There are some folks who, if asked, will
tell you they are Christians.
They are conservative in their politics, and proud
to be Americans, who believe in the principles
of our Founding Fathers, and that they stand
against the growing evils of our day.
They tithe to their local church and serve
there in some capacity.
They can even quote you some parts of
the Bible, and they will tell you they
will pray for you if you need prayer.
In their eyes, they are pretty solid Christians,
and they will tell you so.
But if you scratch the surface of their
life, and dig a little deeper into their
claim of being a follower of Christ Jesus,
you won't be able to find much evidence
of their professed faith other than what they've
already told you.
These individuals are willing to have a comfortable
Christianity that can benefit them, but they don't
want a Christianity that gets in the way
of their daily living, or costs them anything.
They want eternal life and all the crown
rights of heaven, but without the cross and
a life of discipleship.
But what costs counts, and what counts costs,
and a Christianity that doesn't cost anything isn't
worth anything.
And that's the title of my message today,
friends.
A Christianity that doesn't cost anything isn't worth
anything.
There is no sacrifice attending their brand of
Christianity, but the living God of the Bible
delights in sacrifice, for he sacrificed his only
begotten son to suffer and die on an
ignoble cross for sinful man.
Jesus spoke of the cross and the life
of discipleship in following him.
Jesus never taught a comfortable Christianity, but one
that costs something.
In Matthew's Gospel in chapter 16, we read
in verses 24 and 25, Then Jesus said
unto his disciples, If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it, and whosoever will lose his life for
my sake shall find it.
But a Christianity that involves a life of
self-denial is shunned by the modern self
-satisfied churchgoer.
Even in the days of Jesus, there were
those who followed him for what they could
get out of him, whether it was a
free loaves and fishes or a miracle of
healing.
We read, beginning in John 2, 23, Now
when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover,
in the feast day, many believed in his
name, when they saw the miracles which he
did.
But Jesus did not commit himself unto them,
because he knew all men.
The disciples understood the cost of discipleship and
forsook all to follow him along the narrow
way, as they were willing to lay down
their lives for Christ and the Gospel.
A comfortable Christianity is not found anywhere in
my Bible, but one that costs something.
For those who follow a crucified Christ must
live crucified lives that bleed once in a
while for the sake of the Gospel and
the souls of men.
The self-satisfied church member doesn't mind engaging
in casual prayer occasionally, but they are strangers
to unfortunate, agonizing prayer that has a sacrifice
attending it as it gains the ear of
the Almighty.
They will tell you everybody needs Jesus, but
seldom will you ever find them out in
their community, sharing their faith with a stranger.
They will gladly inform you that they give
regularly to their church, but they won't tell
you that they give only out of their
abundance and are strangers to giving out of
their want, like the widow and her mites.
In short, their brand of Christianity only runs
so deep so long as it doesn't cost
them anything.
And these folks comprise a good part of
our churches.
I repeat, a Christianity that doesn't cost anything,
isn't worth anything in the eyes of a
nail-pierced Christ who gave his all on
a bloody cross for us, holding nothing back
in Hebrews we read.
Who, in the days of his flesh, when
he had offered up prayers and supplications, with
strong crying and tears unto him, that was
able to save him from death, and he
was heard in that he feared, though he
was son, yet learned he obedience by the
things which he suffered.
And being made perfect, he became the author
of eternal salvation unto all them that obey
him.
Those last two words, obey him, separate the
chaff from the wheat in this day of
a non-biblical carnal Christianity.