Good morning. Good to see if you’ve got a Bible, I want to send you to two places in Scripture. First, go to Romans chapter six, and hold your place there. And then also go with me to Luke chapter 14. And you’ll see why here in just a moment, we’re beginning the section of Romans that pertains to sanctification. We’ve gone through the section, or the peak. We call it like a mountain range with high peaks. We’ve gone through the peak of condemnation, which is in the early part of the book, and then the peak of justification we just finished, as we went through all the way through chapter five, and now over six, seven and eight, the chapters six, seven and eight, we’re going to cover the peak of sanctification. That is the believer’s growth into love as they become more and more like Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit through the Word of God. And so, as we’re entering into that, I want to give you a bit of a foundational message, as you can look forward to what you have ahead as you grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. So, the title of this message is “Counting The Cost Of Being A True Disciple Of Jesus Christ” (Romans 6:1). Now, again, that’s a TRUE disciple of Jesus Christ. There is a price to be paid. Now you remember, you don’t pay anything when it comes to justification. Jesus paid it all. But since Jesus paid it all in sanctification, all to Him you owe. The hymn writer was right. So, we had nothing to do with our own justification but we are at work with Christ, co laboring with Him, cooperating with the Holy Spirit in our sanctification that is growing to be more and more like Him. And there was a cost to that. I want you to see what it is but I want you to recognize this. This message, although it’s going to seem like there’s some negative things in it, this is a call into joy. This is an opportunity for you to be forewarned, to know what’s ahead, and to have a realistic expectation of what it’s like to actually walk as a true Christian. People fake it a lot. People have all kinds of different ideas. Some people say, “Oh, if you become a Christian, you’ll become wealthy. If you become a Christian, all your relationships will work out. Oh, if you become a Christian, you’ll get a raise at work and you’ll all your cavities will go away, and you’ll never get sick and you’ll never get old.” None of that’s true by the way. What is true? There is something to be paid in the life of a believer that’s not pleasant when you first look at it even though ultimately it is worth it. So, I’m gonna show you Jesus’ words about this and how they apply to our life.
So, let’s start here in Luke 14:25-33, look at the very first statement. I want you to notice this. It says, “Now, great crowds (there’s a lot of people following Him but look what it says, it says) they accompanied him…” You can accompany Jesus and not be a disciple. You can hang out at a church and not be a Christian. Coming to church does not make you a believer or a disciple any more than going into McDonald’s makes you a hamburger. This is not some mystical transformation the Spirit has to raise you from the dead by grace through faith in the finished work of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross. But there are, there are people following Him here, and it’s a huge crowd, and much like He does in John chapter six. What happens with Jesus on repeat through the Gospels is the crowds grow, and then He says things to them that are really hard. It’s almost like Jesus, you really don’t know how to grow Your church, man, You need to take some PR lessons or something. But this is what He says to them, these huge crowds, it says. “And he turned to them and said, (now bear with this. Okay, these are His words. I’m going to explain it. He says), ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate (I’ll come back to that) if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life. He cannot be my disciple.’” Now, what does He mean by this? This is a very hard statement. “You mean I have to start hating everybody?” Well, okay, first of all, let’s understand this is a rabbinical, oriental way of describing something that’s different, or something that’s a differentiation, something that’s comparative in nature. What He’s saying is this, that unless your love for Him makes the love you have for other things and other people, including yourself, look like hate, you’re not going to finish as a disciple. You’re not going to be a true disciple. There’s going to come a day where you walk away, and so in the preparation of what we’re doing here is we’re talking about discipleship. We’re not trying to make disciples that get excited. We’re not trying to get you involved in a church program for church program’s sake. We don’t even do that. We’re not trying to get you involved. It’s none of that we want. Your end goal to be finishing well as a disciple. I want to set you up so nobody has to lie about you at your funeral which is inevitable. I know it’s morbid. “He’s talking about death again.” All right, man, it’s a fact. You’re going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ one day. We want your walk with Him to have been in lock step with the Holy Spirit according to the Word. You’re not going to do it perfectly. You’re going to stumble, struggle, sin, falter. I got it but you’re to grow in grace and knowledge and you’re to grow in sanctification, and that sanctification is simply a growing up in true biblical love. And Jesus is saying that you won’t finish that if this is not at work. Now we’ll come back to that. But He says, even your own life. In other words, there’s nothing that is above Christ as you grow in your sanctification, there’s nothing that supplants Him. You don’t have another god that you put up before Him. And He goes on. He says, ‘Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.’” You’ve probably heard that verse, but I’m wondering how many of us are aware of what happens immediately after this verse. Because He’s going to explain what taking up your cross looks like, and it may not be what you think. He doesn’t go on to say you’re going to go to the mission field. He doesn’t say you’re going to you’re going to go into some kind of stock, and you’re going to get, you know, locked up in jail, and then they’re going to put you to put you to death. Now, could that happen? Yeah, it could.
But the more likely and often the usual life for a true disciple is what you see in the next verses. Here’s what it is. This is managing expectations, “‘For which of you (He’s going to give us these two illustrations related to that) for which of you (watch this) desiring to build a tower? (So, there’s a desire. Now again, He’s likening it to being a disciple. He’s saying) Which of you desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and (what?) count the cost (What does this cost? Considering that right?) whether he has enough to do (what?) to complete it?’” That’s the goal. It’s to finish, not just start. Which of you want to build a tower? You need to sit down. You need to calculate it. If you don’t, verse 29, “‘Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation. (Now, who builds a foundation? You don’t just build a foundation. It’s there for the reason of building on top of it.) Otherwise, when he’s built the foundation, he is not able to finish, and all who see begin to mock him.’” Why is He saying this illustration? Is Jesus concerned with you building towers? No, He wants you to understand that there are those who start out but they don’t finish. Why? Because ultimately, they’re never really discipled. Ultimately, they were never really Christians, and a true Christian is going to finish. But they need this information because it warns us ahead of time what’s coming. Let’s keep going. “‘So they mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build but (here it is again) but he was not able to finish.’” That’s one illustration. Here’s another one. It’s the next verse. Same topic. “‘Or what king going out to encounter another king in war will not first sit down and deliberate whether he is (what?) whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000?” So again, he’s counting the cost, “‘And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore (here’s the point of the two illustrations), if anyone of you does not renounce all that he has, he cannot be my disciple.’” Now let’s understand this. Does that mean you can’t have any money ever? No. Does that mean you can’t ever be healthy? No. Does that mean you can’t ever be entertained? No. Does that mean you can’t ever have any fun? Does that mean that you don’t ever experience even temporal happiness? No, it doesn’t mean that. What it means is that there’s nothing that goes first, there’s nothing that that supersedes Him. There’s nothing that becomes your real God, no other gods before. That’s what it’s referring to. You can’t be the disciple. And so oftentimes we get confused about what those things are. But in context of the Bible, we’ll see here in a moment, there are things that get in the way of that growth. And we need to count that cost, put a placeholder on that.
Let’s go to Romans chapter six. And just to set the stage, I’m going to start in Romans 5:18-6:1 because remember, we’re coming at the end of chapter five, where we’re seeing the greatness of justification. It’s a free gift from God. You don’t earn it. You don’t cause it to happen. God saves someone. The gospel goes forth of the person and finished work of what Jesus has done in reconciling sinful man to a holy God. You are dead in your sin. You hear the gospel; you find yourself believing. You open your eyes, born again, and what happens? You see your sin for what it is and you repent. You see your Savior for who He is and you love Him, you believe. But after that happens, the walk of sanctification comes, and that walk of sanctification is still by the grace of God only now we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit in our growth. That is what six, seven and eight is going to be about. Let’s pick it up in Romans 5:18, just so we remember the goodness of the free gift. “Therefore, as one trespass (that’s Adam, right? This is talking about Adam in the garden) one trespass led to condemnation for all men so one act of righteousness (that’s the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ) leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man, (that’s Adam), one man’s disobedience, the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience, the many will be made righteous. (It’s a free gift.) Now the law came in to increase the trespass…” Right? the law, the 10 Commandments and all the 640 rules in your Old Testament are there to tell you, yes, it’s that bad. No, you can’t do it on your own. You’re not going to ever perfect yourself. You can’t atone for your sin. You can’t go back and fix what you broke. Nor will you live perfectly for the remainder of your time on Earth. One sin is enough to keep you out of heaven. The whole law has to be kept, and so a person had to do it to atone for a person. So the man Christ, Jesus, fully God, fully human, laid His life down on the cross. After living a perfect life, He never broke one law not through commission or omission. Can you imagine that had to be tough to be his brother or sister? “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?” “…Law came in to increase the trespass. But (watch this) where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. (So it went beyond it) So that as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness, leading to eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” That’s good news. That’s the end of chapter five. Now, anytime you preach the true gospel, you’re going to be open to an accusation, and I want to tell you what it is, because I get this accusation: “You keep telling people how good the free gift is, and if you keep saying it’s by grace through faith, and they don’t earn it, and they are not responsible to keep it, and they’re the ones that God has chosen to save, you keep telling them that they’re going to go out that door and they’re going to sin all the time, and they’re going to live like the devil because now you’ve told them, “Hey, you’re not going to hell. You don’t have to worry about anything.”” That’s an accusation as old as the gospel itself. How do I know? Look at chapter six verse one. Look at it. “What shall we say? Then are we to continue in sin so that grace may abound?” Okay, that’s a scoff at the gospel. What that’s saying is, “Don’t tell them that. Don’t trust the Holy Spirit’s work. Don’t trust in a new heart, a new love will create a new life. No, give them some legalism. Give them some moralism. Beat them over the head with how bad they are all the time and how they don’t keep it. Look we do say that, but we do that. And we say that to point to how good He is, that He’s given us his righteousness. We have an alien righteousness, a foreign righteousness. You can never earn your own Bible’s very clear, my righteousness, your righteousness before God. It’s filthy rags. That’s the true gospel, and that’s liberty. You see, if God changes the heart, the life follows, and that’s in sanctification. But there’s a problem here because people see that and they misunderstand it. What they say is, “Well, it’s this or it’s that.”
So, let me show you. I’m going to draw for you. You’re welcome. This is a road. If you’re new, I’m an incredible artist. Well, I was looking around for Pastor Jeff but he’s not in here. Hey, by the way, it’s his 60th birthday today. Would you tell him happy birthday? I was going to sing him happy birthday, and he’s not here. Why are you clapping? Way to not die. This is a road right here, okay? This is a road and these are ditches up here is the truth of the gospel, but there are two key errors of people that head into ditches, and they’re not, it’s not the true gospel. It’s not what’s in God’s Word, the first we call license, I’m afraid of public spelling. License, is that how you spell? I hope that’s how. If it’s not, don’t email me. I got it. I nailed it, okay? What’s license? License says this. I prayed the prayer. I slipped up my hand, I did the church thing, and now I can go do whatever I want. I got fire insurance, no problem. Okay, that’s not true, because that’s not a change of heart. Somebody who’s really born again is not going to want to be doing that. The other ditch though, over here, is legalism. Legalism says what? You have to keep the law in order to please God. And even though Jesus did His part, you got to do your part now. And if you do your part good enough, well, then His part will count, and then you get to go to heaven if you keep your life between these two grids, right? If you if you do good enough. That is wrong is it’s as wrong as this one. Both are damaging. Legalism gets a little more play because a lot of church people like legalism because it tells them do this and do that, cut your hair a certain way, do this attitude or what. You know, I’m not talking about not growing. I’m just simply saying they expect these behaviors, and if you can manifest these behaviors, they’ll say, “Oh, what a holy person.” What do you mean? Man, people can fake like they’re holy. You can wash the outside of the cup and the inside is not changed at all. Okay, so what do we say? Should we continue in sin? The grace may abound so that one is licensed and one is legalism.
Let me show you each in one verse each. Okay, here’s license. Jude 1:4 says, “For certain people have crept in a notice too long ago, were designated for this condemnation ungodly people. (That means they don’t love God. They do what?) They pervert the grace of our God into (what?) into sensuality. (I’ll live any way I want to) that’s a perversion of it. And thus they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” That’s license. Anybody that says, “Hey, I know Jesus, and I live in constant sin, headlong, unrepentant, ongoing. I have no desire to change.” That’s not a regenerate person. When the heart changes, the life changes, not perfectly, but there’s a change in affections.
What about legalism? Well, Legalism says you have to earn it. You have to perform it. And if you tell the real gospel, they often hurl insults at you, saying, “Ah, I guess this is what you’re saying.” Here’s them doing it to Paul. Romans 3:8, this is the accusation. “And why not do evil that good may come as some people slanderously charge us with saying (and then he goes on). Their condemnation is just.” Why? Because they’re not saying this. These people are liars. That’s not the real gospel. No good minister of the gospel is going to tell you, go live any way you want to, and then more good will come out of it. No, that’s not what glorifies God. But those are the two ditches.
And what the truth of the gospel does is it cuts both of those down. You can’t be saved by your own righteousness nor will you be kept by your own behavior. And at the same time, what God does in the work in a heart results in their life. And if there is no fruit, there is no root, if there are no works, there’s no true faith, right? James two. We covered this in messages past, but the gospel comes and it shows hearts for what they really are. The truth of the gospel in a person’s words, and then their life will cause people’s hearts to come out like litmus where, you know, litmus paper, where you dip it in acid or alkaline, it turns a different color depending on whether it’s acid or alkaline. That’s what the gospel does in a life that’s growing in sanctification. And if you hang around this well long enough, you’re gonna slip into it, you’re gonna find living water, and you’re gonna grow. It’s inevitable. Otherwise, I don’t know what you would do, maybe stuff your fingers in your ears, because we’re not letting up. We want you to finish well, not just have a beginning. And so that’s why we lean on these heavy truths. Let me say it to you this way. Here’s the real issue. You will never hear the applause from the world as you grow in Jesus Christ. You won’t. The world will never be like, “Oh my gosh, you’re growing in patience and grace and love.” No, no. They want their versions of those things, what they want is tolerance, and they wanted a kind of love that offends God because of what it puts up with, but true biblical love, patience, joy, those things the world hates. And as you grow in it, what you’ll see is it will bring separation in even the closest of relationships. It cuts the legalist off and cuts the license off.
Jesus was prophesied that He would do this all through the Old Testament. Many instances. I want to show you one in the New that shows that when Jesus would come to earth, what He would do is He would not bring people together. He would separate people. There would come a separation. If you’re new to this, this is what this is about. You think, “Oh, church is a place where everybody comes and gets along.” Even all the Christians can’t get along. That must be a joke. This is the New Testament prophecy of Him. Now here’s here we are in Luke 2:34-35. I’m going to read you this two verses, 34 and 35 and what’s happening here? Well, His mother, Mary and His supposed father, right? God was His Father, but Joseph, they bring Him, according to the law, He’s 40 days old, and they bring Him to the temple to dedicate Him. Every firstborn son happened this way. And there’s a man named Simeon. He takes Him, takes Jesus in his arms, it says, “And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother, (watch what he says about Jesus) ‘Behold, this child is appointed or destined for (what?) for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is opposed (Well, here’s the question, which is it? Are they going to rise or are they going to fall? Here’s the answer, depends on the people. Jesus will divide people into two categories, those who rise, in other words, believe, and those who fall, those who reject. He goes on, Verse 35 and he says this to Mary) And a sword (what does a sword do? It cuts) a sword will pierce through your own soul also, so that the thoughts (watch) from many hearts may be revealed.’” I’m telling you when Jesus is on the scene, when He is accurately taught, when He’s preached, when the scripture is accurately read, it divides people based upon where their heart is. This becomes the warning that we need when we talk about sanctification, and without said warnings, what we end up with is we end up in dangerous situations or test situations that we weren’t told about. And that’s not a loving thing at all.
How many of you, anybody in here ever been white water rafting? You ever do that? Right? That’s about the most fun you can have in the water. There’s really only three things you need. I’ve done this. I’ve done a lot of white water rafting before I was married, and after I after I got married, you really only need three things, a helmet. If you do it right, you need a helmet. You need a life preserver and a diaper. That’s what you need. Because it gets scary if people think, “Oh, we’re gonna float, we’re gonna do this.” And I always had good guides. Guides always gave good instruction. They know how to read the water is real safe. To one time we went to Cotopaxi, a couple of the kids were still fairly small, but we were going to take and my wife and I are both strong swimmers. We’ve been on the rivers a lot, and we were going to go through up to the gorge. We’re going to go through the gorge because there was a lot of melt really fast, and it was, it was a level five. It was really dangerous. But this guide was incompetent, and she was really excited. Was really I figured out what happened, though it was right after Colorado legalized marijuana. You see that I’m not trying to bust on that. I mean, I was like, I don’t think this guide cares. And so, you know, no real safety talk, no real care. No big deal. You’re going to be in the boat. You don’t have to worry about anything. Well, yeah, bottom line too, my kids almost died in that rafting. Kelly and I threw the bags out, got one of them and then swam after another one of them. It was perilous, and in the end, I had to pull the guide back into the boat, so I did not leave a tip. Look, that’s a bad guide. It’s a bad guide that doesn’t warn you about hardships and trials that could be ahead in your life. Same is true spiritually. If we don’t warn you, what are we doing? Oh, sure, it’s going to be a blast. And then when it isn’t, you experience what we’re going to see you’re going to experience, and you will when you grow you’re not prepared for it, and that threatens you finishing well, and we don’t want to have that.
Here’s Matthew 10:34-39. Jesus speaking again. He says, “‘Do not think that I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Now people read this verse and they say, “Well, what about the angels that say ‘peace on earth and good will toward men’.” That’s a millennial prophecy. Did you know that if you think there’s peace on earth right now, you’re either, well, there’s a couple possibilities, you’re insane, or you don’t read the news, and I want to live in your neighborhood. There is not peace on earth. That’s talking about when Jesus returns and the kingdom is set up, the Millennial Kingdom set up. Right now that’s not the case. He’s that’s what He means. I didn’t come to bring peace on earth. I came to bring a sword. What does the sword do? It divides. What division is He talking about? People. How do I know? I cheated. I read ahead. Look at the next verse. Does this sound familiar? “For I have come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter in law against her mother in law. (That third one doesn’t seem that hard to do), and a person’s enemies (that Jesus will cause) will be who those of his own household.’” The closest family members, that’s who He just named. You say, “Wait a minute, it sounds like Jesus is here to split up families.” It’s not the goal. It’s not the intent. It is the result. Why? Because one of these people that He’s referring to are going to grow in grace and knowledge. They’re going to grow in true biblical love. They’re going to have a love for the truth. It doesn’t mean they’re going to be obnoxious. It doesn’t mean they’re going to be mean. They’re just going to be a Christian. That’s not accepted by people unless they come to know Him. Verse 37 He says, this sounds familiar, right? Watch, “‘Whoever loves father or mother. (Here’s where we can see Luke 14 clearly), who loves father and mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’” All He’s saying is this, nothing can go above Me, and if you’re growing in your sanctification, walk that out. You’re going to come into conflict with people, and it won’t be your fault. It won’t be. It’s ultimately, it’s Jesus doing it. You understand? This is a fair warning to you that you don’t buy into the pop gospel and just think everything’s going to be hunky dory.
We see this in the in the gospels, we see in the epistles. Let me give you one for instance. At 1 Peter, the Epistle of 1 Peter in several chapters. Look at 1 Peter 2:12, he says this to Christians, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable. (That’s just a fancy way of saying, live a holy life. Live a Christ like life. Grow in your sanctification. Live honorably) so that when they speak against you as (what? honorable? No) evil doers…” Now, why in the world would somebody who’s living an honorable life be called an “evildoer”? This is the sword. This is the cutting. This is the difference that happens in the life of a true disciple that they may now watch this statement. People get this wrong all the time. Then when they speak against you as evildoers that “…They may see your good deeds and glorify God. (Now, people tend to read only to write there, but that’s not what it says. It says to ‘glorify God’. What? on the day of visitation.” What is “the day of visitation”? That’s Christ’s return. That’s the day they glorify God. Jesus is not saying nor is Peter saying, that when the world sees you, they’re going to go like this, “Oh my gosh, Glory to God. You’re such a good person.” It’s opposite of that. But on the day of visitation, they will, they’ll glorify God. They’ll have no choice because you were the real thing. How about second? Peter, sorry. 1 Peter, same, same book, right? 1 Peter 3:14-16 says, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you’ll be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. But in your hearts, honor Christ, the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason that hope is in you, yet look, do it with gentleness and respect.” In other words, you’re not being a jerk. You’re giving the answer. Here’s the truth. Jesus saved me, gave me a new heart. He put His Spirit in me and gave me an eternal life. My affections are changed. That’s what’s changed about me. That’s what He’s saying. But look at verse 16, “Having a good conscience, so that when (not if) you are slandered…” Now, you know what a slander is? Slander is a lie. Slander is gossip. That’s not true. That’s what it is. It’s tainting your name. And this is someone who’s being slandered, who’s walking uprightly. People making up lies about them. “…When you are slandered, those who revile your good and your good behavior in Christ may be what put to shame.” When? At the Second Coming. That’s when. It’s not gonna happen on this earth. I just want you to see the picture of it. This is a picture of us. You’re gonna live as a true disciple. You’re gonna grow in sanctification, which is simply a growing up in love. And you’re gonna love what God loves, you gonna hate what God hates, and you’re gonna walk it out in love of God, heart, soul, mind and strength and neighbor as yourself, meaning you also tell them the truth. You’re not gonna win an award, man, not with the world. You’re not. You’re gonna find that you find rejection. And some of you have experienced this even as close to your own home, I guarantee you somewhere in three services this weekend. We’re in three services today, I promise you there are parents. You have children who do not know Christ, and you tell me how it’s affected your relationship with them. Or maybe you’re the child, right? And your parent doesn’t know Christ, and it has affected your relationship. That’s this. And it is a heavy cross to bear. I feel your pain.
What about chapter four? 1 Peter 4:3-4, “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do (in other words, here’s your past life of sin. He’s saying to Christians) living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties and lawless idolatry.” Because that’s a like a test of our list, rather of the sins somebody may commit, but that’s in the past for the believer. He says this, “But with respect to this they (these are unbelievers) they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery…” And what do they do when you say, I can’t go to the party. What do they do when you say, “I no longer shoot that in my arm.” What do they do when they say when you say, “I no longer have sex before marriage, I no longer participate. I don’t do that anymore.” What do they do according to the Bible? Do they go like this? “Oh, I’m just so proud of you. Stand strong, Christian soldier.” No, they malign you, blasphema. That’s what that is. They blaspheme your name. They mock you. They reject you. This is the life. This is a fair warning. So put on your helmet, your life preserver and your diaper, because you won’t go through six, seven and eight of Romans unchanged. You won’t. Now, if you don’t have ears to hear and you have this really weird hobby of sitting in this building and listen to a guy yell at you, that’s different. But if you’re here for the Word of God and you want the Spirit of God to change you into the image of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You’re in the right place. You won’t be the same. You won’t be. The Word of God goes to work. His Word will accomplish everything that he sends it forth to accomplish. It won’t return to Him void. But you need to know, these are the things you’ll experience. There will be some of these separations.
Here’s a good question. Why do they do it? What’s the deal? What is it about a true Christian that causes the world to go, “Ah!”? I want to show you. I want to show you this. This is 2 Corinthians 2:14- 16. This makes it explicitly clear. This is how it works. These are the rules and stuff, if you will. If you’ve ever experienced that, this is what it is. Paul’s writing to the church at Corinth, drowning in idols in the culture around them, paganism, Temple prostitution all over the place. It’s a mess, but there’s a real church there. He says this, “But thanks be to God, who, in Christ, always leads us in triumphal procession (watch closely) and through us, (through believers, through true Christians, through disciples who are growing in grace and knowledge, right? who are full of the Holy Spirit that is to be full of the Word of God, who are being sanctified, growing up into love) he through us he spreads the fragrance…” What are you talking about? Christian, listen to me. You have a smell. Did you know that? Some of you already know that. If you were in youth, I’d go turn to your neighbor and- Read it again, “…And through us, spreads the fragrance of (what?) of the knowledge of him everywhere.” That means, as a Christian goes through his life or her life, there is something that, because it’s spiritual, it transcends just what they say and what they do. There’s an essence of fragrance and odor and aroma, the word, literally in Greek, is odor that that people smell. And smelling is very visceral. Have you ever thought about this? When you smell something, you don’t really have to cognitively think, is that good or is that bad do you? If you smell something bad, you know it, you know it, oh, it’s terrible. And if it’s bad today, it’s bad tomorrow. But you walk in those doors and they’re cooking those bagels, if you come to first service, that’s what you get, and they’re free. Oh, that aroma hits you. Oh, the fragrance. It’s like, oh, it’s immediately good. I just described Christians to you. They have two different effects of two different kinds of people. He “spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere”. Okay, now we’re going to go deep water here. Look at the next verse, “For we are the aroma (you are if you’re a Christian, you are the aroma. Now, the aroma of what?) the aroma of Christ to God…” Now, what does that mean? Christ was- He sacrificed His life and He offered Himself up, just like the Old Testament sacrifices were, and in the type, in the shadow, He fulfilled it that He was a pleasing aroma to God, the same as the priest would, the same as Noah did, it’s a picture of intercession in the Old Testament and the Bible saying that you and I, in Christ, we are the aroma of Christ to God. Let me ask you this way, if it’s of Christ, the aroma of Christ to God, do you think God finds Christ to smell good? Do you think He likes the fragrance of Christ? Yes! Let me just say, spiritually Christian, you smell good. Now your personal hygiene habits might change other things, but you smell good. “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are (what?) being saved (that’s Christians) and among those who are perishing (that’s those who reject the gospel).” Okay, so far, so good. You smell to two kinds of people, because there’s only two kinds of people, those who will inherit eternal life through Christ and those who won’t. There’s only two final destinations, Heaven or Hell. Is just two kinds of people. That’s all there is. There’s only one race, by the way, it’s called the human race. And the race divides in that way, no other way, actually, before God, that’s true division. And those are the two people you smell like.
But you smell different to each group. Did you know that? This is the nature of the sword cutting it. Look at the next verse, “To one a fragrance (from what?) death to death…” Now, who’s that talking about? That’s talking about those that are perishing. That’s talking about the unbeliever. Did you know if you’re a Christian, you smell like death to unbelievers? You do. You know what “death to death” means? It means you smell like death now, and you’re going to smell more like death. By the time you’re done with this series, look, “…To the other (this is to the believer, you’re also) a fragrance (but it’s what?) from life to life. (Then the Apostle says), who is sufficient for these things?” I mean, you can’t. In other words, you can’t change this. You smell like you smell a believer, someone growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, you’ve been given the Spirit of God. Even if you’re an infant in Christ, you have a spiritual smell. I’m using the Bible’s words. I’m showing you what it says, a fragrance, an odor, an aroma, okay? And you smell different to two different kinds of people. Is it because of how you smell? No, it’s because of how they’re smelling. So, the world will never look at you and applaud. The world will look at you and scoff. The world will look at you and criticize, malign you, berate you, slander you and separate from you. But what will the believers do? They will applaud. They’ll applaud God’s glory, and they’ll embrace you. That’s what the church family is for guys. So, we all get together and go, this smells good in here, but you get that same thing around the world, and they go, oh, that stinks. It’s horrible. It’s terrible. Who’s sufficient for these things? Death to death in one group, and life to life in the other. As you begin to really grow in your sanctification do not expect the world, either friends or family, to stand up and applaud you. Those who hate God and His Christ will smell only death on you, and this will and thus they will persecute you as much as needed or as possible. Guys, this doesn’t mean they’re going to kill you, but there are different levels of persecution. There’s relational persecution, and that’s why Jesus talked about that stuff. You understand? They’re gonna persecute you. Maybe you’ve already had this happen. I guarantee there’s people in here. I’m not gonna ask for a show of hands, but I’ve got 46 first cousins in Louisiana. Yeah, Catholic, loads of kids. Everybody just had all these babies for some reason, you know, big family, and they knew I was a pastor. And this is long time. This is years ago, decades ago in fact. I’m standing there at a Thanksgiving dinner, and some scoffer, one of the people, apparently I smelled like death to him. He goes, “I guess you want to pray over the meal?” I’m like, “Yeah, I do. I’m like, Thank You, Father, for the way you’ve rescued us in Jesus Christ, for all who repent and believe and God help these filthy sinners, especially my cousin Craig.” I didn’t pray that. I did not say that. I didn’t say that but you thought I said it, because what did I do? I thank God for His good provision. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights, right? In whom there’s no variation, shadow of turning. I was thanking God for the meal and for the people around there, and prayed it was be unto His glory. What he heard, I have no idea, but I opened my eyes, and he’s like and I’m like, what? And this is what I stink. And three or four that were believers were just like that. This is the division, friends. And if you have not been warned, you’ve been fed a false or partial gospel, you’ve been given promises that there’s no hardship, that nothing could be further from the truth. You realize they killed our leader. They killed all of the apostles. Say, for one, right? John, he was not martyred. The others were and they’ve murdered people throughout the history. Does that mean we want to get I don’t want to be martyred like that. But it wouldn’t surprise me, nor should it surprise you.
John 3:19-20, Jesus says it this way, “And this is the judgment: (here, Jesus says it) this is the judgment the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things, (he does what?) he hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his work should be exposed.” Now look, every single one of us have done wicked things, but at some point in your life, if you’re a Christian, the Holy Spirit overrode your depravity and raised you from the dead, gave you eternal life when you believed on the gospel, that was His work, not yours. You don’t get any credit. He gets all of it. But now that you have a new heart, you long to please Him. You want to be more like Him. You’ve been given new affections. That’s why, when you stumble and struggle in sin, it grieves you, and your conscience is bothered, and you know you should repent and you want to walk this way. Now sometimes you stumble, but your new direction is there, and people see that, and those that reject the gospel, they hate it. Why? I don’t know. I don’t know another way to say it, you stink. Some people are like, “we stink”. Well, not to God, you don’t, and not to us, you don’t. But you need to understand this is where the division comes from. Otherwise you’ll get under some condemnation, “Oh man, if I only would have just done it a little better, or maybe if I just would have zigged when I should have zagged. Or I don’t know exactly what I did to this person.” Odds are you didn’t do anything. You don’t have to do anything for you to smell that way.
2 Timothy 3:12 Paul is helpful. He says to Timothy, who, by the way, was the senior pastor of the church in Ephesus, huge church, loads of problems. He says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life, (that’s a life unto God) live a godly life in Christ Jesus, they will be persecuted.” You’re going to face the hardship and the trial. So, here’s the question, is it worth it? Yes, it’s worth it. Why? Because we get God. We get God. I used to have kids ask me in student ministry, “What is heaven like?” You know, they’re kind of evaluating it like a fun meter. And when you’re in youth ministry, you can’t just slap them. You want to. So, my answer was always the same. In Heaven, we get to look at God, we get to be with God, we get to enjoy God. And all they have is this little image of a church. But it’s not like that. It’s the person, all the glory, all the perfections of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three, and yet one, we get to bask in His endless perfections. Is it worth it? You bet it is. But it even goes beyond that, if that’s possible. Here’s Mark 10:28-30. Peter’s about to talk. So, we know it’s interesting. “Peter began to say to him, (he’s talking to Jesus, watch this), ‘See we have left everything and followed you.’” In other words, what do we get? “Jesus said, ‘Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left (watch the list, by the way, houses and this things that it would cost you in this world) houses 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, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands (and, oh, by the way) with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life.” What does He mean here? Does He mean that if they change the laws, the gospel is illegal, and I preach the gospel and the cops show up and take away my house and then give it to somebody else. Does that mean I get 100 houses? Yeah, I do. Actually, you know where they are. They’re your house because I’m moving in. It’s hilarious, but you know what? We did that. That’s how the church began. The Church began when the church would face persecutions in different areas. And guess what? The saints would send free will offerings and help them, or they would come to the other places, and they would open up their homes and they had places. In other words, you gain a family of God. And if you’ve been in Christ for any number of years, you know what it’s like to feel closer to the brother in Christ than you are to your own blood brother who doesn’t know Jesus. And you meet real believers, and you have instant bond, something you never had for after years and even decades, with cousins and family members. That’s what He’s talking about. And in the end, eternal life, that’s what we get. Is it worth it? Well, you bet it is.
2 Timothy 4:5-8. He’s still speaking to Timothy there in in Ephesus, he says, “But as for you, always be sober minded (he’s talking to the pastor there. He says), endure suffering (now why does he need to be told that? Because you need to) do the work of the evangelist (you need to keep telling them the gospel, Timothy) endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill (that is another way of saying, finish it, finish) your ministry.” Do it all the way. I could preach to you 10,000 sermons, but if my life doesn’t finish walking with Jesus, I am considered a failure. I don’t want to just run well, I want to finish the race, don’t you? Yes, and if I’m going to, I need to know what the pitfalls are, what are the hardships, so when they come, I can say this, “I’m expecting this. I know where I am in the narrative. I know who I am. I know who made me. I know the lineage of my people born after the Spirit, and I know the future. I read the end of the book, we win. So, when it comes, I can. Okay, okay, let’s go, Holy Spirit, show me if I’m in any error, show me if I’ve done any wrong. But I’m not going to back away from the truth of the gospel nor could I. I’m going to stink to some. I’m going to smell good to others. That’s the way it is.” And we embrace that as believers. He says, always fulfill your ministry. And then he says, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering in the time of my departure has come.” That means he’s about to die. This was his last letter he wrote. They cut his head off. And he ends it this way, in these two verses, and I’ll end this message. He says, “I have fought the good fight and I finished the race and I kept the faith.” He knew what he needed to be prepared for. You know, when Jesus sent the man to Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul, right? He says, I need you to go to him, right? Remember? He’s there at this house, and he’s waiting, and I must show him the many things that he must what? Suffer, for my name’s sake. He knew heads up. He knew early on. And my hope is that as we go through six, seven and eight, you’d remember this, and when these things start to happen, I pray the Holy Spirit would bring this scripture to your mind and you’d be able to say this, “Oh my gosh, this is it. I stink. Yeah, hallelujah.” Or when you get around your church family and they’re like, “Ah, and you are growing. Keep going. What they’re telling you is this? You smell like life to life.” This is the future. Walk in it, and then he ends up this way, “Henceforth, in the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness (what does that mean? I don’t know, but I want it) which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have loved his appearing.” That’s everyone who’s saying this, “Jesus, I am living for You coming back. I’m living for the day where You either return or when they put me in the ground, and my heart is with You. I’m living for that. I’m not living for now.” Could that create hardship? It will. Is it worth it? It is. Do you love His appearing? Then consider the cost. Weigh it out, and what you’ll see is this, He is worthy of all praise, honor, worship, adoration, and every bit of suffering or hardship you’ll ever face, He’s worthy praise His holy name. I look forward to the growth. He’s worth it.
KEYWORDS
Sanctification, True Disciple, Cost Of Discipleship, Romans, Gospel, Jesus, Justification, Holy Spirit, Biblical Love, Legalism, License, Separation, Sword, Slander, Persecution, Eternal Life, Spiritual Growth, Grayson County, Texas, Church
SPEAKER
Steve LeBlanc