The Cost of Following Jesus

Good morning. It is always a pleasure to be here this morning. it is the fourth of July weekend. Well or is it. It is always hard to know what you count as the 4th of July weekend when it falls in the middle of the week isn’t it. Either way it is a holiday that we celebrate in our country and we are reminded of the history of our country in fact we should be thinking about the signers of the Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families. Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty. At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson’s home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on the Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and mill were destroyed. For over a year, he lived in forest and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion.

The cost of signing the document and putting it out there was high. It was done in light of the potential of the dangers for family and friends. It came at a high personal cost to make this choice and it is this attitude that draws me to this mornings passage.

Matthew 10:34–39 NIV

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

A Sword not Peace

One we read this passage we are faced with a passage that is quite challenging for people.

Matthew 10:34 NIV

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

When I first read this I started thinking about how many people want to think about Jesus. Isn’t it easy to think of Jesus as love. Someone who is only about love is not going to make a point like this. I mean love and peace should go together. How can we have love if we don’t have peace. Yet, this is not what Jesus promises. That creates challenges for many people because it starts to flip our understanding of the relationship that we share with Jesus.

Even the scriptures present to us the idea of the Messiah bringing peace

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 11:6–9 NIV

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Jesus the Messiah is the bringer of peace but sometimes before we get to peace we have to go through conflict and hardship. There are challenges that we will face when we choose to follow Jesus. It is not going to be perfect. While we may not experience peace from the world we can have peace knowing that Jesus is our King and that we can follow him and he will support us through anything.

The Sword of Conflict

One of the great challenges when we change who we are fundamentally as a person we are going to see conflict.

I have to be honest right now. The truth is when we decide to follow Jesus we need to face the harsh truth we are called to fundamentally change who we are. You are called to something different. I am called to something more. Life will change. The Spirit doesn’t leave you exactly the same as you were before when you start to follow Jesus.

Change can create hardship because the teachings of our faith do not always work with the world today.

Need proof of that. How many of you have turned on the news for just a few minutes and felt that you were being called a bigot, intolerant, unloving all because the beliefs of Christianity aren’t in line with the mainstream line of thought in the world.

We stand firm on areas like family, sexuality, fair treatment, drugs, alcohol, and so many other issues that many in the world don’t see as a problem but we have to recognize we can’t be a part of.

We have to also recognize that where we stand firm on issues does not give us permission to not love or forgive or share the message of the gospel with others. Just because someone lives a lifestyle or participates in something that we don’t agree with doesn’t mean we can’t treat them with Kindness. However, we also must speak that truth in love. Speaking that truth in love though will create hardship and at times hurt feelings.

This is a result of us living under the Kingship of God. It is here that we are reminded that we are first citizens of God’s kingdom.

I shared earlier the power of he Decleration of Independence and the pain and hardship those men were bringing on themselves and their families. They did that for their country.

As Christians our first allegiance is to God’s Kingdom.

What then are you willing to put on the line for his Kingdom?

God’s Kingship is one which has always and will always lead to violent response from those who are threatened by it.

We have to also recognize this conflict may not always come from outside place though it also can come from within our own family.

Family Values

Evangelical Christians value family. We place a high value on the family unit. We have our concept of what the nuclear family should be and that is something that we guard fiercely.

Family is often for us defined by a Father, Mother, and children.

Of course we have our extended family but the immediate family is the most important thing for us.

In Palestine in Jesus time Family looked a little different.

Family included that extended family. It wouldn’t be uncommon for grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and beyond to all live in the same household or next door and all on the same land. Not only did they live together but your job, who you married and many other life choices were made by the family.

That’s very different than how we operate today. Many in our modern world when you hit 18 are kicked out of the house and sent to figure out what you want to do. There is a lot more self-determination and separation from the family.

What is in common though is the high value of family.

It is interesting to me that we have come to accept families don’t look like what we used to expect as the nuclear family but we still grieve heavily and strive to protect that even in divorce and other ways that families break apart and have become more blended.

Jesus though looks at the Family and says something that flips the order of things both back then and even today.

Matthew 10:35–37 NIV

35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Jesus recognized that faith and following him may lead to conflict even in our families. It may lead to hardship and disagreement. Especially for those of us who have family members who aren’t believers.

This is not an easy thing.

Jesus calls us to forsake even our families to follow after him. He calls us to more to pick up our cross.

Matthew 10:38–39 NIV

38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

The Cost of Following

Jesus Requires of us Complete Allegiance!

Hear that again.

Jesus requires of us Complete Allegiance!

We are celebrating our country this week. As we should.

We will most likely spend time with family. As we should.

We will celebrate and honor these things in our lives. However, we have to face a hard truth right now.

They aren’t to be first in our lives!

Compared to our relationship with God these things mean nothing.

People list all the time.

God, family, Country or God Country family or even God, guns, country, Family. Some variation of that order.

Usually God is first. I wonder sometimes though when we list it out do we really believe that it is God first.

Are we really ready to give ourselves to what God has for us even if it means our family may suffer a little or a lot?

Are we willing to forsake our country and serve the Kingdom of God first?

It is only when we recognzie these things and we pick up our cross that we see that we can be more. That we can experience verse 39 better

Matthew 10:39 NIV

39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

It is in the sacrifice of giving our lives to Christ that we come to realize that we have found new life not just on this world but in heaven. It is here that we have found the promise of heaven and the grace of God to have that hope. It is here that we can gain peace even among the hardship and conflict that will come when we follow after him.

Are we ready?

Are we willing to follow him?

No matter the cost is he everything?

He gave everything for us on the cross are we willing to do the same.

Transition to communion.