I
believe that the
call to follow Jesus Christ is the call to be different.
I
believe when Jesus said, “Come, follow me…” (Matthew
4:19a, NIV) He was asking us to be different from the people who are not
following Him.
I
believe that the
call to follow Jesus is the call to be different.
Fortunately
this is not something I’ve dreamed up on my own, or the result of bad Bacon I
had on Wednesday night—as if that could be possible—I believe that Jesus, in
His first public address, clearly defines what it means to be a fully devoted
follower of Christ.
I’ve
got 6 volunteers to help with the reading this morning. I invite you to follow
along in your Bibles in Matthew 5, beginning with verse 21:
"You have
heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who
murders will be subject to judgment.'
22 But I tell you
that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” (Matthew 21-22a, NIV)
"You have heard that
it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks
at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28, NIV)
"It has been
said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'
32 But I tell you
that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes
her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits
adultery.” (Mt. 5:31-32, NIV)
Again, you have
heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but
keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'
34 But I tell you,
Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by the
earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the
Great King.
36 And do not swear
by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let
your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the
evil one.” (Matthew 5:33-37, NIV)
"You have heard that
it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not
resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him
the other also.
40 And if someone
wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go
with him two miles.
42 Give to the one
who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38-42, NIV)
"You have
heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 But I tell you:
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons
of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 If you love
those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors
doing that?
47 And if you greet
only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do
that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48, NIV)
(Thank-you
readers)
Jesus is laying
out the frame work for those who profess to be one of His followers; because the call to
follow Jesus is the call to be different.
While there are
several important issues presented in these 6 sections of scripture, I would
like to draw your attention to the number of times Jesus uses the words: “you have heard it
was said...” (Matthew 5:21a, NIV) or
its variants.
At my count, “you have heard it was said” or “It has been said” occurs 6 times in this section of
Scripture.
Once or twice
might be a coincidence, but using the same wording 6 different times is a call
to pay attention.
Each time Jesus
said “You have
heard that it was said…” (Matthew
6:27, NIV), He was bringing to mind an Old Testament truth that the people of
the day would have been familiar with, and would probably have been able to
recite as Jesus was speaking.
But, I’ll have
you notice that Jesus didn’t stop with the Old Testament reference; He raised
the bar for the child of God:
“You have heard
that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you
are subject to judgment.’
22 But I say, if
you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!” (Matthew
5:21-22a, NLT2)
“You have heard the
commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’28 But I say, anyone who
even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his
heart.” (Matt. 5:27-28, NLT2)
“You have heard the
law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written
notice of divorce.’
32 But I say that a
man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit
adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:31-32, NLT2)
“You have also
heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must
carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’
34 But I say, do not
make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’….do not say, ‘By the earth!’…And do not
say, ‘By Jerusalem….Do not even say, ‘By my head!’….Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I
will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’…” (Matthew
5:33-37, NIV)
“You have heard the
law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I say, do
not resist an evil person!” (Matthew
5:38-39a, NLT2)
“You have heard the
law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love
your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:43-44, NLT2)
Six different
times Jesus takes the Law and completes it. Six different times we are reminded
that the
call to follow Jesus is the call to be different.
It’s not
business as usual with Jesus; things are to be completely different with
Jesus!
It was counter
cultural to tell someone who had been hit on one side of the head to turn the
other cheek;
It was counter
cultural to tell people to love the people who hated them, and pray for the
people who persecuted them;
While you could
be commanded to carry a Roman Soldier’s gear for one mile and put it down;
Jesus was telling His followers to go the extra mile, again this was
counter-cultural;
But the call to follow Jesus
isn’t the call to do what’s culturally acceptable; the call to follow Jesus is
the call to be different!
Author H. Norman
Wright reminds us that followers of Jesus: “…live in a society that has a multitude of different
beliefs and values, most of them contrary to the teaching of Scripture.
You’re
pressured at work, at play and even in the family to fit in with the world.
But Jesus is
asking you to be a misfit. He is calling you to be different to the extent that
others will notice the difference” (WAMS, April 11)
The call to
follow Jesus is the call to be different—not a weird different—but by showing
people that there is a better way to love; by showing people that Our God
saves, that He is alive and He wants to radically transform us into the people
we were created to be.
The call to
follow Jesus is the call to be different; it’s a call to stand out from the crowd, not to throw
stones, but to show grace and mercy and love and forgiveness; to represent the
cross.
Just a few
moments before Jesus began His call to be different exchange, He reminded His
followers that they—we—are “the salt of the earth” (Matthew
5:13a, NIV)
ILLUSTRATION- Most of us know that too much
salt will make our food inedible. We also know that not enough salt won’t make
our food enjoyable,either.
But when we have just enough salt, we can enjoy the perfect meal.
Jesus
is reminding us that we are salt, and we must dispense it carefully.
Too much salt in someone’s life will
leave a bad taste in their mouth; not enough salt won’t leave any taste; but
just the right amount of salt will flavour our corner of the world.
When
people are telling us to cut back on our salt intake, Jesus is telling us to
add salt to the lives of the people we interact with on a daily basis because
it will make a difference in their lives.
ILLUSTRATION- The story is told of a
meeting where young missionaries were discussing this very concept.
One suggestion after another was made as to the meaning of Christians
being the salt of the earth.
“Salt
imparts a describable flavor” one person said.
“Salt
preserves from decay” said another
“Salt
creates thirst” a third person said.
Suddenly,
there was a hush in the room. Everyone was thinking ‘have I ever made anyone
thirsty for the Lord Jesus Christ’? (from my files, 2009)
When
was the last time you or I made someone thirsty for Jesus?
Sometimes we have a habit of leaving a
bad taste in people’s mouths; other times we don’t use enough salt when talking
to people, so when was the last time you made someone thirsty for Jesus?
The
Call to follow Jesus is the call to be different; it’s a call to be “the salt of the
earth” (Matthew 5:13a, NIV) and it’s
a call to be “the
light of the world” (Matt. 5:14a,
NIV)
Are we making people thirsty for Jesus?
I
love, and have taken comfort in, Paul’s charge to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4: “Don't let anyone
look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in
speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (4:12, NIV)
I
think this verse applies to all of us who profess to follow Jesus Christ.
We are all to set an example to those in
our world in the words we use, in the life we live; in the love that we offer;
in Who we place our faith in; and how we live clean in a dirty world.
It’s our responsibility as
Christ followers to set an example for the people who have yet to come face to
face with the saving power of Jesus Christ.
(That
doesn’t mean that we have to be all uptight, and somber; we can—and must be
excited—because OUR GOD SAVES!!!! WOOO!)
I
believe the Scriptures teach that the call to follow Jesus is the call to be different;
but I wonder if we are different!
è
Is what we think about when we allow our mind to
wander different because we follow Jesus?
è
Is what we say different because we follow
Jesus?
è
Is what we do with our Time, our Talent and our
Treasure different because we follow Jesus?
Has
there been a change in your life since you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior?
Do you do less and less of what
you used to do, and do you do more and more of what you should do because Jesus
lives in your heart?
If
you have to ponder that question for too long, perhaps it’s time for a change;
perhaps it’s time to follow Jesus and be different.
ILLUSTRATION- Singer/Songwriter Steven
Curtis Chapman recorded a song a few years ago called “The Change”.
The 1st verse and the chorus are of particular interest to us
today:
Well
I got myself a t shirt that says what I believe
I got letters
on my bracelet to serve as my id
I got the
necklace and the key chain
And almost
everything a good Christian needs
I got the
little Bible magnets on my refrigerator door
And a welcome
mat to bless you before you walk across my floor
I got a Jesus
bumper sticker
And the outline
of a fish stuck on my car
And even though
this stuff's all well and good I cannot help but ask myself
What about the
change
What about the
difference
What about the
grace
What about
forgiveness
What about a
life that's showing I'm undergoing the change…”[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/steven+curtis+chapman/the+change_20131500.html )
So,
church, what about the change? What about the difference? What about the grace,
forgiveness…
Are
you trying to live a life that is demonstrating to those around you that you
are undergoing a transformation?
è
Are you allowing God’s Holy Spirit to change you
into the person He wants you to be?
è
Will you allow God’s Holy Spirit to change you
into the person He wants you to be?
It’s
as simple—and as difficult—as coming to the foot of the Cross and asking God to
take it all, laying your all at the feet of Jesus and asking God to change you
from the inside out.
Just
before Jesus began telling people about the call to be different, He issued a
warning.
He said in
Matthew 5:20: “I
warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the
teachers of religious law and the Pharisees--- the ‘religious people
of My day’---,
you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” (Matthew 5:20, NLT2)
Friend, The call to
follow Jesus is the call to be different, the only question is: are we different because we are following
Him?
Is what you do
different, is what you say different, is what you think different, because you
follow Jesus?
According to the
Master Himself, we are supposed to be different.
If God has been
tugging at your heart over an area of your life that needs attention, an area
of your life that should be different becasue you follow Jesus, may you respond
to His gentle touch and experience the grace that He longs for you to enjoy.
If you've got
issues-- and we've all got issues-- about being set apart for Jesus, then your
time to do something about it is right now
don't wait until
tomorrow to address some of these issues, there is no better time and no better
place to ask God to help you live for Him than in His house....
Remember, the
Bible says: "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand
elsewhere..." (Psm. 84:10a, NIV)
If you need to
come and pray, please feel free to come and pray, as we sing our Responce to
this message; God, Take my life.
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