Title: The Way to Follow Jesus
way to follow Jesus
Text: Mark 10:32-45
This was recorded in the book of Mulcolm Richie, one of the most respected Christian thinkers and journalists in England in our time. If pragmatism has had the greatest impact on the lives of Christians in this land, it has deprived today's Christians of true determination and commitment.
A century ago, in the early and mid-twentieth century, the greatest heroes of the faith among the Christians of this land were the martyrs.
1. Decide to die.
2. Everyone who follows Jesus must decide to die.
3. If you die, you live.
4. The glory of the resurrection is promised only to them. Today, this sound is becoming a verse in a tale from a distant past.
Today, I pray that we will restore this faith and become saints who carry on the generation of faith.
When the gospel came to this earth 100 years ago, there were two main and universal reasons people believed in Jesus. The first is the elite group faith, a group committed to Christianity with a social reform vision. The so-called elite literate will be renewed if they believe in Christianity. History will be renewed, society will be renewed, and we will be renewed as individuals. There were many people who participated in Christianity with this vision of social reform.
Second, with the faith of the majority of the people, the hope of being freed from the sufferings of the world and enjoying the bliss of heaven, or belief in the end times, was dominant.
However, with the development of today's capitalist society and becoming pragmatic, the faith of Korean church members begins to change. There are more and more people on this earth who believe in Jesus because their motives for believing in Jesus are not social reform motives, nor are they going to heaven after believing in Jesus, which is the evangelical motive. This can be called the third motive, the motive of blessing. When you believe in Jesus, you will be saved. Instead of this essential message of Christianity, this message started to become popular.
1. If you believe in Jesus, you will be blessed.
2. If you believe in Jesus, you will become healthy.
3. If you believe in Jesus, you will succeed.
4. If you believe in Jesus, you will become rich.
It can be said that this is an influence of the pragmatic values of this age, the spirit of this age that is materialistic. We can prosper only when we believe in Jesus, the so-called theology of prosperity imported from abroad in addition to the unique faith in ups and downs unique to Koreans. Under the influence of this theology of prosperity, the message that you will be blessed if you believe in Jesus began to spread across this earth. If you believe in Jesus, you will surely receive blessings, but the concept of material blessings is a core doctrine of other religions and not a core doctrine of Christianity.
The disciples of Jesus were all martyred while preaching the gospel for the rest of their lives. Even though they knew that if they believed in Jesus, they would be persecuted in this world, they all followed Him. As a result, they lost their families and lost their jobs. I was ostracized by the world. The most difficult time was when he tempted me to forgive him if he betrayed Jesus and believed in the Roman emperor. If you just say one word that you don't believe in Jesus, you can be released and return to your normal life. I do not know how many saints followed the path of the Lord because they could not say a single word, “I do not know Jesus.”
When the dark shadow of communism covered a corner of the earth, many saints in Siberia, the former Soviet Union, North Korea, and China fought for their lives and disappeared in the dew of death. Although he was taken to Siberia and suffered for decades, he said, “I do not know Jesus. I don't believe in Jesus.” There are not one or two people who have spent their whole lives growing old in the camps because they couldn't say a single word.
Persecution is normal for those who believe in Jesus. Being persecuted means following Jesus. We definitely need to know. The way to follow Jesus is not just a way to live comfortably because all your wishes come true. Being prepared to suffer persecution is the way to truly follow the Lord.
“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
“He called the crowd and his disciples and said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
I was able to learn martyrdom while studying the history of the early church, and the most impressive person was Polycarp. He was martyred at the age of 86 as bishop of Smyrna. At the moment when he was burned at the stake, it seems that even the Roman soldiers did not want to kill him, who was a highly respected and highly respected figure. So, he persuaded me to say, "Tell me one lie that you don't believe in Jesus." Then Polycarp, the great bishop of Smyrna, famously said:
“Jesus has never lied to me in 86 years, and Jesus has never betrayed me. And after praying for his enemies, Polycarp climbed the pyre and was martyred in a ferocious manner. This is what a loyal person, a faithful person, and a person of faith look like. We say that the church was built on the blood of these martyrs. God's work is accomplished because of those who have been faithful and kept their faith.
John Calvin, the Reformer, summarized the Christian life in two ways in his book, The Christian Obsession. The first is to give up one's life before the cross. It is to throw away all greed, jealousy, envy, and despair. Another is a pilgrimage life. No matter what my life is, a believer is a pilgrim on a pilgrimage to heaven. Whatever you are now, a believer is a pilgrim on a pilgrimage to heaven. What kind of lifestyle are you in now, and what kind of path are you on? Do you not get lost and wander while worrying about the difficulties of reality? How would it feel to live today on the narrow road that casts away greed and follows Jesus with the heart of a pilgrim?
“Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction” (Matthew 7:13).
In the text, Jesus said to his disciples, “When he said that the Son of Man would die on the cross and rise again on the third day, Peter prayed not to do so.
“Then James and John the sons of Zebedee came to the Lord and said, “Teacher, whatever we ask of you, do to us. Let me sit on the right and the other on the left” (Mark 10:35-37).
Jesus says this in the mind of Peter, John, and James.
“Then Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan, you are a stumbling block to me, for you do not consider the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23).
“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (verse 45).
These words mean that you have no interest in God's work, but only your work and follow me, and that you are humble and humble.
“Those who are after the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, and those who follow the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. The mind set on the flesh is enmity with God, for it is subject to the law of God. Not only does it not work, it cannot be done, for those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:5-8).
The thoughts that are only interested in worldly wealth and glory and self are called the thoughts of the flesh. The image of the twelve disciples at that time is unfolding to us as a reality today. Even pioneering pastors say, 'For the glory of the Lord, for the Lord', but in fact, they work with interest in their own glory and their own vision.
Ordinary saints say, 'The glory of the Lord, please the Lord', but they are only interested in fulfilling their own purpose.
If you look at the contents of the envelope of thanks given during the New Year's worship service, a typical example is not 'Please make it a year that gives glory to the Lord'. It appears when you take an entrance exam or find a job. It's not about going to college or getting a job for the glory of the Lord, it's about going to college for yourself and getting a job for yourself. But let's look at the words of Jesus in the text about the words of John and James.
“Jesus said to him, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup of my drink and be baptized with me? You know that you exercise authority, but it is not so among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be slave of all.”
Also, let's read Matthew 16:23-24 together.
“Jesus, turning around, said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan, for you are a stumbling block to me, for you do not consider the things of God, but the things of men.” , let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
* Prayer: Lord, who is the way, the truth, and the life, I give thanks and praise for your grace. I love the Lord. From now on, I want to take up my cross and follow the Lord. I will make only the Lord my treasure. Even if we lose all of our wealth and glory in the world, we will look to the Lord and live for Him and be faithful to death. I will serve the Lord every day, and I will not go any other way by always living in the love of the Lord. May this heart of mine never change. Step by step, let me walk the narrow path with joy day by day with the Lord Jesus. We pray in the name of our Savior Jesus. Amen