All In

What does it mean to be a Christian?

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In 2021, the Cultural Research Center, George Barna’s polling organization, sought to find clarity on this question: What does it mean when people say they are a Christian?

The results they found were fascinating. Their poll found that about 7 out of every 10 adults adopt the label “Christian” to identify their faith, an estimated 176 million adults in the U.S. But when they asked more questions, they found that only 9% of self-identified Christians have a biblical worldview - about 15 million adults!

“Too often, it seems, people who are simply religious, or regular churchgoers, or perhaps people who want a certain reputation or image embrace the label ‘Christian,’ regardless of their spiritual life and intentions” explained George Barna, the lead researcher at the Cultural Research Center. “’Christian’ has become somewhat of a generic term rather than a name that reflects a deep commitment to passionately pursuing and being like Jesus Christ.

https://georgebarna.com/2021/08/what-does-it-mean-when-people-say-they-are-christian/

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What does it truly mean to be a follower of Jesus - a Christian?

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Jesus answers that question in the scripture we are studying today.

Matthew 16:24–28 ESV

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

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In Matthew 16 we find a key turning point in Jesus' ministry. Matthew 16:13 says he took the disciples with him to the far north edge of Israel, about 25 miles north of Galilee, to Caesarea Philippi.

This was a border town near the base of Mount Hermon which rises 1,700 feet, a predominantly Gentile area and a center of pagan worship, including the worship of God.

Against that backdrop of competing gods and competing claims, Jesus asked His disciples the defining question…

Paraphrased - Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol. 24, p. 18). Thomas Nelson Inc.

Matthew 16:13 ESV

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

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Then, Jesus asked them who they believed him to be.

Peter answered with that great statement: "You are the Christ, the Son of God."

At this point, Jesus began to teach the disciples about his coming death and resurrection. They did not understand what Jesus was saying.

In fact, Peter argued with Jesus. It did not make sense to Peter that the Messiah, the Son of God, would suffer and die.

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Did Peter think Jesus was depressed?

Did he think Jesus was intimidated about the task before him?

Did Peter think that because Jesus was the Messiah that life would or should be easy?

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We are not told exactly why Peter responded the way he did, but it seems apparent that Peter wanted to follow Jesus on his own terms.

Jesus rebuked him, saying:

Matthew 16:23 ESV

"…You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Now, we read Jesus teaching his disciples what it truly mean to be a disciple of Jesus: the true disciple must be totally devoted to Jesus.

Big Idea: The true disciple follows Jesus on His terms.

Matthew 16:24 ESV

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

In this verse we find three characteristics of discipleship. Let’s consider each of these, along with questions that get to the heart of what it means to follow Jesus on his terms, rather than ours.

1. Denial of self - “What am I unwilling to surrender?”, v. 25.

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said that anyone who would come after him must “deny himself.”

Matthew 16:25 ESV

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

You have probably heard the story - or some variation of it - about the man who was working the roof of his two-story house when he lost his balance and fell, tumbling over the side.

At the last moment, he grabbed hold of the gutter. He yelled out, “Help! Help! Is there anyone down there who can help me?”

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No one answered.

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Then the man looked up to the skies and cried out, “Is there anyone up there who can help me?”

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God spoke from Heaven and said, “Let go and I will take care of you.”

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The man thought about that for a moment and then cried out, “Is there anybody else up there who can help me?”

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So often we mirror this many in our attitudes and actions. We hold on for dear life to this world, doing our best to save ourselves. But Jesus says that our own efforts to save ourselves will always fail. If we lose our life for Him, we will find it.

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To be a Christian, to be saved from sin, requires our surrender. We must admit that we are sinners. We have sinned against God. We deserve death in Hell for eternity. We cannot save ourselves.

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Only through Jesus can we receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Only by surrendering ourselves to Jesus do we discover the life that only He can give.

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Here’s the thing: many seem to believe that you can trust Jesus to be your Savior without relying on him to be your Lord. The idea is to enjoy the benefits of discipleship without the commitment.

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But as Jesus taught in this passage, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself… .”

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We must surrender the control of our lives to Jesus when we accept his grace through faith in him, but we must also continue to surrender the control of our lives to Jesus as we live for him.

The human “default” is to live for Self. Even those who tend to live a more moral life - are kind, considerate, honest with others - apart from Christ live for Self.

This is part of our nature that we are born with. The call to surrender to Christ then is contrary to our nature. It is only by God’s grace that we can turn from self-rule and surrender ourselves to Christ.

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We must deny ourselves.

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Sometimes, the issue of control and self-seeking that tests us is easy to spot. Other times, we may be deceived, thinking we are just doing what is common sense or natural.

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Instead, we should measure ourselves as Christ followers at all times, asking if our behavior, our speech, our course of action is God-honoring and within his will.

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So, as we explore what it means to be a Christian, we recognize we are called to deny ourselves, and it is essential that we ask ourselves the question, “What am I unwilling to surrender to Jesus? Is there anything I am unwilling to surrender to God?”

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Am I trying to live for Jesus on my own terms, or have I truly denied myself to follow him?

As we continue to explore what Jesus said it mean to be his followers, we also find that it includes a …

2. Daily dying - “What am I trying to preserve?”, v. 26.

In verse 24, Jesus said that his true followers must…

Matthew 16:24 ESV

… deny himself and take up his cross …

In Luke’s parallel account, we find an added word:

Luke 9:23 ESV

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily …

When Jesus told the disciples to take up a cross, none of them thought of jewelry hanging from a necklace or a decoration in church. They pictured execution.

Carrying a cross wasn’t someone headed for difficulty, it was someone going to die. To take up one’s cross meant surrendering one’s rights, plans and reputation. It meant giving up one’s life. This is the posture of discipleship: every day dying to the claim that our life belongs to us.

As Jesus expanded upon this daily dying, he asked in verse 26…

Matthew 16:26 ESV

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Jesus illustrated this truth elsewhere when he gave the parable of the farmer who one year had an abundant harvest. The farmer said, “I’m going to tear down my barns and build bigger ones!”

Bigger, better, more. Success.

The man planned to retire and take it easy. He would relax.

Luke 12:20–21 ESV

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

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What are we trying to preserve? What are we trying to hold onto?

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If you were to take an inventory of your life… everything you have - actual possessions but more than that - your family, your job, your hobbies, etc.; everything you hold dear, everything you hope to gain or accomplish… do your desires, goals, hopes and dreams reflect an earthly focus or a heavenly one?

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Yes, we necessarily live here on earth. It is not necessarily wrong to succeed or gain wealth here on earth. The question is if all that we are doing or desire reveals a focus on earthly values. Or, do we live on earth in preparation for an eternal kingdom?

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Is our wealth all tied up in treasures here on earth?

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Have we stored up treasure in heaven that will last for eternity?

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Of all that we have collected and are trying to preserve, will it truly last?

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Jesus does not call us to a road He refused to travel. Before He called His disciples to take up their crosses, He told them that He was going to His. And unlike us, He went to that cross not for His sins, but for ours. We surrender our lives to the One who first gave His life for us.

The true disciple follows Jesus on his terms because we realize that, “Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

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3. Definite direction - “What am I ultimately living for?”, v. 27.

Matthew 16:24 ESV

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

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We are saved by grace through faith. Our salvation does not depend on anything we have done or could do or who we are or could be.

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Yet while our salvation is not a matter of works, Jesus will repay us based on how we steward our lives as his disciples.

Matthew 16:27 ESV

For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

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It has been necessary to emphasize that our salvation does not come by our good works. Yet we recognize that Jesus often spoke of the Christian life as a stewardship before God.

The grace that saves us produces a life of allegiance to Christ. When Jesus returns, every life will be brought under His judgment. What we do with our lives matters… eternally.

We remember the Parable of Talents when three servants were given differing amounts of money by their master as he went away. They were to invest the money for their master while he was gone. Two did; one did not and was judged severely.

We also remember the Parable of the Minas. In this story ten servants were given the same amount of money. We are only told about the master’s later interaction with three of those ten. One gained 10 minas, another gained 5, and one did nothing.

The master’s condemnation was reserved only for the one who did nothing. While the other servants gained differing amounts, the master was pleased with both, and rewarded both accordingly.

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As disciples of Jesus, we are responsible for the stewardship of our lives.

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Especially in the Parable of the Minas, the return the servants gained was not all the same. But that didn’t seem to matter to the master. He was pleased that they had stewarded his money faithfully. He only condemned the one who did nothing.

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God is not holding us accountable to the standard of others around us, but he is expecting us to serve him faithfully. And he will reward us accordingly.

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So the question truly is, “what are we living for?” Are we living for what we can accomplish, experience, and accumulate here on earth? Or, are we aiming for God’s reward for a life committed to God’s kingdom?

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In verse 28, Jesus went on to say…

Matthew 16:28 ESV

Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

There have been various explanations of Jesus’ meaning in these words, but we do see that just six days after this time, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him up a mountain where His glory was unveiled before them.

The suffering Messiah they were being called to follow is the glorious King and one day His glory will be revealed to all.

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What does it mean to be a Christian? The true disciple must live fully devoted to Jesus. This devotion is demonstrated in that…

Big Idea: The true disciple follows Jesus on His terms.

We, as followers of Jesus - Christians, are called by our Lord to deny Self, to daily die for Jesus’ sake, and to follow a definite direction - the footsteps of Christ.

Scriptures like this invite us to examine ourselves, to be accountable to Jesus. And so we should allow the Holy Spirit to probe our hearts:

What am I unwilling to surrender?

What am I trying to preserve?

What am I ultimately living for?

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William Borden, who lived from 1887 to 1913, was born into tremendous wealth in Chicago. After graduating from high school, he traveled around the world and became burdened by the spiritual need he saw. He eventually committed himself to missionary service among Muslims in China.

At Yale, Borden could have lived as a privileged young millionaire. Instead, he poured himself into evangelism, prayer, ministry among the poor, and preparation for missions.

After seminary, he sailed for the mission field. He stopped in Egypt to study Arabic—and contracted meningitis. He died in 1913 at only 25, before he ever reached China.

His early biographer summarized his life with three phrases: “No reserve. No retreat. No regrets.” Those words are often claimed to have been written by Borden himself in his Bible, but that story appears to be legendary. They actually come from his biographer’s description of his consecration.

From the world’s perspective, the obvious question was: What a waste. He had wealth, education, ability, connections, and his whole life ahead of him.

Here’s the point.

The question isn’t whether Borden lived long enough to accomplish everything he intended. The question is whether the life he had belonged completely to Christ. He was all in.

Summary by ChatGPT, edited by me, Sources: https://snuhome.org/~hculbert/regret.htm&utm_source=chatgpt.com; https://books.google.com/books/about/Borden_of_Yale.html?id=xOLiEAAAQBAJ&utm_source=chatgpt.com

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This is the same challenge Jesus gave his disciples in our text, but that he also calls us to today. Will we go “All In” for Jesus?

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The true disciple follows Jesus on His terms.

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What am I unwilling to surrender?

What am I trying to preserve?

What am I ultimately living for?

Jesus does not call us to add Him to the life we have chosen for ourselves. He calls us to give him the life itself. No reserve. No retreat. No regrests. All in.

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Are you all in for your Lord?