The Cost of Following Jesus / The Way of Escape

Articles

Kevin Heaton / Kent Heaton
09/08/24 - The Zephyrhills Beacon

(by Kevin Heaton)

There isn’t much in this world that comes free. We live in a world that operates on money. Everything requires payment. Some things are cheap and some things are expensive. We don’t like spending money but we do it anyways because of the things we want or need. When we really want something we are willing to pay whatever the cost.

There is a great price that comes with the greatest treasure we could ever imagine; an eternal treasure; a spiritual treasure. That is eternal life with God in Heaven. Being in the presence of God for eternity is beyond silver and gold or anything valuable in this world. But we can only get there if we are willing to pay the price. What is the price that we must pay to be a Christian? Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:24 what exactly the cost is for eternal salvation. If anyone would follow Him they must:

Deny Self – It is in our human nature to be selfish. To take care of ourselves. To look out for number one. Our mind and our bodies are geared towards satisfying our desires. We want to do things our own way. It’s not about anyone else. We want people to cater to our needs and wants.

But Jesus said that if we want to follow Him to Heaven, then we’ve got to stop thinking about self. We have to deny ourselves of what our flesh wants and desires. We have to tell ourselves ‘NO’ when it comes to sin. We cannot be number one anymore. God has to be number one. We have to listen to what He says is right and wrong. We have to submit ourselves to His wants and His will. It is about Jesus and not us. Deny yourself and give all to Jesus.

Take Up Your Cross – When someone was sentenced to die by means of the cross, they had to carry their own cross to the place where they would be nailed and hung to die. It was not easy. Many times they would have already been beaten with their flesh torn to shreds by flogging. They had to carry the wooden, splintered beam. It was painful. Humiliating. Torture. Jesus had to go through that to die for our sins. Jesus walked some of that agonizing parade until He could physically bear it no more. Jesus carried His cross for us.

Now, Jesus calls us to carry our own cross for Him. We have to bear the cross on our way to Heaven. It is painful. It is humiliating. It is the least we can do. Jesus has told us that our cross will be denying self. It is killing the old man of sin. It is the persecution that comes from a world lost in sin who do not know God. But we have to bear it. We have to carry it. We have to be willing to follow the footsteps of Jesus. At times it will hurt. At times it will be easier. But we cannot put it down. We have to carry it all the way to the door of Heaven.

Follow Jesus – Jesus left Heaven & came to this earth so that we could leave Earth and go with to Heaven. While Jesus lived in this world He left us an example. An example of: obedience, love, holiness, devotion, serving, teaching, endurance, etc. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He has the words of life.

We have to follow in His steps. We have to learn how He lived. We have to listen and obey His teachings. We have to become just like Him. Where He leads we must follow. He has shown us the way. We know the way. But the question is will we follow Him? Will we be His disciple and become just like Him? We cannot follow ourselves and Satan anymore. Jesus is the Leader. Follow Him.

After Jesus specifically laid out what the price is He goes on to sum up the cost and the choice we have to make. He said: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul” (Matthew 16:25-26)? Are we willing to pay the price? How much are we willing to give to go to Heaven? It’s a great price. But going to Hell is not a price we want to pay for not going to Heaven.

Remember that even though we have to pay a price to follow Jesus, God paid a much higher price that we could not pay. His grace and our salvation are a gift (Ephesians 2:8). He sent Jesus to die for us and pay the price for our guilt (1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Timothy 2:6). Now we can have the water of life with no price (Revelation 22:17). Our price for following Christ is nothing compared to the price He paid for us. He paid for us with His life. What are we willing to do for Him?

The Way of Escape

(by Kent Heaton)

Temptation is the common lot of all mankind. James writes, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). We cannot blame the Lord for temptation (James 1:13) but we can seek the Lord for power to overcome temptation. To be enticed is when we allow things in our life to draw us away from the holiness of our character before God. The conception of desire will blossom into disregarding the will of God and filling our passions with our own decisions. When all is said and done – we stand accused before God! The apostle Paul delivers a powerful message of the providential care of the Lord in 1 Corinthians 10. He had exhorted the church to be mindful of the examples in scripture showing forth the judgment of God upon disobedience (vv 1-10). These stories were given as examples (v 11) with the warning that temptation is the lot of all men (v 12). In the midst of such grave concern of disobedience Paul offers the glimmer of God’s grace when he writes, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Realizing that all sin (Romans 3:23) the grace of God extends to giving opportunity to not be overcome with sin. In the first place no matter what temptation comes upon us it is not impossible to resist it. The Lord will not – emphasize the idea “will not” – allow us to be tempted beyond our control. Sin can be defeated. The reason we sin is not because we cannot help it but because we do not want to stop it. The children of God are blessed with the protection of the Father yet we choose to deny it. Everything within the power of God is available to us to reject the temptation of Satan and when we sin it is because we have rejected that avenue and accepted the plea of the devil. Eve shows the pattern in Genesis 3 when she rejected the plain teaching of God for the lie of Satan. Our Father will not allow us to be tempted beyond our control suggesting that I can overcome any sin that come against me. Eve was not tempted beyond her capacity to reject the invitation of Satan; nor Adam. Transgressing the law of God is to ignore the will of God for my own will.

Not only will God not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to endure but when the serpent speaks to us from the tree of deceit the Father offers “the way of escape.” There is always a way to flee, to run away, or get away from the temptation. And the way the Lord offers is the best way. He does not offer “a” way of escape but “the” way of escape. It is the way that will get you as far away from Satan as humanly possible. Often we take our own way of escape that does not completely remove us from harm. When Joseph resisted the temptation of Potiphar’s wife, he took the Lord’s way (Genesis 39:12). David rejected the way of escape offered by God and succumbed to sin (2 Samuel 11).

Temptation is the lot of all men and we must realize that we can bear it. It is not something that must destroy us. We are able to bear up under the load of Satan’s darts when we put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). Take the Lord’s way!