Bearing Grace
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Point: Bearing the cross is to bear the grace of Christ
“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.
Now great crowds were traveling with Him. So He turned and said to them: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to make fun of him, saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
Jesus intentionally preaches a sermon that will thin out the ranks of the crowd following Him. He knows that most of the crowd is only interested in the spectecal of seeing Him perform another miracle, feed them, or see Jesus overthrow the Romans as the promised Messiah. Jesus was contending with the Pharisees and it was of great interest and amusment for the crowds gathered. Jesus reprimands the Pharisees teaching that the Law, their rules, are secondary to the well-being of God’s children. A suffering donkey or an ox, stuck in a well on the Sabbath would be helped, so should a child of God who is of much greater value. Are we
He pushes back at their arrogance and self-importance by teaching that humility and taking the chair of less status is a more desirable way to live, than to seek the esteem and honor of others. Instead of seeking to invite those to our homes and parties that can enhance our business standing and social clout, seek those who cannot elevate us or invite us back. Love others not because of the advantage you can gain, but simply because Jesus loved without color, agenda, or seeking of favor. If one lives by the game of social importance, one day one will find their invitations ignored or social prestige and benefit passed over for “better things” or excuses. Jesus’ parable about the Great Banquet teaches us this. He teaches us that being invited to and attending His Great Banquet, is the only event of real importance that matters in the end (Luke 14:16-24). One’s spiritual condition and destiny, is far more important than the social conventions, power, and honor that one can accumulate during this life.
Personal discipleship to Jesus is about conviction being lived out in quality, not necessarily quantity. He wants His house to be full of lost souls saved by His grace (Luke 14:23), but by only those who are willing to pay His price. By those who are willing to count the cost and pay His price. The price being that we love Him so supremely, that all other love is like hatred in comparision. The Aramaic word used for “hate” really means “to love a great deal less”. The cost of following Christ is that all other loves are of far less consuming importance than that of loving God and loving His will and work. Salvation is open to all who come by faith and trust in Jesus. But being a disciple of Christ is about carrying the cross and following Jesus, as Jesus followed His Father. Disciples are believers who are willing to pay the price and bear the cross of, and for, Jesus.
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
Am I attached to Jesus? Am I wanting to learn from Him? Bear His price? Carry a cross and follow Him?
Just as Christ is Christ only in virtue of His suffering and rejection, so the disciple is a disciple only as far as he shares his Lord’s suffering and rejection and crucifixion. -Dietrich Bonnhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, p.77
To bear our cross, the cross of Christ, is to bear suffering, and rejection, and ultimately crucifixion. To willingly submit ourselves to endure suffering, rejection, and social, and physical death, because of Jesus grace and favor towards me.
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
If we refuse to take up our cross and submit to suffering and rejection at the hands of men, we forfeit our fellowship with Christ and have ceased to follow Him. -Dietrich Bonnhoeffer, Ibid, p.80
The church of Laodicea was at one time attached to Jesus in this way, but gave into compromise. The church was willing to forfeit their fellowship with Christ in order to have peace with the world they lived in. With the intense pressure to embrace the Imperial Cult - to swear allegiance to Ceasar as god; and to live by their values and priorities; the Laodicean church developed a brand of Christianity that allowed them to live a private religious life with Jesus, and then live by the values and priorities of Rome in the public realm. This is called hypocrisy - being and living double-minded, of which Jesus condemns.
But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Laodicea was famous for three things: many banks and solventcy, clothing industry, and an excellent medical school. They had wealth, clothing, and medicine…what more could one ask for. They had it all…except for good water. Their drinking water was warm…lukewarm in fact. Their water travelled many miles, through stone pipes and acquducts, from Colosse, because they had no natural springs in Laodicea. Hieropolis, only 6 miles away, had hot springs for healing, Colosse springs for refeshment, but Laodicea had nothing but warm water. Jesus says the Laodicean church is like warm water, no zeal, no healing, no refreshment, no excitement for Christ. C.S. Lewis called Laodicea “the church of mild approval”, and that Jesus Christ should produce three effects in people - hatred, terror, or adoration. What effect does Jesus produce in you? In this church? Are we zealous or complacent about Him and His will and call for our lives? Is our spiritual condition lukewarm like Laodicea? Jesus says lukewarm water is only good for spitting out or vomiting up. To be hot is to be healing. To be cold is to be refreshing. To be warm is to be good for nothing.
The worst thing about the Laodicean church was that they had no idea they had, and were, losing their way. Once one compromise is made, the next are easy to accomodate…and we do this all in the name of Christ until His name stands for nothing but cheap grace. Jesus says to seek Him as our gold, because the world’s gold is fools gold leading us to be wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked (v.17). The ointment that you put on your aches and pains, the salve that you put on your eyes so that you can see, is inadequate, a temporary solution that does not bring permanent relief (v.18). Instead seek me. Repent and be committed to Me, not complacent, apathetic, and compromising. Suffering, rejection and social death are all apart of Jesus’ costly grace. This is the cross we choose to bear when we follow Christ as His disciples. The cup only passes from Jesus, once He drank it. Bearing our cross is the only way of triumphing over this world, of suffering and rejection. We are called to bear and endure. Laodicea failed to do so and gave into compromise. Have I compromised my faith in Jesus? My trust in Him for that of which the world offers as health, safety, and security?
Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me.
This verse is used primarily by Christians as a evangelistic appeal to people without Christ. It is used wrong, in the wrong context. This was an appeal, by Christ, to the Laodicean Church, to let Him back into their lives, their body. Jesus had become locked out because of their compromise with society and culture. Have I locked Jesus out? Is He on the outside, knocking and appealing to us, to let Him back in? To become the center of our lives once again? The danger of compromise is that it makes Jesus cheap instead of costly. His grace becomes common instead of highly treasured.
All is not lost though, if we find that we have made Jesus cheap, and is standing on the outside of our lives....He is knocking! He is waiting to be let back inside. Laodicea is not done, their lampstand has not been removed, but is in danger of being removed. Forgiveness is available, repentance is still received, Love has always been waiting, like the Father at the end of the road waiting for His lost son or daughter to return, and let Him in, once again.
Sermon in a Sentence: Bearing the grace of Christ is costly because one has to bear the cross of Christ. Grace is not beared when compromise is our conviction.