Follow Me --- Costly or Casual Commitment
WWJS - What Would Jesus Say --- Follow Me • Sermon • Submitted
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Follow Me --- Costly or Casual Commitment
Luke 10:17-31
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Luke 10:21
Today is Reformation Sunday—the reforming of the church! Did you know that Reformation Sunday is the beginning of the Protestant church?! Yes, the PROTESTant church began on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, a Catholic priest, nailed 95 Theses (propositions, ideas, and questions) on the door of the Wittenberg Castle. Luther never wanted to start a new church; he wanted to reform the church. One of Luther’s 95 theses simply declares, “The Church’s true treasure is the gospel of Jesus Christ.” That alone is the meaning of Reformation Day. May our lives, our hearts, our homes, our schools and places of work be reformed by the true treasure of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The cry of the Reformation had 5 Solas … (Latin for alone)
Sola Scriptura (“Scripture Alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority.Sola Fide (“Faith Alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.Sola Gratia (“Grace Alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone.Solus Christus (“Christ Alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.Soli Deo Gloria (“To the Glory of God Alone”): We live for the glory of God alone.
The Barna Group recently put out their report called, “State of the Bible 2019: Trends in Engagement.” About the same time, the Pew Survey of Christianity in America published their report. After reading their reports, it might be a time for another reformation. I don’t want to bore you with all of the numbers, but according to the Pew Research, the data suggests that people who describe themselves as Christian has gone down from 77 percent in 2009 to 65 percent in 2019. That is a 12 percent drop in ten years. Barna reports some fascinating insights about how often people read their Bibles and if they feel that the Bible helps them. An interesting figure is that 48 percent of the Christian population is disengaged from the Bible. Roughly two in five adults (42%) say the Bible has not had any impact on their life. I wonder what Martin Luther and the reformers would say to our culture today? Listen to a quote from Luther when he was asked to recant or die. “I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God.”
Let me tell you, I get really excited for every October 31! Martin Luther had no idea that Jesus’ words to him, “Follow me” would change the face of Christianity. He was just posting his notes on the castle; wanting some honest debate and discussion. Boy, did he ever get that!
We are in week six of our “Follow Me” series. Where is Jesus asking you to follow? Where is Jesus asking you to deny yourself and pick up your cross? Where is Jesus asking you to follow in your family, your work, your relationships, your health, your finances? What is Jesus asking you as you follow Him in your position, power, passion and possessions? Where is Jesus asking you follow Him and totally trust Him as you follow? Good thing there aren’t any castles near here, maybe you’d be asked to post a few of your ideas for God’s church?
In 1986 I made a grace weekend called Cursillo. My pastor sponsored me and drove me four hours to Epworth Forrest in Indiana. I’d been a volunteer youth director for 4 years. I thought I was following Jesus. On this weekend I heard the song, “HERE I AM”. Listen to the words:
Here I Am, Lord by John Michael Talbot
I the lord of sea and sky
I have heard my people cry
All who dwell in dark and sin
My hand will save
I have made the stars of night
I will make their darkness bright
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall i send?
Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night
I will go Lord
If You lead me
I will hold Your people in my heart
I remember raising my hand during this song. Little did I know was that Jesus was calling, “Follow me.” I thought I was. I suppose what I’m trying to say is one day following Jesus looked like serving Him for a few hours on Sundays and now it looks like “Follow Me” 24 hours a day.
Today we will take a few minutes to look at Mark 10:17-31. To set the stage for this passage, we need to know that just before this passage, people were bringing their children to Jesus but his disciples were trying to stop the children. Remember that Peter, impetuous, bold, no-filter Peter, is in prison and Mark is writing down Peter’s word. One day soon, Mark shall have written one of the four Gospels. Back to verses 14-16. “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Jesus sets out a powerful example of how we are to come to him—as a child. Think about this as we study today. Today we hear the story is told right after the blessing of the children. Mark 10:17-31. The story of the rich, young man. As we look this story over, enter into the story. There’s Jesus, disciples, children, and lots of people.
Let us pray … “Dear Lord, Jesus, we come to you today as little children. Open our ears, hearts and minds to Your living words of eternal life. Amen.”
Mark 10:17-31
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”[i]
Eternal Life --- Quantity or Quality
Many scholars believe that this is one of the saddest passages in the Bible. Jesus has told those who were following him that if they wanted to come to him, they should come as little children. I remember when my children were little, and I remember my grandchildren. I would love it when they jumped into my lap so that I could hold them. I would whisper in their ear, “Paw Paw loves you.” I wanted each one of them to remember that their Paw Paw loved them unconditionally and forever. Now my lovely wife, would tell you that I was trying to brainwash them so that they would love me more than her. Can you imagine crawling up on Jesus’ lap and have Him tell you how much He loves you and will never let you go? There’s a good first “so what” for this morning.
This is the stage for the story. Jesus is walking down the road and a man runs up to him and throws himself down at Jesus’ feet and cries out “what must I do inherit eternal life?” What a powerful word picture. What an amazing statement, “what must I do to inherit eternal life.” Just a side note, this is the only time in the entire Gospel of Mark that the words “eternal life” appear, verse seventeen and verse thirty.
Have you ever thought that eternal life is more than the quantity of your life, it is the quality of your life?
“Albert Schweitzer: Does he rank among the world’s greatest men or among its greatest fools? He has appeared on lists of both kinds. Why? His talents put him on both lists. He was the chief academic officer of one of Europe’s most elite schools. He was a world-famous musician. His pen produced many books and papers. His church regarded him as one of its most eloquent preachers and most insightful New Testament scholars. What did he choose to do with such gifts? He enrolled in medical school and became a doctor. After graduating, he packed his medical supplies and left for the Congo in Africa. There he began operating in a hen house. Yes, from the days when he learned at his father’s feet, Albert Schweitzer knew he wanted to do something for God. He gave up the ease of being talented and famous in Europe in order to bring healing to the earth’s poorest people. This kind of humble service reverses all of the world’s values. Long after his death, Albert Schweitzer lives on as an example of one who counted the cost and took up his cross. His academic and artistic peers regarded him as a fool. Jesus continues to call his people to forget earthly rewards and honors and to reach out to the poor, the lame, and the blind.
What have you given up in the name and service of Christ? In what specific ways can you say that you have taken up a cross with Christ and are marching resolutely to death with him?”
I find it interesting that the rich, young ruler calls Jesus good. I am sure that he had heard that Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to blind and cast out demons. One thing we must know about their culture, you didn’t call anyone good because the title of good was given to God alone.
When I was pastoring in Texas, I had a man report to the elder board that I was hypnotizing people to follow Jesus. As I discerned my call to leave Texas and return to California, I had a dear friend say to me regarding my hypnotism powers, “Pastor Dave, you are good, but you’re not that good.”
In the Jewish culture, no one is good but God. Jesus tells this rich, young man to keep all the commandments --- don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t lie, don’t covet and honor your father and mother. The rich young man says that he has kept the commandments since he was a boy.
Costly of Casual Commitment --- The Great Denial
The rich, young man had kept the last six commandments. The problem was the costly commitment of following Jesus meant putting the first four commandments first. The world and his wealth had stopped the wealthy man.
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
We are told that Jesus looked at him with a look of love. A love that was unconditional, unrestricted, unreserved, full of compassion and kindness. Jesus told him he was lacking “one thing.” What was the “one thing?” Maybe, just maybe, we should ask ourselves today, “What is the one thing I lack?”
A missionary poet and mystic, Amy Carmichael wrote the book, “Things As They Are.” One day Amy sat with a Hindu queen in her palace as the Queen revealed her spiritual hunger. This Hindu Queen is very much like the rich young ruler here in Mark. Carmichael shared that as the conversation developed, the Queen kept pushing Miss Carmichael regarding what was necessary for salvation, and Amy attempted to deflect her, saying she should wait.
“But she was determined to hear it then and, as she insisted, I read her a little of what Jesus says about it Himself. She knew quite enough to understand and take in the force of the forceful words. She would not consent to be led gently on. “No, I must know it now,” she said; and as verse by verse I read to her, her face settled sorrowfully. “So far must I follow, so far?” she said, “I cannot follow so far.”[ii]
“So far must I follow!” “I cannot follow so far!”
I am not sure what the rich young man said to Jesus, or if he said anything at all. All we are told is that rich young man looked sad. It is an interesting word that Mark uses to describe the sadness of the rich young man. It is the sadness of the sky becoming overcast with the anticipation of a storm. The rich, young man walked away from following Jesus.
Jesus then tells His followers that it almost impossible for the rich to inherit the kingdom of God. It is like a camel trying to go through an eye of needle. I was told by a couple who had been to Jerusalem that the gates into the city have a very tiny opening for someone to slip in through after the gates are closed and locked. Their guide said that it was small enough for a person to slip through but not a camel. Imagine this tiny space—it was available for the rich, young ruler to slip through, but it was not big enough for him to bring all of his worldly possessions through with him. Decision time. Do you slip in alone or do the things of this world matter more to you than Jesus? The truth: Jesus is NOT saying that money or wealth is a problem. It is the love of money and the dependence on money that is a problem.
What Jesus is really teaching here is this: What do you depend on? What do you trust in?
Is following Jesus enough for you? If you had to, could you leave everything you now own and slip through the eye of the needle in order to follow Jesus?
So What?
On December 17, 1912 Bill Borden boarded a ship for China via Egypt. His missionary career would be among history’s briefest—and most effective. Borden was born into an upper-class family on Chicago’s Gold Coast, heir to a fortune in real estate and milk production. His mother became a Christian, and young Bill began attending Chicago’s Moody Church with her, soon becoming a Christian himself. Shortly afterward, when Pastor R. A. Torrey challenged worshipers to dedicate their lives to God’s service, William quietly rose—a little fellow in a blue sailor suit. He stood a long, long time while the service went on, but there was no wavering, and it was a consecration from which he never retreated.
Later at Yale University, Bill became well known as a star athlete, good-looking, worth $50 million, and committed to Christ. At a student missions conference in Nashville, he was deeply moved by Samuel Zwemer to reach the Muslims; and following graduation he announced he was giving his immense inheritance to the cause of world missions. He joined the China Inland Mission, planning to evangelize the Muslims in China. But first came language study in Egypt. On the eve of his departure, his widowed mother wondered if Bill had done the right thing, giving up fortune and homeland. “In the quiet of my room that night, worn and weary and sad, I fell asleep asking myself again and again, ‘Is it, after all, worthwhile?’ In the morning as I awoke, a still small voice was speaking in my heart, answering: ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only beloved son. … ’ ”[iii]
A month after arriving in Egypt, Borden contracted spinal meningitis. He was dead in two weeks, but he left a final message on a paper stuffed under his pillow: “No Reserve! No Retreat! No Regrets!”
So What? What is Jesus saying to you when He says to you, “Follow Me? What will be your answer?
The Hindu Queen: “So far must I follow!” “I cannot follow!”
Bill Borden: Gave away 50 million dollars to world missions! Six weeks in Egypt and Bill Borden was dead. No reserves! No retreat! No regrets!
Albert Schweitzer: I want to do something for God.
In 1992, I was so heavy and convicted to go into ordained ministry. I started looking for seminaries to attend. I wanted to keep my day job and go to night school; only back then—that was just a dream on the horizon. In January of 1993, I received a call from Dr. Dean Hilley. The seminary that doesn’t give scholarships had decided to offer me a full-time scholarship. Jac and I prayed about it. We ended up taking a blank piece of typing paper and writing upon it, “Dear God,” at the top. At the bottom, we signed it, “In Christ’s love and service, Dave and Jac Peters.” We had no idea where our “Follow Me” would lead us but we decided that we would trust God to fill in the pages of our tomorrows. I’m happy to report, He’s never left us, nor has He ever forsaken us.
The rich, young ruler—did an about face—and took off. His call was too much for him.
What about you? Every single day there is a call upon your life to FOLLOW ME. For each one of us, the call to follow Jesus looks different. My prayer is that you can hold God’s people in your heart. Martin Luther did. Thank God.
Father, this is quite a call that Jesus extends to me. FOLLOW ME. Help me as I follow. Sounds easy but it’s complicated. Show me how to hold your people in my heart. Give me guidance and direction as to what that holds for me...today...tomorrow...and eternally.
Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night
I will go Lord
If You lead me
I will hold Your people in my heart.
Let us pray .... Amen.
The Seed Christian Fellowship
Rancho Cucamonga. California 91701
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com
October 20, 2019
Pastor Dave Peters
[i] The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Mk 10:17–31). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[ii] Amy Wilson-Carmichael, Things as They Are (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell, 1903), p. 74.
[iii] The Yale Standard (Fall 1970); Mrs. Howard Taylor, Borden of Yale (Bethany House, 1988)