PRAYER: O Lord of love, God of grace, in Your mercy You call each of us to discipleship by Your Word and Spirit. Give us life. Assure us of Your divine forgiveness and give us a hope, O Lord, a hope that is eternal. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Christians all over the world are now living in the post-Lent and the post-Easter season. As we bask in the afterglow drama of Lent and in the new life excitement of the Easter resurrection, it is sinfully easy and convenient to the flesh to forget those days which lead up to and directly involve the crucifixion of our Lord. These tumultuous times produce a roller coaster of emotions for Christ’s closest followers. This was also a time when the devil did his very best to get Christ’s disciples to turn away from their Savior. In one situation with Judas, Satan was tragically successful. And, where clear victory was impossible, Satan tried his utmost to have Christ’s disciples follow Jesus not closely, but “at a distance.”
For example, when Jesus was in the hands of His enemies and was enduring the events surrounding His crucifixion, St. Matthew records that “Peter was following Jesus at a distance” (Matthew 26:58). Peter did not want to get too involved, you see. After all, Peter realized what was happening to Jesus his Master, could very easily happen to him, also.
A second Gospel historian, St. Mark, also writes that “Peter followed Jesus not closely, but at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest” (Mark 14:54). A third New Testament historian, St. Luke, echoes the same report when he records when the enemies of Jesus arrested the Savior, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest. And, again it is recorded that Peter was following Jesus not closely, but at a distance (cf. Luke 22:54).
Oh, how easy it is to be critical of Peter. But instead of pointing the finger of accusation, we need to examine the attitude we have toward our Jesus. You see, this is extremely important because the truth is that most, if not all of us, often prefer to follow Jesus not closely but AT A DISTANCE.
Stop! You might say. This is not possible since Jesus is not “visibly” present among us. Therefore, no one could be charged with failing to follow Him closely. But this is the point, my friends: There is another area in this post-Lenten season where we must closely and honestly examine ourselves. Let’s be honest. You and I often do not “follow Jesus closely,” not physically, but in His teachings. In our shallow commitment, we often bow to the winds of our secularized culture. We go the way of all flesh. Now, when it comes to the teachings of Christ, we treat our crucified Lord as if we are at a local religious cafeteria picking out teachings of Christ we like and avoiding His teachings that are inconvenient, uncomfortable, too demanding or those that call us to discipleship and self-sacrifice.
In a report from its Oxnard, Calif., headquarters, the Barna Research Group recently released information that has confused some people and shocked others. According to the president of this research institute, “America appears to be drowning in a sea of relativistic non-Bbiblical theology.” This research spokesman then said, “We are now living in the midst of the dilution of traditional, Bible-based Christian faith. Millions of Americans are comfortable calling themselves Christian even though their beliefs suggest otherwise.”
Now, you and I may have convinced ourselves that we have not denied any of Christ’s teachings. However, if we are honest, you and I would have to admit there are perhaps many times in our day-to-day activities when we follow Christ, not closely but at a distance, or we even deny Him outright. We do this by what we do or by what we do not do! This denial, friends, happens when we sit down in a public restaurant, and are ashamed to bow our head and pray. We sometimes feel embarrassed to pray with members of our own family or with our own children. A headline stated the beliefs of many of today’s teenagers are not consistent with basic Bible truth. This report said, “America’s teenagers are indeed involved with religious faith. However, based on a new nationwide survey, the real question is: What faith is it that they embrace?” The report went on to state “while most teens consider themselves Christian and even attend a Christian church at least occasionally, many of their beliefs are not in line with the teaching of the Bible and the teachings of Christ.” This means many teenagers today who claim to be Christian are like Peter following Christ, but only at a distance. They want to be considered Christians, but they do not want to take the time to seriously study the teachings of Christ, the wonderful promises of Jesus, and the bloody story of what it cost our Savior to save us from our sins.
If you are either an adult or a teenager and find yourself uncomfortably identifying with or standing up for the Lord Jesus and following His teachings closely, then you can also understand how Peter felt when his Master was put on trial and then crucified on the cross.
Oh surely, Peter had in the back of his mind the words of Jesus, words which we must also ponder. Jesus said, “Everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But,” then Jesus said, “whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
Standing up for Christ, hungering for His words, and desiring to read His Gospel promises daily are not things that come naturally. We often lose our appetite to study the Bible. We may lack a desire to feed on His Word, but this is what cancer often does to a dying person. Cancer often destroys the appetite. Likewise, the only way you will regain an appetite and hunger for God’s Word and thirst for His righteousness is through the power of the Living Word itself.
There is an old Proverb that says, “Eating creates an appetite.” Maybe you have experienced that when you try a late night snack. You begin by not actually being very hungry. However, the more you eat the more your appetite grows. This is exactly what happens when you start studying God’s Word. In your eating or studying of God’s Living Word, the Spirit will increase your love for the Lord and for His life-giving Word. Yes, you will surely find yourself wanting more and more, to read more and more about the One you love.
Jesus says: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
Jesus says: “It is written, man shall not live on bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
So then, my friends, Jesus does not want you to follow Him at a distance. He wants you near Him, so He can love you. Follow Christ closely. He is inviting you. “My sheep hear My voice,” Jesus says, “and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).
Say no to the temptations of this world. Let the love of Christ draw you to Himself. Follow the Lord closely. Feed on His Word. Embrace His mercy and forgiveness. Then say with the hymn writer, “Jesus! And shall it ever be, a mortal man ashamed of Thee? Ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise, whose glories shine through endless days? Ashamed of Jesus? Yes, I may, when I’ve no guilt to wash away, no tear to wipe, no good to crave, no fear to quell, no soul to save. Till then–nor is my boasting vain–till then I boast a Savior slain; and oh, may this my glory be, that Christ is not ashamed of me!” (TLH #346, vv. 1,5,6)
O Lord we pray, grant unto all who hear Your Word today the courage not to be ashamed of Thee. Enable us to hear You more clearly, to feed from You more freely, and follow You not at a distance but more closely. In Jesus’ powerful Name we pray. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for May 20, 2001
ANNOUNCER: Dr. Schulz, you touched on a topic that apparently concerns many people, as evidenced by the number of letters we receive. People confess they would like to be a more committed Christian. They would, for example, like to read the Scriptures on a regular basis, but they fail to do this so they feel they don’t have the same level of commitment as others. What would you say to that?
SCHULZ: Well, Mark, you are correct. One might safely say there are millions burdened by their fear of failing to follow Christ closely. But this is also a slippery slope, as we might say, and this feeling can also be a trick of the devil.
ANNOUNCER: What makes you say this?
SCHULZ: Well, whenever we discuss Christian commitment, the first thing we usually think about is the commitment we must generate within ourselves.
ANNOUNCER: Why is that?
SCHULZ: I think this feeling comes, at least primarily, from our culture and also from the way we are psychologically and emotionally put together. You see, when we think of New Year’s resolutions in a human, secular sense, we think it is our duty to conger up a lot of commitment and tenacity to make sure we carry out these New Year’s resolutions. And whenever we set a goal, we believe it will be accomplished only through our good management and proper scheduling, etc.
ANNOUNCER: What you’re saying is different when we talk about a commitment to Christ.
SCHULZ: Absolutely. The Scriptures say spiritually we are constant failures. We are powerless. It is only when we are energized and given a new life through the Word of God and the Spirit of God, that we are enabled to live a new life and achieve new goals. I often tell people, especially those struggling with their feelings of the inability to follow Christ closely that in those special moments, we need to recall the words of the Apostle John, “And this love, not that we love God but that He loved us.” Now if I could use a simple analogy. Let me try this. We are all like green plants in the darkness of the night. Spiritually, we are unable to do anything until the sunlight of God’s love and His forgiveness falls upon us. Then we are enabled by the Grace of God and the Mercy of God to focus our eyes of faith on Christ. And, this is also why the writer to the book of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is the “author and perfector” of our faith.
ANNOUNCER: So, Dr. Schulz, you’re saying when we talk about our commitment to Christ, we need to do this with an entirely different understanding of what that commitment is and what it means. And, only God enables us to have this commitment.
SCHULZ: Correct. You see, in Christian life, God’s Living Word changes our entire thinking. Everything begins with God, is directed by God, is enabled by God, and ends with God. We are not puppets; we certainly could reject the Lord. However, there is nothing we can do to receive Him, to serve Him, or even to worship Him unless He first touches us with His grace and mercy and then enables us to do these things. The Apostle Paul says, “For not one of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone, for if we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” Again, the Apostle Paul says in the book of Romans, “In Jesus Christ I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. For I will not presume to speak of anything, except that Christ has accomplished through me.”
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Dr. Schulz. That brings us to the end of our broadcast for another week. Look for next week’s message titled “Finished!”