Our first reading is going to be from the book of Mark 8, starting at verse 34. Then he, that is Jesus, called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, "'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Whoever who wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul?
Or what can anyone give and exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the son of man will be ashamed of them when he comes in the Father's glory with the Holy Angels. He said to them, truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God has come with power." Now, second reading is from Colossians chapter 3, starting at verse 12. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you, and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since it's members of the one body you were called to peace and be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through Psalms, hymns, songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. This is the word of the Lord. Indeed, thanks be to God. Hello friends.
It's a pleasure to be here with you tonight. As some of you might know, I'm German. And you know, Germans can be very blunt. Can I be blunt with you?
Can I ask you a question that I hope nobody's ever asked you before? Can I ask you, will you die with me tonight? No. I realize that as a German that might sound like a threat.
It sure would sound like a threat if I said it in German. But do you realize how it's actually a question? Can we come together and die tonight? You know, I'm asking you to voluntarily die with me.
What a stupid thing to do. Who would have a volunteer to die? Tonight is about the supporship. And you might be wondering, what on earth does this supporship have to do with death?
Fair enough. But can I put it to you that the supporship is all about life and death? You might be skeptical. And I'm sure you've all heard the word, the supporship, somewhere.
Maybe you've come across it in sermons or in book titles or you've seen it technically into church programs. Some of us might be picturing the 12th of the supple walking along dusty roads in ancient Jerusalem with Jesus. Others may be thinking of Bible reading plans, mentorship programs, or evangelism courses. Maybe we secretly think it's an activity for the church staff team to do, or for missionaries, or full-time campus workers.
It seems like the word is used differently in different contexts. Let's go and find out what it actually means to be a disciple. And what on earth has it got to do with us dying? Come on a journey with me through the Bible as we explore what the supporship is all about.
As we begin, let's actually clarify what it means to be a disciple. I hope you still got your Bible's open. In Mark 8, we read, in verse 34, whoever wants to be a my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. From this passage, let us try to define what a discipleship is in six points.
We'll put them up on the screen so you can see them later. But you see, there's a few things here. We've got to look closely to find out what it actually means to be a disciple. Firstly, if you read with me in the context of the verse of 34, you will see that Jesus is talking to a crowd.
All sorts of people. It's not just the inner circle. It's not just the 12. No, he says, whoever wants to be my disciple.
It's not trained ministry workers. It's not missionaries. No, it's whoever is willing. And you see that word?
That word wants, that word willing. It matters because it means that we have a choice. Jesus will not just drag anyone along behind him. There's agency here.
There's a willingness, leaving us with point one. A disciple is whoever is willing. Now if we read again in verse 34, do you notice how Jesus says, my disciple? It's not just a generic student.
Not a fan. Not a religious consumer. No, it's my disciple. My is a possessive pronoun, meaning it's a word that indicates belonging.
You see, a disciple is someone who recognizes and belongs to a master. And that is what Jesus is saying here. Do you think it is a coincidence that only a few verses earlier, in verse 29, that Peter recognizes Jesus to be the Messiah? Surely not.
Surely not. Surely it's not coincidence. Leaving us with point two. A disciple is someone who belongs to their master.
But what is this disciple willing to do? If we look closely at this passage, do you see how it's full of present tense verbs? Want B minus up, must deny, take up and follow. Lues save, gain forfeit, can give, exchange ashamed.
They're present tense because they are relevant right now. Not just 2,000 years ago. No, right here and right now, even for us. And verbs because they require action.
They're doing words. They call us to act right now. Do you see how to follow Jesus means movement? It can't be static, can it?
It's not I became a Christian once. Oh, I once believed. Oh, I once prayed this prayer of repentance. No, it's a constant state of following.
Moving behind your recognized master. You see, the disciple moves. A disciple follows. If you stand still, you stop following, don't you?
Leaving us with a disciple being a follower. But now there's more to following, isn't there? If you read with me again in verse 34, it's just must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. In verse 35, it says, whoever loses their life for me and the gospel, in verse 36, it says, what good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul?
And this right here is the cost of the salvation. It will cost us. But in such a big and paradox demand, how can we deny ourselves? Christ knew that to deny ourselves is not something that is within our human nature to do.
We can't deny ourselves. Ourself rules our hearts, doesn't it? And it is only when something else takes the place of the self that our focus can shift. And Jesus knew that.
You see, this is the very passage where Jesus predicts his own death for the first time. It's also not coincidence. Jesus knew that selfish men needed to be freed from the bounds of the self before they could truly follow him. Jesus puts the death in himself, the human selfishness, so that the Holy Spirit may take root in the hearts of men.
You see, the self requires a change of heart. A change of heart with the self is no longer at the center, leaving us with point four. At the cycle, the nines themselves. Denying the self means no looking back.
You are now through Jesus' able to be willing to follow Jesus. So don't be drawn back to self-concern. Ourself, you see, ourself, it chases things, right? It chases things like financial stability, but Jesus.
He was rich beyond all measure. He was the son of God. He still is, but he became poor for our sake. So that through his poverty, we might become truly rich.
You see, ourself seeks comfort, but he had nowhere to lay his head. Ourself wants to be accepted by the world, but he was despised and rejected. Ourself tries to avoid suffering, but he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our inequities. We live for ourselves, but he said, I lay down my life for others.
Can you see then what denying ourselves means? Can you see that if we truly follow Jesus? We can't just stand there and do nothing. We can't just keep living our lives by the ways of this world.
No, because as for Christ, so for his followers, if under power of the Holy Spirit, we have chosen the way of the cross for our lives, then we must realize that our cross is to live in obedience to Christ, even if it costs us. And then we must take up that very cross day by day, leaving us with 0.5. A disciple takes up his cross. A disciple embraces the suffering that it means to be a Christ follower in this world.
Another blunt German bonhoever said, when Christ calls a man, he bids him, come and die. He said, when Christ calls a man, he bids him, come and die. Today, to die to the self is what it means for all of us, but for some, like bonhoever, even to the point of physical death. When I ask you earlier to die with me tonight, I'm asking you to die to ourselves with me tonight.
It's a spiritual death. I'm not asking you for literal death this afternoon. Most of us hopefully won't ever face martyrdom, but we face the same change of heart that allowed martyrs to follow Christ even into death. And that is the ultimate denial of the self as we take up our cross.
Don't you dare think now that you just have to try harder. That's not what I'm saying. Or that you have to be morally superhuman so that you might become a disciple. No.
But your heart has to be willing to follow. We are used to following ourselves, you see. But remember, we don't follow ourselves. We follow Christ.
And now you might feel overwhelmed and you might wonder, how on earth can I ever manage? And then we have to see that by nature, the world, the word, the cypal means learner. A disciple is a learner. The cypal ship means movement, a daily walking, choosing movement towards Christ and away from the things that would replace him in our heart.
It's learning to live by the rhythm of the cross. To die, then rise, to surrender, then serve, to lose and to find. And learning is a process. It involves making mistakes.
Learning doesn't mean perfection. But it requires willingness. It requires willingness to make mistakes. It requires willingness to be taught by our very master again and again and again as we take up our cross.
See, there you have it. A six point definition of the greatest calling that you have ever heard. Now, can I ask you again? Can we die tonight?
Can we die to ourselves? Will you die to the small gods of reputation, comfort, and control? Will you surrender your life and your insistence on comfort, your hunger for safety? Are you willing to follow Christ as a disciple?
Now, we've seen what it means to be a disciple. We stood before the cross and we've heard the call deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. But now we must ask, what comes next? You might just be hoping it's the end of this talk.
But there's more. I'm going to bear with me as we look to how the disciples are made. You see, once we truly understand what it means to be a disciple, we must realize what Jesus' final command was to his disciples. In Matthew 28, he says to them, go and make disciples of all the nations.
You see, discipleship doesn't stop with us. It can't stop with us because the heart that has seen the cross becomes a river and not a reservoir. If we truly follow Jesus, if we have taken up our cross and denied ourselves, then our lives will naturally point beyond us. If the self is not at the center of our Christ, then our lives must point beyond us.
In the gospels, every single person that Jesus called, he also sent those who he healed ran and told others. Those who were forgiven went and shared. Those who were taught went and multiplied. You see, a disciple by definition becomes a disciple maker.
And Jesus never said, go and make converts of the nations. He said, go and make disciples of the nations. Because you see, the gospel doesn't produce spectators. No, it produces followers who multiply the life of Christ in others.
Can you remember the very first words that God ever spoke to mankind in Genesis chapter 1? Be fruitful and multiply. Do you see how that wasn't just about families and children? It was a declaration of how God's plan would unfold amongst his people.
And the same command is echoed in Jesus' final words when he said, go and make disciples. Go, be fruitful and multiply. You see, fruitfulness and multiplication are at the heart of what it means to follow Jesus. The disciple is one who multiplies what they have found by passing it onto others.
Spurgeon once said, it's like one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread. And this begins with us right here as God's church. In this church, we are a community of learners, shaping and sharpening and encouraging one another in Christ. Let's look at how Paul puts it in Colossians 3, verse 12 and 17.
If you can't please read with me. He says, therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Notice how Paul doesn't say put these on whenever you feel like it. You know, he says, clothe yourselves daily and deliberately in the same way that you would never leave the house with nothing but your jocks on.
You know, this is a wardrobe change. It's a change. It's a different kind of clothing that we take on as a Christian community. We take off the old clothes, off selfish ambition and pride, and we put on Christ.
And we do this not for ourselves but for each other. When Paul lists these virtues like compassion and kindness and humility and gentleness and patience, he's describing the fabric of the Christian community, the fabric of the clothes that we have to put on. You see, that shows us that the discipleship is personal, but it's never private. We learn to follow Jesus together.
We help each other carry our crosses. You see, Paul continues on and he says, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since as members of one body we were called to peace. That means the discipleship is not a competition. It's a cooperation.
We are one body and every part helps the other function. We cannot claim to follow Jesus if we refuse to walk in unity with his people. And then Paul ends the passage like this. He says, whatever you do, whether in words or deeds, do at all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And that's the core of the Bible making. Whatever we do from our worship to our workplace, it becomes a witness to the world of who our master is. It's not about perfection. It's about direction.
You see, every disciple making moment begins with a simple step of obedience. You might be sharing a meal with someone who's far from God. It might be encouraging a young believer to pray for the first time. It might be walking with a brother or sister for a season of suffering.
It might be regularly reading the Bible with a friend. It might be overthinking your budget and how you spend your money. It might be joining a service team at church. That is the discipleship that we figure out what it means to deny ourselves and to take up our cross day by day.
And as we do this, as we teach, as we serve, as we forgive, and as we love one another, we begin to reflect the character of the one we follow. Then our community itself becomes a signpost of the kingdom, a living picture of what life under the reign of Christ looks like. And that is part of our calling as a church. It's not just to come to Sunday gatherings, but to be a people who live out the gospel in every part of our lives, in families, in workplaces, in schools and even our neighborhoods.
And that's the great commission at work here and now. But then we also have to remember, when we feel weak or when we stumble, the Lord Jesus said that surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. That promise is our power. We multiply because he is with us.
We teach because he taught us. We go because he went before us. We carry our cross because he carried it first. So can I again ask you tonight?
Can we die together so that others may live? Can we be the kind of church where the salvation is not a department but a culture where every member is both a learner and a teacher? Where every home becomes a place of formation, every meal, a moment of mission, and every act of love, a seed for the gospel? Because that's the call of Jesus.
That's the cost. Because remember, when Christ calls us, he bids us, come and die. But in his mercy, he makes us alive again. Alive to God, alive to each other.
Alive to a world that desperately needs to see what living under the cross looks like. And suddenly what looked like the greatest cost turns into the greatest gain. The greatest gain, which is life in the fullness to the glory of Christ and not to our own glory. So we will follow him again.
Maybe tonight we can dare to ask our Lord the first time, or maybe for 128th time. We can ask Lord, make my heart willing to follow you and to die to my selfish determination. Let us follow him together, because he died for us. Let us follow him and make the disciples until every corner of his city knows the name of the one we follow.
Can we do this? Can we do this together? Until one day we kneel before the throne and hear those words. Well done, good and faithful servant.
Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you that you've loved us first and that you went to the cross for us so that we might be reconciled with our Lord. We ask you that you might make our hearts willing to follow you, even at the very cost of our own lives. For what gain is there in gaining the whole world yet forfeiting our souls?
Make us able, Lord, make us willing. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.