My Cup Runneth Over 1
My Cup Runneth Over • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsA close week at Jesus' final week and what that means for us.
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Lent Video
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Opening Scripture
1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. 22 Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.
Prayer
Worship Set
Prayer
Worship Through the Word:
My Cup Runneth Over
My Cup Runneth Over
One of my favorite movies is “The Patriot” with Mel Gibson. In the movie, Mel Gibson is a single father with 7 kids trying to eeke out a living in South Carolina when the American Revolutionary war breaks out with Great Britain. Unlike so many others who are carried away by their emotions, he understands the cost of war. He also knows it will not just be felt by him, but by his kids. So, even though he believes in the cause, he cannot bring himself to vote for war.
Despite his reservations, the vote carries and war breaks out in full force. Eventually, the battle erupts on his farm and he has no recourse but to join the battle. Once in, Benjamin Martin, the character played by Gibson, gives himself fully to the cause. Oh, he has some moments when he is in anguish over the loss of loved ones, he hesitates and considers abandoning the cause. However, as his mind clears he picks up the American flag and carries on. The most iconic scene of the entire movie is when the battle is failing and the men begin to retreat, he grabs a dropped American flag and hoists it high crying, “No Retreat!” while pushing forward into the heart of the battle. His courage boosts the morale of those around and they take the battle, and eventually the war is won in favor of the Americans.
This is the kind of passion I wish we saw in the church today. People with hearts of lions and the strength of the Spirit, completely aware of the cost of discipleship and fully devoted to God.
However, at least in the U.S., we too often hear pastor’s on television soft-shoeing the costs and promising only great dividends. Scriptures like Psalm 103 that we began with today, are taken out of context and make it sound like we never face any troubles ever again. Do not get me wrong. The rewards are great, however, there is no guarantee that the rewards are all that we experience, at least not this side of heaven. We still live in a fallen world. We still have an enemy who is doing everything he can to turn us against God. Those two facts alone should indicate that there are rough roads ahead. In fact, Jesus often spoke of the cost of discipleship, which is our subject today. Please stand with me as we read Jesus response on this subject found in Luke 9.
18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” 19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” 20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” 21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” 23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!
Father, please bless this Word which you have provided and which we now receive. Amen!
I. The Call to Discipleship
I. The Call to Discipleship
Introduction
What does it look like when a person gives themselves completely to God, no matter the cost? We often share stories about what it looks like when a person is devoted to Christ, even when it means losing everything–even their lives.
Today’s scripture tells us about the beginning of the end of Jesus’s journey on earth. He set out for Jerusalem, knowing that suffering, humiliation, and death awaited him. Although the crowds were celebrating him now, he knew those crowds would soon turn. With this in mind, Jesus asked his disciples who people said he was. They gave a few different answers, none of them correct. Jesus then asked them who they thought he was. Peter, in his characteristic boldness, said that Jesus was the Messiah, and Jesus affirmed that Peter was correct. But what Jesus did next took the disciples by surprise.
Instead of telling them that they were about to ride into battle and come out physically and politically triumphant, setting up an earthly kingdom, he told them the opposite would happen. Jesus predicted that he would suffer and die. Then he went a step further and told the disciples they too would need to be ready to suffer and die if they wanted to follow him. The disciples were shocked. Jesus flipped the script and upended all of their expectations about what a Messiah would do.
Although we have the benefit of hindsight and thousands of years of church teaching, we can still learn from this message today. God doesn’t ask us to grasp worldly or political power, taking land and people and lives. Instead, we’re called to emulate Christ, lowering ourselves and allowing God’s power to shine through our weakness. This is what Jesus means when he says,
23 ... “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
So, what does it mean...
1. DenyingSelfand Taking Up OurCrossDaily, Luke 9:23
1. DenyingSelfand Taking Up OurCrossDaily, Luke 9:23
Detrick Bonhoeffer wrote in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Now, Bonhoeffer was not speaking of physical death here, though it sometimes requires that, but Bonhoeffer was speaking about dying to every desire and dream that he or she holds. You see,
a. There’s a huge difference between casually following someone and being fully dedicated to their cause.
a. There’s a huge difference between casually following someone and being fully dedicated to their cause.
i. For example, you might be a fan of a certain musician and follow them on social media. You might even keep up with the latest news about them. But you’re not likely to die for them. If you sold all you had to go and follow them from place to place, concert to concert, most would think you are daft!
In the movie The Patriot, there was a scene where many of the men who had been very vocal about their animosity against the British, however, when it came to enlist their aid, they flinched. They were hesitant to take that next step of devotion to the cause.
In the parable Jesus tells of the sower, we hear of a farmer who casts out seeds upon various kinds of ground and what occurs with those seeds. The seeds represent the Word of God and what happens with the seed is the response of those who hear God’s Word. One patch of ground is rocky and when the seed falls on it, it quickly sprouts, however the sprout cannot grow its roots deep enough to gain water to make it through a hot day. It soon withers and dies. This part of the parable is talking of people who quickly hear the word and get excited about it, but when adversity comes their way, they quickly abandon the faith.
There are many people willing to accept that they sin and are delighted to hear that Jesus died for their sins. However, they want Jesus to follow them and fix the things they want fixed. They have no real interest in following Jesus, let alone make sacrifices for Him.
When Jesus called his disciples,
b. Jesus was calling his disciples to adeepercommitment, warning them that it could even meandeath.
b. Jesus was calling his disciples to adeepercommitment, warning them that it could even meandeath.
Now, they did not understand this in the beginning. Nor should they have. These men weren’t clairvoyant. They had no idea what was to come. However, they did have an earnest desire for God. They believed that Jesus had come from God and they were eager to follow. Remember, these men had already given up so much to follow Jesus. They had walked away from family and jobs/job security. They felt they were ready for anything, but Jesus knew a lot more had to happen in their hearts before they were ready to be the apostles they would become.
It is the same for any of us. We often fear that God will ask of us something more than we feel we can give, however, when we set out in the journey of faith, we can be assured that God will work with us through a journey preparing us for where He knows we will go.
As for the disciples, we know most of them went on to become martyrs for the faith. While they would be reminded of these words after Jesus’s death, it likely took the repetition of this message and witnessing Christ’s own sacrifice before they really internalized it.
The call to us is no less different, even though we are not faced with it every day like the disciples were. It is important that we understand that
c. Following Jesus means you won’t be playing it safe.
c. Following Jesus means you won’t be playing it safe.
When Bonhoeffer wrote those words, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die,” he was talking about death to our ideals, our dreams, our passions, and instead we take up those that God would have us to have. However, Bonhoeffer also became a martyr of the faith, literally giving up his life for Christ.
i. While following Jesus often feels fairly safe for many of us (especially those of us who live in North America), it can be literally dangerous. You don’t have to look long to find stories of people who’ve lost their lives for their faith. One that was close to home for me was when I lived in Colorado Springs. I remember coming home from the church office and quickly learning about the shooting at Columbine High School. In the following days, various accounts of the incident came out including the case of Cassie Bernall. It is the most unlikely case of martyrdom you would expect to see, but it is written down in black and white for all in our nation to see, in a book called, “She Said Yes.” The teenage gunman in Columbine High looked Cassie right in the face and asked, “Do you believe in God?” Cassie said, “Yes,” and they shot her point blank for her answer. However, such accounts are far more prevelent in other places outside the U.S., but that doesn’t mean we can discount the times it has occurred here.
ii. When we look outside the U.S., we hear stories from missionaries–especially in places where Christianity is treated with hostility by the government–who have personally experienced violence or who have seen violence done to other believers by those who don’t want the message of Christ spread.
It is easy to ignore these accounts and believe that they are only for those who have accepted that risk by becoming missionaries. However, it is the call for each and every believer. We each need to be prepared to answer just like Cassie did, the affirmative to our faith in God, no matter when we are facing.
iii. We aren’t called to be cozy and comfortable. There’s nothing cushy about taking up our cross and denying ourselves. Jesus didn’t sugarcoat this message, and neither should we.
I have been really convicted these past couple years or so, that I have been far too indulgent in my material needs. Now, does that mean I have jeopardized my faith or my salvation? No, it does not. However, if I am truly living a life fully committed to God, taking up my cross and following Him, what breaks His heart should break mine. That means my finances could be used better to help others in ways that help them come to know Jesus Christ as their salvation. However, before we get into this part of dying to self, lets look for a moment what Jesus meant by...
2. Saving or Losing Life, Luke 9:24
2. Saving or Losing Life, Luke 9:24
24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
a. Jesus told his disciples that whoever wanted to save their life would lose it and whoever lost their life for Christ would save it.
a. Jesus told his disciples that whoever wanted to save their life would lose it and whoever lost their life for Christ would save it.
Jesus is not talking about physical death here, but about our goals in life. What are we living for? Are the goals of our life about making the most money so we can have the most fun recreating with it? Is the goal of our life to became a corporate executive so we have the power to control things in our life? This is the kind of “life” that Jesus is referring to.
i. If we’re desperately grasping onto our lives, power, or money, we’re goIng to lose them. When we grasp onto those things, we often have a narrow, short-term perspective. We miss the point and lose in the end.
This is where we take scriptures like Psalm 103 out of context. We look at all of God’s promises as pertaining to the here and now, when what God is focused on is our eternal disposition. Now, God does bless us in many ways now. However, ultimately God is focused on the eternal.
Here is another great illustration. We often pray and ask God to heal us or to protect us. Now, these are great prayers. God encourages us to pray these kinds of prayers, however, God does not always answer them in the way we expect.
When I was a young girl, I read a book that had a huge impact on me. I have long lost the book but I have never forgotten the story. It was about a typical teenage girl. She was a Christian, like Cassie Bernall, she was having the same tussles with her parents that any teenage girl has. Her mom worried about her and worried about where she was in her Christian faith. the mom was constantly praying for God’s protection upon her daughter as she traversed this journey of teenage independence. Then one night, her mom woke out of a deep sleep and felt ill at ease that something had happened to her daughter. Before long, a sheriff was banging on their door and delivered the worst possible news. Her daughter had been killed in a car accident. The mom was devastated and struggling in her faith. Then came the day of the funeral. Teenage after teenager stepped up to the podium and shared how they had come to faith because of Kathy (I think was her name). The mom was blown away by the influence that her daughter had had on so many lives in her few short 18 years. Many of these kids accepted Jesus because of Kathy’s death. The mom had a choice to make, she could accept that her daughter’s death was the means by which God saved these other kids, or she could resent God for taking her daughter. The woman in this case, accepted God’s will and embraced many of these kids taking on the task of discipling them. She acknowledged that her daughter had given her life here on earth, that she would have life eternal with God. She believed if her daughter had had a choice, she would have chosen no differently.
This may seem crazy to you, but it is important that you understand that it is a matter of perspective.
ii. When we lose life, power, or money in Jesus’s name, we aren’t really losing. Scripture reminds us that we should store up treasure in heaven instead of treasure on earth that can be destroyed (see Matthew 6:19–21). What we have on earth is meant to be invested in God’s kingdom. That is exactly what Kathy did and when she died, it led to many others finding true life in Christ.
Unfortunately, I am concerned that too many, at least in our nation, think they can live somewhere in between. They are living on a Teeter Totter trying to balance the good things God has promised, with the good things of this world. Okay, if I can just have this luxurious house, and lets say I balance it by giving $5,000 to missionaries in China. However, there is no middle ground. It is all or nothing with God.
iii. We need the reminder that following Christ is life or death. There isn’t space to be lukewarm (see Revelation 3:15–17).
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
There is only one economy that counts and it is...
3. God’s Economy, Luke 9:25
3. God’s Economy, Luke 9:25
25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
It is important for us to understand that...
a. God’s economy is different than the world’s.
a. God’s economy is different than the world’s.
Jesus asked his disciples what good it is to gain the world if it meant forfeiting their very selves. You see, no dream you have, no amount of funds you have, no matter what business successes you have had, will unlock the pearly gates of eternity. Only Christ can do that.
i. All the money in the world cannot stop death from coming. Only trust in Christ can help us prepare for eternal life.
i. All the money in the world cannot stop death from coming. Only trust in Christ can help us prepare for eternal life.
ii. Sometimes we don’t find what really matters until we have lost everything.
ii. Sometimes we don’t find what really matters until we have lost everything.
In countries where persecution is high, salvation accounts increase. You may say, that is because they have already lost everything. No, in many cases, they lose what they have because of their devotion to God.
When I read that book about the 18 year old girl who died, I found that her mother grew in her faith as well, through the death of her daughter.
b. Living in faith means we keep moving forward and seeking God’s will above all else–even when that doesn’t make worldly sense.
b. Living in faith means we keep moving forward and seeking God’s will above all else–even when that doesn’t make worldly sense.
There are so many accounts I know of people who have given up all they had to set out to serve as pastor’s and missionaries, even though people they love and admire were advising them that they were making a mistake. Sometimes, God calls us to take jobs that are lower in pay. People do not understand this. When I left the corporate office, I had been making just around $30,000/year. The president of the company offered me $65,000/yr to stay. He understood that I was moving someplace where I had no job or home to go to college. He essentially couldn’t understand why I would do so when he was offering me $65,000 to stay. Often, the choices we make do not make sense to people who do not know God. The really sad story is too often people in the church have not understood either and are quick to give counsel on how you can justify staying where you are at instead of going where you feel God has called you.
i. We see this when people sell all their belongings and move to the mission field with nothing, taking jobs that won’t cover more than their basic needs.
ii. We also see this when people choose less financially lucrative career paths to live out the vocation God called them to.
iii. One young man found that he’d made his Xbox into an idol. He recognized that it was preventing him from spending time with his family. He felt God leading him to destroy the Xbox. When other people asked why he wouldn’t just sell it, he said he felt like God wanted him to destroy it as a symbol of what it was in his life. There are always others, even in the church, that are fast to criticize such devotion.
iv. In your Lent devotionals, they have listed hymns each week to take time to meditate over the words. The hymn “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken” is listed on p. 35 and it sums up this idea well:
“Perish every fond ambition
All I’ve sought, and hoped and known
Yet how rich is my condition
God and heaven are still my own!”
Conclusion
What would it look like if each person in this room truly committed to denying themselves and going where God leads?
We have a problem as believers. Instead of living out the life God wants us to have, we often live lives that are almost what God wants us to have. For example, we might ignore the tugging of the Holy Spirit to go into missions. Instead, we donate funds and hope it will alleviate the guilty feelings we have inside. You would be amazed at the reasons people have given me for not doing what God was calling them to do. I have to wonder, what would our families, our communities, and our world look like if every believer lived out the incredible calling God has for their life?
Picking up your cross and following Christ isn’t about a one-time act of valor. It’s about daily doing the thing God has called you to do. It also means that when the time comes, you’re willing to follow Jesus into the unknown–even if it costs you your life. As Christians, we aren’t called to stand in our power but to follow the example of the Lamb who was slain. We’re called to lay down our power, our money, our influence, and our lives for the greater good of the kingdom. Perhaps God is calling you to be Mayor of Elgin, where you can have greater influence in the lives of our people. Perhaps you are called to start a compassionate ministry, that could bring the light of God into the lives of people with addictions, or those trapped in lives of destitution. Maybe God would use you to start a small group for those in grief, or a prayer group. Maybe God wishes to use you here in Elgin, or maybe He is calling you to move somewhere else.
Where will you go? What is the cross Jesus is calling you to take up? Are you ready to answer?
Prayer
Precious Father, Lent is a season to search our souls. A good place to begin is seeking to know if we are where you would have us to be, and if we are doing the work you intend for us to do. It is a good time to evaluate our commitments. Do we need to drop some? Are there others we need to take on? Are there sins in our life that are preventing us from seeing and hearing where you want us, like the boy with the Xbox. Whatever the case, Father, I pray that each person in this place will be willing to ask themselves the difficult questions, and be willing to take the time to hear from You what You would say to them, and where you would lead them. Father, may we experience this year as a Year of the Lord for Elgin, OR. May we step forward with great determination, to do all that You would ask of us, here and now. In Your Holy Name Jesus we pray. Amen.
Copyright © 2024 The Foundry Publishing®. Permission to reproduce for ministry use only. All rights reserved. (Outline was denomination generated, I then added the majority of the body of the sermon.)
Worship Set
Benediction
