Your Breakthrough is on the Other Side of Obedience | Jonathan Evans Sermon

so if we're like Jesus we can't assume that just because it doesn't go well when God calls me doesn't mean God didn't call me maybe he wanted you to suffer cuz there's somebody there that's not saved maybe he wanted you to go through that problem because there's somebody there that needs to meet Jesus maybe it's not about ((music playing)) you good morning morning you ready for the word me too stand up let's do it want to welcome everyone in the house welcome everyone online let's open our Bibles to Matthew 16 24- 27 Matthew 16 24- 27 and this is what the word says then Jesus said to his disciples if anyone wishes to come after me he must deny himself take up his cross and follow me for whoever wishes to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul better or what will a man give in exchange for his soul for the son of man is going to come in the glory of his father with his angels and will then repay every man according to his deeds today I want to talk to you from the title make a wish um but before we do just wanted to let everybody know October 10th is my ((applause)) birthday y'all laughing I said October 10th is my birthday so actually let's take a moment and let's sing it happy birthday to me thank you happy birthday ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) toar come on Jaren sing it ((applause)) ((music playing)) Happ some of y'all look a little salty like how you going to make ((applause)) us and then after they sing Happy ((music playing)) Birthday everybody at the party says ((applause)) ((applause)) again every Sunday all around the world people show up to church to have a ((music playing)) party but some of the most uh it's a formality really because at the end of a birthday party when they say make a wish it's kind of you just close your eyes you may not even make a wish wish or you make a wish you know it's not going to come true it's a formality that you know won't become a reality and everybody just moves on every Sunday we do the same thing everybody comes in the church and they have a party and most who gather wish to be like Jesus and the flame is lit in church when the party is taking place but by time we hit the parking lot that thing gets blown out and everybody forgot the point today we need to make a formality a reality you may be seated I want to read this again because I want you to hear it Jesus said to his disciples if anyone wishes to come after me he must deny himself take up his cross and follow me for whoever wishes to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it for what will it profit a man to gain the whole world and turn around and lose his soul what will a man give an exchange for his soul for the son of man is going to come in the glory of the father with his angels and will repay every man according to his deeds there's a wish that we have and that most people have and they wish to follow Jesus here he's about to give you the details of what it takes to make the wish come true but before we get into 24- 27 I have to show you a conversation that took place 21 through 23 you better I I got to go back up a little bit because before Jesus says this he has an interesting conversation with Peter Peter's the one who said you are the Christ the son of the Living God and then right after that in verse 21 it says for that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and be raised on the Third Day verse 22 Peter took him aside and rebuked him saying God forbid it Lord this shall never happen to you but he turned to Peter and said get behind me Satan you are a stumbling block to me for you are not setting your mind on God's interest but man's Jesus is telling his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer and die and be raised Peter comes to Jesus thinking about his interest and he goes and says I forbid it Lord that this shall never happen to you you you shall not die I want you to be okay I want you to be safe I want you to be comfortable I want you to be feel okay in this season I don't want these things to happened to you I I'm just looking out for your best interest Jesus looks at Peter and says Get Behind Me Satan you are a stumbling block to me because you're not focused on God's interest you're focused on man's interest on if I was Peter I'd be like you going to call me the devil I'm looking out for you how you going to call me Satan how you going to put that on me because Peter didn't realize he sounded just like him remember in the Garden of Gethsemane he had Eve and Adam thinking about their own interest you you'll be like God you'll be wise you you you you'll be okay you'll know the difference between good and evil you you you'll be in a good space if you don't do what God says Jesus recognized that in Peter's trying to make him feel okayness was Disobedience to God so he was actually giving him the doctrine of the devil let me make you feel good let me make you go after your self-interest so that you won't do God's Interest come on man so so I want you to think about yourself Jesus so you don't do what the Bible calls you to do oh yall y'all still ain't I want yourself to be the focus because if yourself is the focus then I can eliminate what God wants to do through you to impact other people why would I want to suffer to impact the life of somebody else I don't want to do that and here Peter's called the devil and he's called Satan because Jesus recognizes what he is called to do in what Peter is saying Jesus knows what the in the scripture says about him Ephesians 55 53:5 says I must be wounded for your transgressions I must be bruised for your iniquities the chastisement of your peace is upon me by my stripes you're healed so you're telling me to go for Comfort not realizing if I don't suffer you won't even be saved Jesus understands Isaiah 5 3:10 where the Lord says I was pleased to crush him come on man and make him a guilt offering so that his sons and daughters his offspring their days will be prolonged Jesus is saying Peter you're trying to get me to look out for myself interest and that's going to destroy God's interest which is going to destroy you and everyone who comes after you I I can't just think about myself because if I think about myself you die he dies she dies she dies a whole lot of people die if I don't die see see Jesus understands that his calling of suffering is necessary for our Salvation so so he's not focused on his self-interest the way the enemy through Peter is trying to get him to focus y'all y'all still ain't there um Psalm 118:22 it says the stone must be rejected to become the Chief Cornerstone Jesus knows this he knows he must go through a season of rejection in order to become the Chief Cornerstone but Peter is worried about him feeling okay um Mark 10:45 says I have not come to be served but to serve and to give my life away as a ransom for the many so if there's anyone here who wants to be like Jesus okay no no you're still not there um what's another one Philippians 2 says he emptied himself taking the form of a bonder servant being made in the likeness of men humbling himself to the point of death even death on a cross so if there's anyone here who wants to be like Jesus okay wait a minute it's still not there um Luke 22:42 he's In The Garden of Gethsemane he has sweat dropping from his brow like drops of blood because of the anxiety of the suffering that is ahead and he has this moment where he says Lord if you are willing I don't want to do this let this cup pass from me but not my will be done your will be done even at the cost of my suffering so if there's anyone who really wants to be like Jesus see Jesus understood that when God calls just because there's suffering attached to it doesn't mean all of a sudden God didn't call okay he's going to suffering cuz God's word says so he's denying the word that tries to make him feel comfortable that gets him to avoid what he's called to do which is the cross which is for you and me because when you go for your self-interest you leave a lot of people out even though you feel good okay so people do this this is what people do I feel I just feel called away from my job that I'm at now I feel like the Lord is leading me to a different place you get to the different place you don't like your boss your co-workers getting on your nerves it seems like all hell is breaking loose you didn't make as much money as you thought you don't like HR they ain't treating your wife they didn't give you the little thing that you needed to understand how to do your job it's been hectic ever since you showed up and immediately you think to yourself this can't be what God Said I must have made that up because God only calls us as Christians and and if God calls us it's going to feel good to us but if it feels bad to us it can't be God I know I just went over a lot of scriptures that told Jesus his calling is suffering and when he suffers it's going to be for the benefit of the whole world especially those who believe so if we're like Jesus we can't assume that just because it doesn't go well when God calls me doesn't mean God didn't call me maybe he wanted you to suffer cuz there's somebody there that's not saved maybe he wanted you to go through that problem because there's somebody there that needs to meet Jesus maybe it's not about you maybe he wanted you in that place because what's the point of having Warriors if there's no battle anywhere we got to stop thinking if it's not good then God couldn't be a part of it you know God will send you in there and let you experience some hardships because number one he wants you to depend on him but number two he wants you to impact others maybe that crazy boss needs a Christian ((applause)) there and Jesus Jesus said Peter get thee behind me Satan see a lot of us as Christians are living under the doctrine of demons how you go tell them the truth feel good and that's your spot yeah tell them the truth and if you don't feel good go find another spot that helps you feel good so you're just chasing after happiness which is like trying to tackle Barry Sanders you can't catch that dude so we're running around in circles like a dog chasing our Tails a lot of moving but we ain't going nowhere because we're trying to run from the very thing that God is calling us to because he's calling you to be on you ((applause)) so if anyone wishes to come after Jesus see that's why that candle gets blown out so quick okay so now that we done cleared that up how many of us still want to wish to follow Jesus ((applause)) sounds sounds good in the party I had a few folks with alligator arms that dude over there 6'4 look like a ((applause)) T-Rex because really we have a lot of wishes we wish to have happy Mar marriages we wish to be able to have more devotion we wish uh to be able to have better time management we wish to be able to lose weight and be in shape uh we wish we wish we wish um but wishes don't come true just because you wish them wishes come true because you persist them persistence is the ability to go despite obstacles opposition and trials or even failure that that I'm going to continue to persist the wish that's the only way the wish comes true and a lot of Christians will not persist this wish once they realize that flesh and Faith can't play on the same team once I realize I can't be ((applause)) me we're blowing that thing out we you wish for a happy marriage until that re makes you realize you have to serve and sacrifice you wish for more devotion Until you realize you have to put that at addiction call your cell phone and actually spend time in God's work you wish for more time management Until you realize that means you have to consistently manage your time you wish to lose weight but you realize you can't go to the ((applause)) fair you got to eat right you got to work out when you don't want to we got a lot of wishes until we realize uh-oh I have to participate but if there's anyone here who still has the wish he says You must deny yourself amen amen must means must I don't have him Tony his definitions you know he give you good definitions I I use the word in the ((applause)) definition my definition is whack but you get it it's like yeah so I can't use the word in the definition so must means you ain't got no choice that's what it means it means you have to do this in order to get that that's what must see wishes inadvertently leave out the Gory details of the the must so people have a wish till they run into something the wish didn't tell them like like Joseph had a dream but it left out that thing left out like everything I mean you going to get stripped you going to get thrown into a pit they going to sell you into slavery you going to get lied on you going to go to prison you going to be do nice things in prison but then somebody going to leave they going to forget you in there and a lot of times God will leave that out because if he showed you you wouldn't go I'm I'm not doing that but as it relates to this he says no no no no I want my people to have the right expectations of the wish to come after Jesus so so I'm going to give you the details of what it takes to be a visible verbal disciple of Jesus Christ it it is not a party he says You must deny yourself not self-promote yourself not self- sustain yourself not self- manifest your dream self- happiness he ain't talking about none of that he don't apologize for yourself you I I don't really like it when people say don't apologize for yourself um CU that's kind of how you get saved you kind of have to apologize for yourself unless of course you're living the Christian Life and your mom and tell you don't apologize for the Christian don't apologize but most people just be you don't apologize for yourself don't keep telling people that cuz they're going to wake up in eternity a little warm it's called repentance where you apologize for yourself and you go to Jesus or this is my life no it's not second Corinthians 5:17 says those who are in Christ are a new creature the old is gone and the new has come so when he says deny yourself let me say it a different way he's saying deny your old self don't don't go back to your old self that you were before you met me I need you to deny your old self now what people may be thinking is if it's gone if it's done away with if if I'm a new creature why do I still have the old feelings and desires that I had before I met Christ well because you're saved you've been made alive in the spirit but your salvation still resides in the same body so you still have the the the desires of the old self because of the house that the new self is residing in which is why that body has to be done away with and and and be put to sleep and you get a new body in heaven and so so you're still having these old desires even though you have a new spirit because it resides in the old self like a new engine in an old car and so you got to understand that so let me let me explain it this way when I was um when I was in my backyard one time I saw a snake and I said ah and then I saw my wife and I was like oh I'm going to handle this I got you it ain't nothing you perpetrating yeah I didn't know she was there so I nervously got a knife went boom chopped his head off I know it's a little graphic but that's what I did after I chopped his head off his body was crumping I was like how in the world is he still moving and dead well I found out that he was having a postmortem reflex or what they call a cadaveric spasm in other words it happened so fast that his nerves from the old were still firing even though there's been a transition it doesn't mean that there's life it just means that there's a spasm from the old life even though there's no vitals or no consciousness there's no life there so I didn't attribute life to it it was just moving but it wasn't alive and a lot of us are having postmortem reflexes you're having cadaveric spasms in the old life and you think there's life over there there is no life over there it's just the nerves that are still firing because that transition happened so fast when you met Christ and what you can't do is attribute life to a cadaveric spasm or a postmortem reflex or you'll be dancing in the cemetery there is no Vital Signs there there is no consciousness there so you're wasting your life trying to pick that back up it it's not alive it's dead it's just spasming so he says deny what's dead that's spasming and that still is having a reflex from the old self but do not attribute life to it don't spend energy there don't give to it because just because you feel it and those old nerves are firing doesn't mean it's alive it's dead so when he says deny yourself he says don't dance in the cemetery that's over it's gone um deny is an errorist imperative which has to do with um decisive verb meaning it's not passive passive means you're still trying to decide what to do he says when he says deny yourself he says deny it decisively as decisive as it was when I cut the head of the snake off as decisive as we have to deny the spasms from the old self you you can't do it passively you going to lose that war you do it actively and decisively so I'm going to tell you how to do it because the Bible tells you how to deny yourself in Romans 13:14 I love this verse it says make no Provisions for the flesh if you're passive you're trying to decide whether you're going to provide for the spasm that you still have it says make no Provisions for the flesh um simply put guys that means don't call ((applause)) her ladies it means don't meet up you're not as strong as you think you are maturity is in the recognition that I'm immature That's What Makes You mature immaturity is thinking that you're mature your weakness is in the fact that you think you're strong that's what makes you weak you keep going back to the spasm trying to wake it up when God is trying to give you a new life you have to make no Provisions for the flesh that means don't go to the bar just because your friends are hanging out there and you know you have an alcoholic problem I'm just going to go hang out with my friends for a minute but I'm not going to no no no no cut that thing ((applause)) off you struggle with pornography give somebody else the code to your computer and your cell phone you make no provision for it and they can unlock it when you need to do something constructive because you have to cut it off you have to make no provision for the thing that's still spasming and then Romans 13:13 says number two it says live as one in the day this is how you deny yourself I'm I'm cutting that thing off we ain't meeting up we ain't going there we ain't doing what we used to do I feel the spasm and that lets me know to stay home I'm not doing that anymore it says live as one in the day so it says make no provision then live as one in the day which means versus living as one at my mom used to tell me boy you better be home by midnight cuz don't nothing good happen after midnight in other words when something is out in the open Proverbs 28 says the one who conceals their sin will not prosper in other words secrecy is the ater and a better of your sin because you can live under the the table and at night and it's not one as in the day you're able to keep doing what you're doing because you think just because nobody else knows God don't know amen amen well nobody knows so I can keep doing what I'm doing he saids no bring it to the table there there's people on your side who you can tell it to who you can talk to and you can be out as one in the day while severing things from your past and when you do that and you live as one in the day and you're not aiding and abetting the sin then he says in Galatians 5:116 walk by the spirit so that you don't carry out the desires of the flesh it does not say you will not have fleshly desires the goal is not to be less fleshly you still in the same body the goal is to be more spiritual so when you make no Provisions you live as one in the day and you walk by the spirit you can't walk this way and that way at the same time what does it mean to walk by the spirit this not Pie in the Sky it means walk biblically it means you're not just a hearer of the word you are a doer of the word while not making Provisions for your flesh and living as one in the day when you do that you're denying the spasms and you're living the life that God has called you to live too many Christians are dancing in the cemetery not realizing there's not even any life there he says errorist imperative deny yourself I mean cut it off and then he says take up your cross take up is another errorist imperative it means decisive that I deny myself decisively and I take up my cross decisively yes we cannot be passive about denying the old spasms and we cannot be passive about taking up the new self see to take up the cross means to take up the new self but let me tell you how they did it in Rome in Rome they would have their prisoners Carry the Cross the reason why they would have their prisoners Carry the Cross is because that was a sign of submission and humiliation in public basically it was to say look at them they are now under the authority of that which they used to oppose look at them they are now submitted to the very thing they used to oppose look at them we got them now they used to think they had us but we got them now they're now under the authority they now are submitted to a whole life they used to oppose so when Jesus says take up your cross he's talking about take up your new identity in Christ and take it up decisively because when you take up this new identity in Christ and you take it up decisively and you're no longer walking in per obscurity but you're walking in Purity you're no longer walking in a cutting tongue but you're walking in an edifying tongue when you're no longer walking in dishonesty but you're walking in honesty and integrity when you're no longer walking in homosexuality but you chose singlehood for the sake of Christ like when you're when you start walking that way people who are seeing you carry that cross are going to say oh no his or her life is now under the authority of that which they use to oppose it it's an obvious lifestyle that says I'm taking up my new identity in Christ and now everybody seeing even though it may feel humiliating at times even though it may not feel good at times everybody is seeing that this person is now in submission to the very thing in God they used to oppose in the past um and when you take up this cross it don't mean it ain't heavy come on now I normally don't sweat but this time I'm carrying a cross and there's only two options in this life you see when a person carries the cross it means that it's evident that Jesus is on the throne everybody gets to see when I'm carrying my cross it's evident that King Jesus is on the throne of my life he on the throne anyway but now we know he on the throne of your life um the the problem is y'all know this Jesus in every play y'all know I got to if if Jeremy ate Jesus I'm like who Jesus um the problem is with most Christians we choose the throne and because there's only two options if you choose the throne that means you put him on the cross it's one or the other cuz we'd rather maintain our lives our will our way do the same things we used to do and we don't want nobody telling us nothing remember you're grown now yeah this your house now this your money now all while grieving the spirit of God cuz that's not your seat or you have a group which is most of ((music playing)) us we like to play the end against the middle I'll take the cross if I can get a benefit but if I don't see any benefit let me just take the throne and we're lukewarm but Jesus where you going hold on hold on hold on I need a healing I need help my family's broken my marriage is broken why am I why are you seem further away from me I mean I'm not on the throne I know I'm not on the why is it that you're over there I I I need my prayers answered I thought James 1:7 and8 says let not a double-minded man think he will receive anything from the Lord so we in the faith we back here playing the end against the middle he said no deny yourself and take the cross which puts him on the throne and do it decisively because if you do it decisively and you're not playing the end against the middle you'll have a greater experience of Christ as the disciples the disciples were doing things the crowd couldn't do the disciples had power and Mysteries the crowds didn't have our problem in America is a discipleship problem it's not a church goers problem Millions go to church only few walk out as disciples most people are here wondering why they're not experiencing Jesus he ain't no fool that's ((applause)) take up your cross and follow me deny errorist imperative decisive take up errorist imperative decisive follow present imperative which means continuous if you're decisive in denial and decisive with the cross that means you will be a continuous follower of Jesus Christ that's why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31 I die daily I deny daily I take up my cross daily so that I can follow every day we're following not following I mean I don't know I don't know what game that is um the reason why we go in and out and we like to stay in the middle is because we have an alternative wish for whoever verse 25 wishes to save his life oh that's the other wish we wish to save our life but then you lose it that's it that's it um to save something means it's already drowning dying or dead so so you're trying to save something that's already out we go back to the spasm I want to go back to that old relationship that had me living in sin I want to go back to the old way doing it my way talking my own way hating who I want to hate doing what I want to do I want to go back to being King wake up all the while we're not getting to the life that Jesus has for us so we're losing our life doing CPR in the cemetery and we're going and going and going wake up wake up wake up this is the life that I want the life that I want for myself I want this spasm not to be a spasm I want it to be real and if you've never done CPR before it's exhausting um it's not going to get up it's dead and Christians been years trying to get this thing to wake up meanwhile not even noticing the purpose of God or just hovering around them and they just prefer the cemetery um um the people of Israel were in this position Moses take me back to Egypt Lot's wife was in this position I want to go back to Sodom and gomorah pillar of salt the 10 spies were in this position a they too big we can't go forward they died in the wilderness except for Joshua and Caleb who saw forward the Rich Young Ruler was in this position he went back to his possession and didn't follow Jesus and Jesus says in Luke 662 whoever puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God so how long how long is it discipleship or churchgoer this is exhausting to fight for a life that's dead if whoever wishes to save his life you're going to lose it cuz your life is here but whoever loses his life for his sake then you find it he knows how he wants to use you as a disciple amen he knows what he created you for he knows what you're supposed to be doing he knows where you're supposed to be going he knows who you're supposed to be meeting he know all that but he can't do it while you're doing CPR for what will it profit a man go come on now with if he sits on the throne but loses his soul many of us are trying to be applauded on earth and don't even realize we're being booed in heaven investing for man and reaping no reward in Heavenly places you turn around and lose it all think do you know how long you going to be on this Throne not long J do you know how long you'll be in Eternity for an eternity I know I use the same word to Define it I know ((applause)) trust me it feels easier on the throne and it's harder with the cross but what one is for your eternity and one is forgotten as soon as you are no more because ladies and gentlemen Jesus is coming back and he's coming back in the glory of his father with his angels and what is it going to be like when you're looking at God in the face and he sees you sitting in his seat judging you for all of your Deeds I'd rather be over there carrying the cross so simple I want to actually make a wish my wish today is that the body of Christ will deny Den themselves take up their cross and follow Jesus so that when he comes in his glory yeah we all here well done my good and faithful servant well done hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah