“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely

human concerns.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

Go after the vision God wants to show us is vital Opportunity for church to shine Rom 5:20 Equip church to be water to a thirsty world Seek, Hear, Obey

o How do we Seek His Face? o What will it cost us? o What is it’s value? o How do we Hear His Voice? o How does He guide us? o What does it mean to be a listener? o How do we Obey His Word? o What does obedience look like? o Why is it so important?

An ongoing, engaging relationship with God Pursue God to know Him more intimately Cost to seeking His face Time in His presence brings intimacy Brings revelation of God’s will Consistency, Place, Privacy, Communion, Pattern Praise, Kingdom Declaration, Daily Provision, Forgiveness & Repentance, Deliverance, Praise

We belong to the Shepherd The Shepherd speaks to us uniquely The Shepherd speaks for our benefit We must make room for Him to speak

There will be those who are surprised Matt 7 The one who does will of Father is justified Possible to be engaged in activity for God without a true knowledge of Christ Jesus knew will of Father for Him was the cross Ready to face suffering for us, endure the cross

Culture screams Indulge Yourself!

1) Excessive or unrestrained gratification of one's own appetites, desires, or whims 2) The practice of allowing yourself to have or to do something special that you like very much, often something that you should not have or do 3) Allowing yourself to have or do anything that you enjoy

Culture screams Indulge Yourself! Itching ears want to hear about blessings of God Can’t follow a me centered gospel Rom 14:7-9 Concerns of man is Peter’s struggle In what areas is God calling you to deny yourself? Obedience to God requires self-denial

Embrace the way of suffering Losing our life for the sake of Christ God uses suffering to conform us to Christ’s image Rom 5:1-5 Suffering is a biblical part of our growth in God o Acts 14:22 o 2 Cor 4:17-18 Where’s God calling you to embrace suffering? Obedience to God includes suffering

Do I really want to be led by Him? John 8:31 Action of our will is required Selfishness is a trap, 1 Tim 4:7 Can’t enjoy blessings of obedience without the cost of obedience What areas do you need to surrender? Obedience to God requires surrender

o Seek, Hear, Obey o Not enough just to hear God, vital that we obey o Do what He tells us to do o Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, Follow Him