Midweek Lenten Vespers
Week of the Fifth Sunday in Lent
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Rev. Charles Henrickson
Follow Me: The Cross and the Crown of Discipleship
Follow Me: The Cross of Discipleship (Matt.
10:38-39; 16:24-25)
Take up your cross and follow me. Follow me, and
you will have treasure in heaven. This is the
twofold word our Lord has for us this evening, under
the theme, The Cross and the Crown of Discipleship.
Originally, the plan was to consider these as two
different messages, The Cross last week and The
Crown tonight, but the snowstorm caused us to combine
the two into one. And thats OK, because there is no
Crown without the Cross, and there is no Cross
we endure that will not be far outweighed by the
Crown we will receive. The two go together. Take
up your cross and follow me. Follow me, and you
will have treasure in heaven.
First we take up the cross. Take it up first, not
just as a topic, but as a way of life. Our Lord tells
us, in very similar sayings in Matthew 10 and 16, what
discipleship will be like: And whoever does not take
his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever
finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his
life for my sake will find it. If anyone would come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross
and follow me. For whoever would save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will
find it.
Take up your cross and follow me, he says. What
does taking up your cross have to do with following
Jesus? The cross is an instrument of death, of
suffering, of putting to death. And here Jesus says,
If anyone would come after me, let him take up his
cross. Hes saying that each of us should willingly
take up something that will bring us suffering and put
us to death. That is what is involved in following
Jesus.
The cross means suffering, but not just any suffering.
All people suffer. Many people talk about bearing
their cross when they just mean the various
afflictions they endure. But thats not the suffering
Jesus means when he says take up the cross. No, the
cross is that specific suffering we endure because we
belong to Christ. It is the putting to death of the
old Adam, the sinful self with its desires, because we
belong to Christ. It is the suffering and persecution
we endure from others, because we belong to Christ.
Suffering for the sake of the gospel, dying to sin,
crucifying the flesh, denying your self--these are
what it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus.
Jesus leads the way. His cross gives meaning to our
cross. His cross is unique, one of a kind. It is
unique in that only the cross of Christ can pay for
our sins. And it does! The cross of Christ is one of
a kind because of the one who was crucified on it.
Jesus, the holy Son of God. Dying on that cross of
Calvary for our sins. The righteous for the
unrighteous. The Lamb of God who takes up his cross
and takes away the sin of the world. Only the cross
of Christ can do that. Because Jesus took up his
cross, by his suffering and death, we have life in his
name.
Now in Baptism, our old self, the old Adam, was
crucified and buried with Christ. The new man arises,
alive in the Spirit. But day by day the old man must
be put to death. As St. Paul says, I have been
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me. So taking up the cross
means baptismal dying daily--dying to self, dying to
sin--dying to live.
For us who are alive in Christ, then, following him
means taking up our cross. Yes, the cross of Christ
is unique; it is our salvation, totally apart from
anything we do. But at the same time it is also our
example, the model for our cross-bearing. The cross
of Christ is our example, as well as our salvation.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising its shame.
Thats what the writer to the Hebrews says, as he
exhorts us to endure hardship. And then he says:
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility
against himself, so that you may not grow weary or
fainthearted. The cross of Jesus is our example, our
inspiration--more than that, it is the power source
for enduring the cross in own lives.
Suffering for the sake of the gospel. Moving forward
in the Christian faith and life, in spite of that
suffering. Looking to Jesus all the while, drawing
your life from him. Thats what Jesus means when he
says, Take up your cross and follow me.
Moving forward with the gospel, in spite of
suffering--even the threat or possibility of
suffering, whether it comes or not. You could play it
safe and avoid the risks that come with being a
Christian. Or you can move forward in faith, trusting
God, no matter what may happen to you. That, too, is
taking up your cross and following Jesus.
Because of the gospel shining in and through your
life, you will face risks and dangers as you encounter
the people of this world. Maybe not the threat of
death. But maybe the risk of rejection. You will
have your own cross to bear as you follow Jesus.
But always remember, Jesus leads the way. His cross
of death is your salvation. The cross of Christ is
unique, one of a kind. It forgives your sins, allays
your fears, covers your failures. The cross of Christ
is that which gives you life. It will give you
strength in the midst of hardship, courage in the face
of danger, hope in the depths of despair. Jesus leads
the way with his cross. And so we are enabled to take
up our cross and follow him.
Follow Me: The Crown of Discipleship (Matt.
19:16-30)
Well, weve talked about the Cross. Now we take up
the Crown. Well, maybe not just yet. We have a
ways to go till we get there. But the crown, the
crown of life, is laid up in heaven for those who
follow Jesus. That promise is given in Matthew 19,
where Jesus tells the rich young man: If you want to
be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then
come, follow me. Jesus promises the young man a
crown, treasure in heaven. But first he has to undo
the mans messed-up thinking about how we get to
heaven. Lets see how he does it.
Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven. Does Jesus mean
that if only we would sell our earthly possessions and
give the money to the poor, then we will have heavenly
treasures? There have been those who have claimed
that, that if only we renounce earthly wealth, we will
merit a heavenly reward. That is a natural
inclination, to think that if only we do something
good and noble, then we earn our way into heaven and
deserve Gods approval. Thats our natural human
instinct, and it comes in various forms. Im a good
enough person. My friend or loved one who died was
good enough; surely God must reward them with eternal
life in heaven.
That was the thinking of the rich young man, that he
was good enough by his works to merit Gods approval.
So by telling him to sell his possessions and give to
the poor, Jesus was not encouraging him to do more of
the same, only harder or better. No, the rich young
man already thought that way; he didnt need Jesus to
reinforce it for him. What he needed was for Jesus to
pull the rug out from under him, to remove the thought
that by doing something good and meritorious, you earn
Gods favor and eternal life. Jesus strips that idea
right away from him.
Heres how he does it. The rich young man comes
asking, Teacher what good deed must I do to have
eternal life? Already theres something defective in
the young mans approach. Hes approaching Jesus as
though Jesus were just another rabbi or religious
teacher, which hes not. Jesus is not some religious
guru who happened to hit upon the winning formula, the
teacher with the best advice.
No, Jesus wont be put into that little box. So he
directs the young man upward: Why do you ask me
about what is good? There is only one who is good.
If you would enter life, keep the commandments. You
see, its not as though Jesus has the secret formula
that everyone else missed, the one good thing you have
to do that God hasnt bothered to reveal elsewhere.
There is no secret knowledge when it comes to doing
the works of the law. God has made that plain. God
isnt holding anything out on you as far as the law is
concerned, Jesus is saying, as though Ive got
something hidden up my sleeve that no one else has.
No, the law is clear: Keep the commandments.
Jesus then mentions the commandments that have to do
with how we treat our neighbor, because those are the
ones we think we can actually keep: You shall not
murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not
steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your
father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.
Without batting an eye, the young man responds, All
these I have kept. What do I still lack? The young
man is disappointed. I come to you for secret
knowledge, Jesus, and all you can do is to recite the
old commandments? I was looking for something new. I
already am careful to keep the commandments. I wanted
you to tell me something different, something above
and beyond what I already do.
This young man takes it for granted that he already
keeps the commandments. But there is his mistake. He
thinks he does, but he doesnt, really. Oh, Im sure
he did a pretty good job on keeping the outward form
of the commandments, as far as avoiding the gross
violations. Im sure he didnt commit adultery, in
the sense of actually sleeping with another mans
wife. He didnt commit murder, that is, actually take
another persons life. On the outward level, Im sure
the young man practiced a morally upright life. He
probably did better at it than a lot of us do.
But what he missed was the depth of these
commandments, their power to accuse and convict us as
sinners. For even if we manage to avoid the gross,
outward violations, none of us can keep Gods law in
the fullness of how it must be kept in order to please
God. Our doing of the law is always sinful, always
imperfect; it always falls short. And the young man
was no exception. But Jesus must lead him to see it.
So far the young man doesnt. He does not recognize
himself as a sinner in need of forgiveness, who cannot
earn or merit salvation before God.
So Jesus puts his finger on where the law will most
clearly show this fellow that he is a sinner. He
reveals what the mans god was, the idol that he
worshiped. For this rich young man, it is his wealth.
Its in that context that Jesus says, Sell your
possessions and give to the poor. Because that is
the very thing he was unwilling to do. That was the
area of his life where the rich man refused to let go.
Money, wealth, possessions--thats where he placed
his security, his happiness, his attention. It had
become his god. Earthly wealth was the treasure he
really valued, and it got in the way of his receiving
the heavenly treasure, which he would have found in
Jesus. The young man is unwilling to part with his
idol. So he walks away from Jesus sad.
You see, it isnt by selling your possessions that you
gain Gods favor and the treasure in heaven. No. But
for this man, thats what it took to point him to his
sin and to show him his need. Which Jesus would have
then supplied. But the young man was not willing to
be a sinner before God. He had too much invested in
his earthly wealth. People have no need, no desire,
to follow Jesus for something better when theyre
content with what theyve got. Whether its money or
family or friends, popularity or the pursuit of
pleasure--whatever your god is here on earth.
Jesus points the young man to his idolatry--earthly
treasures--and thus to his inability to keep Gods
law. Jesus would show him his need and then point him
to his Savior. Which is Jesus himself. And come,
follow me. Dont miss that in what Jesus tells the
man. Follow me, Jesus says. Thats where and how
you will find the true treasure. The treasure in
heaven, which God gives to sinners as a free gift.
You dont earn it. You cant exchange your wealth for
it in some sort of bargain. No, simply follow Jesus
and you will find it in him.
Well, the disciples followed Jesus. In fact, they had
given things up in order to follow him. So this
raises a question for them. See, we have left
everything and followed you, Peter says. What then
will we have? OK, Jesus, you just told this guy, get
rid of what youve got and come follow me. All right,
weve done that. Now what? Whats in it for us?
What do we get for all our trouble? What have we
earned for being so self-sacrificing?
No, no, Peter. Its not like that. Yes, you have
left things behind to follow me. Thats good. But
its not like were in a bargaining session. The
rewards God gives are so wildly disproportional to
what little you may have given up, that its no
contest. The whole thing is by grace. God rewards
and blesses you way beyond any thought of you earning
anything. Everyone who has left houses or brothers
or sisters or father or mother or children or lands,
for my names sake, will receive a hundredfold and
will inherit eternal life. This is what God gives.
He gives it as a gift, for Christs sake, simply
because he is a gracious God.
The good things of this life cannot hold a candle to
the greater gifts that God gives. The good things of
this life are temporary, transient. To focus on them,
obsess about them, to make the things of this life
come before, and at the expense of, following Jesus
and receiving the gifts only he can give--that is
idolatry, and it is to miss out on what is so much
better.
So what does following Jesus gain us? That is to say,
what does Jesus give us as a gift? Treasure in
heaven. As he says in the Sermon on the Mount, Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and
steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven. . . . Seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness. . . . Jesus directs us to the higher
treasures, the treasure in heaven.
How hard it is--no, impossible--to enter the kingdom
of heaven on our own! Based on our own goodness or
merit, it is impossible, whether for a rich man or for
any man. The disciples ask, Who then can be saved?
Jesus answers, With man this is impossible, but with
God all things are possible. God is able to save
sinners, whether rich men who worship their wealth or
the poor men who envy the rich and wish they had their
wealth.
So let go of your false gods, and let the true God
take hold of you! Follow Jesus! Thats where and how
you will find the true treasure. In him. He it is
who gave up the treasures of heaven to come down to
earth to be our Savior. He who was rich became poor
for your sake, so that in him you might become rich by
his poverty. He humbled himself and became obedient
unto death, even death on a cross. Jesus, the Son of
God come in the flesh. Jesus, the only man who ever
kept the law of God fully, completely, perfectly.
Jesus, who took the brunt of our failure to keep the
commandments by dying in our place. Now the judgment
against sin has been served. For us, by him. Now the
treasure is given. To us, through him. The treasure
in heaven. Now it is yours. All who follow Jesus
will have eternal life. It is yours as a gift.
Follow him. Receive from him. There is where your
true treasure is, there is your crown of life.
My friends, throughout this whole Follow Me series
of sermons, there is one thing I have wanted you to
see very clearly. It is that the whole Christian life
is a very personal thing, and by that I mean the
person of Christ. Discipleship means following Jesus.
Its not about learning a bunch of rules or steps for
better living. Its not about us. It is for us, but
its not about us. Its about Jesus. Follow me,
Jesus says. Therefore we do follow him, through the
cross, toward the crown, and we find life, eternal
life, in him.
Charles Henrickson
4749 Melissa Jo Ln
St. Louis, MO 63128
(314) 845-8811 (home)
(314) 779-8108 (cell)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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