Is Your Family Worth It?
Lose anything for Christ
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“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:34-39
Belief And Unbelief
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
This may surprise us, but the Gospel isn’t something that is “Everyone needs to get along.” It actually expects the opposite! The lesson here is that if you are a Christian don’t expect to have many friends. Don’t expect to be “cool.”
I know the preachers on television or maybe the local pastor may make it seem like you are going to float around and have the happiest time of your life, but this verse plainly tells us the opposite. Not peace, but a sword. We are starting to feel this verse, slightly in America. Things are getting bumpy for people who believe.
If you and I desire to keep away from sin and we have friends who want to keep their sin, be sure that you will not stay friends for long.
The hearts of men are ones that love sin more than God. The Gospel says repent. Turn from sin. This is offensive to a rebellious heart. Men want their own way. They love pleasure and they love wickedness. They are not “basically good.” The psychiatrist is wrong. They don’t want God or his gospel, so expect division.
The talk of Unity and Peace in the church today is talk that doesn’t line up with scripture. The church isn’t going to be liked if they are really the church. That’s like sticking an antelope with a lion. A sheep with a wolf. Peace may happen for a time and we should pray for what we can get, we see that in Timothy, but we must be certain, that peace is not the direction of this world. The church is told in first John to “not love the world.” We aren’t friends with the system. So what do we think will happen? Tea parties and everyone saved? Relativity will only live so long until one side grows large enough to overtake the other.
The Gospel brings division because men love sin. Believe Cain killed Able because his deeds were righteous. Can we expect to be so silly and clueless to think that we will make the gospel “Cool?”
Belief and unbelief is a recipe for division. So expect it. The Gospel divides. Consider yourself a warrior.
Allegiance Will Get Personal
“For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
We must come to terms with the fact that in order to follow Christ is to pledge allegiance to Him at any cost.
In America we say “ I pledge allegiance to the flag..” well, if you are a Christian you now pledge allegiance to Christ and Christ alone. To Gods will at any cost. Even at the cost of our own loved ones.
Are we willing to go to any extent to honor and obey Christ? Some men and women will divorce over the spouses new belief. Some children will leave their parents and may not return for the sake of Christ. Some parents may kick their spouse or children out of the home for the sake of Christ. Some kids will get laughed at and mocked at school for the sake of Christ. Some will get fired for the sake of Christ. Some will go hungry for the sake of Christ. Some will be put in prison for the sake of Christ.
The Gospel that changes a mans heart can also rip that mans family from him. Is Christ worth it? When we read or hear that, do we cringe? Does everything in us say, “well….maybe.”
We need to count the cost. Drop everything and cling to Christ. The flag. The career. Money. The Spouse. Is this okay? The answer to this question reveals a lot about a mans faith.
The Death Of Self
“And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Not only could we lose those closest to us, we may lose our own life. We must not consider popularity. We must not consider a “successful life” as those around us see it. We must not consider our “dreams.” We must not consider our wealth. We must die to ourselves. We must turn from sin and anything contrary to Christ. Even to the point of death. We must “Take up our cross.”
But don’t be fooled. All this sounds like a lot of loss. And many think this is crazy. The truth is we are going to lose everything anyways. If you cling to anything but life himself, be sure you will come up emptied-handed at the end anyways. He says whoever finds his life will lose it.
Why? Because everything we think is “life” isn’t life. We take the creation and worship the things created over the creator. We find our meaning and obsessions in things that are created. They can’t fulfill or give a man life. Only God has life. If you cling to anything other than Christ as the “point of life’’ you will lose your life. You actually reject life itself by rejecting Christ. He is life. He holds everything together. He created everything. Those who reject him are committing spiritual suicide.
The truth is: To cling to is Christ is worth it all. To lose anything is small compared to losing Christ. To gain Christ is to gain everything. This life is momentary. We have 80 years at most and then we die, it logically makes no sense to cling to something so temporary. It’s a mirage at best. This life promises water and leaves us with sand. We go our whole life taking great confidence in our success and making great boast of our talents and accomplishments. It’s sand. It’s dry sand. It looks like “life,” but it’s just us dying of thirst. Christ is life. It’s like we’re chasing a mirage while a water truck follows behind us. Everyone is rejecting the big truck of life because they love the hope of the mirage.
Don’t do this. Turn around. Risk it. Lose your life! Who cares if you are hated. Who cares what you lose! You’re going to lose it anyways! Christ is your life! Cling to Him!
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Thank you for the recommendation. I love this: "The Gospel that changes a man's heart can also rip that man's family from him. Is Christ worth it?" What a sobering thought, but a powerful one!