Lay Down Your Life
Meridian Church of God Seventh Day
December 16th, 2000
INTRODUCTION
Good Morning…
As we begin, I want us to take a moment and think about love, and what it entails. Often times, in love, a rhetoric comes around, I have heard it in “love songs” and other places. “I’d die for you”
I have said this to my wife, I am sure: “I love you, and I would die for you”
We look at this as a Christian way of life, being willing to die for Jesus, and it very well can be. But I want to submit something to you, that is the basis for today’s message.
Rather we are talking to our Lord and Savior, our spouse, or our friend it is easier to say: “I’d die for you,” than it is to say: “I’d live for you.”
That can be for a number of reasons:
1. It is not realistic to most of us that we may actually have to live up to the statement: “I’d die for you” because most of us will never be put in the position where we would actually have to follow through with what we say in that regard.
2. On the contrary, living for someone does require realistic actions. Actions that involve doing what the other person wants, putting them before yourself. It involves self-sacrifice daily, not just once.
A point to be made:
Living for someone, by definition, involves the willingness to die for that someone. As we talk today, I want you to keep that in mind. I am not saying that a willingness to die for someone is bad, I am saying it is not complete.
JOHN 15
Jesus speaks about what we are talking about here today in John 15. We will take some time and see what He has to say, and then look at how it applies to our life.
If you will turn with me to chapter 15 of John, vs. 12:
John 15:12-13
What does this mean to us? What does it mean to “lay down your life” as it is written here in John?
The Greek word “tith-ay-mee” is the word translated as “lay down” So you get a complete picture of what the verb means, it can also be translated as “commit, give, kneel down, ordain, purpose, or set forth”
Often times, we look at this verse of “laying down your life” as “ending your life”
The Greek does paint a different picture. If I were to say to you:
“Commit your life”
“Give your life”
“Ordain your life”
“Purpose your life”
The only translation that could be interpreted as ending your life, would be “give your life,” and I submit to you that it means precisely what it says: “give your life,” not “give your death”
So, why do we think this? (in general- this vs. as “ending your life”)
Generally because when we think of Jesus “giving His life” or “laying down His life” we think of the crucifixion and death of Jesus.
But, what if Jesus had lived a carnal life, what if He had given into the “lusts of the flesh,” then went to Jerusalem and was willing to end His life and was crucified? Would it have been the same?
Do you know what makes his death so powerful? His life.
He gave His Father His life. Look at how much more we have gained from that, not because He died, but because He lived.
In verse 13, where it talks about laying down your life, the keyword is LIFE.
Jesus lived for us, and yes, He died for us as well- but the key here is that He lived for us. He lived for His Father, and He lived the life that His Father wanted Him to.
He was obedient to His Father’s will, even when maybe it was not his personal preference.
Matthew 26:39-44
Three times Jesus went and prayed “not my will, but Yours”
He said “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,” but it was not possible, He was obedient to His Father will. He truly gave His life. The apostles clearly gave their lives, not in death, but in life. They were obedient to the Father, they were obedient to the Son. They gave their lives to Jesus.
Looking at our scripture verse in John, let’s look at the context.
John 15:13-14
Vs. 14 brings into play the role of obedience. Just as the Son was obedient to the Father, so should we be obedient. In vs. 14 He says we are His friends. Hopefully, He is our friend. He gave us His life, we too, should give Him our life.
GIVE YOUR LIFE
What does that mean, give Him our life? Can we give our life to someone only one day a week, or only a few hours a week? Is that really giving someone your life?
Picture This:
I am going to give you a car. It’s a nice car, it runs well. I like Chevy’s so lets say I am giving you a 2002 Chevy whatever (Suburban if you like SUV’s, Camaro, if you like sports cars, whatever your preference). I am going to give you this car. You’d be excited wouldn’t you? A nice new car to drive around.
There’s just one catch- you can only have the car one morning a week. The rest of the time it stays at my house and you can not use it. Oh yeah- by the way, that one morning a week I will come to your house and pick you up. You can ride in the passenger seat. We will only go where I want to go, and after a few hours, I will drop you off again until the next week.
Not quite the same is it. But we do this, we let God ride around in our passenger seat once or twice a week. We take Him where we want to go, or we take Him to church, and then we call it good.
It is not giving your life, or laying down your life, to go to church a couple hours a week and then doing whatever it is you want to do.
I have a friend who coined a phrase: “timecard Christians,” for people who clock into Christianity when they walk in the door of the church, and then clock out when they leave. He had apparently seen this with the people he knew.
In accepting Jesus, we “lay down our life” for Him. We go to Him in prayer and say “use me, Lord, use me,” but when He comes to us, sadly, many are just too busy. They have more important things to be doing. “I have too many things to do this week. Sorry, Lord, I just can not do your will this week”
If we have given our life to Him, if we have “laid down our life” to Him, then we owe him our life, not just a few hours a week.
Conversion to Christianity is a change in lifestyle. It’s a lifestyle, not just a religion.
Paul paints a picture to the converts from paganism, the Gentiles in Galatia the lifestyle change that should be brought about by Christianity:
Galatians 5:17, 19-26
He illustrates to them the life that was probably lead by many before their conversion and contrasts it with a Christian, spiritual lifestyle.
They did not continue in the lifestyle that they had before becoming Christian.
Paul’s conversion of lifestyle, as a Jew, was obvious throughout the Bible, even in this Epistle.
Galatians 1:13-14
Paul speaks of his lifestyle prior to his conversion here. He says, among other things, that he was “more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of (his) fathers.”
Here is a man who was a Pharisee’s Pharisee, and if we read the rest of Galatians, it is apparent that he no longer clings to the lifestyle he had before his conversion.
In describing conversion, he describes it as becoming a new man
Ephesians 4:22-24
DIFFICULTIES
He does not in any of these verses talk about this being a once a week thing. He talks about completely “putting off” the old man.
This is a lifestyle change, not a once a week change.
What is the difference, though? It is not that difficult to be Christian in church. We pray a number of times during the couple hours we are here, we sing songs, and we keep our focus on God. Out in the world, as we go through our week, it is sometimes difficult to keep that same focus.
In church, we are surrounded by like-minded people. It is much easier to be Christian around other Christians. Also, we are safe here. Almost everybody here professes to be Christian. In the world it is only about half who profess to be Christian. That makes it more difficult to maintain a Christian lifestyle.
We understand that it may be difficult, if being Christian was incredibly easy, everyone would be one. It’s not, though. Its a lifestyle that requires us to “lay down our life,” or “Commit our life,” or “Purpose our life.” We give our life, as Jesus gave his life. Not in death, but in life.
Here is a question for you to think about. How many of us pray before we eat in a restaurant? If we go out to dinner with non-Christian friends, or a coworker, do we still pray and offer thanks for the food?
If we don’t, why not?
Often times it is because of that pressure from the world. As you are sitting in that restaurant, you become self-conscience about what people are thinking, some people stare at you if you do. Prayer is certainly not something we see everyday in a restaurant.
It is almost prohibited in some public places, like schools. Those of you who are in school, the students here, isn’t the pressure enormous? How easy is it to pray from that school lunch table. Maybe times have changed since I was in high school, but I remember it being incredibly difficult to show much faith.
Jesus knew this would be how it is. He even looked at our relationship with the world in a stronger way. Turning back to our scripture in John, let’s continue in vs. 18 of chapter 15
John 15:18-24
CONCLUSION
As we conclude, “laying down your life” is not ending it, it is giving your life, or committing your life, or ordaining your life. We give our life to another, we give it to our friend and savior, Jesus, who gave us His. We give our life to the Father, to be obedient to His Will, to follow the example Jesus left us.
Following that example requires us to do it completely. Just as Jesus did. He took His commitment with Him to the cross, as did many of His disciples. But it is not necessary to be martyred to give your life to God.
As you go throughout your week, remember the example of the car- are you giving your life to God at that moment? Are you receptive to what He wants you to do, or are you just clocking in here on Sabbath? These are things we need to remember.
It is not an easy thing to do, to change a life, to change a lifestyle, to put off the old man and become a new one, but it is a necessary step. We need to be living our Christianity.
Quote:
Your life may be the only Bible some people will ever see.
What will they see in you? What will they see in us?
I offer this challenge to you: Truly lay down your life for Him, not because I asked you to, not because someone else thinks you should, but because He laid down His life for you, and he took that commitment, that lifestyle to the cross.
Thank You, Have a Fruitful Sabbath Day, and the Lord Bless You and Guide You.
