The Rest Of The Story (RP1)

(Audio version; Music: "Open Heaven" by: Hillsong Worship and "Oceans" by: WorshipMob)

Introduction

“She was 17 years old. He stood glaring at her, his weapon before her face. ‘Do you believe in God?’ She paused. It was a life-or-death question. ‘Yes, I believe in God.’ ‘Why?’ asked her executioner. But he never gave her the chance to respond. The teenage girl lay dead at his feet.”[1]

17-year old Rachel Scott lay dead at the feet of evil and hatred. And here’s a bit of cruel irony. Not a month before she was murdered, this is what she wrote in her personal journal; “I dare to believe that I can start a chain reaction through acts of kindness and compassion.” Instead, the story that was to be her life was over and we want (often demand) to know why. We find ourselves asking, “What about The Rest Of The Story?” We want The Rest Of The Story! Where do we go when we don’t know The Rest Of The Story –when the world is crashing in on us? To whom can we turn? There was a man, a king really, named David who answers some of our questions in one of the Psalms that he wrote. It’s Psalm 11 and I’d like to take a look at it together to see if it contains some answers to the questions we cry out when life begins to break down.

Subject Text

Psalm 11

¹In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain. ²For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. ³When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” ⁴The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. ⁵The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. ⁶On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. ⁷For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

Context

I’m not really convinced of the exact circumstances surrounding this Psalm. Some scholars believe it was written during the time when David was being hunted by a crazed king Saul. Others believe it was written while David was hiding and on the run from his murdering son, Absalom, who was bent on taking David’s throne by force. What’s important to note is that even after David was anointed king, he often faced opposition, hardship, and pain. I will concede that some of the hardship and pain was self-inflicted. However, not all of it was self-inflicted. Do you realize that David assumed the throne fourteen years after being anointed king? And during most of that time his life was constantly in danger by the sitting king, Saul, who he was supposed to replace. And then after ruling Israel for many years, his own son, Absalom, conspires to overthrow his father’s rule and take the throne by force. So even though we don’t know the precise context for our Subject Text, we do know that David’s rule was often difficult even though his kingship was ordained by God.

Text Analysis

¹In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain. ²For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. ³When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

It appears from the immediate context of vv. 1-3 that someone has suggested that David run and hide from the danger that must have been imminent. Regardless of the precise circumstances that precipitated the writing of this Psalm, David endured some very dark moments in his life. At times, these troubling times must have generated some serious life questions for David. Questions like, “Why me?” or “How long is this going to last?” or maybe even “God! Where are you?”

Even though David experienced and endured some very difficult events, we don’t have to be hunted by a crazy king to be able to relate to him. For example, you might have a boss who is constantly riding you about your work. Or perhaps you have a teacher who unfairly criticizes your hard work. You might even be experiencing an illness either personally or through someone close to you that has dramatically impacted your life. Or maybe you are in the midst of a marriage that just isn’t what it used to be or what you hoped it would be. Regardless of your particular circumstances, you have the same response choices as David. Among other things, these verses teach us that we can respond to fear and trouble in one of two ways—we can either run from God or we can run to God.

            “The temptation is not to stand and face the crisis, but to flee like a bird to the mountain where (from a human perspective) security might be found. The temptation may have come from a well intentioned friend…But it is equally likely that the words …are the psalmist’s own words, the internal voice of fear, speaking silently and temptingly in his thoughts. The temptation is powerful: the wicked are already arming their weapons, and to stand firm and courageous would also be to offer a target to the wicked; flight might at least put the psalmist beyond the range of the missiles aimed against him. If the psalmist, who was innocent of any wrongdoing, stood firm, he would have little chance of protecting himself against the arrows shot in the dark; that is, he would be vulnerable to attacks from dangerous and concealed opponents...

            The worshiper’s critical plight made him feel that the very foundation of life and society were being torn down; if the foundations were standing firm, an upright person should not be in fear of his life. ‘What has the righteous done?’—the cry may express the sense of despair experienced by the psalmist, namely, ‘what has the righteous done to deserve a plight such as this?’ Or it may be that the words express a sense of helplessness: ‘What can the righteous do’ in the face of such a crisis? But the sense of despair or helplessness is transformed in the remainder of the psalm to a spirit of confidence.”[2]

⁴The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. ⁵The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. ⁶On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. ⁷For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

We should take great comfort in knowing that God is not caught off guard but instead He sees all things. We learn in vv. 4-7 that nothing is or can be hidden from God nor is God ambivalent about the storms of our lives. Think about this for a minute. Do you really think God is in heaven looking down on the struggles in your life wringing His hands saying, “Wow! I didn’t see that coming. I’m gonna need some time to figure out what to do with that.” Do you think that when we cry out to God that He says, “Gosh Joe, thanks for letting me know about that. I’ve been kind of busy over here with Sarah’s problems and I kind of lost track of what was going on in your life.” Instead, we can agree with David when we say that God is never surprised by the fear and trouble in our lives.

Finally, God will punish the unrighteous and reward the righteous. This is really the part that is most important to us, particularly because we don’t always experience immediate relief from our fear and trouble. In fact, relief often doesn’t come to us in this life but only in the life to come. In any event, we only have a perspective of the present and the past. So David shows us the big picture of how God works so that we can trust God because He knows The Rest Of The Story!

            “God observes all that people do. ‘He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them,’ says David…When David speaks of God observing people, he is reminding himself of God’s omniscience. This is particularly apt in a psalm that began with a warning against those who ‘shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.’ They hide so they might not be seen or known. But although the righteous may not see them, the all-seeing God sees them. Their deeds are as apparent to him as if they were performed in bright daylight…

            God prepares his judgments for the wicked. They may be preparing to shoot at the righteous from the shadows. But the Lord will protect the righteous, and in the end the wicked will themselves be shot at and destroyed. None of this is fantasizing or mere wishful thinking on David’s part. For when he refers to God raining down ‘fiery coals and burning sulfur’ on the wicked, he is thinking of God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by that means. He thus reminds himself that God’s judgments do come, though they may often be delayed.”[3]

Application

            Can I just be honest with you for a minute? I really struggle with this lesson. I don’t mean that I don’t believe it or know it to be true. What I mean is that sometimes that truth doesn’t make it the 18 inches or so from my head to my heart. I don’t know if your faith ebbs and flows like mine, but some days I believe that God is the answer to all my questions and other days I don’t think anyone has the answers to my questions. I wonder if this may have been the case for David as well because in Psalm 13 David starts out saying, “How long O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” I don’t know but certainly on the day he wrote Psalm 11, he believed God was the answer to all his questions. David’s life was in danger and I realize that doesn’t necessarily apply to all of you even while it applies to some of you. But this lesson applies to all of us in some way or another when we are faced with insurmountable odds—a marriage you feel is crushing the life out of you; an insufferable boss that makes your life miserable; a medical condition with no cure; a class you have to retake to graduate that you’ve already failed once; or the crushing grief at the death of someone we love dearly. You may not see a way out. You may want to just run away because facing your struggle is too frightening or painful. But David is telling us that no matter what we face, God is not blind to our struggle or absent from our lives. Instead, God is using everything that is happening to you and me for a specific purpose even if we can’t see what it is at this point and perhaps may not see its purpose until the life to come.

Let me show you how this has worked in my own life. When my oldest daughter was just 6 years old, she slipped on the wet bathroom floor and broke her leg. When we took her to the hospital for treatment, we were shocked when x-rays revealed a tumor in her leg that caused her femur to weaken and break. Our lives crashed when we heard two words; “Pediatric oncology.” During the days and weeks that followed, we pursued less invasive treatment options to start with and I prayed desperately for healing. The alternative treatment was surgery and a long recovery. At the end of the initial treatment period, it was immediately determined that the less invasive treatment was unsuccessful and the more invasive procedure was required. Honestly, I was disappointed with God. I knew He could heal her through the work of the doctors, but I didn’t want my daughter to have to go through the trauma of surgery. Ultimately, although the surgery was successful, I struggled with the nagging question of why God didn’t answer my prayer. About a year after the surgery, I was putting her to bed on some particular night and we talked about the previous Sunday’s message on being thankful. I asked her if there was anything she was particularly thankful for. She said she was thankful God was with her during her surgery because it brought them closer together. I saw no redeeming purpose in what she had to endure, yet God was using it to develop a deeper relationship with my daughter. I didn’t understand because of my limited perspective. So instead of questioning God, I should have trusted God because He knew The Rest Of The Story. Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, I was fortunate to find out The Rest Of The Story but not everyone is that fortunate. We witness and endure many tragic events without every knowing God’s purpose behind those events. In other words, we seldom find out The Rest Of The Story. But sometimes God allows us to see behind the curtain; allows us to get a glimpse of His plan. Sometimes, we do get a chance to find out The Rest Of The Story.

After the tragic terrorist events of September 11^th here in America, lots of people had lots of questions. Questions like, “Why would God allow something like this to happen?” and “What good could possibly come from this?” Honestly, I’m not sure we’ll ever know all of The Rest Of The Story behind the tragic events of that day during this life. But, sometime after the events of 9/11, the folks at The King’s College in New York in partnership with Priority Associates produced a little booklet titled, “remembrance-Fallen but not forgotten,” with heroic stories and other words of encouragement for the people of New York and elsewhere whose lives were forever changed by the events of 9/11. A man named Darrell was one of the contributors to this piece. He wrote:

“Shortly after hearing the news of our nation’s multiple tragedies, I wrote this simple poem:

The pain, it seems will never end

The hurt is here to stay

The agony within my soul

Will never go away

It seems that it’s impossible

For me to ‘make it through’

(I know that feeling, precious friend, for I have been there too)

I won’t attempt to offer cures

That will not ease your pain

But I will say, the life you lost—

It was not lived in vain

It’s been dispersed in memories

That now reside in you

And in the months and years to come

They’ll help you make it through

Today you feel the dark despair

Today you mourn and cry

But from the seeds of memory

That life will multiply

The torment seems too much to bear

The whole world seems insane

But if their life reflects through you

They did not die in vain!

I’m so grateful that I chose to turn to my Heavenly Father for strength and comfort in my own personal loss. There I found the courage to forgive, the strength to ‘let go’ and the ability to see beyond the tragedy to a divine purpose that has slowly emerged with time.”[4]

            That beautiful piece was part of a chain reaction that has brought comfort and encouragement to thousands. You see, Darrell was uniquely qualified to write this piece because of the tremendous loss he experienced in his own life. Darrell lost someone very close to him. I’m sure you know her. Her life and especially her death inspired thousands and it inspired him to reach out to a hurting world with a message of hope and encouragement. We wondered at the beginning of this lesson about the rest of Rachel Scott’s story. Would you say that her death was really the end of the story of her life? Not if you knew that the author of the 9/11 poem was Darrell Scott—the father of Rachel Scott…Trust God because He knows The Rest Of The Story!

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[1] dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs, Jesus Freaks, (Tulsa, OK: Albury Publishing, 1999), p. 17.

[2] Peter C. Craigie and Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 1-50—Word Biblical Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Word Biblical Commentary, 2004), pp. 132-133.

[3] James Montgomery Boice, Psalms, Vol. 1—An Expositional Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1994), pp. 95-96.

[4] Kings College and Priority Associates, remembrance-fallen but not forgotten, (New York, NY: King’s College and Priority Associtates, 2001), p. 7.

Know Where You're Going

(Audio version; Music: "How Deep The Father's Love" and "More And More Of You" by: WorshipMob)

Introduction

            I don’t know how well versed you are on entertainment icons but this week one of those icons passed away after a long battle with cancer. David Robert Jones better known as David Bowie was an English singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, painter and actor. Bowie battled cancer for eighteen months but died on January 10^th at the age of 69. I wasn’t a huge fan even though I am quite familiar with his various works. However, many people in the entertainment industry considered him to be a brilliant and amazingly talented artist and performer. Bowie released twenty-six albums and had acting roles in twenty-two films. He received fourteen prestigious music awards and was nominated for fifty-two more. Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he was made a commander of the France’s Order of Arts and Letters, he received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music, he evidently declined the honor of Britain’s Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and he was officially conferred knighthood. Bowie was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and, finally, an asteroid and a spider were named in his honor. Is it possible for someone with that list of accomplishments to have left something unfinished? It hardly seems possible but Bowie neglected to pursue the only thing that ultimately matters. Before he died, he left us with a quote that has been widely circulated and applauded by the world as his last great contribution to our society. Bowie said, “I don’t know where I’m going, but I promise it won’t be boring.” What many saw as a final inspiration, left me feeling sad and sorry for a man who had accomplished so much but failed to accomplish the most important thing in life—to Know Where You’re Going.

Subject Text

1 John 5:1-13

            ¹Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ²This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. ⁶This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷For there are three that testify: ⁸the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. ⁹We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. ¹⁰Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. ¹¹And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Context

            At this point, John is an old man—perhaps the oldest surviving apostle. This letter wasn’t written to anyone or any church in particular but was intended to be circulated throughout the Christian community. The purpose of the letter was to encourage faithfulness and combat false teachings within the Church. Given the high Christology of John’s gospel, it is interesting to note that John’s focus changes somewhat from his gospel. John’s gospel focuses heavily on the divine nature of Jesus Christ and rightly so. John communicates very clearly in his gospel, unlike the other gospel writers, that Jesus is God. And the most famous verse in his gospel, or perhaps in all the Bible, is found in John 3:16 when he says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John’s first letter expanded on the question of why God would go to such extremes to save us. In the chapter immediately preceding our Subject Text, John reveals God’s motive for why He would allow His only Son to be killed on our behalf—because He loves us deeply. John says that God loves us deeply because “God is love (1 Jn 4:16).” John’s emphasis has a specific trajectory that begins with God’s love for us that leads to our love for Him that leads to our belief in His Son that ultimately leads to eternal life. God’s love opens the door for us to receive eternal life.

Text Analysis

            ¹Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ²This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.

            There is considerable theology that is assumed in vv. 1-2 that may not be immediately obvious so let me try and fill in some of the blanks. Very early in John’s gospel he records Jesus clearing the temple of merchants and money-changers. The Jews demanded that He show them some kind of miracle to demonstrate His authority over matters concerning God’s temple. Jesus said that if the Temple is destroyed, He would raise it in three days. The Jews reminded Him that it took forty-six years to build the temple, which made His claim to rebuild it in three days inconceivable. Jesus was, of course, referring to Himself as the Temple and His resurrection after three days as the culmination of rebuilding the Temple. This only made sense to the apostles after He rose from the dead. The other Jews, especially the religious leaders, dismissed His claims. Except, that is, for one of the religious leaders—Nicodemus. Later that day, under cover of night, Nicodemus visited Jesus where He was staying to learn more from Jesus—Nicodemus was captivated by Jesus. Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus is where we learn about being born again. There in John 3:1-8 is where we get the theology of being a born-again Christian. Jesus tells Nicodemus, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to the flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the spirit…You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sounds, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” And there is the tie-in to v. 1a of our Subject Text. Since the Holy Spirit is God, being “born of the Spirit” from Jn 3:8 and “born of God” from our Subject Text are saying the same thing.

            When we read v. 1b, we wrongly assume that John is talking about God the Father and His Son when he references “the father and his child.” In a sense he is, but I don’t believe John is referring to Jesus when he refers to the father’s child. I believe he is referring to us—to believers. Again, John tells us in his gospel, “To all who received him [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (Jn 1:12).” There is, or at least there should be, two natural consequences of being followers of Jesus—To love God and love one another (Mt 22:37-40). Jesus said that the world would know we are His disciples because of our love for one another (Jn 13:34-35). And that is the link to v. 1b.

            Finally, like all healthy relationships, we have a duty to act in a certain way and v. 2 tells us that if we love God then we will do what He says we should do or not do what He says we shouldn’t. As I noted previously, one of God’s commands to us is to love one another. Jesus tells us exactly this in John’s gospel when He says to His disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments (Jn 14:15).” And this is where v. 2 of our Subject Text ties in.

            So you see that there is a significant amount of presumed theology in these two short verses—we are born-again by the power of God the Spirit (cf. Jn 3:3; 1 Jn 5:1a); as born-again believers in Jesus we are children of God (cf. Jn 1:12; 1 Jn 5:1b); as born-again children of God, we demonstrate our love for Him by being obedient to Him (cf. Jn 14:15; 1 Jn 5:2). “These verses present the opposite of what we expect—that we know that we love the children of God by loving God and carrying out his commands. We expect to hear that we demonstrate our love for God by loving our brothers. The opposite appears. This demonstrates that love is a central characteristic. As a genuine mark of a born-again heart, it goes both ways: toward God and toward our brothers.”[1]

³This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

            There is again a considerable amount of theology buried in vv. 3-5. There is also evidence of some Rabbinic practice hinted at in v. 3. Specifically, the reference to burdensome commands hints at the Rabbinic practice. During Jesus’ time, Rabbis, or teachers, had students that would follow them around and do the same things their teachers would do. Their daily tasks of studying and memorizing the Scriptures as well as all the ritual practices were tedious and tiresome—you might even say they were burdensome. Jesus, on the other hand, told his followers that His demands as a teacher were different—His demands weren’t burdensome at all (Mt 11:30). And what does Jesus demand? To love God and love one another. We love God by being obedient to the Scriptures and we love one another by pointing others toward Jesus. And here’s the interesting correlation to vv. 4-5: The world will hate us because of our faith in and obedience to Jesus. Jesus warns us that we will be hated and have trouble in the world but that we can take comfort in knowing that He has overcome the world (Jn 16:33). Consequently, it is a logical progression that if we are born-again then we are able to overcome the world because Jesus has overcome the world.

            “ ‘The fact that we hold the true faith from our hearts is the means whereby the power of the new world operates in us and enables us to overcome the world.’ The particular nature of the victory is variously understood. It could refer to (1) Christ’s once-for-all victory on the cross over Satan, sin, and the world; (2) the believers’ victory over the heretics; or (3) the victory that occurs at the conversion of the individual believer. ‘[There is] no way to be certain as to which past action John means here.’ Ultimately, these three elements are all included in the final victory. The ground of our victory is Christ’s death and resurrection. From that work believers will have victory over all that is in opposition to God. Daily victory is also granted to the individual believer, but he must exercise faith in Christ and be active in his pursuit of God.”[2]

⁶This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷For there are three that testify: ⁸the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. ⁹We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. ¹⁰Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

            John is doing something very important for us in vv. 6-10. He is giving us the basis for Jesus’ humanity and His divinity. There is probably nothing more important than our belief that Jesus is both fully God and fully man. He could not have accomplished His task of salvation any other way. You see, as a man He is able to empathize with humanity. He understands our struggles with a sinful world. He understands the joy of human life and He understands the sorrow of human life. He also understands the damage that sin has caused. Jesus understood that sins against an eternal God are eternal sins that could not be atoned for with the blood of animals. Instead, Jesus knew that only an eternal sacrifice would atone for eternal sins against an eternal God. That’s why Jesus’ divinity is so important. Jesus was able to atone for the eternal sins created by humanity because Jesus is the eternal God.

            To say that Jesus came by water and blood is to say that Jesus was born through a natural human birth. To say that the Spirit testifies to who He is reminds us of the events surrounding Jesus’ baptism when the Spirit descended on Him like a dove and God announced that Jesus was His Son that He loves (Mt 3:13-17) that reveals Jesus’ divine relationship to God. This is also why it is important to recognize the importance of being born of God by the Spirit. The Spirit of God is our direct connection with Jesus.

            Unbelievers who reject the testimony about Jesus haven’t been born-again by the Spirit so they naturally reject our testimony about Jesus. “When people believe in the Son of God, they know that everything the apostles taught about him is true. They know without any doubt because the Spirit who regenerated them gives them an inner witness to the fact that everything Jesus said and did was true. In fact, that is the primary function of the Spirit—to testify and reveal Jesus to every believer.

            Those who don’t believe the testimony that God has given concerning His son should realize that by rejecting what God has so plainly said, they are calling God a liar. John was blasting the false teachers who claimed to know God but did not believe what God himself had said concerning his Son. This was logically impossible and amounted to calling God a liar.”[3]

¹¹And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

            The Scriptures; everything written in the Scriptures point to this revelation: That Jesus came so we would have the chance to spend eternity with God. Jesus came so that we would have a chance to know God and spend eternity with Him. When we have been born-again by the Spirit, we possess within us a certainty of our future beyond this life—a kind of promise or deposit we have received from Spirit (Eph 1:13-14). We don’t know everything about what it means to have eternal life but those of us who know and love Jesus know we will spend eternity with Him after this life. That’s what John is saying in vv. 11-13, if you believe in God’s testimony about His Son and you have been born-again by the Spirit then you can live with the certainty in this life that you will spend eternity with God in heaven, you Know Where You’re Going.

            “Because God’s gift of eternal life is given ‘in his Son’, it follows that he who has the Son has life. What it means to ‘have the Son’ is closely related to believing in the Son…Believing in the Son is closely connected with accepting the proclamation. But the question remains: Is the expression ‘having the Son’ a synonym for ‘believing in the Son’? Or does ‘having’ the Son involve something more than this? We get some help from the ‘abiding’ language of [John’s] Gospel. As far as it relates to abiding in Christ, it denotes continuing loyalty and obedience to Christ, but it is not exhausted by this. There is an ontological dimension to it as well…

            Allowing ourselves to be guided by the relevant material in [John’s] Gospel, we may say that to ‘have the Son’ means to be indwelt by the Son, something which, when viewed from the human perspective, takes place when people believe in him. To have the Son is to have eternal life because the Son himself is the eternal life that was with the Father. He has eternal life in himself, and he gives eternal life to those who believe in him.”[4]

Application

            A few weeks ago, I talked about the uncertainty of life and the importance of seeking God’s will for direction and guidance. There are very few things we can know for certain in life. David Bowie couldn’t have known for sure that he would have been so wildly successful in the music and entertainment business. There are countless talented people in the world who probably work just as hard as David Bowie did but are not even remotely as successful. Even with tremendous talent and hard work, nothing is for certain.

            If you were to stop for just a moment and think about it, what would be on your list of certainties? Your career? Are you certain that you could never be replaced? Your good looks? Are you certain your looks won’t fade with age? Your money? Are you certain that you couldn’t lose your money? Your good health? Are you certain that you won’t get sick and die? If you think long and hard, there are few things for certain and that can be very disconcerting if we ponder it for too long. Taken to its extreme, we could be driven to extreme insecurity and neurosis. Is it any wonder that there are so many people, at least here in America, who suffer from some form of mental health problems. It can be hard traveling through life lost and with so much uncertainty swirling around us at all times.

          There is one particular certainty that can soothe the angst and anguish of all other uncertainties in our lives. It is the certainty of God unfailing love for us and the certainty that we will spend eternity in heaven with Him if we put our trust in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When your money runs out, when your looks fade, when your health fails, when your career comes to a premature end, when your marriage ends in divorce, when your children turn their backs on you, God's love for you will be the one certainty in your life. David Bowie had everything a person could possibly want yet at the end of his life he didn't know where he was going. You see, fame and fortune can't buy your eternal certainty. And eternity is really all that matters because do you know how much fame and fortune David Bowie took with him when he died? None! And guess what? you won't take any of the things with you into eternity that you think give you security and certainty in this life. For those of you who have already put your faith in Jesus, I hope this lesson has served to dispel any lingering doubts you may have had about your eternal destiny. I wrote this lesson for the same reason that John wrote his pastoral letter--so you could be certain that as a born-again follower of Jesus Christ, you are going to spend eternity with Him when you die. For those of you who continue to reject God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, do you Know Where You're Going when you die?

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[1] David Walls and Max Anders, I & II Peter, I, II, & III John, Jude—Holman New Testament Commentary, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1999), p. 222.

[2] Daniel L. Akin, 1, 2, 3 John—The New American Commentary, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2001), p. 193.

[3] Bruce Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), p. 1167.

[4] Colin G. Kruse, The Letters of John—The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000), pp. 182-183.

Count The Cost

(Audio version; Music: "At The Cross" and "With All I Am" by: Hillsong)

Introduction

            Have you ever started a project that you haven’t been able to finish for whatever reason? I am generally very focused and dogged about finishing something I start. Except for one particular project that I started a few years ago that still remains unfinished. One of the things I do when I finish one of my construction projects is I take pictures of the completed project and share the pictures with my wife and kids. I think that’s where my troubles began. After completing a master bathroom remodel for one of my customers, I showed the pictures, as I usually do, to my wife and kids. My wife said, “It would be great if our master bathroom was that nice,” and my kids said, “You should really do something like that in your bathroom.” Well, being the people pleaser that I am, I determined to do just that and started tearing apart our master bathroom. I had the right intention but failed to Count The Cost in both time and money. As it turned out, if I worked more to earn the extra money to pay for the remodeling costs, I didn’t have the time to do the work. And if I worked less in order to have the time to do the work then I didn’t have the money to purchase the materials necessary for the job. Consequently, the project still remains unfinished all because I failed to Count The Cost of my commitment to do what I set out to do. I know what you’re saying, “How in the world can you start something that big and not consider what it will take in time and money to complete?” Trust me, I’m reminded of that every time I walk in to the uncompleted bathroom. It’s irritating but not exactly a life-changing failure. There are, however, some decisions that are significantly life-changing if we fail to Count The Cost.

            I’m fairly certain that we all know someone who has gotten married and then gotten divorced because they failed to Count The Cost of being married. That failure to Count The Cost is usually painfully life-changing especially when kids are involved. But those failures, as painful as they may be, are temporal. What about the decisions we make that are eternal? Specifically, what about the decision we make concerning Jesus. If you think about it, regardless of what you decide about Jesus, whether you believe in Him or not, there is a cost. For those who reject Jesus, I wonder, did they Count The Cost of their unbelief as being condemned for all eternity? You have to wonder about the person who would reject Jesus if they really did Count The Cost of their unbelief. Sometimes, though, I wonder if the people who have accepted Jesus have taken the time to Count The Cost of following Jesus. Believers and unbelievers pay a price for their respective decisions about whether or not to believe in Jesus. Here’s the difference: The unbeliever pays that price in the life to come while the believer pays the price in this life. Intuitively, we know that suffering eternity in hell is a price that believers are just unwilling to pay. However, in reality, for many of you who have chosen to be followers of Christ, you are suffering through your own hell in this life. If you are a Christian in a Communist or Muslim controlled country then you know exactly what I’m talking about. You have chosen to follow Jesus knowing it could cost you your freedom or your life. However, following Jesus isn’t always a matter of risking life or limb. For some of you, being faithful means fighting tooth and nail to save your marriage because you made a promise before God. Some of you doggedly cling to your commitment to remain sexually pure until marriage because that’s the way God intended it to be. Some of you refuse to act on your same-sex impulses because you know it is a sinful behavior that God abhors. Some of you continue to share your possessions and wealth with others who have less when few would blame you if you spent more on yourself. In all such cases, Christians deny themselves consistently and faithfully because they were careful to first Count The Cost of following Jesus.

Subject Text

Luke 14:25-35

            ²⁵Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶“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. ²⁷And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ²⁹For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, ³⁰saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³²If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. ³⁴Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Context

            Our Subject Text occurs during a time when Jesus was traveling through the various towns and villages performing miracles, teaching and confronting the religious leaders. However, something occurs in the chapter immediately preceding our Subject Text that builds some of the framework for the teaching in our Subject Text. Jesus taught that God’s Kingdom is always growing and expanding until one day when nothing will remain untouched by God’s Kingdom. However in the course of Jesus’ teaching someone asks Him a very logical question: “Are only a few people going to be saved?” Tell me you haven’t wondered yourself who will and who won’t be saved. Unfortunately, those details are none of our business. Nevertheless, Jesus tells everyone there that they should all seek to enter God’s Kingdom through the narrow door because many people will try to get into God’s Kingdom but not all will be able to get in. The “narrow gate” that Jesus is referring to is the life of being a devoted and faithful follower of Jesus Christ at all cost. Jesus says that lots of people will want to be followers of Jesus but not all will be willing to pay the price. And in the end, not all those who claim to be followers of Jesus will be saved because they didn’t first Count The Cost associated with being followers of Jesus.

            In the text immediately preceding our Subject Text Jesus tells the parable of the King’s wedding banquet and how the people who were invited by the King made every excuse possible not to go to the banquet. So the King sent His servants out to invite anyone that would come. Now the parable is intended to convey that Jesus came to invite the Jews to salvation but when they rejected Him then Jesus opened the salvation invitation to everyone. However, it ties to our Subject Text because the Jews were waiting for the Messiah but they had a preconceived idea of what the Messiah should be like and Jesus didn’t fit that idea. They wanted a conquering warrior Messiah not a self-sacrificing Messiah that was calling His followers to self-sacrifice as well. They were willing to follow a conquering Messiah to a restored Israel but they weren’t willing to follow a servant-Messiah to the cross. Allegiance to the former would cost them nothing while allegiance to the latter would cost them everything. They wanted a Messiah but they failed to Count The Cost of their desire for a Messiah because they couldn’t accept Jesus as that Messiah.

Text Analysis

²⁵Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶“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.

            It’s not surprising to find in vv. 25-26 that large crowds were following or traveling with Jesus. We see this throughout the Scriptures. Jesus never discourages them although He often challenges their beliefs and practices as He does here. Don’t misunderstand what Jesus is saying in v. 26 when He says that we must hate all the things we hold dear including ourselves if we are to follow Him. I know it sounds strange coming from someone who commands us to love one another so let me explain what Jesus means. Jesus isn’t saying that we must hate everything in order to love Him. He’s saying that we must be willing to put our allegiance to Him ahead of everyone else in our life. In theory, that doesn’t sound too awful but Jesus isn’t talking in theoretical terms, he’s talking in real-life terms. It was particularly relevant during Jesus’ day because all of Jesus’ followers would have been first generation followers so it would have been very likely for families to include believers and unbelievers thereby creating the possibility for conflicts of interest. It is precisely this potential for conflict the Jesus wants them to consider if they want to be one of His followers. But it isn’t just the potential for conflict with people with competing beliefs, it is also the potential for conflict with a culture with competing values. Jesus wants them, and us, to understand that following Him means everyone and everything becomes a distant second in our lives regardless of the personal sacrifice that it may require.

            If you live in a Christian family, you take for granted that you and your family approach life as a team—all pulling the rope in the same direction. However, not all of you have that luxury. Some of you are the only Christian in your family and you know how painful competing values can be; you know what it’s like for your family to think you are a kook; you know what it’s like for your family to reject you; some of you even know what it’s like to have someone from your family turn you in to the authorities because your faith in Jesus is against the law where you live. For you, Jesus’ instruction is not even remotely theoretical but very real.

            “Luke accents the cost of following Jesus on the Way. When understood within the context of their fist century social and religious setting, these demands allow us to see that Jesus was calling for a distinct form of discipleship. Becoming Jesus’ disciple was not a vocational change, nor a political attachment, nor even a new stirring of God; it was being faced with the eternal decision of whether one would follow Jesus as the Way to eternal life. Any other attachment, whether familial or religious or economic, was substituting another god for Jesus.”[1]

²⁷And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

            Jesus continues in v. 27 where He left off in the previous verses. His reference to carrying our cross is intended convey the extremes to which we must be willing to go in order to be a follower of Jesus. Although Jesus was using the reference to the cross as a metaphor, it proved to be literal during Nero’s reign in the first century when the streets of Rome were often lined with crucified Christians. And it has proven to be equally literal today as Muslims use crucifixion as a means to torture and murder Christians. As horrible as the literal expression of Jesus’ call to take up their cross is, it is the expression of taking up the cross as a metaphor that I believe may be the greatest stumbling block for Christians. I am convinced that it would be easier to die for our faith than it is to live out our faith every day in a sinful, self-prioritizing world.

            “Part of the problem in counting the cost is that often we do not know ahead of time what the real cost will be…Sometimes a decision for Jesus means refusing to offer support to a family member for a decision that may be immoral in God’s eyes. Taking that stand may be painful but necessary. It may mean refusing to endorse a relationship before God that has been conducted in a way that dishonors him. It may mean telling a brother, sister, relative, or friend engaged in adultery, in a painful act of confrontive love, that God is not pleased with his or her actions. It may mean discussing destructive behavior at the risk of never speaking to that person again. It may be perceived as loving God over family or friends, when ironically it means loving both!...

            Sometimes being honest means testifying about a crime when everyone in the office will argue that you are a slimy tattletale. The pursuit of faithfulness in the midst of a workplace where honesty is a relative value determined by the end in view can be hard. To choose to be in step with God and out of step with office partners can be a painful path to walk.

            The choices of discipleship are not always easy. To follow Jesus and share his cross may mean that neighbors and friends do not always understand why we do what we do. Sometimes they will not support us and may even do things that hurt. Our understanding of what counting the cost means is only theoretical until we are put in such circumstances. But those who have contemplated counting the cost will be ready when the moment comes. They must rely on God and turn to him for wisdom if and when a time comes to choose God over family, self, or possessions. Those who wish to follow Jesus should give attention to who has priority, even when they are just considering starting the journey with him.”[2]

²⁸Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ²⁹For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, ³⁰saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³²If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

            In case this lesson wasn’t personal enough to me, Jesus uses the illustration of constructing a house as one of the two illustration in vv. 28-32 to make His point that we must Count The Cost associated with our commitment to be one of His followers. The first illustration of building a house suggests that we must take into account the financial or practical impact of our decision to follow Jesus. Choosing to follow Jesus means we recognize that our money and possessions ultimately belong to God and entrusted to us to accomplish His will in our lives and the lives of those around us. When we refuse to use the resources entrusted to us for the benefit of God’s Kingdom because what we want is of greater importance, then we have failed to Count The Cost of being His follower and the task of being one of His disciples remains unfinished like a house that remains unfinished because the builder failed to Count The Cost of completing the house.

His second illustration suggests that we must take into account the physical risks associated with following Jesus. Some of you know this quite well, don’t you? You knew exactly what the physical risks would be when you gave your life to Christ. You knew that you would be hated for your new commitment. You knew your life would be in danger but you gave your life to Christ anyway. Some people, however, failed to Count The Cost of the danger of their commitment and when the pressure was on, they turned away from their profession of faith.

            “Jesus promised his followers a Kingdom, but he also said that they would face difficulty and suffering because of their faith. Those on the fence needed to Count The Cost…What are those ‘costs’ to believers? Christians may face loss of social status or wealth. The may have to give up control over their money, time or career. They may be hated, separated from their family, and even put to death. All people must carefully Count The Cost of becoming Christ’s disciple so that they will know what they are getting into and won’t be tempted to turn back when the going gets tough.”[3]

³³In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

            If you’re familiar at all with the gospels, then what Jesus says in v. 33 should sound familiar. This should remind you about Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler. In that encounter, the young ruler asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. It was the perfect set up for Jesus to teach an important lesson. He told the young ruler to keep God’s commandments. To which the young ruler replied that he faithfully kept all the commandments since he was a little boy. So Jesus zeroed in on the one thing that demonstrated the young man kept the commandments not out of devotion to God or to others but to earn his way into God’s Kingdom. When the young ruler asked what else he must do, Jesus used one final instruction to demonstrate that God wasn’t really his God when Jesus told him to sell all he owned and follow Him. The young ruler revealed that his possessions were his god because the text says he hung his head and walked away because he had many possessions. The young ruler rejected the offer of eternal life because he was unwilling to give up everything he had to be Jesus’ disciple.

            “Life does not consist of possessions. Hence, sell them—especially if they prevent you from following Jesus. The necessary equipment for ministry with Jesus is, as Jesus has already taught in the call and sending of the disciples, to have no equipment, to depend wholly and solely on Jesus. Jesus…is not a minimalist when it comes to commitment. ‘It is not how little one can give that is the question, but how much God deserves.’…The threefold call of Jesus to forsake family and self, bear the cross of discipleship, and renounce possessions is nothing less than the summons to a new identity, not on the basis of genetics, race, or social factors, but on the basis of costly discipleship with Jesus…Jesus gives all so that he may reign over all; he dies for all, and thus requires all of his followers.

            This teaching is not advanced as a mythical fiction or an unachievable ideal, but as a genuine characteristic of knowing and loving Jesus. In some instances one must forsake family, and in others bring family into the fellowship; in some instances bear one’s own cross, and in others bear the burdens of others. One must forsake all things, yet receive all things; one must give all things to others, and be put in charge of the Master’s possessions…Discipleship consists of both giving and receiving. Not all are called to the same form of discipleship at all times. But whatever form the call takes, all are call to Jesus absolutely and without reserve. Discipleship cannot be an expression of mere civil religion. It does not confuse the gospel with ideologies or cultural norms, nor does it tailor the gospel to our preferences and causes, even the most noble. It is the forsaking of all for Jesus, or retaining all and forsaking Jesus.”[4]

³⁴Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

            Salt was a pretty big deal during Jesus’ time as a sterilizer, seasoning and as a preservative so vv. 34-35 would have made perfect sense to Jesus’ audience. Salt was a valuable mineral and commodity but if it were to lose its effectiveness as a preservative or seasoning or a sterilizer then it would be good for nothing. Why is that important? Because Jesus describes His followers as the “salt of the earth (Mt 5:13).” Meaning that if we fail to fulfill our intended purpose then we are as useless as salt that has lost its saltiness. And part of what makes us “salt” to a tasteless world in the context of our Subject Text is our willingness to forsake all and take up our cross to follow Jesus. If we are unwilling to forsake all for Jesus then we are like salt that has lost its saltiness.

            “Just as salt can lose it savor, so can an initial commitment, however sincere, fade in the course of time. Even with attention and with the nourishment of prayer, reflection, fellowship, and activity, commitments will be severely tested once Jerusalem is no longer a distant goal but a very present and painful reality. Enthusiasm that placed Jesus before all other commitments cools before the question, ‘Are you one of his disciples?’ and suddenly those other commitments to job and station and family beg again to come first. Under pressure both open and subtle, pressures all of us know, salt does not decide to become pepper; it just gradually loses its savor. The process can be so gradual, in fact, that no one really notices. Well, almost no one.”[5]

Application

            I was thinking the other day about Rachel Scott. Maybe you know her. Back in 1999 she was a beautiful 17 year-old girl attending high school, growing up in a Christian home. I don’t know her personally but both of my girls were once young high school girls and I suppose she wasn’t much different. She had hopes and dreams for her future just like my girls and she loved Jesus just like my girls. She wanted her life and her faith to make a difference. She had a journal much like my girls. She once wrote in her journal, “I dare to believe that I can start a chain reaction through acts of kindness and compassion.” She lived and grew up in a relatively affluent community much like my girls. It was the perfect environment for her to have big dreams and grand ideals. For Rachel, it must have been relatively easy being a faithful follower of Jesus within the safe confines of a Christian nation. At least it was until the spring of 1999, that’s when everything changed for Rachel. On April 20, 1999, while she was sitting on the grass eating her lunch at Columbine High School, Rachel was confronted by a deranged young man who stood in front of her and put a gun to her head. He asked her a short question: “Do you believe in God?” And in an instant, Rachel had to Count The Cost of her belief. “Yes, I believe in God” was her answer. He asked her, “Why?” but he never gave her the chance to answer. He pulled the trigger and she was dead.

            Every day Christians are faced with various situations that test what they say they believe. None of us can know how we will respond if we had to answer the same question posed to Rachel Scott. But we have an opportunity to respond to equally difficult situations as we face a constant barrage of sin from the sinful culture around us. Daily, we are faced with a choice of how we will respond to a culture that celebrates homosexuality, a culture that embraces sex outside of marriage, a culture that values personal fulfillment and the relentless pursuit of acquiring more and more “things,” a culture that perverts the rule of law, and a culture that is openly hostile to Jesus Christ and His followers. Daily, we have to decide, will we confront immoral behavior or ignore it, will we forgive or will we seek revenge, will we love or will we hate, will we serve or will we be served, will we give or will we take. How we respond in these cases says just as much about what we believe about Jesus as Rachel Scott did when she answered the question about her faith with a gun pointed at her head. Being a follower of Jesus was never intended to be easy which is why Jesus equates it with bearing a cross. Being a follower of Jesus is somewhat of a paradox—It costs us nothing to receive life and at the same time costs us everything to live life. If you consider yourself to be a follower of Jesus then you will have to face some very difficult choices in your life every day. How will you choose to respond to those difficult choices? Will your response be an accurate reflection of what you say you believe? Before you answer too quickly, be sure to Count The Cost of your answer. Will your actions reflect your devotion to Jesus or your rejection of Jesus?

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[1] Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992), p. 185.

[2] Darrell L. Bock, Luke—The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), pp. 404-405.

[3] Bruce Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), p. 318.

[4] James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Luke—The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2015), pp. 428-429.

[5] Fred B. Craddock, Luke—Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1990), p. 183.