Luke 12:49-56
"The Cutting Edge"
by Rev Tim Zingale
I would like to tell you this morning about a family, a typical family, a family similar to many of the families we have in the church. A family with a father, mother and several children. They could be your family, they could the my family. This family sat around the dinner table one evening and a discussion was started. Ruth, in high school, began the conversation by telling of a friend at school. Her friend had told her that Jesus was the son of God and that salvation was free to all who would trust in Him. Ruth quoted her friend as saying, " Jesus is the way the truth and the life".
Immediately an argument started. Tom, an older bother said, "I don’t want any of that church stuff at supper." The father agreed. There was a fellow at work who was always trying to "corner someone on religion." He did not want any of that nonsense in the house.
Mother raised her voice saying,"A little religion would do all of them a lot of good. The least they could do would be to get a Bible and check it out." She had a Bible that had been given to her as a child. She would help Ruth look it up after supper.
Little Bill, the baby of the family, suggested that they ought to go to church and ask the preacher. He would know. After supper Mother, Ruth and little Bill gathered around the kitchen table with the Bible to look for some answers. After reading for a while, they decided they would go to church the following Sunday and talk with the Pastor. The father and the older son left the supper table in a "huff’ to watch the football game.
The three did attend church the following Sunday. They did talk with the Pastor and in time they came to experience the love of Christ in their lives. They did find that Jesus was the way the truth and the life for them. These three became regular attenders in church. The other two?--Still watching TV."
Jesus says in our gospel lesson this morning, "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be 5 divided , 3 against 2 and 2 against 3."
There is a cutting edge for a person who has experienced the love of Christ in their r lives. That cutting edge may mean that indeed families can be divided as in our story. That cutting edge may mean that you might he ridiculed for your faith, that cutting edge may mean that you might stand apart and alone for the convictions you hold, that cutting edge may dictate how you will live your life, how you will treat others and how they will treat you.
Jesus is telling us this morning that he demands a loyalty, a commitment that produces a cutting edge in ones life.
Jesus is telling us he demands a commitment that just might cut across families ties, that just might cut across at how others see us, a commitment that says as a Christian you are different in this world. Jesus senses in his disciples as he is now headed for Jerusalem and the cross that altitude that they were not taking his claims seriously in their lives.
Their problem was like the chosen one in the Chayefsky’s play, "Gideon the angel of the Lord recognizes that his chosen one has rejected him. Gideon has vacillated between love and enchantment. He desires to serve and yet wants to be served. He turns away. Then the angel, speaking for the Lord, says; "I meant you to love me but you are merely curious’. "
Jesus senses the attitude of curiosity among his followers, he wanted love, loyalty, obedience, a sense of commitment, but they were merely being curious, seeing what this poor country preacher was saying and doing.
So Jesus tells them about the obedience, the commitment, the loyalty, he demands from his followers. A commitment that could and does even cut across families lines.
And that same commitment is demanded today in the 21st century by those who would follow Jesus. But many have asked, does he really mean that pastor?? Does Jesus really, want that kind of commitment from me? Won’t Jesus sell better to society by watering down his demands, by making him cheaper? Does it have to be that radical and decisive.??
Yes, it does, Christ over the last 20000 years has not watered down his demands upon our lives. He has not watered down his demands nor has he given any sales, or easy bargains for those who would want to find an easier and cheaper way. There are no red hot deal, no easy sales, no close out bargains, no end of the month clearances with Jesus, the cost to follow him is still and will always s be full surrender of one’s live. The cost is a high price, my life, but the prize is life--abundant and free. Live in and through Him who bought and paid for my life with the surrender of his life on the tree at Calvary.
Now how does one go about living this life that is lived on the cutting edge? How does one develop such a loyalty to Jesus. We can see this development in 3 steps, one conviction, two courage and three. testing.
Conviction may be called rebirth, or conversion or getting to know Jesus , what ever it is called it is God’s action in one’s life.
It is God opening the heart and mind of a person to God’s promises and then letting that faith or conviction grow. Conviction is a quality that produces a certainty, a self-assurance, an attitude of confidence in one’s live. Take Paul for example, after the experience on the road to Damascus, Paul was convinced that Jesus was his savior. In his writing Paul uses the terms, "I know,... I am sure" many times. Paul had a conviction.
Or take one of the many Old Testament figures say, Daniel. He was forbidden to pray to Jehovah. Violation would result in being thrown into the lion’s den. It wasn’t a tough decision for Daniel to make for he had already made some strong convictions concerning his relationship to God. He kept praying. He was thrown into the lion’s den.
Or take one of my favorite movies "Chariots of Fire" which is about a man who eventually became a missionary and won a gold medal running for the 1924 British Olympic team. But it happened that Eric Liddell almost lost his chance for that Olympic gold because of his conviction in Christ. One of his preliminary heats was to be run on a Sunday morning, when he would be in church. He announced that he would not run. He was brought up before the British Olympic committee, but he still refused to run on a Sunday. But, another runner voluntarily withdrew from another heat and let Eric run in his place. Eric ran and won and eventually won the gold medal. He had his eyes on a goal, that of Christ, and was willing to loose the medal he had trained for because of his convictions There was a cutting edge to his life.
The next step is that of courage. And by courage I mean the inner strength one draws upon when the going gets tough. And for a Christian living a life full of conviction needs strength which comes from God through his Holy Spirit in our lives. It is God who gives us the strength, the courage, the fortitude, to keep that trust and faith in him strong.
The Bible says, "No one who puts his trust in him will ever be disappoint no, one." The inner strength is available for every one who is willing to call upon the resources of God to give them the courage to stand by his or her convictions.
It is like a story told by Lou Little the football coach at Columbia University. He had a guy on his squad who didn’t play very well, but who had a spirit that lifted the morale of the entire squad. Little was proud of the boy and marveled at how he and his father would walk arm and arm around the campus after the football games. The boys father died unexpectedly and after he returned from the funeral the boy asked if he could play in the game on Saturday. He said he wanted to play for his father. The coach thought he would let him start the first few minutes, then replace him with a regular player. But to the surprise of every one, the boy played the entire game. He played 60 minutes of inspired football. After the game the coach sought him out. "What got into you out there?",he asked.
Boy replied, "Do you remember how my father and I used to go around arm-in-arm? He didn’t want people to know, but he was totally blind. This afternoon was the first time he ever saw me play football! ! !"
The inner strength we receive from God is JUST like that. We know as we live, God is watching us, the will, the strength, the inspiration to live for him.
Now that brings us to the third step, First there was conviction, then courage and now the final step, the testing or as Jesus says the division, or the cutting edge to one’s life. This cutting edge is not for the purpose of hurting others, but for the purpose of healing. Sometimes that calls us to make a stand that cuts across lines that tend to separate us from others, or from what society holds to be dear. If something or someone is destroying your relationship to God, or dimming your vision of righteousness and goodness, if must be stopped. Sometimes we must separate ourselves from situations, or people in order to remain true to our convictions, true to our faith.
Take for example Joseph. The king’s wife Potiphar had designs on this young man. She thought it would be great fun to seduce him. She tried with all of her charm, but Joseph refused. Joseph could have done what is thrown at us in every TV ad, in books and in magazines, he could have fulfilled his "Playboy’’ philosophy, and gave in to his desires, but he refused. He said no to this woman and said, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" You remember he had a price to pay for this rejection for she brought false charges against him and he was persecuted for righteousness sake."
This is the kind of life Jesus is calling us to live. A life with a cutting edge that chooses the costly price of ultimate loyalties to the cheapness of easy thrills or momentary relationships. It is a life that holds onto abiding joys, instead of reaching for quick kicks, and easy pleasures. It is a life that is called upon to weigh the consequences, to think first, then react. To react in the way that puts God first and our desires, our aims, our pleasure second. It is a life that even sometimes calls us to stand apart, to stand alone maybe even in a family. But know and believe that this life full of loyalty, full of commitment, full of Jesus is an abundant life. It is life that is truly rewarding, it is a life worth living.
Jesus calls us to live for Him. He calls us to a life of loyalty, a life of commitment, a life that is lived on the cutting edge of society. He calls us to live with conviction, to a life in faith. He calls us to live with courage, to draw on His strength and he calls us to be tested. He calls us to make a stand, to live by our convictions even when those convictions might bring separation, or pain into our lives.
For we know that Jesus is truly the way, the truth and the life for us.
Amen
