A SERIOUS
QUESTION
MARK 3: 20-35
(NRSV)
This
past week is a study in contrasts. Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, floods,
sightings of UFO’s, terrorism on the home front, deceit and deception of
politicians; yet what’s in the news: Decade old reports of a 14 year old
adolescent male curious about sexual issues and a former athlete mutilating himself
into another supposed sexual identity.
Where
are our priorities? When will we wake up and pay attention? A person
translating themselves into another cosmetically induced sex is grounds for
prayer and not praise; a 14 year old whose parents did everything right
according to the scriptures is grounds for praise and not condemnation.
Our
world faces serious questions. Hear our gospel lesson for today:
…and the crowd
came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it,
they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his
mind.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has
Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.”
And he called
them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out
Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot
stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be
able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s
house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then
indeed the house can be plundered.
“Truly I tell
you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they
utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have
forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has
an unclean spirit.”
Then his
mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called
him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother
and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he
replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
As I read this passage I was reminded of how serious our
eternal salvation and relationship with Jesus truly is. When Jesus talks about
“eternal sin” and having an unclean spirit that is really, really, scary stuff.
So it makes me want to ask each of you, “How serious about your faith are you?”
Would you die for Christ? Would I? Hopefully we can answer "I
hope so" or "Yes" or "I don't know." And not
answer, “No,” “Not a chance,” or “probably not.”
I
think I figured out how to know for sure how one would answer that question if
it really came down to being faced with someone saying, "Deny Christ or
die."
The
answer to whether one would die for Christ lies in the answer to another
question. That question is: "Do I live for Christ?"
I
have noticed something from stories about Muslims coming to Christ and dying
for it. They are not always killed for saying they believe in Jesus, they are
killed for living as Christians.
Another
way to say it is, "They are killed because they really are Christians -
their lives show it."
What
do our scriptures tell us that the Devil seeks to destroy? He seeks to destroy
real Christ followers not just those with a fuzzy or sentimental feeling about Jesus.
Take a look at two statements about who the Devil sees as
threats to his agenda in as recorded in the Book of Revelation:
"And they [Christians] have conquered him [the Devil] by the blood
of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives
even unto death."
"Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make
war on the rest of her offspring [Christians], on those who keep the
commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus."
According to these verses the Christian is one who: has been
brought from death to life through the work of Christ...has a credible or
believable testimony about their life in Christ - the Devil can see that they
are followers of Christ...is willing to die for Christ, after having lived for
Him...when the Devil comes for him, the Christian obeys God and holds on to
Christ by faith.
Theologians
have and will argue whether Jesus can be Savior of your life without being Lord
of your life. I suggest that is the wrong question. Jesus is Lord and before
Him ALL will eventually bow, Christian or not.
The
correct response is to do what the Apostle Paul did when he wrote in
Philippians 3: 12:
"Not
that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on
so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ
Jesus."
Like
Paul, we should all recognize in humility that we are not yet fully mature as
Christians, and we should follow His example in being all the more dedicated to
living our calling by pressing on full steam ahead.
As
a simple exercise consider how you are doing with the following character
qualities the Apostle points out to the Colossians in Colossians 3:12-14.
"So, as
those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of:
Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, and patience - bearing with
one another forgiving each other whoever has a complaint against anyone; just
as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put
on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."
Will
I die for Christ? It probably depends on whether I live for Christ.
I'll close with Paul's words from Colossians 3: 15-17:
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you
were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell
within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father."
Amen.
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