|
|
SERMON for AUGUST 30, 2020
|
CROSS BENEFITS
Text: Romans 12: 9-21; Matthew 16: 21-28
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesus said: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Self-denial, cross-bearing, humility, surrender, sacrifice – What are the cross benefits of following Jesus? How do they align with the values of this world: fame, fortune, power, control, domination? Not so well – from a faith perspective – in the opposite direction of what we hear and see and experience in daily life.
The message of Jesus Christ was and still is counter-cultural in nature – 2000 years after Jesus delivered it – 2000 years after the Apostle Paul and other disciples preached and taught about the cross benefits of following Jesus.
For most believers, the most significant cross benefit is eternal life – the promise that the Lord will welcome us into God’s everlasting kingdom when these earthly days are over. The promise that we will abide with the Lord and our beloved departed forevermore on heaven’s shores is comforting and compelling – for it blesses us with a vision of what is to come, drawing us forth into the future while we strive to live out our days faithfully here on this earth.
By the world’s standards, the message of the cross sounds foolish, illogical, and irrational. The cost of discipleship is quite high: it leads to a life that is often complex, challenging, and confusing. Even the disciples had a hard time understanding what Jesus was saying and doing, particularly when Jesus told them that He would suffer at the hands of the religious authorities, be killed, and rise from the dead. “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you!”
Peter and the disciples could not understand what Jesus was talking about before His glorious resurrection from the dead – how could they? Surely they all must have had thoughts similar to what Peter was thinking. They loved the Lord, and they wanted to be with Him for a long time. Their nature was to protect and defend Jesus from harm. Certainly, they did not want Jesus to suffer and die by anyone’s hand. The Lord’s prophecy must have sounded quite bizarre. Of what benefit would the Lord’s death be to any of them or to anyone else? Here Peter is – at the right hand of the Lord, trying to absorb every words He utters and follow as close as is humanly possible. Peter wants to save the Lord’s life, and he is not willing to stand by silently and do nothing. Who can blame Peter for not wanting the Lord to face a fate like that? We might not even wish that for an enemy. Insofar as we can understand matters that are spiritual and human – fundamentally, survival does matter. At least Peter had the courage to confront Jesus so as to stop this prophecy from happening.
The Lord’s rebuke must have stung badly: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” As for me, I have no doubt that there have been times when my thoughts and behaviors have been stumbling blocks for the Lord, and I am sure that there have been times when I have been blind to the error of my ways, yet I am very thankful that I have not been rebuked so harshly by the Lord.
All of us are on the other side of the cross. We know that no matter what we say or do, if we confess our sin and ask for forgiveness, the Lord will forgive us. By His wounds, we have been healed. The Lord does not need to inflict wounds upon us – we bring them upon ourselves.
Day by day, we are confronted with values, standards, and practices that are perpetuated by the principalities and powers of this world: the press and the media, governments and politicians, corporations and institutions, the posts of individuals and groups – so many, many competing voices vying for our attention. With 24-hour/7-day access on the internet, it is hard to filter and discern whose voices to believe, which source of information to trust, what words really matter.
Sometimes we choose to follow a path that leads to our own downfall and to destruction, a path that casts stumbling blocks in the way of people near to us, family and friends who care for us. Creating difficulties for others may not be our intention, but it is the consequence. Conversely, when others create burdens for us and throw stumbling blocks in our way, we really do not like it. We can be tempted to get even with them. If such intentions creep up in your mind, heed the words of the Apostle Paul:
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor….Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves….Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Read over this passage from Romans, chapter 12, if ever in doubt about a challenge you may be facing. There is a difference between protecting yourself from unnecessary harm and making sacrifices for another, between not being taken advantage of and taking up a cross for the Lord’s sake.
Taking up a cross is no small challenge. Discerning what to do in a tough situation can be quite difficult. There are too many times when good-hearted, well-meaning Christians have been terribly hurt by others who took advantage of their compassion and generosity. If it is the Lord’s will, God will provide the strength and courage we need to take up that cross and press on in faith. Despite the sacrifice being made, a cross benefit that will come – the joy of the Lord – a deep-seated peace that comes from knowing that we are doing what the Lord commands – that our will is closely aligned with the Lord’s will for our lives – that we are being blessed with divine strength, insights, and resources beyond the ordinary. We begin to recognize “God-incidences” which are more than coincidences. We have experiences which for us, and sometimes for others, are clear signs of God’s providential care for us, the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us, the presence of the Risen Christ with us – shepherding us through dark valleys to horizons of hope and healing.
As Jesus told His disciples, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Likewise, I believe, truly, there are some among us who, before we die, will see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom, who will experience Christ’s coming into our hearts and minds on this side of heaven’s gates. Cross benefits – they are very real – and they are worth sacrificing for – for they last forever. Thanks be to our Lord for revealing to us the way of the His cross, for the glory of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Text: Romans 12: 9-21; Matthew 16: 21-28
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesus said: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Self-denial, cross-bearing, humility, surrender, sacrifice – What are the cross benefits of following Jesus? How do they align with the values of this world: fame, fortune, power, control, domination? Not so well – from a faith perspective – in the opposite direction of what we hear and see and experience in daily life.
The message of Jesus Christ was and still is counter-cultural in nature – 2000 years after Jesus delivered it – 2000 years after the Apostle Paul and other disciples preached and taught about the cross benefits of following Jesus.
For most believers, the most significant cross benefit is eternal life – the promise that the Lord will welcome us into God’s everlasting kingdom when these earthly days are over. The promise that we will abide with the Lord and our beloved departed forevermore on heaven’s shores is comforting and compelling – for it blesses us with a vision of what is to come, drawing us forth into the future while we strive to live out our days faithfully here on this earth.
By the world’s standards, the message of the cross sounds foolish, illogical, and irrational. The cost of discipleship is quite high: it leads to a life that is often complex, challenging, and confusing. Even the disciples had a hard time understanding what Jesus was saying and doing, particularly when Jesus told them that He would suffer at the hands of the religious authorities, be killed, and rise from the dead. “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you!”
Peter and the disciples could not understand what Jesus was talking about before His glorious resurrection from the dead – how could they? Surely they all must have had thoughts similar to what Peter was thinking. They loved the Lord, and they wanted to be with Him for a long time. Their nature was to protect and defend Jesus from harm. Certainly, they did not want Jesus to suffer and die by anyone’s hand. The Lord’s prophecy must have sounded quite bizarre. Of what benefit would the Lord’s death be to any of them or to anyone else? Here Peter is – at the right hand of the Lord, trying to absorb every words He utters and follow as close as is humanly possible. Peter wants to save the Lord’s life, and he is not willing to stand by silently and do nothing. Who can blame Peter for not wanting the Lord to face a fate like that? We might not even wish that for an enemy. Insofar as we can understand matters that are spiritual and human – fundamentally, survival does matter. At least Peter had the courage to confront Jesus so as to stop this prophecy from happening.
The Lord’s rebuke must have stung badly: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” As for me, I have no doubt that there have been times when my thoughts and behaviors have been stumbling blocks for the Lord, and I am sure that there have been times when I have been blind to the error of my ways, yet I am very thankful that I have not been rebuked so harshly by the Lord.
All of us are on the other side of the cross. We know that no matter what we say or do, if we confess our sin and ask for forgiveness, the Lord will forgive us. By His wounds, we have been healed. The Lord does not need to inflict wounds upon us – we bring them upon ourselves.
Day by day, we are confronted with values, standards, and practices that are perpetuated by the principalities and powers of this world: the press and the media, governments and politicians, corporations and institutions, the posts of individuals and groups – so many, many competing voices vying for our attention. With 24-hour/7-day access on the internet, it is hard to filter and discern whose voices to believe, which source of information to trust, what words really matter.
Sometimes we choose to follow a path that leads to our own downfall and to destruction, a path that casts stumbling blocks in the way of people near to us, family and friends who care for us. Creating difficulties for others may not be our intention, but it is the consequence. Conversely, when others create burdens for us and throw stumbling blocks in our way, we really do not like it. We can be tempted to get even with them. If such intentions creep up in your mind, heed the words of the Apostle Paul:
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor….Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves….Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Read over this passage from Romans, chapter 12, if ever in doubt about a challenge you may be facing. There is a difference between protecting yourself from unnecessary harm and making sacrifices for another, between not being taken advantage of and taking up a cross for the Lord’s sake.
Taking up a cross is no small challenge. Discerning what to do in a tough situation can be quite difficult. There are too many times when good-hearted, well-meaning Christians have been terribly hurt by others who took advantage of their compassion and generosity. If it is the Lord’s will, God will provide the strength and courage we need to take up that cross and press on in faith. Despite the sacrifice being made, a cross benefit that will come – the joy of the Lord – a deep-seated peace that comes from knowing that we are doing what the Lord commands – that our will is closely aligned with the Lord’s will for our lives – that we are being blessed with divine strength, insights, and resources beyond the ordinary. We begin to recognize “God-incidences” which are more than coincidences. We have experiences which for us, and sometimes for others, are clear signs of God’s providential care for us, the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us, the presence of the Risen Christ with us – shepherding us through dark valleys to horizons of hope and healing.
As Jesus told His disciples, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Likewise, I believe, truly, there are some among us who, before we die, will see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom, who will experience Christ’s coming into our hearts and minds on this side of heaven’s gates. Cross benefits – they are very real – and they are worth sacrificing for – for they last forever. Thanks be to our Lord for revealing to us the way of the His cross, for the glory of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.