Dying to Live

Death has a good way of putting life into perspective. We generally accept the myth that we’re immortal until we have a brush with death. When you come face-to-face with death, things come clearly into focus, and priorities are re-evaluated. Followers – unlike fans – are dying to live.  Fans who refuse to die to sin and self are stuck trying to live, but end up frustrated and defeated.  

There are those among us who are very committed sports fans. Some of you have Buckeye Rooms in your houses. You watch every game, and attend as many games as you can – of course all the home games; you wouldn’t want those season tickets to go to waste. You paint your face. You bleed scarlet and gray. Your heart was broken last week when the Buckeyes lost to Kansas. But the problem is, there comes a point when you realize that a fan is just a fan. You see, the fan is just a committed enthusiast. The fan isn’t in the game. And often, when the going gets tough, the fan quits on the team. This is true of fans of Jesus Christ as well.

Last week we celebrated Palm Sunday, where the fans gathered, waving palm branches, celebrating Christ as King. So much happened during that week, but on Friday, the crowds turned on Jesus, shouting “Crucify Him!” The fans turned their backs on him.

We’ll get back to the Easter story in a moment, but let’s turn to something a little lighter for a moment. I have several favorite movies: The Blues Brothers, Uncle Buck, Better Off Dead, and probably the quintessential 80s youth group movie, The Princess Bride. In The Princess Bride, if you are familiar with the movie, there is this great scene where Billy Crystal’s character, Miracle Max, is trying to revive the brave hero Westley after he has been tortured to near death so he can go rescue his true love Buttercup from Prince Humperdink. Westley’s friends think he is dead but when Miracle Max examines him, he determines he is only “mostly dead.”  “Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do.
Inigo Montoya: What's that? Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

When he says, “There’s a big difference between ‘mostly dead’ and ‘all dead.’” He’s got a point; when it comes to following Jesus, there’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead.  This is essentially the difference between “fans” and “followers.”  Fans – to varying degrees – are mostly dead, or at least somewhat dead.  Fans abide by the rules of religion.  Fans try to do the right thing most of the time. Most fans regularly attend church. Some fans volunteer to serve in the church and community, some even taking leadership roles. Fans have died to some things that they consider to be of great value… but when it comes right down to it, fans are somewhat or mostly dead. By that, I mean that fans are holding onto certain things that they are not willing to give over to God. I’ll give you an example: when I was in college, I rededicated my life to Christ, saying I wanted to really and truly turn my life over to Him. In reality, however, I was still a fan, because I refused to surrender my relationships. I had to experience the heartbreak of failed relationships and bad choices in relationships before I was willing to surrender fully.

To use Jesus’ words in Luke 9:24, Fans are still trying to “save” their own lives. Fans want to have control. Fans trust Jesus to a point, but they stop short of trusting him completely.  The great tragedy of being a fan who is only mostly dead is that if you are mostly dead, you can only be partly alive. The only way to be fully alive in Jesus is to be all dead. 

When you experience this truth first hand or you watch it happening in the life of someone you are close to, it is unmistakable and inspirational. It has been amazing to be a part of this church, where I have seen some of you transformed in just four years. There are some here who are definitely fans of Jesus who are trying to live and are missing out. But others of you are followers of Jesus who are dying to truly live in Jesus.

There comes a moment in the life of every follower of Jesus when we have to make the decision to die. In John 11, Jesus is called to the home of his friend, Lazarus. Many of you know the story; Lazarus is dying, and his sisters call for Jesus. Recently the Jews had tried to stone Jesus, and his disciples are afraid that if Jesus goes back to Bethany, he will be killed. He explains to them that Lazarus is dead and that he must go to Bethany. In John 11:16, we see Thomas saying to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” We often criticize Thomas, calling him Doubting Thomas, but he shows the lengths he will go to follow Jesus. Let us go, that we may die with him.

These are the words of a true follower of Jesus. If this is what it takes to follow Jesus, let us also go, that we may die with him. When I was in college, I went on a mission trip to Russia. As I was getting ready for the trip, people asked me, “Russia? Isn’t that dangerous?” When I got to Russia and explained that I lived in Chicago, my Russian friends asked, “Chicago? Isn’t that dangerous?” The problem is that people were asking the wrong question. The question isn’t “is it dangerous?” There is no question – being a follower is dangerous. It requires death.

Jesus did not mince words about it. If you want to be one of his followers, Jesus is clear. If you want to follow him, you must deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow him.

Jesus didn’t just say it; he lived it. The Bible tells us that although Jesus was God, he didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant , being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Jesus made himself nothing. Even He died to self, He took up His cross, and He obeyed God. So he not only talked the talk, he walked the walk, too. Jesus says “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Fans want to save their lives, no matter what. They count the cost, and if they don’t see the payoff, they will bail.

The fan says, “a losing season? I’m not buying season tickets.” A fan says, “No championship? Fire the coach.” The fan says, “Jesus died – that could happen to me, too. But the follower says, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” (Jim Elliot)

Following Jesus requires death. We can’t just be mostly dead. It’s an all-or-nothing proposition. There will be many fans who will claim that their level of fandom qualifies them for a reward. Many fans will say, “I taught Sunday school for years. I was the president of the board. I served at the food pantry. I sang in the choir. I have served in every position in the church.” I am a really big fan.

To that, Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus doesn’t want fans. Jesus doesn’t just want to be your homeboy. Jesus wants followers, those who are dying to live.

Jesus always had a choice. He had all kinds of choices. He was already recognized as a great teacher who amassed great crowds whenever he spoke. He could very easily have overthrown Rome and set up his own earthly Empire. He could have done whatever he wanted. And he did. Because he had “died” before he died. Jesus had died to self, so even in death, Jesus was truly living. In Luke 22:42, we see Jesus earnestly praying in the Garden. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

This is the same death Jesus calls us to.

Romans 6:3-8 explains what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

We celebrate Easter because Jesus died so we can live. Jesus died to self, and physically died, but death couldn’t defeat him and the grave couldn’t hold him. He is alive! In baptism, we were dead and buried, and if we have been united with him in death, we are also united with him in resurrection and new life.

True Christ followers are dying to live! Once we have died, we can truly live. Remember that this is a daily process – Jesus said we have to shoulder our cross daily.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, he urges them: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

If you are a fan, you are only mostly dead, and your life is not hidden with Christ in God. You don’t have any choice but to try to control things yourself. Good luck with that. On our own, we have just enough power to discover our own powerlessness. We lose our retirement funds in the stock market. Health care costs continue to escalate. The doctor says, “Cancer.” Our children grow up in a society vastly different from and more dangerous than the one we grew up in. The worries of this world continue to grow.

And in the midst of it God says, “Die to self. I’ve got it.” You see, when we, as fans, try to assert our own control, we’re saying to God, “You’re not enough for me.” And by saying that, we’re making the assumption that we are enough.

But Jesus Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

This is what Easter is all about. It is the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, but it is also the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus’ followers. We, too, died, but by Jesus’ wounds, we are healed. We are healed from our sin disease. When Jesus heals us by his wounds, he makes us whole. He takes control. But he requires us to die.  This means that when we finally approach our physical death, we don’t have to fear.

We recognize John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, as a pillar of faith, but in 1737 he experienced a crisis of faith. He was 34 years old, having grown up in the church, the son of an Anglican priest, and had already founded the Holy Club with his brother Charles and others. Wesley went on what can only be described as a botched mission trip to Georgia. On the return trip to Oxford, the ship John Wesley was on went through a terrible storm. During the storm, there were some Moravian Christians who sang praises through the storm, but Wesley feared for his life.

In spite of his careful devotion and diligence in the performance of religious duties, Wesley felt that somehow, he himself still needed to be converted. He wrote: “I went to America to convert the Indians; but oh, who shall convert me ... I have a fair summer religion. I can talk well; nay, and believe myself, while no danger is near. But let death look me in the face, and my spirit is troubled ... Oh, who will deliver me from this fear of death?”

Wesley understood that his fear of death was an indication that he wasn’t saved. In the terminology we’ve been using for the past six weeks, he finally understood that he was a fan, not a follower. When a follower of Jesus approaches death, our lives are worth celebrating, because we have already died. We die to truly live in Jesus. How about you? Are you a fan or a follower? Are there things you are still holding onto that are keeping you from experiencing true life in Jesus?  Maybe today is the day for you to let go – to surrender, to die – to make a decision to follow Jesus.  There are some fans in the room who will hesitate and miss this opportunity.  But there are some others that are going to cross a line today.  You will discover the joy of choosing to die so that you can truly live.  Your life will never be the same.  And the lives of many others will never be the same either.