You Cannot Tiptoe Past The Cross
Most of us who follow Christ and actually want to be disciples who make disciples, often have a beggar’s attitude or feel we need to convince people of how good Jesus is. We try to oversell the Christian lifestyle.
We talk about being blessed by God. We falsely state, “Just follow Jesus and your life will be great. We take on the persona of a slick car salesman. We showcase all the benefits of this Christian package and quickly recite Jeremiah 29:11
“For I now the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
We go to the Holy slam dunk with John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Just say this prayer and everything is going to be great. If Christianity had a tag line, this would certainly be a contender.
We try to make surrendering to Jesus sound like we are selling the latest iPhone.
We point out all the great benefits. How great their life will be. How easy their life will become once they buy iJesus, all the while sounding nothing like the call Jesus gave.
Let’s get a commitment card signed. Our sinner’s prayer quotas are low this month. We need to get sales up. We need to fill these seats.
STOP IT
Stop trying to convince people Jesus is worthy. Stop with the infomercial sales pitches, the fluff and the Christianese that goes with it.
People should be convincing Jesus they are willing to count the cost. To crucify their flesh. People need to consider the cost.
The call of Christ is to die, Dying is painful. It is not a pain free, prosperous life. You cannot tiptoe past the cross into heaven.
When a person signs up to be a United States Marine, they know what they are in for. They have considered and counted the cost.
They are aware they will be fighting a very real enemy. They are broken down and rebuilt in boot camp. They are pushed beyond their limits so they are prepared for the battles to come. They understand the mission and the very real possibility, it could cost them their life.
They know all this ahead of time so they don’t cut and run in the thick of things. They know the greater cause is worth the sacrifice. By the time they arrive on the battlefield, they expect bullets to be flying in their direction. They are in enemy territory and they anticipate attacks. They anticipate casualties.
We don’t send our Christian recruits to boot camp. We throw concerts and preach feel good messages about living their best life now. We sell them a get-out-of-hell free policy that isn’t worth the paper it’s drawn up on.
The second they face adversity, when the devil shoots his flaming arrows at them, they cut and run. They say, “I tried Jesus, but he didn’t work for me.
Let’s clear this up now: Jesus doesn’t work for you. He died for you. That’s the reason to serve him. Because of what he did on the cross.
There are some scripture must reads if you want to understand how to be equipped for battle yourselves, while equipping others.
Then he said to them all, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose their very self?
(Luke 9:23-25 NIV)
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you, if someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also.
If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
The ability to live a life resulting in this type of behavior, requires more than saying the “sinner’s prayer” which is not even mentioned in scripture.
I have never read one scripture verse where Jesus ended his teaching with, “Now everyone bow your heads, no one looking around. If there is anyone here today who would like to accept me into their heart, slip up your hand. Nobody looking around. Eyes closed. Heads bowed. I see your hand. I see your hand in the back. Anyone else. Anyone at all. We will wait another minute. Sounds totally ridiculous as I type the words.
As they walked along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Does not sound like the prosperity Gospel we teach so often in America. Jesus is warning us, following him could lead to homelessness.)
He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But the man replied, “Lord, FIRST let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, BUT YOU go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Jesus’ response sounds harsh if not understood in the right context of the time. The man’s Father had not just passed away and the man simply wanted to go to the funeral for a hot minute, then follow Jesus. The man’s Father was alive and may be for years. The man was saying, “Let me follow you someday after my father dies.)
Verse 61 Still another said, “ I WILL follow you Lord; BUT FIRST let me go and say goodbye to my family.” (Check out Jesus’ response) “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.”
There are a few things just beneath the surface here, we can miss if we are not listening to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and teaching here.
First; Jesus had a reason for not wanting the man to go talk to his family before following him. He knew the man’s family and friends would dissuade him and talk him out of following Jesus. They would give him many reasons and he, not being strong in his newfound faith, would change his mind. Jesus wanted to get him in the game first. To experience his faith. To allow it to grow first. To get stronger before facing his family and friends.
It’s easy to talk someone out of following Jesus before they start down the path, but once they are miles in and see the glory of God, and experience it firsthand, it’s nearly impossible to tear them away from Jesus.
Jesus did not say the man could never return to his family because we learn that Peter, a follower of Christ, was married and chilling at his mother-in-law’s house.
And secondly, notice Jesus didn’t say the man was unfit to be loved by God. Jesus didn’t say the man could not be saved. He said unfit for service.
Jesus wanted to take the man on a journey forward. The man wanted to look back.
Paul later referenced the same situation in 2 Timothy 2:4
No one serving as a soldier of Jesus Christ gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
And way back in the Old Testament, we are told of an incident involving Lot and his wife.
You must hate your father and mother
Luke 9:57-62
These are in direct opposition to how we “market” Jesus
Jesus wanted unwavering commitment and made that crystal clear. Someone wanted to go back and say goodbye to their family.
Jesus: No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.
Wow! Really Jesus? That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?
You might turn people away with that attitude. We need everyone we can get.
Today, if someone wants to continue having sex outside of marriage. We brush it under the carpet with sure, whatever feels right to you. Oh and we are having a movie night in two weeks if you and your girlfriend are not doing anything else, please if you are not too busy or really bored, just consider coming.
We will provide you with awesome snacks and sodas. The popcorn is so buttery and the coffee is to die for.
Stop pitching the “It’s a wonderful life package. Jesus warned us to “count the cost”. How can anyone count the cost if we tell them there aren’t any?
There are real consequences to wholly surrendering to Christ.
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12 NIV)
There are blessings in being being persecuted. Don’t rob people of those experiences.
Blessed are you when people persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Matthew 5:11-12 NIV)
When we sell the wonderful life package, this is what Jesus warns will happen to those who buy it:
But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Stop producing Lukewarm Christians.
