WHAT WILL IT PROFIT?: "LET HIM DENY HIMSELF & TAKE UP HIS CROSS"
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. What Will It Profit?
a) Jesus asks what you would profit by gaining the whole world at the expense of your soul. You should instead dedicate your soul to his cause. To save your soul you must lose it! You must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him.
Mark 8:34-38
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
b) There are three commandments in Mark 8:34 that lead up to our Lord’s question. We will consider each of these commandments, because if we keep them we will save our souls. Otherwise, we might gain much temporarily in this world, but forfeit our souls and eternal life.
2. “Let Him Deny Himself, And Take Up His Cross”
a) This commandment is to translate desire into dedication. Jesus says, “deny yourself and take up your cross.” We all know that you must sacrifice much to gain much.
b) Jesus expects you to deny yourself, and he doesn't mean denying yourself chocolate. He means dedicating yourself to him at the expense of your very soul. Lose your soul to save it. He denied himself and carried a cross for you. Now its your turn.
c) This doesn't mean you have to give up the things that are normal and needful in this life, such as education, career, material possessions, food and healthful activities, rest and recreation, caring for others. But these things must be secondary and fit Jesus’s framework, not a “me first” framework.
d) We need to be consistent and constant in our dedication to Christ. The command to “take up your cross” carries an extra word in Luke’s version: “Take up your cross daily” (Luke 9:23).
The End ...
1. What Will It Profit? a) Jesus asks what you would profit by gaining the whole world at the expense of your soul. You should instead dedicate your soul to his cause. To save your soul you must lose it! You must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him.
Mark 8:34-38
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
b) There are three commandments in Mark 8:34 that lead up to our Lord’s question. We will consider each of these commandments, because if we keep them we will save our souls. Otherwise, we might gain much temporarily in this world, but forfeit our souls and eternal life.
2. “Let Him Deny Himself, And Take Up His Cross”
a) This commandment is to translate desire into dedication. Jesus says, “deny yourself and take up your cross.” We all know that you must sacrifice much to gain much.
b) Jesus expects you to deny yourself, and he doesn't mean denying yourself chocolate. He means dedicating yourself to him at the expense of your very soul. Lose your soul to save it. He denied himself and carried a cross for you. Now its your turn.
c) This doesn't mean you have to give up the things that are normal and needful in this life, such as education, career, material possessions, food and healthful activities, rest and recreation, caring for others. But these things must be secondary and fit Jesus’s framework, not a “me first” framework.
d) We need to be consistent and constant in our dedication to Christ. The command to “take up your cross” carries an extra word in Luke’s version: “Take up your cross daily” (Luke 9:23).
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