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In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit! Amen!
Glory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters.
Today we have heard the Holy Gospel of Mark (Mk. VIII:34-38; ²Õ:1), where Jesus said: "If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me". It means that, who wants to follow God, should abandon the craving, the deemed satisfactions or deemed happiness, or dreams. Because, possibly, that are not those dreams which will lead you to salvation. And possibly, they only will make you unhappy, because not all dreams are acceptable before God. And it can be such a situation: a person simply waste the time on Earth, when God gave this time for person's spiritual growth, in order this person become a stronger Angel. Instead, the person lost this chance and went in darkness. Therefore Lord says: "If any man will follow me, let him deny himself?" -, that it will be easier for the person to follow God.
Because if a person does not deny himself/herself, but thinks: "I have high income, I eat delicious food, what for should I follow Jesus and listen to the words of Truth? Is it necessary for me?" And there is a fight in the soul of the person. You will not survive without the fight. It can be so that there is no fight. But the idea is in that, whether a person will allow an evil angel to tempt himself/herself and go to darkness, or will ask God for help: "God, give me strength to follow you, clear me from these odd ideas, odd desires, from my odd dreams. Clear me, help me to follow you". At this moment a person really stretches his or her hand to God.
God has already given His hand to each of us. He wants to take your hand and show the way out of this darkness in which you stay. But it depends on the person, on his/her free choice, whether the person will give hand to God. "No, - says a person, - I want to live better than God offers to me, I want to reform, I have such a great plans in sense of enriching", - not understanding that all good things by God are given in this world. Devil cannot give good things. And devil can only impute itself that good is given by him. But God gives you strength to reform, God allows, that you have this good. But not in order that you become tied to these goods, but in order that you find strength in yourself to go from this good to God. Because you have it today, but tomorrow you will have nothing, no health. Then you need no wealth, because you lie on a hospital bunk, you can hardly breathe and think will you be able to breathe in and outbreathe or not. And you do not think whether you have a "Mercedes" or not. Because your soul is ready to leave a body.
And that is why God says: "If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me". It means, to take the heavy load of service and follow God - "take up his cross and follow me". In other words, follow the truth, the Verity - "follow me". And, someone sincerely appeals and follows God: "God calls, and I go, God, clear me. Today is the period of my spiritual growth. I want to grow, I will grow, I will try to grow spiritually". And it is easier for that person to follow God, the person does not even feel that there is a cross; the person does not even feel the cross. And the person thinks: "Why am I feeling so good? Why am I so happy? I do not take care about anything, I do not think what to eat and what to dress, everything is given to me so easily". You get everything that you need, because you depend fully on the God`s Will and you are ready to carry a cross which is given by God to you.
And it happens so, when a person follows God, because he/she really relieves him/herself. The life becomes light and glad, because it is not polluted with the redundant fuss, nerves, feelings, that somebody deceives, that inheritance disappears or something else. In other words, this person goes to God. And this person is happy. Why this person is happy, in addition? Because this person feels the presence of the Divine Angels.
God says also, if you took a cross, go and do not moan: "It is so difficult for me, it is so difficult for me to forgive, and it is difficult for me to carry". God cannot look on it, because it is unpleasant for God. Took a cross, and march with it, and carry it happily: "Glory to you, God, glory to you, God!" Go in the morning to office with prayer: "Glory to you, - for each step, - God, glory to you, God, Glory to you, and Glory to you!" You go home or somewhere else, - glorify God. Why should you whine, moan, if you grow as a warrior of God? You should not moan from what other people moan, they do not know, what means the Cross of God, they are not able to glorify God. Let them moan, because they do not know a secret, how to stay near the Angel of God, glorifying Him. They do not understand how to simplify the burden in this life. And you just need to rely on God and not to moan.
If you are sad, speak to God: "God, I give this case to your hands. Help me, God, because I do not know, how to be in this situation, because I need wisdom, tolerance which is not enough in me. Help me, God, because I want to call him down or to say something bad. But I know that there will be no positive result, and the devil awakes in this man. I do not want to make mistake and awaken devil in this man, I do not want to increase the hatred. Therefore, God, help me. Therefore, I give my fate yo You and I give this situation to your judgment.
"If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me?
An apostle Peter asks: "Behold, we have left all things and have followed thee". (Mk., Õ:28). "And what will we have, - he does not understand to the end, that Jesus says, - for that we left wives, that we left soils, hectares of earth, we left children, business, what will we have?" They, apostles, asked Him about many things, but only some of these questions is written. And even from it we understand that it was difficult for Jesus to be with them, because they did not have a complete faith, as well as you did not have. Jesus said: "I say to you, there is no man who hath left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who shall not receive an hundred times as much, now in this time" and in the world to come life everlasting..." (Mk., Õ:29-30). It means if you think that you left some good here, on Earth, for the sake of God, you will get in hundred times more in the Kingdom of Heaven. And you will understand in course of time, that you left not good things on Earth, but you left troubles, you left worries, which are unnecessary to you.
There is fuss on Earth, and there are also acts of salvation. When a man works for his own sake only it is fuss. And when a person works for God that is the act of salvation. There are people in Ukraine, who take care of their gardens. They have Ares of land and they take care of them, when it would be enough for them to have only 5 Ares, to store harvest, spend winter and again to plant something on those 5 Ares. They plant enormous plantations of potato, keep that potato in cellars, again plant that potato in spring and again keep it. And they are not able to eat all that potato or to sell it. Imagine, how much fuss is with that potato. And there is a lot of fuss at each area of our life.
When we think, that we need a lot we are similar to that Martha to which God says: "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and art troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her?" (Lk., Õ:41-42). Mary listened to the Divine word in order to preach it to other. She listened to the Word of Truth in order to live according to this Word. She has chosen the best fate which will not be taken from her. She has chosen an eternal life. "And you worry about many things, - God says, - and a man needs not much".
And calling the multitude together with his disciples, he said to them: If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it". And Lord says: "Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul", what will you give on doomsday, on a personal court before God? What will you give, if you have nothing? Am I right? What will you give then, when all blessings are not worth one rescued soul?
Therefore we save our souls not only by listening of beneficial sermons, not only that we come, breathe in Divine delight which we practically do not deserve. It is given to us only by the Divine kindness, and we must thank to God. As an apostle Paul says: "If we give you eternal, that you get eternal, than do not regret that material, that temporal which will not help you to go to eternal". Therefore ask yourself, check, whether you save your soul, or not: is it possible for you to give material things for the sake of salvation, for the matter of God, or not?
Therefore, "take the cross and follow me", to get eternal life on the Eternal court and on the personal court before God and be accepted in the cuddles of our Celestial Father as a Divine child. Because too many of you have already prepared apartments in the Heavens, so try not to lose them. Work here, do our best, because building here for God, we build there in the Heavens for us, because we give building materials there by our good deeds and our devotion to God.
If we work only on your own, it will all remain here, moth and rust will demolish it, and there will be nothing to say for your soul before God. And it does not matter, whom all those financial states will belong, when your children fight for them with each other. Therefore we should do good things which will bring us to eternity. And we as a saving family, as brothers and sisters should do it sincerely and actively.
May God bless you and strengthen you.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
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Apostle (Hebrews, 4:14-5:6):
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14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed
through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of
grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
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1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to
act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for
sins.
2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he
himself is beset with weakness.
3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his
own sins just as he does for those of the people.
4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when
called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high
priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "You are my Son, today I
have begotten you";
6 as he says also in another place, "You are a priest
forever, after the order of Melchizedek."
Gospel (Ìark, 8:34-9:1):
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34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said
to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up
his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever would save his life[d] will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and
forfeit his soul?
37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this
adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be
ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
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