What does Jesus mean when He calls us to "follow Me" in Matthew 16?

"If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me for he that saves his life will lose it and he that loses his life, for My sake will save it" (Matt 16:24-25).

If self-denial is a hard lesson, it is no more than what our Master learned and practiced to redeem us, and to teach us. A true disciple of Christ is one that follows Him in duty, and will follow Him to glory. Our cross in this passage represents the self denial in our new life of submission to Jesus.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies (lives) as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship" (Romans 12:1).

"If a person follows Jesus, they must voluntarily renounce everything that might hinder their discipleship."

They must follow in his footsteps as the sheep after the shepherd, the servant after his master, the soldiers after their captain; so much so that our life becomes Christ living in us. (Matthew Henry)

This passage speaks of submitting to the changed life that following Jesus demands and of those that are willing and those who are not. The Christian's call is to sacrifice or put to death, His own will and to live for Christ, His Church and His ministry. In Matt 4:17 Jesus said “repent” which is to turn from our will and trust in his. The person who preserves his old life will lose it in eternity. The one who gives up his old life to follow Christ will find eternal life and this is the meaning of our verse (see also Mark 10:28-30).

In Matt 7:20-22 Jesus says, "Many in that day (the day of His return) will cry out to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but will not enter in (Heaven), but the one that does the will of the Father will enter. This again confirms we cannot simply follow our own will but must study and do God’s will. "Hypocrisy will be judged harshly (Read Matt 22:11-14). Jesus asked, “What is a man profited, if he gain the whole world but lose his own soul?” (Matt 16:26). Every person has a soul of their own. The soul lives in us now and will continue after death. Our life now determines the soul’s life eternally. "He is no fool that gives up a life he cannot keep for one he cannot lose"(Jim Elliot - missionary).

Jesus' first command to his Disciples was "Follow Me" and it is the path of all who truly believe. Is your name in His book of eternal life? It is if you truly believe in Jesus.

Colby Reeves - Evangel Member
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At Evangel we offer various bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to learn further how to follow Jesus.

All are welcome! 

Evangel Church PCA 
423 Thompson Rd.
Alabaster, AL. 35007
​205-664-0889
evangelchurchpca.org

​THE CHRISTIAN LIFE -HOW DOES GOD BECOME MY FATHER?
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"Sermon on the Mount" M. Lloyd-Jones

How then does God become my Father? According to the Scriptures it is like this. Christ “came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power (i.e. authority) to become the sons of God” (John 1:11-12). You become a child of God only when you are born again, when you receive a new life and a new nature. The child partakes of the nature of the Father. God is holy, and you and I are not children of God until we have received a holy nature; and that means we must have a new nature. Being evil and even conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5), we do not have one, but He will give it to us. Now that is what is offered to us. And there is no contact or communion with God, nor are we heirs to any of these promises of God, until we become His children. In other words, we must remember that we have sinned against God, that we deserve the wrath and punishment of God, but that He has dealt with our sin and guilt by sending His son to die on the cross of Calvary for us. And believing in Him, we receive a new life and nature and become children of God. Then we can know that God is our Father, but not until then. 

So, how does God become my Father? The answer is illustrated in this story.

There was a man who was very skilled in balancing himself while walking a tightrope, so he had a cable stretched across Niagara Falls. A large crowd gathered to watch his performance on this high wire stretched across the thundering waterfall. Many in the crowd wondered if he would make it, or would he slip and fall to his death? The performer mounted the cable and with great skill he crossed the roaring chasm and returned. Then he asked the crowd if there was anyone who trusted him enough to let him carry them on his back across and safely return. The crowd was silent. Finally one man stepped forward expressing his trust in this man. With the man mounted on his back, the performer successfully crossed the falls and returned. 

This is how God becomes our Father. Christ has already crossed the chasm of death by His own resurrection from the dead. He stands ready to carry anyone across the chasm between death and eternal life who will trust in him alone for their salvation. How about you? Have you trusted in Christ alone for Salvation? You can trust Him now. He will not refuse you.  - Rev. Grady Simpson

At Evangel Church we offer various bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to learn further how to trust Jesus. 
​All are welcome! 

​Evangel Church PCA - 423 Thompson Rd.
Alabaster, AL. 35007  -  205-664-0889
evangelchurchpca.org

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE         

 Are we truly thankful?

Washington's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (delivered in New York, 3 October 1789)

“By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.  Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” 

This is the first part of George Washington's Thanksgiving Day proclamation in 1789, requested by Congress, acknowledging God as the giver of all things good and everyone's duty to acknowledge, obey and be grateful for our freedom and his blessing.  Do we understand this today?   Though God's goodness is easily seen, our sins make us incompatible with a Holy God. "The wages of sin is death" (Roman's 6:23). Our sin debt makes entry to heaven impossible (as stated in Matthew 19:26) and God's goodness all the more amazing.      

Genesis 3 says Adam and Eve rebelled and brought sin and death to us.  Yet God, out of goodness, alludes to a Savior who was revealed fully in the New Testament as Jesus, the Son of God. He came in obedience to the Father's plan and took on himself the penalty of sin that we deserve, and He died on the cross and now credits His perfect righteousness to those who will believe and follow him. That's right! When we repent and trust in Christ, He credits His death as payment for our sin and gives us His righteousness for entry into heaven. The result is, we no longer obey out of fear but out of love and gratitude.

As Thanksgiving approaches and we remember the thanks due to God, may we realize the full extent of His blessing through Jesus and the obedience due to Him which reveals true thankfulness (see Romans 12:1-2 and John 14:15).  Delay no longer if you don't know Jesus. Come sincerely willing to trust and follow Him and He will receive you with an everlasting love. 

Colby Reeves - Evangel Member

Evangel we offer various Bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to learn further how to live for Jesus. 
All are welcome!  

Evangel Church PCA - 423 Thompson Rd.
Alabaster, AL. 35007 - 205-664-0889

evangelchurchpca.org