Theme: High Risk – High Reward Shareholding
1. You have gone from death to life
2. You are able to believe and speak
Ever since the beginning of time, people have
shared together. We know that sometimes it takes some learning to grow in sharing
with others, but it’s really a natural instinct that we all possess. Learning
to share usually involves being willing to give, but we don’t typically have a
problem receiving. Both are aspects of sharing.
Sharing became such a big thing early in
history that God had to separate people and form different nations at the Tower
of Babel. Sinful man had used his sharing capability to such an extent that he
was trying to be an equal with God. Equality with God, of course, was the first
lie Satan threw at Adam and Eve in the Garden. Satan wanted them to believe
that God was holding out on them, not sharing what really should have been
theirs to have. This same lie is at the root of all sin even today – wanting to
have, to receive things in a shared relationship, that really aren’t good for
us. God tells us what gives the most prosperous, spiritually rich and
fulfilling existence, but our sinful flesh leads us to want something else.
This idea of sharing is so inherent to the
human condition that God has designed it to be a blessing as well. We call it
fellowship – sharing with God and with other Christians in the blessings of His
Word. One really can’t be a Christian without fellowship, what we also call
communion. Faith is a shared gift. We receive from God. We give praise and
thanks back to Him. We express our convictions with other Christians for mutual
strength and comfort. The Christian faith is meant to be shared, not practiced
in isolation.
As we reach the beginning of Holy Week, we ask
ourselves how we share in the work of Christ. It’s only natural to think that
if we are truly in a sharing relationship with our Savior, there is something
we must contribute. But, it’s precisely the suffering, death, and resurrection
of Jesus that shows us the uniqueness of our faith. We share with our Lord, but
we need not offer anything – He has taken care of it all. To more fully explore
this thought, we read from 2 Corinthians 4:11-18, where Paul explains the
benefits of sharing with Christ by faith:
2
Corinthians 4:11-18 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus'
sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So
then death is working in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same
spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I
spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised
up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with
you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through
the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we
do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man
is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are
not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are
not seen are eternal.
Part 1:
Publicly, one of the most common ways of
sharing is to combine resources in hopes of gaining more for each participant. People
join together to do bigger things. People share visions and goals to make a greater
impact. The hope is that the better you are at this, the more you’ll get from
it. This kind of sharing has been going on in different ways from the very
beginning but we probably know it best in the modern stock market. You can use
your money to become a shareholder in a company, buying tiny portions, called
stocks, and receiving part of the profits. Anyone with experience in the stock
market knows that risks are involved. If the company doesn’t perform well, you
have to share that loss. If the entire market collapses, everyone suffers. It’s
sharing with high risk and high reward.
It’s not surprising then, that God compares the
sharing that believers have with Him by faith in the same way – high risk, high
reward. Two different parables highlight this aspect – both spoken near the
time of Jesus’ crucifixion. In Luke 19, Jesus spoke the Parable of the Minas. A Mina was a term used for roughly three
months of wages. The Master gave His servants a certain amount of minas and
expected them to make a return on the investment. This parable was spoken by
Jesus just before Palm Sunday – perhaps even on the same day.
The other parable that highlights the
shareholder aspect of faith is the
Parable of the Talents. Similarly to the minas, in this parable the Master
gives out talents, a treasure worth roughly around $1,000 dollars, to his
servants, again expecting a return. This parable was spoken by Jesus on Holy
Week, either on Wednesday or Thursday.
It’s very clear that as Jesus is approaching
His death, He wants His followers to know that they are sharing in this work.
They are sharing to receive something valuable. But it wasn’t their time to
contribute, that would come later.
Here is where our text from 2 Corinthians
enters the scene – for in it we see what we are sharing – and what the result
is. The first, and most important gift you have received is the promise of
deliverance from death. Paul writes, knowing
that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will
present us with you. Last weekend we talked about how the treasure of our
Christian faith is not about the little details that change over time and
cultures. It’s not about how the world sees us or treats us. It’s not even
about how we feel about ourselves, knowing that even our own feelings can
betray the reality of what Christ did for us. We see the same message being
given here.
The Corinthians were being persecuted. Like us,
they lived at a time, and in a culture, when it was unpopular to take a stand on
God’s Word. They were mocked for their beliefs. They were belittled for their
trust in God. They were pressured to conform to cultural standards in their
Greco-Roman world. So, Paul takes time to remind them of what they were sharing
with their Lord Jesus. They were partakers, shareholders, of eternal life. But
along with that gift would come the ire from the world.
This is one the great challenges of being a
Christian. We share in the blessings and in the sufferings. We don’t share so
that we earn something through our suffering, because Christ already perfected
that task. Just like the disciples, our task of building God’s investment comes
after God completes His work and our accomplishment in that task is blessed by
God. We share in sufferings because we follow the same principles and
guidelines of faith that God established through His Word. Our sufferings are
marks that we submit and trust in Jesus as our only Savior from sin. But, that
doesn’t always feel like a sold investment, however. Sometimes the risks
outnumber the rewards.
Isn’t an investment, a treasure, supposed to be
profitable for our lives? What about increasing that investment among others?
Who wants to share in sufferings? Well, no one, but that’s why we need to
constantly remind ourselves of what Paul says. We are receiving life instead of
death. We have confidence that just as Jesus was raised from the dead, we will
rise also. We will be presented to God, blameless and righteous – fit for the
kingdom of heaven eternally. This is true because this is the treasure that
Jesus has won for us and freely given by faith in Him. We are privileged to
share in His life.
Part 2: You are able to believe and speak
Along with that blessed gift now comes the
response. What we give now that we have received. Paul, quoting Psalm 116,
writes, And since we have the same
spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I
spoke," we also believe and therefore speak. Like that privilege of
life that we share with Jesus, so also we share the privilege of telling others
about this gift. This is where the investment idea of the parables enters. The
blessing of faith in Jesus is meant to be given just as it was given to you. It
is meant to be received just as it was received by you.
Here, I’d like to paraphrase what a prominent
atheist once said, “I don’t believe in Christianity, but I admire their desire
to witness. If a person actually believes that they have the key to eternal
life, how much must they hate someone not to share that gift?” As
shareholders with Christ, we are now given the responsibility to increase the
impact of the investment He made on the cross. Often there is a lot of fear and
uneasiness that comes along with witnessing.
How do we combat that fear? Focus on the gift,
as Paul outlines:
·
v.16 tells us: Renewal in the heart by
faith is real today and it corresponds to renewal on the last day for eternity.
·
v.17 tells us: Suffering is temporary,
life is eternal.
·
v.18 tells us: The true value of the
gift of faith is not seen. What is seen is what gives fear. While we often
focus on the seen, what will last is not seen.
Being afraid of the earthly consequences of
trusting in Jesus will always be an easy option for you. Willingness to speak
and act in His name takes determined purpose and effort. A determination that
God creates and sustains by His Word. Paul summarizes perfectly: We believe, therefore we speak. We are
able to share the treasure of our faith because
we believe in Jesus. That means faith unlocks the ability to serve God. As the
Bible says elsewhere, without faith we cannot serve God (Hebrews 11:6).
How does faith have this ability? How can it
take a weak Christian and make them confident? Well, think of it from Jesus’
perspective. Was He timid as He approached the cross? Physically weak, yes, but
not timid. Was He confident? Was He in control? Absolutely, yes. The cross was
tough for Jesus but the difficulty did not consume Him to the point of altering
His determination. In our moments of fear or weakness, it helps to remember
this because we share with Jesus in what He did. We share so much so, that it’s
as if His actions become ours. It’s as if we suffered the torments and hung on
the cross. That’s how much God deems us to be justified. In the very same way
as Christ. Faith makes us a shareholder in that work.
And so, it is true that faith is necessary. It
is true that determination and courage are necessary. But, those blessings do
not come from our will. They come from Jesus. We become different when we
believe in Him because He is different. He changes us. It’s not that we have
reached this level on our own. Sadly, when people struggle they are so often
pushed back to something about themselves. Do better. Try harder. Be wiser.
None of those things will help. Rather, let us say: I believe, therefore I speak. I believe and in that believing I
share with My Savior. I share in what He accomplished and achieved. I share in
His victory. I share in His death and resurrection. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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