I wanted to start off this post by apologizing in advance for how harsh this comes off. However, I can’t sugarcoat something that I believe God wants to drive deep into our hearts, so we realize the gravity of what I’m about to talk about. God has convicted my heart, and I want to make sure I don’t shy away from the truth.
We all have different stories for how we came to be Christian. Some were raised in Christian households and decided they wanted to follow Christ in the way they were taught since childhood, while others were living in the extremes of a sinful life and dramatically encountered Jesus. Some live somewhere like the United States where it’s relatively safe to proclaim being a Christian, while others live somewhere like the Middle East where you can be killed for being a Christian.
Regardless of how we got started, Christians claim to follow the same Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, that we read about in the Bible. The proof of whether or not we truly believe in Him and follow Him however, is in our dedication.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “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. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 16:24-26
There are two ways of looking and this verse, and I believe both are correct. The first, depends on the second. The first is that this verse is literally talking about living each day ready to die for Christ, because you don’t count your life as your own.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
The second is that we are to die to ourselves. Meaning, we give up our own will in order to live out the will of God. The Father and the Son set this example of sacrifice for us.
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:32 ESV
Jesus, in agreement with the Father, also willingly gave up Himself for us.
saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Luke 22:42
Don’t get me wrong, it is DIFFICULT to die to ourselves and follow Christ. However, it’s the ONLY way. I struggled with sexual sin for years, even while proclaiming to be a Christian. I’m not saying that Christians don’t struggle with sin– because they do. What I am saying though, is that walking in a way that honors Christ requires us surrendering everything over to Christ. In my case, it meant drastically reducing social media use, and drastically increasing the amount of Bible studying I was doing. It also meant getting on my knees and praying to God in repentance of the kind of man I had been and re-committing to dying to my old self in exchange for the life I had been given in Christ. I also had to replace the content in my mind, and replace it with scripture and become entirely focused on leading a life that honors God.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9 ESV
We forget that not many people will inherit eternal life.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Matthew 7:13-14 ESV
In John 6 we see the crowds that followed Jesus get weeded out.
[…]And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.[…]When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”[…]Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself[…]
[…] 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” […]
The crowds were following after Jesus because of what they could get from Him, but Jesus knew the underlying motives of their hearts.
Mark 14 shows how even Jesus’ own disciples even fled when Jesus got arrested, and Peter goes as far as to deny knowing Jesus when confronted about it due to fear for his life.
43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 50 And they all left him and fled.
Mark 14:43
It’s human nature to shy away from danger. However dangerous (or inconvenient) it seems to follow Jesus, the real danger is in NOT following after Him. If we want to follow Jesus and inherit everlasting life, we need to recognize that in the same way Jesus gave up everything for us, we need to give up everything for Him!
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11 ESV
Therefore, we can’t be on the fence about following Jesus. Like my relationship with my wife, I’m either committed to her or I’m not. I can’t have her and other women. We can’t have God and the world.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Matthew 12:30
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people![c] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
James 4:1-10
We can’t have both, we need to pick a side and get off the fence! Especially in the United States, I’ve noticed a lack of reverence for God as people don’t realize how absolutely powerful, sovereign and HOLY He is. Many only see Jesus as the “lamb of God” (John 1:29; Isaiah 53:7) without realizing He’s also the “Lion of Judah” (Revelation 5:5; Hosea 5:14)! Jesus as the innocent lamb was slain for us. However, as the lion, God is harmless to His people but destroys His enemies (I personally think Daniel 6 serves as a type of metaphor for this, even though the event actually took place).
He came as the “Suffering Servant” from Isaiah 53. However, He also is coming as the “Conquering King” of Revelation 19. He’s both.
There are so many amazing promises waiting for us at Jesus’ return. However we can’t be flirting with the empty promises of this world. Many of us came to Christ after realizing the emptiness of pursuing after dreams in our own lives and realizing they didn’t satisfy. Well surprise! Nothing’s changed, the world will continue to entice us with the same emptiness as before. Therefore let’s go after the everlasting life that God offers through the narrow path of following Jesus, and give up the wide path that leads to the destruction where so many are willingly headed.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10 ESV
In Matthew 24, Jesus foretells about the destruction of the Temple (AD 70) and about His end-times return. He tells his disciples to keep watch so they aren’t caught off-guard. The world is going to be caught off guard, thinking that all is well in the world and then destruction comes. If you’ve read the story of Noah’s Ark (Genesis 6-9:17), you know what kind of destruction I mean. For those of us that have lived long enough to realize how much evil is in the world, we can understand why God wants to rid the world of it and exercise judgment on the world.
The destruction of the wicked is not something God takes pleasure in.
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
Ezekiel 33:11 ESV
It’s not enough to say a little prayer and “invite Jesus into your heart”.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:21-23
Look at baptism. When we are baptized we are not doing it to get wet. It is based on repentance for the forgiveness of our sins.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self[a] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free[b] from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:1-11
Let’s be those that are found ready and prepared when Christ returns. That way, when we see Him, we are one of those to whom Jesus says,
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25)
To really drive my point home, I recommend the documentaries Sheep Among Wolves.