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Look at the Potential Costs and Rewards of Discipleship

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Costs and Rewards of Discipleship

©  2023 C. O. Bishop

(Explication of Hymn “So Send I You” by Margaret Clarkson

Introduction:

Last week we introduced the idea of discipleship as being the natural result of salvation. Saved people now belong to Jesus. The result ought to be that we willingly serve Him and follow Him. I want to examine that concept more carefully, especially considering both the costs and the rewards of discipleship:

Two Hymns From Canada

In 1954, Margaret Clarkson wrote a hymn, “So Send I You.” She was a believer, and she worked as an elementary school teacher, in logging and mining camps in northwestern Canada. She felt very isolated there, as a Christian. Sometimes she was the only Christian there. Sometimes there was another believer with whom she could fellowship. But later, teaching in public schools in towns back in Eastern Canada, she felt just as isolated. She was also in constant pain: She had suffered from migraines since babyhood: (Her first words, according to her mother, were, “my head hurts!”) Arthritis eventually crippled her so badly she could no longer work.

In light of the hard circumstances under which she served, she reflected on the meaning of what Jesus said in John 20:21 …“As My Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” Her lyrics reflected the potential cost of discipleship. That is not a “wrong” perspective: Jesus warned His disciples to “count the cost!” He wanted them to know in advance that the cost of true discipleship can be very steep. BUT, He also revealed that the promised rewards would be commensurate with their service.

So… let’s have a look at what she wrote:

The 1954 Lyrics

Lack of Present Fulfillment

So send I you to labor unrewarded;
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown;
To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing;
So send I you, to toil for Me alone.

To whom do I belong? Who am I actually serving? It is entirely possible that the people I am trying to reach will show zero appreciation for the service I offer. They may reject everything I say, and disdain my friendship or my offers of help. Jesus served faithfully. But those He initially came to reach also rejected Him. John 1:11 says, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.”

For Whom are You Suffering?

So send I you, to bind the bruised and broken;
O’er wand’ring souls to work, to weep, to wake;
To bear the burden of a world a-weary;
So send I you, to suffer for My sake.

In Philippians 1:29, the apostle Paul said, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake”

We know that we are to care for the lost, and to reach out to them: and we don’t mind that. But, we don’t like hearing about “suffering,” and that sort of thing. People told us, all our lives, that “being a Christian means I should always be happy!” Remember Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet.” He spent much of his life, grieving over the people to whom he was sent, as they consistently rejected everything God said through him.

A man once declared from the pulpit, “Church is supposed to be fun!”  (Well, I really hate to “rain on his parade,” but I don’t see “fun” as being one of the expectations for church, in the Bible! Can it be fun? Sure! But is that a “core value” for the church? No!)

We gather for mutual encouragement, for corporate prayer and worship, for teaching, and training in discipleship! Sometimes all we can do is grieve together…but it is still encouraging to us all, because we know we are not alone in our grief, especially in company with other believers, but in fact, we are never alone at all! The next stanza reflects that truth:

In Whom do we find comfort?

So send I you, to loneliness and longing;
With heart a-hung’ring for the loved and known;
Forsaking home and kindred, friend and dear one;
So send I you, to know My love alone.

You see, Miss Clarkson was feeling completely isolated, but she had the sense to know that she was not alone: She was simply relying on the Love of Christ alone! She was far away from her family and friends, and living in extremely rough conditions, but she learned to lean on Jesus and His Love for all her emotional needs. We need to come to grips with that same dependency.

In Whose direction will we place our confidence?

So send I you, to leave your life’s ambition;
To die to dear desire: self-will resign;
To labor long, and love where men revile you;
So send I you, to lose your life in Mine.

I don’t know what Margaret Clarkson had originally considered to be the “plan” for her life: she earned a college degree in teaching, but teaching in that logging camp and the later loneliness of the various schools, was not part of her plan. She evidently came to grips with the question. She believed that God had sent her there for the purpose of ministry, and she wrote many of her poems and hymns during those hard, lonely years.

How will we deal with those who treat us as Enemies?

How do we respond, when there is deliberate animosity against us, and against Christ and the message of the Gospel? Margaret Clarkson concluded the 1954 version of the hymn with thoughts on that question:

So send I you, to hearts made hard by hatred,
To eyes made blind because they will not see.
To spend, though it be blood, to spend and spare not;
So send I you, to taste of Calvary.

The Cost of Discipleship

Consider what it cost Jesus to bear the burden of Sin for the entire human race: We can read in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 that he “became sin” for us. He did not become a sinner: He became Sin. The eternal, holy, righteous God became “God in the Flesh”…the “incarnate God,” for us. But, He had to take the final step of becoming the object of the wrath of God as He poured out His Judgment upon Jesus, in place of the Human Race. Without His final act of “self-emptying,” as described in Philippians 2, we would still be lost.

Following Jesus eventually will cost something. In Luke 9:23, Jesus said “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross daily and Follow Me!”

It was reflection of the Cost of Discipleship that inspired Margaret Clarkson to write that song in 1954, along with many other poems and hymns. She was in constant pain, and four years later, after surgery to fuse most of her lower spine, was forced to retire, due to crippling pain.

The 1963 Lyrics

But, in 1963, nine years later, after talking with numerous missionaries, Miss Clarkson realized that she had left out the potential rewards of Discipleship. So, she wrote a new set of lyrics to the same tune.

We may feel that the second set of lyrics are “more encouraging,” or we may instead be offended that “someone wrote ‘feel-good’ lyrics to a serious song about discipleship.” But it was the same author! She had simply come to understand and embrace the other half—the eternal part—of the story of discipleship! Here it is, still reflecting on the call of Jesus:

More than Conquerors

So send I you — by grace made strong to triumph
O’er hosts of hell, o’er darkness, death and sin,
My name to bear and in that name to conquer —
So send I you, My victory to win.

We are not sent as helpless lambs, feebly tottering toward inevitable defeat: Romans 8:35-37 says that, in all of the perils of this life, “we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!” Does that make it easy? No! Stephen was the victor while he was being murdered! Paul and Silas were the victors while they were in the Philippian prison, bleeding from the beating they had received! We need to see things from God’s perspective!

We Carry a Message of Life, Liberty, and Hope

So send I you – to take to souls in bondage
The Word of Truth that sets the captive free
To break the bonds of sin, to loose death’s fetters —
So send I you, to bring the lost to Me.

Jesus said in John 8:32, “…ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” In Philippians 2:15, 16, we are told that we are to “shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life…” Regardless of circumstances, we are his ambassadors! Bring people to Jesus! He sends us to “bring the lost to Christ” by means of the Gospel: not to “bring them to church, and hope someone else can persuade them.”

In Whom do we Find our Strength?

So send I you — My strength to know in weakness,
My joy in grief, My perfect peace in pain,
To prove My pow’r, My grace, My promised presence —
So send I you, eternal fruit to gain.

Paul was weakened physically by injuries and possibly disease: but in 2nd Corinthians 12:10, his conclusion was “therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I Am weak, then am I strong.” Notice that he did not claim he liked being mistreated, nor that “pain doesn’t hurt!” Pain does hurt! Persecution is not enjoyable!

But Paul found that when his natural abilities and strengths were laid aside, so that the only thing upon which he could lean was the grace of God, then he was actually far more capable and effective. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “Apart from Me ye can do nothing.” Notice that he did not say, “you cannot do as much…” or “you can’t produce as good a quality.” He said, “Apart from Me ye can do nothing!”

We know the eternal result: We submit ourselves to Him, to be the tools in His hands: to be His voice, His hands and His feet. And we expect that the fruit of our lives will turn out to have eternal value.

What is the Ultimate Expectation of a Faithful Disciple?

We speak of “going to one’s reward.” That is an accurate description of what a disciple can expect. Salvation is not a reward: it is a gift. Romans 6:23 says, “…the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

But; reward is earned. Reward is the result of service. Salvation is a gift, given on the basis of faith in the shed blood of God’s chosen sacrifice…faith in Jesus, alone.

The Reward of Sin

If an unbeliever dies, still unforgiven, they receive the wages of sin, also described in Romans 6:23. If a disobedient believer dies: one who was a true believer, but one who was either unconcerned (or perhaps was simply untaught) about a walk with Jesus, and who was unwilling to absorb any of the cost of discipleship, then the reward is minimal, but, (always providing that the original faith was genuine) salvation is still theirs.

The Rewards of Discipleship

But a genuine believer sees that the logical response is to desire to be part of the “agenda” of Jesus. They want to be on His team, and to be following His will. To them, He says,

So send I you — to bear My cross with patience,
And then one day with joy to lay it down,
To hear My voice, “Well done, My faithful servant —
Come share My throne, My kingdom and My crown!”

That is the ultimate expectation of Discipleship. If you are a believer, God says you are already seated with Him in the throne. He says you are already part of the Body of Christ, and will share in His glory. But He also says there are Eternal rewards beyond this minimal promise. What are they? He does not tell us any details, but we know enough about Jesus to know that His reward will more than amply repay any toil or suffering we may encounter here in this life.

“As the Father hath sent Me, so send I you.”

Jesus has already demonstrated what true discipleship entails, and the early believers followed in His footsteps. So, what can we conclude about these two sets of lyrics for the same song?

Notice that Both Hymns tell the Truth:

One hymn tells of the daily, painful, grind, and the potential cost of discipleship. The other tells of the ultimate victory, and the reward for service. Both are speaking of reality: but the second reality is to be our eternal perspective. Don’t lose sight of the goal!

In Philippians 3:13, 14 Paul said, “Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul did not claim to have “arrived!” He continually strove to walk with Jesus so as to receive the reward for faithful service. We can do that, too!

Lord Jesus, please grip our hearts with the urgency of the Gospel and the fact that this life is our only chance to work with You in fulfilling the will of the Father who sent You. Remind us constantly that “as the Father sent You, Jesus; You have, in turn, sent each of us!

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Finding Jesus in Genesis: Lesson 12

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Finding Jesus in Genesis: Lesson 12

Faith and the Promise of the Land

© C. O. Bishop 9/17/18

Genesis 23—the Death of Sarah.

Introduction:

As we journey through Genesis, watching for pictures of Jesus, the Messiah, we also see some pictures of those who believe in Jesus. Bear in mind that Abraham spoke with God face-to-face on at least one occasion, and was spoken to by him (and had a conversation with Him, not necessarily face-to-face) on several occasions. We saw, by comparing these passages with New Testament passages, that the person with whom Abraham spoke was unquestionably God the Son, in a pre-incarnate appearance called a “Christophany.”

But, in this chapter, there is no such conversation: no such appearance. Instead we see what could be just a quiet, sad story of a very old man purchasing a burial place for his dead wife. But God chose to include that story, in quite a bit of detail, so there must be something here of value. If all He had chosen to say, was “Sarah died at 127 years of age, and was buried in Hebron.” we might pass it by and not worry about missing much. But, if we summarize the 20 verses of chapter 23 to read as a terse, 12-word sentence such as the one above, we run a great risk of missing something of real importance. So, let’s stop and consider what is really there.

Sarah’s Death at Hebron

Sarah died at 127 years of age (thus, Isaac was 37 when she died—remember that Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born—we have no idea how much time had passed between the last chapter and this one). Abraham had been with her most of her life, and most of his, though we don’t know how long—she was 65 when they left Haran, and they already had been married long enough to know, by human standards, they were not going to have any children. They just didn’t know that God was going to change that future.

Sarah died in Kirjath-arba ( meaning “City of Arba”), or Hebron (“alliance.”) The place is about 20 miles due south of Jerusalem, and is still called Hebron by the Jews and the Western nations, but Al Khalil by the Arabs. This place has been purchased by the Jews at least twice—maybe three times, as after World War two, the Jews migrating to Palestine routinely purchased any land they gained, buying it from the Jordanian people who had drifted in from the east.

At the time of Sarah’s death, Abraham was sojourning among the Hittites—the children of Heth. He went to them and asked if he might purchase a piece of land to bury his dead wife. (He had a particular plot of land in mind.) They graciously declined, saying that he was a great man among them and that he could simply bury his dead in any of the existing tombs, there, and that he did not need to make a purchase. This would imply that they considered him (at least at some level) to be one of them: they thought of him as family!

But Abraham had other ideas…he knew that he was not one of them, and he knew that God had called him out from the world. He specifically wanted a piece of land that he owned, there in the land of Canaan. He knew that the land—all of it—had been promised to him and his heirs, but the Hittites did not know that. Abraham wanted a gravesite that could be undisturbed, hopefully, and to which his heirs could come back, generation after generation. So he asked, before all the people, that they sell him a particular field wherein was a cave.

Abraham Purchased Land already Promised to Him by God

The owner of the field (Ephron the Hittite) may just have been grandstanding, or may have truly been generous, but, at first, he offered to simply give Abraham the field. Abraham insisted that the owner actually sell it to him, at the full value, and that he specify as terms of the sale, that the whole field, the cave (Called the Cave of Machpelah, still today), and the trees of that field would be part of the purchase. I don’t know how the Hittites felt about it all, but historians say that the price finally named—four hundred shekels of silver—was quite high, compared to other fields sold in the Bible. I don’t know how much it was, in terms of wages at that time, but it was evidently an extremely high price for such a piece of land. However, I think it is important to notice that Abraham did not dicker, or quibble over the price—he simply paid it, and made sure he had plenty of witnesses to that fact. Genesis records that the field, the cave, the trees in the field, and the trees that made up the border of the field were all included in the bargain.

Abraham believed that the land of Canaan would be the eternal dwelling-place of his people: so he bought a piece of it, up front. This is faith, with shoe-leather on it. The Hittites had no idea of his motives, and undoubtedly thought him a total fool, to pay that sort of price for what had been offered as a gift. They may have also seen that Abraham was quite elderly, and that his only son was still unmarried. They may have reasoned that there was a good chance they would get it all back anyway. (In fact, they actually may have done so: according to the record in Joshua 24:32, regarding Joseph’s burial, Jacob had purchased that land again, from the same tribe of people, many years later, for one hundred pieces of silver…a quarter of the price Abraham had paid.)

Whatever their thoughts, the sale was made, and Abraham buried Sarah there; Abraham himself was later buried there; Isaac and Rebekah were buried there; Jacob and Leah were buried there (Genesis 49:29-32), and Joseph was eventually buried there, among others. It was the family mausoleum for centuries to come. In Acts 7:15, 16, it was mentioned by Stephen in his defense, before he was stoned by the Jews. The people of Israel knew this place, and it is still important: Hebron is a holy city to them, still today, second only to Jerusalem, itself. Nearly four thousand years of promise are marked by that tomb, the Cave of Machpelah, at Hebron.

Can we see any parallels, here?

We already have a promise of eternal life with Christ. All the riches of His kingdom have already been given to us, though we can’t see much of it, really. We know very little: just what He has chosen to tell us, though many books have been written, claiming to tell us “all about heaven.” But God says “…eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” (1st Corinthians 2:9)

So, how can we “buy a piece of it” up front? How can we put “shoe-leather on faith,” and claim part of what Jesus says we already own?

  • We have to “buy it” in the face of adversity, while the World thinks us fools, just as Abraham did. (We have been called out from the World, just as he was.)
  • We have to make choices that seem the picture of foolishness to those who are lost, but are ultimately wise, before God.
  • Abraham reached beyond death, to purchase a home beyond death. What choices can we make to accomplish something similar?

Jesus had some things to say about this subject:

Matthew 6:19-21;

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Notice that He did not say, “Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also.” It is the other way around. We have to choose where to lay up treasure, and that will affect where the eyes of our hearts are turning. We read in Daniel 6 that the prophet Daniel habitually prayed toward Jerusalem. Why? Because that is where his treasure was (the city itself, the ruined temple, and the homeland of the Jews), and his response revealed that this is also where his heart was.

As we begin to “lay up treasures in heaven,” our hearts will increasingly turn in that direction, and it will change our perspective on life, and our desires, our ambitions, and, ultimately, every aspect of our lives. So, what indications might I have as to “where my heart is” and what my “treasure” really is? Jesus addressed that, too, in a couple of ways.

Matthew 12:34-36;

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

The Pharisees had just accused Jesus of being possessed by Satan, and working by the power of Satan. Why? Because he cast out a demon, and healed a blind and mute man, who had been sick because of the demonic possession. So, Jesus did something Very Good, and their response was to accuse Him of being the ultimate evil. They revealed their hearts by their accusations. (Who is the “accuser of the brethren?” According to Revelation 12:9, 10, it is Satan himself!) So the accusers, by their words, revealed whose servants they really were. They revealed what was in their hearts: the “evil treasure” of their hearts, by their words.

Matthew 19:21;

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

A young man came to Jesus, asking what he should do, to earn eternal life. (He did not use the word, “earn”, but he implied that he wanted to DO something to have eternal life. Jesus knew his heart, and suggested that the young man should “keep the commandments.” The young man asked “which ones?” (Already “hedging” a little, I think…)

Jesus quoted only six commandments, not all of them even part of the Ten Commandments, and leaving out several of the Ten. The young man confidently claimed that he had kept all of them all his life. Jesus knew that the young fellow was wealthy, and He also knew his heart, so He said, “if you want to be perfect (complete), sell everything you own, and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven…and you can come and follow me.” The young man went away, sorrowing…why? Because he loved his riches! His treasure was very definitely here on earth, and he was not about to give it up. What commandment, of those which Jesus deliberately omitted, was the young man violating? Covetousness, and Idolatry, perhaps? Paul confirms that covetousness is idolatry, in Colossians 3:5. So, this young man revealed where his treasure really was, by his actions.

Hebrews 11:24-26

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Moses chose to attach himself to the People of God, rather than continue in the court of Pharaoh. He could easily have been seen as a fool by the World: Pharaoh saw him as a traitorous, murderous turncoat, and would have killed him. But God saw his heart, and took him into a “40-year course in shepherding.” Why? Because, after he graduated, he would spend the next 40 years shepherding the Flock of God! Moses revealed where his treasure really was, by his choices. And there was a Reward coming, as a result of his obedience.

How can we apply this today?

1st Corinthians 3:10-15

10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

We can see, then, that the foundation laid in our lives is the Person of Christ. What are we to build on that Foundation? Jesus said, (John 15:5) “…apart from Me, ye can do nothing.” Notice that He did not say, “Apart from me you can’t do as much.” The fact is, only the things we allow God to do in us and through us, will have eternal value. The things that we allow Jesus to accomplish in our lives will have eternal value, and He says that there is reward attached to that value. Treasure has been laid up ahead, to our account: a reward, for obedience.

As believers, we can reach beyond death, just as Abraham did, and, by faith, we can claim some of what Jesus already has in store for us. And, by so doing, he says that we will gain reward. Salvation is a gift. Reward is the result of obedience.

The rich young ruler thought that he could purchase eternal life by his works. He did not see himself as a sinner, needing a Savior. Jesus pointed out that he was a sinner, and left him to think it over. I hope that, perhaps later, the young fellow caught on to what Jesus had really been teaching, and received the gift of eternal life, by faith…but we are not told the rest of that story.

Behave like a Child of God, because you are one.

All the teachings regarding the believer’s perfect position, and his perfect standing, in Christ, became completely true of you the moment that you believed the Gospel: the moment that you received Jesus as your own Savior.

Are you living in the reality of those truths? We do not live that way in order to “become a child of God:” it is the other way around! We live that way, because we already are a child of God! Ephesians 5:1 says, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear Children.” Why? Because that is who you are, as a believer in Jesus Christ!

Lord Jesus, open our eyes to the reality of our position in Christ: help us to reach into eternity by faith, and lay up our treasures there! Let us see beyond the grave, like Abraham, and claim the promised reward, like Moses. Let us serve as your holy ambassadors, in Jesus’ Name!

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