Jesus Calls Us, yes us, to Follow

Study Notes

Jesus calls us, yes us, to follow - Week 4 - Study Notes

jesus calls us, yes us, to follow

Mark 10:17-31

Following Jesus as Lord is very hard – mainly because that “self’ that must be denied.  I’ll show you just one way this plays out (though I know you are already thinking of many ways).  I want you to consider the situation of the “rich young ruler” in Mark 10:17-31.  From every indication, this young man was a good man who wanted to live well.  He wanted to find the life that he knew God had for him.  He had sought to keep God’s laws all his life.  Jesus saw this and had compassion on him.

     As I read the text, this man had tried to do all the right things but he knew that something was missing.  So, with deep respect, he comes to Jesus and says, “Good master.”  Jesus immediately picks up on this and probes to see if this many would be the first Jewish man actually to comprehend who he is.  “What do you mean by good?” Jesus says.  “There is no one good but God.” 

     Then Jesus goes to the heart of the matter.  “I see what is keeping you from the life you long for so deeply, young man.  The solution is so clear. Your possessions are possessing you.  They are keeping you from God.  Sell all you have and give it to the poor.  Then, come, follow me and you will find the eternal life you desire.”

     This is Jesus’ specific application of “deny yourself” to this man.  The man’s stated desire was to find life but the center of his life was his wealth and position.  How could he really live without them?  What would his parents say?  But, Jesus, the “good one”, had called!  Would the man “listen to Jesus?”  Would he deny himself and follow Jesus so that he could find life? 

     Mark describes the man’s response movingly in v. 22, “At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”  The word “sad” was a very strong and poignant word that probably is better translated “grieved”.  It has to do with a person grieving something that is lost -- grieving the loss of something at the center of our lives.  It was the word used of Jesus when he was sweating drops of blood and grieved the loss of connection with his Father.  It’s clear that possessions played the same role in this young man’s life that God the Father played in Jesus’ heart.

     Jesus told him that he had to get that idol out of his life or he would never really bring God in. The rich man thought he could find life by holding on to what was at the core of his being and then just add Jesus to it. 

     Brothers and sisters, you must deny yourself, take up a cross and follow Jesus too.  And, the point I want to make today is this:  We must have the boldness Jesus had to call people away from self and to listen to Jesus, i.e.., to have their thinking and their lives completely and radically shaped by him.  I have found that the first guideline in reconciliation, i.e., entering in to respect-filled relationship across the divisions of our world, is often applauded by our culture.   But this second guideline is scorned.  But both are essential.  And both are consistent with the life and ways of our Lord Jesus Christ.

     And, when people receive by faith the salvation of Jesus, then we come to the third guideline.

Guideline #3: Walk with – our unexpected, eternal brothers and sisters (10:28-31)

“There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time… with persecutions… (10:30)”

     In vv. 28-31, we see the most neglected part of the rich man’s story.  When the rich man leaves Jesus, Peter and the disciples are shocked.  This man had represented what they had hoped to become when they followed the Messiah.  He possessed, power possessions and prestige.  It’s clear that Jesus is saying that eternal life is never found through faith in or dependence on temporary material things but trust in God alone.  Sell every thing you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come.  Follow me (10:21). 

     But today, of the many things we could consider about this text, let us focus on the fact that obeying Jesus would have left this man destitute: no home, no bank account, no savings, no resources to finance his children’s education, no health insurance, no prestige… And, almost certainly he would have been the object of scorn in his family and among his friends.  How would he even survive?

     C.S. Lewis tried to capture this in one of his poems:

All things (e.g. a camel's journey through
A needle's eye) are possible, it's true.
But picture how the camel feels, squeezed out
In one long bloody thread, from tail to snout.

     So, how does this work out in terms of our lives?  When Jesus calls us to follow him, man the things we’ve based our lives upon are pulled away.  How was this man to live if he followed Jesus?  How were Peter and the disciples to live as they followed Jesus and carried the gospel to the world?  On one side, there is that great promise for his followers, i.e., “in the age to come, eternal life (v.30).”  But that age hasn’t come in its fullness yet?  How are we to live now when we follow Jesus?

     Jesus provides a very practical answer in v.30: “You will be brought into “100-fold now in this time, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and lands…”  This is family talk from Jesus.  And part of it sounds pretty good – like 100 fold houses and lands.  But what about this 100-fold mothers?  Do you want that?  And 100-fold children?  And this is the good news from Jesus!  “Don’t worry when you follow me,” he says.  “You get those 100-fold mothers and children ‘with persecutions’!”  What’s that about?

     You’re Trinity students so I hope you have an intuition of what Jesus is talking about.  He puts it so profoundly – though you must listen carefully to him.  He gives the list twice, once in v.29 and then in v.30:

What you leave: house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, and lands.

What you gain:  houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, lands and persecutions.

     Do you see what’s different?  When we follow Jesus, we do not gain 100-fold fathers for there is only one Father in this family – one Father, as Paul puts it in Eph 3:14, before whom the entire family in heaven and one earth bows its knee.  Here’s what Jesus is saying:  When we follow Jesus, then he becomes the Lord of life for us.  We obey his call upon our lives and find our lives.  We receive the life of the “age to come”, eternal life, though not yet in its fullness.  Until the kingdom of God comes fully with Messiah’s second coming, we will experience persecution and difficulty.  But we will not have to do it alone.  We will have the global family of God available to us.  Jesus calls some, like the rich man and the apostles, to leave home and possessions to carry the gospel to the world.  He calls others to live for him where but are to use what we have to support the family of God and its mission of salvation and reconciliation.

    What does this look like?  I confess that I am still learning.  But, two of my teachers are LAC missionaries Randy and Edie Nelson.  After spending 14 years of their lives reaching a nomadic people group in Kenya previously considered “unreachable”, seeing almost all people of that group come to Christ, training leadership to the point of the group sending missionaries to other nomadic peoples, the Nelsons work there was done.  To the shock of many, Randy and Edie accepted a call to go to the resort city of Pattaya, Thailand.  Like many cities in or world (and in our own country) Pattaya has become a center for trafficking.  Randy and Edie have told me how they approached the task.

The Nelsons’ Ministry Strategy

“When we go to a new area, we walk prayerfully among the people and ask God, “What is broken here that needs Your healing?  What is wrong here that You wants to be made right?”  The answer is everything.  But, we ask for wisdom to discern what the most important things are. Then, we ask God for more wisdom to know what first steps we should take toward reconciliation.  And we start…”

     At the local bus station, Randy and Edie saw young teenagers exiting the busses day by day, sent by their parents into trafficking in order to raise money to alleviate the poverty, hunger and homelessness of their families.  And they said, “That’s not right.  That’s not how God intends those made in his image to live.” So that’s where they started.  They used their support money to rent out the best banquet hall in the city for two nights. Then, they went from bar to bar to invite the young women to come, to feast and to enjoy an evening in their honor.”

     The first night, 76 women came.  They celebrated the way that each one is valuable and loved by Jesus so much that he died for them.  The second night, over 150 came.  Many, many came to faith.  But, in calling these beautiful people to faith, they could not leave them and their families alone.  So, the True Friends was born.  I’ve preached there.  It is a church seeking to live out this vision of a family that Jesus set forth in Mark 10:28-31.  Those liberated from darkness into light walk with one another and support one another.  They meet those children and young people coming off the busses at the station and seek to help them find different kinds of jobs than trafficking.  I will simply tell you this:  They are witnessing the power of God to give hope where there was no hope and to take what was broken and bring reconciliation.

     And that’s how we’re approaching the task in California’s San Gabriel Valley too.  We’re committed to being witnesses to Jesus as Savior in our community so that in our multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-lingual community people will be reconciled to God and to one another in Christ.  And we’ve identified four focus areas of brokenness: 1) homelessness, 2) public education, 3) immigration and 4) incarceration/re-entry.  We seek to show the love of Jesus and to walk with people in distress.  I’ll tell you—it’s messy work because the affects of sin are messy.  But I’ll also tell you:  We need the lean on the presence and power of God because the issues we deal with goes beyond our ability.  And, we’ve seen the power of God to change lives.  He has the power to end hostility and bring peace; the power to take what is broken and bring it back together. We who are pastors and MC members believe that God has planted us as a local church incarnationally into this community at this time not randomly but for a reason – to be engaged in his beautiful reconciling work right here.  And we want to be faithful to that calling..

     And, it is not by coincidence that God has placed you where he has placed you  at this time in your life – in your family, in your place of work or lack of work, in your neighborhood or school.  You are there as his ambassador of reconciliation.  I encourage you to establish some priorities.  Ask, “Lord, which areas are the ones you would have me to address first?  And what first step should I take.  Then be ready for his guidance.

     You won’t be alone.  We’ll be walking together.  Each week, if you are faithful, you’ll gather with your church family in worship and in community so that God’s reconciling work might be completed in your life, your church marriages, your church families and all your church relationships.  And then he will send you out into the world as his agents of reconciliation.  That’s what God does. 

     For there are no God forsaken places in this world.  There is no brokenness that exceeds God’s power to be able heal and no hostility that exceeds God’s grace-filled readiness to make peace.  God loves this world he has made and sent his one and only Son not to condemn the world but to rescue the world through him.

     In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s sins against them. And God has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.  God makes his appeal through us.                                          2 Corinthians 5:20-21

To His glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor

Greg Waybright • Copyright 2014, Lake Avenue Church

Chinese Translation

Jesus calls us, yes us, to follow - Week 4 - Study Notes - Chinese Translation

                             神與罪人和好                
                          耶穌呼召我們 - 跟隨
                       以賽亞9：6;馬可10：17-31

•突發情况，我需要回去照顧父親和妹妹
•以賽亞顯著的預言，彌賽亞不單是“大能的神'而且是為人認識的”永恆的父“。这是家庭用语。与耶稣自己的异象，建立一个神子民的家，当神国破入世界之国的时候，人民彼此关爱相得益彰。

溫習和好的指南
指南＃1：進入 - 充滿敬重的關係
•不是濫用
•認識到對方可以說不 - 沙灘足球賽的例子

 指南＃2呼召 - 跟隨耶穌做我們的主
        我可以這麼說 - 跟隨耶穌是件難事 - 主要是因為“己”要捨去我指給你看一種演繹的方法（雖然我知道你已經想到許多的方式），你可以思考馬可福音10：17-31節中“富有的财主"。从每个角度看，这个年轻人都是个好人，希望过个好日子。他一生寻求神的律法。耶穌看到這點，對他滿有憐憫。
        我读这节经文，看到这个年轻人凡事都努力做得尽善尽美，但是他还是觉得缺了什么。因此，他带着深深的敬重來到耶穌面前，問，“夫子”。耶穌馬上接住，探查這個也許是第一人要來明白他究竟是誰的猶太人。“你為什麼稱我是良善的，”耶穌說，“除了神一位之外，再沒有良善的“。
        接著耶穌直入問題的核心“。年轻人，我知道什么阻挡了你得着你深深渴望的生活。解决之道再明白不过，你所拥有的绑住了你。这些阻挡了你，使你远离神。去变卖你所有的，分给穷人。你還要來跟從我。你就必得著你渴望的永恆生活“。
        这就是耶稣针对对这个年轻人具体的"舍己"的应用。这个年轻人申明他的渴望是找到生命，但是他生命的中心是他的财产和地位。他的生活怎么可能不拥有这些东西？他的父母会怎么说？但是耶稣说，"那位良善的"呼召了他！这位年轻人会"听耶稣的话"吗？他會不會捨己跟從耶穌找到生命？
        馬可很生動地描繪這個人的反應，第22節“他听见这话，脸上就变了色，忧忧愁愁的走了，因为他的产业甚多。”"忧忧愁愁"是很强烈尖锐的字，翻成"哀伤"可能更贴切。这一定与一个人丢失了什么有关－为失去我们生命中的某件东西而哀伤。这个字眼用在耶稣十架上血滴如汗，为他与父神失去连接的哀伤上。很清楚财产在这个人心中扮演的角色有如天父在耶稣心中的地位。
        耶稣告诉他必须将生命中的偶像赶出去，若不然，他永远不能真正地让耶稣进来。这位富有的人以为他可以紧握生命中拥有的东西，再把耶稣加上来，就可以找到生命。
        弟兄姊妹們，你也要捨己，背起自己的十字架來跟隨耶穌我今天想說的：我们要勇敢，让耶稣来呼召人离开自我，听从耶稣，让他们的思想生活完全根本地被耶稣塑造。我发现第一条和好的指南，比如越过我们世界上各样的藩篱隔阂，进入充满敬重的关系是为世界所拥戴的。但是第二条指南是被世界所蔑视的。两者都是最基本的，两者与我们的主耶稣基督的生命和道路径相一致。
        並且，當人們用信心接受耶穌的救恩的時候，我們來到第三個指南中。

指南＃3：同行 - 與我們意料之外，永恆裡的弟兄姊妹一起（10：28-31）
"人为我和福音，撇下房屋，或是弟兄，姐妹，父母，儿女，田地。没有不再今世得百倍的......并且要受逼迫......(10:30)”
        在28-31節，我们看见这一财主故事中最受到忽略的部分。当他离开的时候，彼得和门徒甚为稀奇。他們跟隨彌賽亞的時候，這一富人代表了他們的希望，他有所拥有，有能力，有地位。耶稣清楚地说永恒生命从来就不是依靠短暂的物质而获得，而是唯独透过对神的信靠。变卖你所有的，分给穷人。就必有財寶在天上，你還要來跟從我（10:21）。
        但是今天，这节经文对我们的意义甚多，我们着重顺服耶稣有可能导致这个人穷困的事实：无家，无存款，无储蓄，没有财力资源提供孩子的教育，没有医疗保险，没有地位.....几乎肯定的是在他的家中朋友圈中成为没被蔑视的对象。他又如何生存？
        那么，这一切在我们的生命中又如何行得通？当耶稣呼召我们跟随他，我们生命中赖以生存的很多东西都被拉远了。如果这个人要跟随耶稣，他要如何过日子？当彼得和他的门徒跟随耶稣并将福音传给世界的时候，他们应该如何过活？一方面，主耶稣应许跟随他的人，“在来世必得永生（30节）”。但是那个世代还没有完全的来到？当我们跟随耶稣的时候，我们现在应该如何生活呢？
        耶稣在30节有很具体的回答：“没有不在今世得百倍的；就是房屋、弟兄、姐妹、母亲、儿女、田地......”這是來自耶穌的家庭談話並且其中有些內容聽起來很棒。 - 比如得百倍的房屋和田地。但是如何解释得百倍的母亲呢？你想要得到吗？还有百倍的孩子？这就是来自耶稣的好消息！“你们跟随我的时候不要担忧，”他说。“你们得到百倍的母亲、孩子，并且要受逼迫！”這又該怎麼解釋呢？
        耶穌的解釋甚為深刻 - 你们必须仔细地倾听。这一列话他说了两次，第一次在29节，然后在30节：你们会撇弃的是：房屋、弟兄、姐妹、母亲、儿女和田地；你们会获得的是：房屋、弟兄、姐妹、母亲、儿女、田地还有逼迫。
        你看出不同的地方了吗？当我们跟随耶稣，我们并不会获得百倍的父亲，因为在这个家族只有一位父亲 - 一位父，正如保罗在以弗所书3章14节说的，“我在父面前屈膝，天上地上的各家都是从他得名”。耶稣在这里说道：当我们跟随耶稣，那么他就成为我们生命的主。我们服从他对我们生命的呼召并找到我们的生命。我们接受“来世”会给我们的生命，就是永生，尽管现在还没有完全。直到弥赛亚第二次来临，天国完全降临之前，我们会遭遇逼迫与患难。但是我们不会单独面对这些。全球的神国家庭成员都和我们一起面对。耶稣呼召一些人，像那个富人和使徒们，离开家庭和财产，将福音传给世界。耶稣又呼召另外一些人为他生活，使用我们所拥有的来支持神的家庭，完成拯救与恢复关系的使命。
        这看起来怎么样呢？我承认我也仍然在学习。但是，我的两位老师，他们是湖边大道教会的宣教士，Randi和EdieNelson 夫妇。他们和肯尼亚的游牧人群一起度过了14年，这在以前是被认为“未得之地”的地方。他们看到这个群体的几乎所有人都归向基督，他们还培训了这个群体的领导人员，差派宣教士去别的游牧群体，他们在那里的使命完成了。让很多人震惊的是，Randi和Edie又接受了新的呼召，去泰国的旅游城市芭堤雅。就像世界上的很多城市（包括我们的国家），芭堤雅是一个非法交易中心。Randi和Edie告诉我他们是如何面对这个任务的。

尼爾森的事工策略
        我们到一个新地方，与那里的人民同行祷告神，"这里有哪些破碎的地方是需要你的医治的？这里有什么错误你要我们来改正的？"答案是：尽都皆是。但是我们求智慧分辨什么是最重要的事。然后求神更多的智慧知道如何采取朝向和好的第一步。我们开始。。。
        在當地的公交車站，Randy和Edie看見每天都有青少年們從公交車上下來，他們被父母送去做人贩，只是是為了籌錢以減輕家庭的貧困、飢餓和無家可歸的狀況。他們說，“這是不對的。人是按照神的形象被造的人，这不是神着意要人过的生活。”所以他們就從那裡開始。他們用自己個人的贊助資金，把城市里最好的宴會廳租下來兩個晚上。然後他們走進一家家的酒吧去邀請那裡的年輕女性前來赴宴，讓她們度過一個美好的夜晚。
        第一天晚上，有76名女性前來。他們慶祝的方式是告訴她們每一個人都有價值，耶穌愛她們，以至為她們而死。第二天晚上，來了超過150名女性。有許許多多人歸信。不過，呼召這些美麗的人們信耶穌，就意味著不能撇下她們和她們的家人。所以，真正朋友就產生了。我曾經去過那裡講道。那間教會尋求活出耶穌在馬可福音10:28-31 中給我們看見的這種家庭。那些出黑暗入光明得釋放的人們，彼此同行，互相扶持。他們去到在公交車站下車的那些兒童和青少年們那裡，幫助他們找各種工作，讓他們脫離人販交易。我想告訴你們，他們在見證神的大能，給無望的地方帶去盼望，用和解代替破碎。
        我們在加州聖蓋博谷這裡的任務，也可以採取同樣的渠道。我們致力於做耶穌的見證，見證祂是我們社區的救主，因此在我們這個多文化，多種族，多民族的社區里，人們將會與神和好，並且在基督里彼此和好。我們已經確定了我們的重點將在以下破碎的領域：1）無家可歸的人，2）公共教育，3）移民，4）囚犯和獲釋人員。我們旨在彰顯耶穌之愛以及與在困境中的人們同行。我要告訴你—這是件難搞的工作。因為罪帶來的影響往往是很爛的。但是我也要告訴你：我們需要依靠神的同在和大能，因為我們所要處理的問題不在我們領域範圍之內。而且我們也已經看見神的大能改變我們的生命。祂有能力結束仇恨帶來和平；有能力使破碎的東西復原。我們牧師和事工團隊相信神在這個社區，這個時候將我們作為一個地方教會安置在這里是有原因的—要我們在這裡投身于祂美好的和解事工中。我們要忠於這個呼召。
        你人生中這個時候神把你放在這裡不是巧合—在你的家庭中、在你的工作崗位上、在你的鄰舍和學校中，你要做祂和解的大使。我鼓勵你安排好生活中的優先次序。問，“主啊，哪是你首先要我去之地？我第一步要做什麼？”然後做好準備等待祂的引導。你不會是獨行。我們會一起同行。如果你忠心，每一周都會與你的教會家庭結伴，一起敬拜一起相聚，這樣神在你生活中和好的工作就會完成，你的婚姻家庭，教會家庭還有你在教會中所有的關係。然後祂會差遣你走出去，作為祂和解的使者走向世界。這就是神要做的。
        因為這世界上沒有被神拋棄的地方。也沒有任何破碎能超越神醫治的大能，更沒有任何仇恨能超越神充滿恩典的和解大能。神愛這個祂創造的世界，甚至降下祂的獨生愛子，不是來定世界的罪，而是藉著祂來拯救這個世界。
        在基督里，神使世界與祂和好，祂不數算人的罪孽。神将和解的信息托付我们。因此，我們成了基督的使者。神藉著我們劝人与神和好。
                                            哥林多後書5:20-21

荣耀归给神，

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧师

 

Greg Waybright • Copyright 2014, Lake Avenue Church