The Cost of Following Jesus

Dorothy Dalton

Midland SDA Church

August 2, 2014

     There is something about knowing there is a prize or reward that will motivate us? Doesn’t it?  And could we have a more worthwhile prize than heaven and eternal life?  Although eternal life is offered freely, there is a cost.  How can that be?  That is our challenge this morning:  is there a cost of following Jesus?

Prayer.

     There were millions of people, who watched the boot of Neil Armstrong as he stepped out onto the surface of the moon; thousands witnessed the first American soldier as his boot would leave an imprint in the mud of Normandy; hundreds were there to see Christopher Columbus place his boot on the sand of the New World, for the first time.  But, I wonder, was anyone there the day the sandaled foot of the Nazarene Carpenter stepped from the carpentry shop and stepped out onto the path that we study and remember. 

It was that first step, the one He took, leaving behind the protection of the work shop and stepping out into the light of publicity.  A solitary journey that would often find him alone and will last for three years ending on a hill, called Calvary, nicknamed the Skull, where he would be nailed to a cross. Yes, those feet that came out of the carpenter shop will be nailed to a Roman timber and those hands so accustomed to mallets and nails will not know another mallet or nail until they were nailed to the cross.  It was the first step He took and I suggest to you that every step He took thereafter was headed in that direction.  Whether He be on the stone covered streets of Galilee or the crusty dessert near the Dead Sea, every step He took was intended to bring Him closer to the cross.  This suggests to me that we who are follows of Jesus must have the same objective.  Every step we take, every turn in the road, every rising and setting of the sun should bring us one step closer to the cross of Christ.  That is exactly what Peter said when he called the followers of Christ to walk in the steps of Christ.

(1 Peter 2:21 NIV) “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps.

Those who are followers of Christ must do exactly that. Jesus went this way, I go that way following Him and if he goes a different direction I alter course and follow.

     Years ago, when I was in Pathfinders in Texas, we would often take our club on camping trips.  One of our exercises was to provide training in how to find a missing person lost in the forest.  Thankfully, we never had to.  We would have someone disappear from the group and we would follow the clues that would help us find them.  We would look for the broken branch, the foot print, the tiny piece of cloth that would lead us in the direction he had gone.  We could not see him but we knew if we followed his steps we would end up where he was.  The same is true with Jesus.  We cannot see Him but if we follow in His steps we will end up where He ended up and that is on the hill of Calvary at the cross of Christ.

     I direct your thoughts this morning to the subject of walking in the steps of Jesus and we will be using the words of Peter which tells us we are called for a purpose. “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21 NIV)

     God loves you just the way you are, but refuses to leave you there.  He wants you to have a heart and character like His Son. He really does!  He loves you just the way you are and He allows and brings about changes in our lives; not to make us more loveable, but to make us more useful.  He could not love you more than He does right now. And his love is not greater tomorrow if you are better tomorrow or less tomorrow if you are worse tomorrow.  His love does not come and go.  His love does not ebb and flow.  That’s human love.  Divine love is as steady as the sun and as present as the air.  You cannot alter the amount of sunlight, nor can you alter the amount of air, or the amount of love that God has for you.  His love does not change!  1 John 4:7-8  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

     So, we are not talking today about some way you can increase the amount of love God has for you.  He is not just loving, He is love!  However, because He loves you He doesn’t leave you where you are.  You are under construction.  DA 208 So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for himself.  He accepted God’s plans for Him, and day by day the father unfolded His plans.  So should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will.

     He is making you more and more every day to be just like Jesus. He is remodeling you.  It is as though he has a pattern of Jesus on an easel beside you and when He looks at you and then looks at Jesus He sees areas that need some change.  In fact, we can look at ourselves and compare the two images and see some of the obvious areas needing change, can’t we?  A little less weight, a little more patience, less negative thoughts here, much less critical opinions, and yes, I need a lot more patience.  The list goes on for me and you probably have your own list of what needs to be remodeled to be just like Jesus. Jesus provides the master pattern for patient suffering which the Christian must faithfully copy as a student traces words on a clean sheet of paper from the pattern placed before him. 7SDA BC 566

     Our Heavenly Father wants your eyes to see like Jesus, He wants your mind to think the way that Jesus thought and your hands touch the way Jesus touched.  And today we are going to look at the feet of Jesus and our feet should go in the way Jesus would go.  Now, if we have feet like Jesus our feet are going to take us in a lot of different places, just like Jesus went to a lot of different places. Jesus visited the sick, our feet will take us to see the sick.  But Jesus didn’t stay among the sick, did He?  Jesus’ feet took him into places where he was a teacher.  The Bible says .He was teaching daily in the temple courts. (Luke 21: 37 NIV) but he didn’t stay as a teacher.  Jesus was a healer and came to places where he could heal people but he didn’t stay there.  His feet took him where he could serve people such as turning water into wine at a wedding or turning one basket of five loaves and three fishes into enough food to feed 5000. (Matt 14:31)  His feet took him into the areas of service where he could do good things for people. His feet took him into places where he could pray.  He prayed in the garden, he prayed on the mountain.  He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane but he didn’t stay there.  All of these were noble purposes but he did not come to the earth just to teach, just to pray, just to heal bodies, just to serve. He came to earth to end, his time, at the cross.  And every step took him one step closer to the cross.  That was His aim; that was His purpose.  And although he was a wonderful teacher and a magnificent physician that was not the purpose for which He came.  He came to be a Savior!  He came to take away the sins of the world.(John 3: 16) “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  Had He left here and never spoke a word of instruction, healed a body and still have been a Savior He would have accomplished His purpose. But, had He done all of the other and not been a Savior He would have failed His purpose.  For His purpose was to be our Savior. 

I’m not making that up, it is right here in the Bible. He said,(Mark 10:45 NAS) The son of man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."  A ransom implies something has been paid so another can be set free.  (Luke 19:10 NIV) the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”       You see the calling of Christ was nothing short of the cross of Christ.  So the calling of his children is nothing short of the cross.  Though our service may take us to the class room or the areas of kindness in places where we can heal and touch and give and sacrifice.  Unless, our path takes us, on a regular basis, to the base of the cross we are not following Christ.  He wants to take us day after day right into the shadow of the cross. Because at the shadow of the cross is where we learn the truth that we are sinners but have a Great Savior.  And I suggest to you that only in the shadow of the cross are you able to make the great decisions of life.

Only in the shadow of the cross can you determine your self-image.  You don’t want to put your self-image together in the midst of throngs of people.  If you want to know how valuable you are come into the shadow of the cross and look up at Jesus and in humility and awe you can honestly say, “You mean I am worth that much to Him?”  Only in the shadow of the cross do you deal with your mistakes.  Don’t discuss them with other people, nor do you deal with your mistakes based upon your own conscience. It is not always truthful.  It will accuse you when at the cross you can be forgiven. You make the major decisions about your future in the shadow of the cross.  If He has taken care of your past, don’t you think He can take care of your future?  All the major decisions of life need to made individually right here in the shadow of the cross not seeking just the consultation with your friends.  You must trust by faith what happens in the shadow of the cross.

     I suggest that we make regular visits stationing ourselves at the foot of the cross and allow the shadow of it to fall upon our face.  The actions on it to define our life

     Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness and the exceeding wonder of grace. I am guilty but pardoned, I am lost but saved, I am wondering but found, I am sinning but cleansed.  Give me perpetual broken heartedness and keep me clinging to the cross.

     He is worthy.  Following Him will always mean more than one thing.  If for you it means the place of suffering and loneliness, He will be there.  “Follow me” means there is a path, and there is someone to follow, there may be suffering and heartache and there is a special sweetness for there is Jesus. Follow Him.