Sermon Cutting Edge Christianity

Sermon – “Cutting Edge Christianity!” Sunday, January 15, 2012 Faith Temple Church – Sioux Falls, S.D. Pastor Jeff Hayes

Title: “Cutting Edge Christianity!” Adapted from “What Discipleship Involves” by Mike Turner

Scripture: Mark 8:34-36 and others!

Introduction: 1. “Cutting Edge Christianity” 2. Definition: The position of greatest advancement or importance, the forefront! 3. Needed for the world that we live in TODAY! 4. The world needs to hear that there is hope in Jesus Christ! 5. Food Giveaway two people rush out of the armory as soon as they get their box of food and begin to gobble dry bread or any type of food that they can get their hands on! 6. Being a Christian, Living for Christ, representing Jesus is serious stuff for struggling, hopeless people! 7. We are the conveyors of life and hope and reality in Jesus!

Mark 8:34-8:36 – “ 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? What Does Cutting Edge Christianity Involve? Leadership magazine once ran a cartoon that showed a church building with a billboard in front that said: "The LITE CHURCH: 24% fewer commitments, home of the 7.5% tithe, 15 minute sermons, 45 minute worship service; we have only 8 commandments—your choice.

1. It’s Time To Follow Jesus with a totally committed life! 2. It’s time to Come After Jesus, Deny ourselves, Take up our crosses and follow him! 3. His promise... ‘whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it!” Page 2 Let me throw out some words which define most people’s relationship with God, and with the church.

1. Casual defines a lot of people who profess to be Christians.

A. The word "casual" means occasional...... coming at certain times, without regularity,,, 1. How would that work for you at your job??? 2. Coming at certain times, without regularity! 3. How would that work with your family??? 4. Just show up when you want to, occasionally be there. B. The antonym for "casual" or the opposite is "committed". 1. Employers appreciate workers who are committed, who show up on time if not early. 2. People who are there to work not casually stand around and do just what they want to do.

Would you describe your relationship with Christ as casual or committed ?

2. Convenience Defines A Lot Of People Who Profess To Be Christians.

Some churches use business marketing models, draw thousands but shy away from the recipe for the Christian life that Jesus gave when he said,...”take up your cross, die to yourself and follow me.” Mega- churches or want a be mega churches across the country have added bowling alleys, NBA regulation basketball courts with bleachers, exercise gyms and spas, locker rooms, ornate auditoriums for concerts and dramatic productions, and Starbucks and McDonald’s franchises—all for the furtherance of the gospel. Or so it is claimed.

The faith of many is driven by convenience, and fails when it is challenged !

3. Comfort Defines Many People Who Profess To Be Christians. We want to meet in air conditioned buildings in the summer, and heated buildings in the winter, and we want to hear sermons that make us feel good, and God forbid if we should ever be made to feel uncomfortable or asked to do something that we’re not comfortable with doing !

--- Talk to Doug Mashek about being in Haiti last week! ___ I’ll admit that I like heated buildings in the winter and air conditioning in the summer! --- Hopefully “Comfort” doesn’t define my Christianity!

4. Cost Free Defines A Lot Of People Who Profess To Be Christians.

I’ll be glad to participate as long as it doesn’t cost me anything. a. The message of the Cross, can you hear it as you visualize the cross??? b. This life may cost you everything! c. Christianity Missionary Jim Elliott who as killed for his faith said - "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

I want you to understand this morning that the attitude, and actions of most people who profess to be Christians is in stark contrast to what Christ teaches !

This morning I want us to look at what Christ expects of his followers...... at what is involved in being a Cutting Edge Christian !

1. *Interesting note-269 times in the N.T. the word disciple (a cutting edge Christian) is used...... 2. 3 times the word "Christian" is used ! 3. I’m a Christian, a Disciple of Jesus Christ!

What Does Cutting Edge Christianity Involve???

I. Cutting Edge Christianity Involves Learning.

Scripture: (NKJV) Matthew 11: 28 & 29 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

A. Jenna: “Actually take what he said seriously!” “Let the message of the cross change you!” B. Cutting Edge Christianity involves being a learner or a pupil, a student of Jesus! C. It always means being the student in contrast to being the teacher. D. Disciples called Jesus their rabbi.... which means “teacher” E. Two greatest commandments and all of the other hang on these two: F. Matthew 22:37-40 NIV 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

II. Cutting Edge Christianity Involves Leaving

Scripture: Mark 8:34 (The Message Version) “Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.

A. During the ministry of Christ, there was a large crowd that traveled with Jesus where ever he went. Many were just along for the ride. They listened to Christ, they watched him, they talked about him, but they were not disciples, not cutting edge Christians!

B. John 6 (The Hard Teachings of Jesus) -- Many deserted Jesus!

C. “You have to become like Me!!!

D. Our society knows little about self-denial ! And it shows...... It shows in our waist-lines...... shows in our debts...... if we see it and want it, we get it ! If we don’t have the money, we charge it ! If we can’t afford it, we get it anyway ! Illust. Many years ago, a new missionary arrived in S. Korea to replace a missionary who was retiring. As the retiring missionary had the new missionary come and observe the physical region of his ministry, they came upon two Koreans farming. The new missionary was shocked to see one of the men pulling the plow while the other man held the plow. Those men need a mule said the new missionary. They had a mule was the reply of the older missionary but they sold it, and gave the money to do the Lord’s work!

Is that denying ourselves, could be!

Remember that Jesus said that we must be willing to leave it all, to abandon it all in order to follow him !

ILLUSTRATION:

One of the most dramatic is the conversion of C. S. Lewis. This little man, who held the chair of medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge, sat in his study without typewriter or secretary and penned the great masterpieces which made him perhaps the most broadly-read Christian writer of our century. C. S. Lewis was an agnostic, but was "Surprised By Joy" -- the title of a book in which he tells about "The Shape of My Early Life" as Christ replaced the "I" in his life.

C. S. Lewis describes the exchange between self-will and God’s will in Beyond Personality (and his words are a challenge to you and to me): "Christ says, ’Give me all. I don’t want 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 there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self instead. In fact I will give you myself, my own will shall become yours.’"

A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing. - Martin Luther Page 6 III. Cutting Edge Christianity Involves Losing

A. “Jesus said, ...... take up your cross, and follow me !” B. In our 2012 Sioux Falls South Dakota...Cradle of Comfortable Christian Churches it can be heard...”where is my lottay, my capacino, where is my comfortable cushion, where is my pat on the back... but do we hear: C. Where is my cross??? I want to Die to myself and follow Jesus! B. ILLUSTRATION: In 1597 26 Christians, Japanese and foreigners were taken prisoner in the capital, Nagasaki and were executed in Nagasaki, becoming the first martyrs in Japan. The Rev. Sigfrid Schneider describes an incident from the martyrdom on February 5, 1597," On the way up the hill a nobleman tempted the youngest boy, Louis Ibaragi, who was only twelve years old to renounce his faith, He would not yield but eagerly asked: 'Where is my cross?' When they pointed out the smallest one to him he immediately embraced it and held on to it as a child clings to his toy." (Sigfried Schneider, Ofm, The 26 Martyrs of Japan, Chuo Press, 1980, p. 16)

B. The key to understanding losing my life is Mark 8:35 (NIV) “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but ...... whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will ...... save it.”

C. "losing" is exactly what Christ expects from those who would be disciples ! D. We must allow Christ first place...... we must put others above ourselves ! We must give up our lives, and die to self !

E. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (German Christian Martyr) “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come, and die !”

f. "General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was asked the secret of his amazing Christian life. Booth answered, ‘I told the Lord that He could have all that there is of William Booth"

G Memorable story of a lifeguard on a beach who saw a drowning man. He walked into the surf but didn’t go out to rescue him. People gathered on the beach and yelled and screamed at the lifeguard to go out and rescue the drowning man. The lifeguard waded a little deeper, and kept his eye on the drowning man, but the yells and screams of the onlookers didn’t motivate him to swim out. Just when it seemed the man was going down for the last time, the lifeguard swam out with strong strokes and grabbed the man and brought him back to shore. After some spitting and coughing, the man was conscious. But rather than hailing him as a hero, the onlookers were angry at the lifeguard and said, "You coward! You saw he was drowning, why didn’t you go out sooner?"

The lifeguard patiently explained, "You can see that he is much bigger and stronger than I am." If I had gone out sooner, he was thrashing and kicked so violently that he would have probably drowned both of us. As long as he was trying to save himself, I couldn’t save him. But when he got tired, and gave up, then I knew I could save him."

H. A disciple of Jesus learns the lesson that: It is only through losing our life to Christ that we really achieve life

IV. Cutting Edge Christianity Involves Leading Others To Christ!

Matthew 4:19 (New International Version)

19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

A. All of our efforts, lead people to Christ! B. Whatever we do, whatever we say, how we live our lives!

Cutting Edge Christianity Involves Loving!

At the end of our lives we won’t be asked... "How much have you gotten?" but "How much have you given?" “Not "How much have you won?" but "How much did you lose ?" “ Not "How much have you saved?" but "How much have you sacrificed?"

Be Involved With Jesus In “Cutting Edge Christianity”!