Before

Sermon Video from Teresa. Play blind_eyes-opened_official_Trailer.mp4

Hate Your Family, Hate Yourself, Love Your Savior.

Introduction

Please Stand for the Reading of God’s Word

Luke

14:25-27 ESV  Now

great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them,  (26) 

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and

children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my

disciple.  (27)  Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after

me cannot be my disciple.

You may be Seated

Jesus likes to make extreme statements,

doesn’t He?Statements

like “God is all-powerful”That’s

an extreme statement, I mean, really Jesus… if God can do anything, then can he

make a rock so heavy that even he can’t lift it?Jesus likes to

make extreme statements like “If you call your brother a fool you are

endanger of burning in hell forever”.Come on now

Jesus, you really mean I could go to hell forever because of one word I

say to my brother?Jesus

makes extreme statements like “God loves everyone”.Really,

do you really mean that… you mean God loves Hitler?You see Jesus likes to make a point by making an

extreme statement. Like someone on the internet saying “President Trump is

literally worse than Hitler”.OK… no he’s not, but I get that you are trying

to make a point by making an extreme.And so Jesus makes this point… if anyone comes

to me and does not hate his own family and himself, he is not worthy to be my

disciple.Jesus is making a point… He is being extreme to

make a point.But the difference between Jesus and that

poor Trump hating internet warrior is that JESUS DOESN’T EVER LIE. Even when

being extreme to make a point, the extreme point is still true.God is all powerful is an extreme statement… it

is also a true statement.Can God create a rock so heavy He can’t lift it?

No, because that’s not a thing that is a paradox.Just like God can’t smell the color purple, or

taste the number 11. Those aren’t things, they are nonsense.The same came be true of this. God is all

poweful, and God is Holy. Therefore God can’t be around sin.What, God can’t do something?That’s right. God can’t lie, He can’t sin, and

He can’t be around sin. Because He is Holy.And that is why humans have a problemJesus

says extreme things like one sin will lead you to hell.That’s right, because God can’t be around sin,

He created a place away from Him… and without Him that place sucks… a lake of

fire with weeping and gnashing of teeth.So if we have sin on us when we die, we can’t go

to heaven, because God can’t be around sin, so He sends us to the place where

He is not… Hel.Jesus says extreme things like “God loves

everyone”.Yup, even Hitler. God loves Hitler… that

shouldn’t anger you, that should give you comfort, because if God can love

Hitler, than He can certainly love you!That doesn’t mean Hitler is not in Hell.But it does mean that Jesus died for Hitler too,

because Jesus died for everyone.And Hitler had the same opportunity to repent

and give his life to Christ… just like the serial killer Saul of Tarshish had.Saul took the opportunity to be saved and turn

his life around.Hitler did not.I say all of this to make this point: THE GOSPEL

OF JESUS CHRIST IS EXTREME!IT IS EARTH SHATERINGLOGIC DEFYINGCHAIN BREAKINGMIRACLE WORKINGETERNITY CHANGINGSOUL SAVINGEVERYTHING RIDES ON IT EXTREME!That’s the Gospel, EXTREME!It is so extreme that when you are changed by

the Gospel of Jesus Christ, when you are made new, when you are born again… THE

RESULTS SHOULD BE EXTREME! AMEN?!So extreme, Jesus says, that by way of

comparison your love for Him should be so great that it completely overshadows

any earthly love and relationship you have ever had…It eclipses your earthly love so much that by

comparison it is fair to say you hate even your family and yourself.Jesus wasn’t lying when He was being extreme…

and that’s what we are going to talk about today! Let’s pray

Pray Pray Pray Pray