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Why Following Jesus Might Cost You Everything (But It_s Worth It · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: What if everything you thought about following Jesus was wrong?
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  Speaker 1: What if Christianity wasn't about feeling good, living comfortably, or
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  Speaker 1: chasing your own dreams. What if Jesus never promised an
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  Speaker 1: easy life but instead warned that truly following him would
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  Speaker 1: cost you everything. Because that's exactly what he did. Whoever
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  Speaker 1: wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take
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  Speaker 1: up their cross daily and follow me Luke nine twenty three.
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  Speaker 1: This is not a verse people like to quote. It's
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  Speaker 1: not the kind of message that fills stadiums or gets
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  Speaker 1: thousands of likes, because this isn't about blessings, breakthroughs, or
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  Speaker 1: personal success. This is about death. That Jesus didn't say,
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  Speaker 1: add me to your life. He didn't say believe in
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  Speaker 1: me and live however you want. He said deny yourself.
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  Speaker 1: He said take up your cross. And that image was
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  Speaker 1: not poetic. The cross was an instrument of torture, it
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  Speaker 1: was humiliation. It was a slow, painful death. And yet
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  Speaker 1: Jesus tells us this is what it means to follow him.
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  Speaker 1: But let's be real. Most people want a version of
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  Speaker 1: Christianity that doesn't require suffering, a faith that fits neatly
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  Speaker 1: into their life without disrupting their plans. They want salvation
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  Speaker 1: without sacrifice, they want grace without obedience. They want Jesus
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  Speaker 1: as savior, but not as lord. And that's exactly why
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  Speaker 1: so many walk away. When Jesus told the crowds they
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  Speaker 1: had to eat his flesh and drink his blood in
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  Speaker 1: John six, many of his disciples said, this is a
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  Speaker 1: hard teaching. Who can accept it? And from that moment
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  Speaker 1: many turned back and no longer followed him John six,
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  Speaker 1: sixty six. Nothing has changed. People are still walking away
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  Speaker 1: from Jesus today, not because they don't believe in him,
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  Speaker 1: but because they don't want the cost of following him.
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  Speaker 1: So let's go deeper. What does it actually mean to
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  Speaker 1: deny yourself? Why did Jesus choose the cross as the
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  Speaker 1: symbol of discipleship? How do we know if we are
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  Speaker 1: truly following him or just claiming his name? Because by
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  Speaker 1: the end of this video, you will no longer see
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  Speaker 1: Christianity as something convenient. You will know exactly what it
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  Speaker 1: means to follow Jesus, and you will have a choice
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  Speaker 1: to make. Are you truly following him or just following
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  Speaker 1: what's comfortable? Are you carrying your cross or have you
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  Speaker 1: been avoiding it? And most importantly, if Jesus stood before
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  Speaker 1: you right now and said follow me, would you still
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  Speaker 1: say yes? Even if it cost you everything. We have
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  Speaker 1: created in depth explanation video for every book of the
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  Speaker 1: Bible to help you go deeper in your faith. If
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  Speaker 1: you want to truly understand scripture, check out our ebooks.
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  Speaker 1: The link is in the description. And if this message
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  Speaker 1: challenges you, like and share it so more people can
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  Speaker 1: understand the real cost of following Jesus. Let this be
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  Speaker 1: the moment you stop living a half hearted faith because
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  Speaker 1: many are called, but few will actually follow. Most people
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  Speaker 1: want to follow Jesus without denying themselves. They want to
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  Speaker 1: be called a Christian, they want the assurance of heaven,
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  Speaker 1: they want God's blessings in their lives, but they still
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  Speaker 1: want to live for themselves. And that is exactly why
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  Speaker 1: so many walk away when they realize what Jesus is
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  Speaker 1: actually asking. Because he didn't just say believe in me,
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  Speaker 1: he said deny yourself. This is the first and most
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  Speaker 1: difficult step in following Christ, and it goes against everything
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  Speaker 1: we have been taught. We live in a world that
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  Speaker 1: says follow your heart Jesus says, the heart is deceitful
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  Speaker 1: above all things Jeremiah seventeen nine. The world says, do
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  Speaker 1: whatever makes you happy. Jesus says, whoever loves their life
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  Speaker 1: will lose it, But whoever loses their life for my
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  Speaker 1: sake will find it. Matthew ten thirty nine. The world says,
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  Speaker 1: put yourself first. Jesus says, deny yourself. This is where
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  Speaker 1: true Christianity begins, not with self improvement, not with religious activity,
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  Speaker 1: but with self denial. And yet this is the very
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  Speaker 1: thing so many refuse to do, because self denial is
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  Speaker 1: not just about giving up bad things. It's about surrendering everything.
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  Speaker 1: It's about laying down your rights, your desires, your plans,
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  Speaker 1: your entire life, and putting Jesus first, even when it
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  Speaker 1: cost you something. Look at the rich young ruler in
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  Speaker 1: Mark ten seventeen to twenty two. He came to Jesus, excited, eager,
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  Speaker 1: wanting to follow him. He even kept all the commandments.
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  Speaker 1: But Jesus looked at him and said, one thing you lack.
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  Speaker 1: Go sell everything you have and give to the poor,
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  Speaker 1: and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me,
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  Speaker 1: and the man walked away. Sad why because he wanted
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  Speaker 1: to follow Jesus without denying himself. He wanted eternal life,
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  Speaker 1: but he wasn't willing to let go of what he
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  Speaker 1: loved most. And that is the test. What are you
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  Speaker 1: still holding on to? What in your life would be
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  Speaker 1: too hard to give up if Jesus asked for it?
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  Speaker 1: Because that is the thing standing between you and true discipleship.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus wasn't just asking the rich young ruler to give
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  Speaker 1: up his money. He was asking him to give up control,
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  Speaker 1: to surrender what he thought was most important and trust
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  Speaker 1: Jesus completely. And Jesus asks the same of us to day.
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  Speaker 1: Denying yourself means saying Jesus, you are Lord, not me,
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  Speaker 1: not my plans, not my desires, not my comfort. Whatever
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  Speaker 1: you say I will do, Wherever you lead, I will go.
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  Speaker 1: It means that your feelings no longer get to rule you.
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  Speaker 1: Your preferences no longer dictate your obedience, your dreams, your ambitions,
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  Speaker 1: your comforts, all of it belongs to Christ. This is
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  Speaker 1: why Paul said in Galatians two twenty, I have been
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  Speaker 1: crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ
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  Speaker 1: lives in me. That is self denial. It is the
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  Speaker 1: end of your will and the beginning of God's will
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  Speaker 1: in you. But let's be honest, this is hard. It's
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  Speaker 1: hard to deny yourself when you have a dream you
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  Speaker 1: desperately want to chase, but God is calling you in
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  Speaker 1: a different direction. It's hard to deny yourself when your
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  Speaker 1: emotions are screaming at you to do something, but God's
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  Speaker 1: word says otherwise. It's hard to deny yourself when you're
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  Speaker 1: in a relationship that feels right, but deep down you
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  Speaker 1: know it's pulling you away from God. It's hard to
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  Speaker 1: deny yourself when forgiving someone means swallowing your pride. It's
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  Speaker 1: hard to deny yourself when saying yes to Jesus means
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  Speaker 1: saying no to your own comfort. But this is the
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  Speaker 1: life of a disciple. This is why Jesus said no
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  Speaker 1: one can serve two masters. Matthew six twenty four. You
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  Speaker 1: cannot serve yourself and serve Christ. You cannot live for
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  Speaker 1: your desires and live for His kingdom. You have to choose,
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  Speaker 1: and many choose themselves. They walk away like the rich
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  Speaker 1: young ruler. They hear Jesus words, they feel the weight
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  Speaker 1: of the call. But they refuse to let go. They
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  Speaker 1: hold on to their comfort, their sin, their control, and
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  Speaker 1: they forfeit true discipleship. But for those who are willing,
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  Speaker 1: for those who will truly surrender, Jesus gives a promise,
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  Speaker 1: whoever loses their life for my sake will find it
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  Speaker 1: Matthew ten thirty nine. This is the great paradox of
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  Speaker 1: the Christian life. When you give up everything for Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: you gain far more than you could ever lose. When
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  Speaker 1: you deny yourself, you find your true identity in him.
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  Speaker 1: When you let go of your plans, you step into
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  Speaker 1: God's greater purpose. When you give up your life, you
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  Speaker 1: receive eternal life. And this is where most people get
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  Speaker 1: it wrong. They think self denial means losing themselves. They
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  Speaker 1: think it means giving up joy, giving up fulfillment, giving
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  Speaker 1: up everything that makes life good. But Jesus is not
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  Speaker 1: trying to take life from you, is trying to give
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  Speaker 1: you something greater. He is calling you out of the small,
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  Speaker 1: temporary life you've built for yourself and into something eternal, glorious,
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  Speaker 1: and beyond anything you could imagine. But you have to
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  Speaker 1: let go. So what about you? Are you still living
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  Speaker 1: for yourself or have you truly surrendered to Christ? Are
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  Speaker 1: you still holding onto your own plans or have you
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  Speaker 1: put them in God's hands? Are you still trying to
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  Speaker 1: follow Jesus on your terms? Or have you truly denied yourself?
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  Speaker 1: Because Jesus is clear you cannot follow him without self denial,
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  Speaker 1: and if you are not willing to deny yourself, then
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  Speaker 1: you are not truly following him at all. Denying yourself
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  Speaker 1: is only the beginning. Jesus didn't just say deny yourself.
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  Speaker 1: He followed it with something even harder. Take up your
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  Speaker 1: cross daily. And this is where many people walk away,
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  Speaker 1: because self denial is one thing, but carrying across that's
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  Speaker 1: something entirely different. When we hear the word cross today,
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  Speaker 1: we don't think of what jesus audience thought. We see
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  Speaker 1: it as a religious symbol, something on church walls or necklaces.
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  Speaker 1: We think of it as a reminder of jesus sacrifice,
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  Speaker 1: a representation of salvation and hope. But in the time
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  Speaker 1: of Jesus, the cross meant only one thing death. The
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  Speaker 1: Roman cross was an instrument of execution. It was humiliation,
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  Speaker 1: It was agony. It was a slow, tortuous way to die.
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  Speaker 1: No one in Jesus's time would have heard his words
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  Speaker 1: and thought that sounds nice. They would have understood immediately
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  Speaker 1: taking up a cross meant carrying your own instrument of death.
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  Speaker 1: And yet this is the image Jesus used for discipleship.
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  Speaker 1: Imagine the shock of the people listening. They had seen
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  Speaker 1: crucifixions before, They had watched condemned criminals carry their own
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  Speaker 1: crosses through the streets walking to their execus. They had
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  Speaker 1: heard the screams see in the agony, and now Jesus
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  Speaker 1: was saying, this is what it means to follow me.
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  Speaker 1: Why would he use such a brutal image. Why would
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  Speaker 1: he choose a symbol of suffering and death to describe
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  Speaker 1: what it means to be his disciple? Because following Jesus
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  Speaker 1: is not about comfort, It's about dying to yourself every
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  Speaker 1: single day. The cross was not just something Jesus carried.
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  Speaker 1: It was something he was nailed to. It was something
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  Speaker 1: he suffered on. It was something that killed him. And
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  Speaker 1: he says, if you want to follow me, you must
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  Speaker 1: take up your own cross daily. This means the true
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  Speaker 1: discipleship will cost you something. For some, it will cost
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  Speaker 1: their reputation. They will be mocked, rejected, misunderstood. Jesus said,
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  Speaker 1: if the world hates you, keep in mind that it
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  Speaker 1: hated me first fifteen eighteen. For others, it will cost
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  Speaker 1: their dreams and ambitions. They will have to give up
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  Speaker 1: plans they made for themselves, surrendering them to God's will,
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  Speaker 1: trusting that his purpose is greater than their own. For
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  Speaker 1: many around the world, it will cost their lives. Right now,
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  Speaker 1: in countries across the globe, people are being imprisoned, tortured,
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  Speaker 1: and killed for their faith in Christ. For them, taking
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  Speaker 1: up their cross is not just a metaphor, it is reality.
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  Speaker 1: And yet Jesus never softened this message. He never said,
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  Speaker 1: follow me and your life will be easy. Instead, he warned,
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  Speaker 1: whoever does not take up their cross and follow me
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  Speaker 1: is not worthy of me Matthew ten thirty eight. So
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  Speaker 1: what does this look like for you? What is the
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  Speaker 1: cross that Jesus is calling you to carry? For some,
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  Speaker 1: the cross looks like staying faithful even when life falls apart,
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  Speaker 1: when prayers seem unanswered, when suffering feels unbearable, when God
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  Speaker 1: seems silent. True disciples don't walk away. They stay, They trust,
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  Speaker 1: they endure. For others, the cross looks like letting go
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  Speaker 1: of sin that they still want to hold on to.
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  Speaker 1: It's crucifying the flesh, not just resisting temptation, but putting
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  Speaker 1: to death the things that keep you from God. This
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  Speaker 1: is why Paul said in Galatians five twenty four, those
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  Speaker 1: who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with
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  Speaker 1: its passions and desires. For many, the cross is daily
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  Speaker 1: obedience when no one is watching, reading the word when
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  Speaker 1: you don't feel like it, praying when it feels like
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  Speaker 1: nothing is happening, choosing righteousness when sin would be easier.
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  Speaker 1: The cross is heavy, the cross is painful, but it
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  Speaker 1: is the only way to life. Jesus himself carried his
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  Speaker 1: crossbin for us. He suffered before us, he endured before us,
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  Speaker 1: and now he calls us to follow in his footsteps.
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  Speaker 1: But the cross is not just about suffering. It is
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  Speaker 1: about victory, because after the cross comes resurrection. Jesus didn't
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  Speaker 1: carry the cross just to die. He carried it to
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  Speaker 1: defeat sin and death. And when you take up your
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  Speaker 1: cross daily, when you crucify your sin, when you die
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  Speaker 1: to yourself, you are stepping into true life. This is
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  Speaker 1: why Jesus said, whoever loses their life for my sake
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  Speaker 1: will find it Matthew ten thirty nine. True freedom is
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  Speaker 1: found in surrender. True life is found in dying to yourself.
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  Speaker 1: But only those who carry their cross daily will experience
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  Speaker 1: the power of resurrection life. So the question is are
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  Speaker 1: you carrying your cross or are you avoiding it? Are
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  Speaker 1: you truly following Jesus or just following what's comfortable. Because
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  Speaker 1: Jesus never said follow me when it's easy. He said
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  Speaker 1: follow me no matter the cost. Jesus didn't just say
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  Speaker 1: take up your cross, He said take up your cross daily.
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  Speaker 1: That one word daily changes everything because it means this
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  Speaker 1: isn't a one time decision. It's not something you do
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  Speaker 1: once at an altar call or during an emotional worship service.
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  Speaker 1: It's not something you commit to when life is easy,
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  Speaker 1: only to set it down when things get hard. The
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  Speaker 1: cross is not a moment. It's a lifestyle. And this
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  Speaker 1: is where so many people miss it. They think carrying
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  Speaker 1: their cross means making one big sacrifice, giving up a
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  Speaker 1: bad habit, leaving a sinful relationship, or making a bold
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  Speaker 1: stand for their faith. But Jesus wasn't just talking about
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  Speaker 1: one grand gesture of devotion. He was talking about a daily, continuous,
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  Speaker 1: never ending surrender. Every single day you must choose to
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  Speaker 1: die to yourself. Every day you will wake up with
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  Speaker 1: a battle inside of you, the battle between your flesh
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  Speaker 1: and the spirit. Every day your desires will pull one
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  Speaker 1: way and the will of God will pull another. And
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  Speaker 1: every day you must make the decision, will I live
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  Speaker 1: for myself or will I live for Christ. All describe
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  Speaker 1: this battle perfectly in Galatians five seventeen, saying, the flesh
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  Speaker 1: desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit
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  Speaker 1: what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict
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  Speaker 1: with each other. This is why Jesus said the cross
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  Speaker 1: must be taken up daily, because the fight against sin
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  Speaker 1: is daily, the need for surrender is daily, the battle
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  Speaker 1: for obedience is daily. And if you're not carrying your
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  Speaker 1: cross today, you are following something. But it's not Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: Look at how the disciples lived. Following Jesus wasn't just
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  Speaker 1: a decision they made once. It was a daily commitment.
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  Speaker 1: They left behind their old lives, their comforts, their security.
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  Speaker 1: Every morning they woke up knowing that their lives were
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  Speaker 1: no longer their own. Paul understood this when he said
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  Speaker 1: in First Corinthians fifteen thirty one. I died daily. Think
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  Speaker 1: about that. Paul wasn't talking about physical death. He was
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  Speaker 1: saying that every single day he had to put his
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  Speaker 1: own desires to death. Every day he had to choose
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  Speaker 1: Christ over comfort. Every day he had to remind himself
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  Speaker 1: that his life was no longer his own. And this
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  Speaker 1: is what true Christianity looks like. It's waking up and saying, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: not my will, but yours, even when you don't feel
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  Speaker 1: like it, even when it costs you something, even when
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  Speaker 1: it's hard. It's choosing holiness when sin looks easier. It's
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  Speaker 1: choosing to forgive when bitterness feels justified. It's choosing to
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  Speaker 1: trust God when life doesn't make sense. It's choosing to
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  Speaker 1: obey even when you don't understand why. And most people
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  Speaker 1: don't want that. They want to follow Jesus without daily sacrifice.
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  Speaker 1: They want a Sunday only faith where they worship for
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  Speaker 1: an hour but live for themselves the rest of the week.
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  Speaker 1: They want to carry their cross when it's convenient, but
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  Speaker 1: put it down when it gets heavy. But Jesus said
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  Speaker 1: in Luke fourteen twenty seven, whoever does not carry their
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  Speaker 1: cross and follow me, cannot be my disciple, not should
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  Speaker 1: not cannot. If you are not carrying your cross daily,
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  Speaker 1: you are not truly following Jesus. But here's the truth.
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  Speaker 1: The cross is never carried in vain because when you
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  Speaker 1: crucify your desires, you receive God's desires. When you die
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  Speaker 1: to your ways, you walk in His purpose. When you
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  Speaker 1: surrender everything, you gain everything. Jesus said in Luke nine
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  Speaker 1: twenty four, whoever wants to save their life will lose it.
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  Speaker 1: But whoever loses their life for Me will save it.
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  Speaker 1: This is the great paradox of the Christian life. Dying
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  Speaker 1: to yourself is the only way to truly live. So
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  Speaker 1: what about you. Are you carrying your cross to day
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  Speaker 1: or have you set it down? Because following Jesus is
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  Speaker 1: not about what you did yesterday, it's about what you
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  Speaker 1: are doing to day. Most people don't mind the idea
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  Speaker 1: of following Jesus as long as it doesn't cost them anything.
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  Speaker 1: They like Christianity when it's about blessings, when it's about
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  Speaker 1: feeling good, when it fits neatly into their already planned lives.
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  Speaker 1: But the moment it demands something, the moment it requires sacrifice,
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  Speaker 1: the moment obedience becomes inconvenient. That's when the crowds disappear.
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  Speaker 1: And this is nothing new. When Jesus fed the five thousand,
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  Speaker 1: the crowd was massive. They followed him because he gave
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  Speaker 1: them bread, because he healed their sickness, because he performed miracles.
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  Speaker 1: But when he started talking about eating his flesh and
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  Speaker 1: drinking his blood, about true discipleship requiring total surrender, about
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  Speaker 1: the cost of following him, what happened. John six sixty
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  Speaker 1: six says from this time many of his disciples turned
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  Speaker 1: back and no longer followed him. Nothing has changed. People
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  Speaker 1: love Jesus when he's multiplying the bread. People love Jesus
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  Speaker 1: when he's answering prayers. People love Jesus when Christianity is
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  Speaker 1: about getting what they want. But when he says, deny yourself,
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  Speaker 1: take up your cross, and follow me, suddenly it's too much.
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  Speaker 1: This is the difference between true discipleship and comfortable Christianity.
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  Speaker 1: Comfortable Christianity says Jesus is here to bless you. True
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  Speaker 1: discipleship says Jesus is here to rule over you. Comfortable
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  Speaker 1: Christianity says you can have Jesus and still live for yourself.
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  Speaker 1: True discipleship says you must die to yourself to truly
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  Speaker 1: follow him. Comfortable Christianity avoids sacrifice. True discipleship embraces it.
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  Speaker 1: And this is the problem with so much of modern Christianity.
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  Speaker 1: It has made following Jesus easy. No one talks about
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  Speaker 1: the cost any more. No one talks about suffering. No
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  Speaker 1: one talks about holiness, obedience, or dying to yourself. Instead,
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: we hear messages about self fulfillment, personal success, and chasing
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  Speaker 1: your dreams. But Jesus never preached self fulfillment. He preached
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  Speaker 1: self denial. Jesus never said, come follow me and I'll
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  Speaker 1: make all your dreams come true. He said, come follow
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  Speaker 1: me and you will be hated by the world John
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  Speaker 1: fifteen eighteen to nineteen. He never said said I'll make
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  Speaker 1: you successful. He said foxes have dens and birds have nests,
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  Speaker 1: but the son of man has no place to lay
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  Speaker 1: his head Matthew eight twenty. He never said you'll always
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  Speaker 1: be comfortable. He said in this world you will have trouble.
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  Speaker 1: But take heart, I have overcome the world John sixteen
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: thirty three. So what happened? How did Christianity become something comfortable, easy,
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: and self centered. The truth is many churches today don't
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: preach the real gospel. They preach a version of Christianity
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: that is safe, popular, and non threatening. They preach a
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: Jesus who doesn't confront sin. They preach across that doesn't
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: require sacrifice. They preach a faith that costs nothing. But
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: the Bible says the opposite. In Luke fourteen twenty eight
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: to thirty, Jesus warned, suppose one of you wants to
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: build a tower, won't you first sit down and estimate
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: the cost to see if you have enough to complete it.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: For if you lay the foundation and are not able
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you,
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: saying this person began to build and wasn't able to finish.
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: Jesus is saying, count the cost before you follow me.
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: Don't start this journey unless you're ready to go all
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: the way. Don't say you're a disciple unless you're willing
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: to die to yourself every single day. Don't just wear
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: the name Christian if you have no intention of actually
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: obeying Christ. True discipleship is not about attending church. It's
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: not about memorizing Bible verses. It's not about singing worship songs.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: It's about surrender. It's about waking up every day and saying,
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: not my will, but yours be done Luke, twenty two,
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: forty two. It's about following Jesus when it's hard, when
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: obedience costs you friends, when faithfulness makes you unpopular, when
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: standing for truth gets you mocked, rejected, or even persecuted.
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: That is why Jesus said, whoever wants to save their
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: me will find it Matthew sixteen twenty five. But comfortable
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: Christianity doesn't want to lose anything. It wants Jesus without
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: the Cross. It wants grace without repentance. It wants forgiveness
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: without holiness, and it is leading millions into deception because
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: the Bible says in Matthew seven twenty one to twenty three,
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: not every one who says to me, Lord Lord, will
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: does the will of my Father, who is in heaven.
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: Many will stand before Jesus on the final day, fully
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: convinced they were saved, only to hear the most terrifying
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: words in all of Scripture. I never knew you away
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: from me, you evil doers, because they thought being a
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: Christian was about believing in Jesus, but they never actually
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: followed him. This is the difference between true discipleship and
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: comfortable Christianity. One leads to life, the other leads to destruction.
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: One requires everything, the other requires nothing. So the question
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: is which one are you living? The difference between true
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: discipleship and comfortable Christianity is life and death. One leads
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: to eternal reward, the other leads to eternal regret. Jesus
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: made it clear, whoever does not take up their cross
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: and follow me is not worthy of me Matthew ten
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: thirty eight. But what happens when someone refuses to carry
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: their cross? What happens when a person calls themselves a
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: Christian but never truly follows Jesus. The answer is terrifying,
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: because there is no such thing as a crossless Christianity.
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: There is no version of following Jesus that doesn't require surrender,
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: and those who reject the cross do not just drift away,
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: They fall into something much worse. Look at the rich
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: young ruler in Mark ten seventeen to twenty two. He
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: wanted Jesus, but he also wanted his wealth. He wanted salvation,
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: but he didn't want sacrifice. And when Jesus told him
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: to give it all up and follow him, he walked
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: away sad. But here's the part we don't talk about.
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: He didn't just walk away from a difficult decision. He
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: walked away from eternal life. Jesus had offered him everything,
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: he had called him to be a disciple, but because
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: he refused to carry his cross, he lost everything. And
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: this is what happens to anyone who rejects the cost
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: of following Jesus, because when you refuse the cross, something
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: else will take its place. For some, it will be compromise.
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: They still claim Jesus, but their life no longer looks
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: anything like his. They watered down the truth, They justify
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: their sin. They reshape Christianity into something that doesn't require suffering.
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: For others it will be complete rebellion. They may have
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: started strong, but when the weight of the cross became
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: too much, they walked away completely. Look at Demas, he
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: was once a follower of Christ, a co worker of Paul,
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: mentioned in Colossians four fourteen and Philammon one twenty four
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: as a faithful brother. But later in tewod Timothy four ten,
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: Paul says Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: me and has gone to Thessalonica. Demas traded eternity for
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: temporary comfort. He refused the cross, and he walked away
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: from Jesus. But the most dangerous result of rejecting the
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: cross is self deception, because not everyone who refuses the
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: cost of discipleship walks away from Christianity. Some stay in church,
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: some keep calling themselves Christians. Some still believe in Jesus,
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: but they do not follow him. They do the bare minimum.
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: They claim grace but never change. They love Christianity when
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: it benefits them, but walk in sin when it's convenient.
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: Jesus described these people in Revelation three fifteen to sixteen, saying,
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: I wish you were either one or the other. So
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: about to spit you out of my mouth. They are comfortable,
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: but they are not saved. And this is why Jesus
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: said in Luke nine twenty four, whoever wants to save
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: their life will lose it, But whoever loses their life
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: for me will save it. There is no neutral ground.
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: If you refuse to carry your cross, you will lose
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: your life. Maybe not all at once, maybe not in
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: a dramatic moment of rebellion, but slowly over time, as
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: you drift further from true discipleship, as you hold on
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: to your own will instead of gods, as you trade
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: a life of surrender for a life of self interest.
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: This is why Jesus warned in Luke nine twenty five.
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: What good is it for someone to gain the whole
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: world and yet lose or forfeit their very soul? Think
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: about that. How many people have gained everything, success, relationships, comfort,
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: yet lost their soul because they refuse to follow Jesus completely.
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: How many people sit in church every Sunday singing songs
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: about Jesus but never obeying him. How many people call
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: him Lord but are still the ones in control of
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: their lives. If you refuse to carry your cross, you
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: may still call yourself a Christian. You may still believe
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: in Jesus, but on the final day, when you stand
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: before him, belief will not be enough. Because Jesus did
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: not say believe in me. He said follow me, and
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: those who refuse the cross never truly followed him at all.
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: If refusing to carry our cross leads to spiritual death,
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: then the question becomes urgent, what does it look like
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: to truly follow Jesus in today's world? Because the call
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: to discipleship wasn't just for the first century church, it
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: is for us right now, and the truth is following
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: Jesus is becoming more costly than ever. For decades, Christianity
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: and much of the world, especially in the West, has
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: been comfortable. There was little risk in calling yourself a Christian.
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: Churches were full, faith was respected, and being a believer
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: didn't come with much sacrifice. But that is changing fast.
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: We are entering a time where following Jesus will cost you.
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: For many, it will cost their reputation. The world no
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: longer sees Christianity as something respectable. It sees it as offensive.
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: Biblical truth is now considered intolerant. Standing for God's design
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: for marriage, gender and holiness will get you labeled hateful.
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: Holding to scripture as absolute truth will get you mocked, canceled,
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: and ridiculed. For others, it will cost their relationships. Families
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: are being divided over faith friendships are ending because one
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: person chooses to follow Jesus fully while the other clings
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: to the world. Jesus warned about this in Luke twelve
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: fifty one to fifty three, saying do you think I
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: came to bring peace on earth? No? I tell you,
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: but division. From now on there will be five in
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: one family divided against each other, three against two and
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: two against three. For many around the world, following Jesus
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: is already costing them their freedom and even their lives.
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: Right now, there are Christians being thrown into prison, beaten, tortured,
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: and killed for their faith in countries like North Korea, China, Iran,
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: and Afghanistan. Simply owning a Bible can get you arrested,
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: Saying the name of Jesus in public can lead to
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: your death. And yet they still follow him because they
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: know what Jesus said in Matthew ten twenty eight. Do
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: not be afraid of those who kill the body but
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: who can destroy both soul and body in hell. This
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: is why the court to deny yourself, take up your cross,
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: and follow him is more urgent now than ever. There
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: is no more room for lukewarm Christianity, no more room
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: for comfortable, half hearted faith. The world is making it
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: clearer every day. You must choose a side. Will you
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: stand with Jesus even if it cost you everything? Or
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: will you shrink back to avoid the cost? Because there
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: is no middle ground any more. Jesus himself warned in
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: Matthew twenty four nine through ten, then you will be
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: you will be hated by all nations because of me.
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: At that time, many will turn away from the faith
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: and will betray and hate each other. Did you catch
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: that many will turn away? Not a few? Many? Why
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: because they were not ready for the cost. They liked
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: Jesus when it was easy. They followed him when it
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: required nothing, they claimed his name, but they never truly surrendered.
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: And when the world turned against them, when suffering became real,
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: when following Jesus actually costs something, they walked away. And
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: if that moment came for you, what would you do
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: if your job required you to deny biblical truth to
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: keep your position? Would you compromise or lose your career
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: if your family rejected you because you refused to affirm
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: the world's lies. Would you stay faithful or stay silent?
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: If being a Christian meant real persecution, real suffering, real loss,
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: would you still carry your cross? Because this is no
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: longer a distant reality. In places like Canada, pastors have
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: been arrested for holding church services. In the US, business
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: owners have been sued and threatened for refusing to compromise
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: their faith. In Europe, Christians are being interrogated and find
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: for publicly sharing the gospel. And this is just the beginning.
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: The days of comfortable Christianity are over, and Jesus is
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: asking again, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves,
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: take up their cross daily, and follow me. So what
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: does this mean for us today? It means we must
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: make a choice right now. Will we follow Jesus when
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: it's hard? Will we follow Jesus when it costs us something?
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: Will we follow Jesus even if the whole world stands
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: against us? Because there is no such thing as a
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: true disciple without a cross. And if we are not
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: willing to carry it now, what makes us think we
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: ever will when the stakes are even higher. This is
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: why Jesus said in Revelation three fifteen to sixteen. I
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot.
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: I wish you were either one or the other. So
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: because you are lukewarm neither hot, nos when your cold,
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: He's not calling for part time Christians. He is calling
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: for sold out, fully surrendered disciples. So the question is
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: are you ready to carry your cross? Because this world
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: is getting darker, the cost is getting higher, and the
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: time for comfortable Christianity is over, the time for comfortable
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: Christianity is over. The world is growing darker, the cost
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: of following Jesus is rising, and the line between true
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: disciples and false converts is becoming clearer every day. Jesus
• 36:37
  Speaker 1: never called us to a casual faith. He called us
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: to radical obedience. He didn't say believe in me when
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: it's easy. He said, take up your cross daily and
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: follow me. But how do we actually live this out?
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: How do we walk as true disciples when everything in
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: this world pushes us toward comfort, compromise, and self preservation.
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: What does it look like to deny ourselves, carry our
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: cross and truly follow Jesus, not just in words, but
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: in the way we live every single day. Jesus didn't
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: leave us guessing. The Bible gives us clear evidence of
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: what a real disciple looks like. Not someone who just
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: calls themselves a Christian, but someone who is truly surrendered,
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: someone who doesn't just believe in Jesus but follows him
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: no matter the cost. A true disciple is someone who
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: puts Jesus above everything else. Jesus made this crystal clear
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: in Luke fourteen twenty six, saying, if any one comes
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: to me and does not hate father and mother, wife
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even their own life,
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: such a person cannot be my disciple. This verse isn't
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: about literally hating your family. It's about comparison. It's about
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: making sure that your love for Jesus is so absolute,
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: so unwavering, so consuming, that everything else, including your relationships,
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: your desires, and even your own life comes second. This
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: means that Jesus is more important than your reputation. If
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: standing for Christ makes people mock you, reject you, or
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: turn away from you, you are still willing to follow him.
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: It means Jesus is more important than your career. If
• 38:31
  Speaker 1: obeying him means giving up a promotion, refusing to compromise
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: your faith at work, or even losing your job. You
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: do it anyway. It means Jesus is more important than
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: your comfort. If following him leads you into suffering, persecution,
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: or hardship, you don't run. You stay faithful. A true
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: disciple obeys Jesus no matter the cost. In John fourteen fifteen,
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: Jesus said, if you love me, keep mine commands. Not
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: if you feel like it, not if it makes sense
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: to you, not if it doesn't interfere with your plans.
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: If you love me, keep my commands. Obedience is not
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: optional for a disciple. It is not based on feelings, circumstances,
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: or personal preference. A true follower of Jesus does what
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: he says, whether it's easy or not. This means saying
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: yes to holiness and no to sin. It means obeying
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: God's word even when it conflicts with culture. It means
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: doing what's right even when no one is watching. A
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: true disciple stays faithful in suffering. Jesus never promised that
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: following him would be easy. In fact, he promised the opposite.
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: In John sixteen thirty three, he said, in this world
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: the world. This means that real death disciples don't walk
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: away when things get hard. They don't quit when prayers
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: seem unanswered. They don't compromise. When the pressure is on,
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: they endure. They trust, they press forward. And Paul understood
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: this when he said in Second Corinthians four eight through nine,
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed,
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck
• 40:26
  Speaker 1: down but not destroyed. A true disciple doesn't follow emotions.
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: They follow truth. This is one of the biggest dangers
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: in modern Christianity. So many people base their faith on
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: how they feel. If worship gives them goose bumps, if
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: a sermon moves them, if they feel close to God,
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: they think their faith is strong. But what happens when
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: the feelings fade. A true disciple follows Jesus even when
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: they don't feel anything. They pray even when it feels dry.
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: They read the Bible even when it feels routine. They
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: obey even when their emotions tell them otherwise. Because faith
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: is not based on feelings, it is based on truth.
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: A true disciple lives by the word of God. Jesus
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: said in Matthew four four. Man shall not live by
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: bread alone, but by every word that comes from the
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: mouth of God. A real disciple hungers for scripture. They
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: don't just read the Bible out of obligation. They crave it.
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: They study it, meditate on it, and let it shape
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: their lives. A true disciple doesn't just know scripture, they
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: live it. They don't just hear sermons, they apply them.
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: They don't just highlight verses, they obey them. They don't
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: just post Bible quotes. They let those words transform their heart.
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: A true disciple doesn't walk alone. Christianity was never meant
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: to be lived in isolation. A real disciple surrounds themselves
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: with other believers who are fully committed to Christ. In
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: Hebrews ten twenty five, we are commanded do not give
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: but encourage one another and all the more as you
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: see the day approaching. Disciples don't walk this road alone.
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: They surround themselves with a strong, faithful community. Because this
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: journey is hard, the cross is heavy, the battle is real,
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: and we need each other to endure. A true disciple
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: fixes their eyes on eternity. This world is temporary. Everything
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: in it, the money, the success, the status, the pleasures,
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: the comforts, it will all pass away. But what we
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: do for Christ will last forever. This is why Paul
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: said in Philippians three eight, I consider everything a loss
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ, Jesus, my Lord,
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: them god garbage that I may gain Christ. A true
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: disciple lives with heaven in mind. They don't get distracted
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: by the things of this world. They don't chase after
• 43:10
  Speaker 1: what will fade. They live every day for what will
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: last forever. So what about you. Are you truly following
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: Jesus or just calling yourself a Christian? Are you surrendered
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: or still in control? Because discipleship is not just about
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: what you believe, It's about how you live. And if
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: your life does not reflect the cost of following Jesus,
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: then you are not truly following him at all. The
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: call to follow Jesus is not just a suggestion. It
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: is not something to consider when life is convenient. It
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: is not a label you wear or a title you claim.
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: It is a complete surrender of everything you are, because
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: the truth is, if you are not fully his, you
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: are not his at all. Jesus never said our follow
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: me when it's easy. He never said, yah, believe in me,
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: but keep living for yourself. He said, deny yourself, take
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: up your cross daily, and follow me. And now you
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: have a choice. Maybe you have called yourself a Christian
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: for years, but deep down you know you have not
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: truly surrendered. You've gone to church, you've prayed, you've read
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: the Bible, but you have never fully laid down your life.
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: You still hold onto control. You still follow Jesus on
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: your terms, and now you realize you have been trying
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: to follow him without a cross. Or maybe you have
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: been living a lukewarm faith. You believe in Jesus, but
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  Speaker 1: your life still belongs to you. You choose obedience when
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  Speaker 1: it's convenient, You worship when you feel like it, You
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  Speaker 1: pray when you need something, but you have not given
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  Speaker 1: him your whole heart. Or maybe you have never truly
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  Speaker 1: followed Jesus at all. May to day is the first
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  Speaker 1: time you understand what it really means to be His disciple.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe you have spent your life chasing success, comfort, or
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  Speaker 1: the approval of people. But to day you hear his
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  Speaker 1: voice calling you to something greater, something eternal, something that
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  Speaker 1: will cost you everything but will be worth more than anything.
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  Speaker 1: And now it's time to respond, because to morrow is
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  Speaker 1: not promised. You do not have time to delay, You
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  Speaker 1: do not have time to wait for a better moment.
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  Speaker 1: The world is getting darker. The cost of following Jesus
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  Speaker 1: is rising, and soon the line will be drawn those
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  Speaker 1: who are truly His and those who only pretended to be.
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  Speaker 1: And to day you must decide which side you are on.
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  Speaker 1: So right now, wherever you are, close your eyes, let
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  Speaker 1: go of every distraction. Do not let this moment pass
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  Speaker 1: without fully surrendering to Christ. Pray this prayer not as
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  Speaker 1: empty words, but as a cry from the depths of
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  Speaker 1: your soul. Father. I come before you right now with
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  Speaker 1: nothing to hide. You see my heart, You see my sin.
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  Speaker 1: You see my failures, my rebellion, my resistance to fully
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  Speaker 1: surrendering to you. And I confess I have tried to
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  Speaker 1: follow you while still holding onto my own will. I
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  Speaker 1: have claimed your name, but I have not carried my cross.
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  Speaker 1: I have believed in you, but I have not truly
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  Speaker 1: followed you. And to day that changes. Jesus, I lay
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  Speaker 1: everything down before you. My plans, my dreams, my desires,
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  Speaker 1: None of it belongs to me any more. I deny myself,
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  Speaker 1: I crucify my flesh. I lay down my life, and
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  Speaker 1: I take up my cross. I will follow you, no
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  Speaker 1: matter the cost, no matter what I lose, no matter
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  Speaker 1: who walks away, no matter what suffering may come, because
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  Speaker 1: you are worth more than anything this world could ever
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  Speaker 1: offer me. Forgive me, Lord, Wash me clean, not just
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  Speaker 1: on the surface, but deep in my heart. Strip away
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  Speaker 1: every part of me that is not fully surrendered to you.
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  Speaker 1: Break every chain that keeps me tied to my own ways.
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  Speaker 1: Set me free from every fear, every excuse, every compromise
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  Speaker 1: that has kept me from living completely for you. I
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  Speaker 1: don't want half hearted faith. I don't want lukewarm Christianity.
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  Speaker 1: I don't want a life that looks Christian but is
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  Speaker 1: still controlled by me. I want you, fully, completely, entirely, Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: I ask for your strength. I know that carrying this
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  Speaker 1: cross will not be easy. I know there will be
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  Speaker 1: days when I want to turn back, days when the
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  Speaker 1: suffering seems unbearable, days when the enemy whispers lies and
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  Speaker 1: tell me to quit but I will not quit. I
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  Speaker 1: will not turn back because you did not turn back
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  Speaker 1: for me. You carried your cross all the way to Calvary.
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  Speaker 1: You suffered, you bled, you died. You gave everything for me,
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  Speaker 1: and now I give everything for you. I ask for
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  Speaker 1: your spirit to fill me. I cannot do this in
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  Speaker 1: my own strength. I need your power to endure. I
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  Speaker 1: need your wisdom to walk in truth. I need your
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  Speaker 1: presence to keep me close to you every single day.
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  Speaker 1: Let my life be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing
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  Speaker 1: to you. Let me never settle for an easy faith.
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  Speaker 1: Let me never trade my eternity for the temporary pleasures
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  Speaker 1: of this world. Let me never shrink back in fear
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  Speaker 1: when you call me forward in faith. And on that
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  Speaker 1: final day, when I stand before you, I want to
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  Speaker 1: hear only one thing. Well done, good and faithful servant.
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  Speaker 1: Let my life reflect that I was truly yours, that
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  Speaker 1: I was not ashamed of the gospel, that I did
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  Speaker 1: not waste the cross I was called to carry, That
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  Speaker 1: I lived every breath, every moment, every heart beat for you.
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  Speaker 1: From this moment on, I am not my own. I
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  Speaker 1: belong to you. No turning back, no hesitation, no compromise,
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  Speaker 1: only full surrender in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen. If you
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  Speaker 1: prayed that prayer and meant every word, This is not
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  Speaker 1: the end. This is the beginning, because following Jesus is
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  Speaker 1: not just a one time decision. It is a daily,
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  Speaker 1: moment by moment surrender. It is choosing Him every morning
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  Speaker 1: when you wake up. It is taking up your cross
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: when it gets heavy. It is standing firm when the
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  Speaker 1: world pressures you to walk away. So don't stop here.
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: Go deeper. Open your Bible, live in obedience, walk in faith.
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  Speaker 1: Surround yourself with true believers who will strengthen you in
• 49:59
  Speaker 1: the this journey, and never ever look back. If this
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  Speaker 1: message has awakened something in you, don't keep it to yourself.
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  Speaker 1: There are people living in deception thinking they are following
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  Speaker 1: Jesus when they are not. Share this message. Wake someone up,
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  Speaker 1: because eternity is too long to be wrong. We have
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  Speaker 1: created in depth explanation videos for every book of the
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  Speaker 1: Bible to help you go deeper in your faith. If
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  Speaker 1: you are ready to study the Word like never before,
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  Speaker 1: check out our ebooks. The link is in the description.
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  Speaker 1: This is the call to discipleship. This is what it
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  Speaker 1: means to follow Christ. This is the cost, and this
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  Speaker 1: is the reward. So take up your cross, follow him
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  Speaker 1: and never turn back.