Shafter Church of Christ

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2 Feb:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A DISCIPLE OF Christ?

We have been called to be disciples of Jesus, yet this is not an easy life. There are certain things required of us and not everyone is willing to do what is necessary to be a disciple. In the following passage, Jesus encountered three prospective disciples:

“As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, ‘I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.

“And He said to another, ‘Follow Me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.’ But He said to him, ‘Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.’

“Another also said, ‘I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:57-62).

1) We May be Called to Give Up Our Earthly Possessions:

We might have to move in order to escape strong worldly influences – something that Lot should have done rather than remain in Sodom (Genesis 13:10-13).
We might be required to relocate where we can be more effective serving the Lord. Paul moved around to be able to help Christians in different areas (cf. Romans 1:11).
Under extreme circumstances, we might have to sell our property to contribute to an extraordinary need (Acts 4:32-35).
We might need to leave a well-paying job or a “successful” career that is harmful to us spiritually, just as Paul did when he converted to Christ (Philippians 3:7).
We might have to endure persecution for the cause of Christ that makes permanent residency impossible. Luke 9:23 “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Heb 10:32-34 “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.”

We need to value our heavenly home more than our earthly home. If we are truly longing for heaven, we should be willing to give up anything that would hinder us from reaching that home.

2) We Must Be Willing to Forfeit Family Relationships “Allow the dead to bury their own dead…” (Luke 9:60).

Jesus’ message was that following Him must take precedence over any and all other relationships. Mtt 10:37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me”. Jesus was not teaching that we must forsake family in every situation. There are many passages in the New Testament that emphasize our responsibility toward our families (Ephesians 5:22, 25; 6:1, 4; 1 Timothy 5:4; et al.).
Jesus placed His disciples over His earthly family. Mtt 12:4-50 “While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.’ But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, ‘Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:46-50). Jesus was willing to put His disciples over His earthly mother and brothers. We must be willing to do the same when necessary.

Sometimes our families may be directly opposed to Christ. Under these circumstances, Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword…and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household” (Matthew 10:34-36). Before His crucifixion, Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him and even mocked His work for the Father (John 7:3-5).
Sometimes our families may be pressuring us to live in sin (cf. 1 Cor 15:33).
Some families may not understand our desire to put Christ ‘first” and resist our change of lifestyle. (1 Peter 4:3-4).
Family activities may conflict with spiritual responsibilities, in which case disciples are to leave family and put the kingdom first (Matt 19:29; 6:33).

We need to value our relationship with Christ over our relationship with others – including family. We have the great privilege of being “called children of God” (1 John 3:1). THIS “family” is to be more important than any other relationship.

3) Disciples Must Be Willing to Make a Lifelong Commitment “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Many Scriptures speak to the need to persevere and to endure to the end. Mtt 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” Jesus illustrated this Himself by being obedient to the will of our Father – even to the point of death on a cross (Phil 2:8)
We change our way of life in order to avoid the temptations of sin and fall back into our old ways. Like Moses, we must be willing to forgo the pleasures of this life and chose to be a person for God. (Heb 11:25).
We must be willing to suffer persecution 2 Tim 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” and “be faithful until death” (Revelation 2:10).
Facing tribulations is inevitable, but the only way we can be faithful to the end is to not take our eyes off our Lord, Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 12:3).
Frequent study of the Word which trains us for living in a pleasing way to the Lord (2 Tim 3:16,17) helps us to avoid becoming distracted by the “worries and riches and pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14), trying to “serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24) rather than being wholly devoted to serving our Father.
We must seek to never take our eyes of the goal: Phil 3:14 “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Our minds must always be centered on Christ Col 3:2 “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
We need to value the eternal reward that God offers more than the temporary comforts of this life. Jesus asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

Heb 10:35-39 “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need to endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. . . . But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

Conclusion

Each one of us has been called to be a disciple of Jesus. Yet as Jesus explained, we must be willing to surrender our earthly home when it becomes a hindrance to us, forfeit family relationships when they become detrimental to our faith, and make a lifelong commitment to following Him, regardless of the cost.

26 Jan: Legalism: Spiritual Pride and Self-Righteousness

Gal 2:21 "I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for nothing"

We know from God's Word that He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Humility is the ability to be without pride or arrogance and it is a principal character that should be seen in those who follow Jesus Christ. Col 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Phil 2:3 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves”. James 4:6 “But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.?”

One of the greatest stumbling blocks to humility is how legalism can worm its way into our hearts and minds. Legalism is associated with the idea of strictness, narrow-mindedness, and being judgmental. The Pharisees had other problems, but they are the classic example of “legalists”, believing they were pleasing to the Lord in the way

Legalism is a focus on LAW as a means of justification. The truth of the matter is that Scripture teaches us that we are “justified by faith” in Christ Rom 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” In our efforts to acquire forgiveness by being good enough that even God sees how we deserve His mercy - we proudly enter into a life built on living according to strict law-keeping.

The following behaviors may not seem related at first. Yet what they all have in common is that they depend upon LAW as the means by which one considers himself to be justified.

Next week we are going to look at justification but today I want to consider behavior and attitudes which are not desired by God.

Mechanical/automatic Obedience rather than from the heart – God said of His people, “Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote…” (Isaiah 29:13). Rather than serving God from the heart, they were simply “going through the motions.” Jesus cited this same passage when He condemned the Pharisees for worshipping God “in vain” (Matthew 15:8-9). If the things we do in service to God are nothing more than items to check off just so we can say we have done them, we have fallen into the trap of legalism. I would see our church attendance where we grudgingly appear week after week but do not participate in song and in the Lord’s Supper without giving it any thought of emotion.
Seeking to do the minimum to be saved – When the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to keep the commandments, and he answered that he had done this (Luke 18:18-21). So Jesus said, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22). This caused him to depart in sorrow. Jesus’ answer did not give a minimum requirement for him to meet. Instead, He called upon him to make a complete, lifelong 100% commitment. Jesus said elsewhere, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Our entire lives must be given to Him as a “living and holy sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). We must strive to be “perfect, as [our] heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) but we need to acknowledge that this is impossible for us to do 24/7 (Rom 3:23). Rather it is the goal to give our hearts 100% (Greatest Commandment) and live the best we can. If we try to determine what is the least we can do and still please God, that is a form of legalism.
Looking for loopholes to justify one’s desired behavior – The Pharisees came up with what they thought was a “loophole” to justify their failure to care for their parents (Matthew 15:4-6). In other words, if certain conditions existed, they believed they could ignore God’s law. That is the point I tried to make with our last “Good Samaritan” lesson. The priest and Levite may have thought they were making the right decision not to get in involved so they could serve their responsibilities but in doing so they ignored a greater law to love their neighbor. Many today subscribe to the concept of “situation ethics,” in which right and wrong are determined not by an objective standard of truth but by the current circumstances. Their concept of right and wrong changes as culture changes. Many do this today refusing to recognize God’s word as the unchanging standard of truth Psalm 119:160 “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.” Deut 5:32-33 “So you shall observe to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.”

Of course, many simply reject the instructions of God outright. Yet if we look for ways to justify our failure to follow God’s instructions while still claiming to follow His law, we are guilty of legalism. A clear instance of this in Scripture is when the apostle Paul explained that some “slanderously reported” that he taught the idea that we can “do evil that good may come” (Romans 3:8). In other words, by our sinning, it brings into play God’s grace so the more we sin the more God’s grace is being handed out. It would appear that more sin is a good thing but there is never a situation when sinning is acceptable in God’s eyes: 1 Sam 15:22 “And Samuel said, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”

Assuming the place of God in judging others – Jesus described the Pharisees as having “seated themselves in the chair of Moses” (Matthew 23:2). The Lord had much to say about this topic of judging others. Matt 7:1-2 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” John 8:7 “When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 1 Cor 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” When Paul warned against “passing judgment on [one’s] opinions” (Romans 14:1), he wrote, “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Romans 14:10). If we condemn others for not conforming to our opinions – as if we were God and our opinions were Scripture – we have become legalists.

Conclusion:

If one is striving to carefully follow God’s law, that does not mean he is a “legalist.” We need to be “careful to engage in good deeds” (Titus 3:8), doing all things “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17) as we “observe all that [He] commanded” (Matthew 28:20). A “legalist” will be careful to give an appearance of engaging in good deeds while doing the least that he can, finding ways to justify his preferred sins, and condemning those who do not live up to the human standard he has created or adopted for himself.

While legalism is typically associated with strictness and narrow-mindedness, the same mentality also leads one to justify his own sins, shortcomings, and unwise decisions. We must not seek to be justified by law – instead, we should recognize that we are justified by faith and then continue to live by faith, grow in the Lord, become more like Christ, and bear fruit in our service to God.