The Invitation: Come After Me
Sermon: "The Invitation: Come After Me" - 2/22/26
This powerful message from Mark 8:34-38 challenges us to understand what it truly means to follow Jesus during the season of Lent. The forty-day journey isn't just about marking time until Easter—it's about transformation, about letting go of our slave mentality and embracing the freedom Christ offers. We're invited to look inward rather than outward, to examine our own brokenness instead of focusing on the failures of others. The cost of discipleship is laid bare: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. These aren't metaphors or suggestions—they're the actual requirements of walking with Christ. Self-denial isn't about giving up chocolate or practicing self-discipline; it's about refusing to be guided by our own interests. Taking up our cross means surrendering our autonomy, our freedom to go where we want, and accepting Christ's lordship. Following Jesus means being participants, not spectators—actually walking the dusty road behind Him, getting close enough that His journey becomes ours. The beautiful paradox is this: in surrendering everything, we finally find the life we've been searching for all along.
Chapter 1: Preparing for Lent: A Season of Transformation
0:00 - 3:54
Lent is a 40-day season of preparation between Ash Wednesday and Easter, designed to transform us from bondage to freedom as we prepare to celebrate Christ's resurrection.
Chapter 2: Jesus Opens the Kingdom to Everyone
3:54 - 12:12
Jesus definitively lays out the path of discipleship after Peter's confession, making clear that the kingdom of God is accessible to all people, not just the privileged or insiders.
Chapter 3: Denying Yourself: Refusing Self-Interest
12:12 - 17:48
The first requirement of discipleship is denying oneself, which means refusing to be guided by our own interests and instead following God's will, as Jesus modeled by leaving heaven to become a servant.
Chapter 4: Taking Up Your Cross: Surrendering Autonomy
17:48 - 22:07
Taking up our cross means abandoning our autonomy and freedom to choose our own path, instead submitting to Jesus' lordship and allowing Him to lead us where He chooses.
Chapter 5: Follow Me: Becoming Participants, Not Spectators
22:07 - 28:05
Following Jesus means actively participating in His mission, walking the path He walks rather than merely admiring Him from a distance or accumulating knowledge about Him.
