Holy Devotion: The Call to True Discipleship
Holy Devotion: The Call to True Discipleship
Sermon Summary:
Today, we delve into Mark 3:34-38, exploring the true meaning of following Christ. This passage challenges us to embrace a life of holy devotion, beyond our comfort zones. We’re reminded that while God is all-powerful, He doesn’t promise to shield us from all hardships. Instead, He assures us He’ll never leave or forsake us. The message centers on three key phrases: denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. These concepts push us to align our desires with God’s will, embrace trials for Christ’s sake, and live a life that mirrors Jesus’ teachings. The paradox of losing our life to save it reminds us that true fulfillment comes from surrendering to God, not clinging to worldly desires. As we reflect on these truths, let’s recommit ourselves to a path of unwavering faith and holy devotion.
Download a copy of the “Together in the Gospel” Devotional Book – HERE
Key Points:
- Denying oneself means putting aside selfish ambitions and prioritizing God’s will
- Taking up one’s cross involves embracing trials and hardships that come with following Christ
- Following Jesus requires keeping our focus on Him, especially during life’s storms
- True life is found in surrendering to Christ, not in clinging to our own desires
- The value of one’s soul far outweighs any worldly success or gain
- Christians are called to live unashamedly for Christ and boldly proclaim their faith
- Holy devotion requires ongoing commitment and courage in daily life
Scripture References:
- Mark 8:34-38
Stories:
- The illustration of a gardener pruning plants to maintain a beautiful garden
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s stand against the Nazi regime as an example of taking up one’s cross
- Peter walking on water as an illustration of keeping focus on Jesus
- The life of King Solomon and his realization of the meaninglessness of worldly pursuits without God
- The rich young ruler who was unwilling to give up his wealth to follow Jesus
- The tragedy of the Titanic and the boats that didn’t return to save more people
Transcript
Good morning, church. I had to be honest with you. I was telling the 830 people that I was a little bit nervous coming into the stage. Most of you know that our pastor, Dr. Dennis Wiles, is a tall man.
He is 6’5″, and as you can see, I’m 5’0″. So I didn’t know if I was going to be able to see you or you were going to be able to see me. But thank the Lord that he did a good job on having this pulpit here. I’m so excited to be here, and we’re going to continue with the series together in the gospel. I think it’s very important for us to understand what that means. And today, we will explore the passage from the gospel of Mark, chapter 3, verses 34 to 38. If you have your apps or your Bible, will you open them at this passage as we explore what the Lord has for us? As we’re going to be challenged. We’re going to be challenged with what is true, what is the true meaning of being a follower of Christ. The passage is not for a fainthearted, because it requires a deep commitment and understanding of the sacrificial nature of following Jesus. If you allow me to start this message with a question. How many of you have ever signed for something? Maybe a gym membership or a new hobby or even a challenging project? I know that. Most of us do resolutions at the beginning of the year, only to find out that the initial excitement fades and the real work begins. We realize it’s much harder than we anticipated, requiring more commitment and sacrifice. Well, today, we are going to explore what it is truly mean or means to follow Jesus. Beyond the initial excitement that we felt when we asked God to come into our hearts. Beyond the comfort zones that we do have in this beautiful country and into a life of holy devotion. But before I start, I want to give you the central idea of this passage. And that is, even though God is all-powerful. And listen, church, this is important for us to be reminded, especially on times like this that we’re facing a lot of darkness in our world. He has never promised to protect us from all environmental catastrophe. Or even from… Deadly attack on our lives by those who hate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Being a Christian is not an easy thing. My son and I, Giovanni, we’re talking about this this week, that it is hard to be a follower of Jesus Christ. But I know without a fact that we have promised in the Bible, one of those promises found in Hebrew chapter 13, verses 5 and 6, where God states that He promised to never leave us or forsake us. Amen? Now, an application that you need to take, in other words, homework to take home is that even though we may be dedicated Christians, we must make sure our motives are to honor Him and only Him above ourselves. So, let’s open our hearts and mind to receive His Word today. There are several phrases that we will be reminded in the scripture found in Mark chapter 8, verses 34 and 38. And the first phrase, or phrase, is the call to deny ourself. When you read chapter 34, it states, If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself. Now, Jesus begins by calling the crowd and His disciples to a radical commitment. Self-denial. This is not about self-deprivation, but about aligning our desires with God’s will. See, Jesus starts with a straightforward but demanding command. Deny yourself. Now, what does it mean, truly, to deny oneself? I’m glad you’re asking that question, church, because I have the answer. In our culture, we are often encouraged to indulge our desires and pursue personal ambitions. However, Jesus flips this notion on His head. Denying oneself means putting aside our selfish ambitions and desires and instead, parturizing God’s will. Denying oneself means putting aside our selfish ambitions and desires and instead, allow me to illustrate this by the image of a gardener tending to a beautiful garden. To maintain its beauty, the gardener must regularly prune the plants, removing dead branches and excess growth. See, the process, though seemingly harsh, allows the garden to flourish. I was hesitant to share this illustration because my wife is here in the audience, and now she knows that I’m knowledgeable about this, and she’s going to add, but seriously, there’s a similar in our spiritual life. Self-denial is the pruning process that enables us to grow closer to God and flourish in our faith. Now, the second phrase that I think is important for us to remember as we are reading this scripture is also found in the same verse, chapter, verse 34, chapter 8, that He’s taking up your cross. Jesus further instructs us to take up our cross. In His time, you know that, the cross had a symbol of suffering, pain, and shame, yet Jesus transforms it into a symbol of holy devotion and ultimate sacrifice. To take up one’s cross means to willingly embrace the trials and hardship that comes with being a follower of Christ. It is a daily commitment to live a life that reflects the sacrificial love of Jesus. I know you have heard the story or the great testimony of the cross. I know you have heard the story of this German pastor and theologian who stood against the Nazi regime during World War II. Ben Hofer chose to take up his cross by opposing evil and standing firm in his faith, even when it led to his imprisonment and then later to his execution. See, his life exemplifies the true cause of discipleship and the power of holy devotion. I want you to reflect. I think it’s important for us to do so, to reflect and evaluate where we are and how devoted we are in taking up our cross daily. In case you were wondering who is the number one enemy of the world is, if you are a devoted follower of Christ, of Jesus Christ, it is you. It is I. This was made evident during the opening ceremony of the Olympics. And I’m not going to talk about French and Greece and Greek. But what a great opportunity for us as a church, us as a followers in battles of Christ to be the light in the midst of darkness.
The supposed theme was bringing the world together. I don’t know if you noticed during the Olympics broadcast after the song, Imagine was sung, they put on the screen the words, we all stand and call for peace. I could not agree more, church. But the world needs to know that peace has already come. Oh, the world needs to know that peace is available for everyone. And the world needs to know that peace has a name and that name is Jesus Christ. Whoever needs shall bow and every time would confess that he is the Lord. It is up to us then to be that light. That’s why the third phrase is so important. It’s still in the same verse. As you deny yourself, as you pick up your cross, then you have to follow Jesus. Following Jesus means more than just, acknowledge him as the Savior. It means living a life that mirrors his teaching and example. It is a continuous journey of growing in faith, love and obedience. Consider the story of Peter walking on water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was doing the supernatural. Yes, he was walking on water. But the moment that he got distracted, the Bible says, the moment that he noticed the challenges and the difficulty, that produces a storm, he started sinking.
Following Jesus requires us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, especially when life’s storms threaten to overwhelm us. The paradox of saving or losing your life. Read with me verse 35. It says, for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me, the gospel will save it. This paradoxical statement challenged our natural instinct, because we often strive to persevere our lives, seeking security and success. Yet Jesus teaches that the true life is found not in clinging to our own desires, but in surrounding our lives to him. Think about this. Think about a grain of wheat. If it remains a single grain, it stays just that, a single grain. But if it falls into the ground and dies, it produces many seeds. In the same way, church, when we surrender our lives to Christ, we find true life in him, and our impact multiplies. Yes, gaining the world versus losing the soul. Read with me verses 36 and 37 of Mark chapter 8. For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? What can anyone give in exchange for his life? Jesus poses two requirements. Rhetorical questions to emphasize the incompatible value of the soul. No amount of worldly success, wealth, or pleasure can constipate for the loss of your own soul.
Our eternal destiny is of almost importance. This question strikes at the heart of the priorities and values. Let us reflect for the next few minutes on the life of King Solomon, who had wealth. The Bible says, he had power and wisdom beyond measure. In other words, he was a very rich person. He was a billionaire with a B. He was very successful. He was smart, and he had power. Yet in Ecclesiastes, he declares that all his pursuits were meaningless without God. Solomon’s life reminds us that early gains are fleeting, but the value of our soul is eternal. One way I have, purposefully ministered and led my family is through seven biblical values my wife Dora and I have developed as a framework of our lives. These are biblical values that nurtures our soul’s eternity. And my two kids are here, Giovanni, who is 23 years old, and Priscilla, who is 21. And they know these seven values in two languages. So if you see them here, do challenge them to tell you what are those seven values so I can continue. Consider also the story of the rich young ruler who walked away sad, the Bible says, because he was unwilling to give up his wealth to follow Jesus. He was sad. He was knowledgeable. He knew who Jesus was. He knew who he represents, but he could not let go of his wealth. He gained material riches, but missed out on the eternal treasure.
The Bible talks about being unashamed of the gospel. As we reach out, a verse, verse 38, the Bible says, for whosoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the son of man will also be ashamed of him or her when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels.
Jesus calls us to boldly proclaim our faith and live unashamedly for him. In a world that often rejects or mocks Christians’ values, we are to stand firm, the Bible says, and witness the truth of the gospel. Yes, I know this is not an easy thing to do. I know that if you’re an introvert, an extrovert, or a starter, or don’t have the ability to talk to strangers, this can be a challenge. But I can tell you something, church, if you allow God every morning, say, God, make it happen, you better be ready because God is going to make it happen where you’re going to have an opportunity to share the good news to someone that needs it. I know you remember the great tragedy in 2016, the Titanic who sank and more than 1,500 people passed away. But there was a greater tragedy and that was that most of the people who were safe, secure in their boats were hearing the crowd yelling, come back, bring the boats back. We’re drowning, help us. And because of their fear and selfishness, they never went back. Well, today, and we know that because we’re in a world where we have seen it firsthand all over social media and probably in our neighborhoods and in our own nation, there’s a lot of darkness. There’s a lot of people still screaming out loud, help me. I have an emptiness that needs to be filled. And we, church, are the people that God has commended to take the good news to those people. Think about the Apostle Paul who, despite facing several persecutions, declared, I’m not ashamed of the gospel because I’m not ashamed of the gospel. It is dunamis, dunamis, power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes Romans 1, 16. Yes, church, the call to holy devotion is a call to a deeper and more committed relationship with our Lord Savior. Why? Because he requires a self-denial. Oh, yes, taking up your cross, losing our lives for his sake, valuing our souls above worldly gains and standing up for the Lord. Standing unashamedly for the gospel.
May we commit today to live as true disciples of Christ, valuing our souls above all worldly gain and boldly proclaiming our faith without shame. Yes, let us pray for the strength and courage to live out this call to discipleship every day. If you are here today and if your heart is still beating, it’s because God has not finished with his purpose in your life. And you can say, well, Pastor Ramos, I’m an old person. Well, really, we don’t know, honestly, if we’re going to be transparent who’s the youngest and who’s the oldest in this room. I’m a 55 young handsome man. Amen? But if the Lord has me and his purpose to live until I’m 60, but you’re here, you’re 70, and God wants you to live until you’re 90, I ask you, church, who’s the youngest and who’s the oldest? I only have five years to live. That man has 20 years to live. So because we don’t know who’s the youngest or the oldest because our life is not measured by the day we are born, but by the day we are going to die. And since we don’t know who we’re going to die, then we need to continue fulfilling the great commission and the great commandment and fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives. The call to action is this. As we reflect on these profound truths, let us examine, let us examine our hearts and recommit ourselves to the path of holy devotion. May we deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Jesus with unwearying faith.
These are my closing words to you, church. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you walk in the path of holy devotion. Let us go forth, empowered by his spirit, to live our good news, or to live out the good news in every aspect of our life in Jesus’ name. Will you do that? We’re going to have a few minutes for everyone who’s in this room to respond. As Michael and his team lead us in the last song, the first thing that I want to ask you is, if you’re here today, and he mentioned it, and I’m echoing what he said a few minutes ago, if you’re here today and you are struggling, going through a hard time, our ministers will be here in the front. We just want to pray with you. If you just want to come and pray at the altar, you can do that as well. Now, I know our pastor, Dr. Dennis Wall, will be very happy if you’re here today, and you want to come and say, you know what, after visiting y’all, I’m ready to become part of this family. If you’re a single man, a single woman, you want to come. If you’re a couple, if you’re a family, and that’s where the Lord is leading you, that you want to be part of this family, will you come as we sing as well? But I want to extend another invitation. Perhaps you are here today, and you’ve been struggling in answering the call to full-time ministry.
As you know, it doesn’t matter the age. It matters you responding to the call. Our ministers are going to be here, and I know they will be delighted to pray for you.
And lastly, but also as important, if you’re here today, and you have never accepted Christ as your only Savior, you believe in Him, but you have never confessed Him as your Lord and Savior. But now, through the Word of God, you know that there’s an emptiness that only He can fulfill. Will you pass also as we sing pray for one of our ministers and let them know your decision? I’m going to ask you to stand up, church, and let me bless you with this prayer.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the powerful words of God. Jesus, that challenges us every day and inspires us. Help us to live lives of holiness.