The Cost and Harvest of Discipleship

Galatians 5                                                                               June 27, 2004

         It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

         You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

         So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

         The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

         But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

CCI: Following Christ costs our life, yet the harvest is beyond price.

Intro: Freedom! Throughout this next week our nation will be celebrating the freedom we have as a people. Historically, the Declaration of Independence has been a symbol of freedom not only for our nation but for many around the world.

         Freedom! There is a longing in each human heart for freedom. This longing can be suppressed, but it can not be eliminated. Citizens of dictatorships will in time revolt. Slaves will pursue release. And colonies will seek independence. And so when Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free!” he grabbed the attention of his readers. Freedom is a central theme for Paul. While fully half of the Roman population was slave, the freedom of which he wrote went far beyond freedom from human slavery. It was freedom from sin, freedom from guilt and freedom from the spiritual powers of this world. The freedom of Christ is the freedom to be His disciple.

         However, slavery can be very deceptive. It can even present itself as freedom. For example the temptation may go like this, “if Christ has set you free, why are worried about your behavior. You are free, nothing else matters. Use your freedom to do whatever you want.”

         It sounds good, but the reality is that this is another form of slavery. If we pursue our own ambitions, all we do is bite and devour each other until there is nothing left. Freedom misused is what Paul calls the Fruit of Unrighteousness.

         He lists 15 specific sins, then adds “and things like this” and calls them the “fruit of unrighteousness.” One of the technological tools that has brought tremendous freedom to people is the cell phone. No longer to people need to be tied to their desks. If appointments need to be changed at the last minute, they can be changed easily. When emergencies occur at home or on the road, they can be resolved easily with phone call from the car or from the lake. However, that freedom is being used to create new slaves to sin and deceit.

Yesterday in the New York Times there was an article entitled, “For Liars and Loafers Cell Phones Provide an Alibi.” The article tells about Michelle Logan who has started an “alibi and excuse club," a network of 3,400 strangers who help each other skip work, get out of dates or give a loved one the slip. One man, a Mr. Hall, who used the network to cheat on his girlfriend was quoted as saying, “It worked out pretty good.” However, the end of the article points to the harvest of deceit when “Mr. Hall said that when he gave away his girlfriend's phone number to a stranger, he worried that the stranger might do more than make an excuse.”

         “It is for freedom that Christ set us free, don’t let yourself become a slave again.” The freedom we have in Christ will result in a bountiful harvest when we use it to become disciples of Christ.

         In Luke 9, the passage that was just read for us, Jesus encounters several who think they want to become his disciples. We don’t know what they decided, but we do know that Jesus told them there would be a cost if they want to be his disciple. “I will follow you,” said one and Jesus replied, “it will be into difficult places, even homelessness. Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place.” Jesus invited this person to be freed from the possessions that would tie him to the world.

         Jesus invited the second person he encountered to follow him. The man replied, “Let me go bury my father.” In other words, “I have responsibilities I need to take care of before I can join you.” And Jesus replied, “Let the dead bury the dead, you follow me.” He was telling this would be disciple that in following him there would be loneliness and misunderstanding.

         And at times being a disciple of Jesus is very lonely. Jesus prayed alone in the desert; Paul spent three years alone after his conversion; Elijah lived alone during the drought. When we choose to follow Jesus, at times our friends will not understand us. But if we would follow Jesus, the joy of His presence will make it all worth while.

         The third person who wanted to follow Jesus met simply asked if he could say goodbye to his family. Jesus’ reply once again highlights the cost of being a disciple for he said, “Anyone who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom.” You can not follow Jesus if your heart is filled with regret and second guessing.

         “Missionary Karen Watson counted the cost of following Jesus. That's why she left a letter with her pastor before going to Iraq. She went to provide humanitarian relief in the name of Jesus—but she was gunned down in the country she came to serve.

         The letter began, "You're only reading this if I died." It included gracious words to family and friends, and this simple summary of following Christ: "To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, his glory my reward."

         To be a disciple of Jesus means to be willing to embrace poverty, loneliness and single-minded discipline.

         Elisha was an example of just such a disciple. After Elijah’s bout with depression, God gave him a new commission which included the calling of his successor. When Elijah met Elisha he was working in the field of a very large farm. There were 12 pairs of oxen working his father’s field with him. His father must have been a very wealthy man. Elijah invited Elisha to be his disciple and Elisha paused only long enough to offer Elijah a meal and to offer his pair of oxen as a sacrifice burned on a fire kindled from the yoke that he had used. In killing the oxen and burning the yoke, Elisha broke all ties with his former life. He gave up everything to follow his teacher. And the impact he had was remarkable. While Elijah was a man of power, Elisha demonstrated even more spiritual power. The fruit of his discipleship was evident to all.

         And giving up everything is what it will take if we are to be disciples of Jesus who make a difference in our world.

         The fruit of unrighteousness is sin that destroys and bites and devours. However, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Have you ever heard of a law against these things? If you want freedom, this is the fruit you want to bear.

         Freedom to bear the fruit of the Spirit, that is what God offers us through the work of Jesus. And that freedom is offered to all, we must only accept it.

         In January of this year New York Times Columnist Nicolas Kristof authored a series of articles on prostitution in central Asia. In one article he tells of two teenage girls who were being held against their will.

         The first woman, Srey Neth, was a simple transaction. For $150, Kristof left with the girl and a receipt. However, Srey Mom's situation proved more difficult, since the brothel owner demanded more money. Kristof writes:

         After some grumpy negotiation, the owner accepted $203 as the price for Srey Mom's freedom. But then Srey Mom told me that she had pawned her cellphone and needed $55 to get it back.

         "Forget about your cellphone," I said. "We've got to get out of here."

         Srey Mom started crying. I told her that she had to choose her cellphone or her freedom, and she ran back to her tiny room in the brothel and locked the door.

         With Srey Mom sobbing in her room and refusing to be freed without her cellphone, the other prostitutes—her closest friends—began pleading with her to be reasonable.

         Even the owner of the brothel begged her to "Grab this chance while you can," but Srey Mom hysterically refused to leave.

         Srey Mom only stopped crying when Kristov agreed to buy back the cellphone too. Then she asked for her pawned jewelry to be part of the deal.

         Kristof reflected upon the complex emotions making the decision to leave the brothel so difficult.

         I have purchased the freedom of two human beings so I can return them to their villages. But will emancipation help them? Will their families and villages accept them? Or will they, like some other girls rescued from sexual servitude, find freedom so unsettling that they slink back to slavery in the brothels? We'll see.

         Srey Neth embraced her freedom and began a new life, however, Srey Mom could not let go of her past and within three months returned to the brothel and to her slavery.

         Sometimes we may resemble this woman. Though Christ sets us free from sin and death, how often we choose to live in slavery rather than newness of life. How often do we choose to harvest the devastating fruit of unrighteousness simply because it is easier? How often to let ourselves once more become slaves to sin?

         My friends, hear the invitation of God’s Spirit: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”

         Have you discovered that freedom. Jesus died so that you could be free from you sin, your guilt, your fear and your shame. Accept that freedom today.