Lesson From Sheriff Pat Garrett
Matthew 10:34-42
Sermon Objective: The decision to follow Christ at any cost.
Supporting Scripture: Joshua 24:15; James 4:4;
Series Summary
We finish a sermon series this morning called “Lessons from the Wild West.” In the first week we looked at: “Buffalo Bill Cody” (10:1-15) and discovered that he, just like the disciples of Jesus, was a common ordinary man who seized the opportunities given him and did memorable things. We learned that God wants to use us ordinary people in extraordinary ways too; that availability is more important than ability.
We also looked at “Remember the Alamo!” from Matthew 10:16-33 and saw that following Christ was based on loyalty and sacrifice rather than ease and comfort. We live for a cause which is bigger than ourselves.
Last week we looked at “Lewis and Clark” from Hebrews 11:1-10 and discovered that God has tools and principles to help us navigate life even when everything around us in changing rapidly.
This week we will look at Matthew 10:34-42 and Sheriff Pat Garrett.
INTRODUCTION
Pat Garrett was a cattle rancher in Lincoln County New Mexico. He spent most of his young adult life there and knew most of the folk even though Lincoln County was the largest spread in the west. One fellow that Pat knew and liked was a drifter in town named William H. Bonney. Bonney was a young, small framed fellow and was thus nicknamed “Billy the Kid.”
The Kid and Garrett’s life’s choices would take them in starkly differing directions. “The Kid” became a cattle rustler and a murderer and at the age of 21 had killed one man for every year of life.
Pat Garrett was elected sheriff and given a very clear order by his constituents (the ranchers of Lincoln County) to hunt “the Kid” down and put a stop to his cattle rustling.
Sheriff Garrett became obsessed with finding the outlaw. Pat Garrett decided Billy the Kid would be his driving force. He counted the cost and made sacrifices. He was doing what no one else would do. And even though it cost him men (at least two died at the barrel of “the Kid’s” shotgun) he would see justice through.
Finally the break he needed came. Someone leaked “the Kid’s” whereabouts and Pat caught up with him in a home near Fort Sumner. Around midnight on July 14, 1881 night Pat Garrett shot “the Kid” dead in his bedroom during a shoot-out.
Although Garrett would go on to other duties as lawman his claim to fame was his willingness to go to any length to get his man and see justice done. He had counted the cost and made sacrifices but the reign of terror by Billy the Kid was finally stopped. So impressive was his victory that even the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, would hear of it and consequently appoint Him to a higher government office.
Legend has it that originally Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid were very good friends. They were nicknamed “Big Casino” (Garrett’s size) and “Little Casino” (the Kid’s size). They were always together in the gambling saloon.
But once Billy the Kid turned to cattle rustling and murder, and once Garrett became Sheriff, their values and relationship sent them in different directions. Decisions, hard decisions, often do that to friendships.
JESUS WARNS US THAT THE GOSPEL IS LIKE THIS -- IT DIVIDES AND SEPARATES. IT SHOWS ONE’S LOYALTIES. And the decisions we make will bring some inevitable separations too. EITHER WE WILL FIND OTHERS SEPARATING FROM US BECAUSE WERE ARE FOLLOWING CHRIST OR WE WILL FIND OURSELVES SEPARATING FROM JESUS IN ORDER FOLLOW OTHERS.
Let’s listen to Jesus’ words.
The Text
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law —
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.
41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.
42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”
This is another candid speech on the cost of discipleship. Jesus shows us that people aren’t going to flock to us in support of our faith. In fact, if Christ is any indication (and he is), we can expect our faith to be an offense to many and we can expect to be misunderstood.
Jesus speaks some hard words about following Him. In fact, following Christ can cause the deepest of divisions as Jesus illustrates in verse 36: “a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”
* I recall a friend I knew in college who had a scholarship to play football at a big Ten School. He was very good. His father had groomed him all his life to be a football player -- he had lived his dream through his son. But one day his son met Jesus Christ and one thing led to another and before you knew it God had called him to preach the Gospel.
My friend’s father gave him an ultimatum. You will either go play football at the University of Illinois or I will not pay for your education. After serious prayer and many nights of emotional turmoil, my friend finally decided to go to a Bible college and serve Jesus Christ. He paid his own way.
* I remember hearing of a young lady whose husband had been saved after they were married and his walk with Christ was changing their whole lifestyle. The prestigious parties that went with his less than Godly lifestyle came to a halt as friends began to see his change of values. The home was stressed to a serious degree and eventually she left him because he would not return to the life he had before Jesus.
Others have suffered different kinds of losses. Loss of inheritance or even disownment; some have even witnessed their families give them a symbolic funeral implying that by serving Jesus they were no longer even alive (how appropriate since death to self is at the crux of the issue); others have literally lost their lives because they served Jesus.
The BBC recently reported that just this summer, on June 16 to be exact, a woman was publicly executed in the northwestern city of Ryongchon, North Korea simply because she was distributing Bibles. She was a 33-year-old mother of three, Ri Hyon Ok. This is marks a harsh turn in the crackdown on religion in North Korea, a country where Christianity once flourished and where the capital, Pyongyang, was known as the "Jerusalem of the East" for the predominance of the Christian faith. 39 Whoever … whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
There is no question about it -- if we truly follow God and live as Jesus expects us to live relationships may be severed. Jesus makes no apologies - he merely gives you fore-warning. THE HIGHEST SACRIFICES ARE REQUIRED IF YOU WANT TO BE A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST (38-39). YOU MUST GIVE IT ALL UP AND FOLLOW HIM SUPREMELY.
I know I am in danger of making the way of the Cross seem less than appealing -- but you can read for yourself. There is an element of division and denial clearly addressed by the Lord. BUT, THE CROSS IS NOT A SYMBOL OF IRRITATIONS ENDURED IT IS A SYMBOL OF A LIFE SURRENDERED. DEATH TO SELF-WILL IS ESSENTIAL TO THE CHRIST-FOLLOWER. Comfort, ease, personal preferences, and status have no place in the life of a God-fearing believer.
38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
It makes some of those songs we sing a bit more relevant. They are easy to sing until you recognize the expectations behind them. LYRICS like those from “I Am Resolved” (# 372), or “Wherever He Leads I’ll Go” (#248) become DIRGES of one who has died to self.
BY-THE-WAY, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT SOME OF YOU LACK -- TOTAL SURRENDER. You have yet to give it all up to follow Christ. You are trying to be friends with the world and still be a friend of Jesus. The Bible says very clearly that this is impossible.
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
You feel torn in your heart and aren’t happy in any endeavor you choose because you are trying to serve God and love this world. UNTIL YOU FORSAKE YOURSELF, SURRENDER YOURSELF, DIE TO YOURSELF, YOU WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE THE PEACE AND POWER OF GOD. Rather, you will live in utter confusion and frustration.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
But, let’s never forget that the surest rewards are promised when we follow Jesus.
42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”
We are all seeking approval from something; a spouse, a boss, a friend, a parent, or something. When we finally come to the place where we forsake all this and choose to seek God’s approval we are on the verge of new life. When we decide we will please Him and Him alone we then find ourselves entering a portal that leads to the greatest of relationships and rewards.
And that portal is open and available to you at this very moment!
No doubt about it, following Jesus has a price -- but it also has a privilege.
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)
Whoever has ears to hear
Let them hear.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
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Children’s Sermon
Counting the Cost*
Luke 14:27-30
Theme: The cost of discipleship.
Object: A piece of sheet music. (Or you could have your pianist play a short piece on the piano and then ask, "How many of you would like to be able to play the piano like that?")
Hi everyone! Instead of looking in the treasure box this morning I want you to watch this short minute video with me. It is a boy about your age playing the piano.
Wow! Wasn’t he good! I thought so too. I sure wish I could play the piano like that! Wouldn’t you like to be able to play like that!
Wait! Not so fast! Before you raise your hand and say "yes" to that question, let’s see what it would cost to be able to play the piano and see if you are willing to pay the price.
First of all, you would have to buy a piano. It would be rather silly to say that you wanted to play the piano if you weren’t willing to go out and buy a piano, wouldn’t it? So the first you would need to do is look for a piano. I found a used piano in the “for sale section of the newspaper” like the one this boy was playing for just a little over $9,000.00. Do any of you have $9,000.00 so we can go buy you that piano? No? Well, maybe we can find a cheaper one but it will still be a LOT of money!
Next you need to find a teacher. After all, you can’t teach yourself. Not if you really want to play like the boy in the video. Once again, I looked in the newspaper and found a piano teacher who studied at Boston Conservatory and she will give you lessons for $60.0 an hour. That’s almost $250.00 a month!
What else do we need? Oh yes, we will need some music! I went to the music store and found out that many of the music books cost $20 each.
Now that you have a piano, a teacher, and some music you must be willing to practice. Most piano teachers require their students to practice at least one hour every day. That means that there will be times when other children will be out playing while you must stay in and practice.
Whoa! When you start adding it all up it playing the piano is going to require and cost you a lot!
Did you know that Jesus said that same thing to some people who said they wanted to be his disciples? Jesus told them that if they wanted to follow him, they had to count the cost. Listen to His words:
27 Whoever is not willing to carry his cross and follow me cannot be my follower. 28 If you want to build a tower, you first sit down and decide how much it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job.29 If you don’t, you might lay the foundation, but you would not be able to finish. Then all who would see it would make fun of you, 30 saying, ’This person began to build but was not able to finish.’ (Luke 14:27-30, NCV)
Jesus says that we must be willing to take up our cross daily and follow him. Jesus said that people might make fun of us and call us names and that some people might even reject us because we love him. But Jesus also tells us that His love and blessings are so special and His grace is so effective that we will find it worth following him.
Dear Jesus, it is easy to say that we want to follow you, but it isn’t always easy to do. Help us to follow you, whatever the cost. Amen.
*This sermon idea comes from http://www.sermons4kids.com
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
I Will Follow Jesus, God’s Son
27 Whoever is not willing to carry his cross and follow me cannot be my follower. 28 If you want to build a tower, you first sit down and decide how much it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job.29 If you don’t, you might lay the foundation, but you would not be able to finish. Then all who would see it would make fun of you, 30 saying, ’This person began to build but was not able to finish.’
Luke 14:27-30 (New Century Version)
27 Whoever is not willing to carry his cross and follow me cannot be my follower. 28 If you want to build a tower, you first sit down and decide how much it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job.29 If you don’t, you might lay the foundation, but you would not be able to finish. Then all who would see it would make fun of you, 30 saying, ’This person began to build but was not able to finish.’
(Luke 14:27-30, NCV)
