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July 2, 2007 by admin.
In the name of Jesus, the Christ of God, dear fellow followers of the Lord’s Anointed,
You can tell a lot about a person by the hats that he wears. This is especially true when it comes to one’s sports allegiances. I’ve brought along with me this morning a few of the hats in my collection that give a clear indication that I’m a fan of any team from Detroit. Here’s a hat I bought while in Florida for spring training a few years ago. This is one I received from my in-laws just last fall when the Tigers made it to the World Series. Here’s one my wife got for me a few Christmases ago, advertising the Detroit Red Wing hockey team. And here’s one that I don’t wear all that often, at least, not as much as the others. Why not? The answer is simple. It’s a Detroit Lions hat, and whereas the Tigers and Red Wings have had pretty good teams the last few years, the Lions have not. In other words, it’s easier to follow a winner. This past Friday I met a man working in the bulk mail department of the post office who commented on my Detroit Tigers checks. He admitted to being a big baseball fan himself, and when I asked him which team he followed, he proclaimed that he was a “diehard Kansas City Royals’ fan.” But he also added that there weren’t many around who would admit such an allegiance, based on the Royals’ records the last few years — once again proving the theory that it’s hard to root for a loser. We’d all much rather follow a winner.
There’s nothing wrong with having such a desire, especially when we’re talking of things spiritual. With that in mind I have some good news for you this morning. Today God’s Word proclaims to us:
“When You Follow Christ, You Follow a Winner”
I. Recognize whom your following
II. Realize what comes with such a commitment
We find Jesus at a time in his ministry when he was actually losing followers, those who had been intrigued by his miracles but were having trouble accepting his teachings. Many were looking for a different type of Messiah, so in John’s Gospel we read that “many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (Jn 6:66). Jesus saw this as an opportune time to get the disciples to state their opinion of him, to verbalize just whom they thought he was.
But first Jesus asks the disciples to give a report as to what others were saying about him (vv 18,19), “Once when Jesus was praying in private [note Jesus’ wonderful habit!], he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’” There were plenty of rumors flying around — John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the other Old Testament prophets back from the dead. Many had a high opinion of Jesus, but that doesn’t mean they had a proper understanding of who he was. Many still didn’t understand just whom they were following. It was just as John wrote in his Gospel (Jn 1:10), “The world did not recognize him.”
Time for the disciples to log in with their answer (v 20), “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” Jesus wanted the disciples to summarize their position, to proclaim whether or not they recognized whom they were following. We find Peter once again exercising his role as group spokesman and offering this answer (v 20), “The Christ of God.” Peter’s answer comes quickly and clearly. He identifies Jesus as “the Christ,” the one promised by God from the beginning to be the world’s Savior. Although most still found it hard to accept Jesus as their promised Messiah, that wasn’t the case with Peter. Later we learn that Peter and the rest of the disciples still had a ways to go before truly understanding what Jesus’ role entailed, but for now we rejoice that they recognized Jesus as the Anointed One sent by God to be their Savior.
Jesus was well aware of the mixed reactions to his identity, even without asking the disciples. With this in mind he tells the disciples to keep quiet for a time concerning Peter’s confession (v 21), “Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.” You had different camps developing when it came to how people saw Jesus. Some were more enamored with his miracles than they were with his message. Others refused to believe that he was anything more than a mere human. There was such a misconception at that time about the role of the Messiah that for now it was best for the disciples to sit tight. Later on, after his death and resurrection, people would be able to fully comprehend what it meant for Jesus to be called “the Christ.”
What if Jesus were to take a poll today, randomly selecting people on the street and asking them, “What about you? Who do you say I am?” What answers would he receive? In the religious world there are those who see him only as another prophet, some type of lesser god, much like the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Still others see him more as a model for morality than as a Savior from sin. As helpful as the “What Would Jesus Do?” campaign was in helping people rethink their actions, it also may have contributed to many looking at Jesus as merely an example to follow instead of looking into what Jesus did do for their salvation. Let’s keep the message clear. When we follow Jesus, we follow a winner, because he is “the Christ of God.” The world needs us to set the record straight. They need to hear the truth. They need to hear the bad news of why they need a Savior so that they can appreciate the good news that they have that Savior in Jesus! They need to know they’re following a winner, the only one capable of winning their salvation!
If Peter and the rest of the disciples were determined to continue following him, Jesus wanted them to know what they were getting themselves into. The same goes for us today. When we follow Jesus, we follow a winner. But Jesus wants us also to realize what comes with such a commitment.
To try and squelch any false ideas that the disciples may have had as to what type of Messiah he was, Jesus for the first time lays out for them what God’s plan would involve (v 22), “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” It was important for the disciples to know that what they would see happen to Jesus was all part of God’s plan. His could not be just a political kingdom. It had to be so much more than that. The Son of God came to also be “the Son of Man,” humbling himself to take man’s place. That’s what Isaiah was prophesying when he wrote (Isa 53:5), “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” It had to be this way – notice how Jesus says that these things “must” take place, listing them as inescapable facts. No, he didn’t come to overthrow the Romans. He came to overthrow the devil, and to do that he would have to suffer and die. But notice the last part of what he said, the part his disciples so often overlooked, “. . . and on the third day be raised to life.” If only the disciples had not centered their thoughts only on his suffering and instead had rejoiced in his promise of a resurrection! Then they would have known all along that by following Jesus, no matter how things looked, they were still following a winner!
Jesus never said that following him would be easy. Allegiance to our Lord involves sacrifice (v 23), “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” We have a natural sinful self that wants to follow the devil and his temptations, believing that in this way we’ll find contentment and happiness. That’s what we are to deny, to ignore our own wants and desires that are contrary to his will, to quit living only for ourselves, and to instead live for someone else – for our Savior! Paul tells us (2 Co 5:15), “Those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him [Christ!] who died for them and was raised again.” To do this requires the Spirit’s help in saying no to sin and yes to Jesus. Then we’ll willingly “take up [our] cross daily” and suffer, if necessary, for following him. That means we may face ridicule for not going along with the crowd and giving in to sin but instead standing up for what’s right. That means that we may be put down for having different priorities than the rest of the world. That means that we won’t practice a “theology of glory” here on this earth, expecting everything to go our way, but instead we’ll follow the “theology of the cross,” realizing that we have crosses to bear while living in this world. Realize what comes with such a commitment when you call yourself a follower of Christ! Realize what it takes to follow a winner!
You could say that such a commitment is a matter of life and death – eternal life and death. Jesus concludes our text with what sounds like a contradiction. Listen closely (v 24), “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Only followers of Jesus can make sense of what he says here. For the Christian there’s no contradiction. Jesus simply puts things into perspective. If people want to “save” their life here on this earth by living only for themselves, they’ll actually lose their life eternally. But those who are willing to “lose” their lives for the sake of Christ, putting him and his will ahead of their own, those people will be assured of eternal life. Jesus makes the same point when he asks (Mt 16:26), “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” The answer is obvious. Living only for this life is for losers. Instead we agree with Paul who proclaims (Php 1:21), “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” We’re winners, because we follow a winner who assures us that the best is yet to come!
If we’re winners, let’s live like winners. First of all that means understanding what comes with our commitment to following Jesus. It involves self-denial. It means putting Jesus and his Word at the top of our list of priorities. About 2/3 of our congregation does that by being in God’s house each week, but what about the other 1/3? Are there really that many excuses for not being in God’s house every Sunday? And what could we possibly have on our agenda that’s more important than adding that extra hour on Sunday morning for Sunday School and Bible Class? And yet 3/4 of our membership has something better to do. Is that really self-denial, or is it self-gratification?
Following Jesus also means making time to serve him. We’re going to have a number of opportunities for you to do just that in the weeks and months ahead. Tonight some of you have volunteered to house the group of young people coming through our area on their way to the youth rally in Texas. We’re getting closer to launching another building program, one that will require not only your dollars but also your precious time as we put together committees to help with the whole process. This month you’ll have a chance to help out at the church booth at the Sedgwick County Fair in Cheney. Some of you will be taking time to chaperone at Camp Jefferson at the end of the month. Next month Vacation Bible School kicks off, and volunteers will be sought to give of their time and talents. Most of you know that we won’t be receiving a vicar for next year, and if we hope to keep up the same type of ministry that we have now with a vicar, you and your pastor will have to step things up a bit. Add to all these things your own personal opportunities to serve your Savior in your own vocations and mission fields around you, and you’ll be reminded of the commitment that comes from following Jesus. But remember in serving your Savior you’ll always be blessed, because you’ll always be following a winner!
It’s easier to follow a sports team when it’s a winning team. The same can be said for following Christ. When we follow Jesus, we follow a winner! Granted, it won’t always be easy, but the end result will prove to be well worth it. When it comes to our salvation, Jesus has already won the victory. He’s written each of our names on the trophy. Now he invites us to join the celebration. When we follow Jesus, we’re all winners! So we join with Paul in proclaiming: “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Co 15:57)!
Amen
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