Luke 9:18-27 // According to Luke // Craig Hamilton

·36 min·3 clips

Jesus teaches that following him means denying yourself and taking up your cross daily.

The episode begins with John reading Luke 9:18-27, where Jesus asks his disciples who the crowds say he is and then who they say he is. Peter answers that Jesus is God's Messiah. Jesus then warns them not to tell anyone and explains that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, killed, and raised on the third day. He teaches that following him requires denying oneself and taking up one's cross daily. The speaker, Craig Hamilton, uses everyday analogies like calling shotgun in a car to discuss sacred rules and control. He explores the fear of giving control to God and why anyone would do so. Hamilton explains that denying oneself means not being the lord of one's own life but handing control to Jesus. Taking up one's cross means being prepared to give up anything daily, not just dying once. He shares a story about a high school kid considering giving up rugby for Jesus. Hamilton discusses why people follow Jesus, citing that losing one's life for him saves it, and gaining the whole world but losing oneself is pointless. He notes that many walk away from Jesus for trivial reasons like relationships or sports. The sermon concludes with a prayer asking for help to follow Jesus by denying oneself and taking up the cross. The format is a solo sermon with educational and narrative tones, based on biblical exegesis and personal anecdotes.

As heard by us

A plainspoken sermon on Peter's Messiah, Jesus' suffering kingship, and the surrender discipleship requires.

Peter's confession that Jesus is God's Messiah becomes a careful review of how a familiar title can carry the wrong expectations. The sermon follows "anointed one" from Israel's kings to the promise of a forever king, then sets Peter's imagined liberator beside Jesus' own words…

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Why you'd press play

Want to know why Peter's forever king turns out to be a suffering king who asks you to surrender everything?

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