1. Preaching & Teaching Series February 2nd & 3rd, 2013
Questions Jesus Asked
Preaching & Teaching Series
February 2nd & 3rd, 2013

2. We continue our series on…
Today…
“What does a man benefit if he gains the whole world, yet loses his soul?”

3. What’s This Lesson About?
Following Jesus calls for total commitment. This lesson focuses on the question, “What does a man benefited if he gains the whole world, yet loses his soul?” (Luke 9:25). This lesson can help you evaluate your level of dedication to Jesus and choose to follow Him with total commitment.

4. Total Sacrifice
Luke 9: "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God.“ … 22 And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

5. Total Sacrifice
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.

6. Jesus is more than a prophet!
Total Sacrifice
Jesus is more than a prophet!
Our text picks up the conversation of Jesus asking His disciples “who do people say that I am” and then more personally, “who do you say that I am?”
Peter correctly answers, “You are God’s Messiah.”
Peter knew Jesus was much more than a prophet.
Everyone must come to that realization.

7. The MOST important question!
Total Sacrifice
Jesus identity is still the question today.
Every person needs to hear of Salvation in Jesus Christ;
Which is only available through faith in Him;
But what kind of Messiah would Jesus be? The people expected a powerful, warrior King.
Jesus said He would suffer…be rejected …be killed…but rise the third day.

8. Total Sacrifice
If this is the kind of Messiah Jesus would be, what would be demanded of His followers?
Jesus said, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
“Deny yourself” - meaning renounce self and determine to obey the Master;
“Take up the cross daily” – meaning Jesus’ disciples must be ready to make the supreme sacrifice for Jesus and not just occasionally, but daily.

9. “Denying Yourself” Misunderstood
If I deny myself and give Jesus first place in my life, what’s to say that God will not rip me off and make me unhappy?

10. Denying
Oneself
will be a
struggle!
But we have Help!

11. A Very Difficult Question
How far am I willing to follow Jesus, if it means rejection and suffering because of my faith in Him?

12. Total Loss
Luke 9: 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.

13. What will you gain when you lose?
Total Loss
One of the greatest paradoxes of Christianity is that a person saves his life by losing it.
We gain meaning in life not by focusing on ourselves;
But by bringing glory and honor to Jesus;
No prophet of the Old Testament ever made such statements.
What will you gain when you lose?

14. Total Loss
This would be absolute ridiculous if the person making it was not divine.
Jesus, the Son of God, could make such demands, just like God did in the O.T.
“What does a man benefit if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?”
People think they have all the time in the world to consider matters of life and death.

15. Total Loss
Nothing could be further from the truth. Where we spend eternity is the most important question anyone could ever ask.
Why is this THE important question?
Do you know when you will breathe your last?
“You can’t get out of this world alive.”
Only a fool ignores this eternal question – it will be asked and at a time we do not know!
Then,
What?

16. Absolutely Not! Total Loss
All the world’s leaders, intellectuals, artists and wealthy business persons have two things in common:
They all have risen to great heights of fame glory and honor; They have made it!
But, they will all die and then what?
They have gained so much here, only to forfeit something far greater – does that make sense?
Absolutely Not!

17. Total Loss
Jesus’ demand for absolute loyalty is preposterous, unless one recognizes who He is.
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory.”

18. Total Loss
When Jesus returns in glory everyone will stand before Him for judgment.
Those who refused to receive Him as Lord and Savior in this life will be rejected;
Those who received Him as Lord and Savior in this life will be received into the eternal kingdom.

19. Total Commitment
Luke 9: As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." 59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

20. Total Commitment
60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." 62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

21. Total Commitment
Luke gives us three examples of inadequate commitment to Jesus.
Man #1 was eager but unaware of what following Jesus involved.
Jesus constantly encouraged His disciples to “consider the cost” of following Him.
Jesus did not live in luxury, so too His followers must not let materialism stand in the way of following Jesus.
Animals had better accommodations than Jesus.
Nests
Dens

22. Total Commitment
Man #2 was asked to follow Jesus, but he said, “First let me go bury my father.”
What’s wrong with that request?
But if the funeral was about to begin, why was the man out there with Jesus?
More than likely the father was still alive, and the man was saying, “Let’s wait until my father dies.”
Jesus responds, “Let the dead bury their dead, but you go and preach the Good News.”

23. Total Commitment
Man #3 volunteered to follow Jesus, but first let me say goodbye to my family.
When Jesus calls people, there is an urgency of the moment and nothing can or should stand in the way;
Jesus understands how easily sidetracked we can get, even from the best of things;
That’s why Jesus must take priority over everything in our lives;

24. St. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8-9
“8 … I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord … I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him…”
Do you consider everything
a loss compared to
knowing Jesus Christ?