Sacrifice

The discipline of sacrifice is a long-lost concept to modern Christianity. Personally, I am forced to admit that I have sacrificed little to follow Jesus. Someone once said that the measure of a sacrifice can only be accurately made by the one making it. In other words, what may not seem a great sacrifice to me, you may view as an extreme sacrifice. In any case, living a lifestyle of sacrifice will cost us.

Our Lord Jesus made this perfectly clear when He set forth the requirements for being His disciple in Luke 9:23-24. It is a life of self-denial and cross-bearing. To Jesus' first-century hearers, the cross was clearly a reference to death. It meant a one-way journey. When a person took up a cross, it meant they were not coming back. This is the essence of denying one's self. When we confess Christ as Savior and Lord we surrender the right to make final decisions for our own lives. We now belong to Him. Some practical applications of this truth are given in Luke 9:57-62 where some came to Jesus intent on making a bargain about following Him. One hadn't counted the cost, and Jesus pointedly shared with him that He essentially lived life as a homeless person, dependant on the benevolence of others. Another wished to wait until parental obligations were finished. A third wished to maintain ties with his family that would have hindered his commitment. Jesus' challenge to them and to us was to lose ourselves in living for Him (Luke 9:24) and find total fulfillment, and not to lose our lives in lesser pursuits.

Later, in Luke 21, Jesus pointed out the sacrifice of a poor widow who came to give her offering at the Temple. As others around her were loudly and lavishly pouring in great amounts, and drawing much attention to themselves, she slipped by unnoticed but by Jesus. He drew attention to her and her meager gift. While others gave from their abundance, she genuinely sacrificed to give "all she had to live on". Can you remember a time when you sacrificed to give to Kingdom causes? Have you ever gone without for the cause of Christ? Does your love for Jesus and His Kingdom work compel you to sacrifice conveniences or even necessities so that others may hear and believe?

We can only consider such a sacrificial attitude and lifestyle if we have first given ourselves fully to Christ. In Romans 12:1-2 we are commanded to offer our very bodies, our very lives, as a sacrifice to God. It is to be a living, useful sacrifice. In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote that this type of surrendered life is only reasonable in light of all Christ has done on our behalf. It is a life of worship and service to God, and not characterized by selfish desires and goals. Such a sacrificial offering transforms our thinking and therefore our living. Making sacrifices of temporal things to further the cause of Christ is not so unusual or extreme when our thinking parallels Christ's thinking. After all, He sacrificed much more than we ever could, and He did so willingly, out of love for us.

Sacrifice demands a radical shift in thinking, in living, and in our priorities. Christ must come before anyone or anything else. All other considerations become secondary when He is Lord. Corrie Ten Boom, the World War II holocaust survivor, wrote that she had learned to hold everything loosely. Then it didn't hurt so bad when God had to pry her fingers from around what He demanded. Is there anything you would not be willing to give up for Christ? If so, what do you need to do?

BSFL Sunday School Commentary for the week of September 27, 2009

The Results of Knowing Jesus        Mark 8,9,10

How long does it take to grow a disciple? John Mark, author of the gospel that bears his name, is known for his frequent use of the word "immediately" (some translations use 'straightway'). However, you won't find it anywhere near a teaching on discipleship. Disciples are not born (they ARE born again!), they are made. Discipleship is a deliberate process of following Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us into His likeness. It is no coincidence that 'discipline' and 'disciple' are similar words. One concept is inseparably linked to the other. Discipleship requires lifelong discipline.

Jesus did not paint an easy picture for those who would be His disciples. He set the bar high, and we in the modern church have no authority to lower it. Although this lesson includes teaching passages from Mark 8,9, & 10, Jesus' statement in Mark 8:34 contains the complete recipe of discipleship. The illustration of the cross is an all-encompassing image of self-denial, service, and suffering. Jesus explicitly said that to be His follower was no picnic. How much of that is hidden in modern-day evangelism and church-growth philosophies?

Jesus taught in Mark 8:34-38 that self-denial is the only path to a life worth living. How else do we "find our life" but through spending it for the cause of Christ? We do not find it in wealth, possessions, escapism, physical gratification, popularity, business, worldly success, family, or even church. (Let's face it; we do not deny ourselves much at church.) Jesus modeled self-denial as no one else possibly could. He denied Himself many of the prerogatives, and even the very presence of, Deity. The passage in Philippians 2:6-11 is the landmark description of just how low Jesus stooped to reach our level of living. But in stooping to our physical level, He boosted us to His spiritual level, as evidenced in the latter portion of the Philippians passage mentioned earlier. In like manner, our life of self-denial in following Jesus is the pathway by which we find ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction in this life, and in the life to come. We "find our life" (Mark 8:35).

In Mark 9:33-37 Jesus sets a child in the midst of His disciples and challenges their willingness to serve. In the culture of that day children held no status and few rights, viewed almost as property by their families. Jesus declared that the greatest among us is the one ready to serve the least among us. Again, Mark 8:34 challenges us to serve unselfishly like Jesus by following Him in a cross-bearing manner of living. What is cross-bearing? It is sacrificial service to all, even the least in society's hierarchy.

In Mark 10:32-34 Jesus warns His disciples for the third time about His impending arrest, abuse, and crucifixion. Jesus was obviously fixed on this series of events that lay just ahead. Although not relishing the prospect of suffering, He was able to accept it as the will of the Father. Again, this is brought out in Mark 8:34. Taking up the cross means a willingness to accept suffering for the cause of Christ.

I continually wrestle with these burdensome concepts. I find that I deny myself little, like being served, and avoid suffering at all costs far more often than otherwise. I have also discovered that when I do seek to follow Jesus with a Mark 8:34 devotion I realize more peace, fulfillment, passion, joy, and contentment than ever before. The battle rages between my stubborn flesh that desires to be happy, and the Spirit within, Who desires that I be holy. Momentary happiness from self-gratification in between struggles, or lasting contentment and peace that prevails through all of my circumstances. It seems this would be an easy choice. At times it is; other times it represents the greatest of struggles. But one of the supreme results of knowing Jesus is experiencing progress in the struggle. Over time, I see myself choosing to follow Jesus more and myself less. I relish more victory over self; I enjoy greater peace; I begin to understand settled contentment; I see more Kingdom usefulness. And in these things I "find my life".