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Welcome to Madison Church Online. I'm Stephen Fieth, lead pastor. I'm glad that you're joining us. I want to invite you to join us in person sometime soon. Next month we're going to start a new series about hearing God's voice and all of the things that come with that. How do we discern what God is saying to us? But, as for this week, we are concluding our series through Luke, chapters 414 through 950.

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We call this series Finding your Place and Purpose and over the last month and a half we were studying Jesus's teachings and miracles. Luke takes us on a journey. Jesus was born that's the Christmas narrative and then he's filled with the Holy Spirit and now he is released on ministry and he's doing all of this work around the Sea of Galilee. His words and actions, as recorded by Luke, the author of this gospel, have painted a powerful picture of who Jesus is, not just 2,000 years ago to his disciples and not just to the crowds who were hearing about Jesus and then traveling all over to hear from him and receive healing, but to us today, and that's really what I hope. Over the last four or five weeks as we've gotten together, you see that these words are not just history and it's not just theology on how we should think, but that there's practical application for us as followers of Jesus here today to live out. And as we come to today's passage, the conclusion of this series, we read about a scene in which Jesus asked a defining question to his disciples. That many of you have answered, many of you are considering, some of you online don't know where you fall, but many millions, tens of millions of people have had to answer this question, and it is who do you say I am? Who do you say I am? Because who we say Jesus is should be reflected in how we live, not just in what we believe. We're not just checking a box that yes, this is my religious affiliation, this is what I think, but rather it is practical and applicable. It's something we live out.

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To truly confess Jesus as Lord is to let him transform our lives. We talk about that with those who are being baptized, and how baptism is symbolic of the death of former things, the former way of life, and how it's being reborn into a new life. That's that transformation, and that transformation, as we're going to read today, calls for sacrifice. It demands that we carry our cross every day and join God's mission in the world. And so, if you want to follow along, we're going to Luke, chapter 9, and we're going to begin reading from verse 18.

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And the interesting thing about today's passage is, as we wrap up this series, jesus' teachings today lead us into our next series in Luke, which will begin in January. And in January we begin this series in which we're going to be talking about disciple making and what does it mean to be a disciple? Because, as we're going to talk about today, you're probably going to feel a little overwhelmed. I'll just throw that out at the front side now. You're going to feel like that's a lot and Jesus is asking a lot of me. And, yes, absolutely. So much so that I think we're going to take 13 or 14 weeks January, february, march, all the way into April talking about what does it mean to be a disciple of Christ, what does it mean to be his followers? And so let's end this series talking about it and leaning into the future.

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But, beginning in verse 18, luke writes one day, jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Again, he's teaching, he's doing miracles, he leads them, and only his disciples were with him. And he asked them who do people say? I am, and we'll pause here for a second because again, jesus is teaching. People are coming to see him. He's doing all of these crazy miracles. We have talked about him raising people from the dead. We've talked about him casting out demons. We've talked about all of these different things, diseases that he has healed, and now Jesus says so when I'm not around.

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What are people saying about me when I'm not in the room? When you all are getting together and having lunch, going out on coffee? You guys are doing the things and you're talking a little bit. What do people say about me? Who do they say I am? And the disciples? They're ready to spill the tea, as the kids say.

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He says some say John the Baptist and some say Elijah, and others say you're one of the ancient prophets. Other ancient prophets risen from the dead. So naturally they have no problem talking about anyone else. That would be like if I asked you to tell me what your circle of friends talked about, about my message last week, or if you're in a small group that talks about the messages and I just pulled you off to the side and I said what are they saying about my messages on Sunday? And you're like oh yeah, I'll talk about all these people? Yeah, I don't care.

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And then Jesus says well, hold on a second. Who do hold on a second? Who do you say I am? There's that question. But who do you say I am? Now, all of a sudden, we're not talking about other people, we're not talking about them, we're talking about you. And you can almost imagine everyone getting quiet. Maybe they're not sure they don't know who Jesus is. I mean, they've seen some really crazy stuff, but maybe they're not there yet. Perhaps they believe he's a prophet, but judging by Jesus' follow-up question, they know that's not the right answer. But who do you say I am? And so, of course, peter, always eager to answer and jump in and open his mouth. He says you are the Messiah sent from God. And for the first time in the New Testament, in Luke's gospel, peter gets it right on the first try. We can all just really appreciate that.

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For Peter, for Jesus' Jewish disciples recognizing him as the Messiah was revolutionary. For them to say it was revolutionary. And remember they didn't say it. Peter said it. He said, hey, this is who I think you are.

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And for the Jewish people living under Roman oppression they believed that the Messiah would be a political, a political liberator who would overthrow the Roman Empire and any enemies and restore Israel's power, the former state of glory. Their idea was a Messiah, the conquering king, like King David was, so you can imagine that they were surprised when Jesus turns out to be a suffering servant. So when Peter declares you are the Messiah, he is stating the belief that you are the Messiah. You are the one that the prophets said you would be. Now here's a little interesting detail for you For people to call Jesus a prophet, for the Jewish people to call Jesus a prophet, even that was radical.

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They had a belief in their society or within their religious worldview that prophets didn't come around anymore, that those days were gone. It was in the past. There are no more prophets. So for them to say that, hey, jesus, you're a prophet, that was radical. The problem was it wasn't radical enough. It wasn't radical enough. I want to point out that, even though Peter made this bold confession we know because of the Easter story and Peter's response and John's response and all of the disciples' response well, you can tell that, even though they say you're the Messiah, they still did not understand the nature of Jesus or his mission, even though they declared he is the Messiah. Their disbelief when Jesus dies on the cross shows that they also believed he'd be that political liberator. He would be that military man. Jesus' mission was more than just to return Israel to political independence and get them out from under the Roman Empire. Jesus' mission was to save the world from sin, from spiritual darkness and hopelessness and being cut off from God. This redefinition of the Messiah's role would become apparent as he revealed his mission would include the death and resurrection. As we get into this next series, jesus is going to start talking about this. He's letting his disciples know hey, this is going to happen Now, in our modern context today, 2024, madison, wisconsin, we don't expect Jesus to fulfill political liberation content.

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We don't expect Jesus to fulfill political liberation. It's not like here in 17, 16 days on election day, that we're going to write Jesus's name in our little ballot and turn it in and maybe, if enough people vote for Jesus, he'll be president and he'll restore the United States. You all don't do that. Most of you don't do that. If you're watching or listening online, don't do that. But here's what we do do.

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We may not vote for Jesus, expecting him to usher in a new kingdom of the United States, but we do expect him personally to cater to our personal desires. We think that following Jesus should lead to greater comfort in every, if not most, facets of my life, that I should be more successful with Jesus than without him and I should feel self-fulfilled. We too can fall into the trap of wanting a Jesus who fits neatly into our lives and does what we want him to do. We may not be like Peter and the Jewish disciples and hope that Jesus overthrows an entire empire, but in our own lives we have conformed Jesus into our image, and oftentimes into our image, and that he serves us. God has a redemptive plan that he calls us forward to.

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The same question that Jesus asked his disciples echoes to you today. Who do you say I am? Is Jesus a really good teacher on issues of morality and ethics? Is Jesus a spiritual guide? Or is Jesus who he claimed to be, the Lord over everything in our lives? You see, jesus himself made it clear, abundantly clear. He was not just another religious leader. We could go into this for weeks and weeks and weeks studying all of the different things Jesus said. But it's summarized perfectly in John 14, 6, when Jesus says I am the way, I am the truth and I am the life. No one can come to the Father except through me, and this is a bold and exclusive claim. That was radical even 2,000 years ago, as they also lived in a pluralistic society, as we do today. Lots of gods, lots of paths to heaven, lots of truths, many ways to live, and yet Jesus' words confront us and they challenge that mindset. Because Jesus himself, when we study the history and take out of it, pause for a second whether or not you think he's the Messiah. Let's study historically what Jesus said, and Jesus himself, historically, did not leave room for middle ground. And he is then either who he says he is or he isn't. He is either who he said he is or he isn't. It's that clear.

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Cs Lewis puts it this way. You must make your choice Either this man referring to Jesus is the son of God, or else he is a madman or something worse. Cs Lewis is calling this is an argument called the lunatic liar or Lord trilemma, and I'm not trying to get you into like an evangelistic kind of argument here this morning, but if we're talking about the logic behind the argument, it makes sense. You see, jesus claimed multiple times to be the only way to God, and someone who makes that claim I'm the only way to God and is wrong is not a good teacher. They're deluded, they're crazy or they're dishonest. They're manipulative. They're trying to get you to worship them, even though they know the truth that they're not. But if Jesus is telling the truth, then we can't admire him from a distance.

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It calls us to do something more, and I know that for many of us today I mean 2024, and I know you have family members who aren't Christians, or you have family members who are atheists, or you have family members who all paths lead to God and all sorts of different equations and ways that this work out. You may be in the room and say that fits me, that's who I am. So I want to acknowledge it feels uncomfortable in our society to say the things that I'm saying right now, but I believe it's a reality that we have to wrestle with. To confess that Jesus is Lord is more than just an intellectual agreement. It does mean surrendering every aspect of our lives to that Lordship and to His rule. It demands a radical reorientation of how we live and think. So if we truly believe that Jesus is Lord, what does that mean for you? What does that mean for your life and the decisions that you make? Well, jesus answers that.

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Next, it's disciple making. If jesus is lord, he calls us to not just follow him but to help others follow him too. So, immediately after peter's confession, peter says you know, who do you say? I am, I'm the, you're the messiah, the one from god. Jesus doesn't stop there, doesn't just sit there and bask in it. Good job, peter, high five. He moves on. Okay, if any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way. Take up your cross daily and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost and destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. I tell you the truth some standing here right now will not die before they see the kingdom of God. And so in these words, in this passage, jesus encapsulates the essence of Christian discipleship. When we talk about Christian discipleship, we're talking about self-denial. We're talking about daily cross-bearing. We're talking about a total commitment to following Jesus wherever he may lead.

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For Jesus' original audience, those hearing this message for the very first time the cross was not a religious symbol. Some of you might have it on your necklace right now, your earrings. You have jewelry with crosses on it. You got it at home hanging up upstairs. They got crosses in the sanctuary. But understand that 2,000 years ago it was a symbol of war. It was a symbol of war. It would be like in modern day walking into somewhere and having a bunch of guns hanging up all over the walls and wearing them around your neck. That's what the original reaction would have been for the people there, because this was a war tool. The cross was reserved for the worst of criminals, absolutely the worst. It was society's way of saying you are so bad you don't even just deserve death, you deserve humiliation on the way to death and it's painful. And so he says to take up your cross daily.

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The disciples understood exactly what that meant. It meant radical self-sacrifice, even to the point of a humiliating death. Following Jesus in the first century meant being willing to lose everything your family, your status, your safety. It was a life-altering decision that demanded an all-encompassing commitment. Jesus was not offering his disciples a path to glory as the world defines it. His path was one of suffering, but through suffering, he says, the kingdom of God would break into it and understand.

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One of the most compelling arguments for Jesus, to me anyway, is that 11 of those 12 disciples died a martyr's death for what they believed. They understood what Jesus was saying. They might have doubted it on Easter, and then they see Jesus, and then they reorient their lives and they say we understand, we will do the self-denying, we'll follow Jesus wherever he goes and we'll carry our cross. The rumor has it that Peter, he's crucified, but he doesn't consider. He's like. I don't want to be crucified like Jesus because I'm not worthy of that. So he says crucify me upside down. That's how deep these guys got into it.

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For us today, we have to let go of our ambitions, our comforts, our securities, because Jesus isn't inviting us to a convenient and comfortable faith. Jesus calls us to surrender our lives for the sake of God's kingdom. You see, the cross today represents rejecting the world's values of self-promotion, the world's values of success and their definition of success. The cross represents embracing a life of selfless love and service to one another. But let me be clear. Let me be clear.

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Discipleship isn't about following a rigid set of rules. Discipleship is about a radical transformation that makes us more like Jesus in every single part of our lives. This is where I really like Dallas Willard's insights when it comes to discipleship. He says discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you. Discipleship is becoming who Jesus would be if he were you.

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Following Jesus doesn't mean abandoning who you are, but rather it means allowing his life and character to shape every aspect of who you are. Following Jesus is about and becoming a disciple is embodying the love, the humility and the sacrifice that Jesus himself demonstrated. Contrast that with something Tim Keller once said If your God never disagrees with you, you might be worshiping an idealized version of yourself. Dallas Willard says Discipleship is me becoming like Christ. It's dying to myself so I can be born again in Christ, which means along the road I'm going to find things that I have to kill, I have to bury, I have to put away. Those are the former things. I am not that person anymore and I'm becoming more like this one.

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And Tim Keller says, in case that wasn't clear enough, if you're on this path with Jesus and Jesus never disagrees with you and he's only ever affirming and high fives and everything is great Tim says you're worshiping yourself. So you've made Jesus into your image. Jesus is being your disciple and that's just not an option. What does this mean for us? I mean, why should you care this morning about Jesus's question who do you say I am? And his call to disciple making I mean, you might right now be like this is overwhelming. It sounds hard and it is, but because of who you say Jesus is, or who you say Jesus is, it will shape every part of your life, your decisions, your relationships and your impact on the world. If Jesus is truly Lord, if that's the statement you say, if Jesus were here today who do you say I am? And you say you're the Messiah, you're the Lord, then understand discipleship is not an option.

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Discipleship is not an option, but the good news is, in addition to it being about surrender, it is your path to finding true purpose, true joy and true fulfillment, a joy of fulfillment and purpose that supersedes any circumstances or situations that you are going through. So let's break it down to those three key areas that Jesus invites us to follow him. He talked about self-denying. He talked about cross-bearing and following where he leads. First, discipleship does begin with self-denial letting go of our own personal agendas and surrendering to God's will Not my will, father, but your will. And this is counterintuitive, especially in a world that constantly tells you and sells you to prioritize your desires, chase after your success, build your personal brand, your own kingdom. But Jesus says there's something far greater than all of that and there's the freedom that comes with letting go of all of that and allowing God to guide us.

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Self-denial in our modern lives here in Madison. It challenges our cultural focus on materialism and power and self-sufficiency. It means redefining success in your own life through generosity rather than accumulation, rather than how much stuff can I get. We ask the question as followers of Jesus what am I giving away and what kind of impact is that going to have? We choose humility and service over the pursuit of influence. That means we serve, and we serve those who maybe don't deserve it, because Christ served those who didn't deserve it. And it means and what's hard for some of us is trusting God instead of relying solely on our own strength.

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Self-denial for you might be saying I know I could jump in and micromanage this situation, or I could really control my life right now, but I just need to be patient. I know I could for some of you. You're in a tough season and I think you know you could do something to change that really fast. I know people who are like that. You're in a tough season. You're like, oh, all I have to do is do this. I have to do that. I don't like my job anymore. All I have to do is apply for a new job. I'll get a new job. That won't be that hard. But perhaps self-denial for you is saying I really feel like God brought me to this place for a reason, and so self-denial might mean I'm not going to turn that.

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Surrender frees us to experience God's work in our lives, as in. Maybe I go through a tough season and seasons aren't days, guys, like it's not even weeks, it's not even months. Sometimes seasons can last years and you might be in that. But what happens when we surrender and we deny ourselves? That's when we see God work. That's what for some of us. We haven't seen God work because we've not given him any opportunity to do it or the things we do give him are so little that we wouldn't even notice if he did anything with it anyway. I think God is begging some of us. I can do some really cool things in your life if you would just get out of the way, and maybe we think we are, and so maybe for us this week, as we consider discipleship, we think of ways that I need to deny myself in a different area of my life.

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Next, jesus calls us to take up our cross daily. Daily, he's saying, not a one-time decision, and sometimes I mean I really don't like the vernacular in our modern society about praying and accepting Jesus into your heart, because it really makes it sound like you crossed the finish line and high fives and we celebrate people who make the decision and we baptize people. But like following Jesus is every single day. It's waking up every single day and saying yes to Jesus. Now, look in Madison, you're not going to face actual persecution tomorrow for your faith. Nobody's going to bust down these doors today and arrest us and take us down to the jail for being here. But taking up our cross I know it leads to discomfort. That's what we're talking about with self-denying, isn't that? Discomfort Also leads to sacrifice? And I do know, in some cases, rejection it can be rejection.

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Cross-bearing in modern life involves standing firm in our faith despite misunderstanding, living sacrificially by prioritizing other people's need over our own comfort, and speaking boldly about truth and justice, even when it's easier to remain silent, even when it's easier to just keep our mouths shut. And finally, discipleship was about following Jesus wherever he leads us, even when that path is uncertain, even when that path is uncomfortable. Even when we take that first step, we say, but I don't see where this path leads. That's what it means to truly follow Jesus. It requires a deep trust and surrender, knowing that Jesus is leading you toward a better life, not a worse one.

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Following Jesus means surrendering our personal plans, trusting God with our futures, engaging the world by stepping out into uncomfortable spaces and building relationships with those who do not share your faith. You see, jesus is a mission-oriented God, which means you can't just have Christian friends and go to your Christian small group and only ever talk about the Bible. He's sending you out into the world to interact with those who are not like you. For some of you, I know it's really uncomfortable, but you're not going to catch their sin. For some of them, they might be scared of catching yours, and that's fair, but no, we are called to go out. That's what it means to follow Jesus. Jesus has left the building. He's out there, and we follow him out there. Whether you're serving people who are impoverished in the city of Madison, or advocating for justice which could mean a ton of things or simply loving your difficult neighbors, well, these are all examples of what it means to follow Jesus. It means following him on his mission to renew the world.

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Saying yes to Jesus, though, isn't just about sacrifice. It's challenging, but there's an invitation, and that invitation is to live the life that you were created for. It's to live the life that God dreamed for you, to experience the goodness of things that he has for you. See, I love we're getting up close to Christmas, and you guys know I have three kids. They're all born in December. So I love this time of year because I love seeing the anticipation and the excitement. I love doing good things for my kids, and, in the same way, god loves that for you. It's like he's watching your anticipation as you go through December 1st, december 2nd, december 3rd, you're counting down the days to Christmas, and it's hard, right? Well, when you're little it's hard, it feels like forever before it's Christmas.

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But that is where God is leading you in your everyday life. He says I've got so much goodness for you. If you just keep waking up and saying yes, you're going to find freedom, you're going to find joy, you're going to find purpose, you're going to discover your true self, and what I mean is your true self, how God wired you to be. God had a dream, a vision for you, so this is who you are going to be and it's going to be amazing. And, of course, throughout our lives it gets messed up because of sin, because of people, all sorts of things, situations, circumstances, but he's always at work, renewing and redeeming us, living. In a way, he says I have a life for you that no one else can offer. No one else can offer. But to get there you're going to have to take an unexpected path, because the kingdom is upside down. The kingdom is upside down.

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And so, as we get ready to enter into our time of communion today with each other, I want to leave you with the question that Jesus asked his disciples but who do you say I am? And it's not just a question to consider, but the question that's shaping your life. If Jesus is truly Lord, what area of your life do you need to begin to deny yourself? What area of your life do you need to pick up a cross? Where is Jesus leading you that you're dragging your feet to follow? You see, discipleship, as we'll learn in this next series, goes way beyond words, way beyond what we believe. It's about aligning our life with Jesus's mission, and answering you are Lord means allowing him to transfer every part of who you are, every part. But I just want to be real. It does come at a cost. The cost is to deny ourselves, to take up the cross and to follow wherever he leads. And while it's challenging, it's deeply inviting. Surrendering to Jesus leads you to that life that you were truly created for.

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For some of you today, if you're watching or listening online, you're in the room. This might be the first time as you hear this question who do you say I am? And you might be at the first point in your life saying Jesus, you are Lord. And if that's you or you're listening online, I want you to consider baptism, what we see in the early churches.

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When somebody makes this declaration that Jesus, you are Lord, we see the disciples, the teachers, whoever they are in the church. They look for the nearest body of water. This is a true story. You can fact check me. Look through X. Where's the nearest body of water? Because we are baptizing you. So I want you to consider baptisms. We have it on the date at the end of November, the Sunday. There we have people who have already signed up for baptism and we invite you to do that as well. But for those of you who have already made this declaration, who do you say I am? You are the Messiah. May today be a reminder of the depth of his call. Jesus doesn't just ask for part of your life, he asks for everything. And yet, in giving him everything, we receive more than we could ever imagine Greater empowerment, deeper love, lasting fulfillment. Jesus is asking you who do you say I am? And may our lives and faith be the answer.