warm heat in the winter, big screens, etc. and have forgotten what Christianity is all about.

1. Recognize that we all are sinners.

2. Repent…turn away from our sins and ask God to forgive us.

3. Die spiritually to ourselves and put God first.

4. Pick-up the cross and follow Jesus.

Who is Lord of your life? Pastors, yourself or Jesus?

Announcements:

• This Saturday, Mission Serve participates need to meet at church @ 12:30pm for a Fundraiser. We will be going to Winn-Dixie on Veterans Parkway, to bag groceries. You will be there from 1-5pm.

• All Graduating Seniors in the SRBC Youth Ministry are invited to come to Sunday School starting @ 9:45am and Worship Service @ 11am, then following the Worship Service we will have a Graduation Luncheon honoring our 2010 Grad’s. Congratulations, Graduates of 2010!