SUFFERING

SUFFERING!

John 16:25-33, 11/5/2017

Introduction: Throughout New England, this October was one of the warmest — if not the warmest ever recorded with an average temp of 61.4 F, since 1947, notes the Boston Globe. The October month personally, brings back the memories of the loss of my father. Nationally, this October month has been a sad month as it brought so much pain, and loss. It started with the Las Vegas mass shooting, and ended with a terrorist attack in Manhattan New York. As I watched the News, I was saddened, and also surprised by the attitude of the New Yorkers. For many life, as usual, the Halloween Trick or Treaters went on their way as if nothing ever happened.

            What do you say about such attitude, should we call it resilience or sheer apathy? I wonder what makes anyone pause and ask, what is really going on in this world? Whenever tragedies of such nature occur, especially those who have lost loved ones, battle through questions such as, Why me? Why is this happening to me? Why now? Some even blame God saying, if God is all powerful why didn’t he then stop the gunman from shooting or the terrorist from driving a truck over innocent people? Some struggle with the age-old question, if God is all loving why is there evil and suffering in this world? Can God eradicate evil and suffering?

            I too, have experienced suffering in my life, which left me with more questions than I can find answers. I am sure, you might have your own share of suffering. I want to be empathetic to those among us who perhaps are going through a tough situation, by not giving pat answers or giving Christian clichés. However, I want us to explore Suffering: The origin of suffering, why does God allow suffering, what should be our response to suffering, and how God is going to deal with suffering, in the end I hope we will come away with some answers.  John 16:25-33

I. THE ORIGIN OF SUFFERING:

            Whether we turn on the TV, or read the newspaper, among many things we cannot but notice suffering and much suffering around the globe. If there is one thing common to all people regardless of religion, race, class, and gender, it is suffering. It is universal and it is inevitable. The poets talk about it, politicians haggle over solutions to alleviate suffering and pastors and priests pray, and come alongside to comfort those who are hurting and suffering. How do we understand suffering which is part and parcel of all human lives? Where did it all begin?

            In the beginning God created the world. Everything that was created by God was very good. God made Adam and Eve in his own image, endowed them with a free will and placed them in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony and peace with God with one another and His beautiful creation. But one day they decided to play God, wanted to know good and evil. They were deceived by Satan, disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit.

            Their eyes were opened. For the first time Adam and Eve were ashamed and fearful, they wanted to run away from God. God pronounced curses upon, Satan, man, woman and the earth. The ground that once produced all kinds of vegetation and fruit, now was cursed. A family that once enjoyed love, and peace now had to deal with a tragedy as their older son Cain killed his younger brother Able. That was the beginning of pain and suffering.

            How did God respond to the wickedness in the beginning? “The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.”

            Genesis 6:5-6. God destroyed mankind except Noah, his family along with them clean birds, reptiles, and animals and built a new world. By this we know God is not the creator of evil and suffering. Then the question comes, why do we suffer?

II WHY DO WE SUFFER?

            The God we serve is not a sadist, he doesn’t necessarily derive pleasure from seeing people suffer and go through pain. However, at times he may allow suffering to show the world of his love and power and teach his children valuable lessons of trust, obedience dependency on him and one another. Three years ago, I underwent a surgery, during the healing process, several days I woke up in the middle of the night crying out to God in pain. I felt like as if God didn’t care about me, was million miles away from me and totally uninvolved in my situation. It was a distressful time for all of us.  Thankfully after several months of pain and agony, I was healed of that situation. Did you ever feel that way? If you did, then you are in a good company.

            Whenever we go through suffering of any kind it is natural, for a child of God to cry out and say God, where are you, why are you not doing anything, why have you abandoned me, and so on. Ravi Zacharias in his book, Has Christianity Failed you? talks about pain, suffering and brokenness. He notes, “God intervenes on three different occasions in the N.T. He met Saul of Tarsus who was bent on destroying the church, in a dramatic way. That encounter on the road of Damascus changed Paul’s life entirely, (Acts 9:4). Sometimes change comes that spectacularly.

            In the second incidence, God intervenes to bring the apostle Peter out from the prison in Jerusalem. In Acts 12:5-10, we read that, “An angel comes into the prison and leads him through the gates of the prison and into a street, after walking with Peter for a good distance, the angel leaves him. Why didn’t the angel lead Peter all the way to the prayer meeting where the disciples were praying for his release? Why was Peter left on his own to find his way there? Peter was Jesus’ friend, yet he was rescued from the prison and then left in the street half way.” Have you wondered why God doesn’t take you all the way through a problem, only brings you to a halfway and leaves you on your own? He does that to teach us to walk by faith and not by sight.

            Sometimes the miracle is dramatic; other times it is a halfway miracle. The third intervention, we read in (Matthew 27:46), where we see Jesus was on the path to Calvary.  At the last moment, when his pain is at its worst and humiliation at its highest, Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Jesus is the Son of God, but left at the mercy of his enemies. This sense of abandonment by God seems to be repeated too often, at times those who are closest to God often appear to be least protected by Him. Can you think of all the apostles, and the missionaries who have lost their lives for the sake of the gospel?  Yet God calls us to trust Him, and wants us to know that He is in control.

            Ravi Zachariah, concludes, “Some of us he meets in dramatic ways—often at the moment of our salvation. For others, it may seem that he is with us only halfway as we serve him in difficult circumstances. And still other of us may not be delivered from our trails, even to the point of death.” Without exception, No one enjoys suffering. It is agonizingly, and excruciatingly painful. No one can fully understand its intensity except those who are going through it.

            The apostle Paul, writing to encourage Romans in their suffering notes, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” In some versions, “God makes all things work together for good, or in all things God works for good.” Romans 8:28. We may never know why some people suffer more than the others? But we do know that nothing in the whole wide world, will be able to separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In light of this, what should be our response?

III OUR RESPONSE IN SUFFERING

                Along with you I too am wrestling with this subject called suffering. I do not have all the answers however, I share with you a few scriptures that helped me in my time of distress.

            I hope that you will find some solace to cope with your situation and respond positively in your suffering. My advice to you is, it is OK to express honestly how you feel to God when you are suffering. There is a whole book in the Bible called, The Lamentations, which is the work of one who had a broken heart. So next time when you are in trouble, don’t hold back, pour out your anguish to God, and he won’t be offended, in fact he invites you to call upon his name when you are in trouble, and he will send a rescue party to deliver you.

            When we are suffering, we fall into a trap of thinking that we are the only ones who are suffering unduly, while the rest are having an easy time. However, that perception is not true. The Apostle Peter writes to the persecuted Christians to see their suffering in a broader context, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” I Peter 4:12 “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.” I Pet 5:8-9

            Sometimes we suffer because of the consequences of our sins, other times we suffer because of the sins of others. Yet other times we suffer because Satan incites violence, and hatred against others just like in the case of recent shootings. Whatever it may be, we must realize that we will have trouble, as long as we live in this fallen world. In John 16:33, we read Jesus’ warning to us, "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. But be courageous! I have conquered the world." Jesus conquered the ruler of this world that is the devil. Jesus is closer to the broken hearted. We are healed by his stripes. To all those who are suffering right now he offers the two very things we need they are: Peace to deal with our present and courage to deal with our future.

            In our suffering where do we find peace? Only in Christ, he said, my peace I leave with you not according to the world. How can we find courage? By looking at the one who has conquered the world! Through his own suffering and death, he has deprived this world of its ultimate power over you. Suffering cannot defeat you and death doesn't have the last word anymore. Jesus has the last word! Dear friends, if we are going through some sort of suffering, let’s take heart Jesus has overcome the world. What gives us strength and confidence in our present suffering? It is the hope of our glorious future. As we look to Christ for deliverance, he may come to us quickly and dramatically change our situation, or he will take us only the halfway and expects us to walk the rest, or we may go to death never seeing the deliverance.

            But when Jesus restores all things to God, he will establish His Kingdom on the earth where all those who believed and suffered for Christ will find their final reprieve from suffering. Let me close with this scripture, from the Revelation of John: “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” Rev 21:2-4 Come Lord Jesus! Come Quickly! Amen

               

           

WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?

WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?

Matthew 16:13-20

Introduction: This past Wednesday, I was attending the Evangelical Clergy meeting in Sharon. It was my time to share a brief devotion. During my sharing I said, Jesus laid out a threefold process for all those who want to follow him, and asked them what was that process. The minister of the First Congregational church said, before we even start on the process, we must wrestle with the question, who is Jesus to me personally. She asked her congregation to ponder on this all-important question who Jesus truly is and what he means to them.

            The same day evening during our life groups, we talked about what makes a safe community. “A safe community is where we are free to be who we are, at the same time growing to become all that God intends.” Towards the end we all shared our needs and prayed for each other. I asked for prayer, expressing my need for clarity in regards to what to preach this Sunday. One person prayed for me that I will hear the voice of God and share what he wants me to share.     The next day morning I woke up feeling as if God was saying to me, “Francis you were pre-occupied about leading Hope Church to do great things for me, concerned about people’s problems, planning events, solving conflicts, and networking with other churches. Being and doing the church is not all about maintaining a building, programs, and projects, but it is all about Me.” So, preach about Me; let people get to know who I really am, and let them be obedient and do My will.” I began to ponder on the question, Who is Jesus To Me?

            During my Greek class in the seminary, our Greek professor used to say, when you don’t know the answer to a question, you answer it saying, “Jesus” and probably you will be right.” We all laughed at it. But one thing is true, when we know who Jesus is, believe in him, and do what he will tell us to do we will seldom go wrong. I want us to look at two important aspects of Jesus, and how they impact our interactions with our friends and neighbors. Matthew 16: 13-20.

Background: These were the days after John the Baptist’s death. The reports about Jesus were being widely spread around in the region.  People were wondering who is this Jesus, displaying such power and performing amazing miracles like: feeding thousands of people with a few loafs of bread and fish, walking on the water, delivering people from demonic oppression, healing the lame, blind, crippled and mute. These reports and rumors went up to King Herod.

            Herod called his attendants and said, “this is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Should we say, “fake news” about Jesus was spreading among the people, eventually it came to Jesus, he wanted to silence the skeptics including his unbelieving disciples, so he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is? The disciples answered, “Some think he is John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter Said, “You are the Christ; the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

            What a powerful revelation! That may have changed the misperception and the misunderstanding surrounding Jesus. It is not what you hear about Jesus, but what you know about him personally changes your life. In this passage we will see two major aspects of Jesus being the Messiah and the son of the Living God, how these two aspects have been misunderstood by most Jews and Muslims, and how respond to their objections. 

I JESUS THE MESSIAH (Vs 16)

            Vs 16, “Simon Peter replied you are the Christ, the Messiah.”  When I first came to the USA I was surprised by the name of “Jesus Christ” being misused as a word of profanity. Unfortunately, many Christians do not realize saying “Jesus Christ” as a swear word, violates one of God’s commandments, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7.

            Keep this in mind, next time when you are tempted to use “Jesus Christ” as a swear word.

What do we know about the name of Jesus Christ? Let’s hear the angel’s announcement to Mary, “And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:31-33

            By this scripture, we can learn a few aspects of who Jesus is. He is from the royal throne of David, He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God, he will reign on the throne of David, the house of Israel and his kingdom will never come to an end. In Matthew 1^st chapter we are told, that name Jesus which is the Greek form Joshua means, “the LORD saves.”             By this we know, Jesus means “Savior” How about Christ or the messiah, how did he get that name? Christos the Greek word means anointed. In Hebrew, the word, mashiyach means besmeared or anointed. In the OT the Patriarchs, priests or kings were anointed ones. It also applied to others acting as redeemers.

            In the NT, Christ, was used only in connection to Jesus: “Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” Mark 9:41. In Matthew 1:16 we read, “and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.”  Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

            The words Jesus and Christ were used interchangeably. I Peter 1:1-11, “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.”

            These scriptures suffice, for us to know that Jesus is, the Christ or the Messiah. Why we should know this important truth of Jesus being the messiah? Because it was denied by many Jews of the first century and still today most of them deny it. Among other reasons they say that Jesus did not fulfil the messianic prophecies. Here is one such messianic prophecy, prophesied by the prophet Isaiah in 600 BC, “By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.” Isaiah 53:8.

            It was fulfilled in the crucifixion and death of Jesus. After he rose from the dead this is what Jesus said to his disciples, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer those things and then enter his glory? Luke 24: 25-26. Let’s pray that many Jewish people will believe that Jesus indeed is the Messiah.

II. JESUS THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD

            Among several titles given to Jesus, “son of the living God” was one of the most endearing and affectionate one. It expresses the kind of intimate relationship that Jesus experienced with his father in heaven. While we Christians readily accept this term Jesus, being the son of the Living God, many Muslims consider this blasphemy, here is the reason why?  

            Muslims’ daily prayers involve reciting short passages from the Qur’an. Many Muslims daily recite Surat al-Ikhlas (112), one of the shorter chapters in the Qur’an: “Say: He is God the One. God the Absolute Eternal. He does not beget, nor is he begotten, nor is there anything like unto Him.” This reminds devout Muslims daily that God is not born, neither can he have children, like how children are naturally born. For them it is inconceivable, how could God have a son when he does not have a female partner, but this is not what we Christians believe.[1]

            To make our Muslim friends to understand this truth, takes a gracious and respectful approach. In doing so it may be helpful for us to consider the following scriptures: In Luke’s genealogy, we read, “Joseph the son of Heli, the son of Matthat… and goes on all the way back to “Adam the son of God.” here for the first time the term the son of God with a small “s” appears, (Luke 3:37). Later in I Corinthians, Jesus was referred to the second or the last Adam. Adam and Jesus both had miraculous beginnings. Adam was created by God in his image. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and He is the image of the invisible God, (Col 1:15).

            God himself gave Jesus this title when he spoke from heaven on two occasions, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17. The second time on the mount of transfiguration a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Matthews 17:5. Jesus addressed God as Father over 120 times in the Gospel of John, not only that He taught his disciples to address God as Father.

            These and many other scriptures and incidents indicate that, the title, “Jesus the Son of the Living God was more of a relational term rather than a biological one. When Peter said, you are the Christ, the Messiah the Son of the Living God, he did not think it up himself, but was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, after that revelation Peter was a changed man.

            You may be wondering why do I have to know these truths. Today, just like in times of Jesus many do not understand who Jesus really is. They form opinions based on what they read, hear, and by seeing the wrong life styles of Christians. What has been your understanding, who is Jesus to you? Do you see him only as a prophet, miracle worker, and healer? Initially, the disciples of Jesus too had a hard time grasping this truth, how about you today? If Jesus were to ask you the same question, who do you say I am, how would you answer Him?

            We are living in a town where we interact with Jews and Muslims who have objections and reservations about these two truths of the gospel in particular. Hope Church is in a unique position to reach them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. How are we to share God’s love to our many Jewish and Muslim friends and neighbors? The apostle Peter who had this special revelation in the first place has something to say to us this morning. If he walked into Hope Church he might still say, “Jesus you are the Christ, the Messiah and the Son of the Living God.” He might go on to say, do not be intimated and be afraid, love all people as Christ loved you.

            “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” I Peter 3:14-15

            Unfortunately, as we read Church History many followers of Christ did not adhere to Peter’s exhortation, as a result many Jews and Muslims were offended and even lost their lives. This has marred the truth about who Jesus really is for generations, even today makes it harder for Christians to share the gospel with these two people groups.  However, we as Hope Church can be different. We want to share the gospel truth through love, gentleness and respect, so that we may win some people to Christ. Let’s begin to pray for our Muslim, Jewish and other friends, that the Holy Spirit might reveal to them these precious truths of Jesus being indeed the Christ, the Messiah and the Son of the Living God. Amen!

           

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[1] http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/201203/201203_056_jesus_son_of_god.cfm

THE COST OF COMMITMENT

THE COST OF COMMITMENT

Luke 9:18-27

Introduction: Kenneth Bailey tells the story of teaching some short courses at the Lutheran Church of Latvia. While there, he observed the interviewing of prospective students and inquired of the interviewers what questions they asked. They said, “The most important question is ‘When were you baptized?’ And he asked why is that so important? They answered, ‘If they were baptized during the period of Soviet rule, they risked their lives and compromised their futures by being baptized. But if they were baptized after liberation from the Soviets, we have many further questions to ask about why they want to become a pastor.” And then he writes, “the master challenges his servants to live boldly and publicly as his servants, using his resources and unafraid of his enemies, confident in the future as His future.”

            Fewer than 10 percent of Americans are deeply committed Christians, says pollster George Gallup, who adds that these people "are far, far happier than the rest of the population." 
Committed Christians, Gallup found, are more tolerant than the average American, more involved in charitable activities, and are "absolutely committed to prayer." While many more Americans than this 10 percent profess to be Christians, adds Gallup, most actually know little or nothing of Christian beliefs, and act no differently than non-Christians. "Overall," says Gallup, "The Sunday School and religious education system in this country is not working." 

            On the contrary those perspective students at the Lutheran Church of Latvia seemed to have understood what commitment to Christ was all about and were willing to pay the price of risking their lives. For them nothing mattered when it comes to following Christ in the waters of Baptism. For the past twee weeks, we have been working through our Mission statement: Glorifying God by becoming devoted followers of Christ.”  Today we will look at what it means to become devoted followers of Christ. THE COST OF COMMITMENT Luke 9:18-27

Background: Jesus’ sends out the twelve disciples giving them power and authority to cast out evil spirts, to heal and to proclaim the Kingdom of God.  The disciples returned to Jesus with exciting reports. The crowds gathered to hear Jesus speak about the Kingdom of God. It was lunch time; the disciples requested Jesus to disperse the crowd so that they can go out and get food. Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish feeding over five thousand people.

            During one of his private moments of prayer Jesus, was with his disciples. The Holy Spirit dispelled the myths surrounding who Jesus was and revealed through Peter that he was indeed the Messiah. Using his own life as an example Jesus explains what is required of anyone who wants to be his disciple. Jesus talked about the cost that comes with the commitment.

I. SELF DENIAL & PICKING UP OUR CROSS (Vs 23)

            To refresh our memory, our mission statement reads, “Glorifying God by becoming devoted followers of Christ.” How do we glorify or honor God? We do it by becoming devoted followers of Christ. It is not accomplished by one simple decision or activity, but by intentionally committing ourselves to a lifelong process. The word devotion is a deep and action filled word. It means, “love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause fidelity, faithfulness, and commitment. When we say “by becoming devoted followers of Christ,” our goal is to become committed, loving, enthusiastic, and faithful followers of Christ.

            We are saying Jesus is our first priority in our lives and everything else becomes secondary. Jesus is looking for such loyal and committed followers not, feeble and weak followers. So, he laid out a three-fold process to all those who want to be his disciples.

            The first step in the process is, “Self-denial and Picking up our cross.” Vs 23, “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

            Self-denial means, giving up of one’s own needs and interests, self-sacrifice. It is the willingness to forgo personal pleasures or undergo personal trials in the pursuit of the increased good of another.  In 2013, a British soldier was beheaded in broad daylight outside his barracks. The Telegraph, a British paper, reported that a mother and Cub Scout leader, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, age 48, confronted the terrorists immediately after the grisly murder.

            She was one of the first people on the scene. While one of the terrorists held a bloodied knife, she selflessly engaged the terrorist in conversation in an attempt to prevent him from killing others. A Christian blog for "First Things" noted the real factor that motivated Ms. Loyau-Kennett to risk her life and get involved was her Christian faith. She said, "I live my life as a Christian. I believe in thinking about others and loving thy neighbor. We all have a duty to look after each other."

            Following Christ involves both self-denial and picking up our cross on a daily basis. Denying self is seldom that dramatic or high profile but it is often that demanding. Mrs. Loyau-Kennett understood that her faith is about far more than her own personal well-being. It is about obeying God and loving humanity. Self-denial was a common thread in the teachings of Christ.

            Jesus elsewhere said, to the travelling crowds with him, “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Picking up our cross here doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to be crucified in a literal sense, but it could mean a possible death. I know in Islamic and Hindu cultures following Christ means certain death. Yet many are following Christ. The kind of self-denial that Jesus expects from his disciples is not a reclusive ascetism, but active engagement in the society, fighting against the evils and injustices. Jesus is calling for a willingness to obey his commandment of loving our neighbor as ourselves, serving one another and to suffer for the sake of the gospel.

            What does self-denial and picking up the cross look like for us today? If you wonder if you are ready to take up your cross, consider these questions: Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends? Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job and your very own life? That leads us to the second step in following Christ.

II. IN LOSING, WE GAIN (Vs 24-25)

            Vs 24-25“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 or forfeit their very self? This is a very counter cultural statement from Jesus. For a modern man who only thinks about self-preservation and amassing wealth and riches for their own pleasures and comfort, the thought of letting go everything including their own lives sounds rather ludicrous.  

             But this is exactly how it works in Kingdom economics. In losing we gain, in giving up we receive and in dying we live. The key here is not losing everything for wrong reasons, not giving up things for wrong purposes and dying for wrong causes, but for the sake of Christ and for his cause of spreading the good news, that is what will earn us the crown of eternal life.  

            In addition to the command, “follow me” this saying, “whoever loses his life for my sake” is repeated more times in the gospels than any other saying of Christ. That shows how much importance Christ has attached to this principle of “in losing we gain and in dying we live.” We have many examples in the scriptures who gave up everything for the sake of following Jesus. In fact, Peter wanted to really make sure whether it was a worthy bargain so he asked Jesus this question, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

            And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” Matthew 19:27-30.

            This scripture is so true in my life. When I heard the call of God to follow him and serve him fulltime, I had decided to go straight after completing my college degree to join YWAM as a missionary.  I left my immediate family to follow Jesus, and he gave me a wife and my own family, along with that many brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers in the family of God.

            God has been faithful in meeting all my needs sometimes beyond my needs. Over the years of following Christ, I have learned that in losing I gain and in dying for the sake of Christ I live. God is no debtor of people. If we give our broken lives completely over to Jesus, he will heal, put the broken pieces together and use our lives for his glory.

III LIVING WITHOUT EMBARRASSMENT

            Following Christ involves self-denial, picking up our cross daily and a willingness to lose our lives for the sake of the Gospel. The third step in the process of becoming a committed follower of Christ may not be as drastic as the other two. Vs 26, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

            Elsewhere in Matthew we find a similar admonition, “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; ³³ but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. Matt 10:32-33. This is talking about, how are we to stand up for who we believe in, and what we believe in a world that is increasingly becoming adverse and intolerant towards the people of faith. It is all about being unashamed, and living without embarrassment as Christians in a secular world.

            I read a blog where a blogger seems to be ashamed of being a Christians, so she wrote, Why I'm Embarrassed To Call Myself A Christian But Proud To Say I Love Jesus.” Really? I know where this person is coming from but don’t quite get it why she should be so embarrassed to call herself a Christian? What is it in the name Christian, that makes so many people hate us? Why are we so surprised when people hate us? Hasn’t our Lord told us, this would happen? “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-13

            I am sure many of you here would be proud to be call yourself Christian, and not ashamed to live as a Christian. It’s high time Christians in the USA to rise up and take our rightful place as Christians, in our schools, work place and in our neighborhood. You may suffer ridicule and may even lose your job for taking such a position, but it is worth taking such risks for the sake of the gospel. The apostle Peter who once denied Jesus three times in front of people, has something to say to us this morning, “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” I Peter 4:15-16.

      As we are deciding to become committed followers of Christ, let’s remember the cost of such commitment. It involves, self-denial, picking up our cross daily, willingness to losing everything for his names sake and living without embarrassment. Our Lord himself has set an example for us to follow. It is up to us now to follow in his footsteps. My prayer is that at Hope Church we will do our best to live out our mission statement, “Glorifying God by becoming devoted (committed) followers of Christ. Amen.