The Way

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. “ To experience the life of Jesus, we must adopt the lifestyle of Jesus”-Pastor John Mark Comer‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:18-25‬‬Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? “Whoever wants to be my disciple MUST deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” DENY TAKE UP FOLLOW‭‭ Luke‬ ‭9:57-62‬‬As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”‭‭Luke‬ ‭14:25-33‬‬Large crowds were traveling with Jesus and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:18-23‬‬A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. If you want to follow Jesus, then first you must die. Skye Jethani (in The Divine Commodity) “My secret is that I want to be relevant and popular. I want my desires fulfilled and pain minimized. I want a manageable relationship with an institution rather than messy relationships with real people. I want to be transformed into the image of Christ by showing up at entertaining events rather than through the hard work of discipline. I want to wear my faith on my sleeve and not look at the darkness in my heart. And above all, I want a controllable god. I want a divine commodity to do my will on earth as well as in heaven. “Are you following Jesus on His terms or yours today? HE IS ENOUGH

Over The Walls:

The Outcast Matthew 9:9-13Throughout our summer emphasis on outreach into our communities, we are taking time on Sunday mornings to see the heart of Jesus for those who were “outside the walls”. Today, we will see Jesus go over the walls of reputation to rescue a lost tax collector named Matthew.‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9:9-13‬‬ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. “As we unpack our teaching text today, we will discover the heart of the Lord for the lost people who are often behind walls we ourselves have built. Perhaps outside of our comfort zones. Maybe even people we would deem as un-worthy Jesus goes after them, just like he came after us. The question of Jesus for us today could easily be “Will you follow me? “Will you go over the walls?‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9:9‬‬As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. As Pastor Joe unpacked for us a little bit last week, it is hard to exactly understand the disdain that the Jews had for tax collectors. The closest parallel for us might be akin to the scammers who are calling, or email trying to get our information so they can extort money from us. They were viewed as traitors of their people because they were working for “The man” or the Roman government that was oppressing the Jews. They were charged with collecting taxes but were free to collect extra to line their own pockets. They were viewed as greedy and self-serving. That was Matthew-Yes, Jesus saw a tax collector that day, but he saw beyond that sin and shame, beyond the walls, to see a heart longing for something different. He knew Matthew’s heart was seeking forgiveness and redemption. An opportunity of new life. Matthew was so ready that he instantly left his entire life behind to follow Jesus.‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9:10-11‬‬While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? “Matthew takes note of the guest list of this dinner party, making special note that it was MANY tax collectors like himself and other well-known sinners from the town. In the culture and time of Jesus, sharing a meal with someone was not just a common thing like it is today- it carried significant meaning in terms of relationship, of acceptance, and of belonging. In this scene Jesus has made space for people to be with him, to engage them right where they were, no pre-conditions required. This action on behalf of Jesus ran the religious folks right into a wall.‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9:12-13‬‬On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. “In his response, we see that Jesus’ heart is for the outcast, for the people outside the walls. His heart is for those who are down and out, desperate in the gutter. His heart is to extend them grace and an invitation to forgiveness and new life. It’s THEM he came for. It’s the sick who need a doctor. What wall is God calling you to go over? What have you allowed to block the Lord’s flow of mercy in your life? What are the walls? Perhaps the wall of racism or prejudice? Perhaps it’s the wall of politics? Maybe it’s even a big old religious wall? The truth is, if you had lived in the time of Jesus, Matthew may have been the worst of the worst to you- yet Jesus extended a hand to his. So, will you go over your walls today? Will you follow Jesus over that wall in your life? Allow him to lead you. Will you be like Matthew and go all in? As I was preparing this week, I picked up a William Barclay commentary on Matthew and it revealed a few other walls we should consider. The wall of self-preservation that I built to protect myself, to keep my experience safe and comfortable. The wall of selfishness that views my relationship with the Lord and involvement in the church as being all about me. The wall of criticism that helps to isolate me from being near the messiness in other people’s lives. Or perhaps it’s the wall of apathy. The wall that says they got themselves into this mess, let them get themselves out. Friends, walls can be built of many things, for many reasons, but the invitation of the Lord remains for you and for me Follow me” Jesus says. Let’s go over the walls today friends. Let’s go together.

Our Guest speaker today is Pastor Mike Souder who has served 19 years at Grace Covenant Church and currently serves as the associate pastor there.

Ears To Hear

Overcoming 5 common Barriers to hearing from God

I am the gate; Whoever enters though me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

John 10:9-10

Overcoming the 5 Barriers of Hearing God

1. Asking Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find… If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:7,11
2. Listening Conviction From the Spirit Clear and direct way out of the problem Forward thinking- hope filled Affirms our identity, positivity Condemnation From the Enemy Vague and unclear, no ‘good’ way out Backward thinking- hopeless Attacks our identity
3. Truth
4. Relationship
5. Sin If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. Psalm 66:18 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.  Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16 But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back. Matthew 18:28-29