Theme: The Cost of Discipleship – Service
We continue today from where we left off last
weekend, considering the cost of discipleship. Today, we think of service, as
Jesus described during His Sermon on the Mount, from Luke 6:27-36:
Luke
6:27-36 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those
who hate you, 28 "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you. 29 "To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the
other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic
either. 30 "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away
your goods do not ask them back. 31 "And just as you want men to do to
you, you also do to them likewise. 32 "But if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33
"And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to
you? For even sinners do the same. 34 "And if you lend to those from whom
you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to
sinners to receive as much back. 35 "But love your enemies, do good, and
lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will
be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36
"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
In the name of our Savior, dear fellow
redeemed.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor in
Germany during WWII. Although he studied in the United States for a time, he returned
to Germany shortly before Hitler and the Nazi party gained power. Bonhoeffer
quickly saw the intent of the Nazi regime and spoke out against the persecution
of Jews and others, as well as the Nazi authority over Lutheran churches. He
began to teach that Christians must “not only bandage the victims under the
wheel but jam the spoke in the wheel itself.”
In 1937, Bonhoeffer published a book called The Cost of Discipleship, which was an
expression of the Christian faith that was based primarily on the Sermon on the
Mount – the very topics we are studying this morning. In that book, Bonhoeffer
differentiated between what he called “cheap grace” and “costly grace.” Within
the context of his time, Bonhoeffer argued that too many Christians were
standing for “cheap grace,” namely, taking the Christian name but not standing
with courage against the forces that were opposed to it. “Costly grace” on the
other hand, was exactly what it sounded like – it came at a cost. Christians
who opposed the evil of the Nazi party would have to be willing to face
persecution. Their message of God’s grace would come at a cost for their
personal lives.
Bonhoeffer would eventually follow that very
path as he was arrested in 1943 and sent to a concentration camp. He would eventually
be executed, a mere two weeks before American forces liberated the camp.
Bonhoeffer understood what Jesus was getting at in this portion of the Sermon
on the Mount. He lived it. He knew the Cost of Discipleship, both in the
context of Sacrifice as we talked about last weekend, and in the context of
Service, as we think about today. For Bonhoeffer, his faith in Christ dictated
that he owed a higher standard of service to others – as well as to God. That
is the nature of discipleship, as we see from the words of Christ today.
The most important verse of our text to keep in
mind is the very last one. “Therefore be
merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” This is the perfect
summation of our text and of the topic of discipleship. The only reason we can
follow Christ is because He was first loved us and showed us mercy. The primary
motivation to offer service to His name and to others is the mercy He has given
us. It is of paramount importance to continually keep this fact in mind,
especially in a section that contains many commands.
The mercy of our heavenly Father in Christ
allows us to do things that we wouldn’t normally do. Jesus describes a few:
Doing good to those who hate you. Blessing those who curse you. Turning your
face to the one who strikes you. Giving your shirt to the one who takes your
coat. The basic theme of all these examples is being willing to be
mistreated. Jesus says that a Christian needs to be ready to do that.
These commands were not just counter-cultural
to that time. They are difficult to do for all ages and all cultures. We feel
entitled to respond in like manner to those who mistreat us, especially if they
started it. Jesus is calling His followers to live in a different manner, we
might call it “taking the high road.” But, even for the most devout Christian,
it is tough to willingly be mistreated by others and be okay with it. This is
why we call it a cost.
Jesus also explains what makes His will
different. He says, “But if you love
those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who
love them. 33 "And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit
is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 "And if you lend to those
from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even
sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.”
One word keeps coming up in each example –
credit. Jesus explains that if we do nice things for others just to get
something for ourselves, we haven’t really served them. And it’s really not all
that hard to do that either. The more difficult and noble task is to serve without expecting anything in return,
and to even serve when being mistreated.
The idea of receiving credit might make us
think that we do good things in order to get things God. Some do take this
section to teach that we can earn blessings from God by helping others – even
attaining His mercy and forgiveness if we’re good enough. But that kind of
thinking is no different than the very thing Jesus is speaking against.
Remember how important that final verse is. When God showed us mercy, did we
deserve it? Absolutely not. If we had, it would not be mercy anymore. The very
nature of mercy means that the recipient is not deserving. Furthermore, if we
cannot serve others by expecting things in return, why would we think we could
do that with God?
The credit that Jesus speaks about is glory
that God receives when something is done in faith. As Jesus says in verse 35,
when you serve others, even your enemies, without expecting anything in return,
the Father is well-pleased. When God is pleased, we are too – not because we
have earned something special, but because we have shone that we acted in faith.
The service we give is evidence that God’s mercy is working in our lives. That
credit both glorifies God and proves that we believe what we confess. As James
wrote, “Faith without works is dead.”
That is true not because faith is earned but because faith is proven to be
genuine.
The credit or reward of faith will eventually
point to heaven, what Jesus characterizes as being “sons of the Most High.” The promise of eternal life is the end
result of faith in Christ. Therefore, every time our faith is proven genuine by
service our eternal reward after this life is also proven genuine. And the
engine behind all this is the underserved mercy of God.
For Bonhoeffer, his discipleship service
consisted in speaking against the Nazi regime in his home country. He took
these commands very literally, as he advocated not only for the helpless and
defenseless Jews but also for his enemies, the Nazis. By standing for the true
Word of God in a time when many Christians were backing down, Bonhoeffer was
actually being the most loving of all to his opponents, even those that would
eventually kill him for it.
That’s another unique aspect of Christian
service. If it is difficult to put into action, it is also difficult to
receive. As Jesus describes, it’s as if Christian service operates on a
different plane of existence. That’s how foreign it is to our natures.
Therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised when the world despises us for loving and
serving them as God desires. That is the way things have been since the
beginning of sin’s onslaught of this world and it’s the way it will continue
until the final day. As difficult as this must have been for Bonhoeffer and
other faithful Christians caught in the tyranny of WWII, the stand they took
was clear and certain.
The more difficult question is how this same
type of service plays out in our lives. Bonhoeffer had something to say about
that as well, in describing the difference between cheap grace and costly
grace.
“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring
repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession,
absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without
discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and
incarnate.”
“Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a
man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy
which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ,
for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is
the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.”
We live at a time of relative peace and calm,
yet the costs we consider are very much the same. The spiritual warfare of
individual hearts has often been translated into public forums, especially
within the church. We live at a time when there is just as much pressure on
churches to conform to worldly standards. Requiring repentance. Practicing church
discipline. Demanding unity and confession before Communion – all things that
Bonhoeffer mentioned as necessities in following Christ – are under attack
today. It is rare to find Christians and churches that are willing to stand for
the truth of God’s Word – even more rare to find those willing to suffer the
consequences of doing so.
It is also equally rare to find the pursuit if
costly grace today. Hungering to hear the Word of God. Being willing to forsake
all to receive forgiveness in Christ. Looking to Jesus above all other treasures
in life. These qualities are equally rare. We might look at Bonhoeffer’s life
and wonder if we would have done the same. When marching toward the prison
doors of the concentration camp, would we have remained steadfast in the faith?
But, what we fail to realize is that the same pressures are upon us today – the
details are simply different. The only reason Bonhoeffer was resolute in his
faith is because he knew and trusted what Jesus had done for him. Once he had
that nothing else mattered. The pressures upon us may seem softer than
imprisonment and death and in a way they are. But, we, and all Christians, must
still wrestle with the bigger issue that Bonhoeffer faced. Not what the Nazis
could do to him, but how he could have costly grace, and not cheap grace.
The cost of discipleship involves service.
Service to God. Service to other people – all kinds of people. Instead of
worrying about what might be easy or what might be difficult – remember one
thing. It takes grace. You can succeed because Your Heavenly Father has been
merciful and forgiving to you. When He calls you to serve others, it’s not a
requirement you must meet to get to heaven – it is a plea to give as you have
been given, that others may be saved as well. Therefore, it’s not really about
you at all – but all about Jesus. To give yourself up like that involves a cost
– but one well worth it. The cost involves standing firm against false practice
and false teaching. It involves repentance and humility. It involves love and
self-sacrifice. It involves treating everyone equally, even if they don’t
deserve it. When this service is offered, in faith in Christ as it only can be;
it gives credit where it deserves to be given – to our gracious God.
Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment