“Radical” Session 7 – Friday April 12, 2013
• PRAY!
• WELCOME!
• It’s been over 4 months of laying brick by brick foundation to get us to this point where we can finally start this year’s book, “Radical”.
• I hope that through our study of the importance of sharing the Gospel and showing the power of the Gospel at work in our lives through learning the Beatitudes, we are now able to serve with the Gospel and persevere the heavy cost of discipleship.
• Again our theme for this year, and probably for the next 2 to 3 years, is share the Gospel, show the Gospel, and serve with the Gospel. This should lead us to become true disciples that make disciples.
• We will be referring to the things that we have learned in the Beatitudes in our study of the book.
• So please, if you have any questions regarding what we took up with the Beatitudes, do not hesitate to approach me with your questions.
• As I’ve said last week, tonight is the start of our study of “Radical” and I also said that in preparation for tonight, I encouraged you to read the first chapter of “Radical”, “Someone worth losing everything for”.
• To start off, I’d like to read a quote from the first chapter.
• READ PAGE 18 AND 19 “IS HE WORTH IT?”
• Is Jesus worth the cost of discipleship? Now some of you are asking, what is the cost of being a disciple of Jesus? We took this up for the majority of the year last year. But for the benefit of those who weren’t here, let’s review it.
• READ Luke 14:25 – 33
• So what will it cost for us to become a disciple of Jesus? As far as the scripture goes, IT’S EVERYTHING! Everything that we have!
• Now, here’s the question: Why is the cost of following Jesus so great? And, just like the quote I read from “Radical”, is Jesus worth the cost?
• To help us answer those questions, let’s take a look at the relationship between the worth of something and its cost.
• I think that there is a direct relationship between the worth of something and its cost in that we could say that the worth of something determines how much its going to cost or, to put it the other way; we can say that the cost of something displays or reveals how much its worth.
• The cost of something does not determine its worth, it only displays it or it reveals it. The actual worth of something is based on what that something is.
• Again, the cost that is associated to a thing is not the determining factor of it’s worth. What that thing IS, determines its worth, and it is then revealed by how much it costs.
• Illustration: Show paintings.
• For these paintings that we just saw, if we were to look at just the cost or the price that was paid for them, we can say that these paintings must be worth a lot if someone is willing to pay that much for it.
• And for the buyers of these painting to be able to determine how much they will pay for a certain painting, they must know a lot about that painting (ie. The painter, significance, importance).
• But, for somebody like me who doesn’t know much about art, I wouldn’t spend that amount of money on these paintings because I don’t see or I can’t see how they are worth it. I don’t see their worth even if the price or the cost associated with the painting clearly displays its worth.
• So why did these paintings sell for this much? It’s because the people that actually bought them, valued or treasured them based on their knowledge of their worth. Or in other words, how much you value something is how you see the worth of that thing.
• The value that they put on the worth of these paintings is so much that to them the price that they would pay for these paintings wasn’t even an issue as long as they get it.
• Again, the people that bought these paintings knew how valuable they are based on their knowledge of the painter and the actual painting itself and from there comes the worth of the painting which then dictates the cost or the price associated with such a painting.
• Therefore, the thing that displays the worth of something is its value. Or, to say it another way, how much you value something displays its worth to you.
• Now, earlier I said that it is the cost that display worth right? Now we’re saying that value also displays worth. What’s the difference?
• Here’s what I think the difference is: Cost displays the worth of something for everyone to see. Cost basically puts an amount based on the worth of a certain thing. It’s kind of like an objective display or revelation of the worth of something. The cost of something that’s of worth is the same for everyone. The cost does not change from individual to individual because it is based on worth.
• On the other hand, value displays the worth of something based on the importance or need for a certain thing. There is no amount that you can attach to how much you value certain things. It’s kind of like a subjective display or revelation of the worth of something. Unlike cost, value changes based on an individual’s need or the level of importance an individual places on a certain thing.
• Let me put these 2 definitions in a summary phrase to give us a better picture: The cost that is associated with the worth of something is the same for everyone, its objective while the value associated with the worth of something is different for everyone, it’s subjective.
• Now I want you to get one thing, the actual worth of something does not change or does not get affected whether or not it is displayed or whether or not you see it by its cost or by its value. What do I mean by that?
• Example: Sneakers. Some people here wouldn’t mind paying $200+ for a pair of Air Jordan’s because they value these shoes and think it’s worth spending $200+ for them or in other words, sneakerheads know how much Air Jordan’s are worth. While others may look at them and think they’re nuts to spend that much on shoes, why? Because you don’t see the value in shoes just like they do. I’m sure if asked how much you’d pay for Air Jordan’s you wouldn’t say $200+.
• Electronics. I don’t mind paying thousands of dollars in electronics because I find value in them and think that they are worth their price. Ate Jen is the exact opposite.
• For Ate Jen, it’s jewelry. Although she doesn’t spend nearly as much as I would spend in electronics, I still think it’s a waste of money because jewelry doesn’t do anything for me.
• Another example would be vacations, food…etc.
• Basically what I’m saying is, the value that you place on a certain thing shows you its worth therefore you don’t mind paying the cost for it, some of us even happily pay the cost because of the value and worth we see in it.
• Thus the term, “It’s all worth it!”
• So now that we have a picture about the relationships between the worth of something, the value that you place on something, and what it will cost you to get that something let’s go back to our original question: Why is the cost of following Jesus so great, and is Jesus worth the cost?
• I think for us to answer these questions we need to see how much Jesus is worth first. I mean, we kind of get the idea based on the cost of discipleship, if the cost of discipleship is everything we have, and if the cost of something displays its worth, then Jesus must be worth a lot!
• But I think we need to check out other places in scripture that provides a more clearer description of the worth of Jesus.
• Again, cost is an indication or a display of the something’s worth. So Jesus, when He shared to us the cost to become His disciples, He knows that He is worth that cost and even more than that!
• He already knew His worth before He even gave us the cost to follow Him.
• The reason why the cost of discipleship is EVERYTHING that you have or own or know is because Jesus is worth that much and even more!
• So now, what is it that makes Jesus worth this much that being a true disciple of His would cost someone his or her own life? This is what we will be focusing on tonight.
• READ 1 Peter 1:18 – 19
• In other words without Christ, we are all victims of kidnapping. Without Christ, we are still being held hostage by our own sin and by the power of Satan. And the place of our captivity, where we are being held captive, according to this text is in our futile ways.
• What does that mean? It means that all that we have ever done or experienced without Jesus was or is futile or useless or pointless.
• It’s like blowing up a balloon that pops and leaves nothing behind but the useless material the balloon is made from.
• For the believers here, this means that your life before you were a believer was futile, pointless, and useless. For those unbelievers in here, your life right now, without Christ is futile, pointless and useless.
• Now, some of you are probably thinking, my life before Christ was busy or sometimes even exciting. I got to experience all kinds of things and had a few laughs in between.
• That may be true, but without Jesus, this life you’re talking about, would’ve ended just like all life will end, and that is in death.
• And all the things that you valued in this life would be worthless to you after you’re dead.
• Just like Solomon says all is vanity! It’s all meaningless! Why? Because we all die in the end. It doesn’t matter how far you get in life, what you experience, where you’ve been, it is all futile and pointless because it is all temporary and it will all be taken away one day.
• So imagine living a life where you think you’re actually going somewhere and accomplishing something, working so hard to get to that point of success! Then one day CANCER! One day, CAR ACCIDENT! One day, EARTHQUAKE! One day…fill in the blank.
• That’s what it means to be a hostage in our own futile ways in 1 Peter 1:18 – 19.
• But get this, being a hostage is not even the worse part. The worse part is there’s no way out, no escape.
• How can you know that you’re living in futility if you’re a successful business man? Or if you’ve reached and accomplished all your goals in life? Or if you married to the man or woman of your dreams?
• Those all seem good, until you realize they’re all temporary and the only thing permanent is you being a hostage to the very things that you work so hard for.
• Again, it’s like being in a septic tank. And you being blind to it, you start building a house, you start working hard to be successful, all while you’re still in that septic tank. Not even realizing that all your hopes and dreams and goals, are all just crap in reality.
• But, and here’s where the Gospel comes, what did God in Christ do? Through His love and obedience, Jesus pays the ransom to free us, the hostages from this futile way of thinking and living that has captured us ever since birth so that we can be free to come into a more meaningful life, out of darkness and into the light.
• READ 1 Peter 2:24 - 25
• Jesus paid the ransom for us with His own life, His own blood and freed us from the bondages of captivity to sin and futility.
• So that now, those who believe in Jesus, has been rescued from this futile way of thinking, and now everything that we do has eternal significance.
• No more living in futility and insignificance. No more striving and giving value to things that in the end will rust and be moth eaten and stolen! No more living out days that is meaningless, mundane or ordinary! Jesus has freed us to live life and live it abundantly!
• Even though we’re still in the septic tank right now, we have an assurance in hope that one day Jesus will come and get us out of here permanently!
• Now, where is the worth of Jesus in all of this? Well, for Jesus to be the payment for our ransom He must hold some value, he must be worth something. Nobody who’s holding people hostages would accept a ransom that has no value right?
• If I was a hostage taker and you’re all my hostages, I wouldn’t tell your parents “If you want to see your children again...you’d better come up with a penny for each one of them!”
• So what makes Jesus so valuable or precious?
• READ 1 Peter 1:20 – 21
• What makes Jesus so special that His blood is precious enough to ransom all believers from their futile ways is that before He came to down to earth to be a man, He lived from all eternity with God the Father in fellowship with the Trinity. He is pre-existent, eternal and glorious!
• Governments spend billions of dollars trying to find our how the universe began. In Jesus, you have an eye witness, and not just that, you have the actual being that created the universe! I’m sure that would be worth more than just billions and trillions or dollars!
• Not only that! After the crucifixion God raised Him from the dead and placed Him on His right hand and He lives forever as the King of all Kings and Lord of Lords.
• Millions of people spent tons of money and time to see David Blain hold his breath. Let’s see him get crucified, die, and rise again…think what kind of ratings that would get nowadays.
• How does this show the value or preciousness of Jesus? This makes Jesus a glorious being who humbled Himself in obedience to the point of death on the cross that His blood was so precious before God that God counted it valuable enough to redeem us through relying and depending on it.
• A holy, all powerful God, who can’t even bear to look upon sin, sent His own Son, who is so precious and valuable to Him so that He can rescue the very people who crucified His Son.
• And God did all of that so that if we put our trust and hope in Jesus, we could have everlasting life.
• In other words, Jesus is precious because of who He is, He is God!
• If Jesus is God, that means Jesus is the end of all preciousness; He is the end of all value. Nothing is more precious than Him; nothing holds more value than Him. Jesus is it!
• Listen, we are all wired to be satisfied in things that we hold of value. That is why our ultimate satisfaction can only be found in Christ, because nothing is more precious than Him, nothing is more valuable than Him.
• This is also why people make false god’s from things that they value, or that is precious to them. Nobody makes a god out of something they hate and don’t value.
• There is something in us humans that tells us that the things that we value deserve our worship, or to say it another way, we give worth to things that we value or deem important to us.
• God placed that in our hearts so that we would worship Him, but as sin continues to hold us hostage, this desire in us to worship is redirected to other things.
• Think about it, what do you value in your life right now? Your relationships? Your job? Your shoes? Your stuff? Your education? Your life? Drugs? Alcohol? Sex?
• If those are the things that you value, that are important to you, then the scriptures say that you are being held captive by futility, by uselessness, by insignificance. There is no eternal significance in these things because when you die or when this world ends, the worth of the things you value will end as well.
• But if you value or treasure the worth of Jesus. A being that has no beginning and no end, the most powerful creator of the universe, yet humble and obedient in sacrificing His life for our ransom. Who died and rose again and now lives forever and ever, if you value His worth, then even after your death, His value and worth to you still remain as you spend eternity in fellowship with Him.
• So again, what makes Jesus worth so much that to be a disciple of His would cost someone his or her own life? It’s because Jesus is God! He is the ultimate satisfaction, the end of all preciousness and value. Nothing is more precious than Him; nothing holds more value than Him.
• C.S. Lewis said, “Your mouth is always filled with what you value the most.” So test yourselves. Listen closely to what you pray for. Prayer is one of the ways God reveals to us what we value the most. Listen closely to what you ask God for in prayer, prayer can sometimes be a window to our deepest desires.
• Also, be sensitive to the things that bring you satisfaction. You worship what you value; you worship that which is most important to you, that which brings you the most satisfaction. Examine yourself.
• Now, not only is Jesus worth the cost of discipleship because He is God, but He is also the ultimate treasure!
• READ Matthew 13:44 – 46
• One thing I’d like for all of us to notice in the first parable is that when the man sold all that he has, he did it with joy!
• Both of the parables show that. The man in the first parable, in his joy sold everything to buy the field with the treasure in it. The merchant, in finding a pearl of great value reacted the same way.
• This goes to show us that if we hold something of value or importance, then it doesn’t really matter how much it costs as long as you get it.
• For example, my family really values time together as a family. So every year we would go on a family vacation. Sometimes these vacations can get really costly, but the cost of the vacation is of very little significance because for us, spending time as a family is worth whatever the cost is.
• Another example would be when I first started to dating Ate Jen. I lived in Mississauga and she lived at Jane and Finch. Travel time was more than an hour and I had no job, no money. But since I value her, it didn’t matter what it cost me, time and money, it was all worth it when I got to spend time with her.
• The same goes for the man and the merchant that we see in the parables we just read. They both saw the value and preciousness of the treasure that it didn’t matter if it cost them everything, for them it was still a steal, for them it was all worth it.
• Hudson Taylor, a great missionary said, “I never made a sacrifice.”
• Jesus is worth so much more than anything else in the entire world that every loss endured to have more of him can be endured with joy and be felt as no ultimate loss at all.
• We can see this more clearly in the words of the Apostle Paul.
• READ Philippians 3:7 – 8a
• Paul then goes on to say that the mark of the saint or the mark of the child of God is not perfection.
• READ Philippians 3:12 – 15
• Why did Paul say this? Because he wants us to see that our focus should not be on how hard we run the race or what we have to sacrifice along the way, our focus should always be on the prize!
• The mark of a true child of God is hunger! Desire for more of Jesus because we have tasted and seen God’s righteousness in Christ and we know that this is most valuable.
• We thirst like hungry babies for his Word and fellowship and power.
• No Christian is satisfied with his present condition. We are hungry, and the more we taste, the hungrier we get for Jesus. His value does not diminish with time—it increases.
• And the better we know him, the more we love him. And when we finally enter into his presence with rejoicing, our endless song will be,
