DR WILSON LIM MESSAGE: COSTLY COURAGE
Living the Christian life requires courage and it is costly courage. It takes courage to life differently. It takes courage to say no to a sinful life and to turn from it. It takes courage to step out in faith. It takes courage to live for Christ.
Let me share a passage that has absolutely challenged my life. A passage that I have determined must remain one of the pillars of my own journey with Christ.
Luke 9:51 - 62 (NIV) 51As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem... 57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good–by to my family.” 62Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Oceania Convention - Gold Coast Video
Jesus the epitome of courage
Jesus is our ultimate example of courage. He “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (v51) knowing full well the outcome that awaits him in Jerusalem. Death awaits Him in Jerusalem. An agonising humiliating slow-death at the cross. A death like no other. And that is only the physical side of the death. There is also the matter of bearing the sins of the world. A sight so abominable that even God the Father will turn His eyes away from His Son (Mark 15:34).
Nothing was to deter Jesus from completing his journey.
Within this very context we see the attitudes of others in comparison to that of Jesus.
Courage to have no home.
One man came on his own accord and sincerely declared his loyalty to Jesus and desire to follow Him. Yet Jesus gave a somewhat less than welcoming response. “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Foxes have holes that await them after their hunts in the forest. Birds have their nests to return to. There are homes for even these animals. In comparison, Jesus did not have a home. But what has this to do with this potential Christ-follower?
Following Christ may mean giving up our homes. A willingness to lose our earthly comforts. Jesus has warned us many times in the Scriptures of persecution and hardship. Are we willing to suffer these as part of following Christ? Or are we following Christ only because we think we will gain earthly benefits? It takes courage to follow Christ, especially when it means losing what we are comfortable with.
That is why I have determined to hold lightly to all my earthly possessions. I have resolved that what I have on earth should never hold me back from what God has for me in heaven. What is the value of your earthly goods now compared to your heavenly inheritance?
Courage to leave the dead
Another man was asked of Christ to follow Him. What a privilege! What an honour! The same request that were made of the 12 disciples! But note the difference in the man’s reply, in contrast to that of the 12 disciples who left everything to follow Christ. The man requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” The reply Jesus gave almost seemed disrespectful and uncompassionate, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Why was that?
Jesus knew what was in the man’s heart. Most likely, he man was very attached to his old father and wanted to wait till he died. If his father was already dead, he would not be out there visiting Jesus. He would be too busy arranging the funeral. So he was probably referring to waiting till his father died, before he followed Christ. To which Jesus’ penetrating reply was meant to open the man’s heart. Let the spiritually dead bury the dead. Do not let the needs of the spiritually dead stop us from following Christ. Our valid concerns for our loved ones and relatives may end up entangling us to the point we are unable to follow Him as He leads.
I have determined not to allow my emotional attachments to so entangle me that I am unable to follow as Christ leads me. Responsibilities to our families and others are important. But is it leading to obedience to Christ, or is it leading to disobedience to Christ?
Courage not to look back
Another man was willing to follow Christ but asked to say good bye to his family. Jesus gave a very strange reply, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Was Jesus against saying goodbyes? I very much doubt it. Most likely, Jesus knew that once the man went home to say goodbye, the pressure from his family and friends will probably discourage him from following Christ all the way.
It is impossible to follow Christ along the narrow path if we keep looking back, towards what we have left behind. Whether it be loved ones, friends, career or other desires. This will only lead to double-mindedness.
I refuse to be double-minded. I have resolutely set out for heavenly Jerusalem. And I know that I have to take the route of the cross. For the glories that lie beyond is far greater than anything I could ever look back towards.
Will we be cowardly Christians that cower under the pressures that society applies to us, to the temptations that the Enemy ply on us? Or will we rise up to our destiny to be courageous Christians and dare live as disciples of Christ?
Courageously yours,
Dr Wilson Lim
Chairman of Oceania Churches
