THERE ARE PASSAGES IN THE BIBLE THAT CAN CREATE FEAR AND POSSIBLY DISTRESS DUE TO THEIR BLUNT, BUT HIDDEN MEANING. IN LUKE 14:26, WE ARE TOLD THAT “IF ANYONE COMES TO ME AND DOES NOT HATE FATHER AND MOTHER, WIFE AND CHILDREN, BROTHERS AND SISTERS—YES, EVEN THEIR OWN LIFE—SUCH A PERSON CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.”MUST WE REALLY “HATE” THOSE WE LOVE?
ALSO, IN LUKE 12:10, WE ARE WARNED “ANYONE WHO SPEAKS AGAINST THE SON OF MAN CAN BE FORGIVEN, BUT ANYONE WHO BLASPHEMES THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN.”WHEN WE DON’T KNOW WHAT “BLASPHEMES” MEANS, IT CAN BE FRIGHTENING.
OUR ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS IN OUR SCRIPTURE TODAY WILL ADD TO THAT LIST. JESUS REBUKES PETER BY CALLING HIM “SATAN,” AND LATER TELLS THE DISCIPLES TO “PICK UP THEIR CROSS” WHILE TELLING THEM TO “LOSE THEIR LIFE,” AS WELL AS GOD BEING ASHAMED OF US, IF WE ARE ASHAMED OF HIM. WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN AND WHAT IS JESUS REALLY SAYING TO US?
JESUS IS CALLING US TO FORSAKE THE WORLD, DENY OURSELF, AND SET OUR MINDS ON DIVINE THINGS! HE IS CALLING US TO RADICAL OBEDIENCE, UNWAVERING FAITH, THAT IS LIVED OUT IN HOLINESS THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
LIVING LESS THAN THIS COULD CARRY A HEFTY PRICE OF LOSING OUR LIFE AND FORFEITING OUR SOULS FOR SEEKING AFTER ALL THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD THAT PERISH. JESUS MUST BE EVERYTHING TO US. WE MUST MAKE UP OUR MINDS AS TO WHO JESUS REALLY IS TO US!
WE MUST CHOOSE THE WAY OF THE CROSS. 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18, “FOR THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS IS FOOLISHNESS TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING, BUT TO US WHO ARE BEING SAVED IT IS THE POWER OF GOD.”
JESUS SPOKE VERY CLEARLY THAT WE MUST DENY OURSELF. WE MUST ENTER INTO A HOLY RELATIONSHIIP WITH JESUS. WE DEEPEN OUR FAITH AND DEVELOP A WILLINGNESS TO LET GO OF SELFISH DIESIRES AND EARTHLY INTERESTS. THIS IS AN ATTITUDE OF HEART AND MIND THAT TURNS SELF-CENTEREDNESS TO GOD-CENTEREDNESS.
WHEN WE SET OUR MINDS UPON DIVINE THINGS, WE NOT ONLY DENY OURSELVES, BUT PICK UP THE CROSS. THE IMAGERY GIVES US A PICTURE OF A LIFE STEEPED IN HUMILITY AND SUBMISSION TO JESUS AS OUR MESSIAH, LORD, AND KING.
WHEN WE PICK UP OUR CROSS TO FOLLOW JESUS IT SIGNIFIES TO THE WORLD THAT WE WILLINGLY IDENTIFY WITH JESUS AND ARE PREPARED AND READY TO FACE AND ENDURE ALL LEVELS OF OPPOSITION, REJECTION, AND PERSECUTION.
WE STAND WITH JESUS FOR THERE IS NO TURNING BACK. LUKE 9:62, “BUT JESUS TOLD HIM, “ANYONE WHO PUTS A HAND TO THE PLOW AND THEN LOOKS BACK IS NOT FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
IN SOME CASES, TAKING UP THE CROSS, WILL BE MARTYRDOM AND PHYSICAL DEATH. OVERALL, JESUS BIDS US TO BE PREPARED TO OBEY GOD’S WORD AND FOLLOW HIS WILL NO MATTER WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES ARE FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL.
WE POSITION OURSELVES AND MAKE IT OBVIOUS THAT WE IDENTIFY COMPLETELY WITH JESUS AND HIS MESSAGE, EVEN IF DEATH WERE TO RESULT FROM STANDING THIS POSITION.
WE MUST DENY “SELF” AND ANY PASSION TO USE OUR TIME, MONEY, RESOURCES, TALENTS, AND ABILITIES WITHOUT ANY REGARD FOR GOD’S KINGDOM, HIS CHURCH AND HIS PEOPLE. WE MUST RE-EVALUATE WHAT DIRECTION WE’RE CHOOSING TO HEAD IN LIFE AND ENSURE THAT IT IS IN REGARD TO WHERE GOD IS DIRECTING US.
YES, TO PICK UP OUR CROSS AND FOLLOW JESUS IS COSTLY NOW, BUT WE ARE PROMISED TRUE VICTORY AND ETERNAL INHERITANCE IF WE WILL GIVE ALL THAT WE ARE AND ALL THAT WE HAVE TO JESUS.
JESUS TELLS US IN VERSE 35, “WHOEVER LOSES THEIR LIFE FOR MY SAKE AND THE GOSPELWILL SAVE IT.” THOSE WHO PERSUE AFTER WORLDLY GAIN AND PLEASURES “LOSE” WHEN THOSE PURSUITS ARE FULL OF “SELF” AND ARE COMPLETELY APART FROM GOD. THEY NOT ONLY LOSE THE “FULLNESS OF LIFE” NOW, BUT ETERNAL LIFE LATER.
THE BELIEVER THAT GIVES THEIR “ALL” TO JESUS AND “LOSES THEIR LIFE FOR HIS SAKE” ARE THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO PUT PERSONAL DESIRES AN LIFE ITSELF INTO GOD’S HANDS. IT IS, BY FAITH, LEARNING THAT NOTHING THAT WE CAN GAIN ON OUR OWN IN OUR EARTHLY LIVES CAN EVER COMPARE TO WHAT WE GAIN FULLY SURRENDERED AND OBEDIENT TO JESUS CHRIST.
MARTYRED MISSIONARY, JIM ELLIOTT, IS NOTED AS STATING, “HE IS NO FOOL WHO GIVES WHAT HE CANNOT KEEP TO GAIN WHAT HE CANNOT LOSE.” BELIEVERS MUST BE WILLING TO MAKE THE PURSUIT OF GOD THEIR HIGHEST PRIORITY AND PASSION. THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE ABUNDANTLY NOW AND THEN ETERNALLY WITH JESUS IN HEAVEN.
THE WORLD CANNOT OFFER YOU ANYTHING OF ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE. NO AMOUNT OF MONEY, POWER, OR STATUS CAN BUY BACK YOUR SOUL OR NEGOTIATE ITS DESTINY IF YOU CROSS INTO ETERNITY WITHOUT JESUS. JOHN 14:6, “JESUS ANSWERED, “I AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.”
LET US EMBRACE OUR CALLING, LOVE JESUS AND SERVE HIM PASSIONATELY. LET US NOT, AS VERSE38, BE ASHAMED OF JESUS. THIS WORD MEANS TO BE EMBARRASED TO CONFESS JESUS PUBLICALLY, TO BE TOO ASHAMED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH HIM, OR EVEN EMBARRASED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS.
LET US DECLARE THE WORDS OF PAUL IN ROMANS 1:16, “FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, BECAUSE IT IS THE POWER OF GOD THAT BRINGS SALVATION TO EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES: FIRST TO THE JEW, THEN TO THE GENTILE.”
I LEAVE YOU WITH A DEFINITION OF ONE OF THE FIVE DISTINCT VALUES OF THE FREE METHODIST CHURCH’S KNOWN AS “LIFE GIVING HOLINESS:” WHICH STATES THE FOLLOWING:
“GOD’S CALL TO HOLINESS WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE A BURDEN, BUT A GIFT THAT LIBERATES US FOR LIFE THAT IS TRULY LIFE BY DELIVERING US FROM THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF SIN.
ALL WHO ARE BORN AGAIN ARE MADE RIGHT WITH GOD BY THE FINISHED WORK OF JESUS CHRIST AND CALLED TO EXPERIENCE THE FULLNESS OF THE INDWELLING PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
FORGIVEN AND FILLED, WE APPROACH LIFE WITH CONFIDENCE THAT WE ARE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD EVEN AS HE CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM OUR CHARACTER AND BEHAVIOR TO BECOME MORE AND MORE LIKE JESUS.
LIFE-GIVING HOLINESS, THEN, IS THE FRUIT OF FULL SURRENDER TO THE LOVING REIGN OF GOD OVER EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES, ESTABLISHING WITHIN US LOVE THAT IS TRULY LOVE.” LET US GO AND LIVE WITH OUR MINDS SET ON THE DIVINE THINGS OF GOD!
