Really love others

Romans 12:9-11 (NLT)

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 

Romans 12 may be one of the most stimulating and interesting chapters of the New Testament.  Paul has spent the first 11 chapters of Romans establishing the theory, the basis for the Christian faith and in Chapter 12 he turns to the practical applications of that faith.  Romans 12:1-2 is one my life’s verses, as it is for many Christians because of the emphasis on personal dedication of body and mind.  Romans 12:3-8 speaks of the seven motivational spiritual gifts that the Lord gives to His believers—prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and showing mercy.  I believe that each Christian is given at least one of these gifts that motivates each of us to serve the Lord in that capacity.  Indeed, spirit-filled Christians have all the gifts of God, but one gift particularly is truly motivational to each of us, i.e. a gift that we really love to do and/or apply. 

Romans 12:9-13 teach how each Christian should behave in the family of God.  You are to love others without being hypocritical.  You can only do this if you allow the Spirit of Christ to fill you and guide you and not allow your own limited human nature to be in control.  You are to hate what is wrong.  Hate is a strong word, yet the original Greek word used is “aspostugeo”, meaning “to detest utterly”.  Do you utterly detest evil?  This is a question for more elaborate discussion as Christians and the church do not apply this exhortation as we should.

Do you take delight in honoring others?  This means to show high respect for others, to tell them how much you think of them, to encourage them.  Likewise others are to do the same to you.  When you come to church do you know that there is someone, hopefully more than one, who loves you, who is really glad to see you?  Do you come to church in anticipation of showing love and caring to others?

Verse 11 contains three more exhortations-- never be lazy, work hard, and serve the Lord enthusiastically--each of which not only are expected behaviors of Christians toward one another, but also how we honor the Lord with our lives of service.  How would you be “graded” in these behaviors?  How can you improve? Please pray about this.

Assurance of eternal life

John 5:24 (NASB)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” 

Jesus defines what is required to be assured of eternal life.  There are two requirements---(1) hearing His word and (2) believing God who sent Jesus to be your Savior.  To hear His word means more than simple hearing…….you must receive His word with an open heart and do what it says.  To “believe Him who sent Me” means to believe in the love of God, to honor God, and to believe, as Jesus said earlier, that the “Father has given all judgment to the Son”.

Jesus basically is teaching that you have two choices.  Either you believe His claims, His promises, and His teaching or you don’t.  If you do believe you are given eternal life; you will not be judged as an unbeliever, and you will forever be with the Lord in heaven.  If you don’t believe in Jesus’ words, then you are choosing His condemnation (John 3:18) and eternal death (separation from the Lord). 

When Jesus’ words become personal to you, you develop a personal relationship with Him and you receive personal freedom from ever having to be judged whether or not you deserve eternal life.  Eternal life is given to you by the words of Christ without you having to do anymore than to believe in Him.  Of course, to believe also means to act like a follower of Christ; i.e. your actions reflect your relationship with Him. 

Jesus expects people to take these words seriously.  Why else would He start this verse by stating “Truly, truly…….”  To repeat this word means that it is absolute truth.  The word Jesus used here is “amen, amen” with the original meaning of amen being “so be it”, “so it is”, “it is fulfilled”.  The Greek word “amen” is almost identical to the Hebrew word for “believe” (amam), an expression of absolute truth and confidence.  For Jesus to say this word twice emphasizes how much He is stressing the importance and the absolute, irrefutable truth of His words that follow. 

Do you hear His word?  Do you believe in the Father who sent the Son?  Do you know that you have eternal life?  Do you feel peace because the Lord promises that you will not be judged because of your faith?  One of the most comforting verses for all Christians is Romans 8:1 where Paul says that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.  You are free because of your faith.  Jesus even said that in John 8:31-32 that reinforces John 5:24: “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free”.  Don’t you want to stand up, lift up your arms and praise almighty God for these words of personal freedom because of your choice to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Would you leave everything to follow Jesus?

Luke 5:27 (NASB)

So Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him.

One of the most difficult statements in the entire Bible is the passage later on in Luke where Jesus said, “So, therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.“ (Luke 14:33).  Think about what Jesus is saying here.  Note the word “all”.  He says that no one can be a true disciple unless you give up ALL your possessions.   Apparently that is what Levi (later called Matthew) did.  Are any of us who want to follow Jesus really required to give up all of our own possessions? 

I would like to think that this has more of a symbolic meaning than literal meaning.  In other words, perhaps it means that I am willing to give up everything before I’d give up my willingness to follow Jesus.  But, is that enough?  If you start reading the Luke 14 context starting in verse 25, you read some more startling statements of Jesus.  To follow Him requires hating everyone else, even your own life, compared to being His disciple.  Can anyone really do this?  So, it seems that it is not enough just to be willing to give up everything and every one, you really need to do this.

However, the 33^rd verse quoted in the first paragraph above starts with the word “therefore”.  In the Bible, the word “Therefore” should read “therefore what?” and is a transition word to relate what is about to be stated to that just stated.  If you read Luke 14:28-32, Jesus talks about the preparation to make a commitment, using everyday examples like planning to build a structure or planning to go to war.  What Jesus is really demanding of those who are thinking about following Him is their sincere commitment.  He is asking us to (1) evaluate your relationships, (2) evaluate your plans and goals, and (3) evaluate your willingness to pay the price of following Him. 

I have a note in my Bible from this passage in Luke 14 (I did not record who said or wrote this) that reads: “The lack of commitment to Jesus Christ is the greatest problem in the church”.  What do you think about this?  Regardless, are you willing to make a commitment, a firm decision, to follow Jesus as His disciple? 
 

If you wish to follow Jesus, you must............

Luke 9:23-24 (NASB)

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” 

Are there any other two verses more provoking than these two in the entire Bible?  You claim to be a follower of Christ?  Then are you denying yourself and are you taking up your cross daily? 

What does Jesus mean by “he must (note the emphasis on ‘must’) deny himself”.  To deny is to forget or lose sight of your own interests.  You make your decisions based on “what would Jesus do?”  You put others first before yourself (Philippians 2:3-4).  You don’t brag about yourself, you give the Lord credit for your accomplishments.  You don’t succumb to lustful, selfish desires.  I have in my Bible a written cross-reference to Mark 10:45, where Jesus stated His purpose---not to be served but to serve.  He expects his followers to have the same attitude and actions. 

What does Jesus mean by taking up your cross daily?  What is your cross?  I like what I heard from someone one time that it is not right to say that whatever burden you are carrying in your life is your cross.  Such thinking is self-pity and self-pity is pride.  Your cross represents the same thing as what the actual cross meant to Jesus.  The cross of Jesus represents His willingness to die for the sins of the world.  Your cross is your willingness to die to your own selfish desires and instead submit to Christ.  Jesus elaborated on this truth in verse 24 when He said that your willingness to lose your life (your selfish desires) for His sake will actually save your life from the sins that a selfish life produces.

To follow Jesus means to be fully committed to Him.  How committed are you?  Are you willing to give up relationships if they are adversely affecting your ability to follow Christ?  Are you willing to stand up for Christ if it means alienating family and friends?  Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means giving up something that you thought meant so much to you (e.g. a job, a dream, a lifestyle, a pursuit)?    

Note that Jesus starts His words with “If…….”  The choice or decision to follow Him is strictly voluntary, He is not forcing you nor can anyone else force you to follow Him.  One of my favorite pastors, Adrian Rogers, who preached and taught in alliteration, described this verse as

1.   A call to consider

2.   Conditions to meet

3.   A choice to make

What is your choice today?

Are you truly a Christ-follower?

Mark 8:34-38 (NLT)

Then, calling the crowd to join His disciples, He said, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.   And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?  If anyone is ashamed of Me and My message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Jesus gives two specific requirements if you sincerely wish to follow Him.  First, you must turn from your selfish ways.  What does this mean for you?  It means seeking first what Jesus wants you to do and be.  You always think of Him and His Word and Ways before you proceed to make critical decisions in your life.  It means that you no longer depend on your own views of life and resources, but will yield to Him and admit that you cannot live your life successfully without putting Him first.  It means doing away with selfish pride and self-sufficiency and living a daily life of humility and dependence on Christ.  Many people cannot make this transition. 

You also need to take up your cross in order to follow Jesus.  No, your cross is not the cross He carried and died on.  Your cross is what God is calling you to do with your life.  Deep down in your soul, you know what you need to do with your life and being obedient to God.  That vision, then mission, is clarified through studying His Word where there will be words and passages that will touch you deeply.  His Word teaches you, reproves you, corrects you, and trains you to be righteous; to live your life as God wants you to live it (II Timothy 3:16-17).  Your cross likely will cause some suffering since a desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will result in persecution (II Timothy 3:12)---people rejecting you, making fun of you and your faith, and criticizing you.

And, then, of course, you follow Jesus.  You do what He says through His Word and through His still small voice within your soul.  You will stumble many times, no question, but your heartfelt desire is to follow Him.  To follow Him means that you will love others as yourself, forgiven those who trespass against you, pray for others, bear one another’s burdens, give cheerfully, obeying these and all other exhortations from the Word of God.

What is your motive for following Jesus?  Eternal salvation.  That is what Jesus is talking about when He says that either you hang on to your life---your selfish life---now and lose the possibility of eternal salvation, or you give up your selfish life for a life that follows Jesus and carries you into eternity.  You must make a choice; you cannot have it both ways.  You either ask, “what’s in it for me” or “what’s in it for my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ”.  The first attitude is self-focused, the second attitude is God-focused.  God gives you the freedom to make your choice.  

Ray Stedman tells this great story[1] to contrast the two attitudes:  In 64 AD the Apostle Paul appeared before Nero, the Roman emperor, to give answer to the charges against him.  The emperor, in his royal robes, seated upon a throne.  His name was known throughout the empire.  But nobody knew of Paul. Here was this obscure little Jew, bald-headed, big-nosed, bandy-legged, totally unimpressive in his physical appearance -- he says so himself in his letters.  And he was a leader of an obscure, heretical little sect that was known only as troublemakers. Nobody had heard of Paul, while everybody had heard of Nero. But the interesting thing is that now, two thousand years later, we name our sons Paul, and our dogs Nero.

How would you answer Jesus’ question, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”  We know what it means to gain the whole world---you obtain and possess everything you could possibly want.  But, what does it mean to lose your own soul?  To lose your soul means that whatever you did to gain the whole world, if it was accomplished through cheating, lying, and hurting others, in the process you lose your peace of mind, your emotional stability, and your ability to follow God ever because of the immensity of your sinfulness.

Are you ashamed of Jesus?  Are you ashamed of His Words in Scripture?  Your words and actions describe whether you are a true follower of Christ or you are ashamed of Him.  He knows what is in your heart and if deep down you are ashamed of Him, He will tell you on Judgment Day, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23).

What choices are you making with your life?  They have eternal consequences.  Heed carefully what Jesus is saying here.  If you are bothered by any of His words, you still have control of your soul and still have time to save it.  Act on your convictions.

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[1] http://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/mark/the-way-of-the-cross