2 Corinthians 6:1-13 The Cost of Discipleship

Intro:

I bet you will be excited to know that holiday weekend will cost you less than last year

If you total up the costs if what it takes to put on a backyard bbq it will cost you .16 cents less than last year

The 4th of July is the day we celebrate the independence of our country from the grip of England

We became a nation that would model democracy unlike any other country before it and since

That freedom didn’t come without a price

People have sacrificed everything for the freedoms we enjoy

Sadly, most nations can exist two hundred years before it starts to crumble and fade away

Becoming a citizen of this country doesn’t cost most people anything, just be born here

There is a cost to be a part of society

The same can be said for Christianity

While salvation is a gift that costs you nothing, discipleship is going to

Today we are going to look at the cost of discipleship

Read 2 Corinthians 6:1-4

Transition:

People often fall into the trap of treating Christianity as a Genie in a Bottle

They want to rub the bottle only when they need something. They want all of the blessings a genie can give them. They don’t want it to cost them anything

If they mocked and criticized Jesus the same is going to happen to you

Never play baseball, and you’ll never strike out. Never lead and you’ll never be criticized. Never preach and you’ll never bore anyone. Never confront and conflicts will be minimized.

I want to show you four warnings about the cost of discipleship

I. Avoid Cheap Grace vs. 1-2

The first warning we see in the cost of discipleship is to avoid cheap grace

The Corinthians were swinging wildly to both ends of the pendulum

They had those who were celebrating their liberty to the point where they were abusing the grace of Jesus

Both of these paths cheapen God’s grace

Jesus paid for the grace we have with His life

If you receive the gift of grace and then live like you haven’t been transformed you cheapen the grace of Jesus

Salvation came at a great cost to Jesus and grace is offered to us for free but if we abuse it, it becomes cheap

Heb 12:15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled

II. Remove the Obstacles vs. 3-4a

The second warning we see in the cost of discipleship is to remove the obstacles

Then you had those who were being so legalistic that forgiveness of sins had to be earned

There were some false apostles in the church who were requiring the Gentiles to become circumcised before they were considered saved

These are unnecessary obstacles to salvation

We erect obstacles when we expect people to clean their lives up before they come to church or expect them to dress a certain way if they are going to worship

Boy with the Knit cap

A boy and his father visited a church

They sat close to the front. The boy was wearing a beanie

A deacon, in a suit and tie, walked down to them and informed the boy he had to remove the cap

The boy said he would prefer to keep it on

The Deacon replied “This is the house of God and no hats are allowed!”

The father leaned over and quietly asked if they could make an exception

The Deacon refused

The boy slowly took his beanie off and it revealed he had lost his hair to cancer

He looked at his dad with tears in his eyes “Can we go?”

They got up and left

The church has been good at putting obstacles in the way of people coming to Christ

We are a Calvary Chapel, which means we are serious about worshipping and teaching the Word, but after that we want to make it very easy for people to be here

2 Cor 3:5-6 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

III. Blizzard of Troubles vs. 4-10

The third warning in the cost of discipleship is that there will be a blizzard of troubles

Grace and salvation are free and we aren’t supposed to put any cost on them

Once you have chosen to follow Jesus there will be a cost

It will cost you your former life and there will be a price to be paid on your sojourning with Christ

Paul lists many of the costs here

It can look like a daunting list

St. Chrysostom termed the opening list as a “blizzard of troubles

There are three groups of troubles followed by two encouragements

It is going to take endurance to get through these

vs. 4b Daily Troubles

The first troubles are ones all of us go through, daily troubles

He lists three: afflictions, hardships, & calamities

Afflictions are sickness & diseases

Hardships are things like losing employment

Calamities can be a car accident

We can’t do much to avoid any of them, we just have to go through them

They exact a great cost on us

2 Cor 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The key is to keep your focus on Jesus

vs. 5a Troubles from Others

The second troubles are from others

Paul lays out beatings, imprisonments, & riots

Most Christians won’t experience anything as harsh as this

But they will face insults, intimidation, and infighting

It is said that Christianity is the only group of people that shoot their wounded

Most attacks will come from within

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Find your peace in Jesus

vs. 5b Self-inflicted troubles

The final group of troubles are the self-inflicted ones

Paul describes labors, sleeplessness, & hunger

These came to him voluntarily as he willingly worked to exhaustion and went without sleep and skipped meals to do gospel work.

Phil 4:12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

There is a secret to facing the troubles

vs. 6-8a Spirit-fueled endurance

You need to have endurance fueled by the Spirit

We traverse these troubles with Spirit-fueled endurance

vs. 6-7 are a list of everything that the Spirit instills in us

Paul wants us to see that his great endurance in ministry is not an angry, tight-jawed, “I’ll show you” endurance, but rather his endurance rests in his purity of motive and life, in Spirit-given knowledge of Christ himself, in a Spirit-imbued patience that is not provoked to anger, in a genuine, unhypocritical love, in truthful speech, and in the power of God.

It is possible to endure in this life but to do it in a self-righteous, resentful survivor-spirit

Instead of the fruit of the Spirit, there is bitterness and joylessness.

Spirit-filled endurance testifies to the reality of Christ and that he is worth our trust and service.

Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

vs. 8b-10 Triumph over Trouble

Paul finishes this list with 7 paradoxes

It really is a mounting song of triumphant endurance

The first half is a discouragement, but the second half is a dance

Each of these troubles end in triumph

Ps 118:7 The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

Impostors yet true

unknown, but well known by God

Dying, yet full of life

Constant, yet full of sorrows

Making lives rich in the Gospel, but poor compared to the world’s standards

Having nothing, yet possessing everything

IV. Divided Hearts vs. 11-13

The final warning in the cost of discipleship is to avoid a Divided Heart

There is one final thing that can trip you up

Avoid a divided heart

This derails more disciples than everything else combined

People know they should follow Christ and it’s what they desperately want but they have given their heart to something else

Phil 1:9-11 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.