Part 2 of 3: The Benefits of Following Jesus
This is part two of a three-part series. This series will focus on the costs of following Jesus, the benefits of faith in Jesus, and the costs of not placing your faith in Jesus.
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
The previous post focused on the severe costs of following Jesus. Those costs are real. As Jesus interacted with people, there were times where the costs of following Him kept people from following and trusting in Him. The Pharisees rejected Jesus because they thought they could make themselves right with God. They didn't know they needed a savior. To those that believe that they can make themselves right with God, Jesus says that "those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:31-32. The rich young ruler was unwilling to give up his stuff to follow Jesus and be made right with God. Judas handed Jesus over to the chief priests for a month's wages. Others did not follow Jesus because they feared what others might think of them if they did follow Jesus. The costs to follow Jesus can't be overlooked, but the costs are a mere temporary blip compared to the glorious, eternal benefits of following and trusting in Jesus. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" 2 Corinthians 4:17.
Peace with God
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
When we follow Jesus, we have peace with God. "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1. Jesus transforms us from being enemies of God to being reconciled to God. Through Jesus, we are justified or put in right standing with God. Reconciliation is the restoration of friendly relations between opposing forces. It's also an accounting term; reconciliation is the paying of a debt and settling accounts. I've heard someone put things this way: somebody must pay for the debt of our sin. We can either "pay" for the debt of our sin against an eternal, mighty, just, holy God ourselves. In this case, our payment will never cover the debt cost of betraying an all-powerful, totally, just, eternal God. There's nothing we can "do" to make ourselves right with God. Instead, we will suffer in an eternity separated from God in hell. The other alternative is that we can accept the debt payment of our sins that Jesus made on our behalf. Either way, this sin debt payment must be made. God can not overlook it. A good, just, perfect, holy God of life would not be good and just and perfect and holy if He did not rightfully punish and defeat sin, evil, and death. As long as we have not trusted in Jesus, God's wrath is rightfully on us (John 3:36b).
When Jesus told the disciples that He would be going away in John 14, He explained that He would give them peace. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27. Paul tells us that when we bring our anxieties and worries to God in prayer with gratitude that "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7. Paul wrote this during his imprisonment for spreading the gospel before being executed for his faith. Even then, Paul had peace with where God had him and trusted God in all things. The peace Jesus gives us is not temporary or circumstantial, but instead, it is an eternal, steady, unshakable peace that casts out fear and puts our troubled hearts at ease.
Rest
A primary differentiator between Christianity and every other religion is that every other religion requires you to earn your own righteousness. Christianity teaches us that Jesus has earned our righteousness for us. When we follow and trust Jesus for making us right with God, we don't have to earn our relationship with God. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. God loved us first. We didn't work for or earn God's love, and we don't have to work to keep God's love. "We love because he [God] first loved us." 1 John 4:19. God created us, and God loved us first, and we respond to God's love by loving Him in return. We can rest in God's love.
“When we follow and trust Jesus for making us right with God, we don’t have to earn our relationship with God.”
Because Jesus lived the life we couldn't and died the death we should have, He has paid for our sin and given us His righteousness when we put our faith in Him. "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30. Are you worn out? Are you trying to be perfect and earn man or God's approval? If so, confess your attempts to earn your relationship with God to God. Rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. "It is finished!" John 19:30. Jesus has done the work. We can rest and trust in what He has finished. Worship artists Shane and Shane summarize this beautifully in their worship song titled Psalm 16 (Fullness of Joy):
My heart is glad and my soul rejoice
My flesh it dwells secure
Because You put on flesh
Lived a blameless life
My curse on the cross You bore
Then You ripped the doors off the City of Death
And the chains fell to the floor
Now the serpent's crushed
It has been finished
And You reign forever more!
Freedom
Free From Sin
When we trust and follow Jesus, our allegiance switches. We go from being enslaved to Satan, the father of lies, deception, sin, and death, to freely following God, who is gracious, slow to anger, patient, and good to all. Followers of Jesus are freed from the power of sin when we place our faith in Jesus. "Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'" John 8:34-36. That does not mean that Christians never sin or never have struggles. The difference is sin no longer rules the lives of Jesus followers. We go from being slaves to sin and death, to adopted sons and daughters of God through the work and ministry of Jesus Christ.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 6 has a good deal to speak about being set free from sin. "We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." Romans 6:6-7. When we trust Jesus, our sinful human nature is put to death. When our sinful nature is put to death, we are free to live a new life in obedience to God. When we trust in Jesus and repent of our sin, we are indeed freed from the power and penalty of sin. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1- 2.
Free From Man's Approval
Life can be difficult. We can have weights and pressures from many different places, some of those coming from other people's opinions. The desire for others' approval and the fear of their rejection can be a temptation that leads us into a lifestyle of sin and ungodliness. In his book Pleasing People: How Not To Be An "Approval Junkie", Lou Priolo writes about the weight of people pleasing.
"Man's expectations of us are often quite different, aren't they? We are often called on or expected to do immoral and dangerous things by those we are trying to please.
'If you really want to please me:
go into debt to buy me what I want,
or do whatever it takes to lose 10 pounds
or go to bed with me,
or get drunk with me,
or get high with me,
or lie for me,
or let me cheat on this test by peeking over your shoulder,
or break the law for me,
or look the other way when I break the law,
or stay home from church with me.'"
“If God is pleased with your life, what does it matter if man is displeased? God’s approval and favor is a sufficient reward.”
When we follow Jesus, our aim is no longer to please man's sinful desires, but rather to please the holy heart of God. "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10. The Bible challenges our sinful inclinations and our sinful desire to seek the approval of others. Proverbs warns us about seeking others' approval. "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe" Proverbs 29:25. When we trust and obey what God says on a matter, we are in the safety of the Lord. When we follow Jesus, we are so free from the approval of others that we do not even fear those who can kill us! "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:26-28. Lou sums up quite nicely the heart and mind of those who follow Jesus when it comes to being free from the approval of man.
"Your primary calling in life is to please and glorify God in all that you do. The knowledge that you are walking worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in all respects (cf. Col. 1:10), should be a source of peace, security, joy, and contentment that will prevail over any fear of man's disapproval. If God is pleased with your life, what does it matter if man is displeased? God's approval and favor is a sufficient reward."
Free From the World
To live in the world is to expect to think and act and believe and desire as the world does. But when we follow Jesus, we live a different way. God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and God's ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:15-17. This passage in 1 John tells us we can either love the world or love God. The world is temporal, God is forever. And those of us who love God obey God, and when we love and obey God through Jesus, we will abide or remain forever with God.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12 charges followers of Jesus to renew our minds in God's word to know God's will. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2. The filter by which we test and discern matters in life is the word of God. Psalm 119 tells us, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105. Jesus rebuffed Satan in the wilderness when he tempted Jesus to turn stone into bread and said that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). The word of God is our compass, our North Star, that points us in the right direction and leads us in the right path. When we follow Jesus and God's word, we are free from the traps and snares and pitfalls of this world.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Living Hope
Everywhere you turn today, it seems like things are going wrong. Socially and politically, there's never been more division in our country in the modern age. There is a global pandemic that has rocked the world. News channels, radio stations, and websites are filled with cynicism, distrust, and a bleak forecast of the future. The Bible is real about how hard life is. Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that we will have tribulation. But it also is clear that God is in control of all things, and no matter how bad things may get or may seem, there is hope. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" 1 Peter 1:3. No matter what we go through, the God of the Bible, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), is always with us and will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We are born again, and we have a living hope, Jesus, who has conquered and defeated sin and death.
No matter how bad things get, Christians know this life is not all there is. Knowing and trusting in Jesus gives you an eternal perspective. And if things do get terrible, followers of Jesus know that even if we may have misery, pain, and discomfort, it is light and momentary. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." 2 Corinthians 4:17.
But even then, the difficulties of life and suffering in this world have positive side effects. "Through him [Jesus] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:2-5. Suffering, trials, and difficulties are sources of rejoicing for Christians, not because we are masochists, but because suffering produces endurance, character, and hope. God uses these difficult things, which the world perceives as pointless and aimless, as sharpening stones to make Christians more like Jesus. So even in bad things, illness, hardships, persecutions, suffering, and the evils of this world, God can use them for our good (Genesis 50:20). We have hope in good times and in bad times.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13.
Adoption into God's family
Sons and Daughters of the King
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Brian Payne was giving a sermon this week when he quoted Packer's Knowing God. JI Packer summed up the gospel in three words: adoption through propitiation. "Propitiation" is a big word for atonement or substitutional payment for wrongdoing. Jesus earned our adoption into the family of God. "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13. In this same sermon, Brian Payne shared his story of the practical outworking of our adoption as sons and daughters into God's family and how it applies in our lives. Give that a listen below.
“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Isn't that powerful? We are no longer orphans. Jesus tells us in John 14 that He is going to the Father's house to prepare a place for us. "In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14:2-3. Jesus wants us in His family and with Him in His heavenly home. However we sometimes slip back into thinking like orphans rather than sons and daughters of the God of the universe. Scripture reminds us not to slip back into a spirit of fear but to remember who's we are. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba" Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" Romans 8:14-16. Because we are children of God, God gives us His Holy Spirit and seals, confirms, and claims us as His children. Like Cephan in the video calling Brian, his adopted father, Dad, we can refer to God as Abba, Daddy, or Poppa.
But we are not sons and daughters of God because of our own good looks, smarts, strength, goodness, skills, or anything that we have done. Instead, we are God's children because of what Jesus has done for us, "...for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." Galatians 3:26. In Jesus, we are children of God through faith, and Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). As stated above in John 1:13, our position as God's children is not by being born into a particular lineage, or by our own will, or by anything else, but by the will of God. We have a good and perfect Father who will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). When we do wrong or slip up, He's not waiting for us to get it wrong and pour out His wrath on us, but like the father in the story of the prodigal son, He is waiting and ready to receive us and accept us when we repent of our wrongdoing.
"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” Galatians 4:4-7.
“Jesus remembers the forgotten, brings in the outcast, and loves the unloveable.”
If you've ever felt outcast or ostracized, or like you just don't belong, the good news is that Jesus wants you. Just like the outcast lepers that cried out "unclean!" to Jesus as He walked near, Jesus drew nearer to those who others run from. Jesus didn't catch their illness, but instead He cast out their disease and the source of their loneliness and isolation. He made them physically well and paved the road for them to be emotionally and socially reconnected to their family and community. The one leper returns to give Jesus thanks and praise, and Jesus tells him that his faith has made them well, so Jesus addressed their spiritual need as well. Following and trusting in Jesus is belonging to a heavenly, eternal family. Jesus remembers the forgotten, brings in the outcast, and loves the unloveable.
Brothers and sisters in Christ
Consequently, when we become sons and daughters of God, we also gain brothers and sisters in Christ through Jesus. We were never meant to do this life alone, and in Scripture, God commands us to treat one another in such a way that is in line with God's will. People who would never have anything in common are brought into the body of Christ. Each of us has a purpose and role in contributing to the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-8). In the previous post, we talked about the cost of Jesus' command in Luke 14:26-33 that our love for family members looks like hate compared to our love and loyalty to Jesus. Jesus goes on further to show the benefit of following and trusting Him in a similar context: "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life." Luke 18:29-30. The church is a mishmash of broken, sinful men, women, and children, but through faith in Jesus, God has brought us all into His eternal family to love one another and display God's love to the world. Though we all look and sound different, we all have the marks of our Heavenly Father when God gives us His Holy Spirit. We take on the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and we then share and show the family resemblance among one another. We have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We grow in sanctification, learn God's word in Scripture, live according to God’s word, love others, and seek to bring new brothers and sisters into God's family through the love of Jesus.
Heavenly inheritance, Eternal Salvation
Romans 8:16 tells us that we are children of God, but it doesn't stop there. It states that if we are children of God, "...then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." Romans 8:17. The Christian life is not an easy life. Jesus is real with us, and He told us to count the costs. Jesus had to go through the cross to get to the crown, and we must follow the same path that He did. We can't get to the crown of eternal life without bearing our cross and dying to ourselves. But we will receive the heavenly inheritance from our heavenly Father.
The rich young ruler in Mark 10 asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17). The lawyer in the story of the Good Samaritan also asks Jesus what must be done to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25). In John 6, the crowds near the sea in Capernaum asked Jesus what they must do to be doing the works of God. The good news is Jesus' response: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him [Jesus] whom he has sent." John 6:29. The faithful followers of Jesus, children of God, will receive the inheritance Jesus has won for us. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:3-5. Jesus has earned our inheritance, our eternal salvation. God caused us to be born again, according to His great mercy. Our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Jesus was dead for a short time, but He didn't stay dead, and He ascended into heaven. He is alive now, He is the living hope that defeated sin and death.
Jesus
Ultimately, faithful followers of Jesus get to spend eternity with Jesus. Adam was our original representative, and he failed to trust God fully. But Jesus was the true and better Adam who fully trusted God. Where Adam was the flawed representative who brought sin and death into the world, Jesus is our perfect representative who defeated sin and death (Romans 5:12-21) and gives us His perfect righteousness. Jesus is the true and better Moses who delivered us from slavery to sin, who fulfilled the law given to Moses, and brought to us justification, grace, and righteousness through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Apart from Jesus, we can't do anything (John 15:5), and only in Jesus are we rooted in and connected to God. Jesus is the life and the resurrection, and even though we may die, when we believe in Jesus we will never die (John 11:25-26). Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:11), and He leads us beside still waters and green pastures to dwell in eternal safety with God. Our Lord and Savior becomes our friend (John 15:14-15). When we follow Jesus, we are His, and He is ours. There is a wonderful song, Jesus is Mine, which beautifully conveys these thoughts musically:
Fade, fade, each earthly joy
Jesus is mine
Stronger than fleeting hopes
Jesus is mine
Dark is the wilderness
Earth has no resting place
Jesus alone can bless
Jesus is mineIn days of fragile peace
Jesus is mine
Through tearful nights of grief
Jesus is mine
His voice commands the storm
His presence stills my soul
He will sustain my hope
Jesus is mineWhen on that final day
Jesus is mine
Before his radiant face
Jesus is mine
Safe in his arms I’ll cling
Praising my Savior King
Forevermore I’ll sing
“Jesus is mine.”
No Eye Has Seen, No Ear Has Heard
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”
It is costly to follow Jesus. But following Jesus is the best return on any investment you can make. The benefits far outweigh the costly investment of following and trusting in Jesus. When we place our faith in Jesus, we have peace with God. We can rest in the finished work of Jesus on our behalf through faith in what He's done for us. We are free from the power of sin and death, we are free from trying to earn God and man's approval, and we are free from the evil schemes of the world. We have hope no matter our circumstances. When we put our faith in Jesus, we are adopted as sons and daughters of God, and we have a new heavenly family to share this life with and all of eternity. We can be confident that God will keep us. When we follow Jesus, we get Jesus. The Creator of the universe and the One who spoke all things into existence becomes our personal friend. When God ushers in the new heavens and the new earth, all of the pain, heartache, and failures of this world will be no more. “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4. Every bad thing will be undone. We can’t imagine the wonderful things that God has prepared for those of us who have put our faith in Jesus. "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9. It will be glorious. Have you trusted in Jesus? If not, I invite you to do so today, right now.