CFM Week 13

This is the final week of the Come Follow Me Bible study.  In reality, all that we've read and studied to this point are necessary to comprehend the fundamentals of Christianity.  It is not some religious edict of do's and don'ts.  Christianity is following Christ by studying and knowing His character, lovingly embracing His message, and emulating His lifestyle.  This week we study the pinnacle of Christian living.  This message is a difficult pill to swallow if you have not completed the previous 12 weeks.  God calls us to a life of self sacrifice.  The life of Christ was constantly under scrutiny and attack, and He was continually pouring Himself out for others.  God does not call us to cushy lives.  If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.  You must decide for yourself if you believe the God of the Bible.  Is Jesus really God?  Is He worth following?  "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,"  Joshua 24:15.

Week 13 – Self Sacrificing

Do you treat the things of God as if they are unique and a blessing?

Have you contemplated the depths of the love of God recently?  He abased Himself and suffered many hardships on our behalf.  He is the Almighty, the all-powerful One who names the stars, commands the oceans to meet the shores, and holds all things together, yet for our sakes, He humbled Himself.  What awesome love!

Philippians 2:1-11 (NASB)

¹ Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, ² make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.  ³ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴ do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christ is our example
Christ being confident in who He is, was willing to subject Himself and submit Himself to service and obedience even when it meant death on the cross.  How do we become true followers of Christ?  How is it even logical?

Self esteem
Look through the lens of eternity.  You are valuable – not because of your job title, your position in church, your bank account, your talents, etc., but because Christ chose to die for you.  The God of the universe ultimately, valued you personally; He esteemed your worth so great that He was willing to suffer and die for you.

Focus on others
God also valued every other human soul highly enough that He was willing to sacrifice everything to redeem us.  If God places this value on us, how should we view each other?

The way to live
Understanding that my value stems from how God perceives me and not how others perceive me and that others are infinitely valuable to God, leads me to reject my pride and willingly humble myself to become a servant of Christ and others - to passionately proclaim God’s sovereignty.  If I truly understand who I am in Christ, then no task is beneath me as long as it glorifies the Father.

Week 13 Daily Readings

Monday

Read John 3:22-26.  John was watching His own ministry disintegrate right in front of His eyes.  Everything he’d been born to proclaim and do had been accomplished; the Object of His message was now on the scene.  If he were an interim pastor of a local church in our day and time, maybe he would have tried to stay on the scene and cause controversy and confusion.  John, however, humbled himself, and proclaimed, “He must increase, and I must decrease.”  Are you ready to give up your own agenda for Christ’s sake?

Tuesday

Read Philippians 3:7-11.  This is the first level of sacrifice (suppression).  Paul had much to celebrate from a human stand point, however, he was willing to suppress all of this to know Christ.  Can you grasp the faith it takes to sacrifice everything you stand for and completely reject your way of life to embrace loss for the sake of Christ?  Not all of us are called to the same sacrifice as Paul, but are you willing to put Christ above all else in your life? 

Wednesday

Read 2 Corinthians 11:16-30.  This is the second level of sacrifice (suffering).  Paul not only gave up his accomplishments, he suffered great perils for the name of Christ.  God doesn’t call everyone to suffer the way Paul did, but He does call all of us to His plan.  What is He calling you to do?  In reality, whatever you are unwilling to sacrifice will be the limit of your ability to serve Christ.  What in your life are you unwilling to give up? 

Thursday

Read 1 Corinthians 9:16-27.  This is the third level of sacrifice (submission).  Are other people worth your attention and time?  Paul was not only willing to relinquish his accomplishments and suffer great perils, he also went further to submit himself to rigorous self discipline.  No one required Paul to make these exceptions to his life.  He says that he has become all things to all people for the end purpose of evangelizing lost souls. 

Friday

Read Philippians 2:1-11.  When you consider that Christ surrendered everything to redeem you, do you get a sense of wonder at how valuable you are to Him?  Parents often times make sacrifices for their children – some of these lost opportunities they never have a chance to reclaim.  In the spiritual realm, we know that God promises us eternity.  There are no lost opportunities in eternity.  When we stand before the Maker, and He proclaims, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of your Master,” we will not have regrets of a lost football career or job promotion because we chose to take a stand for Christ.  Paul tells us in Romans 8:18 that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed to us.”  We will be overwhelmed with God, His presence, His goodness, His splendor, His favor.  What is it that is keeping you from earnestly sacrificing yourself and following God’s call on your life?