Text: John 12:24-26 Most assuredly, I say to
you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone;
but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life
will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal
life. If anyone serves Me, let
him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves
Me, him My Father will honor.
INTRODUCTION
The famous German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wrote a book called, The Cost of Discipleship in 1937 during the Nazi era where it was
so easy to compromise his faith. The book detailed the cost of denying
ourselves in order to follow Jesus. Bonhoeffer walked the talk
as he followed Christ during those tumultuous times and died for his faith at
the hands of the Nazis even as he practices his discipleship. He paid the ultimate
price. Dying for his faith.
He stated
that, “Discipleship is nothing else than
bondage to Jesus Christ alone. No other significance is possible, since Jesus
is the only significance. Beside Jesus nothing has any significance. He alone
matters.”
Context: context
of Jesus dying at the cross
John 12:1-11,
Mary pouring a pint of expensive perfume on Jesus feet and wiping it with her
hair. It is worth USD30,000 (USD8/hr X 12 hr X 6 days X 52 weeks). She was not to be stopped as she is anointing Jesus for burial.
Verse 23:
the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorifies
Verse 32:
when I am lifted up from the earth
I CALLED-UP TO DISCIPLESHIP AND FRUITFULNESS (V24)
24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless
a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it
produces much grain.
1. Call to
discipleship is a call to die to ourselves
Unless … Falls
into the ground and die
A CALLED UP is like a military draft. If a
person gets their call-up papers, they receive an official order to join the
armed forces. In
times of war a called up will most likely required a willingness to die. It is not suicide. Deliberate
Decisive Act of Discipleship. It is following Christ, carrying the cross and
denying ourselves In fact suicide has an
element of wilfulness and a desire to disobey. It is the wanting to control own
destiny in defiance of God’s will and call upon the person’s life.
-
To die to ourselves is
to be alive in Christ.
Buried and
Entombed.
The warm damp dirt started
the death process. It kills the seed but
feed the germ (embryo) to start the process of new life. It cannibalised on the
nutrients in the seed. In one sense the seed
dies and lives again! Death gave way to life.
Waste gave way into much! It’s not Suicide but an
act of obedience of discipleship. We have been called-up to discipleship. We have been called to invest ourselves totally in God.
Illustration
On Christmas Day in 1978, Vietnam launched a full-scale invasion
of Cambodia. To launched and maintained a wall you need
soldiers. I worked with a Training Director of a major denomination
there. He is the older of a pair of twin. The Communist
regime in Vietnam came out with a rule that each family in Saigon has to surrender
a son to fight this war if there are two sons in the family. He volunteered himself
thus releasing his young brother. So he went to fight the war expecting to be
maimed or come home in a box. DNA of sacrifice touched and influenced the church planters under his care. One of them built 3 districts
in North Vietnam and among them there are the academia, intelligentsia, government officials. Later she branched out into Cambodia and Laos.
Only from a willing obedient disciple can he/she impart the DNA
to others
Illustration – Hunger Games
Katniss
Everdeen is a 16-year-old
girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games after her 12-year-old
sister Primrose
Everdeen is picked for
reaping.
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer
“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
2. A call to discipleship is also a call to
exponential growth
It produces much grain
Natural/biological phenomenon which all farmers
know too well. Good, well-bred, edible, nutritious seeds are sacrifice/buried into
the soil.
Illustration – Storehouse in Lisu home
Strongest structure in the family dwellings. Four
strong and solid pillars 4 ft above the ground, beams and planks for walls. Not
flattened bamboo. Guard against thieves, pests, animals and flood. The storehouse is not a reflection of hoarding
but a statement of intent that a portion of the seeds, the best and strongest
are reserved to be buried in the dirt so that it will after dying will produce
much grains.
Promise:
A rice plant produces 2,000 grains. Produces much fruit.
II RECOGNISE OUR FINAL PORT OF CALL? (V25)
He who loves his life
will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal
life.
We need to
know final destination before we began our journey.
Knowing
destination is to have faith, boldness and courage.
Matthew
7:13-14
“Enter by the narrow
gate; for wide is the
gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life,
and there are few who find it.
1. He who
loves his life will lose it
They get
offended by the demands of discipleship.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer “So many people come to church with a genuine desire to hear
what we have to say, yet they are always going back home with the uncomfortable
feeling that we are making it too difficult for them to come to Jesus.”
2. He who hates his life in
this world will keep it
Rom 12:2 Do not be
conformed to the world
Dietrich Bonhoeffer “But
discipleship never consists in this or that specific action: it is always a
decision, either for or against Jesus Christ...
- It is better to hate our lives in this world so that we retain eternal life which is a promise of great reward.
- Eternal life is not to be missed or lost no matter what the cost even to the point of losing our lives on earth.
- It is like,it is better to lose our sight if our eyes cause us to sin.
- Like a Figure of speech – Hyperbole.
- Doesn’t mean we can have zest for life, love our vocation, family, music, arts, literature. Just that our love for these pales in comparison to our call to love God.
- Hate is reserves for worldliness and works of carnality and the flesh.
- Hates self-centredness and against self-gratification.
- Disposition of not loving and wanting the world’s influence and sin.
3. Live our
life on earth with an eternal perspective
Keep it for
eternal life /Retention
- Important to know our port of call or destination before embarking on the journey
- If we understand that in having the temporal we will lose the eternal
- If we understand we are just pilgrims
- Focus on retaining eternal life
III 24/7 ON CALL (V26a)
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. (Discipleship)
Prioritise Serving, Following and Staying Loyal
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. (Discipleship)
Prioritise Serving, Following and Staying Loyal
Luke 9:23
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
If someone is on call, they are ready to go to
work at any time.
Matthew 11:29-30
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Serving God is easy if we are single-minded in
following Jesus’ commands. When we are in tandem, in rhythm with God’s plan
and vision. It is hard when we fight it, very hard. Yoke will chafe and burden will weigh down
Illustration: Mt Kinabalu climb
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Only the man who follows the command of
Jesus single-mindedly, and unresistingly lets his yoke rest upon him, finds his
burden easy, and under its gentle pressure receives the power to persevere in
the right way. The command of Jesus is hard, very hard, for those who try to
resist it. But for those who willingly submit, the yoke is easy, and the burden
is light.”
Service that is self-less,
title-less & position-less. Followership that
allows God to speak into our lives and obeying it. Never willful or defiant. Serves the vision and
intention of whom we follow. Make somebody
successful
Application:
- It is at the foot of the cross where we are greeted with greatness and not at the throne in the palace.
- It is working for the welfare of others and not running the rat race that will truly bring honour.
- The power of God humbles, it is the power in the world that corrupts
William Barclay
- The people whom the
world remembers with love are the people who serve others. It is all too true
that in the modern world the idea of service is in danger of getting lost. So
many people are in business only for what they can get out of it. They may well
become rich, but one thing is certain--they will never be loved, and love is
the true wealth of life.
IV CURTAIN CALL (V26b)
If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour.
If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour.
In a theatre,
when actors or performers take a curtain call, they come forward to the front
of the stage after a performance in order to receive the applause of the
audience. Quote: We are not as good as what they say – George Clooney
In the Christian life it will be God that will honour us and let us let
Him. When we have arrived at our final
port of Call/destination, God will honour us.
- “Well-done good and faithful servant, enter into your rest.
- Go and rule over 10 cities
- Put on the crown of life
- Put on the garment of white
Honor
(from the Father) will follow those who serve but will not be accorded from
those who lord and dominate over others.
