Have you ever counted what following Jesus actually costs, not in declarations, but in your calendar, your bank account and your relationships? This sermon stops at the scene in Luke 9, where Peter confesses who Jesus is and Jesus immediately speaks of denying oneself and taking up a daily cross. It returns to a question put to a woman moments before her baptism: do you understand what you are being asked? Listen if you want to stop watching other people serve and take your own part in the redeeming work of Jesus.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Luke 9:18-20 Jesus first asks who the crowds say He is, and then: "But who do you say I am?" Why does this order matter, and what difference does Peter's answer make?
- The disciples expected a Messiah who would bring them fame and blessings, but Jesus speaks of a cross. What in Luke 9:23-25 might have been hardest for them to accept?
- The speaker stresses that Christianity is not a list of rules but following the person of Jesus. How does that difference shape your everyday faith?
- For the ancient world the cross was a symbol of execution, yet today we wear it as jewelry. What does taking up your cross daily and living to give rather than take look like in practice?
- In Mia's story, one of the women was unsure whether Mia understood what following Jesus would ask of her. What costs of following Jesus do you see in your own life right now?
- The speaker invites us to look at our calendar, bank account and relationships, because they show what really matters to us. What is one concrete step of serving others you can take this week?
