The Cross Cost
Mat 5:10-12
(10) "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(11) "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
(12) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
EOLS: Christian life is at odds with the world and the disciple will face opposition to his walk.
Ephesians 6:12-13
(12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
(13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Whatever became of the Twelve Disciples?
1. John died of extreme old age in Ephesus.
2. Judas Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, hanged himself.
3. Peter was crucified, head downward, during the persecution of Nero.
4. Andrew died on a cross at Patrae, in Achaia, a Grecian Colony.
5. James, the younger brother of the Savior, was thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple, and then beaten to death with a club.
6. Bartholomew was flayed alive in Albanapolis, Armenia.
7. James, the elder son of Zebedee, was beheaded at Jerusalem.
8. Thomas, the doubter, was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel, in the east Indies.
9. Philip was hanged against a pillar at Heropolis (Abyssinia).
10. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows.
11. Simon died on a cross in Persia (now Iran).
Friends, we have it so good. It’s so easy for us.
Today in America we enjoy the fruits of two hundred and thirty five years of freedom and liberty. Our founding fathers gave their lives so that we could enjoy the religious freedom that we have today in this country.
I often grapple with “why me, why us?” We are in a unique situation where our faith walk does not cost us physical persecution, or our lives. The huge preponderance of church history is flooded with the blood of martyrs and the suffering of saints for the sake of Christ.
Interestingly, and contrary to a normal or natural view of things, persecution and martyrdom have not hindered the church or held it back in any fashion. On the contrary, these have fueled the church and given it life in the most dire circumstances and times!
The Church Father Tertullian observed that, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
You see untested faith is not proven faith. It’s easy to stand up and profess Christ when it’s popular or unchallenged to do so. The day that it begins to cost you what you hold dear is the day you begin to decide what’s important and just how committed you are. That’s when your faith begins to run deep and when you decide if this is just a convenient choice or a deep, imbedded passion that’s a part of your inner being.
George Bernard Shaw said that
“the finest compliment the world can pay any author is to burn his books” thus showing that his books are so dynamic and explosive as to be considered intolerable.” Likewise for God’s people-the finest affirmation a Christian can receive is to be counted worthy to suffer persecution for their faith. Those who are persecuted enjoy a very special place in God’s heart. (SermonCentral)
It’s been said that salvation is free, but discipleship is costly. The free grace that Jesus offers us through the power of the Cross cost Him everything.
German pastor Deitrich Bonhoeffer wrote from his prison cell in Nazi Germany:
"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate." (The Cost of Discipleship)
In other words, “cheap grace” means the easy stuff. This Christianity thing is not supposed to be too hard is it?
Illustration: humor
The young man poured out his heart’s devotion on paper as he wrote to the girl of his dreams: “Darling: I would climb the highest mountain, swim the widest stream, cross the burning desert, and die at the stake for you. P.S. I will see you on Saturday—if it doesn’t rain.”
This is not the greatest of most fun sermon to preach. As a matter of fact, it would have been mighty easy to move right past it in the Sermon on the Mount. But as I study this passage I realize that the Beatitudes are quite incomplete unless we include verses ten and eleven.
You see when we begin to live our lives and do things Jesus’ way, we’ll find ourselves upside down to the rest of the world around us. When we begin to live in God’s Kingdom and value the things He values in our lives and to hate the things He hates, we are going to find ourselves continuously butting heads with the Prince of this World and His Kingdom. It’s the natural result of living in Jesus’ way. We may easily find ourselves at odds with the world around us just as He did.
James 4:4
(4) You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
I thank God for the religious freedom that we enjoy, but I do so in full view and light of my brothers and sisters around the world who suffer greatly; beatings, slavery, imprisonment, torture and death because of their refusal to deny their faith. I do so in light of two thousand years of bloodshed which go before me to prepare the path so that I could be in this church, on this morning, speaking from this Book without persecution.
I think about some examples:
In another example of the ongoing crackdown against house churches in China, house church pastor Shi Enhao was sentenced to two years in a labor camp last month. Pastor Shi, who serves as deputy chairman of the Chinese House Church Alliance, was charged with “illegal meetings and illegal organizing of venues for religious meetings.” The charges stem from the fact that Pastor Shi’s house church of several thousand meets in different sites around Suqian city…the sentence of two years of “re-education through labor” is an extra-judicial punishment that can be issued by police; it requires no trial, no conviction of a crime and no review by a court or judge.
In Pakistan, Asia Bibi was arrested by police on June 19, 2009, and charged with blasphemy after she engaged in a religious discussion with co-workers. Asia Bibi reportedly told co-workers, “Our Christ sacrificed his life on the cross for our sins. Our Christ is alive.” For these statements, she was beaten and locked in a room. Local Christians informed the police, who then took Asia into protective custody. Christians urged police not to file blasphemy charges, but pressure from local Muslim leaders forced police to ignore their request. Bibi was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death. She immediately appealed the sentence and is awaiting the high court’s decision.
My dear friend Pastor Maurice Odhiambo in Kenya serves a network of pastors, many of whom do not even own a Bible because of the difficulty of obtaining Christian material in their country. Recently Pastor Maurice’s ministry headquarters were raided by local warlords who stole everything they used in their ministry-and left them start over.
I have another dear friend who lives not thirty miles from this church who goes to Afghanistan a couple of times a year undercover as a missionary to reach out to the persecuted church there. His missions are so dangerous that he can’t even talk about them in any detail.
Dear friends, being a Christian is often not popular or easy.
In our culture, it’s unlikely that we will suffer bodily harm or imprisonment for our faith, yet there are people all around us whose faith is so precious to them that they endure suffering.
Consider the American Jewish convert to Christianity who is considered “dead” to his own family; the American raised as a Muslim who professes faith in Christ and is ostracized by family and community; these folk pay a dear price for their faith and they understand something of the nature of persecution.
Others of us my from time to time face a more subtle and discreet form of persecution when we are ostracized for taking a stand, for doing what’s right in a situation, or simply for being who we are and not trying to hide our commitment. We may well face being ostracized or marginalized because of our commitments to faith.
I would like for us to notice several important things about Jesus’ words in these verses:
Jesus is promising a very special blessing for those who would endure any form of persecution for His Name.
Jesus is NOT telling us to seek out persecution or somehow manufacture it. We’re not called to walk around like cry-babies just waiting for someone to knock the holy chip off our shoulder! If someone is complaining about their “persecution” then mark it down, they are posers!
We are called to be soldiers and warriors. Great warriors don’t complain, they get the job done whether it’s marching in a grand parade or crawling on their belly through the mud with heavy gunfire overhead. They simply do their job and they are thankful for the opportunity to serve! They fight wounded and torn, they don’t simply quit when things get rough. And the true heroes are the quietest people around, if it were up to them you’d never know of their pain, you’ll only hear about their passion.
There is a cost, and it doesn’t always pay to be a Christian
Persecution will come in some form, sooner or later it will cost you to walk with Christ. Mark it down and be sure of it.
“Cost of Ownership”…the continuing costs in the outlying years…consider the cost.
Now is the time to decide where you stand and how far you’ll go
The soldier doesn’t wait till the gunfire starts and the bombs begin going off to make up his mind just how much he can stand, and what he will do when things start going south. That was all taken care of in boot camp, and in the discipline of daily life in the Corps.
You have been blessed deliberately by God and for a reason
It’s not random…We have been blessed so that we may BE a blessing, our goal is to give, give and give again. You occupy a very special position. To whom much is given, much will be required.
“How can you be so dead, when you’ve been so well fed? Jesus rose from the dead and you…you can’t even get out of bed!” (Keith Green, Asleep in the Light)
Do not forget those who paid with their lives for the freedom from persecution that we enjoy today
Since the day of Christ, thousands have died to preserve the Scriptures and to pass down the faith “once delivered to the saints.” We are blessed because of their sacrifice.
Our freedom from persecution came with the price of blood from saints down through the centuries. What are we laying down as a blessing to the Kingdom of God, for future generations?
Do not forget those around the world who pay with their lives and freedom this day for following Christ
So today, consider with me-when the evil day comes, will you stand? What price would you be willing to pay? What’s your Cross Cost?
Mark 8:34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
An anonymous Christian wrote:
I am a soldier in the army of our God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, prayer, and the Word is my weapon of warfare. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity and tested by fire. I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this army at His coming or die in this army; but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out. I am faithful, reliable, capable and dependable. If my God needs me, I am there. If He needs me in the Sunday school, to teach the children, work with the youth, help adults or just sit and learn. He can use me because I am there!
I am a soldier. I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up or pepped up.
I am a soldier. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.
I am a soldier. I am not a wimp. I am in place, saluting our King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom! No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy or give me handouts. I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.
I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt badly enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit. When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing. If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead. I will win. My God has, and will continue to, supply all of my needs.
I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ. Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me and hell cannot handle me.
I am a soldier. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to a Captain and then allow me to rule with Him.
I am a soldier in the army, and I’m marching claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. I’m a soldier, marching heaven bound. Here I stand! Will you stand with me?
I am a soldier.
