Word of Salvation – Vol. 21 No. 32 – April 1975

 

What Is Christianity?

 

Sermon by Rev. C. Moerman, Th.Grad. on Luke 9:23-26

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10: 23-39; Luke 9:18-26

Psalter Hymnal: 301:1,2 and 4; 251:1 and 2 (after Law);
                         198:1,2 and 3 (after Creed); 456: 1 and 4;
                         457: all; 125:4 (doxology)

 

Congregation of Jesus, young and old,

Australia a CHRISTIAN country;
            many churches with open doors;
            spires pointing to heaven,
            with at the very tops crosses reminding us of the Calvary of Christ.

Parliament – I believe – still opens with prayer;
            in our law courts a Bible is given to the witnesses
                         that they may swear to reveal nothing but the truth.

What IS Christianity?

Is it a philosophy dealing with the ultimate reality of life?

Or, just a study of principles of human behaviour?

Is it a long list of ‘you shalls’ or ‘you shall nots’?

Do we really have to ask a baker what bread is all about?
Do we ask a miner what coal looks like?
Is it not really a pointless, needless question to ask you,
            to ask in Christian Australia – what Christianity is all about?

Do YOU know what Christ requires from all those who call themselves Christians?
Do YOU know what Christianity means?

From the passage we read we learned that Jesus had just announced His coming suffering and death at the hand of the Jewish leaders.  In the same story, written by Matthew, we are told how Peter tried to turn Jesus from His passion.

But Jesus’ course is fixed.  He is ready to go to Jerusalem and suffer the burden of the cross.

To be sure, the disciple is not more than the Master.  And in the words of our text Jesus tells us what it means to be a Christian in the world.  Jesus Himself answers the question: “what is Christianity”.

His coming passion Christ announced to His disciples only.

But in our text He starts to speak about THE PRINCIPLES of the new life for the Christian.  And these have to be heard by ALL.  And He said to ALL, “If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself.”

Man is no stranger to the experience of denying someone else: a friend, or father or mother, or as in the case of Peter even Jesus Christ.  But to deny one’s self goes against the whole grain of our being.  We want to assert ourselves, rather than to deny, and. . . become the laughingstock of many.

“If ANY man…”.  This applies to all ranks and classes.  It is intended for every age and time.  For every member of the church visible.  It’s a condition, even the very first principle of Christianity: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

History has left us with an impressive list of names of persons who dedicated their lives in self-denial to serve others: Francis of Assisi, Florence Nightingale, Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King, to mention just a few.  And the war in South Vietnam will, no doubt, produce new names of some ‘angels of mercy’ who laboured with great self-denial among the refugees and the orphans.

Is THAT the self-denial Jesus is speaking about?

The word which is used here for “to deny oneself” expresses the idea TO REFUSE ASSOCIATION WITH ONESELF. . . It means to be able to say ‘NO’ to yourself.  It is a complete repudiation of oneself.  This is ‘the sinful self as it centres in the things of men and has no use for the things of God.  As Peter denied his Master, saying, “I do not know the man”, so you must be able to say “no” to your sinful self.  Even to say to self: “I disown you completely, I repudiate you.”

This is the first condition of Christian living: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

The heart sees all the sin of self, AND the damnation, AND the death bound up in this sin, and. . . turns away from it in utter dismay and seeks rescue in Christ alone.  Sinful self is thus cast out and Christ enters in.  And THEREFORE we no longer live to ourselves, nor for the sake of mankind only, but FIRST of all unto Christ Who died for us.

That’s self-denial.  Living for Jesus in ALL that I do.  O yes, and that means of course that I serve then my fellowman, wholeheartedly.

But that’s not all.

Our Lord continues, “and take up his cross daily”.

The word ‘cross’ is very often misused.  It is WRONG to call all our suffering a cross.  It is not CORRECT to say that our sickness, and our disappointments, and our failures in business, or our work, or for that matter even a mentally retarded child which the Lord has given us, is our cross.

The wicked may have their sorrows, but never a cross.

A cross is that suffering alone, which results from our faithful connection with Christ.

Do not say so easily, “The Lord has given me such a heavy cross to bear”.  Your burden in life may be difficult to carry, and your sorrow and grief and loneliness may be great.  BUT… do you bear these burdens BECAUSE you want to follow Christ?

Jesus said to His disciples, “Take heed to yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, you will be beaten in synagogues, and you’ll stand before governors and kings FOR MY SAKE, TO BEAR TESTIMONY before them”.  THAT is cross-bearing: HOLDING UP THE CROSS of OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BEFORE THE EYES OF THE WORLD. . . !

Or, being mocked and ridiculed.

Where?  In the world.  At work.  At school.

Are YOU a cross-bearer?  There are many of them in Communist-dominated countries.

You ARE, whenever you plead the cause of your Master.  Whenever you stand up for His honour and Name.

You ARE, whenever you refuse to participate in activities of which you know that it will cause sadness to Jesus.

You ARE, when you have the courage to turn down a profitable business deal, in which you would have had to silence your conscience.

You ARE, when, young people, you dare to break up a friendship with an unbeliever, who has no desire to share your love for Jesus.

You ARE, always and in whatever circumstances of life, when you speak up and say, “My Master forbids”.

A cross-bearer, yes even in this modern society.

The Master bore HIS cross.  Why shouldn’t you?

“Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow Thee”…!

And remember: No cross – no crown.

Someone has said, “The life of a Christian may be compared with a traveller, going on a journey.  And then three things are necessary for the traveller.  He must say farewell to sinful self – he must take up his luggage, his cross – and then he must proceed with the journey and follow Him.

For Jesus said, “AND FOLLOW ME…!”

And this is A CONTINUOUS COURSE of ACTION.  Every day again we shoulder our cross and follow Him.  And this is not an easy road, for we are IN the world, and yet Christ commands us not to be OF the world.

FOLLOW HIM… “He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth.”  DIFFICULT…!

FOLLOW HIM… “I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”  DIFFICULT…!

FOLLOW HIM… “But I say unto you, LOVE your ENEMIES,
            and PRAY for those who PERSECUTE you”  .DIFFICULT…!

FOLLOW HIM… “If any one take your coat, let him have your cloak as well”  DIFFICULT…!

FOLLOW HIM…!

And that in a world where the name Jesus has become better known as a swearword, rather than as the Lord of Life…  DIFFICULT!

“For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.  For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”

What a warning.  What a promise.

But HOW can a man save his life and then lose it?

There is no doubt that Jesus brings out the contrast between those who live for earthly (material) pleasures and enjoyment only, and His followers who can look through these pleasures and know them to be false and deceptive, and… are looking for true and lasting happiness of life in Jesus Christ.

The possession of the whole world, and all that it contains would never make a man happy.  Its riches, ranks and honours have no lasting power to satisfy the heart.

Sure, it looks desirable, and it glitters and sparkles, but the moment we have them, they are like empty bubbles.

Is it not the contrast which Christ brings out, which we also find in Colossians 3?  If then you have been raised with Christ; If then you pretend to be a follower of Jesus, “Set your minds on things that are above, and not on things that are on earth”.

Is it not our priorities which are at stake?

Is it not the attitude of half-heartedness which is under fire?

Christianity and compromise are two mutually exclusive things.

We cannot eat our cake and have it.  We cannot walk on both sides of the street at once.  We cannot serve Mammon and Jesus.

It’s a mere devilish dream to think to be able to gain the world.  It cannot be done.  The world and its riches always remains the unattainable pot at the end of the rainbow.

Christian wake up…!

Too long, too many of those calling themselves Christians have worked for ‘things’, mere ‘things’.

Too often and too many have tried to reach with one hand for heaven, and with the other hand trying to hold on to the earth.

“Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me”.  Remember?

What can possibly compensate for the loss of salvation?  For the loss of LIFE?  The loss of life, of life IN Christ and life WITH Christ, is the heaviest loss that can ever befall man.

All other losses are bearable, or but for a short time, but the loss of life in Christ is forever.  It is to lose God, and Christ, and heaven, and glory, and happiness, to ALL ETERNITY.

Beware, that you do not find out the truth of these words too late.

One further reason is given why we should follow Christ as cross-bearers.  “For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

It’s the Maranatha-song which can be heard in these words: “Jesus comes, Jesus comes back . . . and in glory.”

I do not know when.  I do not know how soon.  But I DO know that my attitude towards Him NOW, will come out into the open THEN.

To be ashamed of Jesus means exactly the opposite of what in vs.23 is meant with a cross-bearer.  And Jesus says, “to be ashamed of Me AND of My word”.  These belong together and cannot be separated.

To believe in His words means: life and blessedness and salvation.

To be ashamed of them means: not to believe, not to accept them but to contradict them and make them empty and void.  It is a proof of unbelief.  It shows that we fear confessing Him before man.  Him, Who was not ashamed to die for us upon the cross.

And now we notice the absolute justice in this text.

What we sow we reap.

If we are ashamed of Him, now, He will be ashamed of us, then.

He who thought it beneath him to follow Jesus now, cannot expect to be treated by Him in any other way, then.

Many regard this warning lightly and pretend not to bother about it right now.  But it will be quite different when He shall come again, and this time ‘in glory’ and that of the Father and of the holy angels.  To be rejected and disowned by the thrice-glorious Redeemer, repudiated and refused forever and ever, will fully reveal the folly of those who refuse to deny themselves now and be cross-bearers.

Jesus Himself answered our question, “What is Christianity?”  Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me.

The world around us is not going to take your Christianity seriously UNLESS you also are willing to bear the marks of our suffering and risen Saviour.

There was no easy way for Him to save us; there is no easy way for you to serve Him.

AMEN.