The Cost of Discipleship (Mark 8:31-38)

If the title of my sermon sounds familiar … it should.

It’s the title of a book published in 1937 by the German Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the cost of truly following Christ as Savior and Lord.  Almost 90 years later it is still in print.

From the beginning … Bonhoeffer was vocal in his resistance to the Nazi dictatorship and he was vocal in his opposition to Hitler’s euthanasia program and genocidal persecution of the Jews … and especially over Church in Germany and their lack of speaking out against Hitler … and in some cases siding with him.

He paid the ultimate price … he was imprisoned for a year and a half and then executed towards the end of World War Two.

In the book he deals with the distinction between what he called “cheap grace” and “costly grace.”

He said: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Cheap grace, Bonhoeffer says, is to hear the gospel preached as follows: 

“Of course you have sinned, but now everything is forgiven, so you can stay as you are and enjoy the consolations of forgiveness.” 

He said the main defect of such a proclamation is that it contains no demand for discipleship. 

Almost prophetically isn’t this exactly what we see today … where we are told all you have to do is raise your hand … or go forward to an altar call … or just pray a prayer … and everything will be fine because Jesus loves you. And God accepts you as you are because he made you that way!

And yet … The Great Commission that Jesus gave his disciples AND us just prior to his ascension, says:

““And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.””

Notice clearly that Jesus does NOT say go and make converts … but ““go and MAKE DISCIPLES” …  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;””

True disciples of Christ … true followers of Christ … are those who follow — by grace  — the teachings and example of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And this is what Bonhoffer calls “costly grace.”

… he says: “costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This brings me to the next thing that I want to look at this Lenten Season … as we continue looking at the meaning and ramifications of this Season of Lent …

… the season that prepares us to look at the last week of our Savior’s earthly life … culminating with his death … and then his glorious resurrection!

We have seen that first we need to acknowledge that we are sinners … and that we need to repent from our sins … 

… then we looked at the fact that temptations are all around us … and we need to trust in God … and His Word to help us not to give into the temptations that are before us.

Then we saw that we need to have a heart for others … that our faith needed to be other oriented and then last week we looked at the fact that we are called to be of a humble spirit … following the example of our Savior.

Today … we consider the true cost of following Jesus … being a disciple … not just a convert … and so I read from St. Mark 8:31-39:

Throughout history there has been a cost for those who follow God … starting with Abel who was killed by his brother Cain.

In Hebrews 11 we read about many of the Old Testament saints who stood firm in their faith in spite of opposition.  And we read in conclusion in Hebrews 11:

““Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.””

These were all before Christ … but their faith was in God and His promises and they paid the price for that faith!

Then the cost again was seen starting with John the Baptizer who was beheaded for telling the truth about Herod and his wife.

We also know that all of the Apostles — with the exception of John — were martyred for their faith in the risen Christ as Savior and Lord.

They knew the cost … and yet they continued to make disciples.

And the same is true throughout all of Church history … multitudes who have followed Christ … knowing the cost … and sometimes … many times … paying the ultimate cost with their lives.

We think of the early Christians who were crucified … thrown to the lions … beheaded … burned at the stake … persecutions that continued throughout history and continues today …

People who know the cost and yet continue to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just pick up a copy of Foxes Book of Martyrs to see just a fraction of those who gave their lives because of their faith in Christ as Savior and Lord.

There are plenty of present day examples of those who counted the cost 

… I think of the baker who declined to make a cake for a same sex wedding … and has spent the last dozen or so years in court … at a high cost …

Or the Christian coach who prayed … and was fired from his job … he eventually won … but it took years … and there was a cost.

There are other examples of people being fired from their jobs … or not getting a promotion … because of their faith in following Christ.

You probably have your own examples.

But these examples pale in comparison to those who have been martyred … put to death … simply for being Christians … for believing that Jesus died in their place for their sins.

And it’s happening all over the world … 

I have told you in the past that more Christians were killed in the 20^th Century than in the previous 19 centuries COMBINED … and here we are … one-quarter of the way through this 21^st century and the persecution continues and continues.

As we read in Mark 8: “““Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.””

Notice that Jesus says that those who want to follow him must do two things … first, they must deny themselves … and second … to take up their cross and follow him.

So … what then does it mean to deny oneself?

Those of us of advanced years might remember the beer commercial … that said we only go around once in life so we should go for all the gusto we can …

… meaning that we have to take advantage of all the good things that this world has to offer.

Another beer commercial said … enjoy the good life … indicating that to really enjoy life you have to drink their beer.

In other words … if we see something in life that we like … why not take advantage of it.

And yet in our passage from Mark 8 … when Peter objects to our Savior’s words about what is going to happen to him … he says to Peter:

““But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.””

… ““For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.””

God has given us the good things in this world … but our enjoyment of them must be put in the proper perspective … 

As we read in 1^st Epistle of John: ““Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.””

Think about all the things of the world that have passed away … 

First …  My father had ‘78’s … then ‘45’s … then ‘33’s … then we had 8-tracks … then cassettes … then Beta … then VCR’s … then DVD’s … then Blue Ray … the list is endless …

These things were not bad in and of them selves … and God allowed us to have them for our enjoyment … in fact … I had … and in some cases … still have … most of them …

But in the long run I could live without them all … even though they were mine to enjoy.  

Right now … sitting in my basement … I have about 500 record albums … or as they like to call them today … vinyl! 

It’s been over 10 years since I had anything to play them on … and I don’t know if I ever will … so much for enjoying the things of this world … but truth be told … I do have other sources of music … an Ipod (one of the first!) … streaming devices … and yes … I still have CDs.

The point being … unless God’s Word specifically tells us that something is sinful … such as all types of sexual immorality … thievery  … etc., we are permitted to enjoy these things that God has provided.

BUT … as we see … it doesn’t end there … because there is a 2^nd part to what our Savior has commanded:

““and take up his cross, and follow Me.””

In the days when crucifixion was used as a method of execution … the condemned person was often required to carry the cross on which he would soon be put to death.

We remember that during our Savior’s crucifixion … Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry the cross of Christ because he was unable to.

But what this means for us … is that our lives must be completely surrendered to God … and the things of God.

There shouldn’t be any aspect of our lives that we live that is apart from our relationship to God …. 

… we must follow Him and what He has revealed in His Word … even up to the point of death.

Our Christian faith … and our walk with God … is NOT something that we put on for an hour on Sunday morning.

As Peter tells us in his first letter … God has given us everything to live our lives in the world that He has created and placed us in.  We read:

““Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,””

I keep emphasizing that we have God’s Word … God’s written revelation which He has not only given us … but preserved for us.

A few weeks back I reminded you of the Collect for the 2^nd Sunday in Advent which tells us what we have in God’s Word and what we should do:

“BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.”

This is what God has given us …. and where He has revealed Himself to us.

And if God says something is a sin … we don’t have the right to challenge Him …

If God says that we shouldn’t be doing something … then we need to follow Him.

We think about what God has told us:

He has told us that there are only two genders … male and female …

He has told us that life begins at conception …

He has told us that marriage is only between a man and a woman …

And most importantly … He has told us that Jesus is the only way of Salvation …

The world tells us different … and we … as 21^st century Christians … must stand for what God has revealed in His Word … and … as I said … it may cost us … if we speak out against what the world accepts.

Throughout history people have been given a choice of denying their faith and living … or still professing Christ as Savior and Lord and facing death!

Years ago in the former Soviet Union there was the story about an illegal Christian Worship Service … when soldiers interrupted the service and basically said anyone not willing to die for what they believe could leave … no one did … and then the soldiers joined the Christians in Worship because they wanted to worship with those who truly believed.

I have to ask … do I have that kind of faith?  What would I do in that situation?

Do you have that kind of faith? What would you do?

As I read about those who are martyred for their faith … which we often read about … I pray that God would give me the faith to stand firm if persecution were to come my way.

Do you have that same prayer?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer did … and it is said that he went to his death peacefully … trusting in God.

He had counted the cost … and to him it was worth it.

Our Savior counted the cost … and he knew that the only way that WE could have forgiveness of our sins … the only way that we could have salvation … is that if he … the sinless Son of God … God in the flesh … would go to the cross and sacrifice himself for us and our salvation.

Do we count the cost and are we willing to follow him?