(3/22/23) How? Faith Energized By Love

The speaker discusses the importance of understanding the concept of being buried with Christ by baptism into death. They emphasize that it is not enough to simply say it without understanding the meaning and implications. The speaker refers to scripture passages, such as Romans 6:4 and Matthew 16:24, to explain the actions required to follow Christ, including denying oneself and taking up one's cross. They also discuss the idea of betrayal and denial in relation to following Christ. The speaker encourages listeners to fully commit themselves and not make excuses or defend their actions. They explain that denying oneself goes beyond delayed gratification and requires a deeper level of surrender. The speaker references Luke 14:25-27 to further emphasize the importance of absolute and entire denial. Romans 6 verse 4 encapsulates what we are talking about, and we are talking about how, my wife is faithful and I am very thankful to her, because, and you guys, this is a good example to follow, which she sets for example in this way, and that is, if you don't understand something, don't pretend like you do. There is no faking it until you make it in the kingdom of God. We humble ourselves, and what Kimberly does very well for me sometimes is to say, well Joshua, I heard what you said, I don't know how to do it, you didn't tell us how that can be. So many grand things can be said, and there are things that the scripture does say so clearly about what the condition of a believer ought to be, and what we ought to be doing, and what this and what that, and sometimes because of how gloriously fun it is for preachers and teachers and evangelists to talk about the what, we forget to talk about how, and how is very important. Romans 6 verse 4, Therefore we are buried, we are buried with him. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. A beautiful, wonderful passage. I want to read all of it right now, but if I do that, I don't think I'm going to be able to communicate what the Lord wants to talk to us about. But this is the passage, and you can read it, and do some homework. Buried with him by baptism into death, like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also, you also, should walk in newness of life. Verse 7 says, For he that is dead is free from sin. Buried with him by baptism into death. How? How? How do we be buried with him by baptism into death? Is it good enough to just say it? Is it good enough to just say, I don't know, whatever that is, sounds good, and I don't know, I hope that's the case in me, and close the Bible, and resume life as normal. I've said before, I say it again, I've heard many kind words come from pulpits, and they sound things like this, I trust that you all are buried with Christ. I believe that some of you, maybe all of you, know something about being buried with Christ, maybe. And I, I want to think it, but then there is that in my human mind, and then there is the, the burden that the Holy Spirit lays down on the shoulders of a heart, who will pluck himself up and say, God, what are you saying to your people? And he'll give you a burden, and when you get that burden, and I'm not talking about demonic burden, so please don't hear me wrong. I'm talking about something that you get to shoulder with Jesus, and you're excited to do with him. You start to find out that he's very, very, very concerned about these matters, and you start to think, well Jesus, you think that not everybody is always buried with you? And he says, no, not everybody. I want to do more than I'm doing. He wants to have more of you, and so we're going to talk about this. If you know it a little, he wants you to know it a lot. If you don't know it at all, he wants you to know it a lot. He wants it to be for everybody. Buried with him by baptism into death, that you too can live in newness of life. How? How do we do it? I'm going to review a little bit, but we're going to push this a little bit broader and farther, Lord willing. How can we be baptized into his death? How can we be buried by baptism into his death? Well, Jesus gives us some very clear instructions, and this is not the only case he says this, but in Matthew 16, verse 24, words in red, Jesus says something to us that is very worthy of note. Matthew 16, verse 24. So we're talking about how to be buried with him by baptism into death. Buried with him by baptism into death. And these are the instructions that Jesus gave to us. If any man, verse 24 of chapter 16 says, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself. Take up his cross and follow me. Jesus says, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. Very clear, simple instructions. What does that mean? Well, we're going to look at it. What does it mean for Jesus? If we will follow him, we will walk in his steps. You see, the last point that he makes is that follow me. So I don't think that I'm abusing the text to assume that when we deny ourselves, we are denying ourselves in following him, in taking up our cross. We take up our cross, following him, imitating him, doing it like he did. Okay. If we will follow him, we will walk in his steps. The scripture says that he was betrayed. Thank you. Yes, we'll talk about that. Scripture says that he was betrayed, denied, and finally crucified. Okay, not complicated. You know the story. Jesus says, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. Do like me. Okay, when we do, and then the little child's doing it with us, and we're teaching them how to do it, we say, look at daddy, do like this. And we show them how it's done. Jesus is saying, do like me. The scripture says he was betrayed, denied, and then crucified. We talked about this last time, but we talked about it a little bit in a shotgun mode. I just unloaded in different ways, the things that the scripture was saying. And I'm just doing some review coming across here. You must be betrayed with him, denied with him, crucified with him, if you will be buried with him. Okay. You don't get an easy path to Calvary. Your path is not different than his, except you're going for different reasons. Very different reasons. But when he says, follow me, he meant it. And when he says, take up your cross, and when he says, deny yourself, you and I, because as believers, we don't have, we don't get to a shortcut, what it meant for Jesus. He says, the servant is not above his Lord. And what happens to me will happen to you, if you are my disciple. Okay, it feels like betrayal to condemn the flesh. We talked about this. And we said how Paul, second Corinthians chapter four, verse 11, says, for we which live are always betrayed unto death for Jesus's sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest. Does anybody know what manifest means? Like, Chinese? What's a Chinese? Yeah, what is the thing to fan yourself, right? Oh, just a tiny fan. Am I saying that right? And you know, it goes like this. It's all these folds. It's many fold. Literally, like literally, that's what the word is manifold. And, and you know what I'm talking about? Okay. So it looks like this. It's like a skinny thing like this. And then, okay. Manifest is the thing it is, it is to demonstrate larger in many ways. That is a manifold is the manifest. I forgot my words, but the God wants to take what is small, a little seed of faith that God and he wants to blow it big for the world. And he can do that sort of thing. When we will be crucified with him. We that live are always betrayed unto death. It's normal. Paul's like this is normal life for me. Always betrayed to death. Yep. Just always, always. This is helpful to remember. If it feels like you're betraying yourself. All the believers who've ever walked with Jesus in this they know they've gone before. It feels like betrayal, but we cannot crucify what we won't condemn. You guys, you can't send to Calvary. What you haven't decided is fit to die. You cannot crucify what you won't condemn. We cannot crucify what we're still making excuses for. We cannot crucify what we're still defending. It feels like betrayal, but he was betrayed. Follow him there. Jesus says, follow me. Then there is the denial. Deny yourself. Deny yourself. And unlike only eating three Oreos instead of 12 every once in a while, according to Jesus, denying oneself is absolute and entire. It is not some small refraining from what would be my choice if I could have it like this morning. I drank some coffee. I was talking to Elijah about coffee and Elijah says he doesn't drink coffee because he doesn't want to get addicted to coffee. I'm sorry. Yes, he does sometimes. He does it regularly. He does it regularly. I just heard you don't drink coffee. And I thought, I thought, well, I'm not addicted. Anyway, I made some coffee and then I drank just a little bit of it and then I thought, that's enough. That's enough coffee. I don't have to have more coffee. So I told Kimberly, I'm not taking coffee with me to work today. I was provoked. And it was good. I survived the day. It was wonderful. Anyway. No, I didn't actually. No, I didn't. No, it was good. I think coffee might actually give me a headache. Anyway, denying yourself is not just delayed gratification. And the fact that Joshua didn't have coffee like he normally does, and as much of it as he normally does all day, so that when I'm sitting there in the truck and I'm stressed out about something, I got that coffee to drink, right? No, that's not denying yourself. Okay? That might be an ability you have if you are crucified with Christ. You can just say, no, I don't. I think I'm addicted to coffee. But because I'm free in Christ, I don't have to. And you have power. But the fact that I sweated and willed myself and told everyone in the house, no one's allowed to have coffee anymore. It's driving me crazy. I'm addicted. And if I smell it, I have to have it. So I put it out of the house. And go through withdrawals and all these things. That's not necessarily denying myself. You see, because denying yourself runs way deeper than only the things that one who denies himself can do. Very helpful. And this is a passage we didn't yet look at. And we're going to do a little bit of diligence here to drive this point home. Denying oneself is absolute and entire. Luke 14. Will you turn with me to Luke 14? Beginning in verse 25. And by absolute, in case this question arises in your mind. Conscientiously to God, you might put in your note if that's what it says. Absolute in your consciousness to God. The scripture says that if our heart does not condemn us, we have peace with God. There are two kinds of sins the scripture describes in the scripture to us. And there are sins unto death and there are sins not unto death. And this is maybe sticky territory, but just go read the words printed on the page and you'll see what the Bible says about it. All transgression is sin. Even unknowing sin. But it's not sin unto death. And John actually says that in a loving relationship between the Father, in fellowship with the Father, if I see my brother over here, and there's something going on, and I think, I talk to the Lord about it, maybe because it's bothering me. And then I say, and the Lord says, he doesn't know any better. I haven't talked to him about that. You leave him alone. That's a sin not unto death. Even if it is a sin, even if somebody's transgressing, we're in a body, we're supposed to look and say, maybe sometimes the Lord will move you to go speak to that person. And they do know better. Stop hurting that brother. Stop saying that to that sister. That's doing damage. Oh, okay. And they didn't know before then. It was a sin not unto death. And when our conscience is aroused and we come up to realization that we're transgressing the law of love, we're transgressing the law of Christ, well, all of a sudden, it's sin unto death when we continue in it. Okay? You can argue with me about that later, I guess. But this denying oneself. So you say, oh, but Joshua, how can I possibly deny myself? Absolutely. I don't even know all the things. Yeah, just talk about the things that the Lord's talking to you about. Okay? Just work with that. Don't overwhelm yourself. But if God's dealing with you on something, deny yourself. Let go of it. Absolutely. Don't be withholding something. Okay? And this is why. Because in Luke 14, we read a staggering passage. Perhaps a more sobering passage than we had first noticed, because this passage is very often misunderstood. Sincerely misunderstood. I don't pick on the people who misunderstand it, but it is often misunderstood. And so we'll read here. Verse 25. And there went great multitudes with him. With who? Jesus, right? And he turned and said unto them. So get the picture. Great multitudes. Jesus is very popular, at least right now. Okay? Don't hold your breath. He seems to always do the wrong thing socially, when he gets very popular. Great multitudes were with him. He turns to them and says to them, if any man comes to me, and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Brothers and sisters, when Jesus says cannot, you need to listen very closely. This is the God of the universe incarnate in human flesh. And if he says cannot, cannot, we take it very seriously. You're talking about a, all of a sudden we have come into an eternal structure that will not be moved. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever does not take up his cross, bear his cross, and come after me, he cannot be my disciple. The great commission is often described as going to all the world and preach the gospel, which is part of the great commission. The rest of the great commission is to make disciples of all men, teaching them all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you all, even to the end of the world. Okay? So, the job of the church is to make disciples. We preach the gospel, and we make disciples. But here Jesus is stipulating who can and who cannot be a disciple, emphatically and without exception. Except, of course, here. Whosoever does not take up his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. And then he says, for which one of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count at the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it, lest, unfortunately, the King James says happily, it's not happy happily, it's just in per happenstance, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him. Saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first and consulted, whether he be able with 10,000 to meet him that cometh against him with 20,000. Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassador and desireth conditions of peace. So, likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not somebody, what's the next word? All. Forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be, again he says, cannot be my disciple. Salt is good, but if salt has lost its savor, where shall it be seasoned? It's not fit for land, not even for the dunghill, but men cast it out, he that appears to hear, let him hear. How much money should one have before he begins to build a tower? All of it. He should have all of the money. That's the advice inferred here. Now, I would be remiss to not notice that very often this parable that Jesus told is not setting right in the context when it is quoted. And you may have listened to somebody explain that the man building the tower and the king setting out to make war, that's you and you need to decide whether or not I do really want to serve Jesus. Well, you should decide whether or not you really want to serve Jesus, but let me break the news to you contextually and literarily what is actually happening here. Jesus is building a tower, and Jesus is at war. And which one of you doesn't sit down and calculate how much he has, how much money should one have before he begins to build a tower? He should have all of it. How much advantage should a king have before he picks a fight with another king? All of it. Or else he shouldn't pick the fight. How much of you does God have? Yes, how much of you does God have? Likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. God is stipulating through Jesus Christ the qualifications for participating in the kingdom of God. And so I ask you as a brother in Christ, how much of God, how much of you does God have? See, God has not been limiting himself, brothers and sisters. He fills whatever you give him. But if you give him little, he fills little. If you give him much, he fills much. I don't believe that we've seen the tiniest fraction yet of everything that God wants to build in your life. I don't think you've seen yet the tiniest fraction of the conquest God is willing to make in you and through you. How much of you does God have? How much of you does he have to work with? These are qualifications for discipleship. This is the entrance into discipleship. How much of you does God have? Because if he doesn't have it all, he doesn't pick the fight. And if he doesn't have it all, he doesn't build the tower. And this is why, brothers and sisters, I can weep if I let myself. God is more willing than you can even imagine to do things that are beyond your asking and thinking in you and through you. But it is those souls that have let everything go to him that he does it because he's holding true to his promise that he'll have it all or he'll have none of it. And we can stay in this place of wavering where we're just asking him to forgive our sins and then we walk again in the flesh and then we ask him to forgive our sins and then we walk again in the flesh. But you're the one that wants to know how to be buried with Christ. And this is the answer. It's all. He wants it all. And he does not set out to build in you what he wants to build until he has all the real estate in his name. And he does not set out to pick the fight with the enemy in your life until he's calculated that even outnumbered, he has all of you and we can do this. Jesus said he cannot be my disciple. I'm not telling you you shouldn't count the cost. And you might have heard a sermon based on this passage that you should count the cost about walking with Jesus. Actually, I happen to have to tell you that if you see Calvary like you ought to, there's no cost to come. It's too small a price. For me to give my life to him is too small a price. I suppose you should make up your mind. Yes. But let me tell you something. Jesus is counting the cost. Your discipleship begins when you surrender everything and commit to a life of everything surrendered, everything laid down. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when he come up out of the water of baptism. He just signed away the rights to life in the flesh. He just signed away the right to live his life for himself. He just told his father, I'm going all the way to Calvary. I'll be obedient unto death for you. You'll be filled with the Holy Spirit when you follow him there. This is the beginning of discipleship. And I wouldn't be a good brother to you to not tell you the truth. Discipleship begins when he has everything. What does God have? I don't think you've seen yet the tiniest fraction of what God is willing to do. Some days I get to see it. I think in prayer sometimes, Lord, let me see in your lives what he wants to do in you. And I'm excited with him. But this is where it starts. And until he has everything, he does not begin to build. And he doesn't pick that fight with the enemy. Christ cannot live where you will not die. It doesn't seem fair, but Christ was denied by his closest friends. This is denial. Deny yourself. Jesus was denied. Follow him there. Deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me. I think maybe I'm going to write that here before we proceed with this. What did taking up his cross mean to Jesus? Because that's what it will mean to you. Those are the imperatives Jesus gives us, the commands Jesus gives us. Deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me. What was the cross to Jesus? We talked about this last time, about our rights. All those rights you have. Oh, if you knew what those were keeping you from in the kingdom of God, you'd drop it like a bad habit. Oh, you'd drop it like a hot potato. But see, we don't see that right away. It takes faith to see through that. Sometimes God doesn't show you what you will have if you just let go of the old man. He doesn't. He waits until you obey him, and then you think, oh my, how could I have held on to that for so long? To miss out on all this, to keep that. That is normally the case. I don't know that I have any testimony to relate to you that it was not. Anytime I laid something to rest with Jesus, everything was so much better. And I kind of was embarrassed that it had been so dramatic. Because it was so wonderful when it was rested with Jesus. What was the cross to Jesus? Well, he laid down his right to defend himself. He laid down his right to protect his dignity. He laid down his right to secure his independence. He laid down his right to enjoy leisure. He laid down his right to live life for himself. All those rights. All your rights, brothers and sisters. You talk about your rights, you go right ahead. That's fine. But if you want to be a disciple of Jesus, you're going to have to let all those go. This is what your cross will mean to you. Can you help me out here? Let's write some rights that die at Calvary. Let's write some rights for you and me. Think about what Jesus gave us. Let's just make us a list here. Things that have to be crucified with Christ. Things that we have to let go of. Good reputation. Oh, that's a good one. A good name is a good thing. But I'll testify, and many other men and women above the Lord, God doesn't let you maintain the right to keep it. How about another one? I'm not falling for your trap. I'll say it again. What's that? I'm not falling for your trap. No, certainly. Well, maybe you all are free from these rights. That's wonderful. Until it's like Dr. Sherer used up all the hot water. That's what I'm talking about. The right to a hot shower. Hallelujah. Somebody's being honest. Praise the Lord. You know what? It's okay. This is where it starts. Yeah. Absolutely. And every day in a crucified life, the devil is permitted at times to accuse you. So if you think that what Joshua is telling you is that if we just can get through this formality of being crucified with Christ, then it's smooth sailing. Everything's wonderful. Ah, it's wonderful. It's wonderful, except it's kind of like wonderful like winning a bloody battle. That's what it's wonderful like. It's wonderful like the devil still will accuse you and say, he only loves you because his water heater doesn't break. That's the only reason he's having a good day. You see him there? Praising the Lord. Watch the water heater break. See if he praises you then. Yeah. Yeah. So it starts there. The devil is allowed to do those sorts of things. Or when the kids are smaller, especially uninterrupted sleep. Yeah, yeah. Being long. Yeah, uninterrupted sleep, exactly. I'm the worst here. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Nobody else has any other rights? Well, you guys are good, man. You're good to go. Nothing else to die to? You have a right to not speak. That's right. You don't have a right to just be completely introverted your whole life. Oh, I don't speak. Oh, yeah, yeah. We should work on that one. Yeah. Yeah, right to keep it to myself. Yeah. Then not speak. Oh, yeah. Sometimes you're in a room and you hear people talking and you think, just go ahead. You don't know how dumb you sound. I don't have to tell you. Because it's fun listening. Yeah, that's Christ, isn't it? No, it's not. No, it's not. And when it gets messy, or for instance, you hear about a messy situation, and the Lord shows you, you can help. And you think, no. I don't know what will happen. It will just all turn on me. You just die. You just lay down. Lay down all these things. Okay. These are practical things. Go ahead. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. Jesus will fill us with joy. But my right to be happy is to die. Oh, yeah. Your right to have things go your way and be happy is exactly that. My right to be happy. Yeah, that's exactly right. Yeah. We have the right to be treated right by our family. We absolutely do. I have the right. I have the right to my wife. She should always this and she should never that. That is right. I have the right. And she should forgive me if I don't. And she should never do something based on the fact that I didn't do it so right. Because I'm not perfect. I mean, listen. I'm not trying to say I'm perfect, but I have the right for you to be perfect. Yeah. Jesus says, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me. So these things, these things, even the reputation, honestly, you guys, it's like the joy, unspeakable in full glory that God wants to give you and bring you into when you let him have things and you let him do. And you don't try to, you don't try to stop. These things, though, they become just opportunities for grace. Opportunities for grace, like Dad was sharing. And listen, if you don't want to struggle with condemnation, you should let Jesus do some living. Because if he lives, you think, wow, this isn't me. I'd have lost my temper a long time ago. What are we doing out here? And he said, you're not doing out here. You're with me. You're with me. That's how we made it out this far. We're way out here, aren't we? Yeah, I can come out here and you can come with me. But you can't do this. Yeah, because I'd have lost it a long time ago with that person. Yes. I remember that was a fascinating thing. It came to Christ's love. I could love people and I could keep loving them, even when they didn't love me back. I could keep loving them. And I remember thinking, this isn't my love. I'm writing checks from someone else's account. This might have bounced a long time ago. And you just keep writing. The loss of all rights for Jesus's sake. Luke 9, 24. It's not a singular passage on this, but it's just wrote it down here as a reference for this. Whosoever shall save his life shall lose it. Whosoever shall save his life shall lose it. But whosoever shall lose his life will find it, save it. Okay, is it a deal? Let me just, because this is what I need to, we need to visit here a little bit. So you've decided to deny yourself. You say, I get the picture. I get it. It's all my rights. Everything just dies. All of it. All of it. You've decided to deny yourself. You're standing there. You've decided to take up this sentence of death, Paul says, to take up this cross and to follow Christ. I got a matching cross to Jesus. If his cross means that he can be stripped naked and he doesn't seem to retain the right to his dignity, then I don't retain the right to my dignity. If his cross says that people can mock him and somehow it's okay, then my cross says they can mock me and it's okay. If they can beat him, if that's what his cross means, then that's what it means for me. And we just, matching cross for matching cross. And we follow Jesus. We take up our cross and we follow Jesus. You're standing there with your cross, heaved up on your back, pointed towards Calvary. But it is here and it is now that I must be faithful to tell you. There is only one thing that will carry you to the top of that hill. Some of you might feel already, standing under the weight of that cross, that we have just briefly described. Everything. Everything denied. Everything. You deny life to Christ. Everything. Everything denied. Everything. You deny life, liberty, and happiness to the old man at every turn. He's denied. Denied. Only Christ is allowed to live. And under the weight of that cross, you feel like you can't even take two steps. It's too heavy. But let me tell you even the most daring and powerfully willed among us. You'll never make it to the top of that hill. Except for one reason. There's only one thing that can give you the strength to follow him there and follow him through. There's only one reason anyone has successfully identified with Christ in his death. There's only one reason anyone has ever had the opportunity to reckon themselves dead with Christ Jesus. Reckon themselves dead with Christ by faith. That reason is love. Love. Love. You might feel like it's very heavy right now, but even if you feel very bold, you'll never make it to the top without love. But love. Let me tell you about love. Love is as strong as death. When I have set him as a seal on my heart, then my jealousy for his glory is as cruel as the grave, the coals thereof, or the coals of fire which hath a most vehement flame. I do not shrink back, but I march in boldness towards the place that he gave his life for me. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. If you tell me it will cost me all the... So you say, Joshua, it's going to cost you all the substance of your house. This is Song of Solomon, by the way. If you... It'll cost you everything. I will scoff at the loss, and I will march boldly to Calvary. If I have love. Do I have love? I can count everything but love. You see, it's love. It was love that carried him there, and it's love that carries me there. And it'll be love that carries you there. When you put that cross on your shoulder, you're getting ready to deny yourself. You will never make it to Calvary without love. Love will strengthen you to be what you are seeing Jesus is calling you to be. Galatians 5 verse 6 says, In Christ Jesus circumcision doesn't do anything. Uncircumcision doesn't do anything. But something does something. It says, Faith which worketh by love. Faith which worketh by love. Faith which worketh by love. The Greek is literally, Faith energeo, energized. Faith that is energized by love. Yes. Yes. Faith energized by love. Let's just say this together. Faith energized by love. Don't forget, faith, say it. Faith energized by love. Yes. When you are looking at Calvary, and you are looking at those footprints heading there, and Jesus walks up that hill, under that cross, and then he says, Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. You cannot do it without love. The only thing that will energize your faith, literally the Greek says, Energize your faith, is love. Being crucified with Christ will always be an act of faith. Oh, hear me clear. Brothers and sisters, being crucified with Christ will always be an act of faith. You can get into the same situation, and one of you is not in faith, and the other is. We can both be in a bad state, our little boy could be in serious trouble, and one of us could be in faith, and the other not in faith. Being crucified with Christ will always be an act of faith, and that faith energized by love. Don't ascend Calvary without the love. Maybe I won't give it away yet. Where does this love come from? Where do we find this love that will carry us to death with Jesus? I'm so glad you asked. Lord willing, next Wednesday we will talk about it. It is wonderful. This is the little verse I will leave with you. We love Him because He first loved us. Yes. Where will you find the love that you need? Where will you find the love that will energize the faith to stand up strong under that cross, stand up strong under that loss of reputation, stand up strong under that loss of dignity, stand up strong for Jesus? Where will it come from? How will that faith be energized? It will be energized in love and no less. And that love has just one source in this world, and it is we love Him. He first loved us. We love Him because He first loved us, and we are going to visit that very practically. Until then, I want you to know, I want you to know most assuredly, that to deny yourself, brothers and sisters, is absolute and entire. Jesus is wanting to do great things. He is wanting to build great things in your life. Did you know He wants to make a tower of salvation in your life? He wants there to be a strength and a citadel that He constructs in who He is in you, that when they see you, they think, there she is, like Richard Rombrand was walking across the street, and I can't remember what country he was in, but a communist, I believe, if I'm remembering the story right, it was a guard, somebody who had never seen a Bible, came across the street, and she grabbed his face like this, and she said, you look like you know God, would you please tell me? See, there was a heart that God knew was looking for Him, and He was looking for a face to shine through, and He found Richard Rombrand, and He shined through that face. God wants to build a citadel in your life. He'll start building when He has everything. God wants to pick a fight with the enemy. Yes, He does. He wants to pick a fight with the enemy in your life. And even outnumbered, you can prevail. He'll pick that fight when He has everything. But standing there at the bottom of Calvary, heaving your cross up onto your shoulder, I don't recommend the trek. And so you have love, because it was love that carried him there, and it is love that will carry you there. Anything we need to add in the Spirit, in our corrections, questions? I would share more, but it will take too long. We'll be here for a very long time. He is not for who give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Jim Elliot, was that Jim Elliot? I'm quoting him. Amen. The same is the Spirit. Amen. Yes, that's a passage that is not well understood, and I've heard very sincere people preach it as though it was Jesus telling you that you should count, you should decide, hmm, is it really worth following Jesus? I'm not sure. I don't know. I suppose you need to make up your mind, choose you this day whom you will serve. Yes, you do need to. But I need you to know something more sober than that, and that is that Jesus is sitting there saying, hmm, I don't have everything yet. I can't pick a fight in that life. He's not surrendered. I can't build a tower in her. She won't give me everything. I don't know why she keeps holding on to those. I have almost everything. And we sit here going, God, why don't you do great things? And he said, I told you, until you forsake all, you cannot be my disciple. That's just the very truth. And we need to come to grips with that, then we can move on. Praise the Lord. So many religions today offer this whole self-denial thing. Yeah. As a religion of itself, and they don't have the love. There's no love there. It's all about self-denial, or some of it, anyway. Yeah. The love of Jesus Christ is something that there is no other religion on the surface that has that to offer. There's no parallel. No, there's no parallel. All the self-denial in the world isn't going to get you anywhere. No. It's the love of Jesus Christ. Amen. And because of that, we deny ourselves. Amen. He that will save his life will lose his life. Amen. It's a different way, but yeah. He that will lose his life for my sake will save his life. He'll find it. Yes, it's a wonderful life. It can only be done in love. So we're going to talk about practically, if the Lord wills, we'll talk about where this love is found. And how, very practically. What we must do. Something that is such a simple command in the scripture, but is very often forgotten by believers. Even believers who kind of know better, like me, are supposed to know this. Because I've been there before, and I know. And I forget. I forget to do it. And when I forget to practically obey what Jesus told me to do. Well then, I don't have his love in my heart, and I don't make it up Calvary. I fail. I square my shoulders at the bottom, and I don't make it to the top. And I don't actually get to lay to rest these things that plague me. But all is not lost, and God is merciful, and he's patient with me. And so, Lord willing, I'm going to visit that in some depth and some diligence, so that it stays with us. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for this time. Thank you for my brothers and my sisters. Thank you for your word. Thank you for truth. And thank you that we can be crucified with you. And that we can go to Calvary. That it wasn't just for you to die for us. We can die with you. Who will deliver me from the body of this death? Thanks be to God, which giveth me the victory. Thank you, Jesus, that you have answered that cry. And you are ready and willing to save us from all our bondage and all our inability to do anything right. If we'll just let it all go. Deny ourselves the right to live, the right to be happy, the right to have things our way, the right to have some me time. Thank you, Jesus, that I don't have to have me time, because I can have you time. I don't have to have time spent for me if I live in you. That old man gets so tired, and he's got to have me time. But if we bury him, we can just have you time. Thank you, Jesus. That I can have you time when I'm ministering. I can have you time when I'm sleeping. I can have you time all the time in Jesus Christ. And that is the love of God that gives me the power to every day die and be crucified with you. That the life of Christ can be manifested in my life. Jesus, I'm asking for every single life here. And the church said amen.