Matthew 10:24-39
“Losing to Win”
By: Rev. Ken Sauer, Pastor, Grace United Methodist Church, Soddy Daisy, TN www.graceumcsd.org
This week’s Gospel Lesson picks up where we left off last Sunday.
Jesus had been traveling through all the towns and villages teaching and preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God, and as He entered these towns and villages He was deeply moved because He saw so many folks who were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Many of these folks did not even know that anyone loved them, let alone God.
But if they could know…
…if someone would show them Jesus’ love—it would change these person’s lives!
So Jesus looked at the crowds of people and He spoke to His disciples saying, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
And the first “workers” who Jesus sent were the 12 apostles.
Here are some of the instructions Jesus gave them, “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons…
In other words, “Get ‘messy’ with the people.”
Then Jesus told them not to take any money along with them, but to trust in God.
He also warned them that they would be persecuted, flogged, and arrested.
And in verse 26 of our Gospel Lesson Jesus says, “Do not be afraid of them.”
And Jesus tells those who go out into God’s harvest field that everything and everyway their lives once were will be knocked on its ear!
Because Jesus’ message is so new, so radical, that it will change all existing structures and ways of thinking, even some that are most cherished and ingrained.
And when the new order brought about by Jesus’ message confronts the old order of things—a clash will take place!
There will be conflict.
There will be chaos.
Some folks may have to choose between following Jesus and staying in relationship with parents and other family members.
When I was a brand new Christian I was having a conversation with an old friend.
She said to me, “If I became a Christian, my parents would kill me!”
Those are, sometimes, the choices folks are faced with when confronted with the decision whether or not to follow Jesus.
When I first became a Christian, I soon found that my old friends and I would never be as close as we once were.
The reason: We no longer had much of anything in common.
Losing family members and friends in order to follow Jesus…
…that can be an extremely painful cross.
These first disciples, what did they lose?
They not only lost their family and friends.
They became separated from their own people.
They became separated from the Jewish race.
If anyone ever tries to tell you that following Jesus is easy—don’t believe them for a minute!
It is the hardest thing you will ever attempt to do.
As Jesus tells us in John Chapter 15, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
That is why the world hates you…
…No servant is greater than his master.
If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.
If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey your’s also.”
My friends, as I mentioned last week...
…there is a big difference between being a fan of Jesus and being a follower or apprentice!!!
A fan is not required to do much.
But a follower is a high roller!
Jesus says in verse 39, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
If we are going to be followers of Jesus Christ, we can forget about playing it safe!
Christianity is an extreme sport, and there are no spectators—only players!!!
If you like to be comfortable and not think too much about the troubles of your neighbor—Christianity is not for you!
If you only want to hang around folks who are ‘just like you,’ instead of sitting with the beggar, those on the margins, those who might not have had a shower in a while then Christianity is not for you!
Christianity is ‘messy business.’
Jesus says, “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”
This means, to be a follower of Jesus Christ means that we will not only endure inconvenience, but rather, like Jesus, we must willingly choose to sacrifice everything, including family and life itself, to be a true follower!
Does that sound like something you are interested in?
When I was growing up I lived a dichotomy.
My family was Christian.
We were very involved in trying to follow the Way of Christ.
My friends were not Christian.
My friends and I were very much involved in following the way of partying, skipping classes and causing trouble.
As I mentioned, when I became a Christian, I soon realized that I would no longer have the same relationship with my old friends as I had before.
And as time passed, I became lonely for my old friends.
At Annual Conference this year Bishop Swanson talked about the difference between falling in love with Jesus and staying in love with Jesus!
Staying in love takes work.
It takes practice.
It is something we must be very intentional about.
It is like a marriage.
Anyhow, over time, I decided that I wasn’t willing to take up my cross anymore to follow Jesus.
I decided I wanted my old life back—which I had begun to lose…and I no longer wanted the new, fresh and exciting life in Christ which I had begun to taste, experience and gain.
It was just too hard.
The old life, in retrospect, seemed better than it actually had been—and I finally asked Jesus for a divorce!
This began a most agonizing journey.
It literally ruined my 20’s.
I lived in the desert, wandering and miserable for ten years.
The old life was a pitiful mess.
I remembered the joy I had found in following Jesus, and many times I tried to re-capture that joy…
…but to no avail.
I had lost my faith.
One day—nearly ten years to the day since my born again experience, my faith came roaring back.
I came to understand what Paul meant when he wrote in Ephesians Chapter 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Even the ability to have faith is a gift from God, and we are called to act on that gift!!!
Believe me, to throw that gift away is a perilous and miserable thing!
Being a Christian is not about playing it safe.
It means we are willing to risk losing everything we have, everything we know—all that is comfortable for the sake of Christ!!!
But in place of that we find our true selves.
In place of all the other stuff—we find REAL LIFE!!!
We find meaning, and we find something that the world is lacking greatly—REAL PEACE, REAL PURPOSE, REAL LOVE, REAL FREEDOM, REAL HOPE!!!
A little later in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
Have you found the treasure of following Jesus and sold all you have in order to have it?
Jesus looked out at the people.
And as He did he was deeply moved.
They were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
They had no defense against the wolf whose only intent is to maim, kill and destroy.
So he sent the disciples out to them.
Today in Soddy Daisy, Hixson and all of North Hamilton County Jesus is looking out at the people, and Jesus is deeply moved.
He died to save them.
He brings the Kingdom of God to them.
And He sends us out with this message: “The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.
Freely you have received, freely give.”
“Do not worry about money. If you do what I ask, your needs will be taken care of.
You will run into all kinds of trouble because the kingdom of God is so new, so radical and it will challenge all pre-existing structures and ideas.
But when it is embraced—it will change the world!!!
It is the only hope and you are the messengers.”
Are we willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of others?
Are we willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of love?
Following Jesus is dangerous, but it’s worth the risk!!!
Amen.
