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Moore's
Chapel Home Pastors Reverend KyungMo Koo Audio Sermons
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Following Jesus means....Matthew 16:24-28 September 25, 2005
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." These words applied to the disciples and to all who would come after Jesus. Jesus invites every person to follow, but those who desire to follow him must have three attitudes: a willingness to deny themselves, a willingness to take up the cross, and a willingness to follow. First of all Jesus said, "Following Jesus means to deny oneself. To deny oneself means not only to surrender immediate material gratification, but also it is a willingness to let go of selfish desires and earthly security. This attitude turns self-centeredness to God-centeredness. The first thing that we are supposed to learn when we become Christians is that we are now "owned" by Jesus Christ." This is what we call, "Lordship." Even though we easily call Him Lord, is He really Lord of our entire lives? Being a Christian means being a follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus became the owner of our lives when we became a Christian, so we are not in charge of our lives. "Self" is no longer in charge; God is. Jesus wants us to choose to follow him rather than to lead a life of self-control and self-satisfaction. He wants us to stop trying to control our own destiny and to let him direct us. This makes good sense because, as the Creator, Christ knows better than we do what real life is about. However, sometimes we totally misunderstand and think that we are wiser, smarter, and more intelligent than God. A man was walking along a narrow path, not paying much attention to where he was going. Suddenly he slipped over the edge of a cliff. As he fell, he grabbed a branch growing from the side of the cliff. Realizing that he couldn't hang on for long, he called for help. The man said, "Is anybody up there?" A voice replied, "Yes, I am here!" "Who are you?" "The Lord." "Lord, help me!" "Do you trust me?" "I trust you completely, Lord." "Good. Let go of the branch." "What?" "I said, let go of the branch!" After a long pause, the man asked, "Is there anybody else up there?" When we give up our desires, ambitions, possessions, calculation, and even life itself, in service to Christ we discover the real purpose of living. To be willing to put personal desires and life itself into God's hands means to understand that nothing that we can gain on our own in our earthly lives can compare to what we gain with Christ. So, this morning we have to ask ourselves honestly, "Who is the boss in my life?" "Who is in charge in our lives?" Secondly, Jesus said that following him means to take up one's own cross. To take up the cross was a vivid illustration of the humility and submission that Jesus was asking of his followers. Soon after this, Jesus would take up his own cross. Jesus is predicting his destiny here. When Jesus used this example of his followers taking up their crosses to follow him, the disciples probably got the picture of Jesus on the cross. Jesus' words meant that his followers had to be prepared to obey God's command and to follow his will no matter what the consequences. Sometimes taking up the cross might indeed mean death. The cross reminds us that it can be risky to follow Jesus. We are used to seeing the Jesus who took up cross for us, but we are not familiar or comfortable with a vision of ourselves taking up our own crosses. It is not easy to follow Jesus, but to take up one's cross and follow Jesus is even more difficult. Therefore, when we are taking up cross, we must count the cost and be prepared to pay it. In today's Scripture, Jesus introduced the idea that the Christian life is a paradox: To attempt to save your life means only to lose it. A person who "saves" his or her life in order to satisfy desires and goals apart from God ultimately "loses" life. By contrast, those who willingly "lose" their lives for the sake of Christ and the Kingdom of God actually "save" their lives. To lose one's life for Christ refers to a person refusing to renounce Christ, even if the punishment were death. What a strange paradox this is and how hard it must have been for the disciples to understand its truth the first time they heard it. Find life by losing it? On one occasion, Sadhu Sundar Singh, a Saint in India, and a companion were traveling through a pass high in the Himalayan Mountains. At one point, they came across a body lying in the snow. Sundar Singh wished to stop and help the unfortunate man, but his companion refused, saying, "We shall lose our lives if we burden ourselves with him." But Sundar Singh would not think of leaving the man to die in the ice and snow. As his companion bade him farewell, Sundar Singh lifted the poor traveler onto his back. With great exertion on his part, he bore the man onward, but gradually the heat from Sundar Singh's body began to warm up the poor frozen fellow, and he revived. Soon both were walking together side by side. Catching up with his former companion, they found him dead-frozen by the cold. This story clearly tells us about what "finding life by losing it" means. In the case of Sundar Singh, he was willing to lose his life on behalf of another in the name of God, and in the process found it; in the case of his callous companion, he sought to save his life but lost it. In today's Scripture, Jesus urges us that we have to have an eternal perspective, even though we are living on the earth. He tells of the tragic case of a man who gains material wealth but is spiritually poor and lost. Jesus asks, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" What does it take to make us truly happy in life? What if we had all the money in the world? What if we could be guaranteed perfect health until we reached the age of 100? What if every meaningful relationship in our life was going smoothly? What if we became so famous that people everywhere acknowledged us with respect and admiration? Would we then be happy? If we had all this and more, would we be contented? I don't think so. It is most likely that our hunger and desire for those things and more, will only increase. This is the one of life's strangest paradoxes. We can have the best, biggest, most, and finest of everything that this life can offer-and still not be happy. John Stuart Mills once said, "I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them." Jesus certainly knew this and tried desperately to convey, the message that happiness, true and lasting happiness, does not reside in the acquisition or accumulation of the "stuff" of this world. In other words, true and lasting happiness does not come from taking, but from giving. Not from finding, but from losing. Not from wheeling and dealing, but from denying. Two brothers were discussing their life goals after Sunday school. The first brother's goal was to be rich and famous. The second brother's goal was to follow Christ to the fullest. The second brother went on to reach his goal. His name was David Livingstone, the renowned medical missionary and explorer of Africa. The first went on to be rich and famous, but his fame came from another, nothing is left of his wealth or fame. The epitaph on his tombstone reads: "Here lies the brother of David Livingstone." What good would it be for a person to gain the whole world, that is, to have power or financial control over the entire world system of which Satan is the head, but lose his or her soul, that is, to lose eternal life with God? Every person will die, even those most powerful or most wealthy. If they have not taken care to "save" their lives for eternity with God, then they gain nothing and lose everything. Jesus said that a world of pleasure centered on possessions, position, or power is ultimately worthless. Whatever a person has on earth is only temporary; it cannot be exchanged for his or her soul. If you work hard at getting what you want, you might eventually have a "pleasurable" life, but in the end you will find it hollow and empty. No amount of money, power, or status can buy back a lost soul. The answer to the question, then, is that nothing is of enough value that it can be exchanged for one's soul. How important would a lifetime of pleasure seem when compared to an eternity separated from God and all the blessings of life with him? How foolish to seek worldly comfort and wealth and ignore the issue of our soul's eternal salvation. So, this morning, we have to ask ourselves, "How's my soul doing?" This world says that life is good and we have a right to the pursuit of happiness. And most people engage in that pursuit by accumulating and acquiring all that this world can offer. However, in today's Scripture, Jesus proclaims a paradoxical truth. He proclaims: happiness, real happiness, lasting happiness is not found in selfishness, but in selflessness. The secular world tells us to get all we can; Jesus tells us to give all we can. This world teaches that to get life, you must grab it; Jesus tells us that to win, we must surrender. In a day of easy religion that promises to solve all our problems, Jesus speaks clearly to us: "If you are to follow me, deny yourself and take up a cross." Jesus will come again, this is not my word but the promise of the Bible, and at that time he will be in his exalted state as King and Judge. Everyone's life is reviewed and evaluated. While Jesus called his followers to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow, he also promised great reward. Their self-denial and discipleship would not be wasted. Their eternal destiny is secure, but Jesus will look at how they handled gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities in order to determine their heavenly rewards. Christ's return will be an occasion of vindication and reward for the faithful: "He will repay everyone for what has been done" (Matthew 16:27). To follow Christ is also a moment-by-moment decision, requiring compassion, commitment, and service. In today's Scripture, Jesus said he would suffer and die on the cross, and his followers must be willing to deny themselves and take up their own cross. Jesus set the example of self-sacrifice, calling us to live as he lived, teaching us that it is in such a life that we find our greatest rewards-not earthly rewards, but eternal rewards. Following Jesus doesn't mean merely walking behind him, but having the same experiences of tears and sweat, taking the same road of sacrifice and service that he took. Those who would lose their lives-physical, spiritual, or both - for Christ's sake, will find them. Without a life in him, Jesus told the disciples and tells us, there really is no life. I invite you to come to the altar this morning for a time of prayer, a time of discernment, for some a time of repentance, and for all, a time of rededication. Let us allow Jesus to, truly, be the Lord of our lives. |
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Link: What Does Following Jesus Really Mean ?