A Message by Rev. David
McNees
Given to
June 27, 2010
“A
Fool For God”
Luke
9:23-26
Then He said to them all, “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23
1. ___________________-
let him deny himself
Deny – to disown or disregard
one’s own interests, same word used in John 18 with Peter’s denial of Christ;
if we don’t deny our self, who do we deny?
2.
____________________- take up his cross daily
“In the Roman world, the cross was a symbol of
shame, guilt, and rejection. There could
be no more despicable way to die. To
take up the cross, we are identified with Christ in surrender, suffering, and
sacrifice.” Warren Wiersbe
3.
____________________- follow Me
Count the Cost, C.S.
Lewis:
"The terrible thing, the
almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self--all your wishes and
precautions--to Christ.
"Christ says 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much
of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment
your natural self, but to kill it. No half measures are any good. I don't want
to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree
down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it
out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent
as well as the ones you think wicked--the whole outfit. I will give you a new
self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: My own will shall become
yours.’”