The Invitation - Part 3

 

“Take up his cross…and…follow Me.”

“Oh yes pastor…I know about the cross.   I have this family member that God has put in my life…I have this co – worker who is a trial to me…I have this boss who is always on me…oh yes pastor…I have this problem with my finances…I have this illness that has invaded my life…oh yes pastor…God has given me great understanding about spiritual things but people don’t acknowledge my importance…oh yes pastor…I am so very gifted but no one pays proper attention to me…oh yes pastor…I know about the cross…”

“Oh no…my friend…oh no…my friend…you do not know about the Cross…the Cross of Christ…for the Cross of Christ is not about me…it is not about you…it is not about us…it is about…it is all about…Him…the Lamb of God Whom we have all nailed to the tree…nailed to the tree of our hearts…the tree of our minds…the tree of our souls…

Can we hear the words of the apostle Paul ringing from eternity in our hearts…?

“I count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus…my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things [I have denounced myself, I have denied myself, I have repudiated myself] and count them [and myself] as rubbish that I may gain…Christ…and be found in Him not having my own righteousness…that I may know…”

Religious jargon?   That I may wear spiritual medallions?  That I may be admired by others?  That I might fill up my ego and feed on my self importance?

NO!!!!

“…that I may know HIM…and the power of HIS resurrection and the fellowship of HIS sufferings…being conformed to the image of HIS death…”

Jesus has given the invitation…and to those who accept it He gives an imperative command…not an option…that we deny ourselves…take up our cross…and follow Him.

Oh we love to follow…we often do it discretely…yes we are masters of discretion when it comes to following the latest fads or fancies…the latest religious and spiritual fashions…we walk down the Parisian runways of American religious life strutting our jargon…wearing designer labels…I am pre – trib, I am post – trib, I am charismatic, I am Congregational, I am Presbyterian, I am Methodist…well…have you read all of so and so’s books?  I have.  Well no, I haven’t read those because he’s only written 6 books, I read this other person’s books because he’s written 12.

The invitation does not say, “He who would follow a fad or a fancy…” The invitation says, “If anyone will come after Me.”  Then the imperative command, “Let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow….ME.”

Why were those people on that road in Galilee?  Why are we here tonight? 

35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

The answers to these questions are self – evident, self – evident unless we have been intoxicated by sin and by self…self – evident unless we have lost the invitation…

Do you know where your invitation is tonight?  How have you RSVP’d?

38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

This invitation…just what does it invite us to attend?  What is our part should we respond?  What role are we to play in the proceedings?

It is…as I read the invitation…an invitation to a wedding…

Jesus looks at the crowd…the crowd following Him to see wonders…to fill themselves with loaves and fishes…to gawk at healings…to pass judgment on His words and actions…the crowd to see and be seen…they are so very fickle…like butterflies moving from one flower to another…never remaining anywhere very long…they are an adulterous and sinful generation. 

They are sinful because they are full of themselves…they are the “be all and end all” of life, of history, of humanity.  Their Creator is among them and they do not see. Their means of deliverance walks with them, the Lamb of God…their salvation…talks with them…but they do not hear.  They may walk the same physical road as Jesus does…but there the similarity ends.  They may talk the religious talk, they may walk the religious walk, they may think themselves capable of judging the words and deeds of the carpenter from Nazareth…ah yes…it is a sinful generation that sits in judgment of God.

Of course, our own generation is not like that…far be it from us to sit in judgement on the words and deeds of God…far be it from us.

What does this invitation invite us to?  Where does it bid us go?  What role are we to play when we arrive?  Why were those people on that road in Galilee?  Why are we here tonight?  Where are we going?  What shall we do with this invitation?

Do we know the difference between cohabitation and marriage?  How many times this past week, this past month, this past year have you sat before a TV screen watching programs in which cohabitation or causal sexual encounters were the norm…and you never even flinched because it has indeed become the norm…in your thinking…in your way of life?

Do we know the difference between cohabitation and marriage?  Cohabitation says, “What’s in it for me?  Let me try this shoe on and see if it fits.  Let me keep the door open so that I can leave if things get too rough.  Give me a way out.”

Cohabitation says, “Convenience.  Let me be as the butterfly, flittering from one flower to another.”

Oh but someone says, “No pastor, you don’t understand, I’m in a committed relationship.”  Ah but no, my friend, you don’t understand, a committed relationship between a man and a woman – in the sense of which you speak – is something ordained by God that He has named marriage – one husband, one wife, a union of a man and a woman.

What is this invitation that we have received?  What does it require of us should we accept it?

“Would you take this man…or this woman…to be your wedded spouse…understanding that the commitment is contingent upon the ebb and flow of life?  Understanding that there may be days in which your spouse will be more attracted to another than to you, and that if so…your spouse will act in thought and deed on these attractions?”

“Will you take this person to be your wedded spouse, understanding that from time to time he or she will slip the ring off his finger and pursue his own interests and will return to you at his pleasure?”

Is this a picture of marriage or is it a picture of adultery…of an adulterous generation?

Are we married to a doctrine or are we married to Jesus?  Are we wedded to a form of worship or are we wedded to Jesus?  Is our commitment to a musical style or is it to Jesus?  Does our wedding band say, “Charismatic?  Fundamentalist?  Evangelical?  Congregational?”  Or does its say, “Jesus.”  Does our marriage certificate indicate a particular doctrine, denomination, or view of prophecy, or does it say “Jesus”?

When Jesus invites us to follow Him, the imperative command is to deny ourselves, take up our cross…and follow…HIM…follow HIM…be joined to HIM.  And just as a woman assumes her husband’s name and the two meld into one identity, one person…a fact recognized by law…so we are called to deny, renounce, repudiate ourselves and follow HIM.

For the invitation we hold in our hands this evening, in this place, is a marriage invitation…and we are called not as invited guests…but as the bride of Christ.  You are not called to sit at a table apart from the Bridegroom, you are called to walk down the aisle with the Bridegroom waiting for you and to say to Him and to this generation, “I accept your invitation of marriage, I repent of my self-centered way of life, and I give myself to you Lord Jesus.”

AMEN.