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One of the most fascinating truths to the gospel is that grace, as welcoming as it is to us all, is not without a price. While it is freely offered to us all, there are some things that are required of us. Certainly, what he offers we cannot pay for. What he provides we could never earn. And, most assuredly we know that in and of ourselves what he did we don't deserve.
While having grace working in us is a great privilege, it demands that we lay down our lives so that he can do in us and through us what we cannot do of ourselves. What it really gets down to is living demands dying. That is the great mystery to godliness. If we want to increase then we must first decrease. Once we get self out of the way, then we give way for the grace of God to empower us for living.
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TRUE DISCIPLESHIP
Catching the Cost or Suffering the Loss
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"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness..."
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, who was executed during WW2 for suspicion of aligning himself with those who wanted to assassinate Hitler, wrote a book entitled, "The Cost of Discipleship." He differentiates between what he called cheap grace or costly grace. He states, "Cheap grace is that which is without discipleship. It is that which has no standard of excellence, but seeks to live without the cross. The essence of cheap grace is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him."
One of the great truths to Christendom is explained when Jesus stood on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias in John chapter twenty-one. Seven of the eleven disciples (Judas already having left them), decided to go fishing. The Greek explains this as more than an effort to catch fish, but rather a proclamation of returning to a lifestyle of fishing as their occupation. In other words, this decision was more than just an afternoon outing. It was an announcement to the futility of continuing on doing what they had done under the ministry of Christ for the past three and a half years because he was no longer among them.
"The truth about grace is, yes, we have the awesome privilege to come and dine because Christ paid it all. But what we cannot miss in the message is the means to dining comes through dying! "
The uniqueness of this story is that Jesus had already showed himself alive after his resurrection. Yet, somehow that had not yet registered on them as being sufficient. They turned to the only thing they knew to help supply their need. So while they toil all night and caught nothing, Jesus shows up in their midst again. This time he appeared without them recognizing who he was. If you follow the outcome of this story you will find its parallelism to the very first time they met the Lord. Over in Luke chapter five, Jesus told them to launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught (Luke 5:4). According to the passage, Peter said, "Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net" (Luke 5:5).
What we so often miss in this passage is the fact that Jesus said "let down the nets" (plural), but Peter's response was, "...nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net" (singular). The fact that they took in so great a catch that the net began to break was to enforce in the minds of the disciples how important it is to obey. We often say this was a great statement of faith on Peter's part, but if that were so why would he then turn to the Lord and say, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8)?
Because they had now made up their minds to return to a lifestyle as fishermen, Jesus takes advantage of the situation. Here they were having toiled all night and caught nothing. So the Lord says, "Children, have ye any meat? And they answered, no" (John 21:5). To jog their memory he tells them to cast the net. This time he only mentions one net. They did as he requested and suddenly they drew in a multitude of fish. Immediately, John recognizes it is the Lord, so they rush to shore only to find Jesus with a fire of coals thereon, and fish laid thereon, and bread (John 21:9).
How amazing is that! Jesus had fish and bread waiting for them. If that is not a picture of grace, I don't know what is! As Peter draws the net ashore and begins counting the fish, not only was this a great catch, but the net did not break! Jesus looks at them and says, "Come and dine" (John 21:12). In other words, the provision has already been made and there is more besides this!
The message Jesus preached throughout his entire ministry was, "If any man come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:34). The truth about grace is, yes, we have the awesome privilege to come and dine because Christ paid it all. But what we cannot miss in the message is the means to dining comes through dying! The disciples thought they had to do it on their own. Jesus proved otherwise. His provision comes as a means of grace, but in receiving his grace we must be willing to follow him fully.
When Jesus told Peter, "Loveth thou me more than these," he wasn't just trying to locate Peter's true devotion, but he asked him three times as a reminder of the cock crowing three times to impress upon his thinking that he once said he would die for him only to later deny him.
The question to grace is: Are we going to deny ourselves or are we going to deny him? Paul told Titus, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appears to all men, teaching us that DENYING ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Tit. 2:11, 12). That's the message of the cross...we live because he died, but we must die in order for him to live!*
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PRAYER
Father, today, I choose the path of grace. I refuse to trust in the arm of flesh. I lean completely and wholly on you to be my provider, and I give my all to follow you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
CONFESSION
I know that grace is a free gift of God, but in order to secure this free gift I must give my all to him. Therefore, I lay down my life in order to pick up his life. I know I am not my own. I was bought with a price, and so, I will glorify God in my body and in my spirit, which are God's.
DEFINING MOMENTS...
To "Come and dine" is really contingent on to "Come and die!" The more I give of myself the greater I am able to partake of him. It is a spiritual law. I can only go as high as I am willing to bow. The strength of grace is in my humility to lay down everything for him...God resists the proud (the self sufficient ones) and gives grace to the humble (the totally dependent ones)...how do you think you measure up to this? In other words, is your net being stretched in order to catch the cost, or are you beginning to weaken and break because you are suffering to count the cost?
Pastor David
Faith Harvest Church
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