(Text and Audio)
Title: Why Do We Love Christ?
We See Jesus give three qualifications of being worthy of following him:
- We must love Jesus more than our mother and father.
When I was a child, it was unfathomable to me to love anyone, or anything more than my parents. Simply put, they were my world. They were all I knew. When I was hungry, they fed me, when I was tired, they laid me to rest, when I was scared, the comforted me.
And my experience was not unique. As I grew, my love for my parents changed. I learned I could do things on my own. I learned that I didn’t agree with every decision they made. I learned that sometimes I knew more than they did.
Then, at 19, I became a believer. And my relationship with my parents changed again. Now, everything they said or did, as huge an influence as they had been to me, must be seen through scripture.
And as I studied that scripture I learned something. All my self-proclaimed independence was an illusion. Without Christ I was nothing. I need Christ when I was hungry, when I was tired, when I was scared…and most of all, when I thought I could handle the world…I needed Christ.
Parallel: Our love for Christ is based on a realized need. The more we grow in Christ, the more we realize we need him.
- We must love Jesus more than our sons and daughters.
Ten years and one month after the night I was saved I was sitting in a hospital room at 1AM watching Jaws 2 on the room television. Mary turned to me and said, “It’s time.” About an hour later I was holding Nevaeh Claire Roby in my arms. And, as she still often does, I was simply frozen by her. The mere thought of her was equal parts thrilling and absolutely terrifying.
I sat there, holding this tiny thing in my hands and I thought, “What have I done?” This thing can’t do anything without me. She needs me and mary for everything. And yet another thought raced in my mind in those first moments of my daughter’s life.
She is my purpose. She is here for me, as much as I am here for her.
And oh, how that has played out. I have learned so much from my daughter. I have learned who I am, and some of it I don’t like. I’ve learned unicorns are real. I didn’t know that.
Would I die for her. In an instant, without hesitation.
And yet, Jesus tells us our love for him must be superior to even this love.
Parallel: Our love for Christ is based on a realized purpose. He saves us with a mission, both specific and universal. (Explain that)
- We must take up our own cross and follow after Christ to be worthy of Christ.
Last week I alluded to the issue of war being Jesus’ purpose when he says, “I came as a sword.” And this war exists both internally in us as his believers, and externally as we face this world.
What does that internal war look like?
- The painful pruning away of sinful lifestyle.
- The realization that this is not our home.
- The process of hating our sin, yet loving what God has done in us.
- Others?
What does the external war look like?
- Persecution and mocking for our beliefs
- The constant barrage of temptation
- The enemy is the mission field
- Others?
All of these factors, both internal and external, are our daily cross. Following Christ is a difficult lifestyle, amen? Yet, Christ leaves us with some very encouraging thoughts as he ties these three thoughts together beautifully in verse 39.
Let me offer a thought on this: Jesus is saying the person who discovers what their lives are really all about (themselves) will forfeit that for Christ, because (our first point today) they will realize a need for Christ to give their life real purpose. And in doing so, they will discover the second point: real purpose. The most completing purpose a human being can know: To know the one true God, and bring him glory by being completely filled and satisfied in taking up your cross to honor him.