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Part 2
by Samuel E. Ward
Introduction
Jim Elliot, who was martyred in 1956, wrote this in his diary.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
Jim Elliot (1927–1956)
The words of Oswald Chambers describe well what must have been Jim Elliot's understanding about what it meant to offer one's life as a living sacrifice to Christ and to be ready to die as one should God ordain.
"Our notion of sacrifice is the wringing out of us something we don't want to give up, full of pain and agony and distress. The Bible idea of sacrifice is that I give as a love-gift the very best thing I have."
Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)
It is not an easy thing to be a disciple of Jesus Christ as many have discovered over the years. Many have allowed the Word of God to be sown on their hearts but not as many have allowed it to take root so that it could yield many-fold in spiritual harvest. As Jesus' parable concerning the Seed and the Sower illustrates, for some the Word does not take root because Satan so easily snatches it away because they do not seek to understand it. Others, when they experience troubles and persecution because of the Word of God, decide they do not want any part of it. Some still find the Word of God choked out of their lives by cares, worries, and the drive to gain earthly wealth. But the one who receives the Word of God with understanding concerning its eternal value is willing to invest his/her life to "gain what he cannot lose."
We do well, then, to gain understanding about what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
Our study began by noting that . . .
I. There Are Demands Placed upon Disciples
A. Our Present Life Is a Sacrificial Gift to Others—Our Future Life Contains Reward for Faithful Service, Mat 16:24.
1. Christ's Demand
(Mat 16:24 NIV) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
2. The Christian Application
(Rom 12:5 NIV) So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. . . {10} Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
3. Christ's Example
(Titus 2:14 NIV) [Jesus Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
4. The Christ-like Way to Obey:
a. By loving God and your neighbor.
(Mat 22:37-40 NIV) Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' {38} This is the first and greatest commandment. {39} And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' {40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
b. By serving God and our neighbor in the manner of Christ's own service to us.
(Mat 20:26-28 NIV) "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, {27} and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- {28} just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Let us review the kinds of needs represented in the New Testament toward which Christians should be ready to minister as previously presented.
o The loving servant of God should be ready to meet the physical needs of others, Mat 15:32; Rom 12:13, 12-21; James 2:15-17.
o The loving servant of God should be ready to provide for the safety and security of God's people, Acts 9:23-25; 17:1-10.
o The loving servant of God should be ready to provide a place of acceptance and fellowship for others, James 2:1-5.
o The loving servant of God should be ready to provide a place for others to serve, 1 Cor 12:11-12.
To these we will now add four more:
o The loving servant of God should be able to teach others how to understand and grow in their knowledge of God and all things relative to life in Him.
(Titus 2:11-15 NIV) For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. {12} It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, {13} while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, {14} who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. {15} These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
o The loving servant of God should be able to show others the beauty of all that is true, noble, right, pure, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy in order to draw them to the God who makes sense in the midst of the disorder and confusion in the world.
(Phil 4:8-9 NIV) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. {9} Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
o The loving servant of God should help others realize their full potential as a Christian serving God and to find the true meaning of life.
(Eph 4:11-13 NIV) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, {12} to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up {13} until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
o The loving servant of God should foster in others the responsibility of discipling others in the ways they have been taught to serve God.
(1 Th 1:4-7 NIV) For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, {5} because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. {6} You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. {7} And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
A classic representation of Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs. Though there have been several modifications and refinements by other psychological researchers since it was first introduced in 1954, it still reflects well what is generally accepted as a ranking of human needs in order of what is necessary to survive to what is fulfillment of meaning in one's personal life. It takes us from our need for food, clothing, and shelter to the desire to have our lives mean something to others while we are here.
One thing should be immediately apparent. God was well aware of the human condition and their needs long before Maslow developed this hierarchy. Indeed, God was the One who encoded these needs into our very being.
Our New Testament survey has shown us the kinds of needs that were met by Christ, and we have seen how the church has been instructed to minister to others in like manner. This study, therefore, provides an excellent source of information that can be used to design comprehensive ministry projects to those within and outside of the believing community. The object of such projects would be to further develop Christ-likeness in believers and lead others to faith in Christ and then on to discipleship.
Besides understanding that our present lives are to be a sacrificial gift to others, there is something else we must be willing to sacrifice . . .
B. Our Commitment to Christ Must Supersede All Other Allegiances and Affections When They Conflict
(Luke 14:26 NIV) "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my
disciple."
Fewer verses in scripture have generated more angst among disciples and would-be disciples than Luke 14:26. It seems a contradiction to the very heart of the mission of God among men to create community between Himself and the world and the world with itself. Can there be any room for hate in the life of a believer? One would think not until we read Luke 14:26.
Our initial observation of the text yield these thoughts: 1) They certainly are attention-getting and 2) Jesus apparently infers that one can follow along with Jesus without becoming a disciple.
Crucial to our understanding of Jesus' words here is the word "hate." What does Jesus mean when He says that one cannot be His disciple without hating? Do we understand all of the nuances of the word "hate"?
Fortunately, the Bible does offer us insights that when taken together aid us to comprehend what Jesus is asking of those who would be His disciples. This comprehension is helped by examining three passages that illustrate a biblical shade of meaning for hate that needs expansion:
Hate needs to be understood in one sense as a form of loving something or someone less than another.
1. Illustrated by Jacob, Rachel, and Leah, Gen 29:30-33
(Gen 29:30-33 KJV) And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. {31} And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. {32} And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. {33} And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon.
Take note of the following:
a. Notice Jacob's feelings for Rachel are described as loving her more than Leah.
b. The LORD described Jacob's feelings for Leah as hate [Heb., sane].
c. Leah hoped that giving birth to Reuben would cause Jacob to love her.
d. Leah interpreted the birth of a second son, Simeon, as the LORD's recompense for Jacob's hate.
Nothing in the passage indicates anything like what we generally describe as "hate" in our present culture. In the culture of Jacob, it did not always carry with it the idea of absolute despising and ill-will for the person or thing hated. It sometimes indicates the loving of one thing or person more and the other less.
No matter how close the relationship, if it stands in the way of our obedience to God, we must choose God. We will, by the very act of choosing God's will over another's, be indicating that our love for God is stronger and love toward the other is less. This choice is a biblical expression of "hate" that is not malevolent but spiritually appropriate.
2. Illustrated by God's Warning to Israel About Worshiping Other Gods
(Exo 20:2-6 NIV) "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. {3} "You shall have no other gods before me. {4} "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. {5} You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, {6} but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
a. God demanded absolute and solitary status as Israel's God.
b. God characterized the worship of any other god as an act of hate towards Him.
c. God is jealous of the affection of His children and will not allow this affection to be shared with other gods.
(Exo 20:22-23 NIV) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: {23} Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. '"
No other god was to have equal claim to worship alongside Jehovah. Israel must choose where their love and commitment was to lie.
3. Illustrated by Romans 9:13
(Rom 9:10-13 NIV) Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. {11} Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election might stand: {12} not by works but by him who calls--she was told, "The older will serve the younger." {13} Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
The biblical pattern is becoming apparent as we note the connection of choice relative to the concept of hate. Hate is not necessarily an emotion; but because we sometimes hate because of perceived wrongs against us, hate can be associated with anger and even malice toward another which definitely will cause us to choose one over another.
What become clears from the aforementioned passages is that hate is expressed whenever someone wills to prefer one over another for whatever reason, even no reason at all except that it was a choice that was made. There are times when we can only make one choice among many choices because it is impossible to choose all. Such was the case of the choice between Jacob and Esau. Only one could be the son of the promise to fulfill those made to Abraham. There would be many sons who would produce family lines, but only one could produce the line through which the Messiah/King would come and bring blessing to all the nations.
4. Illuminated by Christ
(Mat 10:34-39 NIV) "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 his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; {38} and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. {39} Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
a. Jesus came to force men and women to make a choice concerning Him.
b. Jesus came to expose the affections of the hearts of men and women.
c. Jesus knew that these choices would make enemies of some within their very own families.
d. Jesus required that we even love death more than life if choosing life meant denying Him.
e. Jesus demanded absolute allegiance and commitment from all who would be His disciples.
Conclusion: What Is Your Choice Today
God has revealed that there is only one God to worship—therefore, all other gods are to be hated by virtue of that choice. There is only one Person whose will displace all others and must be obeyed—therefore, anyone who would choose another's will to obey (whether father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters) must be hated by virtue of the choice to obey God rather than them. However, for all other purposes, they are to be loved for God's sake.
Those of you who are married may remember that in your marriage vows you essentially made a promise to "hate" all previous competitors for your affection when you agreed to "forsake all others, keep yourself only unto Him as long as you both shall live."
When you come to Jesus and commit yourself to be His disciple, you are making the same commitment. The commitment Christ demands of His disciples is absolute and unconditional. It demands that you be ready to offer your very life.
Two Coast Guardsmen were preparing to engage in a rescue attempt of two fishermen lost in a storm. Someone shouted out to them: "Don't go out there. You may never get back." One of the guardsmen replied, "We don't have to get back, but we have to go."
In regard to obeying Christ to be His disciples, we don't have to get back, but we have to go.
What is your choice?
