Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too much,
because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy for
today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect yesterday's
portion of heavenly manna the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going
to change all of that. Let's experience God's words today
and receive the power we need to live healthy, vibrant lives.
Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker,
Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning, good morning. It is Sabbath, August ten,
twenty twenty four. Hello, my name is El David Harris.
I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's Word every single day, and
today is no exception. We are continuing in our lesson study.
This is Lesson number seven through the Book of Mark,
and our caption for today is Teaching Disciples Part one.
Teaching Disciples Part one on. We'll get into that in
just a moment, but first I'd like to just say welcome, welcome, welcome,
and happy Sabbath to everyone joining us, especially those joining
us for the very first time. I'm asking you to
please go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please
join our online community and let us know where you
are in the world at your Daily portion dot com.
This is one of the ways that we continue to
build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray, and
then we will get underway. Father and Heaven, thank you
for giving us this Sabbath morning and the blessing of
being your disciples. Please teach us how to hear your
voice and then do your will and live like Jesus
lived in Jesus name, I pray, Amen, and a man again.
Teaching Disciples Part one. Let's go ahead and begin with
Mark chapter eight and verse thirty four to set us
up for the lessons that we will be looking at
in just a moment. And the Bible reads in verse
thirty four, Mark chapter eight, when he had called the
people to himself with his disciples, also, he said to them,
whoever desires to come after me, that means follow him,
that means to live with Jesus. Right, whoever desires to
come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross,
and follow me. Okay, what did he say? He said,
deny himself, that's number one. Take up his cross, that's
number two. And actually follow me. You see how I
added the word actually because he said whoever comes after me.
So it's like, that's the same as follow me. Well,
there are people who talk about following, there are people
who talk about being with Jesus, there are people who
talk about that. We're Christians. But what Jesus is saying
is you need to be about it. Now, Well, how
can we be about it? First thing we need to
do is have the desire in our hearts. You see
I left that one out. Did you get that whoever
desires to come after me? Yeah? God puts the desire
in us. The Bible says, it is God that worketh
in us both to will and to do of his
good pleasure. So that desire comes from surrendering our will
to God. Bible says, if we delight ourselves in the Lord,
he will give us desires. It says, the desires of
our heart. He's saying that he will supply the ability
to desire the things that God desires. He will give
us godly desires. So I hope you're listening. So that
first step, it's the beginning, it's foundational. He gives us
desires to follow him, and then he says Okay, now
that you have this desire, now that you're learning to
surrender your will, I need you to deny your self.
Don't put yourself first. There will be trials and tribulations.
Understand that that's par for the course. That's what happens
when you follow jesus Ah. There will be tribulations, there
will be temptations. There will be people that you'll have
to put before you, ahead of you. And it's not
only the people that you love. It's not only the laying,
the main, the blind, the halt, those who are fatherless
and motherless, those who have lost their her husband, not
only them. There are people that you don't necessarily like
too much, but God says to learn to love them.
There are people who will curse you. There are people
who will revile you and say all manner of evil
things against you, falsely for God's sake. And he said,
in that case, he wants you to rejoice. He wants
me to rejoice and be exceeding glad for greatest your
reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets which
were before you. So denying of self is something that
God has put in our bosom. Once he gives us desires.
Once we are surrendering our will to him. Now we
put ourselves last, interesting and then take up take up
the cross. And those who know me as a coach,
I'm not talking about coaching language here. I'm not talking
about that, So don't get confused about what I say
as a coach. This is something spiritual. Okay, Then take
up his cross, take up his cross. What is your cross?
What is that burden that you carry around? What is
that burden that you carry around? He said, Those who
are meek and heavy laiden, you have your cross, he said,
give those things to me, and I will give you rest.
Yes it's yours, Yes it is yours. But now you
have the privilege of surrendering that to God. The things
that you go through on a daily basis that burden
in your life that you're carrying, that load of people
in your life, legacy that you are are carrying through time,
and then leaving behind the ability for someone to carry
that torch or button. He said, give all of that
to me. Everything that is a burden. I want you
to give it to me, and then take up my
yoke and learn of me. H. My yoke is easy,
and my burden is light, for you shall find rest
unto your souls. You see, Jesus took the ultimate cross.
He was on the ultimate cross. He gave his life
on the ultimate cross at Calvary. And so the things
that we must bear, those burdens that we must bear,
we don't turn back from those, We don't shrink from those.
We simply surrender those to him. And then let me
add that qualifier again, actually follow him. So let God
give us desires, start the journey of following him. Then
deny ourselves. Put God from first, put put all of
what he wants. First, seek ye first, the Kingdom of
God and his righteousness. Yes, first deny yourself. Then take
up your cross. Whatever those burdens are, you're weary and
heavy laid, and give those to him. Take up his yoke,
and then he will give you rest. And when he
has given you rest, or while he is giving you rest,
you have the ability to follow him. Ah, Heavy people
can't follow Jesus. People who are still in charge of
themselves can't follow Jesus. People who still entertain desires that
are not the desires that God has given to us
cannot follow him. So again, surrender your will to him,
deny yourself, put him first, and everything that matters to him. First,
take up your burden and then give it to him
and actually follow him so much. We could say there,
but that is just part one of how we become
his disciples. Okay, And so now I'll give you just
a few life lessons before we come to a swift close.
Number one, we need to identify and understand Jesus's true identity.
The Bible says here in Mark chapter eight and verse
twenty nine, and he saith unto them, But whom say
ye that I am? And Peter said unto him, thou
art the Christ? Who is Jesus? To you? Is he
just a historic figure? Is he just a prophet? Is
he a powerful avatar? Is he just someone in the
past that you heard about that was a legend?
Speaker 1: Huh?
Speaker 2: Or is he indeed who he said he was? Like that?
The Bible says that He created all things, and in
him was not anything made that was without him, was
not anything made that was made? Is he the light
and the life and the light of men? To you?
Is he the one that changes your life, transforms you
from a hopeless sinner into a hopeful saint? Yes, So
understand his true identity in your life life and now
have a relationship with him. And I've covered some of
these other things, but we're going to talk about spiritual
insight even more tomorrow if the Lord spaars life. But
let's just start here in Mark chapter ten, verse fifty two,
and Jesus said, unto him, go thy way. Thy faith
has made thee whole. And immediately he received his what
his eyesight. There was a man who needed eyesight, and
he followed Jesus in the way. So in the same
way that Jesus can heal the physical eyesight, he wants
us to have his vision, his holy vision for how
things work on planet Earth and how we can serve
others as we prepare for the Kingdom of Christ. Make
it a great Sabbath, Peace.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. This has been your daily
portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,