Lose Your Life

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Lose Your Life

Peace on earth. Many years ago, when I was in High School, we used to have a Christmas Concert. Now you have to remember that I went to public high school. And at the Christmas concert, at the end of it, all the members of the choir would stand in the aisles of the auditorium. And the Audience would sing, Silent Night. And we in the choir would sing, “Peace, peace, peace on earth and good will to all. This is the time for peace, this is the time for joy.” It was the one of the strangest times in my life because there, in a public school, we were hearing that Jesus was bringing peace. And, it’s true. Jesus does bring peace. But if that’s true, then what are we supposed to do with these words? In Matthew 10, we read: “Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34 CSB17)

Wait a minute. I thought Jesus came to bring peace. Was Jesus lying? As we work through these words we realize that he was not. For in the words that follow he explains what he means: “³⁵ For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; ³⁶ and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. ³⁷ The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:35–38 CSB17)

How do we make sense of these words? It’s not that either this part of the bible is true or the one we hear at Christmas. Both are true, but in their own context. Jesus brings peace to our souls through the forgiveness of sins. But, very often, when Jesus comes into the lives of Christians, the family members are not too happy about that. And Jesus here acknowledges this fact. He tells us that he does not bring peace, but instead, a sword.¹ Jesus brings peace. But within families, very often people don’t want peace. They don’t want a Savior from sin. Years ago I saw this in my ministry as a pastor. In a congregation I was in there was a son and his mom who were members of our congregation. The teenage son came often. The mom rarely came to church. The son came so much to church that we asked the mom if he could take some classes and join our church. And I still remember her response to this very day. She said that Jesus should not come in between her and her family members. Her husband didn’t like her son going to church. And her conclusion was that if Jesus brought this sort of division into families then the problem must be with Jesus.

My dear friends, that’s the what. What happens when Jesus comes into families? Peace comes with him—peace in the forgiveness of sins. But division also comes. And with what follows Jesus answers the question, why: “Anyone who finds his life will lose it.” (Matthew 10:39 CSB17)

You see, there can be a myth and mirage that we can fall into. When we expect from our family members what only God can give, we will lose our lives. Let me give you an example. Years ago, our younger girl, Priscilla, was riding her bike. And within one second her bike fell over and she hit the ground. And there was nothing I could do. I could not stop gravity. I could not stop the impact when she hit the ground. I could not stop the bruises and blood. I could not stop the crying. All this I could not do. And the reason I could not do this was because I was not God. My daughter came from God, is redeemed by God, and is preserved by God.

All of us, each of us sins when we conclude that either we can give to humans the worship that belongs to God alone or demand from others worship that belongs to God alone. And if we go down the road of concluding that we can give to others or should expect from others that which only God can give, we will lose our lives. Or, to put it differently, life will let us down now. And if we really travel down this road, it will drive God out of our lives. But listen to what Jesus says next: “Anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.” (Matthew 10:39 CSB17)

If we lose our empty earthly lives, we will find them in Christ. There is only one person who can pay for your sin. There is only one person who can preserve your soul and body. That person is your Savior Jesus. And just think of how he did this. Think back to just after Jesus rose from the dead. He said to Mary: ““Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”” (John 20:17 CSB17)

Jesus, as the perfect human, trusts in his Father and gives him worship. And he does this in our place. How wondrous this is to see and think of. For all the times we thought our parents or others could give to us only what God could give, Jesus trusted in is Father alone in our place. For all the times we expected others to give us respect and honor that truly only belonged to God alone, our Father in heaven forgives us because of Jesus.

And with this fact comes an invitation. Jesus invites us again and again to lose our empty earthly lives. He invites us to lose our lives and find forgiveness in him. But as these words continue, he invites us to lose our lives in another way: “⁴⁰ The one who welcomes you welcomes me, and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. ⁴¹ Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”” (Matthew 10:40–42 CSB17)

Lose your empty earthly life and find forgiveness in Christ. But what also do we find? We find thankfulness. We, as forgiven children of God now have the ability to thank our Father in heaven. And what is so amazing is that he wants what we actually have to give. How wondrous this is to think about. How difficult it is for us sometimes to find gifts for others. We get to Christmas and we conclude, what can I get for that person? “he or she has everything they want.” How much more true is this for our Father in heaven. And yet he promises that we are able to thank him. And what does this look like? When we welcome authority figures in our lives, we welcome him.

Let me conclude this morning with two examples. First, there are some big examples. I remember years ago when I had learned my first good sermon at the seminary. And the professors gave us permission to preach that sermon in our churches. And I remember traveling hours away to a church. I preached that sermon. And I fumbled my way through the Lord’s Supper. And after that service was done there was a couple there who invited me to a champagne brunch. For just one morning I was treated like a king. But my dear friends, who, really, were they thanking? Yes, in a small way, they were thanking me. But more importantly, they were thanking their Father in heaven for sending me.

That’s a big example. Let me also give you a second, small example. I had a shut-in once. Every time I would visit her she would send me home with coupons. And for a while I had no idea why she would do this. You see, she had no money. So, instead of sending me home with an offering, the best she could do was clip coupons. But my dear friends, our Father in heaven saw that. And he not only saw it, he rejoiced in it. For she was not doing this mostly for me. She was doing this out of thanks for me.

A cup of cold water is a small gift to give to a prophet. But it means so much to our Father in heaven because it shows that the person who gives it has lost their empty earthly lives and found a full and fulfilling life in Christ. Our Father is the one who gave us life and breath and being. He is the one who sent his Son to save us. What could we give him to pay him back? The answer is clear: nothing. And yet, out of his kindness and love, after we have lost our empty earthly lives he gives us not only forgiveness, but also thankfulness.

So, my dear friends in Christ, lose your empty earthly lives. Do not give to others the worship that belongs to God alone. And do not expect from others the worship that can only be given to God alone. Instead, lose your empty earthly lives. For in that we find forgiveness and thankfulness. Amen.

¹ “ⲙⲁⲭⲁⲓⲣⲁⲛ” (Matthew 10:34 GNT-WAS)