Sunny Hills Church of Christ

BE A LOSER!

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matt 10:39)

These are the words of Jesus to his followers.  The Sunny Hills Church of Christ Youth Ministry is proud to challenge its high school and junior high students to be losers!  It’s not just a low self-esteem thing!

WHY SHOULD I BE A LOSER?

As a Jesus-follower, your desire is to live for Jesus and not for the things of this world.  This is what Jesus calls us to when he asks us to follow him. 

Think of it this way…If your arms are full of something, then you don’t have room to carry anything else, right?  Only when you drop what you already have will you be able to carry something new.  This is true of physical things we carry around, and it is no less true when applied to spiritual things.  Only when you give up chasing after worldly things can you take hold of heavenly things.  You must drop one load in order to pick up the more important one.  That’s what it means when you “lose” in order to “gain.”

Sometimes the world looks at Christians and says we’re not too smart because we’re giving up all the good things that the world has to offer.  They wonder why we’re willing to drop the things that everyone else is running around trying to collect.   The answer is because we trust Jesus and believe that the thing we’re gaining is far better than the things we are giving up.  By comparison, what we give up is nothing when it comes to what we gain—eternal life!  So the world looks at us and thinks we’re losers!  In one sense they are right.  We are losers!  They only see the outward things.  But we understand the deeper significance behind such things.  And it enables us to respond with confidence when we are called losers.  We can say, “That’s right, I am a loser!  I’m a loser for Jesus.”

Jesus tells us the secret to finding true meaning in life:

If we live for the things that the world says are important: money, power, fame, influence, pleasure, entertainment, then we are in danger of missing out on what is more important, and our lives can become pretty empty, and self-centered.

Jesus wants us to focus our attention on deeper, unseen things: faith, love for Him, love for one another.  When we turn our hearts and minds towards these spiritual things, we will find that we can have a different kind of life; one that is filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

The secret is in knowing that worldly things are only temporary.  We all know that “you can’t take it with you” when you die.  So why not pursue those things which will last beyond the length of your life on earth?  Such “eternal” things are spiritual in nature.  And Jesus promises that if we invest ourselves in spiritual things, then he will ensure we get to spend eternity with him.

That is why Jesus told his followers to be “losers” 

“Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, will surely find it.”  In different words he said, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”  (Similar passages are found in Matt 16:24-26; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-26; 17:33; John 12:24-25) 

Translation:  If we want to keep our lives the way they are—focused on ourselves, and chasing after worldly, temporary things—then we will miss out on what true life is all about; we will miss out on the abundant life that Jesus has to offer! 

But if we choose to give up our lives in service to Jesus, and live to honor him, then we will be rewarded with the gift of Life—abundant life now and eternity with Jesus.  Jesus calls it a sacrifice—to lay down control of our lives in surrender to him.

JESUS WAS A LOSER!

The ultimate demonstration of this kind of lifestyle is Jesus.  He was viewed as a loser by the people of his time.  They thought he was crazy for saying he was the Son of God, and they couldn’t accept what he told them about the real meaning of life.  So, they killed him by nailing him to a cross!

Many today still view Jesus as a “loser.”  And they especially think those who follow him are “losers” as well.  Why would anyone want to give up the benefits of this world voluntarily?  To those who only value what can be seen, chasing after spiritual goals can seem like a waste of time.  But Jesus did it, despite the ridicule.  And he calls us to do it too.  The world may see you as a loser, and even a fool.  But in the end, you will be a winner, having taken hold of true life!

WILL YOU BE A LOSER TOO?

Will you be willing to give up your life for Jesus’ sake?  That is what being a loser is all about.  To deny yourself.  To forget about your self-image.  To be willing to look like a fool in the eyes of the world.  To lose everything that you might gain something better.  To trust that the sacrifice is worth the price.  To place your hope in the one who paid the ultimate price for your freedom.  Will you be willing to give up your life for Jesus’ sake?  That’s what he did for you!