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Daily Commitment

 Sharing the sermon, I preached this Sunday at my church. It is in English.  

YouTube Link - https://youtu.be/rjtPzHTVX8o


Summary of the message


Main Verse:- Luke 9:23
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 

Introduction

  • The call of Jesus is one of daily commitment.
  • If you do not plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't begin, for this is what Christianity is all about. It is a change of citizenship, a change of governments, a change of allegiance. If you have no intention of letting Christ rule your life, then forget Christianity; it is not for you. - Kay Arthur

1. Following is optional.
    1. Lk 9:23 - If any of you wants to be my follower
    2. There is no forced conversion, and it is unbiblical.
    3. We preach or share the message with an invitation, and people can accept it freely. 
    4. There is no indication of any trick or scheme to make one accept Jesus or obey His commandments.
    5. Follow God
      1.  Heart, soul, mind, and strength.
      2. Mark 12:29-30 - 29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’
2. Deny - Themselves
    1. Not a life of self-satisfaction
    2. Self vs doing the will of God
    3. Hebrews 10:32 Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ.[j] Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33 Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. 35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!
    4. Heb. 11:13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
3. Take up cross - Daily
a. Absolute Surrender
b. Cross was not a glorified symbol. It meant one thing- Death.
c. Willing to die
d. Discipleship involves sacrifice
e. It is a daily commitment and not a part-time or Sunday thing.
4. Three people and response (Luke 9:57-62)
a.1st Person - volunteered- "I will follow" - No place- It is a walk of faith.
b.2nd person was called by Jesus - He wanted to put off until he was free from all obligations.
c.3rd person- Volunteered- "I will follow" - But he wanted to go and say bye to everyone.

Conclusion

  • If Follow-> then Deny and Take up cross Daily.
  • A life totally committed to God has nothing to fear, nothing to lose, nothing to regret. - Pandita Ramabai
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