Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

PASTOR'S PENS 2008

Grace Church of Burlington April 6, 2008    “Let this be thy whole endeavor, this thy prayer, this thy desire–that thou mayest be stripped of all selfishness, and with entire simplicity follow Jesus only.”                                                                                                                          Thomas B Kempis             In the Berlin art gallery there’s a painting by the famous artist, Mengel, that is only partially finished. It’s supposed to be a painting of King Frederick of Germany talking to his generals. Mengel painstakingly painted the generals first around the outside of the painting leaving King Frederick until last. But today you will find a bare patch in the middle of the painting with the generals as a background. Unfortunately, Mengel died before he could finish the painting. It’s a painting full of generals but with no king.             That painting is a parable of far too many Christians’ lives. Frequently, we spend so much time putting all the “generals” in place but we leave the King of Kings until last. We focus on our education, our job, our love life, our home, our leisure, our hobbies, even our families and yet fail to put Jesus Christ at the very center of our lives. But the painting of our lives will never be complete without Christ being the center. Christians can be so busy with the ‘generals of insignificance’ and the ‘background of things,’ not realizing that they’ve left out the most important person, King Jesus. In order for the Church to advance, King Jesus must be at the center of our lives.             Twenty times in the Gospels we find the Lord Jesus saying, “follow me.” It’s a core command. Frequently, it is accompanied by Jesus’ command to take up our cross (Mark 8:34; Luke 9:24). What our Lord is saying is that being one of His followers is not easy. There’s sacrifice, there’s giving up things, there’s suffering, there’s the setting priorities in ones life so that those things which really do count in eternity have top priority. Following Jesus means letting Him set the agenda and pick the path. It’s a life living for Him instead of ourselves or the demands of this world.             Too often we’ve taken the cross out of the Christian life and made the Christian life something soft and easy. We appeal to potential members, pointing out how simple it is to join the church. The rigor and discipline of being a Christian has disappeared. We attend church when we feel like it or when we have nothing else to do. Church attendance usually depends on fair weather...not too hot and not too cold.             Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a martyr during World War II. He wrote a powerful book, The Cost of Discipleship. He suggests that today Christians are living by what he dubs “cheap grace.” He writes, "Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace with out Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”             He goes on to describe costly grace as the gospel which must be sought again and again... the gift which must be asked for.  Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Christ. It’s costly because it costs Jesus His life and it’s grace because it gives men and women the only true life. It’s costly because it condemns sin and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it’s grace because God did not count the life of His Son too dear a price to pay for our life but sacrificed Him up for us. Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus. Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow Him.             While God’s grace is free, it’s not cheap. Trusting the Lord Jesus as our Savior is not just a ticket out of Hell. He must be Lord of our lives. Sadly, much of the Church has that responsibility far too easily. We’ve said that God is such a loving God that He’ll understand and forgive when we don’t follow through on our part of the covenant He has made with us. We’ve taken God’s love for us for granted. And it costs us. We’re missing out on the fulness of life that God wants us to have. We’ve traded the eternal for the temporal and wonder why our hearts are so dissatisfied.             This morning we’re beginning a new sermon series, Following Jesus without Freaking out. During this series we’ll be challenged to live a life that’s not centered on self, or on the world but a life that is given over to the Lord Jesus and His demands. It’s to seek to live a life like Christ’s.             If I wanted to be the best basketball player in the world, I’d consult with a Ray Allen or a Jason Kidd. If I wanted to be the best golfer in the world, I’d consult with a Tiger Woods. Because I want to live a life that really matters, that has significance, that really counts, I must consult with Jesus Christ. But what Christ teaches me about life is not sterile lab stuff, it’s what I need for the dirt and grime of daily living: how to be good and angry, deal with grief, forgive, talk about what’s really important, pray, etc.             Too often we forget that Jesus did not just come to die for us, He also came to show us how to really live. I hope that you’ll determine to join us each Sunday as we learn to Follow Jesus without Freaking out.