TOPIC: YOKED TOGETHER WITH CHRIST (2)
TEXT: LUKE 9: 23 – 26
23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
INTRODUCTION
Last Sunday, we began with a little introduction on this topic. Then I remember saying that the word ‘Yoke’ have different meanings in the Bible. It was said that (A) There is the Satanic yoke. – this is a symbol of slavery and oppression from the powers in the land. E.g 1 Kings 12:4,9-11(oppression) and in 1 Tim. 6:1. (slavery) Therefore, breaking or removing the yoke thus symbolizes liberation from oppression and servitude.
(B) There is the agricultural yoke, as given in 1 Sam. 6:7…(when the Philistines wanted to return the stolen Ark) and we shared together that this one is
- A yoke is a shaped wooden bar placed across the necks of two oxen (or other draft animals) and connected by a beam to a plow or cart. As the animals pull, the weight of the load is carried by their shoulders.
- A yoke is not essentially made to make life difficult for the bearer but is indeed fashioned to make difficult things simple.
- A yoke is not a fashion statement, it is a service emblem.
- A yoke is not for all, it is for the deserving.
And
( C) Ther is The Spiritual yoke. 2 Cor. 6:14. Do not be yoked together with an unbeliever…. In Matt 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
And on Wednesday, we continued…and we discussed together under the Topic Yoked Together By Grace, and we were able to discuss together in-depth the phrases DENY YOURSELF and TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY.
TODAY
By the grace of God we want to look closely at Vs. 23 and 24, with more emphasis on Vs. 24. 23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
In the passage, Jesus spoke to everyone there….It was like the good seed generously and evenly spread by that wonderful farmer in
Luke 8:5-8
5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” NIV
Today, Jesus is speaking to everyone again…It is the Word of life that is coming out…. Word …. that transforms lives…..enough to change the trajectory of a life from the path of destruction to that of life eternal…… Jesus is now speaking to all ….BUT He knows….. that some people WILL NOT HEAR, He is calling out… . “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” …………………. QUESTION. DO YOU HAVE EARS?
Now. Let us look at Vs. 24. ….. because we likely would like to ask…Lord what is the correlation between follow me and losing life?
It is like, If I DENY MYSELF and CARRY MY CROSS daily, then following You Lord should be a piece of cake ke? A walk in the park, … full of Victories, full of Successes, …. So what is it about losing life?
I see Jesus saying, YES, Victories and Successes are part of the deal….. but the Lord is saying….so also are Challenges and Troubles……… I see Jesus saying that if you choose to follow Me, there will be Rivers to cross and Mountains to climb. There will be times when there will be enemies behind and a Sea ahead. There will be times when you will have to cross in valley full of venomous snakes….. …..BECAUSE OF THAT… some PEOPLE will want to opt out saying….. saying NO, I can’t handle such stress joo……. Ko le to yen now….. let us take things easy ke….. Aye o le now…..
It is to such people that the Lord is issuing the warning in Luke 9:24
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. (NIV)
For whoever has a desire to keep his life will have it taken from him, but whoever gives up his life because of me, will keep it. (BBE)
CONCLUSION
I know as many as have ear to hear here will want to save their lives in 2023…. And the Lord is saying, the way to avoid losing our lives to the world, is by ….losing it for Jesus.
Now, How can we lose our lives for Him?
What does it entail?
To lose is ….
- To give up
- To let go
- To lose control
So, …..
- If you are holding on too much to your life…position…money… You are just like the rich man in Luke 12:16-21…… there is another name we all call that man with….fool. The Rich Fool……
- If there is a situation that is holding you captive……. LET GO and LET GOD…..
- If you are here, and you are too much in control…. Everything is by sight, ….everything is according to your limited wisdom…… You Just don’t know how to trust God….. wont you choose to lose control to Him? Wont you let God take Charge?
Jesus said to those that have ears whoever loses his life for me will save it. (NIV)
……whoever gives up his life because of me, will keep it. (BBE)
LET THOSE WHO HAVE EARS HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING…
Read Part 1 Here
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