The cost

This message explores what it means to follow Jesus by taking up one's cross and denying oneself, emphasizing that discipleship requires willingness to suffer and sacrifice as Christ did. Zac Poonen challenges believers to understand that following Jesus is not about comfort or personal gain, but about complete surrender and alignment with Christ's redemptive suffering.

To be a true disciple, one must be willing to sacrifice what is precious to them when following Jesus, as illustrated by examples where disciples were called to give up prior commitments. The core message emphasizes that discipleship requires immediate obedience to the Lord's call, without delaying it with personal priorities or plans. Ultimately, true discipleship is defined by doing the will of God, which requires denying one's own will.

The speaker emphasizes that the Great Commission requires two parts: preaching the gospel (Mark 16:15) and making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). True discipleship involves more than just accepting Christ; it requires loving Jesus above all else, denying oneself daily, and prioritizing Christ over possessions. Furthermore, disciples must be taught to live by every command of Christ, including loving enemies and practicing radical obedience, rather than just hearing about salvation.

True discipleship is defined not by outward actions or visible sacrifices, but by the inward willingness to deny oneself and follow God's will. The speaker emphasizes that merely performing religious acts or serving others is insufficient if the motive is not pure. True discipleship requires a deep, internal commitment to Christ that supersedes all other desires, even when no one is watching.

The central message is that the ultimate goal for Christians is not achieving miraculous feats, but rather taking up the cross daily and striving for perfection through self-denial. The speaker contrasts the historical miracles of faith with the superior calling of following Jesus, urging the audience to give up all sin and hindrances to run the race with endurance, acknowledging their dependence on God like a baby.

The message emphasizes that true discipleship requires humility, demonstrated by a willingness to reconcile and set right any unsettled matters, mirroring Jesus's own forgiveness. The speaker contrasts merely calling oneself a 'Christian' with actively being a disciple, pointing to Jesus's Great Commission to 'make disciples of all nations.' Ultimately, being a disciple means following Jesus's teachings and living in a way that reflects that commitment.

The speaker emphasizes the necessity of total obedience to Scripture, arguing that true discipleship requires being willing to let people leave the church if they are offended by the teaching of God's Word. He uses historical examples and the concept of 'little commandments' to stress that the authority of Scripture must supersede cultural comfort or personal conviction. Ultimately, the message encourages believers to stand firm in proclaiming the truth, even when it causes division.

The message emphasizes that true Christianity is rooted in discipleship, recalling that the term 'Christian' originally referred to disciples in Antioch. The speaker argues that merely seeking forgiveness or assurance of heaven is insufficient for building a life, home, or church. True discipleship requires a deeper commitment to following Christ's path, moving beyond superficial religious understanding.

The central message is that true discipleship requires adhering to rigorous, foundational teachings, which are more important than mere declarations of forgiveness or belief. The speaker emphasizes that modern Christianity often devalues genuine discipleship, comparing it to counterfeit currency. He urges listeners to regularly check their own spiritual health against the difficult conditions set forth by Jesus in Luke 14, rather than focusing on judging others.

The speaker emphasizes that God desires an intimate, daily relationship with each individual, comparing this to Genesis 1 where God spoke something new every day. He argues that a strong community life (the horizontal bar of the cross) is meaningless without a primary, personal devotion to Christ (the vertical bar). True discipleship requires prioritizing one's walk with God above all other relationships.

The core message of discipleship is to be an exact reflection of Jesus, which requires both personal purity and active participation in the local church. The speaker emphasizes that true discipleship is more valuable than worldly treasures and requires a constant self-examination, like a physical checkup. He warns against counterfeit faith and stresses that Jesus' teachings often challenged the crowd rather than seeking popularity.

The speaker emphasizes that true Christian discipleship involves actively setting a positive example for those younger in the Lord, rather than just being admired for one's message. He warns that many Christians fail to embrace the radical call to daily self-denial, which is necessary to follow Christ and avoid being enemies of the cross. Ultimately, the message stresses the seriousness of taking up the cross daily, contrasting this with a general unwillingness to die to oneself.

The sermon uses the story of the young man who sought eternal life but felt something was missing, contrasting it with Jesus' teachings on discipleship. The central message is that true discipleship requires making absolute choices: one must love Jesus more than family, possessions, or even one's own life. The speaker emphasizes that one cannot follow Christ while simultaneously loving the world or one's possessions.

The central message is that following Jesus requires a daily commitment to taking up one's own cross, which means denying self-will. The speaker emphasizes that true discipleship is not merely believing in Christ's sacrifice but actively choosing to follow Him daily, mirroring Jesus' own life. This daily self-denial is presented as the key to a life free from sin and the grip of the devil.

The central message emphasizes that true discipleship requires dedicating the entire self—ear, tongue, and eye—to Christ as a living sacrifice. The speaker warns against superficial religious practices, stressing that worship means fully surrendering one's body to God's will in every word spoken and every thing heard. Ultimately, being a disciple means having one's vision fixed solely on Jesus Christ, regardless of physical church affiliation.

The central message is that true discipleship means living to please God, not to impress people. Jesus demonstrated this by accepting the lowest birth and shameful death, showing that human opinion is irrelevant to God's plan. Furthermore, the speaker warns against prioritizing worldly things like money or tradition over fulfilling core commandments, such as caring for one's family.

The speaker emphasizes that God's will is revealed solely through Jesus Christ and His Word, not through intermediaries. He strongly warns against the sin of sexual immorality, urging listeners to flee it constantly. The message concludes by encouraging the audience to embrace the calling of discipleship, which requires taking up one's cross, and highlights that the most important focus in life is not on worldly measures of success or luck, but on God's divine plan.

The speaker emphasizes that a stable Christian life requires both holiness and humility. He argues that much of modern Christianity presents an incomplete picture of Christ because essential elements of the gospel are omitted. True discipleship, according to the Great Commission, requires not only belief and baptism but also actively teaching others to obey everything Jesus commanded, and crucially, preaching repentance alongside belief.

The speaker discusses the two parts of the Great Commission: preaching the gospel to all creation and the subsequent discipleship. He emphasizes that in unreached areas, preaching the gospel requires supernatural manifestations of God's power to convince people of Jesus's resurrection and divinity. Furthermore, he stresses the necessity of publicly reading scripture to teach people who have never encountered the Bible in their language.

The sermon contrasts the narrow way of discipleship—which requires denying self and following the cross—with the broad way of merely seeking worldly blessings. The speaker emphasizes that true discipleship involves more than just attending services or receiving material blessings; it requires a willingness to die to self. He concludes that the foundation of the church is not built on doctrine alone, but on observing the genuine life of a true man of God.

Jeremy Utley teaches that for Christ to truly increase in our lives, we must decrease—denying our self-will, self-interest, and self-awareness in a daily, costly commitment to discipleship. Drawing from John 3:30 and 2 Corinthians 4:10, he emphasizes that bearing Christ's dying (saying no to our own initiative and will) is the prerequisite for manifesting Christ's life, and that this requires constant vigilance and passion to become nothing so that Jesus becomes everything.

The speaker discusses the two essential parts of the Great Commission: preaching the gospel to all creation and ensuring that those who hear it are saved. He emphasizes that when evangelizing to unreached areas, supernatural manifestations of God's power are necessary because people have no prior context for the gospel. The second part involves teaching scripture publicly, as the initial conversion is only the first step toward discipleship.

The speaker emphasizes that true discipleship requires a profound commitment that surpasses worldly concerns like education or wealth. He urges parents to prioritize making their children disciples of Jesus Christ, stressing that visible example is more impactful than mere instruction. The core message is that the greatest value lies in spiritual devotion, not material success.

The central message is to follow the example of Jesus Christ by taking up the cross daily, which requires constant self-denial and humility. The speaker contrasts this daily walk with the failures of others, emphasizing that true discipleship means actively choosing to love, forgive, and submit even when provoked. Failing to take up the cross daily makes one an enemy of Christ.