“Discipleship is the Path” Stewards Living a God-Pleasing Life, Mark 8.34, Oct ‘22

 

1.                Let us pray.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer.  Amen.      The text is from Mark’s Gospel, chapter 8:34: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”  Today is the second message in our Stewardship series, “Stewards Living a God-Pleasing Life.”  Today our theme is, “Discipleship is the Path.”  Many people don’t know what they’re living for.  They lack a sense of worth, purpose, and direction.  Sometimes you may feel as if you’re just a number, just a social security number, or as if you’re just a small cog in a great big piece of machinery.  Maybe you feel like the person who works at a machine 8 hours a day making some small part for a car but not having any idea as to what the purpose of that part is. 

2.                In a book called The Christian Calling, the author tells of a group of laborers who were working every single day, digging holes 5 feet deep in the street.  The boss didn’t tell them why they were digging the holes.  After they were done digging, he would come over and he’d look at the holes and he would say, “OK, fill ‘er up.”  They would fill the holes back up again.  Finally at noon the men said, “We quit, this doesn’t make sense.  Give us the money you owe us; we’re quitting.”  The boss asked why they were quitting, and they said, “Well, digging holes doesn’t make a lot of sense just to fill them back up again.  It’s really dumb, and furthermore we look like fools.”  Then he told them why they were digging the holes.  They were trying to locate a water main.

3.                Every human being wants to know that there’s some point to what he’s doing.  God has called us to a life of discipleship.  A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ, a believer in Him, a student of His.  The word disciple occurs some 260 times in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts.  When we think of a disciple, we probably think of one of the 12 apostles as disciples.  But the word is only used 30 times in reference to them.  Today we’re more likely to use the word “Christian” instead of the word “disciple,” although the term “Christian” comes into use much later and is only found in 3 verses in the Bible.  Maybe that’s because a disciple is much more than just a “Christian,” a believer, a church member. 

4.                Being a disciple always involves a personal relationship.  It literally means “to be a devoted follower of a person.”  In the Bible, there were people who were disciples of John the Baptist, disciples of St. Paul, and others.  Among the philosophers, there were those who were disciples of Plato and disciples of Aristotle.  Discipleship means to follow a person. 

5.                Martin Luther understood discipleship.  He said, “If anyone were to rap at the door of my heart and ask who lives there, I would have to say ‘Martin Luther used to live here, but he doesn’t live here any longer.  Now it’s Jesus Christ who lives here.’ ” This is a personal relationship.  A disciple recognizes that man doesn’t live by bread alone, sports alone, entertainment alone, fast food alone, computers alone, investments alone, work alone, or whatever, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 

5.                 Being a disciple of Jesus Christ isn’t something you choose to be.  We don’t choose Christ, but He chooses us.  Jesus said to his disciples in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit.”  By His grace, He enables us to do what He calls us to do, to take up the cross, to follow Him, to be His disciple.  He is the One Who gives us the reason – the purpose for living.  It’s Christ who calls us to carry out His mission.  To be called by God to follow Him is both humbling and exhilarating.  It’s humbling in the sense of why He calls us, sinful, weak human beings, to carry out His message, and yet, it’s exhilarating to know that He calls us to carry out His holy work and empowers us to do so.  The One Who calls us is also the One Who enables us to fulfill that calling in faith and trust and obedience.  When God calls a person through the Gospel to follow Him, He calls the whole person.  You can’t separate your life into little segments.  You can’t say, “Well, this part here will be faithful to Christ and ignore Him with the other part of my life at the same time.”  Martin Luther said that we live in two kingdoms, in two worlds – the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of this world.  He says both of those are God’s – we serve God in both of them.

6.                The life of discipleship isn’t for everyone, because being a disciple involves commitment.  It’s not about seeing what options you have, but it’s devoting your whole life and service to Jesus.  That’s true whether you are a husband or wife, a father or mother, a son or daughter, whether you’re a man or woman, neighbor or friend, employer or employee, or whatever.

7.                When a person becomes a U.S. citizen, he must renounce all allegiance to the country of his birth and pledge 100% commitment to the United States.  Only then will the U.S. government grant him citizenship.  That’s the way it is with Jesus.  When you become a follower of Jesus, you renounce Satan completely and entirely.  You can’t divide your loyalties, splitting half the time with Satan and half the time with Christ.  When you were baptized, you, your sponsors, and your parents made that same commitment – to be a follower of Jesus all your life and renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways. 

8.                The call to follow Christ Jesus isn’t for everyone.  At one time there were 5,000 men as well as women and children who were fed by Jesus.  When He told them what was involved in following Him, there was only a handful left.  Oh, the people listened and some of them even agreed with what He said, but they weren’t willing to pay the price – the cost of discipleship.  Following Jesus isn’t some half-hearted effort.  It takes courage, commitment, and determination.

9.                Our Lord doesn’t force us to follow Him.  By His grace, He simply invites us to follow Him – to deny ourselves, to take up the cross, and to follow Him.  To follow Him means that we have to deny ourselves.  We would much rather focus on ourselves, our issues, problems, and challenges, rather than on the call of Jesus.  Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and follow Me.”  That’s hard to do, because, you see, the self is contrary to Jesus.  The self wants the things that the self is interested in—what I can get out of it and what’s good for me.  The self doesn’t want to put itself aside in favor of God.  To deny the self is more than just giving up your favorite food or entertainment.  It’s fully giving yourself to Jesus in willing obedience to follow His call of discipleship.

10.             As disciples, there may be times when we have to suffer for Jesus.  Jesus Himself knew that He would have to do that for us.  Jesus was going to have to die so that our sins could be paid for and forgiven.  It would be ugly, it would be painful, and it would have to hurt.  The cross was filthy, full of all the muck and the mire of all of the people of all the times in all the world, including your sins and mine.  He knew that the cross held our greed, our pride, our self-righteousness.  It held our deception and disobedience and everything else, and yet Jesus still chose to go the way of the cross.  Jesus was perfect, sinless, and yet He would suffer for all of our crimes.  In fact, He knew that He must suffer rejection at the hands of many.  It was absolutely necessary for Jesus to do this.  There were no options, no choices, and no alternatives.  He simply must.  It was necessary.  In fact, it was necessary for the forgiveness of our sins and our salvation.

11.             You know, that day when you told your mother that you had already cleaned the bathroom sink and you hadn’t.  That’s one of those times it was necessary for Jesus to die for your sins.  That night when you were sexually intimate with your boyfriend or girlfriend, it became necessary for Jesus to give His life for you.  That time when you fudged on your income tax by taking a deduction you really weren’t entitled to, it became necessary for Jesus to give His life for you.  That day when you made fun of a classmate in front of the whole class, then it became necessary for Jesus to die for you.  That day when you were mad at your brother or sister and wished they were dead, then it became necessary for Jesus to die for you.  That Sunday morning when you woke up with no thought towards God or towards worship, then it became necessary for Jesus to die for you. 

12.             You see, for Jesus, it was total commitment.  He knew that He must die.  Jesus had to do it in order to pay for the forgiveness of our sins.  Now He calls us to deny ourselves, to take up the cross and to follow Him.  He enables us to do that by His Word and Sacrament.  He empowers us to live our lives for Him.  Through Christ’s body and blood in the Lord’s Supper, we get a new start.  We start again as disciples with a new life.  Jesus assures us that all our sin is forgiven, so that we can start all over with a clean slate.  He gives us the strength so that we can live a God-pleasing life.  Jesus gives us courage to invite others to become disciples.  There’s a desire to make disciples of all people. 

13.             Jesus calls us to a life of discipleship.  The first disciples heard the call and followed Him.  When we’re uncertain, unclear about our purpose in life, some things get fuzzy.  It's the same with our congregation.  If we think only of ourselves and are uncertain about the mission Jesus has given us, then we flounder and fail.  Our lives are given to us for only one purpose – to follow Christ wherever He leads.  We only have one life to give and discipleship is the path.  So let us deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Him.  Amen.  Now may the peace of God, which goes beyond all of our understanding, keep our hearts and minds safe and secure in Christ Jesus, so that we are enabled and empowered to follow Him all the days of our lives, committing ourselves to Him, even to life everlasting.  Amen.

 

“Faith Is the Foundation” Hebrews 11.1-2, 6 Oct. ‘22 Stewards Living a God-Pleasing Life

 

1.                Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  This Sunday we begin a three-week series called, “Stewards Living a God-Pleasing Life.”  I pray that God will use this time and these messages to encourage and enable all of us to be faithful and God-pleasing stewards.  The Word for today is found in Hebrews 11.  I will read verses 1, 2, and 6 where we have a Biblical definition of faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation… And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”   This is the Word of the Lord.  The message today is entitled, “Faith is the Foundation,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                “Sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see.”  Can’t see it.  A certain hope and assurance for it.  Okay, that’s faith.  There was a father, who was known for his quality-built homes.  In the building of his homes, he always used the finest of materials and best of contractors.  He kept a list of those he knew he could depend on.  The people who bought his homes were often willing to pay a premium price, because they knew the quality of home they were getting from him.  And so it was that this father, and also husband, was celebrating his 56^th anniversary, and the husband and wife decided to take a trip to celebrate.  He went to his son and sat down with him and laid out the blueprints for a home in a community of houses that they were working on.  He said, “Son, your mom and I are going to be gone for a long time which will give you ample time to build this home.  Will you take on the responsibility of building this home for me in my absence?”  He said, “I sure would, Dad.  Be happy to do it.”   “Well, I know you can do it, but let me ask you: Will you also use the finest materials in the building of this home?”  “I will Dad, just according to specifications you have outlined.”  “Son, will you also use the finest of contractors that we’ve grown to know over the years so well, those with experience?”  “Dad, you know you can count on me to use the ones that we’ve always used.”  The dad said, “Son, I’ll be proud of you – I know I will, please take care of it.  Your mom and I will be back.” 

3.                The parents went away to a far-away land and were gone long enough for the house to be built.  But, the son had his own way of looking at things, and he decided that there were ways he could save quite of a bit of money building this home.  He cut corners everywhere that he could cut a corner, and, even with choice of contractors, he found contractors who would do it much more cheaply.  Even though he discovered their poor quality of workmanship; nevertheless, he got to pocket a lot of extra cash and for that he was very happy.  Then his dad returned from that long trip.  His father came to see the house and, from the outside, it looked beautiful.  It fit in beautifully with the other homes.  Only the son and those who worked on the house knew the kinds of materials and workmanship that went into it.  The father didn’t know this.  The father looked at his son and said, “Son, I can’t tell you how proud of you I am this day.”  He asked him, “Son, did you use the best materials?”  “Yes Dad.”  “Did you use the best contractors?”   “Yes I did Dad,” he said, lying to his father.  And his father said, “I am so proud of you.”  Reaching into his pocket for the keys, he said, “Son, I know that you and Alice are going to get married next year – this is your mother’s and my gift to you.”

4.                Just as the son in our story cut corners in building the house his father asked him to build, could we be cutting corners building our spiritual houses?  Are you trying to save and to scrimp?  Maybe you think you don't need as much time as other people do in worship or in Bible study.  Will you be protected from all of life's trials and tribulations, that, while they may come, they won’t overcome, because the Lord has built your spiritual house.  You will withstand those storms of trials and temptations.  Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those that build it labor in vain.”  In vain . . . so, we let the Lord build our house. 

5.                I'm sure all of you have heard the story Jesus told about the two men who built their homes in Matthew 7:24-27.  One built his house on the sand and the other built his house on the rock.  Remember the story?  What happened to the man who built his house on the sand?  Great storms and waves came, and all kinds of rain and winds came.  What happened to his house?  The rain washed the sand away and took out the foundation of the house, and the house collapsed and washed out into the ocean.  What about the man who built his house upon the rock?  The storms came, the winds blew, and the house withstood the storms, didn't it?  That's a picture: the rock that we build on is a picture of building our lives on Jesus Christ, Who is the rock of our salvation.  He’s our rock and our fortress.  He’s our redeemer and we build our lives on Him.  Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation that we build on.  The rains and storms of life come along.  We wither in the heat and faint in the storm.  We waver and wander, but Jesus, our Rock, stands firm.  Our emotions soar and plunge, but “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” as the writer to the Hebrews assures us. (Hebrews 13:8)

6.                But what is faith?  We open a box of Cracker Jacks because we think there's a prize in it, pour them out, and we find a prize, just as the box said.  Well, it does take a degree of simple faith to believe that that prize was going to be in there. 

7.                Then we can talk about traveling faith.  You get on an airplane and sit down and grip the seat so tightly that the armrest almost comes off in your hands.  You've got traveling faith, don’t you?  You might be nervous, but you've got traveling faith.  You lift your hands up for a moment so you can buckle your seatbelt, but you put your hands back on the armrest and you pray the whole time.  What are you praying?  You're praying the Lord is going to be with you and the plane is going to go up, and then the plane is going to come down and land very softly on the runway, right?  Sometimes driving in the city, especially when there’s construction, you need traveling faith for safety, and you need traveling faith that there's going to be a road that is going to be open so that you can get where you are going.  You have traveling faith.  Faith that your car is going to get you there safely, and, if not, you have faith in your insurance company!

8.                You have not only traveling faith, but have financial faith, don't you?  Financial faith is faith that God is going to take care of you, that God is going to provide for you and your family, not just today, but in the future.  That financial faith is based upon the fact that, in the past, God has He has taken care of you.  You have financial faith in the present, because the Lord is taking care of you now.  There are difficult times, but we trust and have financial faith that the Lord is going to take care of us.  Some of us really struggle.  We look to God and we ask for greater faith.  The widow whom Jesus commended in Luke 21 had financial faith.  While the rich were tossing their gifts into the temple treasury, Jesus’ eye was caught by the poor widow who “put in more than all the others,” because “she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”  What she really had was giving faith.  She was able to give it all, because she had faith that God was her security, not her money.

9.                But faith, whether it’s as simple as believing the Cracker Jack promise, or trusting the airplane, or even knowing God will care for you in all circumstances, offers much more, doesn’t it?  That faith is saving faith.  What is saving faith?  Saving faith is in our hearts by the work of the Holy Spirit.  It’s faith that trusts in Jesus alone for salvation, for forgiveness of sins, for life eternal.  It is faith that trusts in the event of the Cross of Christ.  There are some who call themselves Christian today and don’t believe that Christ really died, but that He was only a messenger.  We have faith that that event really happened - that Christ died on a cross for you and for me; therefore, we have forgiveness of sins.  His blood was shed and He was buried in a tomb.  We also have the faith of the women on Easter morning who came to the tomb where the angel greeted them and said, "Whom are you looking for?  He is not here, He is risen."  We know that the tomb was empty.  Were you there?  I wasn't there.  Through faith we participate, and we believe and trust in Jesus and His merit and His work and the cross and the empty tomb for our salvation.  It's ours, even though we weren't there, and that's because of what Jesus has done, what He has accomplished.  That's the Good News for God's people today.  It’s saving faith - a foundation upon which we build. Then God comes, and He has a set of keys to a spiritual house that He’s building for you and for me.  He is building our lives, maturing and growing us, and He gives us the keys to that spiritual house.  He makes us stewards of all the time and talents and treasures that we have, of everything we are and will be.  He makes us stewards of that.  Faith is the foundation.  The responsibility is ours to be good stewards and live lives that are pleasing to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  May you, by the living of your life, please the Lord.  May your spiritual house not only grow and mature, but may it be one that sees all of God's blessings and abundance of His grace.  “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith.  It is not of yourselves, but it is a gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8-9) and He really has given it to you.  Build your house, build it on the faith which the Lord has founded in your heart, in Jesus name.  Amen.

10.             Prayer:  Dearest Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blueprint for building our spiritual house and for the work that You do, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, to guide, to lead, to strengthen, and to build us up firmly on a foundation of faith and trust in You alone for salvation.  Let us ever keep our hearts and our minds focused on You and what You have done, that we may do for You and others.  Amen.